Many owners are familiar with the concept of equine genetic testing: You collect a sample of hair from your horse’s tail or mane, send it to the lab, and in a few short weeks they mail you the results.

Such testing can be used for a variety of purposes, including registering horses of certain breeds (such as Arabians or Quarter Horses); confirming and identifying underlying medical conditions (such as PSSM1, polysaccharide storage myopathy type 1); and choosing mares and stallions to produce foals of specific colors or coat patterns.

Although it seems fairly routine now, genetic testing in horses has only been available for a few decades. The continued and rapid growth in both the technology and industry, however, mean we can do more than ever.

“It is now possible to go beyond small panels of genetic tests for registration purposes and individual tests for coat color and pattern,” explained Samantha Brooks, PhD, principal investigator at the Brooks Equine Genetics Lab and an Assistant Professor in equine physiology at the University of Florida. “We can now test horses for performance, health, and behavior markers and apply this new knowledge to improve equine welfare