A prominent Arabian horse breeding operation based in the United Arab Emirates recently became the first to publicly announce one of its stallions is a carrier of cerebellar abiotrophy (CA). Albidayer Stud released the news that World Champion Arabian stallion Marajj is a carrier for the inherited neurologic disease, for which a DNA test recently became available.  

"We decided to test Marajj because a foal of his was suspected of having CA," said Dawn Martin, Marajj’s breeding manager. "The decision to make an announcement wasn’t really a difficult one to make. An announcement like this, about a horse of his caliber, will only help the breed, as well as the research into CA."

Mare owners who plan to breed to a known carrier are encouraged to test their mares to discern each animal’s genetic status. Carriers bred to other carriers have the potential to produce an affected foal 25% of the time.

Cerebellar abiotrophy causes head tremors and a lack of balance by killing neurons in the cerebellum (which plays an important role in the integration of sensory perception, coordination, and motor control). There is no treatment, and affected horses are usually euthanized