Overview
Textbooks of general genetics rarely mention horses. Horse breeders and those taking courses in equine studies do not find it easy to relate fruit flies, pea plants and mice to practical horse breeding. There is therefore a need for a book which provides an overview of genetic principles using horses as the primary examples. This book aims to fill this gap. The author, who has both practical and academic experience in this subject, has distilled facts and ideas to provide relevant examples in a jargon-free way, while still maintaining scientific rigor.
Our knowledge of horse genes lags well behind that of other domestic animals, and the number of well-understood examples is limited. The author thus concentrates on topics such as coat color, where information is well documented, to illustrate general genetic principles. Nevertheless, the book is comprehensive in scope, covering additional topics such as parentage testing, medical genetics and gene mapping. Overall, the book is unique in providing an up-to-date review of current knowledge of horse genetics.