Morphological diversity of principal horse (Equus caballus) populations of Bhutan

Abstract

The objective of the study was to understand the horse population types and to document the morphometric characteristics of predominant horse types in Bhutan. The study indicated the presence of about seven horse types including the imported breeds. The three predominant types were Yuta, Boeta and Sharta. A total of 11 biometric measurements were recorded on 324 unrelated adult horses (162 stallions and 162 mares) comprising of Yuta (272), Boeta (30) and Sharta (20). Overall, the multivariate analysis of biometric measurements revealed a significant (p≤0.01) difference among the horse types. The parameters such as ear length, back height, barrel length, height at withers, and heart girth of the Yuta horses were significantly lower than Boeta type but similar to Sharta horses. The difference in the parameters between the sexes were not significant. The cluster analysis based on squared Euclidean distance derived from mean values of aggregated gender grouped horses into two types. The findings suggest the morphometric similarity of Yuta and Sharta, and their variation from Boeta horses. Further, the molecular studies to determine their phylogeny and genetic diversity is recommended.