ABSTRACT
The aim of the study was to analyze the phenotypic dissimilarity of morphological characteristics of three strains of Criollo mares, Uruguian (La Invernada), Argentine (Cardal), and Chilena, pointing to the characteristics of higher variance within and among the different strains that are selectable. We evaluated 22 morphological characteristics of 113 mares of the Uruguaian line, 38 Argentines and 73 pure Chilean, totaling 224 breeding mares belonging to the criollo breed. For the determination of the linear and perimeter variables, a metric tape, plumb, pachymeter and hypometer were used. There was variability in the morphological characteristics between the three strains (P<0.05), including the linear characteristics of height, chest circumference and perimeter of cinnamon (P<0.01), considered as taxation for registration purposes. Higher phenotypic variation was observed in the mares of the Chilean line in relation to the other two genetic groups (P<0.01). The morphological characteristics of height croup, rostral perimeter neck, metatarsal length, croup width, chest depth, dorsal neck length, and body length were the selectable characteristics among the breeding mares belonging to the Argentine (Cardal), Uruguaian (La Invernada) and Chilena strains. In conclusion, there is no homogeneity between the studied strains, which identifies the diversity among the lines of Criollo mares studied.
Keywords:
horses; criollos; selection; principal component analysis
