{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,25]],"date-time":"2025-10-25T04:42:49Z","timestamp":1761367369441,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,23]],"date-time":"2025-10-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761177600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>White leg markings in horses are phenotypic traits influenced by genetic and environmental factors. This study analyzed their prevalence, symmetry, and genetic parameters in 38,825 Pura Raza Espa\u00f1ola (PRE) horses registered in the official studbook. White markings were scored using a binary (affected\/unaffected) and a four-level ordinal scale. Most horses (38,341 out of 38,825; 98.8%) had at least one limb without white markings. The prevalence of white markings was higher in the hindlegs (17.9% LH; 14.5% RH) than in the forelegs (5.3% LF; 4.6% RF). Markings were most frequent above the fetlock (\u224864%), chestnut horses showed the highest prevalence, whereas black coats showed the lowest. Genetic analyses using Bayesian animal models revealed moderate-to-high heritabilities, ranging from 0.488 for Right hindlegs to 0.574 for Left hindlegs in the multinomial model, which outperformed the dichotomous model (h2 = 0.030\u20130.515 for all legs and left foreleg, respectively). Additive genetic variance was highest in the left hindleg (\u03c32u = 7.904). Genetic correlations were high between contralateral homologous limbs (0.991 forelegs; 0.995 hindlegs), confirming strong bilateral genetic control, while diagonal correlations were lower (\u22480.886). These findings confirm a substantial genetic component underlying white leg markings in PRE horses and highlight the importance of refined phenotyping and genetic evaluations for breeding strategies, particularly when markings are penalized as in the PRE breeding program.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life15111661","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]],"date-time":"2025-10-24T00:47:36Z","timestamp":1761266856000},"page":"1661","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Role of Genetic and Environmental Factors in White Leg Markings: Prevalence and Heritability Analysis in Pura Raza Espa\u00f1ola Horses"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9348-7393","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana","family":"Encina","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Agronom\u00eda, Escuela T\u00e9cnica Superior de Ingeniar\u00eda Agron\u00f3mica (ETSIA), Universidad de Sevilla, 41013 Sevilla, Spain"},{"name":"Real Asociaci\u00f3n Nacional de Criadores de Caballos Espa\u00f1oles (ANCCE), 41014 Sevilla, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4357-9908","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mar\u00eda Jos\u00e9","family":"S\u00e1nchez-Guerrero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Agronom\u00eda, Escuela T\u00e9cnica Superior de Ingeniar\u00eda Agron\u00f3mica (ETSIA), Universidad de Sevilla, 41013 Sevilla, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Manuel","family":"Ligero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Agronom\u00eda, Escuela T\u00e9cnica Superior de Ingeniar\u00eda Agron\u00f3mica (ETSIA), Universidad de Sevilla, 41013 Sevilla, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Arantxa","family":"Rodr\u00edguez-Sainz de los Terreros","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Real Asociaci\u00f3n Nacional de Criadores de Caballos Espa\u00f1oles (ANCCE), 41014 Sevilla, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1742-550X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mercedes","family":"Valera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Agronom\u00eda, Escuela T\u00e9cnica Superior de Ingeniar\u00eda Agron\u00f3mica (ETSIA), Universidad de Sevilla, 41013 Sevilla, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"130","DOI":"10.1093\/jhered\/esm115","article-title":"Genetic Analysis of White Facial and Leg Markings in the Swiss Franches-Montagnes Horse Breed","volume":"99","author":"Rieder","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. 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