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Bebi
The Management
Joined: 02 May 2006
Posts: 824
Location: West Yorkshire, UK
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 Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:11 am Post subject: GP & BLUP explained |
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GP - Genetic Potential
BLUP - Best Linear Unbiased Prediction
From the Breeders Manual:
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Genetic potential
This relates to skills that the horse can acquire during its life through training, riding and competitions. They are calculated depending on the genetic potential of the horse's parents and depending on the latter's BLUP.
If the horse or pony finished trainining, rides and competition in a skill, then this skill is in bold characters (BC). This means that this is a strength of this horse.
The genetic potential of a foal can change in one way only once it is born - by playing with it between 8 months and 1 and half years of age.
The inborn skills and the gain in skills during lessons are not included in the genetic potential. So, a horse's skills may exceed the values indicated in its genetic potential.
The BLUP
The BLUP is a genetic index. It plays a role in the reproduction since the parents's BLUP influences the potential of a foal at its birth.It is calculated depending on
the training level reached by the horse in its best three skills,
the number of competitions won by the horse, the ideal being 20 victories
and its age. The BLUP can only reach 100 after 10 years' old.
It is therefore interesting to select trained horses as reproducers and those that have excelled in competitions. Depending on these parameters, the BLUP will always be between - 100 and 100, - with -100 being the minimum BLUP and 100 the maximum BLUP that a horse can achieve.
If the parents's average BLUP is 0, i.e. neutral, it will not have an impact on calculating the foal's genetic potential. If it is less than 0, the foal will have more chance of seeing its potential lower than its parents's potential and vice versa if the average BLUP is more than 0.
To have the best reproducers and have every chance of having the best foals possible, it is preferable to select horse with a high, or at least a positive, BLUP, i.e. mainly well trained individuals.
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Here is some more information regarding BLUP:
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BLUP is the acronym for Best Linear Unbiased Prediction.
It gives the Breeding Values a rating or breeding quality number and is a prediction of the breeding potential of the individual animal and how likely it is that that animal will improve (or not improve) its offspring.
BLUP calculations are used to predict everything from sow birth rates to volcanic activity. It has been used in the horse breeding industry for over 40 years.
With BLUP it is possible to track and predict the different inherited traits through complicated objectively mathematical and statistical calculations. Its requires a very powerful computer to crunch the numbers.
A BLUP rating is linear because of the constant updating of the numbers and unbiased because there is little room for subjective opinion. The resulting numbers allow ram breeders to make informed predictions when choosing breeding stock.
BLUP is expected to be used as a supplement to other evaluations and insight, but not to rely on alone. It can help to check to see how good the animals are likely to become, but it is a only hint, not a final truth; it is still a prediction and not a cast iron sure thing.
http://www.ceresfarm.co.nz/blup.htm A sheep farming website, but the explanation is standard
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