Kissing Spines Study a Success
Publication link: https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1fMgI7sTUAt-6
Thanks to you and your help, we did it! The Kissing Spines study has become a success story. While there is still work to be done and details to sort through, our community's contribution has been key in this success. We can not thank you enough for sharing our message far and wide, encouraging horse people from all over the world to send in samples and X-Rays and take part in this important study.
The official release of the Kissing Spines study initial results was presented to veterinarians at the AAEP Virtual Convention & Trade Show by Etalon Advisors Beau Whitaker, DVM, and Samantha Brooks, Ph.D. This presentation, titled "Identification of Genomic Loci Associated with Performance-Limiting Kissing Spines in Quarter Horses and Warmbloods", was released beginning Tuesday, December 1st. Watch the video above to preview the study's initial results from Dr. Whitaker and Dr. Brooks.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Is Kissing Spines heritable or acquired?
A: While we believe that Kissing Spines is due to some combination of the two, the results of this study indicate a very strong genetic component for Kissing Spines.
Q: Are there any specific risk factors for Kissing Spines for horse owners to be on the lookout for?
A: Our research indicates that height is a universal risk factor. Sex and age are NOT universal risk factors.
Q: Will we ever be able to predict if a horse will have Kissing Spines?
A: Models to predict Kissing Spines are on the way! We are working hard on the back-end to provide horse owners with tools to help predict a horse's susceptibility to Kissing Spines.