Scientists will complete high-quality genome sequence of the horse together with a catalogue of genetic differences across diverse horse breeds

Long prized for its physical prowess, the horse has filled diverse and instrumental roles in human civilization, ranging from warfare and transportation to sport and agriculture. Now another chapter in its rich history has opened with a scientific collaboration aimed at decoding and analyzing the horse’s DNA.

A research team led by scientists at the Broad Institute is working to create a high-quality genome sequence of the domestic horse, Equus caballus, together with a compendium of genetic differences among seven different horse breeds. This analysis may help to define the key genetic features that have been preserved across various mammalian species, including humans, and also lays the foundation for revealing the genetic roots of equine diseases, some of which also afflict humans.

“We can gain insight into the most valuable parts of the human genome by reconstructing their genetic history in other mammals,” said Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, the co-director of the Genome Sequencing and Analysis program at the Broad Institute and one of the project’s principal investigators. “A thorough analysis of the horse genome will give us an important piece in this evolutionary puzzle and will also provide us with the tools needed to reveal the genetic underpinnings of disease — both in horse and in human