Comparison of genetic diversity of the Terskaya and Orlov trotter breeds based on the analysis of STR markers

A comparative analysis of the genetic structure of Terskaya and Orlov Trotter horses was performed based on genotyping by 17 microsatellite markers. It was shown that the Terskaya horse breed is characterized by high allelic richness.. Cluster analysis of the genetic profiles of the horses of the studied breeds showed that Terskaya horses and Orlov Trotters can be distinguished quite accurately based on STR genotyping, which should not, however, replace the analysis of phenotypic traits. In both breeds, there is a predominance of outbreeding matings, which leads to a slight superiority of the observed heterozygosity value over the expected heterozygosity. It was found that in the Terskaya breed of horses, separate groups of related animals can be identified due to the distribution of horses among small private horse farms.