Equus Survival Trust
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The Equus Survival Trust is a United States nonprofit organisation dedicated to helping
conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manage ...
efforts for over 25
horse breed A horse breed is a selectively bred population of domesticated horses, often with pedigrees recorded in a breed registry. However, the term is sometimes used in a broader sense to define landrace animals of a common phenotype located within a ...
s considered "endangered" by the organization due to their rarity and danger of dying out. It is dedicated to protecting the
genetic diversity Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. It ranges widely, from the number of species to differences within species, and can be correlated to the span of survival for a species. It is d ...
and traditional traits of historical horse, pony and donkey breeds that are currently nearly extinct. They are doing this through conservation efforts, public education and support of associations for rare breeds. The organization places an emphasis on North American breeds and breeders. The Trust is the only conservation organization in the world that specializes in equines.


Categorization

The Equus Survival Trust categorizes its 29 breeds into six conservation slots, from "critical/nearly extinct" (meaning less than 100 active breeding mares) up to "watch" (meaning 3000-5000 active adult breeding mares). They also have categories for "Recovering", which covers breeds previously listed that have exceeded the watch category but may need additional monitoring, and "Study", which covers breeds that are of genetic interest but need more study before they are considered for inclusion on the conservation list. Besides the various conservation levels, the Trust also categorizes animals by type, including small and large ponies, small horses, regular horses, draft horses and donkeys. The breeds on the list originate from around the world, and all of the breeds have viable breeding populations in North America.


Conservation efforts

In 2006, the Trust partnered with the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at
Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
to carry out an equine
genome A genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding genes, other functional regions of the genome such as ...
research project on rare horse breeds. Male members of 32 horse and donkey breeds were expected to be tested in the project. In 2007, the organization partnered with the
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy The Livestock Conservancy, formerly known as the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) and prior to that, the American Minor Breeds Conservancy, is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and promoting rare breeds, also known as ...
in a project to preserve the
Carolina Marsh Tacky The Carolina Marsh Tacky or Marsh Tacky is a critically endangered breed of horse, native to South Carolina. It is a member of the Colonial Spanish group of horse breeds, which also include the Florida Cracker Horse and the Banker horse of No ...
, which is considered to be in critical condition with only 100-150 members of the breed remaining. DNA samples and photos were taken of a herd in South Carolina, considered to be the largest remaining herd, with a heritage tracing back to the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. DNA testing was undertaken in an effort to identify horses for a new
studbook A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry, the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders w ...
, reveal what
DNA marker A genetic marker is a gene or DNA sequence with a known location on a chromosome that can be used to identify individuals or species. It can be described as a variation (which may arise due to mutation or alteration in the genomic loci) that can be ...
s the breed carries, and map the breed's genetic place among all other horse breeds worldwide. Sixty horses were tested in the effort. To promote the breeds that it is dedicated to preserving, the Trust holds or participates in various equine events. In 2006, they showcased the
Caspian horse The Caspian is an Iranian breed of pony or small horse of Oriental type. The breed was rediscovered in 1965 by an Iranian aristocrat in Tehran, Narcy Firouz, and his American-born wife, Louise Laylin from a base stock of a small number of sma ...
,
Fell pony The Fell pony is a versatile working breed of mountain and moorland pony originating on Cumberland and Westmorland farms of northwest England and is used for riding and driving. The breed is closely related to its geographic neighbour, the ...
and
Dales pony The Dales Pony is a British breed of pony or small horse. It originated in, and is named for, the Dales of Yorkshire in northern England. It is one of the nine native mountain and moorland pony breeds of the United Kingdom, and belongs to the ...
at Equine Affaire in
Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...
. The Trust partnered with five breed organizations to provide breed demonstrations, visitor information and public education. In 2008, the Trust organized a weekend-long event to exhibit around 120 animals representing 12 pony and horse breeds at the
Kentucky Horse Park Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm, international equestrian competition venue, and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 (Iron Works Pike) and Interstate 75, at ...
. The event was a combination of judged ridden events, including
dressage Dressage ( or ; , most commonly translated as "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrianism, equestrian sport defined by th ...
and
show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...
, breed demonstrations and public education.


References

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External links


Equus Survival Trust
- website Horse breeding organizations