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A lot of people think finding out the horse that you’ve poured so much blood, sweat and tears into has a muscle disorder is one of the worst things that could happen. Sometimes, that’s true. Other times, it’s a relief. It’s a relief just to finally have an answer. It’s not one that I would…

I’m an amateur dressage rider, Animal Reiki Practitioner, and trail enthusiast looking for my next happy, healthy trail partner. That means I’m horse shopping, which should be an exciting experience!  As of Summer 2025, I tested 19 horses for PSSM2/MIM as part of my pre-purchase process. These horses came from all backgrounds registered and grade.…

After two decades in the veterinary medical field, I’ve witnessed countless treatment protocols, diagnostic advances, and management trends. Yet nothing has transformed my understanding of equine health quite like muscle myopathies. These complex conditions—PSSM1, MIM and its variants, MFM, MYHM, and so forth—have become unexpected catalysts, revealing fundamental truths about health that extend far beyond…

When you’ve exhausted all your resources and drained your back account, trying to find what is wrong with your horse, then what do you do? You dig a little deeper, research longer and keep asking questions. You get told you are crazy, your horse has got the better of you, and mostly you are making…

Introduction This blog post explores the K1 allele of the equine COL6A3 gene, which encodes Collagen type VI alpha 3 chain. Portions of this blog post serve as additional sources of information to supplement the COL6A3 Gene Page. The K1 allele of COL6A3 carries a missense mutation, shown below. The protein model XP_014595871.3 was used to…

Introduction This blog post explores the P3 allele of the equine FLNC gene, which encodes filamin-C. Portions of this blog post serve as additional sources of information to supplement the FLNC Gene Page. The P3 allele of FLNC carries two missense mutations, shown below. The protein model XP_023495410.1 was used to assign amino acid positions. Figure…

Introduction This blog post explores the P4 allele (S42L) of the equine MYOZ3 gene, which encodes myozenin 3. Portions of this blog post serve as additional sources of information to supplement the MYOZ3 Gene Page. We present data to support the hypothesis that the P4 allele of MYOZ3 (S42L) is damaging. The substitution of leucine…

Introduction This blog post explores the P2 allele (S232P) of the equine MYOT gene, which encodes myotilin. Portions of this blog post serve as additional sources of information to supplement the MYOT Gene Page. We present data to support the hypothesis that the P2 allele of MYOT (S232P) is damaging. The substitution of proline (heterocyclic)…

EquiSeq has released a major revision to the software that powers our website and database. We now present genetic test results starting with the affected gene. Here is an example of the appearance of the new horse profile pages. Figure 1. A horse profile page returning results from EquiSeq. This horse has tested positive for the…

A team of researchers at the University of Minnesota and the University of California, Davis, have published a landmark study of the predicted genetic burden in horses, based on the analysis of whole genome sequence data from 605 horses (1). They conclude that the genetic load in horses is 1.4 – 2.6 times that of the human population. The authors discuss the unique advantages of the study of horse to understand human phenotypes, especially those associated with athletic performance.

Horse owners have asked us to explain this paper, as it mentions the genetic variants that are in EquiSeq’s panel of DNA tests. Here we review the methods and major findings of this paper. We include background information typically absent from the primary literature in order to make the paper more accessible to non-specialists.