genetic diversity in native nordic horse breeds

The shift from classical genetics to modern genomics has revolutionized the analysis of the evolutionary history of animal populations. In the case of Nordic equine breeds, as already described in the previous paragraph, unique characteristics are found as a result of centuries of adaptation and isolation; therefore, the use of high-resolution molecular tools is necessary. The use of traditional markers, such as microsatellites, currently provides limited information on genetic variation, while genomics can perform a complete scan of the entire equine genome. The main genomic parameters and methodologies that allow us to assess the genetic health of these equine populations, determine genetic diversity, and identify selection signatures related to environmental adaptation will be described below.