Association of phenotypical characteristics with performance of Mangalarga Marchador horses during official competitions of endurance, working equitation and gait assessment

Abstract

Horses of the Mangalarga Marchador breed have traditionally been selected for their morphology and gait pattern, being for comfortable to ride over long periods of time and during ranch work. Meanwhile, the athletic side of the breed has been much overlooked, especially regarding the endurance and working equitation competitions. In this study, 31 Mangalarga Marchador horses were evaluated during the national competition Caminhos do Marchador. The referred competition was carried out in three stages, with the first being an endurance stage, the second stage a working equitation stage, and the third and last stage was a gait evaluation, where the gait of the horses were assessed subjectively by an official jury. Twenty-five morphometric measurements and indexes of these animals were taken after the competition and were then statistically analyzed. A correlation between gender and athletic performance was found, with geldings having the best results, and females having the worst results. The type of gait also influenced the final ratings, with horses presenting batida gait having better placements. Smaller horses had better results than tall horses, while there was no age interference in the final ratings.