How do I collect the DNA samples from my horse?

Horse DNA is extracted from hair samples. Hair samples can be collected from adult horses by directly plucking them out from the main. Due to the way DNA is distributed in hair, cut hairs or hairs that have fallen out naturally are not suitable for testing. This is because DNA is only found in the hair root and not in other parts of the hair.

If you are taking hair samples from foals, pluck these out of the tail. This is because the follicles from mane are smaller than those from the tail and make chances of successful DNA extraction lower.

Required forms for equine testing

Uses of equine DNA profiling

Equine DNA profiling provides a unique ID of your horse in the event that it goes missing or is stolen. Identifying a horse and confirming it is yours with absolute certainty may be difficult to prove without any supporting evidence of ownership such as that provided by an equine DNA profile.

Breeders sometimes use DNA profiles in order to keep the most accurate records of the horses used for breeding. In case verification of parentage (such as horse paternity testing) is required in cases where it is not clear which sire fathered a foal, having an equine DNA profile at hand makes it quicker to identify the biological parent.