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Projected Height Test

Name: Projected Height Test
Brand: Equigerminal
Price: 62.73 EUR

Reads a DNA marker beside the LCORL gene, in the LCORL/NCAPG region of horse chromosome 3, where the C version...

€62.73 Incl. VAT

About

This test shows whether your horse is genetically inclined to be taller or smaller than others of its breed. It reads one DNA marker linked to adult height.

It is meant for breeders planning for size, including Warmblood breeders.

Why test?

Breeding for size. Knowing the result of both parents tells you the chances for each foal before the mating.

An early indication for a foal. A foal can be tested at birth, years before it reaches its adult height. The result never changes.

Understanding a stallion or mare. The result shows what the horse can pass on for size.

Clinical signs

Height is a trait, not a disease. No disease is linked to this marker.

A T/T Warmblood and a T/T pony are not the same size.

Transmission

Each copy counts. Neither version hides the other: one C copy gives part of the effect, two give more. The marker is not on a sex chromosome, so colts and fillies are the same.

What each mating can produce:

T/T x T/T gives 100% T/T
T/T x T/C gives 50% T/T, 50% T/C
T/T x C/C gives 100% T/C
T/C x T/C gives 25% T/T, 50% T/C, 25% C/C
T/C x C/C gives 50% T/C, 50% C/C
C/C x C/C gives 100% C/C

Prevention

The result helps you plan matings for size.

To raise the chance of a taller foal, choose a parent with two copies of the tall version
To keep size down, use parents that both carry only the small version

Height should not be the only thing that decides a mating. Health, conformation and temperament are not read here.

Results

T/T: two copies of the small version. The horse tends to be smaller.

T/C: one copy of each. The horse tends to be in between.

C/C: two copies of the tall version. The horse tends to be taller.

The report is a DNA certificate that identifies the horse and the genotype found.

Sample

Hair roots: 20 to 40 hairs pulled (not cut) from the mane or tail, with the roots attached. Tape them inside the marked area of the printable sample submission form. Hairs without roots cannot be analysed. For a young foal, tail hair is usually easiest.

Blood: 5 mL of whole blood in a K3-EDTA tube, collected by a veterinarian. Label the tube with the horse's name and send it with the submission form.

Keep samples dry and at room temperature, and do not freeze them. Do not send hair that is wet, mouldy or soiled with bedding or faeces.

Send your sample by regular mail or express delivery to:

Equigerminal Lab HIESE
Rua da Quinta do Sobreiro Nº25
3230-343 Penela, Portugal

Turnaround

Standard processing: results within 5 to 10 working days of the sample arriving at the laboratory. Shipping is arranged and paid for by the client, and transit time is not included in the 5 to 10 working days.

Samples that fail DNA extraction or amplification are repeated at no extra cost, which may add a few working days. We contact you if a new sample is required.

How it works

🛒 Purchase the test: select and buy the test online.

📧 Receive instructions: after payment confirmation you receive sample collection instructions by e-mail.

✨ Collect the sample yourself: pull 20 to 40 hair roots with the bulb attached, or ask your veterinarian to collect blood in a K3-EDTA tube.

📄 Complete the form: print and complete the submission form with the animal identification.

📮 Send it to the laboratory: Equigerminal, S.A., HIESE, Rua da Quinta do Sobreiro, 25, Quinta Vale do Espinhal, 3230-343 Penela, PORTUGAL.

📄 Receive your report: your certified report is issued as soon as the analysis is validated.

FAQs

Can this test predict my foal's exact adult height?
No. Many other genes also count, and feeding and health care during growth matter as much as the genotype. The same genotype gives very different heights in different breeds, and we found no published study that supports fixed heights for each genotype across breeds. That is why the report gives no height in centimetres.

For Professionals

Genetic and clinical detail for veterinarians, geneticists and laboratories.

Gene / locus: LCORL/NCAPG region, ECA3; intergenic marker upstream of LCORL (ligand dependent nuclear receptor corepressor like). Evidence favours LCORL as the effector gene; NCAPG was ruled out as the candidate (Metzger et al., 2013).
Variant: SNP BIEC2-808543, T/C; C associated with greater withers height and reduced LCORL expression (40% lower in T/C and 56% lower in C/C than in T/T). Proposed to disrupt a regulatory element; causality not established. No HGVS description is available in our sources.
Variant identifiers: rs68603064.
Variant classification: no OMIA entry (quantitative trait marker, not in the OMIA variant table, dump of 2026-09-19); no ISAG/AVCG classification.
Inheritance: additive quantitative trait locus; each C copy adds to the effect.
Effect size: the region explained about 18% of the variance in withers height in German Warmbloods (Tetens et al., 2013). In Franches-Montagnes horses each C copy added about 1 cm to the breeding value for withers height (Signer-Hasler et al., 2012).
Breeds studied: association with withers height reported in German Warmbloods (Tetens et al., 2013; Metzger et al., 2013) and in a multi-breed GWAS including Franches-Montagnes horses (Signer-Hasler et al., 2012). Metzger et al. (2013) studied Hanoverians and other German Warmbloods, Oldenburgs, Holsteiners, Westphalians, Lusitanos, Arabians and ponies. Almost all ponies tested so far are T/T.
Allele / carrier frequencies: genotype frequencies T/T, T/C, C/C (Metzger et al., 2013): Arabian (n=223) 100%, 0%, 0%; Lusitano (n=96) 67%, 29%, 4%; Hanoverian (n=590) 16%, 56%, 28%; Oldenburg (n=21) 14%, 57%, 29%; Holsteiner (n=11) 18%, 64%, 18%; Westphalian (n=45) 9%, 60%, 31%. Oldenburg and Holsteiner samples are very small.
Clinical notes for veterinarians: other size loci (for example HMGA2, ZFAT) are not assessed. Not informative in breeds fixed for T/T.

Key references:

Metzger J, Schrimpf R, Philipp U, Distl O (2013). Expression levels of LCORL are associated with body size in horses. PLoS One 8:e56497.
Signer-Hasler H, Flury C, Haase B, et al. (2012). A genome-wide association study reveals loci influencing height and other conformation traits in horses. PLoS One 7:e37282.
Tetens J, Widmann P, Kuhn C, Thaller G (2013). A genome-wide association study indicates LCORL/NCAPG as a candidate locus for withers height in German Warmblood horses. Anim Genet 44:467-471.