We have used abbreviations throughout our website for breed registrations as well as the DNA shorthand for colours and the HWSD condition. Below is the explanation of what the abbreviations represent.
AHSA: Arabian Horse Society of Australia
APPA: Australian Palouse Pony Association
APSB: Australian Pony Stud Book
ASB: Australian Stud Book
CBCHSWA: Combined Broken Coloured Horse Society of WA
CCSHA: Clydesdale Cross Sport Horse Association
CPBSA: Connemara Pony Breeders Society of Australia
DA: Dilutes Australia
OHHSWA: Outback Heritage Horse Society of WA
RPSBS: Riding Pony Stud Book Society
WPCSA: Welsh Pony and Cob Society of Australia
WACSB: West Australian Caspian Stud Book
DNA Shorthand (Colours)
ee: Homozygous Red. Horse carries two copies of the Red gene. Horse has a red base pigment (ie. Chestnut).
Ee: Heterozygous. Horse is Black based but carries a recessive copy of the Red gene.
EE: Homozygous for Black Factor. Horse carries two copies of the Black gene. Horse is Black based.
aa: Non-Agouti. If horse is black based (E), black pigment will be evenly distributed.
Aa: Heterozygous. Horse carries one copy of the Agouti gene.
AA: Homozygous for Agouti. Horse carries two copies of the Agouti gene.
CrCr: Homozygous. Double dilute. Horse carries two copies of the Cream Dilution gene. Black dilutes to Smoky Cream / Bay dilutes to Cremello / Chestnut dilutes to Perlino.
nCr: Heterozygous. Single dilute. Horse carries one copy of the Cream Dilution gene. Black dilutes to Smoky Black / Bay dilutes to Buckskin / Chestnut dilutes to Palomino.
nn: Negative for Cream Dilution.
ZZ: Homozygous. Horse has two copies of the Silver Dilution gene and will always produce offspring that are silver (or carry the silver gene in the case of Chestnuts).
nZ: Heterozygous. Horse carries one copy of the Silver Dilution gene.
nn: Negative for Silver Dilution.
GG: Homozygous. Horse has two copies of the Grey gene and will always produce offspring that will grey.
Gg: Heterozygous. Horse carries one copy of the Grey gene.
gg: Negative for the Grey gene.
HWSD: Hoof Wall Separation Disease
Hoof Wall Separation Disease (HWSD) is an inherited condition seen in Connemara ponies and typified by the dorsal hoof wall splitting away from underlying structures. This hoof defect develops in young foals between one to six months of age. The condition results in afflicted ponies having to support weight on the sole of the hoof instead of the dorsal hoof wall. Affected animals can become severely painful despite careful management; their quality of life can diminish and euthanasia may be necessary. Even if the condition is initially controllable, ponies may still develop laminitis over time. (Courtesy of UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory)
Only those Connemaras who are homozygous for the disease (known as affected, ie. HWSD/HWSD) will show the condition. Ponies that are heterozygous for the disease (known as carriers, ie. N/HWSD) do not show the condition, but if bred to another carrier, have a 25% chance of producing an affected pony.
We did all the testing towards the end of 2014 (shortly after the test was made available to the public) and we are pleased to report that all of our Connemara breeding stock are non-carriers (N/N) for the disease. This means that all foals bred by our stud are clear of the disease.