During my holiday in Copenhagen I went to Christiansborg Palace and visited the Royal Stables. There I saw the most beautiful white horses!
Kladrubers come from the Czech Republic. They were bred during
the 17th Century to be used for ceremonial tasks, like pulling
carriages. They can be grey or black. The ones I saw were mostly white with a
few grey freckles. A curious fact is that they are born dark and turn white
when they reach 6 or 7 years of age.
The grey population is rather small. So I was very sad when I read that they are an endangered breed. Luckily, conservation
programmes have been established to deal with problems like loss of genetic variability due
to inbreeding. However, they are also threatened by cancer and viral infections.
Like humans, horses suffer from skin cancer. Kladrubers in particular are prone to this disease. Part of
the conservation programmes include studies to find genetic markers related to predisposition
and resistance to melanoma.
Kladrubers are also victims of infection by Equine
herpesviruses. In particular, Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) affects the
respiratory tract and causes abortions in pregnant mares. Fortunately , we now have vaccines
which prevent the spreading of the virus.
I hope that thanks to the conservation programmes, these
horses will not be considered an endangered breed in the near future.
Visit the Royal Stables if you go to Copenhagen!
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