Whole genome sequencing of the Exmoor pony

The Exmoor pony is a British native breed, adapted to free living on moorland. Hardy, able to withstand harsh weather conditions and survive on low quality grazing, they are strong, small statured and have a characteristic wild-type colouration of bay, brown or dun with paler marking around the muzzle, eyes and flanks. They are believed to descend from the ancient wild ponies that colonised Britain around 130,000 years ago. In modern times they are used for a variety of purposes including riding, driving and conservation grazing. The Exmoor pony WGS project is designed to capture and record maximum genome diversity in the UK Exmoor pony population. The entire studbook records, which go back to 1963, were analysed and full genetic relationships (kinship coefficients) among all living ponies were calculated. Simulated annealing was used to sample 16 individuals with the greatest genetic distance (minimal relationship) among them. This ensured that the sampled individuals would capture maximum genome diversity within the breed. Whole genome sequencing was performed on these 16 individuals, to provide a blueprint genome for the breed.