Genetic basis of hoof wall separation disease in Connemara ponies discovered

In April, a research paper by Carrie Finno, Carlynn Young, Amy Stevens and their team was published on the website PLOS Genetics. Their exciting research revealed that this devastating disease, affecting Connemara Ponies that causes the dorsal hoof wall to pull away from the laminae at the white line, is an autosomal recessive disease. 

A frameshift in the SERPINB11 gene causes a premature stop codon leading to insufficient protein production. Likely this is associated with keratinocyte proportions that in the hoof wall, which are most prevalent in the coronary band where hoof wall growth begins. 

This discovery could eventually lead to a genetic test to help breeders make decisions about ponies that carry the disease but don't show physical symptoms instead of just managing ponies that receive two copies of the recessive gene and suffer with the disease. 

I've summarized their genetic research in the infographic on the left.