Comparison between manual and stereovision body traits measurements of Lipizzan horses

The accuracy between manual & stereovision measures on Lipizzan horses was measured.The results showed a high total correlation and a low variability between operators.The average stereovision error was < 3% and differences depend by specific traits.The stereovision system prototyped could be a helpful tool for phenotyping. The Lipizzan horse is one of the oldest European horse breeds, its documented origins date back to 1580 in the Imperial stud-farm at Lipizza and are currently used the high-riding school, dressage and others equestrian sports as well as recreational activities. They are also traditionally selected by their morphological characteristics. The aim of this study was to verify the accuracy between manual measurements and stereo-image ones, for the most important linear, angular and circumference measures used for breeding purposes. In this approach a dual web-camera system, in combination with an image analysis algorithm, is proposed to automatically extract the information needed. For this reason a model species such as Lipizzan horse has been chosen and the most important biometric variables (linear measurements and angles) have been selected and taken into consideration. Ten horses were analyzed manually and using a stereovision system taking into account six linear measurements and two angles. The comparison between manual and stereovision measurements showed a high total correlation (r=0.998) and a low variability between operators (SD=0.0004). The average error, lower than 3% and difference in magnitude of error depending by specific traits. In conclusion the stereovision system prototyped could be a good tool to improve phenotyping and enlarge the basis of population involved in breeding programs of horses as well as in other livestock species.

[1]  Michele Scardi,et al.  A dual camera system for counting and sizing northern bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus; Linnaeus, 1758) stock, during transfer to aquaculture cages, with a semi automatic Artificial Neural Network tool. , 2009 .

[2]  R F Veerkamp,et al.  Evaluation of classifiers that score linear type traits and body condition score using common sires. , 2002, Journal of dairy science.

[3]  D. Stajnko,et al.  Estimation of bull live weight through thermographically measured body dimensions , 2008 .

[4]  Sakir Tasdemir,et al.  Original papers: Determination of body measurements on the Holstein cows using digital image analysis and estimation of live weight with regression analysis , 2011 .

[5]  Francesca Antonucci,et al.  Automated sorting for size, sex and skeletal anomalies of cultured seabass using external shape analysis , 2013 .

[6]  E. J. Van Steenbergen,et al.  Description and evaluation of a linear scoring system for exterior traits in pigs. , 1989 .

[7]  P. Negretti,et al.  Visual image analysis to estimate morphological and weight measurements in rabbits. , 2010 .

[8]  S. Terramoccia,et al.  Determination of live weight and body condition score in lactating Mediterranean buffalo by Visual Image Analysis , 2008 .

[9]  Raffaele Spinelli,et al.  Performance Modelling in Forest Operations Through Partial Least Square Regression , 2012 .

[10]  Mercedes Valera,et al.  Genetic analyses for linear conformation traits in Pura Raza Español horses , 2013 .

[11]  F. Miró,et al.  Kinematic characteristics of Andalusian, Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses: a comparative study. , 2001, Research in veterinary science.

[12]  Federico Pallottino,et al.  Innovative Automated Landmark Detection for Food Processing: The Backwarping Approach , 2013, Food and Bioprocess Technology.

[13]  W. E. Vinson,et al.  Relationships Between Linear Descriptive Type Traits and Body Measurements , 1982 .

[14]  Steven Janssens,et al.  The linear assessment scheme for sheep in Belgium: breed averages and assessor quality , 2004 .

[15]  Y. Bozkurt,et al.  Body Weight Prediction Using Digital Image Analysis for Slaughtered Beef Cattle , 2007 .

[16]  Jiahua Wu,et al.  Extracting the three-dimensional shape of live pigs using stereo photogrammetry , 2004 .

[17]  Elwyn Hartley Edwards.  Encyclopedia of the horse , 1977 .

[18]  O. S. Sowande,et al.  Body measurements of west African dwarf sheep as parameters for estimation of live weight , 2008, Tropical Animal Health and Production.

[19]  S. Ozkaya,et al.  Accuracy of body measurements using digital image analysis in female Holstein calves , 2012 .

[20]  Federico Pallottino,et al.  A low-cost stereovision system to estimate size and weight of live sheep , 2014 .

[21]  G. Brem,et al.  Morphological description of the Lipizzan horse population , 2001 .

[22]  Johann Sölkner,et al.  Analysis of diversity and population structure in the Lipizzan horse breed based on pedigree information , 2002 .

[23]  Joachim Krieter,et al.  Implementation and Prospects of Linear Profiling in the Warmblood Horse , 2014 .

[24]  Shortis,et al.  A System for Stereo-Video Measurement of Sub-Tidal Organisms: Implications for assessments of reef fish stocks , 1995 .

[25]  J. Todouble acute˜zsér,et al.  The evaluation of video pictures for measurements of cattle. , 2000 .