Why test for LFS?

Lavender foal syndrome (LFS) can appear in pure- and part-bred Arabians. Horses affected by LFS often have a difficult birth, and cannot stand or even successfully roll onto their belly. They have episodes of rigidity where muscle spasms extend their neck, back and legs. Foals with LFS often have an unusual pale coat (hence the name of this disorder). There is currently no treatment for LFS.

LFS is an autosomal recessive disorder. Autosomal disorders are equally likely to affect male or female horses, while "recessive" means that a horse needs to inherit the LFS mutation from both its sire and its dam to be affected. Horses that have inherited the LFS mutation from just one parent are called LFS carriers, and do not have physical signs of this disorder.

Any LFS carrier can potentially produce a foal suffering from LFS. Fortunately this is easily avoided: you simply need to ensure that the prospective foal cannot inherit the LFS mutation from both its sire and its dam. Therefore, if you have a LFS carrier horse and it is mated to a LFS-clear horse there is no risk of the foal being affected with LFS.

We are still negotiating licensing for this test. Please contact us for pricing and availability.

Discounted LFS testing

We provide discounted testing for the Arabian Horse Society of Australia: find their testing order form here. We support testing via the AHSA because:

• It allows the AHSA to keep a record of test results
• The prevalence and distribution of CA, SCID and LFS carriers can be monitored
• The AHSA is happy to test non-Arabian horses and ponies as well as full and part-bred Arabians

However, if you are in a hurry to find out your results the fastest option is to test directly with us.