**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** OFTEN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF ANIMAL HEALTH AND DISEASE IS MADE BY COMPARING THE GENETIC BLUEPRINTS OF AN INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISEASE OR A TRAIT LIKE COAT COLOR TO A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL WITHOUT. HOWEVER, THERE EXISTS AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF VARIETY IN THESE BLUEPRINTS THAT A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL FROM A SINGLE BREED CANNOT POSSIBLY CONTAIN. WITHOUT APPRECIATING THIS VARIETY, IT CAN BE CHALLENGING TO CONNECT THE DOTS BETWEEN THE BLUEPRINT AND THE DISEASE OR TRAIT. THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO IDENTIFY AND CAPTURE THIS VARIETY IN A FORM OR DATA STRUCTURE THAT CAN BE UTILIZED TO ULTIMATELY IMPROVE OUR APPRECIATION OF HOW GENETIC BLUEPRINTS AND DISEASES/TRAITS ARE CONNECTED IN THE HORSE. TOWARD THIS END, WE WILL COMBINE THE GENETIC BLUEPRINTS FROM 14 DIFFERENT HORSE BREEDS INTO A PANGENOME - A DATA STRUCTURE THAT ENCAPSULATES THE VARIETY IN BREED-SPECIFIC BLUEPRINTS. WE WILL THEN EMPLOY A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT DATA TYPES TO LABEL THE COMBINED BLUEPRINT WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. WHEN COMBINED WITH THE PANGENOME, THIS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL ENABLE RESEARCHERS TO BETTER RECOGNIZE HOW DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL BLUEPRINTS MAY CAUSE A DISEASE OR TRAIT OF INTEREST. ADDITIONALLY, THIS PROJECT WILL CREATE THE NECESSARY TOOLS TO ALLOW RESEARCHERS WORKING ON OTHER ANIMAL SPECIES TO ASSEMBLE THEIR OWN PANGENOMES. ULTIMATELY, THE GENERATION AND USAGE OF PANGENOMES WILL SERVE TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HEALTH, PERFORMANCE, AND PRODUCTION IN AGRICULTURAL SPECIES.