 Ann Trommershausen Bowling ( June 1 , 1943 – December 8 , 2000 ) was one of the world 's leading geneticists in the study of horses , conducting research in the areas of molecular genetics and cytogenetics . She was a major figure in the development of testing to determine animal parentage , first with blood typing in the 1980s and then DNA testing 1990s . She later became known for her studies of hereditary diseases in horses and equine coat color genetics , as well as research on horse evolution and the development of horse breeds . She studied the population genetics of feral horses , did considerable work to help preserve the Przewalski 's horse , and was one of the founding members of the international project to map the horse genome . She was an adjunct professor at the University of California , Davis ( UCD ) , and at the time of her death in 2000 was the executive associate director of the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory ( VGL ) there . Her unexpected death on December 8 , 2000 at age 57 was attributed to a massive stroke . 
