Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
Topic:Animal Science
Animal Science and horses encompass the study of equine biology, physiology, and management practices aimed at understanding and improving horse health, welfare, and performance. This field integrates various scientific disciplines, including genetics, nutrition, reproduction, and behavior, to address the needs of horses in diverse contexts such as sports, work, and companionship. Research in this area often focuses on optimizing feeding strategies, enhancing breeding programs, and developing effective health management protocols. Additionally, studies explore the genetic factors influencing traits such as athleticism and disease resistance, as well as the impact of environmental and management conditions on horse behavior and welfare. This page gathers peer-reviewed research and scholarly articles that investigate the scientific principles underpinning equine science and their practical applications in horse care and management.
Empirical growth curve estimation considering multiple seasonal compensatory growths of body weights in Japanese Thoroughbred colts and fillies. Thoroughbred horses are seasonal mating animals, and their foals are born yearly in spring seasons. In northern regions or countries, the foals generally show a typical seasonal compensatory growth pattern, where their growth rate declines in winter and increases in the next spring. In this study, a new empirical approach is proposed to adjust for this compensatory growth when growth curve equations are estimated, by using BW of Japanese Thoroughbred colts and fillies raised in Hidaka, Hokkaido. Based on the traditional Richards growth curve equation, new growth curve equations were developed ...
Breed Differences in Dopamine Receptor D4 Gene (DRD4) in Horses. Genetic polymorphisms in genes related to neurotransmitters or hormones affect personality or behavioral traits in many animal species including humans. In domestic animals, the allele frequency of such genes has been reported to be different among breeds and it may account for breed differences in behavior. In this study, we investigated breed differences in horses in the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4), which has been reported to affect horse personality. We collected samples from seven horse breeds including those native to Japan and Korea, and compared the sequence of the DRD4 exon3 regio...
Temporal feeding pattern may influence reproduction efficiency, the example of breeding mares. Discomfort in farm animals may be induced by inappropriate types or timing of food supplies. Thus, time restriction of meals and lack of roughage have been shown to be one source of emergence of oral stereotypies and abnormal behaviour in horses which have evolved to eat high-fibre diets in small amounts over long periods of time. This feeding pattern is often altered in domestic environment where horses are often fed low fibre meals that can be rapidly consumed. This study aimed at determining the effect of the temporal pattern of feeding on reproductive efficiency of breeding mares, One hund...
The past, present and future of domestic equines in Tanzania. Equines are minor species in Tanzania's array of domestic livestock. Attempts to use them for transport by early explorers from the mid-nineteenth century usually failed. Donkeys were used extensively as pack animals to complement human porters by both British and German forces in the First World War, but their advantages were often outweighed by slow progress and competition with troops and porters for water, and they died in huge numbers. The British had regular cavalry troops in their campaign and mules found limited use as individual mounts for officers. In modern times, there are very few...
Diversity of flora used for the cure of equine diseases in selected peri-urban areas of Punjab, Pakistan. Plants have widely been used and documented for their therapeutic potential in many parts of the world. There are, however, few reports on the use of plants for the treatment of diseases of equines. To this end, participatory epidemiology and rapid rural appraisal techniques were used to document the plants having pharmacotherapeutic significance against different ailments of equines in selected population of Punjab, Pakistan. Methods: A survey was conducted to interview a total of 450 respondents (150 from each of the districts of Faisalabad, Lahore and Sargodha of Pakistan) to collect inform...
Accumulating mutations in series of haplotypes at the KIT and MITF loci are major determinants of white markings in Franches-Montagnes horses. Coat color and pattern variations in domestic animals are frequently inherited as simple monogenic traits, but a number are known to have a complex genetic basis. While the analysis of complex trait data remains a challenge in all species, we can use the reduced haplotypic diversity in domestic animal populations to gain insight into the genomic interactions underlying complex phenotypes. White face and leg markings are examples of complex traits in horses where little is known of the underlying genetics. In this study, Franches-Montagnes (FM) horses were scored for the occurrence of white fac...
Inheritance of equine sarcoid disease in Franches-Montagnes horses. The mode of inheritance for susceptibility to equine sarcoid disease (ES) remains unknown. The objectives of this study were to analyse a large sample of the Franches-Montagnes (FM) horse population and investigate the heritability and mode of inheritance for susceptibility to ES. Horses were clinically examined for the presence of sarcoid tumours. A standardized examination protocol and client questionnaire were used and a pedigree- and subsequent segregation-analysis for the ES trait performed. To investigate the mode of inheritance, five models were evaluated and compared in a hierarchical ...
Effects of shoeing on limb movement and ground reaction forces in Icelandic horses at walk, tölt and trot. Tölt is a symmetric four-beat gait with a speed range extending into that of trot and canter. Specific shoeing methods, such as unnaturally high and long hooves, are used to enforce individual gait predisposition. The aim of this study was to assess the consequences of this shoeing style on loading and movement of the limbs at walk, tölt and trot, and at different velocities. Simultaneous kinetic and kinematic gait analysis was carried out at walk (1.4m/s) and at two tölting and trotting speeds (3.3m/s and 3.9 m/s) on an instrumented treadmill. Thirteen sound Icelandic horses were first mea...
Molecular phylogeny of Indian horse breeds with special reference to Manipuri pony based on mitochondrial D-loop. Manipuri pony is the geographically distant breed of horse from the five recognized horse breeds found in the Indian subcontinent. The phylogenetic relationship of Manipuri pony with the other breeds is unknown. The diversity in the mitochondrial (mt) DNA D-loop region is employed as an important tool to understand the origin and genetic diversification of domestic horses and to examine genetic relationships among breeds around the world. This study was carried out to understand the maternal lineages of Manipuri pony using the 247 bp region of the mtDNA D-loop. The dataset comprised of eleven ...
Stride to stride variability in joint angle profiles during transitions from trot to canter in horses. Spontaneous transitions from anti-phase to in-phase manual coordination are explained in the Haken model that describes the two preferred states as stable regions that work as attractors in a stability landscape. Switching between states coincides with a temporary loss of stability. Coordination variability is believed to be indicative of such a loss of stability. In this study, the hypothesis was tested that an increase in variability in the angle profiles of the joints responsible for the transition will precede the transition. A full gait analysis of four miniature horses transitioning from...
Does long-term unilateral circling affect locomotor symmetry in ponies used for carousel rides? There is ethical debate on the use of ponies for carousel rides at city fairs, as these animals may develop progressive locomotor asymmetry during their career. To investigate this issue, 21 ponies used for carousel rides were walked and trotted over a pressure plate system. Non-directional symmetry ratios and directional asymmetry indices of forelimb peak vertical force (PVF), vertical impulse (VI), stance time (ST) and hoof contact area (CA) were calculated and compared to reference data. In both the carousel and reference groups, most ponies presented higher loading of the right forelimb at...
Sagittal plane ground reaction forces, centre of pressure and centre of mass in trotting horses. The aims of this study were to measure ground reaction forces (GRFs) of concurrently loaded limbs and to evaluate spatial relationships between the centre of pressure (COP) and centre of mass (COM) in trotting horses. Kinematic (120Hz) and GRF data were collected at trot from three trials of eight horses using four force plates (960 Hz). Forelimb and hind limb GRFs were measured, COP was calculated from the resultant vertical GRF vector and COM was calculated by summation of weighted segmental COMs. Peak total vertical force (19.3 ± 1.3N/kg at 45.1 ± 2.3% diagonal stance) coincided with zero...
Directional asymmetry of facial and limb traits in horses and ponies. Current published data on directional asymmetry (DA) in horses refer to racing Thoroughbreds. The aim of this study was to identify whether horses and ponies exhibit directionality of trait asymmetries. Eleven functional (limb) and four non-functional (facial) bilateral traits were measured on left and right sides in a cohort of 100 horses and ponies using callipers. The population was investigated as pooled data and as horse (withers height >148 cm) and pony (withers height ≤ 148 cm) sub-groups. Within the pooled data, functional traits were longer on the right for the third metacarpal (...
Movements of the horse’s mouth in relation to horse-rider kinematic variables. The aim of this study was to investigate the behavioural response of horses to rein contact and the movement of the riders' hands through analysis of data from horses ridden at two different head and neck positions. It was hypothesised that the riders' hand movements and rein tension would generate behavioural responses from horses and that these responses would be more marked when horses were ridden 'on the bit' than when unrestrained. Data were collected from seven dressage horse/rider combinations at sitting trot on a high speed treadmill. Kinematics were recorded using a 12-camera, infrare...
Equine allergy therapy: update on the treatment of environmental, insect bite hypersensitivity, and food allergies. Allergies are common in horses. It is important to identify and correct as many factors as possible to control pruritus and make the patient comfortable. Culicoides hypersensitivity is a common component in allergic horses. The main treatment continues to be rigorous fly control and avoidance of insect bites. Environmental allergies are best addressed by early identification of the offending allergens and formulation of allergen-specific immunotherapy to decrease the need for rescue medications. Food allergy is best managed with food avoidance. Urticaria is one of the manifestations of allergi...
Fat dogs and coughing horses: K-12 programming for veterinary workforce development. Workforce development strategies to educate, inform, and diversify the veterinary profession of the future must begin with children in elementary school. This article provides a description of the Fat Dogs and Coughing Horses program, which takes a multifaceted approach toward informing young students, beginning in first grade, about the interesting work and career opportunities available in the field of veterinary medicine. The program, a collaboration among Purdue University and Indiana public schools, is supported by a Science Education Partnership Award from the Office of Research Infrastr...
Maternal phylogenetic relationships and genetic variation among Arabian horse populations using whole mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequencing. Maternal inheritance is an essential point in Arabian horse population genetics and strains classification. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing is a highly informative tool to investigate maternal lineages. We sequenced the whole mtDNA D-loop of 251 Arabian horses to study the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of Arabian populations and to examine the traditional strain classification system that depends on maternal family lines using native Arabian horses from the Middle East. Results: The variability in the upstream region of the D-loop revealed additional differences amo...
Donkey dermatology. Donkeys (Equus asinus) are a species used throughout the world primarily as beasts of burden, but occasionally for other functions, as a meat source or as pets. Although closely related to other equids, they have some unique features of their own with regard to dermatologic disease. This article highlights some of the various dermatoses seen or reported in donkeys, as well as some comparisons with horses when prevalence, presentation, or treatment may differ.
Constraints on Mammalian forelimb development: insights from developmental disparity. Tetrapod limb development has been studied extensively for decades, yet the strength and role of developmental constraints in this process remains unresolved. Mammals exhibit a particularly wide array of limb morphologies associated with various locomotion modes and behaviors, providing a useful system for identifying periods of developmental constraint and conserved developmental mechanisms or morphologies. In this study, landmark-based geometric morphometrics are used to investigate levels and patterns of morphological diversity (disparity) among the developing forelimbs of four mammals with...
Molecular detection of equine trypanosomes in the Sudan. Equine trypanosomosis (ET) is a protozoan disease affecting equines in many parts of the world. We examined 509 samples collected from geographically distinct regions in eastern, central and western Sudan to estimate the endemicity of ET using the generic ITS1-PCR diagnostic methods. Results revealed that horses and donkeys were infected by Trypanosoma brucei subgroup, Trypanosoma vivax, Trypanosoma simiae and Trypanosoma congolense. The prevalence of Trypanosoma spp. was higher in horses (12.7%, n=393) than in donkeys (3.4%, n=116). The highest prevalence was observed in South Darfur State (1...
A free-ranging, feral mare equus caballus affords similar maternal care to her genetic and adopted offspring. Adoption of nongenetic offspring occurs in a variety of species but is rare in equids. We report a case of adoption by a free-ranging, feral mare Equus caballus and compare the maternal care received by her genetic offspring (born 1995) to that of her adopted offspring (born 1996) for the first 30 weeks of development. We compare five measures of care: (1) total time spent suckling, (2) mare aggression during suckling, (3) number of mare-terminated suckling bouts, (4) contact maintenance, and (5) mare-foal distance. For most behaviors, we detected no difference in the mare's treatment of the t...
