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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.
A multi-year study of mosquito feeding patterns on avian hosts in a southeastern focus of eastern equine encephalitis virus. Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen that cycles in birds but also causes severe disease in humans and horses. We examined patterns of avian host use by vectors of EEEV in Alabama from 2001 to 2009 using blood-meal analysis of field-collected mosquitoes and avian abundance surveys. The northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) was the only preferred host (fed on significantly more than expected based on abundance) of Culiseta melanura, the enzootic vector of EEEV. Preferred hosts of Culex erraticus, a putative bridge vector of EEEV, were American robin (Turdus ...
[Horse milking industry in The Netherlands and Flanders]. The horse milking industry is expanding in The Netherlands and Flanders. Horse milk has become popular due to its (supposed) health-enhancing properties. A horse-milking farm is not a common client for the Dutch veterinarian. When giving advice in this circumstance it should be recognised that these horses are production animals and that their milk is for human consumption. A review of the literature is given together with the results of an extensive enquiry amongst 13 horse-milking farms in The Netherlands and Flanders.
Density gradient centrifugation of sperm from a subfertile stallion and effect of seminal plasma addition on fertility. Stallions are not selected for fertility but for other criteria (pedigree, conformation, performances, progeny), therefore valuable but subfertile stallions with poor semen quality are frequently used in commercial breeding programs. The object of this study was to evaluate whether sperm selection through a silane-coated silica colloid gradient centrifugation, with or without the addition of seminal plasma of a high fertile stallion, could improve the pregnancy rates of an oligospermic valuable stallion in a commercial breeding program. In 2008 breeding season (experiment 1, n=104 mares), simp...
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for treating horses. Acupuncture exerts diffuse analgesic effects through the release of endogenous opioids and other locally and centrally acting mediators. Successful therapeutic interventions for various musculoskeletal conditions in horses are well documented, and acupuncture may significantly enhance performance. The use of acupuncture is specifically supported in treating nonsurgical gastrointestinal disorders, in which specific techniques can alter motility and contribute to visceral analgesia. This article describes the use of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for equine reproductive management and f...
Laser-assisted vitrification of large equine embryos. The major difficulty in providing the benefits of embryo cryopreservation for equine agriculture is the mismatch between the optimal embryo age for collection from the mare (7-8 days after ovulation was detected) and the optimal age for freezing under current methods (6.5 days after ovulation). To overcome this limitation, we tested a method to enhance penetration of cryopreservative across the capsule and trophoblast of day 7 and 8 embryos combined with rapid freezing by vitrification. Six small embryos (<300 μm in diameter) were collected on day 6-7 after ovulation and twelve larger embryos...
[Molecular basis and applicability in equine color genetics]. Coat color can be used not only in identifying individuals and species, but also in diagnosing certain diseases. The coat color of horse mainly depends on the distribution and proportion of eumelanin and phaeomelanin, generated by melanocytes, which are regulated by the genes such as MC1R, ASIP, KIT, TYRP, and EDNRB. In addition, STX17, MATP, and PMEL17 also play a role in the formation of coat color of horse. In this review, the action mechanism of candidate genes for coat color and association of DNA sequence polymorphism of these candidate genes with color pattern phenotypes and melanoma we...
Genetic analysis of the matrix and non-structural genes of equine influenza virus (H3N8) from epizootic of 2008-2009 in India. India faced an epizootic of equine influenza in 2008-2009. The isolated viruses were typed as H3N8 and grouped with the clade 2 viruses of Florida sublineage on the basis of haemagglutinin (HA) gene sequence analysis. This report describes the genetic analysis and selection pressure of matrix (M) and non-structural 1 (NS1) genes of the Indian isolates. All isolates shared 98.41% and 99.54% homology with other clade 2 viruses of Asian origin for M1 and M2 amino acid (aa) sequences, respectively. There were 3 and 4 unique aa residue changes respectively in M1 and M2 proteins in all Asian isolate...
Contraceptive vaccines for wildlife: a review. Wildlife, free-ranging and captive, poses and causes serious population problems not unlike those encountered with human overpopulation. Traditional lethal control programs, however, are not always legal, wise, safe, or publicly acceptable; thus, alternative approaches are necessary. Immunocontraception of free-ranging wildlife has reached the management level, with success across a large variety of species. Thus far, the immunocontraceptive research and management applications emphasis have been centered on porcine zona pellucida and gonadotropin-releasing hormone vaccines. Contraceptive succ...
The effect of ocular blinkers on the horses’ reactions to four different visual and audible stimuli: results of a crossover trial. To determine the effect of ocular blinkers on driving horses' reactions to visual and audible stimuli. Methods: Balanced crossover trial with horses randomly assigned to either wear blinkers or not wear blinkers first or second, then subjected to repeated sequences of four distinct stimuli (chain rattle, cap gun, umbrella opening, and shaking of an aluminum can containing coins). Two weeks later, this process was repeated with the ordering of wearing blinkers reversed. Methods: Eight driving horses of various breeds. Methods: Responses were recorded quantitatively as inter-beat times (the time...
Description and genetic analysis of three sets of monozygotic twins resulting from transfers of single embryos to recipient mares. 3 sets of monozygotic twins resulting from transfers of single embryos to recipient mares were examined. Results: In all 3 recipient mares with twin pregnancies, only 1 embryonic vesicle was detected before day 25 of gestation. In 1 recipient mare, 2 apparent adjacent vesicles, each containing an embryo with a heartbeat, were visualized on ultrasonographic examination on day 37 of gestation. The other 2 recipient mares underwent ultrasonographic examination on day 30 of gestation, at which time only 1 vesicle and embryo was identified. In these latter 2 recipient mares, however, a thorough ult...
Feasibility of the Ussing chamber technique for the determination of in vitro jejunal permeability of passively absorbed compounds in different animal species. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of the Ussing chamber technique for the determination of the jejunal permeability of passively absorbed, high permeability model compounds (acetaminophen and ketoprofen) in different animal species. Additionally, electrophysiological measurements and histological examination of pre- and post-incubation tissue specimens were performed. Apparent permeability coefficients of turkey and dog jejunum were low and highly variable due to tissue fragility caused by differences in thickness of the remaining intestinal layers after stripping and resulti...
Osmotic properties of stallion sperm subpopulations determined by simultaneous assessment of cell volume and viability. The aim of this study was to determine the osmotic tolerance limits of stallion sperm as well as the osmotic behavior of different sperm subpopulations, including viable and non-viable cells as well as viable cells of different average sizes. A flow cytometric approach was used for simultaneous assessment of cell volume and permeability of the plasma membrane for the fluorescent dye propidium iodide while exposing the cells to media with different solute concentrations. Equine spermatozoa have limited osmotic tolerance limits: exposure to hypotonic conditions below approximately 240 mOsm kg(-1...
Effect of cryopreservation protocol on postthaw characteristics of stallion sperm. Three ejaculates from each of eight stallions were subjected to cryopreservation in a milk/egg yolk-based freezing extender or an egg yolk-based freezing extender. Semen was exposed to a fast prefreeze cooling rate (FAST; semen immediately subjected to cryopreservation) or a slow prefreeze cooling rate (SLOW; semen pre-cooled at a controlled rate for 80 min prior to cryopreservation). Postthaw semen was diluted in initial freezing medium (FM) or INRA 96 (IMV Technologies, L'Aigle, France) prior to analysis of 10 experimental end points: total motility (MOT; %), progressive motility (PMOT; %), ...
Population studies of 17 equine STR for forensic and phylogenetic analysis. As a consequence of the close integration of horses into human society, equine DNA analysis has become relevant for forensic purposes. However, the information content of the equine Short Tandem Repeat (STR) loci commonly used for the identification or paternity testing has so far not been fully characterized. Population studies were performed for 17 polymorphic STR loci (AHT4, AHT5, ASB2, ASB17, ASB23, CA425, HMS1, HMS2, HMS3, HMS6, HMS7, HTG4, HTG6, HTG7, HTG10, LEX3 and VHL20) including 8641 horses representing 35 populations. The power of parental exclusion, polymorphic information content...
Pinus halepensis invasion in mountain pampean grassland: effects of feral horses grazing on seedling establishment. We evaluated the mechanisms that determine the increasing abundance of Pinus halepensis in mountain pampean grasslands in Argentina that is associated with the continuous presence of feral horses. We hypothesized that direct and indirect effects of feral horse grazing on grassland may affect the establishment of P. halepensis. We conducted a field experiment to evaluate this hypothesis, studying the response of seedling emergence, survival and growth to herbaceous vegetation defoliation and soil disturbance in sites with contrasting grazing histories. We also evaluated the composition and stru...
The mathematical description of the body centre of mass 3D path in human and animal locomotion. Although the 3D trajectory of the body centre of mass during ambulation constitutes the 'locomotor signature' at different gaits and speeds for humans and other legged species, no quantitative method for its description has been proposed in the literature so far. By combining the mathematical discoveries of Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier (1768-1830, analysis of periodic events) and of Jules Antoine Lissajous (1822-1880, parametric equation for closed loops) we designed a method simultaneously capturing the spatial and dynamical features of that 3D trajectory. The motion analysis of walking and r...
Working with horses: an OWAS work task analysis. Most work in horse stables is performed manually in much the same way as a century ago. It is the least mechanized sector dealing with large animals. People working with horses are exposed to several types of risk for developing musculoskeletal problems, but the work tasks and workload have not been investigated in detail. The aim of this study was to estimate the postural load of the work tasks performed around horses to find those that were harmful and required measures to be taken to reduce physical strain. Altogether, 20 subjects (stable attendants and riding instructors) were video record...
Successful cryopreservation of expanded equine blastocysts. Effective cryopreservation of expanded equine blastocysts (> 300 μm in diameter) has been difficult, perhaps due to the volume of blastocoele fluid or the presence of the equine embryonic capsule. Recently, we reported normal viability of equine embryos after trophoblast biopsy, which resulted in blastocyst collapse. The present study addressed the effect of biopsy and resultant breach of the capsule and blastocyst collapse on survival of expanded equine blastocysts after vitrification. First, non-biopsied, small embryos (< 300 μm) were vitrified in fine-diameter microloader pipette ti...
Effects of equine grass sickness on sympathetic neurons in prevertebral and paravertebral ganglia. Acute equine grass sickness (EGS) is a fatal disease of horses that is thought to be due to ingestion of a neurotoxic agent causing extensive damage to autonomic neurons. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of EGS on neurons in two sympathetic ganglia, the paravertebral cranial cervical ganglion (CCG) and the prevertebral coeliac/cranial mesenteric ganglion (CG/CMG). Specimens from horses with EGS and controls were obtained post mortem and processed using single and double immunofluorescence labelling for PGP 9.5 and HuC/HuD (pan-neuronal markers), TUNEL and caspase 3 (markers for...
Do horses have a concept of person? Animals' ability for cross-modal recognition has recently received much interest. Captive or domestic animals seem able to perceive cues of human attention and appear to have a multisensory perception of humans. Results: Here, we used a task where horses have to remain immobile under a vocal order to test whether they are sensitive to the attentional state of the experimenter, but also whether they behave and respond differently to the familiar order when tested by a familiar or an unknown person. Horses' response varied according to the person's attentional state when the order was given by a...
European domestic horses originated in two holocene refugia. The role of European wild horses in horse domestication is poorly understood. While the fossil record for wild horses in Europe prior to horse domestication is scarce, there have been suggestions that wild populations from various European regions might have contributed to the gene pool of domestic horses. To distinguish between regions where domestic populations are mainly descended from local wild stock and those where horses were largely imported, we investigated patterns of genetic diversity in 24 European horse breeds typed at 12 microsatellite loci. The distribution of high levels of gen...
The mitochondria of stallion spermatozoa are more sensitive than the plasmalemma to osmotic-induced stress: role of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway. Cryopreservation introduces extreme temperature and osmolality changes that impart lethal and sublethal effects on spermatozoa. Additionally, there is evidence that the osmotic stress induced by cryopreservation causes oxidative stress to spermatozoa. The main sources of reactive oxygen species in mammalian sperm are the mitochondria. In view of this, the aim of our study was to test whether or not osmotic stress was able to induce mitochondrial damage and to explore the osmotic tolerance of the mitochondria of stallion spermatozoa. Ejaculates from 7 stallions were subjected to osmolalities ra...
Improvement of embryo production by the replacement of the last two doses of porcine follicle-stimulating hormone with equine chorionic gonadotropin in Sindhi donors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the superovulatory (SOV) response of Sindhi (Bos indicus) donors submitted to an ovarian follicular superstimulatory protocol replacing the last two doses of pFSH by eCG. Forty-eight SOV treatments were performed in a crossover design in 19 nulliparous and primiparous females that were randomly divided into two groups: FSH (n=24), which consisted of eight pFSH injections, or FSH/eCG (n=24), which consisted of six pFSH injections followed by two eCG injections. Each female underwent two or three SOV treatments that consisted of an i.m. injection of 2mg estr...
Effects of two training protocols on Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) activity in horses. Studies in man have shown a correlation between Angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) genetic polymorphisms, ACE activity in the blood and superior athletic performance in sports requiring endurance. It has been hypothesised that the same correlation occurs in horses. There is no information in the literature concerning the effects of training on ACE activity in equine plasma. Objective: Exercise training influences the activity of circulating ACE and the response observed is dependent on the exercise protocol. Methods: Thirteen horses of mixed breeds were randomly allocated 2 different traini...
