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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.
Follicle development in mares. The mare provides a unique experimental model for studying follicle development in monovular species. Development of antral follicles in horses is characterized by the periodic growth of follicular waves which often involve the selection of a single dominant follicle. If properly stimulated, the dominant follicle will complete development and eventually ovulate a fertile oocyte. Regulation of follicular wave emergence and follicle selection involves an interplay between circulating gonadotropins and follicular factors that ensures that individual follicles are properly stimulated to grow (or t...
A cis-acting regulatory mutation causes premature hair graying and susceptibility to melanoma in the horse. In horses, graying with age is an autosomal dominant trait associated with a high incidence of melanoma and vitiligo-like depigmentation. Here we show that the Gray phenotype is caused by a 4.6-kb duplication in intron 6 of STX17 (syntaxin-17) that constitutes a cis-acting regulatory mutation. Both STX17 and the neighboring NR4A3 gene are overexpressed in melanomas from Gray horses. Gray horses carrying a loss-of-function mutation in ASIP (agouti signaling protein) had a higher incidence of melanoma, implying that increased melanocortin-1 receptor signaling promotes melanoma development in Gra...
Characterization and quantification of fluoxymesterone metabolite in horse urine by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Fluoxymesterone, an anabolic steroid with the 17alpha-methyl,17beta-hydroxy group, has been developed as an oral formulation for therapeutic purposes. However, it is also used illegally in racehorses to enhance racing performance. In this study, we detected 9alpha-fluoro-17,17-dimethyl-18-norandrostane-4,13-dien-11beta-ol-3-one by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), which has not been reported as a fluoxymesterone metabolite so far in horse. It was synthesized for use as a reference standard, and characterized on the basis of (1)H NMR and (13)C NMR spectra, as well as GC/MS EI mass s...
Allergen-specific IgE in Icelandic horses with insect bite hypersensitivity and healthy controls, assessed by FcepsilonR1alpha-based serology. Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) and atopy can both be causes of pruritus in horses and are associated with allergen-specific IgE to biting insects and environmental allergens respectively. Information with respect to differences in IgE levels in diseased and healthy animals is crucial in enabling an understanding of the clinical relevance of results of allergen-specific IgE tests. The aim of this study was (i) to evaluate and compare levels of allergen-specific IgE, using an ELISA method, in Icelandic horses, with and without IBH, from Iceland and Sweden respectively; (ii) to investigate pa...
Seasonal variations in daily rhythms of activity in athletic horses. Circadian rhythms reflect extensive programming of biological activity that meets and exploits the challenges and opportunities offered by the periodic nature of the environment. In the present investigation, we recorded the total activity of athletic horses kept at four different times of the year (vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox and winter solstice), to evaluate the presence of seasonal variations of daily activity rhythms. Athletic Thoroughbred horses were kept in individual boxes with paddock. Digitally integrated measure of total activity of each mare was continuously reco...
Genetic diversity and admixture analysis of Sanfratellano and three other Italian horse breeds assessed by microsatellite markers. Sanfratellano is a native Sicilian horse breed, mainly reared in the north east of the Island, developed in the 19th century from local dams and sires with a restricted introgression of Oriental, African and, more recently, Maremmano stallions. In this study, the genetic relationships and admixture among Sanfratellano, the other two Sicilian autochthonous breeds and Maremmano breed were assessed using a set of microsatellites. The main goals were to infer the impact of Maremmano breed in the current Sanfratellano horse and to provide genetic information useful to improve the selection strategi...
Boots on horses: limb protection or hyperflexion training aids in the showjumping horse. Showjumping riders regularly employ various schooling strategies to control the horse's jump stride kinematics (JSK). Strategies include plyometric training regimes with fences of different heights and widths set at specific distances. Gymnastic grids teach the horse to jump cleanly. Rapping, once used almost routinely, is no longer in vogue. However, the use of performance enhancing (PE) boots on the distal hind limbs to alter equine JSK has become popular. There are two broad categories of PE boots: weighted and pressure. Some riders use so-called weighted boots on the horses' hind limbs dur...
Innovative use of an automated horse walker when breaking in young horses. There is an inherent element of risk associated with "backing" and riding the previously unbroken horse. If training proceeds too quickly, conflict behaviors may result from the simultaneous application of too many cues. Automated horse walkers (AHW) facilitate the exercising of several horses concurrently at walk or trot for warm-up, cool-down, fitness programs, and rehabilitation purposes. The objective of this study was to investigate if backing the horse within the AHW was an appropriate training method. Ten horses (3-year-olds) took part in this study. They began training within the AHW w...
Evaluating the addition of positive reinforcement for learning a frightening task: a pilot study with horses. Horse training often relies upon negative reinforcement (NR). This study tested the hypothesis that adding positive reinforcement (PR) to NR would enhance learning in horses (n = 34) being taught to walk over a tarp (novel/typically frightening task). Subjects were Arabians, and the same person handled all of them. This person handled half "traditionally" (NR only)--that is, halter/lead were pulled; when horse stepped forward, pressure was released; process repeated until criterion met (horse crossed the tarp with little/no obvious anxiety). The same person handled the other half traditionally...
Does horse temperament influence horse-rider cooperation? Cooperation between rider and horse is of major importance in equitation. A balanced team of horse and rider improves (sport) performances and welfare aspects by decreasing stress, frustration, risks of injuries, and accidents. Important features affecting the cooperation are the physical skills, knowledge, and personality of the rider on one hand and the temperament, experience, and physical abilities of the horse on the other. A study with 16 riders and 16 warm-blood riding horses tested the effect of personality of riders and temperament of horses on cooperation between riders and horses. M...
Preliminary investigations into the ethological relevance of round-pen (round-yard) training of horses. Recently, training horses within round-pens has increased in popularity. Practitioners often maintain that the responses they elicit from horses are similar to signals used with senior conspecifics. To audit the responses of horses to conspecifics, 6 mare-young-horse dyads, this study introduced them to each other in a round-pen and videoed them for 8 min. These dyads spent significantly more time farther than 10 m apart than they did less than 1 m apart (p < .001). The time they spent less than 1 m apart decreased over the 8-min test period (p = .018). Mares occupied the center of the roun...
Preliminary investigation of morphological differences between ten breeds of horses suggests selection for paedomorphosis. Paedomorphosis is the retention of juvenile morphology at maturity and is important in generating evolutionary change in domestic species and species in the wild. When comparing dogs with the wolf, this preliminary study saw paedomorphosis in their physical and behavioral traits (Goodwin, Bradshaw, & Wickens, 1997). This preliminary study compared morphological characteristics of 10 breeds from northern regions (Shetland ponies) and southern regions (Arabians) with the Exmoor pony. Twenty-three respondents from the United Kingdom and Australia rated the breeds for 7 physical traits. As evi...
Overshadowing: a silver lining to a dark cloud in horse training. Overshadowing is a process known in behavioral science that occurs when two stimuli of different strengths are applied simultaneously to a nonhuman animal. Typically, the stronger stimulus overshadows the weaker one, resulting in attenuation of the weaker stimulus. This phenomenon explains ways in which the decreased responsiveness and consequent conflict behaviors (and possibly learned helplessness and wastage) in some performance horses can result from the application of two concurrent aversive stimuli. Despite some adverse consequences in the context of ridden horses, overshadowing can have...
A commentary on domestic animals as dual-purpose models that benefit agricultural and biomedical research. Research on domestic animals (cattle, swine, sheep, goats, poultry, horses, and aquatic species) at land grant institutions is integral to improving the global competitiveness of US animal agriculture and to resolving complex animal and human diseases. However, dwindling federal and state budgets, years of stagnant funding from USDA for the Competitive State Research, Education, and Extension Service National Research Initiative (CSREES-NRI) Competitive Grants Program, significant reductions in farm animal species and in numbers at land grant institutions, and declining enrollment for graduate...
Hair analysis of anabolic steroids in connection with doping control-results from horse samples. Doping control of anabolic substances is normally carried out with urine samples taken from athletes and horses. Investigation of alternative specimens, e.g. hair samples, is restricted to special cases, but can also be worthwhile, in addition to urine analysis. Moreover, hair material is preferred in cases of limited availability or complicated collection of urine samples, e.g. from horses. In this work, possible ways of interpretation of analytical results in hair samples are discussed and illustrated by practical experiences. The results demonstrate the applicability of hair analysis to det...
Filarioid nematodes in cattle, sheep and horses in Finland. In autumn 2006, Finnish meat inspection data revealed lesions in tendons, muscles and ligaments of bovine hind legs leading to partial condemnation of carcasses. In gross pathological examination at Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira, Oulu (now Fish and Wildlife Health) Research Unit, Onchocerca sp. (Filarioidea; Onchocercidae) nematodes were detected in lesions. Due to this, a pilot study was made in order to find out what filarioid nematodes do occur in cattle, horses and sheep in Finland. Methods: Ventral skin biopsies from 209 dairy cattle and 42 horses, as well as blood samples from 209 ...
Comparative activities of semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) in five domestic species. Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) activity was measured spectrophotometrically using benzylamine as a substrate, in the serum of healthy males and females of horses, camels, cattle, sheep and goats. The animals were born and raised in the same area, and the blood collection was made on the same day to avoid variations. Also the concentrations of protein and copper were measured in the same samples. There were no significant gender-related differences in SSAO activity between the tested animals regardless of species. Activities of SSAO in either male or female of horse were significa...
Short-term habituation of equine limb kinematics to tactile stimulation of the coronet. A lightweight bracelet that provides tactile stimulation to the horse's pastern and coronet induces a higher flight arc of the hoof. This study addresses the pattern of habituation to these devices. Objective: To evaluate short-term habituation to tactile stimulation of the pastern and coronet in trotting horses. Methods: Tactile stimulation was provided by a lightweight (55 g) device consisting of a strap with seven chains that was attached loosely around the pastern. Reflective markers were fixed to the dorsal hoof wall, the forehead and over the tenth thoracic vertebra of eight sound horses...
The horse pseudoautosomal region (PAR): characterization and comparison with the human, chimp and mouse PARs. The pseudoautosomal region (PAR) is a genomic segment on mammalian sex chromosomes where sequence homology mimics that seen between autosomal homologues. The region is essential for pairing and proper segregation of sex chromosomes during male meiosis. As yet, only human/chimp and mouse PARs have been characterized. The two groups of species differ dramatically in gene content and size of the PAR and therefore do not provide clues about the likely evolution and constitution of PAR among mammals. Here we characterize the equine PAR by i) isolating and arranging 71 BACs containing 129 markers (1...
Seminal traits, suitability for semen preservation and fertility in the native Portuguese horse breeds Puro Sangue Lusitano and Sorraia: Implications for stallion classification and assisted reproduction. The Puro Sangue Lusitano (PSL) is the major national breed of horse in Portugal, but no studies exist on its seminal characteristics, or on the possibility of conserving semen for future use. The aim of this study was to evaluate semen parameters, fertility and the aptness to semen preservation in Lusitano Stallions. In order to compare characteristics defined by a single or by multiple semen collections per stallion 152 ejaculates obtained from 152 Lusitano stallions presented at an annual breeding soundness examination as well as data related to 371 ejaculates obtained from 9 PSL were analyz...
Haplotypic variability within the mitochondrial gene encoding for the cytochrome c oxidase 1 (cox1) of Cylicocyclus nassatus (Nematoda, Strongylida): evidence for an affiliation between parasitic populations and domestic and wild equid hosts. This study investigated the genetic variability within Cylicocyclus nassatus (Nematoda, Strongylida, Cyathostominae) collected from different domestic and wild hosts (i.e. horse, donkey, Przewalskii horse, tarpan and Turkmen kulan) and localities in Europe and/or USA. The ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene were PCR-amplified and sequences characterized from seventy individual parasitic specimens. While ITS2 displayed 0-0.6% variation rate among all individual adult specimens of C. nassatus examined, 22 different seque...
