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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.
Red blood cell deformability and aggregation behaviour in different animal species. Comparative animal studies showed the wide variation of whole blood and plasma viscosity, and erythrocyte aggregation among mammalian species. Whole blood viscosity and red blood cell aggregation is influenced by red cell fluidity. To evaluate differences in erythrocyte deformability in mammals, three species were investigated, whose erythrocytes have a different aggregation property: horse, as a species with high, dog with medium, and sheep with almost unmeasurable aggregation tendency. Erythrocyte deformability was tested ektacytometrically (Elongation Index [EI], LORCA, Mechatronics, Hoorn,...
James Wardrop and equine recurrent uveitis. James Wardrop should be remembered not only as one of the founders of ocular pathology but also for his contributions to the field of comparative ophthalmology. He described a "specific inflammation" that veterinarians today know as equine recurrent uveitis. As described by Wardrop in the 19th century, this condition is known today to eventually lead to blindness.
Variation in free jumping technique within and among horses with little experience in show jumping. To quantify variation in the jumping technique within and among young horses with little jumping experience, establish relationships between kinetic and kinematic variables, and identify a limited set of variables characteristic for detecting differences in jumping performance among horses. Methods: Fifteen 4-year-old Dutch Warmblood horses. Methods: The horses were raised under standardized conditions and trained in accordance with a fixed protocol for a short period. Subsequently, horses were analyzed kinematically during free jumping over a fence with a height of 1.05 m. Results: Within-hor...
The lens and cataracts. It is conservatively estimated that some form of lens opacity is present in 5% to 7% of horses with otherwise clinically normal eyes.These opacities can range from small epicapsular remnants of the fetal vasculature to dense and extensive cataract. A cataract is defined technically as any opacity or alteration in the optical homogeneity of the lens involving one or more of the following: anterior epithelium, capsule, cortex, or nucleus. In the horse, cataracts rarely involve the entire lens structure (ie, complete cataracts) and are more usually localized to one anatomic landmark or sector of ...
Cosmetic globe surgery in the horse. Effects of traumatic injury or inflammation on the equine eye can be catastrophic. These ocular conditions can frequently result in blindness or chronic pain. In addition to blindness and pain, permanent unsightly cosmetic defects can occur. This article addresses options available for improved cosmetic outcome in horses with ocular scars or requiring enucleation. Many of these options have been described in detail previously. New information has been added to the discussion of each option where pertinent.
Equine ocular anatomy and ophthalmic examination. This article is intended to provide the practitioner with a succinct but complete source regarding equine orbital and ocular anatomy,instrumentation available for ophthalmic examination, a methodical examination technique, sedation and regional nerve blocks, and diagnostic procedures involving the eye. Such knowledge of orbital and ocular anatomy is essential to allow recognition of normal,normal variations, or an abnormality of the equine eye and orbit.
Integration of sperm sexing technology into the ART toolbox. Sex-sorting of mammalian spermatozoa has applications for genetic improvement of farm animals, in humans for the control of sex-linked disease, and in wildlife as a captive management strategy and for the re-population of endangered species. Considerable research has been undertaken worldwide on the Beltsville sperm sexing technology, the only effective method for pre-selection of sex of offspring. The combination of this method with assisted reproductive technologies has resulted in the birth of offspring in a wide range of animals, including cattle, the only livestock species in which sperm ...
Ocular conditions of neonatal foals. A discussion of ocular conditions of foals with an emphasis on congenital and inherited disorders is presented. An understanding of the normal postnatal development of the eye and adnexae is important. Recognition of inherited abnormalities is essential when giving advice on breeding suitability, and prompt attention or referral of deteriorating ocular conditions in foals ensures the best outcome for future use. Congenital conditions may be recognized for the first time in older animals during their first thorough eye examination.
West Nile virus vaccines. West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that is emerging as a global pathogen. In the last decade, virulent strains of the virus have been associated with significant outbreaks of human and animal disease in Europe, the Middle East and North America. Efforts to develop human and veterinary vaccines have taken both traditional and novel approaches. A formalin-inactivated whole virus vaccine has been approved for use in horses. DNA vaccines coding for the structural WNV proteins have also been assessed for veterinary use and have been found to be protective in mice, horses and birds...
Microsatellite diversity, population subdivision and gene flow in the Lipizzan horse. Blood samples of 561 Lipizzan horses from subpopulations (studs) of seven European countries representing a large fraction of the breed's population were used to examine the genetic diversity, population subdivision and gene flow in the breed. DNA analysis based on 18 microsatellite loci revealed that genetic diversity (observed heterozygosity = 0.663, gene diversity = 0.675 and the mean number of alleles = 7.056) in the Lipizzan horse is similar to other horse breeds as well as to other domestic animal species. The genetic differentiation between Lipizzan horses from different studs, although...
Seroprevalence of Neospora spp. in asymptomatic horses in Italy. One hundred and fifty horses from Italy were tested for serum antibodies to Neospora caninum by indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT). Antibodies were present in 42 horses (28%). The positive titres were: 1:50 (16/150-10.5%), 1:100 (26/150-17%), 1:200 (8/150-5.3%) and 1:800 (1/150-0.6%). No neurological anomalies were observed in the seropositive horses. This is the first serologic survey for Neospora spp. antibodies performed on horses born and raised in Italy.
Genetic diversity in German draught horse breeds compared with a group of primitive, riding and wild horses by means of microsatellite DNA markers. We compared the genetic diversity and distance among six German draught horse breeds to wild (Przewalski's Horse), primitive (Icelandic Horse, Sorraia Horse, Exmoor Pony) or riding horse breeds (Hanoverian Warmblood, Arabian) by means of genotypic information from 30 microsatellite loci. The draught horse breeds included the South German Coldblood, Rhenish German Draught Horse, Mecklenburg Coldblood, Saxon Thuringa Coldblood, Black Forest Horse and Schleswig Draught Horse. Despite large differences in population sizes, the average observed heterozygosity (H(o)) differed little among the heavy ...
Detection and identification of equine Theileria and Babesia species by reverse line blotting: epidemiological survey and phylogenetic analysis. Specific oligonucleotide probes were designed to develop a new and highly sensitive reverse line blot assay to detect and identify simultaneously different Theileria and Babesia species in horses. The amplified hypervariable V4 region of the 18S rRNA gene was hybridised against different generic and species-specific probes. The survey was conducted over 243 samples of equine blood divided into three different groups: group 1, 24 horses presented as possible clinical piroplasmosis; group 2, 181 clinically healthy free-ranging horses exposed to ticks; group 3, 38 riding horses with unrelated pat...
Meal size and starch content affect gastric emptying in horses. Feeding practices have been associated with colic in horses. If meal size and composition have an effect on gastric emptying, this could be one of the mechanisms by which feeding practices are related to the occurrence of colic. Objective: To evaluate the effect of meal size and starch content on solid phase gastric emptying. Methods: Solid phase gastric emptying of 3 different radiolabelled meals, small low-starch (SmLS), small high-starch (SmHS) and large high-starch (LgHS) meals, was measured in 5 horses by scintigraphy using 99mTc-disofenin. Data were compared among meals using nonlinear m...
Whip use and race progress are associated with horse falls in hurdle and steeplechase racing in the UK. Falls during racing present a risk of injury to both horse and jockey and a risk of fatality to horses. Objective: To use video recordings of races to describe the circumstances surrounding horse falls at hurdle and steeplechase fences and to identify and quantify within-race risk factors for horse falls in National Hunt racing in the UK. Methods: A retrospective, matched, nested case-control study using video recordings of races was conducted on 6 UK racecourses. Cases and controls were matched on both race type and jump number at which the fall occurred. Conditional logistic regression analy...
Sequence of horse (Equus caballus) apoA-II. Another example of a dimer forming apolipoprotein. Apolipoprotein A-II, the second major apolipoprotein of human HDL, also has been observed in a variety of mammals; however, it is either present in trace amounts or absent in other mammals. In humans and chimpanzee, and probably in other great apes, apoA-II with a cysteine at residue 6 is able to form a homodimer. In other primates as well as other mammals, apoA-II, lacking a cysteine residue, is monomeric. However, horse HDL has been reported to contain dimeric apoA-II that following reduction forms monomers. In this report, we extend these observations by reporting on the first complete sequ...
Polymorphisms of the equine major histocompatibility complex class II DRA locus. The full extent of the polymorphism of ELA-DRA in Equidae is not yet known. Given the apparent differences in DRA polymorphisms between Equidae and other species, the aims of this study were to more fully characterize ELA-DRA, determine the extent of gene polymorphism and establish the allele-frequency distribution. An allele reference panel for the second exon of ELA-DRA was established by sequence-based typing of 69 equine DNA samples consisting of various breeds of domestic horse (Equus caballus), together with donkeys (Equus asinus), Grant's zebras (Equus boehmi) and one onager (Equus hemi...
DNA vaccines–back in the saddle again? A promising new horse vaccine may reignite enthusiasm for DNA vaccine technology in designing prophylactics against infectious disease. Kendall Powell reports.
Effect of L-carnitine administration on the seminal characteristics of oligoasthenospermic stallions. The effect of orally administered l-carnitine on the quality of semen obtained from stallions with different semen qualities was investigated. Four stallions with proven fertility (high motility group, HM) and with normal seminal characteristics (>50% progressive motility and > 80 x 10(6) spermatozoa/ml), and four questionable breeders (low motility group, LM) with <50% of sperm progressive motility and < 80 x 10(6) spermatozoa/ml, received p.o. 20 g of l-carnitine for 60 days. Blood and semen samples were collected before treatment (T0) and after 30 (T1) and 60 days (T2). Semen ev...
Gene expression in the spermatogenically inactive “dark” and maturing “light” testicular tissues of the prepubertal colt. In the testis of the 1.5-year-old horse, spermatogenesis initiates locally in grossly light, central areas that contrast with grossly dark, peripheral areas that are as yet inactive in spermatogenesis. Gene expression was compared between "light" and "dark" tissues of 1.5-year-old horse testes to identify mechanisms important to the initiation of spermatogenesis. Microarrays containing human cDNAs were used to assess expression levels of 9132 genes simultaneously in matched pairs of dark and light testis tissues from 3 prepubertal colts. In all 3 analyses, dysferlin (DYS), down-regulated in ov...
Inheritance of guttural pouch tympany in the arabian horse. The objective of the present study was to analyze the mode of inheritance of guttural pouch tympany (GPT) using pedigrees of Arabian horses. Complex segregation analyses were employed to test for the significance of nongenetic transmission and for monogenic, polygenic, and mixed monogenic-polygenic modes of inheritance. Horses affected by GPT comprised 27 Arabian purebred foals. Of these 27 animals, 22 were patients at the Clinic for Horses, School of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany, between 1994 and 2001 and 5 Arabian foals were from stud farms. Information on the pedigrees of...
Fat digestibility in Equus caballus follows increasing first-order kinetics. The digestibility of ether extract varies greatly from forages to grains and further to added fats consisting mainly of triglycerides. This variation has been attributed to two main factors, the presence of nonhydrolyzable substances in the ether extract, especially in leafy foods, and the dilution of endogenous fecal fat. A compilation of results from 188 equine digestion balance observations on five basal feeds and 18 test feeds with added fats demonstrated a true digestibility of fat approaching 100% and an endogenous fecal fat of 0.22 g x d(-1) x kg BW(-1). The results revealed that nonhyd...
Soybean hulls as an alternative feed for horses. Soybean hulls have been successfully fed to ruminant animals as an economical substitute for hay. This feedstuff is a source of highly digestible fiber that does not contain starch. The purpose of this trial was to evaluate soybean hulls as a replacement fiber in horse diets. Four cecally cannulated Quarter Horse geldings, aged 6 to 10 yr and averaging 502 kg, were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square design with 21-d periods. Diets consisted of alfalfa/bromegrass hay (14.4% CP, 58.1% NDF, 39.1% ADF; DM basis) with the replacement of either 0, 25, 50, or 75% (as-fed basis) unpelleted soybean hulls (13...
Benzimidazole resistance in cyathostomin populations on horse farms in western Anatolia, Turkey. A cross-sectional survey was performed on ten stud farms in western Anatolia, Turkey, in order to provide the first information on the problem of anthelmintic resistance in equine strongyles in this country. Benzimidazole (BZ) resistant cyathostomin populations were detected on seven farms if pre- and post-treatment egg counts are compared in treated animals and the resistance is defined as a mean faecal egg count reduction (FECR) of <95% with a lower 95% confidence limit of <90%. Egg hatch tests using an ED(50) of 0.1 microg/ml thiabendazole as the cut-off value confirmed BZ resistance ...
[Critical consideration of the “Guideline for the Evaluation of Raising Horses” and keeping horses outside in the winter]. The guidelines of the Federal Ministry of User Protection, Nutrition and Agriculture (BMVEL) regarding "horse keeping with respect to animal welfare" are from 1995 (BMELF, 1995). Therefore, they are not suitable for modern horse keeping. The Veterinary Association for Animal Welfare (TVT) held it to be necessary to rework the guide-lines in light of 1) many subsequent investigations concerning horse keeping, and 2) the species-specific needs of horses in practice. Each chapter of the BMELF (1995) guide-lines was revised such that the literature and practical experiences were updated. Several c...
Characterization and localization of membrane vesicles in ejaculate fractions from the ram, boar and stallion. Membrane vesicles, separated by differential centrifugation from the seminal plasma, were detected in the sperm-rich ejaculate fractions of four boars and three stallions, and in the whole ejaculates of seven rams. The volume and percentage of vesicles, determined by a stereological technique, were higher in the sperm-rich than in the post-sperm-rich fractions of the boar and stallion ejaculates, and no vesicles were detected in the pre sperm-rich fractions. Vesicles were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). For boar, stallion and ram semen...
Intra-uterine insemination in farm animals and humans. Artificial insemination (AI) is the oldest and currently most common technique in the assisted reproduction of animals and humans. The introduction of AI in farm animals was forced by sanitary reasons and the first large-scale applications with a commercial goal were performed in cattle in the late 1930s of last century. After the Second World War, cryopreservation of semen facilitated distribution and AI was mainly performed for economic reasons, especially in dairy cattle industry. In humans however, AI was initially performed in cases of physiological and psychological sexual dysfunction, b...
Development of insulin and proinsulin secretion in newborn pony foals. At birth, the endocrine pancreas must assume a glucoregulatory role if the neonate is to survive the transition from parenteral to enteral nutrition. In species like the horse, neonatal hypoglycaemia is common, which suggests that the glucoregulatory mechanisms are not always fully competent at birth. Hence, this study examined pancreatic beta cell function in newborn foals during nutritional adaptation over the first 10 days post partum. Over a 48 h period at three time intervals after birth (days 1-2, 5-6 and 9-10 post partum), the beta cell responses to suckling and to intravenous administr...
