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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.
Phytate and phosphorus movements in the digestive tract of horses. This experiment was conducted to study phytate degradation and the effect of dietary phytate level on phosphorus absorption in the gastrointestinal tract of horses. Six Thoroughbred horses were fed diets containing low-phytate diet or high-phytate diet for 5 days. The diets were supplemented with Cr2O3 as an unabsorbable marker. The horses were killed 3 h after the last feeding and digesta in some segments of the intestine were collected. In both dietary groups, the daily passage of phytate phosphorus was decreased in the upper small intestine and in the lower large intestine. The daily passag...
Chronological changes in superoxide-scavenging ability and lipid peroxide concentration of equine serum due to stress from exercise and transport. It has been suggested that a variety of stresses on animals may accelerate their production of superoxide. Racehorses are considered to be exposed to substantial oxide stress due to transport and exercise for training and racing. To determine the effect of exercise and transport on racehorses in terms of superoxide and antioxidative ability, changes in the superoxide-scavenging ability of equine serum were observed using electron spin resonance (ESR). Changes in the concentration of lipid peroxide, which is produced in equine serum by superoxide, were also examined. The analysis revealed that ...
Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide during and after repeated exercise under heat exposure. Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) responses were studied in horses during and after a competition exercise test (CET) designed to simulate the endurance test of a 3-day event and including test Phases A-D. CET was repeated 5 times at 2 week intervals at mean temperature +28 degrees C and relative humidity (RH) 58%. Heart rate (HR) was monitored during CET. After CET, the horses were rehydrated with isotonic glucose-electrolyte solution or water. ANP, NH2-terminal pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (NT-ANP), aldosterone, arginine vasopressin (AVP) and plasma proteins (PP) were measured during...
Digestible energy expenditure in grazing activity of growing horses. Ten Thoroughbred yearlings (5 females and 5 males) were used to examine the effect of time of grazing on pasture forage and digestible energy (DE) intake, bodyweight gain and DE expenditure in grazing activity. Five females were grazed for 17 h/day (LTG), 5 males were grazed for 7 h/day (STG) and they were fed differently. As a result, DE intake from pasture forage of LTG horses and STG horses was 27.3 and 12.7-13.9 Mcal/day, respectively. The average daily gain (ADG) of LTG and STG horses was 0.37 and 0.39-0.61 kg/day, respectively. The regression lines between DE intake and ADG of both group...
Equine plasma beta-endorphin concentrations are affected by exercise intensity and time of day. Eight mature mares were exercised for 20 min at 60% VO2max and to fatigue at 95% VO2max. Plasma beta-endorphin (EN) concentrations were determined before exercise, after a 10 min warm-up, and at the end of each exercise test. Mean +/- s.e. beta-endorphin concentrations were significantly (P < 0.05) higher following work at 95% VO2max when compared to that at 60% VO2max (420.0 +/- 102.7 vs. 269.9 +/- 30.69 pg/ml). Pre-exercise samples were collected between 1000 and 1500 h. In order to evaluate whether any cyclic changes in EN secretion effects may have influenced results, a subsequent study...
Influence of training on autonomic nervous function in horses: evaluation by power spectral analysis of heart rate variability. We studied the influence of training on autonomic nervous function in the horse. For this purpose, Holter electrocardiogram (ECG) was recorded before and after training from 24 Thoroughbred horses (2-year-olds) and autonomic nervous function was evaluated by the power spectral analysis of heart rate (HR) variability. We obtained HR, low-frequency (LF) power, high-frequency (HF) power, and LF/HF ratio from recording. We set LF at 0.01-0.07 Hz and HF at 0.07-0.6 Hz. The HF power is thought to reflect primarily parasympathetic nervous function. Both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous sys...
Endocrine response to exercise in young and old horses. Six young (mean + s.e., 5.3 +/- 0.8 years, 445 +/- 13 kg bwt) and 6 old (22.0 +/- 0.4 years, 473 +/- 18 kg bwt) Standardbred and Thoroughbred mares were used to test the hypothesis that age would alter the endocrine response to exercise. All of the mares were unconditioned but accustomed to the laboratory, to standing quietly and running on a treadmill, and to the standardised incremental exercise test (SET) used in the experiment. Two weeks prior to the experiment, each horse underwent a SET to determine maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and the speeds to be used in the actual experiment. A seco...
Changes in left ventricular dynamics during graded exercise. Three mature Thoroughbred horses were prepared surgically with ultrasonic sonomicrometer crystals affixed to their ventricular pericardia. Signals from crystals recorded dimensions of axes across the left ventricle. Cubic algorithms were fitted to dimensional data to generate volume estimates that matched stroke volumes simultaneously measured using the Fick principle. As horses stood at rest or exercised at various intensities (approx 7, 12, 24, 47 and 100% maximal rate of O2 consumption VO2max[), left ventricular dimensions were recorded and 20 consecutive diastolic and systolic volumes calc...
Effect of breathing frequency and airflow on pulmonary function in high-intensity equine exercise. It has been postulated that the hypoxaemia and hypercapnoea that characterize strenuous equine exercise are partly due to flow limitations imposed by high breathing frequencies (fb), and that gas exchange would be improved if fb could be lowered. To evaluate this possibility, 6 Thoroughbred horses underwent 4 incremental treadmill exercise tests at inclines of 0, 5, 10 and 25%, respectively. In the test, horses were given a warm-up for 2 min, then ran sequentially for 1 min each at 60, 100 and 115% VO2max. Oxygen consumption (VO2), blood gas tensions (PaO2, PaCO2), fb, tidal volume (VT), minut...
Kinematics of the equine back: flexion-extension movements in sound trotting horses. This study was undertaken to evaluate the flexion-extension movements of the back in a group of sound trotting horses. Using a 3-D kinematic analysis system, 13 clinically sound horses fitted with 5 skin markers placed on the dorsal midline of their trunk were recorded while trotting on a track in the conditions of the routine lameness examination. These markers were used to calculate 3 back angles (thoracic, thoracolumbar and lumbosacral angle). These back angles were then filtered using Fourier series. To evaluate the repeatability of flexion-extension movements, the intra- and inter-individ...
The effect of shoeing on kinetics and kinematics during the stance phase. The increasing range of of horseshoes and hoofpads makes it important to be able to evaluate their influence on performance and stress in the locomotor apparatus. The aim of this study was to describe the changes in ground reaction forces and locomotion pattern during the stance phase due to the application of a standard iron shoe. Six Swedish Warmblood horses were evaluated kinetically and kinematically before and after they were shod with an 8 mm iron shoe. Data were used to calculate ground reaction forces in the vertical and craniocaudal directions, point of application of the force, hoof ...
Relationship of body condition score to completion rate during 160 km endurance races. Three-hundred and sixty horses, primarily of Arabian breeding, age 5-22 years and body conditions scores 1.5-5.5 (on 1 to 9 scale as described by Henneke 1985), participated in one of two 160 km endurance races over the same course in August 1995 and July 1996. Condition score, cannon bone circumference, combined rider and tack weight, heart girth and body length were measured 11-18 h prior to the start of the event and bodyweight estimated according to the formula by Carroll and Huntington (1988). A rider weight ratio was calculated as rider weight divided by horse bodyweight. Rider weight an...
Forelimb kinematics and net joint moments during the swing phase of the trot. The purpose of this study was to calculate net moments of force at the joints of the forelimb during the swing phase of the stride. An optoelectronic system was used to measure segmental kinematics for 3 strides in 5 sound, Warmblood horses trotting at a mean velocity +/- s.d. of 3.03 +/- 0.16 m/s. A link segment model was used to determine the net moments of force about the joints of the left forelimb. The model combined kinematic data with morphometric data describing the inertial parameters of the limb segments of warmblood horses, and incorporated correction factors for skin displacement. ...
Dietary protein influences acid-base responses to repeated sprints. Dietary protein during conditioning and exercise must support additional needs while avoiding adverse metabolic effects. Ten Arabian horses were assigned randomly to 2 diets formulated to contain 7.5 or 14.5% crude protein and 12% fat. The low-protein diet (LP) was supplemented with lysine and threonine to match the levels of these amino acids in the high-protein diet (HP). Feed intake averaged 8.1 kg/day. Dietary cation-anion difference was 181.6 and 260.4 mmol/kg for high and low protein, respectively. Following 9 weeks conditioning, horses performed a repeated sprint test: 3 min walk at 1.5...
Dietary fat supplementation and equine plasma lipid metabolism. Feeding of a fat-rich diet to horses may enhance the flux of fatty acids, in the form of triacylglycerols (TAG), through the circulation into skeletal muscle. This hypothesis was tested indirectly by measuring the concentration of plasma TAG and the activity of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in post heparin plasma. Six mature horses were fed a high-fat or a control diet according to a crossover design with feeding periods of 6 weeks. The control diet contained 1.5% fat in the dry matter and the high-fat diet 11.8%. The high-fat diet was formulated by adding soybean oil to the control diet at the exp...
Pre- and post exercise echocardiography in horses performing treadmill exercise in cool and hot/humid conditions. We hypothesised that exercise in a hot and humid environment would affect echocardiographic indices of cardiac dimensions and function more than exercise in a cool environment. M-mode echocardiograms were obtained in 5 clinically normal horses before, and at 0, 10, 30 and 60 min after a treadmill exercise test. The test was performed in a controlled environment at 20 degrees C/40% relative humidity (RH) and again at 30 degrees C/80% RH. All the horses completed the exercise test in cool conditions, but only one horse completed the exercise test in the hot/humid environment. The relaxation time...
EMG activity of the muscles of the neck and forelimbs during different forms of locomotion. We recorded the electromyographic (EMG) activity of 7 skeletal muscles in the forequarters and 1 in the hindquarters of 6 Thoroughbred horses during overground walking, swimming in a circular pool, and walking and trotting in a water treadmill. Bipolar fine wire electrodes were inserted into the muscles and the EMG signals were recorded using a telemetric system. The splenius exhibited tonic EMG activity during swimming. The brachiocephalicus showed its highest intensity during swimming followed by the walk and trot in the water treadmill and then walking overground. The triceps brachii caput ...
Differences in the ventilatory responses of horses and ponies to exercise of varying intensities. Horses exercising at > or = approximately 90% VO2max develop arterial hypoxaemia with concurrent hypercapnoea, whereas ponies exercising at comparative levels become hypocapnoeic and maintain arterial oxygen tensions close to resting values. We sought to investigate the possibility that these differences relate to the ventilatory responses of these animals to exercise. Six Thoroughbred horses weighing mean +/- s.e. 501 +/- 27 kg and 5 ponies weighing mean +/- s.e. 164 +/- 18 kg exercised for 2 min on a 10% slope at speeds calculated to require 60% VO2max and for at least 1 min at speeds cal...
The teeth of the horse: evolution and anatomo-morphological and radiographic study of their development in the foetus. The aim of this work was to study the ontogenetic process in teeth from their early appearance in the ossifying matrix of the mandible and maxilla, in different foetuses of scalar ages. Radiographic examinations of the skull and mandible hemisections were performed and the latero-medial (LM) and dorsoventral (DV) projections for the skull and mandible were analysed. A high-definition film-screen combination was used for this study. The exposure values ranged from 35 kV/6 mAs to 58 kV/10 mAs, according to the size of the skulls and their degree of ossification. The first dental germ observed wa...
Plasma cortisol and beta-endorphin concentrations in trained and over-trained standardbred racehorses. The effects of training and over-training on plasma cortisol and beta-endorphin (betaEP) concentrations at rest and after standardised exercise tests and the cortisol responses to adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) administration were investigated in standardbred horses. Twelve horses were divided randomly into control and over-trained (OT) groups after 17 weeks slow- and moderate-intensity treadmill training. The standardised treadmill exercise test consisted of 2 min at velocities corresponding to 30, 50, 70 and 100% of maximum O2 consumption. Over-training, defined as a significant decrease in body...
Veterinary vaccinology. Veterinary vaccinology is a very interesting and rapidly developing field. In fact veterinary vaccines are not only used for the prevention of infectious diseases in the animal health sector, but also help to solve problems of public health, to reduce detrimental environmental impact of the use of some veterinary drugs and prevent the emergence of resistance of micro-organisms or parasites. After a short introduction, this paper will deal with the use of vaccines for animal health and welfare, including new developments in the veterinary field such as marker vaccines and vectored vaccines, the...
Age-related morphometry of equine incisors. In the present study the age-related morphological characteristics of 948 equine incisors were investigated. After extraction, total incisival length and root length were measured at the vestibular side of the teeth. Equine incisors reach their maximal length 2-3 years after eruption. Notwithstanding severe occlusal wear, this maximal length is maintained during most of the horses' life due to prolonged root formation. Root formation, at the rate of 2.5 mm per year, starts at the age of 5-6 years and continues until the age of 17. As the root of the incisor develops, its apical foramen narrows...
[Quantitative characteristics of the differential banding pattern prometaphase chromosomes of the domestic horse (Equus caballus)]. A high-resolution cytogenetic map (670 bands per haploid set) of RBA-banded chromosomes has been constructed in the domestic horse Equus caballus. The size and distribution of the replication-based R(G)-bands were analyzed using the computer program VideoTest-Karyo. The obtained data were compared to the results of cytogenetic mapping in other mammalian species and human.
