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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.
Facial Expressions of Horses Using Weighted Multivariate Statistics for Assessment of Subtle Local Pain Induced by Polylactide-Based Polymers Implanted Subcutaneously. Facial-expression-based analysis has been widely applied as a pain coding system in horses. Herein, we aimed to identify pain in horses undergoing subcutaneously polylactide-based polymer implantation. The sham group was submitted only to surgical incision. The horses were filmed before and 24 and 48 h after implantation. Five statistical methods for evaluating their facial expressions (FEs) were tested. Primarily, three levels of scores (0, 1, and 2) were applied to the seven FEs (ear movements, eyebrow tension, orbicularis tension, dilated nostrils, eye opening, muzzle tension, and masticato...
Combined Antenna-Channel Modeling for the Harsh Horse Hoof Environment. This paper describes the exploration of the combined antenna-channel model for a horse hoof. An antenna of 25 mm × 40 mm is designed in the ISM 868 MHz band. During the characterization and design of the antenna, the dynamic and harsh environment of the horse hoof is taken into account throughout every step of the procedure because it is impossible to de-embed the antenna from its environment. The antenna and channel model are verified extensively by measurements in phantom and ex vivo. The antenna is verified to be robust against changes in the morphology of the horse's hoof up to 50%. The d...
Prevalence of brucellosis in livestock of African and Asian continents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Brucellosis is a highly contagious bacterial disease that mainly affects ruminants, but it may affect equines, canines, and felines. The disease is of utmost significance from an economic standpoint in countries where there is no national brucellosis prevention and eradication policy in operation. A systematic review was done to estimate disease burden, incidences, prevalence, and geographical distribution critical in planning appropriate intervention strategies for the control and prevention of Brucellosis. Research articles that were published during the period 2000-2020 were considered for ...
Gut health of horses: effects of high fibre vs high starch diet on histological and morphometrical parameters. The conventional feeding management of horses is still characterized by high starch and low fibre diets, which can negatively affect horse's gastrointestinal health. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the effects of a high-starch (HS) vs. a high-fibre (HF) diet on gut health in horses. A total of 19 Bardigiano horses destined for slaughter and aged 14.3 ± 0.7 months were randomly allotted to two dietary groups: HS (5 fillies and 4 colts,) and HF group (7 fillies and 3 colts). They received the same first-cut meadow hay but different complementary feeds for 72 days: HS group was ...
Welfare of equidae during transport. In the framework of its Farm to Fork Strategy, the Commission is undertaking a comprehensive evaluation of animal welfare legislation. This opinion deals with the protection of horses and donkeys during transport. While the opinion focuses primarily on road transport of horses, there are specific sections dealing with the transport of horses on roll-on-roll-off ferries, horses transported by air and the transport of donkeys. In addition, the opinion covers welfare concerns in relation to a specific scenario identified by the European Commission related to the transport of horses on long journe...
The diversity analysis and gene function prediction of intestinal bacteria in three equine species. The intestinal flora has a variety of physiological functions involved in the regulation of host metabolism, immunity and endocrinology, and plays an important role in maintaining the health of the host. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing technology to analyze the intestinal bacterial diversity and their gene functions in three equine species of the genus Shetland Pony (SP), Mongolian Wild Ass (MA), and Plain Zebra (PZ) in captivity in two wildlife parks in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. The results showed that only the SP intestinal bacterial abundance index (Chao1) w...
Morpho-Functional Traits in Pura Raza Menorquina Horses: Genetic Parameters and Relationship with Coat Color Variables. The studbook of Pura Raza Menorquina horses only permits the use of black-coated animals with a small quantity of white marks as breeding stock. Its breeding program uses linear morpho-functional traits as selection criteria. Our aim was to estimate the genetic parameters of linear morpho-functional traits, and reveal relationship of quality of black coat color (QB) and percentage of white marks (WM) with the other morphological and functional linear traits in this breed. A total of 46 linear traits were scored by four appraisers using seven classes, with a total of 772 records from 333 animal...
Can Ponies (Equus Caballus) Distinguish Human Facial Expressions? Communication within a species is essential for access to resources, alerting to dangers, group facilitation and social bonding; human facial expressions are considered to be an important factor in one’s ability to communicate with others. Evidence has shown that dogs and horses are able to distinguish positive and negative facial expressions by observing photographs of humans, however there is currently no research on how facial expressions from a live human are perceived by horses. This study investigated how ponies distinguish facial expressions presented by live actors. Trained actors (n...
Detection of Indiscriminate Genetic Manipulation in Thoroughbred Racehorses by Targeted Resequencing for Gene-Doping Control. The creation of genetically modified horses is prohibited in horse racing as it falls under the banner of gene doping. In this study, we developed a test to detect gene editing based on amplicon sequencing using next-generation sequencing (NGS). We designed 1012 amplicons to target 52 genes (481 exons) and 147 single-nucleotide variants (SNVs). NGS analyses showed that 97.7% of the targeted exons were sequenced to sufficient coverage (depth > 50) for calling variants. The targets of artificial editing were defined as homozygous alternative (HomoALT) and compound heterozygous alternative (ALT1/...
Horses in the Early Medieval (10th-13th c.) Religious Rituals of Slavs in Polish Areas-An Archaeozoological, Archaeological and Historical Overview. Knowledge about horses from early medieval (10th-13th c.) Poland has been largely based on historical and archaeological data. Archaeozoological information has only been used to a limited extent. Therefore, this article aims to present the current state of knowledge on this subject, drawing on archaeozoological data from studies of horse bones. Apart from confirming earlier reflections regarding the sacred significance of the horse, additional information was obtained about specific individuals who were the subject of magical treatments. It turned out that sites with horse skeletons and skull...
Participatory appraisal for healthcare and welfare management strategies of donkeys (Equus ascinus) in Balochistan, Pakistan. In spite of the significant importance of the donkeys () as draft animal in resource-poor countries like Pakistan, they are equines not receiving the appropriate care. They face challenges including injuries, diseases, lack of basic environment and mismanagement by their owners. The present study aims to provide a brief update on the current status of management of healthcare and the welfare of domestic donkeys using participatory epidemiological tools. These tools can help to provide better strategies for improving their productivity and inclusion in human society. This study was mainly focus...
Reinforcer efficacy of grain for horses. Positive reinforcement is becoming more common in horse training. Identifying effective reinforcers is critical for training success. The aim of this study was to determine relative reinforcer efficacy of different grains. Four horses learned to muzzle touch a target, after which they were tested using a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement with different grains as the consequence. Break points were used to determine relative reinforcer efficacy of each grain and were also converted into unit price per kilocalorie to determine if caloric value impacted reinforcer efficacy. Condition 1 c...
Minimizing the Effects of Social Isolation of Horses by Contact with Animals of a Different Species: The Domestic Goat as an Example. This study aimed to perform a comparative analysis of the horses' heart rate parameters and locomotor activity in a herd or isolation, with or without the company of goats. Twenty horses were tested in a paddock, accompanied (or not) by three goats. The experiment comprised four tests (a control test of a herd of horses without goats, a horse isolation test without goats, a test of a herd of horses with goats and a test of an isolated horse with goats). The horse's locomotor behavior, and the HR, RR, rMSSD, LF, HF, and LF/HF were recorded. The data analysis included a 15-min rest, procedural a...
Implications of placentation type on species-specific colostrum properties in mammals. Maternal care is essential to optimally support survival of the offspring. During evolution of mammalian species, different phenotypes have evolved in relation to gestation length, number, size, and maturation stage of the offspring at parturition, as well as colostrum and milk composition. The aim of the present review is to describe relationships between placental function and colostrum and milk composition in different mammalian species. Species covered in this article include humans, rabbits, rodents (rat and mouse), carnivores (cats and dogs), and a variety of ungulate species (cattle, sh...
Measurement of Horse Allergens Equ c 1 and Equ c 2: A Comparison among Breeds. Horse allergens are less studied than allergens from other furry animals and these allergens must be evaluated to understand the complexity of allergy to horses. The aims of this study were to develop assays for the horse allergens Equ c 1 and Equ c 2 in dander and saliva and to determine their levels in ten horse breeds. The study also included a comparison of these findings with previous results on the levels of Equ c 4 performed on the same study population. The study population included 170 horses from 10 horse breeds including American Curly and Russian Bashkir horse, which have been sugg...
The Global Contributions of Working Equids to Sustainable Agriculture and Livelihoods in Agenda 2030. Small farmers produce most food in low- and middle-income countries and most small farmers rely on directly or indirectly working equids (WE). The lack of methods and metrics for assessing the role of WE hampers realisation of WE contributions. Based on literature review and a survey of WE welfare experts, we propose a framework for optimising WE potential based on two axes of sustainable development goals (SDGs) and value chains. WE contribute especially to earning and sparing income (largely in food production) (SDG 1), but also have roles in accessing health and hygiene services and product...
Influences of Oil-Based Palatants on Eating Behavior in Gestating Mares. Gustatory and olfactory changes have been reported during gestation in multiple species. However, few data are available regarding feeding preferences in gestating mares. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of oil-based palatants on feeding behavior in late term gestating mares. Late-term gestating mares (n = 5) and reproductively sound, open mares (n = 4) were evaluated via paired preference testing during the final 120 days of gestation. Oil-based flavors (corn oil, anise, and apple) were topically applied to a basal pelleted diet (0.375 ml/0.23 kg). Diets were offe...
Linebreeding as a system of stock breeding to improve the productive qualities of horses of the Kushum breed. Possessing high meat and dairy productivity and good reproductive and adaptive qualities to year-round grazing, the Kushum breed plays an exceptional role in the improvement of productive qualities in horse herding in Kazakhstan and the former Soviet republics. The aim of the study was to develop breeding methods for creating new highly productive breeding lines for the Kushum breed horses. The leading method was linebreeding, which is based on the systematic use of remarkable animals, the offspring of which will accumulate and develop all the desired qualities and traits. The practical signif...
Fecal Microbiota Comparison Between Healthy Teaching Horses and Client-Owned Horses. The objective of this study was to compare the fecal microbiota of two healthy teaching horse herds with that of client-owned horses from the same geographic areas. The fecal microbiota of client-owned horses from Ontario Canada (n = 15) and Florida, USA (n = 11) was compared with that teaching horses from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada (n = 10) and the University of Florida, Florida, USA (n = 15). The fecal microbiota was characterized by sequencing of bacterial DNA using the V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. The diversity (inverse Simpson index) of the fecal mi...
Autopsies are required for all racehorses at most U.S. racetracks. No abstract available
Memories, museum artefacts and excavations in resolving the history of maternal lineages in the Finnhorse. We used historical DNA samples to examine the history of a native horse breed, the Finnhorse. Samples were collected from private collections, museums, schools and excavations, representing the times prior to, during, and after the foundation of the breed; from the end of the 19th century and throughout the 20th century. We sequenced a fragment of mitochondrial DNA from these historical samples to study the history and evolution of maternal lineages of horses back to the early days of the breed, compared the mitochondrial DNA sequence diversity of different historical periods and modern day Fi...
Intrafollicular injection of nanomolecules for advancing knowledge on folliculogenesis in livestock. Despite the progress in assisted reproductive techniques, there is still a lack of rapid and minimally invasive in situ approaches for further enhancements of female fertility. Therefore, we synthesized clinically relevant liposome nanoparticles for ovarian intrafollicular injection to allow in vivo cellular imaging for future drug delivery, using the mare as an animal model. Ovarian follicles of living mares were injected in vivo with fluorescently labeled liposomes. Samples of the follicular wall (mural granulosa, theca interna, and theca externa), granulosa cells, and follicular fluid wer...
Production of extracellular vesicles from equine embryo-derived mesenchymal stromal cells. Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have shown promise as off-the-shelf therapeutics; however, producing them in sufficient quantities can be challenging. In this study, MSCs were isolated from preimplantation equine embryos and used to produce EVs in two commercially available bioreactor designs. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have recently been explored for their potential use as therapeutics in human and veterinary medicine applications, such as the treatment of endometrial inflammation and infertility. Allogeneic MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) may...
Estimates of Genetic Parameters for Shape Space Data in Franches-Montagnes Horses. Conformation traits such as joint angles are important selection criteria in equine breeding, but mainly consist of subjective evaluation scores given by breeding judges, showing limited variation. The horse shape space model extracts shape data from 246 landmarks (LM) and objective joint angle measurements from triplets of LM on standardized horse photographs. The heritability was estimated for 10 joint angles (seven were measured twice with different LM placements), and relative warp components of the whole shape, in 608 Franches-Montagnes (FM) horses (480 stallions, 68 mares and 60 geldings...
Study on lactation performance and development of KASP marker for milk traits in Xinjiang donkey (Equus asinus). Donkey milk has high nutritional and medicinal value, but there are few researches in donkey milk traits, especially on genome. The whole lactation of 89 donkeys was recorded and it was found that Xinjiang donkey had good lactation performance while great differences among individuals. In our previous study, four genes including , , and were identified as milk-associated with Chinese Kazakh house, based on Equine 670k Chip genomic analysis. And then 15 SNPs of the four key genes were conducted for genotyping in Xinjiang donkey in this study, one of Chinese indigenous breed, 14 SNPs were succ...
Assessment of information as regards the toxicity of fumonisins for pigs, poultry and horses. In 2018, the EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) adopted a Scientific Opinion on the risks for animal health related to the presence of fumonisins, their modified forms and hidden forms in feed. A no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) of 1 mg/kg feed was established for pigs. In poultry a NOAEL of 20 mg/kg feed and in horses a reference point for adverse animal health effect of 8.8 mg/kg feed was established, referred to as NOAEL. The European Commission (EC) requested EFSA to review the information regarding the toxicity of fumonisins for pigs, poultry and horses an...
Equines do not live for grass alone: Training equines using social interaction as a reinforcer. Functional analysis data and previous studies on animal training have demonstrated that social interaction with humans can serve as a reinforcer for animals. Yet, some studies have demonstrated that tactile interaction (e.g., patting, petting, or scratching) is less effective or ineffective when compared to food. However, the reinforcement procedures used may account for these discrepancies. The current study investigated whether tactile interaction, in the form of petting and scratching, could be used as a reinforcer to train behaviors to two horses and a mule. First, each equine learned when...
Epidemiological Study of Multiple Zoonotic Mosquito-Borne Alphaviruses in Horses in Queensland, Australia (2018-2020). The increased frequency of extreme weather events due to climate change has complicated the epidemiological pattern of mosquito-borne diseases, as the host and vector dynamics shift to adapt. However, little is known about the seroprevalence of common mosquito-borne virus infections in horses in Australia. In this study, serological surveys for multiple alphaviruses were performed on samples taken from 622 horses across two horse populations (racehorses and horses residing on The University of Queensland (UQ) campus) in Queensland using the gold standard virus neutralization test. As is the ca...
Getah Virus (Alphavirus): An Emerging, Spreading Zoonotic Virus. Getah virus (GETV) is a zoonotic virus transmitted by mosquitoes, belonging to the family, genus. It was first isolated from mosquitoes in Malaysia in 1955, being widespread in island countries in the South Pacific region. Since the beginning of the 21st century, GETV expanded its range and geographical distribution from low-latitude tropical regions to 60° north latitude, being isolated from 17 different species of mosquitoes belonging to five genera of Culicidae (, , , and ), as well as from midges in Eurasia. Molecular genetic evolution analysis revealed large molecular differences betw...
