Topic:Competition
Competition and horses encompass the various equestrian sports and events in which horses participate, ranging from show jumping and dressage to eventing and endurance racing. These competitions test the physical abilities, training, and partnership between horse and rider. Each discipline has specific rules and standards that guide performance and judging criteria. The role of horses in these competitions involves not only athletic prowess but also considerations of health, nutrition, and welfare to ensure optimal performance. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the impact of competition on equine physiology, training methodologies, performance metrics, and the welfare implications for horses involved in competitive sports.
Does Experience Make Hucul Horses More Resistant to Stress? A Pilot Study. The aim of the study was to determine whether experience related to horse age and number of starts in championships influences stress level, measured by salivary cortisol concentration. The study involved 18 clinically healthy Hucul mares who participated in the Polish Championships for Hucul Horses. Evaluation of performance value was carried out in accordance with the guidelines specified in the breeding and genetic resources conservation program for this breed. The championship lasted two days, consisting of conformation evaluation, endurance, and Hucul path. Saliva was collected at baselin...
How Happy Are Equine Athletes? Stakeholder Perceptions of Equine Welfare Issues Associated with Equestrian Sport. The international governing body for equestrian sports, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), states that the welfare of the horse must be paramount and never subordinated to competitive or commercial influences. However, there is growing unease about welfare issues from both within and outside the sport. The aim of this study was to understand stakeholder perceptions of current welfare issues within equestrian sport, determine whether there is scope for change, and explore attitudes towards welfare assessment. Participants ( = 48) from equestrian sport ( = 38) and animal welfare res...
Factors associated with completion of Fédération Équestre Internationale endurance rides (2012-2019): Modelling success to promote welfare-oriented decisions in the equestrian sport of endurance. Endurance riding is a popular equestrian sport organised at the international level by the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI). The sport involves prolonged exercise at speed over significant distances, which puts a substantial load on equine athletes' musculoskeletal systems and metabolism and contributes to the risk of injuries and other veterinary problems. The FEI employs a system of in-ride veterinary inspections aimed at early detection of such problems and elimination of horses unfit to continue in the ride. To date, risk factors for elimination due to irregular gait or metaboli...
LC-HRMS/MS study of the prodrug ciclesonide and its active metabolite desisobutyryl-ciclesonide in plasma after an inhalative administration to horses for doping control purposes. Ciclesonide (CIC) is the first inhaled highly potent corticosteroid that does not cause any cortisol suppression. It has been developed for the treatment of asthma in human and more recently in equine. CIC is the active compound of Aservo® EquiHaler® (Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH), the pre-filled inhaler generating a medicated mist based on Soft Mist™ technology. This prodrug is rapidly converted to desisobutyryl-ciclesonide (des-CIC), the main pharmacologically active compound. Due to its anti-inflammatory properties, CIC is prohibited for use in horse competitions. To set up an ap...
Low-copy transgene detection using nested digital polymerase chain reaction for gene-doping control. Gene doping is prohibited for fair competition in human and horse sports. One style of gene doping is the administration of an exogeneous gene, called a transgene, to postnatal humans and horses. Although many transgene detection methods based on quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), including real-time PCR and digital PCR, have been recently developed, it remains difficult to reliably detect low-copy transgenes. In this study, we developed and validated a nested digital PCR method to specifically detect low-copy transgenes. The nested digital PCR consists of (1) preamplification using...
Salivary cortisol and eye temperature changes during endurance competitions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of salivary cortisol (SC) and eye temperature measured by infrared thermography (IRTET) as biomarkers to manage competitions more effectively and monitor horse welfare in endurance competitions. Based on previous studies, it was hypothesised that pre-exercise baseline SC and IRTET would be higher in younger or less experienced horses, and that post-exercise variation from baseline would be higher in the top finishers. Results: Salivary cortisol measured in 61 competing at qualifier 40 km and 80 km rides showed an abrupt variation ...
Comparison of American Quarter Horses Competing in Western Pleasure, Hunter under Saddle, and Reining Using Linear Traits. To investigate differences in American Quarter Horses conformation suggesting specialization and subpopulations within the breed, a total of 45 horses were studied. These horses were classified according to their specific sport discipline: Western Pleasure (WPL, n = 15), Hunter under Saddle (HUS, n = 15), and Reining (RN, n = 15). Fifteen linear traits (comprising lengths, angles, and circumferences) were measured analogically and photometrically. Afterwards, 9 ratios and differences were calculated, so that a total of 24 traits were examined. The results showed significant differences between...
Management of an EHV-1 outbreak at FEI events and its international impact. Caterina Termine, Göran Akerström and Gonçalo Paixão of the Fédération Equestre Internationale's Veterinary Department describe the management of an outbreak of neurological equine herpesvirus 1 that affected a number of international showjumping events in Europe earlier this year.
Impact of the event effect in genetic evaluation for ranking traits in horses. In genetic evaluation of horses, the genetic trend does not correspond into a phenotypic trend when using ranking as a phenotype due to its uniform distribution, and some other effects might be absorbing that trend. From a founder population, a further four discrete generations of 100 individuals were simulated under random mating. Then, ten additional discrete generations were simulated by selecting the best 10% of the animals. Likewise, an underlying variable with heritability 0.1 or 0.2, affected by an event environmental influence, generation and permanent environment, was simulated to est...
Development of a video analysis protocol and assessment of fall characteristics in equestrian cross-country eventing. Cross-country eventing is one of the highest-risk sporting activities for serious injury outcomes. This study investigated relationships between fall characteristics and high-risk falls at jumps in cross-country eventing. A video analysis protocol was systematically developed to analyze 87 video recordings of high-risk rider falls; defined as when the rider's head impacted the ground and/or where there was potential horse impact with the rider. Falls were classified according to competition type, jump type, horse-related, and rider-related factors. At least one high-risk fall characteristic wa...
Dynamic Metabolic Response, Clotting Times and Peripheral Indices of Central Fatigue in Horse Competing in a 44 Km Endurance Race. A deep knowledge on metabolic response of athlete horse to exercise is of paramount importance for the development of optimal training programs to attain equilibrium between good performance and animal welfare. This study investigated the dynamic change of metabolic, clotting times and peripheral indices of central fatigue in horses competing in an official 44 km endurance race. From 6 horses blood samples were collected at rest (T), within 5 minutes from the end of race (T), after 30, 60 minutes after the end of race (T and T) to investigate the values of blood lactate, glucose, platelet...
Early Evidence of the Economic Effects of COVID-19 on the Horse Show Industry in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic affected the economic status of all sectors of the global economy including the horse show industry. Reporting the impact of COVID-19 on in-person horse shows and an early assessment of its impact on the economy was the objective of this study. A Qualtrics survey instrument was disseminated to horse show participants through social media pages and email (n = 251). A majority of respondents were females (95.6%) representing a cross-section of the United States (84.0%). Participants reported planning to attend an average of 9.7 (SD = 7.15) in-person horse shows in 2020...
Long-term athletic performance in sport horses after desmotomy of the accessory ligament of the deep digital flexor tendon. Outcome after desmotomy of the accessory ligament of the deep digital flexor tendon (AL-DDFT) to treat flexural deformity of the distal interphalangeal joint has been reported to be excellent. However, no studies have compared long-term athletic performance of sport horses exposed to desmotomy of the AL-DDFT to that of matched controls. Objective: The objective of this study is to compare long-term athletic performance in sports horses subjected to desmotomy of the AL-DDFT with the performance of matched controls. Methods: This is an observational multicentre retrospective matched cohort study...
Characteristics of the Flight Arc in Horses Jumping Three Different Types of Fences in Olympic Competition. Show jumping horses must execute fences of varying height and width, but the effect of this on jumping kinematics during the airborne phase have not been described. The aim of this study was to describe differences within- and between-horses in CM trajectory, trunk orientation and average trunk angular velocity in a group of elite horses executing three fences: vertical fence (1.60 m), spread fence (1.50 × 1.80 m), water jump (4.5 m) during an Olympic competition. Two-dimensional kinematic data (60 Hz) were collected from video cameras set perpendicular to each fence. After manual digitizat...
Application of the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram to Horses Competing at the Hickstead-Rotterdam Grand Prix Challenge and the British Dressage Grand Prix National Championship 2020 and Comparison with World Cup Grand Prix Competitions. The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE) comprising 24 behaviours was developed to facilitate the identification of musculoskeletal discomfort, with scores of ≥8/24 indicating the presence of pain. The median RHpE score for 147 competitors at World Cup Grand Prix events from 2018 to 2020 was three (interquartile range [IQR] 1-4; range 0-7). The aim of the current study was to apply the RHpE to 38 competitors at the Hickstead-Rotterdam Grand Prix Challenge and 26 competitors at the British Dressage Grand Prix National Championship in 2020. The median RHpE scores were four (IQR 3-6; range 0-8) an...
Age and Hydration of Competing Horses Influence the Outcome of Elite 160 km Endurance Rides. High elimination rates and the concern for horse welfare are important issues in endurance riding. An improved understanding of the causes of elimination could increase completion rates in this sport. We have identified pre-ride risk factors that allow an assessment of potential elimination before the ride. A longitudinal cohort study was performed among 49 healthy horses competing in the 160 km endurance ride at the 2016 World Championship of Endurance Riding in Samorin/Slovakia. Blood samples were drawn before the ride. For statistical evaluation, horses were categorized in three groups: fin...
Symbiosis or Sporting Tool? Competition and the Horse-Rider Relationship in Elite Equestrian Sports. The horse-rider relationship is fundamental to ethical equestrianism wherein equine health and welfare are prioritized as core dimensions of sporting success. Equestrianism represents a unique and important form of interspecies activity in which relationships are commonly idealized as central to sporting performance but have been largely unexplored in the sport psychology literature. Horse-rider relationships warrant particular consideration in the elite sporting context, given the tension between constructions of "partnership" between horse and rider, and the pragmatic pressures of elite spor...
Type, prevalence, and risk factors for the development of orthopedic injuries in endurance horses during training and competition. To report the type, prevalence, and risk factors for the development of orthopedic injuries in endurance horses. Methods: 235 endurance horses. Methods: Medical records of horses examined between January 2007 and December 2018 were reviewed. Recorded data were birth; breed; sex; dates of first and last examinations; presence of any conformation fault, lameness, positive flexion test result, and orthopedic injury; starts in endurance competitions; level of athletic activity; professional status of trainer or rider; and whether an orthopedic injury developed in > 1 limb or during or within 2 day...
Application of the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram to Elite Dressage Horses Competing in World Cup Grand Prix Competitions. There is considerable debate about the social license to compete with horses and controversy about training methods for dressage horses. The objectives were to: 1. apply the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE) to dressage horses competing at elite Grand Prix level; 2. compare RHpE and judges' scores; and 3. document deviations in gaits from Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) guidelines. Video recordings of 147 competitors from nine World Cup competitions were assessed. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient tested the correlation between RHpE and judges' scores. The median RHpE score wa...
Pedigree Analysis of Warmblood Horses Participating in Competitions for Young Horses. The aim of the study was to characterize the population structure and assess the genetic diversity of warmblood horses used in the show jumping discipline. Pedigree data of 1,048 horses participating in the Polish Championships for Young Horses were analyzed. The pedigree of these animals included 12 863 individuals. The study consisted in analysis of the pedigree structure of the horses and characterization of the homozygosity and genetic diversity in the population. It was found that pedigree completeness and depth were sufficient for reliable assessment of the genetic diversity in the analy...
Factors Associated with Mortality in Ontario Standardbred Racing: 2003-2015. Factors associated with mortality in standardbred racehorses were assessed through a retrospective annualized cohort study of all-cause mortality from 2003-2015 ( = 978) (identified in the Ontario Racehorse Death Registry). Race and qualifying data for official work-events were also gathered (1,778,330 work-events, 125,200 horse years). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed sex, age, and indices of workload and intensity and their interactions to be strongly associated with mortality. Track class, race versus qualifying performance, and work-event outcome (finish position, scratc...
Genetic Parameters of Effort and Recovery in Sport Horses Assessed with Infrared Thermography. The way a horse activates (effort phase-EP) and recovers (recovery phase-RP) during a sport event can affect its sport performance. The aim of this manuscript was to test horses' adaptation to sport performance and its genetic basis, using eye temperature assessed with infrared thermography. EP and RP were measured in 495 Spanish Sport Horses, during a performance test, considering sex (2) and genetic lines (5) as fixed effects. The ranking position obtained on an official sport competition was also collected. Differences in variables due to genetic line and sex effects were found, showing tha...
Peripheral Modulators of the Central Fatigue Development and Their Relationship with Athletic Performance in Jumper Horses. The current study aimed to investigate whether peripheral modulators of serotoninergic function and neurohumoral factors' changes in athletic horses during an official jumping competition, and to evaluate their relationship with the physical performance of competing horses. From 7 Italian Saddle mares (6-9 years; mean body weight 440 ± 15 kg), performing the same standardized warm-up and jumping course during an official class, heart rate (HR) was monitored throughout the competition. Rectal temperature (RT) measurement, blood lactate and glucose concentration, serum tryptophan, leucine, vali...
Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability of Amateur Show Jumping Horses Competing on Different Levels. Heart rate is one of the gold standards used to assess the workload level and fitness of horses. However, when slight differences need to be detected, it is not sensitive enough. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the effect of competition level and phase of exercise on the heart rate and heart rate variability parameters in show jumpers. Fourteen horses were examined competing on three different levels: 100 cm (n = 4), 120 cm (n = 6), and 130 cm (n = 4). The length of work (min); average and maximum heart rate; average, maximum and minimum RR intervals (ms); SD1 and SD2 (ms); RMSSD ...
Metabolic Predictors of Equine Performance in Endurance Racing. Equine performance in endurance racing depends on the interplay between physiological and metabolic processes. However, there is currently no parameter for estimating the readiness of animals for competition. Our objectives were to provide an in-depth characterization of metabolic consequences of endurance racing and to establish a metabolic performance profile for those animals. We monitored metabolite composition, using a broad non-targeted metabolomics approach, in blood plasma samples from 47 Arabian horses participating in endurance races. The samples were collected before and after the c...
Risk factors for bit-related lesions in Finnish trotting horses. Bit-related lesions in competition horses have been documented, but little evidence exists concerning their potential risk factors. Objective: To explore potential risk factors for oral lesions in Finnish trotters. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The rostral part of the mouth of 261 horses (151 Standardbreds, 78 Finnhorses and 32 ponies) was examined after a harness race. Information on bit type, equipment and race performance was collected. Results: A multivariable logistic regression model of Standardbreds and Finnhorses showed a higher risk of moderate or severe oral lesion stat...
Hormone Concentrations and Semen Parameters in Criollo Breed Stallions Under Training. The stress associated with training may reduce reproductive efficiency in Criollo stallions. The objective of this study was to compare semen quality and hormone concentrations in Criollo stallions under training or under regular field conditions. Criollo breed stallions (n = 18) were evaluated during the spring. The exercise group (n = 9) performed 1 hour of exercise per day and participated in competitions during the experimental period. The control group (n = 9) neither performed exercise nor participated in competitions. Serum and semen samples were obtained every 15 days (two separat...
External Loading Characteristics of Polo Ponies and Corresponding Player Heart Rate Responses in 16-Goal Polo. When compared with other equestrian sports, Polo players engage in a high number of player-pony interactions. To ensure optimal performance of the player-pony dyad, an understanding of the workloads performed by each pony and the physiological cost placed on the rider are required. This investigation examined the relationship and interaction between Polo pony performance (speeds attained, distance covered, and movements performed) and the corresponding heart rate responses in Polo players, within and between games across a 16-goal Polo tournament. Descriptive statistics revealed Polo is played...
Breath-Jockey: Development and Feasibility Assessment of a Wearable System for Respiratory Rate and Kinematic Parameter Estimation for Gallop Athletes. In recent years, wearable devices for physiological parameter monitoring in sports and physical activities have been gaining momentum. In particular, some studies have focused their attention on using available commercial monitoring systems mainly on horses during training sessions or competitions. Only a few studies have focused on the jockey's physiological and kinematic parameters. Although at a glance, it seems jockeys do not make a lot of effort during riding, it is quite the opposite. Indeed, especially during competitions, they profuse a short but high intensity effort. To this extend, ...