Draft horses are a type of horse bred primarily for heavy work, such as plowing and hauling, due to their large size and strength. They are characterized by their muscular build, calm temperament, and considerable pulling power. Common breeds of draft horses include the Belgian, Clydesdale, Percheron, and Shire. These horses have historically been used in agriculture, logging, and transportation before the advent of mechanized vehicles. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the breeding, physiology, and historical roles of draft horses, as well as their modern applications in various industries and recreational activities.
Baird JD, Valberg SJ, Anderson SM, McCue ME, Mickelson JR.The purpose of this study was to determine which continental European draught horse breeds harbour a mutation in the glycogen synthase 1 gene (GYS1) that is known to be responsible for type 1 polysaccharide storage myopathy in quarter horses and North American draught horses. Of a non-random selection of continental European draught horses belonging to 13 breeds, 62 per cent (250 of 403) tested were found to carry the mutant allele. The horses were located in Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. The mutation was identified in animals from each of the breeds examined. In...
Kander A, Warde P.This article explores the proposition that a reason for high agricultural productivity in the early nineteenth century was relatively high energy availability from draught animals. The article is based on the collection of extensive new data indicating different trends in draught power availability and the efficiency of its use in different countries of Europe. This article shows that the proposition does not hold, and demonstrates that, although towards the end of the nineteenth century England had relatively high numbers of draught animals per agricultural worker, it also had low number of w...
Oue Y, Ishihara R, Edamatsu H, Morita Y, Yoshida M, Yoshima M, Hatama S, Murakami K, Kanno T.A new equine coronavirus was isolated from the feces of adult horses with pyrogenic and enteric disease. The disease outbreak was mainly observed among 2- to 4-year-old horses living in stables of a draft-horse racetrack in Japan. On comparing the isolated virus (isolate Tokachi09) with the equine coronavirus NC99 strain, no significant differences were observed in several biological properties such as hemagglutinating activity, antigenicity (in indirect immunofluorescence and neutralization tests), and one-step growth (in cell culture). The sequences of the nucleocapsid and spike genes of iso...
Mathes RL, Paige Carmichael K, Peroni J, Anthony Moore P.A 5-year-old Draft Horse gelding presented for evaluation of a large, fleshy, ulcerated third eyelid mass OD of 3 weeks duration. Complete ophthalmic examination, ocular ultrasound and skull radiographs revealed a large soft-tissue mass involving the entire third eyelid OD and extending into the ventral right orbit to the level of the globe equator. No other abnormalities were noted on physical or ophthalmic examination. Surgical removal via exenteration was performed 3 months after initial presentation. A lacrimal adenocarcinoma of the third eyelid was diagnosed based on histopathology. Concu...
Stover KK, Williams SH.In mammals, chewing cycle duration (CCD) increases with various measures of size, scaling with body mass(0.13-0.28) and jaw length(0.55). Proposed explanations for these scaling relationships include the allometry of body size, basal metabolic rate and tooth size, on the one hand, and pendular mechanics treating the jaw as a gravity-driven pendulum, on the other. Little is known, however, about the relationship between CCD and size within species. Recent research in dogs demonstrates altogether different scaling exponents and weaker correlations. This research suggests that breed-specific grow...
Brooks SA, Makvandi-Nejad S, Chu E, Allen JJ, Streeter C, Gu E, McCleery B, Murphy BA, Bellone R, Sutter NB.Horses, like many domesticated species, have been selected for broad variation in skeletal size. This variation is not only an interesting model of rapid evolutionary change during domestication, but is also directly applicable to the horse industry. Breeders select for complex traits like body size and skeletal conformation to improve marketability, function, soundness and performance in the show ring. Using a well-defined set of 35 measurements, we have identified and quantified skeletal variation in the horse species. We collected measurements from 1215 horses representing 65 breeds of dive...
Muñoz A, Riber C, Trigo P, Castejón FM, Lucas RG, Palacio J.This study investigated the effect of hypertonic dehydration on exercise in horses. Valencian draft horses (n=43) with hypertonic dehydration following water and food deprivation and competing in pulling events (COM), were compared to euhydrated horses (n=11) during a pulling exercise test (PET). Both groups were divided into bodyweight (BW) categories A (≤350 kg), B (351-450 kg), and C (≥451 kg), and pulled 2, 2.25, and 2.5 times BW, respectively. Exercise duration (ED) was 1.3±0.8 min. Heart rate, respiratory rate, rectal temperature and blood samples were taken at rest, after exercise,...
Magata F, Ishii M, Oikawa E, Furuoka H, Yamada K, Sasaki N, Shimizu S, Inokuma H.A 42-day-old heavy draft horse fell into sudden astasia. Significant swelling and heat sensation of the left femoral region were observed. Because of a friction sound in the left hip, we supposed that the hip joint was dislocated or the hip bone was fractured. Computed Tomography (CT) examination showed that the left hip joint was dislocated and the left femoral head was disjunct. We carried out a pathological autopsy, and made a diagnosis of the foal as fracture of the hip bone and femoral head with suppurative umbilical arteritis. Pathologic changes in the umbilical artery and hind leg were ...
Rüfenacht S, Roosje PJ, Sager H, Doherr MG, Straub R, Goldinger-Müller P, Gerber V.Chorioptes bovis infestation is a common cause of pastern dermatitis in the horse, with a predilection in draft horses and other horses with thick hair 'feathers' on the distal limbs. The treatment of this superficial mite is challenging; treatment failure and relapse are common. Furthermore, C. bovis infestation may affect the progression of chronic pastern dermatitis (also known as chronic proliferative pastern dermatitis, chronic progressive lymphoedema and dermatitis verrucosa) in draft horses, manifesting with oedema, lichenification and excessive skin folds that can progress to verruci...
Matsuda K, Tabata S, Kawamura Y, Kurosawa T, Yoshie N, Taniyama H.Ectopic bone formation in the left atrioventricular valves and cardiac fibroskeleton, with systemic circulatory disturbance, is reported in a 4-year-old crossbred heavy horse. Microscopically, there was fibrosis, chondral metaplasia and mature bone, with bone marrow within the left atrioventricular cusps and in the annuli of the aortic and right atrioventricular valves.
Haridy FM, Shoukry NM, Hassan AA, Morsy TA.Toxoplasma gondii is one of the important zoonotic parasites of worldwide. In this paper the seroprevalence of T. gondii in draught horses (3-15 years) including 90 males and 10 females in the first half of the year 2009 was studied. The result showed that the overall ELISA-T. gondii antibodies were 25% of the horses in Greater Cairo, 50% (females) and 22.2% (males).
Cramp P, Derksen FJ, Stick JA, Nickels FA, Brown KE, Robinson P, Robinson NE.Little is known about the efficacy of bilateral ventriculectomy (VE) or bilateral ventriculocordectomy (VCE) in draught horses. Objective: To compare the effect of VE and VCE on upper airway noise in draught horses with recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) by use of quantitative sound analysis techniques. Objective: In competitive draught horses with grade 4 RLN, VE and VCE reduce upper airway noise during exercise, but VCE is more effective. Methods: Thirty competitive hitch or pulling draught horses with grade 4 RLN were evaluated for upper airway sound during exercise. Respiratory rate (RR)...
Mittmann EH, Mömke S, Distl O.Chronic pastern dermatitis (CPD), also known as chronic progressive lymphedema (CPL), is a skin disease that affects draft horses. This disease causes painful lower-leg swelling, nodule formation, and skin ulceration, interfering with movement. The aim of this whole-genome scan was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for CPD in German draft horses. We recorded clinical data for CPD in 917 German draft horses and collected blood samples from these horses. Of these 917 horses, 31 paternal half-sib families comprising 378 horses from the breeds Rhenish German, Schleswig, Saxon-Thuringian, a...
The Journal of heredityNovember 25, 2009
Volume 101, Issue 2 246-250 doi: 10.1093/jhered/esp091
Mittmann EH, Lampe V, Mömke S, Zeitz A, Distl O.The availability of a high-quality draft sequence of the horse makes known the physical location of microsatellites. The aim of the present study was to establish a highly polymorphic minimal screening set of microsatellite markers for horses (MSSH) annotated on the horse genome assembly EquCab2.0. We have used the previously reported linkage and radiation hybrid maps and have extended these marker sets by filling in gaps as noted from annotation on the horse sequence. This MSSH covers all autosomes and the X chromosome with 322 evenly spaced microsatellites whose positions were determined on ...
Druml T, Baumung R, Sölkner J.The pedigree of the current Austrian Noriker draught horse population comprising 2808 horses was traced back to the animals considered as founders of this breed. In total, the number of founders was 1991, the maximum pedigree length was 31 generations, with an average of 12.3 complete generations. Population structure in this autochthonous Austrian draught horse breed is defined by seven breeding regions (Carinthia, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Upper Austria and Vorarlberg) or through six coat colour groups (Bay, Black, Chestnut, Roan, Leopard, Tobiano). Average inbreeding coefficie...
Sasaki N, Morita Y, Moriyama T, Yamada H.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the canine cranial cruciate ligament repair system on laryngeal hemiplegia in heavy draft horses. Twenty-four heavy draft horses diagnosed with grade 4 laryngeal hemiplegia were allocated to either the prosthetic laryngoplasty (PL) group (n=14) or a canine cranial cruciate ligament repair system (CCCLRS) group (n=10). Right to left angle quotients (RLQs) of abductions of the arytenoid cartilages were endoscopically evaluated before and after surgery. Post-operative RLQs in the CCCLRS group were significantly lower than those of the PL gro...
Perkins JD, Salz RO, Schumacher J, Livesey L, Piercy RJ, Barakzai SZ.The extent to which variability affects endoscopic grading of arytenoid cartilage movement is uncertain. Objective: To determine the observer and within horse variability of grading arytenoid cartilage movement in horses during resting endoscopic examination, using a 7-grade system. Methods: Endoscopic recordings of the upper respiratory tract made at rest in 270 draught horses were reviewed independently by 2 veterinarians to assess interobserver variability when scoring horses' laryngeal function with a 7-grade system. Grading was repeated by both examiners in 80 randomly selected recordings...
Schumacher J, Livesey L, DeGraves F, Blagburn B, Ziska S, Caldwell M, Brock K.This study was undertaken to determine whether resistance to moxidectin had developed in a large herd of draught horses, maintained on a small acreage, which had been routinely treated with moxidectin for five years. Faeces were collected for egg counts immediately before moxidectin gel was administered orally, and seven, 30, 60 and 90 days later. The faecal egg counts were significantly reduced at seven and 30 days after treatment, but were not significantly different from pretreatment counts at 60 and 90 days after treatment. There was no evidence of resistance having developed.
Haase B, Brooks SA, Tozaki T, Burger D, Poncet PA, Rieder S, Hasegawa T, Penedo C, Leeb T.White coat colour in horses is inherited as a monogenic autosomal dominant trait showing a variable expression of coat depigmentation. Mutations in the KIT gene have previously been shown to cause white coat colour phenotypes in pigs, mice and humans. We recently also demonstrated that four independent mutations in the equine KIT gene are responsible for the dominant white coat colour phenotype in various horse breeds. We have now analysed additional horse families segregating for white coat colour phenotypes and report seven new KIT mutations in independent Thoroughbred, Icelandic Horse, Germ...
Ishii M, Kobayashi S, Acosta TJ, Miki W, Matsui M, Yamanoi T, Miyake Y, Miyamoto A.The aim of this study was to establish the effectiveness of administration of oxytocin (OT) on placental expulsion after foaling. Four foaling mares with the placentas retained for up 1 hr after foaling received OT (50 IU) administration at 1 hr intervals before expulsion of the placenta. The changes in the plasma concentrations of OT and the PGF2alpha metabolite (PGFM) were investigated, and the influence of OT administration was considered. The results were as follows. The placenta was expelled after one to three OT administrations in all four mares that received OT. In two mares, which expe...
McKenzie EC, Firshman AM.Chronic exertional rhabdomyolysis represents a syndrome of recurrent exercise-associated muscle damage in horses that arises from a variety of etiologies. Major advances have been made in the understanding of the pathophysiology of this disease, and causative genetic defects have been recently identified for two conditions-polysaccharide storage myopathy of quarter horses, paints, warm bloods, and draft breeds. Dietary management in combination with a regular exercise regimen comprises the most effective means for control of clinical signs.
De Cock HE, Van Brantegem L, Affolter VK, Oosterlinck M, Ferraro GL, Ducatelle R.Chronic progressive lymphoedema (CPL) in horses, a disease of certain draught breeds, is associated with altered elastin metabolism. The characteristic lesions are seen in the skin of the lower (distal) limbs. This study was based on horses of susceptible breeds, with and without CPL, and on horses of a non-susceptible breed. Skin samples were obtained for examination from the neck (considered a non-affected region) and from the distal limb. The skin lesions were characterized histologically and the dermal elastic fibres were evaluated morphologically and quantitatively. In all horses the mean...
Riond B, Wenger-Riggenbach B, Hofmann-Lehmann R, Lutz H.Serum protein electrophoresis is a useful screening test in equine laboratory medicine. The method can provide valuable information about changes in the concentrations of albumin and alpha-, beta-, and gamma-globulins and thereby help characterize dysproteinemias in equine patients. Reference values for horses using agarose gel as a support medium have not been reported. Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish reference intervals for serum protein concentrations in adult horses using agarose gel electrophoresis and to assess differences between warm-blooded and heavy draught hors...
Herszberg B, McCue ME, Larcher T, Mata X, Vaiman A, Chaffaux S, Chérel Y, Valberg SJ, Mickelson JR, Guérin G.Glycogen storage diseases or glycogenoses are inherited diseases caused by abnormalities of enzymes that regulate the synthesis or degradation of glycogen. Deleterious mutations in many genes of the glyco(geno)lytic or the glycogenesis pathways can potentially cause a glycogenosis, and currently mutations in fourteen different genes are known to cause animal or human glycogenoses, resulting in myopathies and/or hepatic disorders. The genetic bases of two forms of glycogenosis are currently known in horses. A fatal neonatal polysystemic type IV glycogenosis, inherited recessively in affected Qu...
McCue ME, Valberg SJ, Lucio M, Mickelson JR.A missense mutation in the GYS1 gene was recently described in horses with polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM). Objective: The first objective was to determine the prevalence of the GYS1 mutation in horses with PSSM from diverse breeds. The second objective was to determine if the prevalence of the GYS1 mutation differed between horses diagnosed with PSSM based on grade 1 (typically amylase-sensitive) or grade 2 (typically amylase-resistant) polysaccharide. Methods: Eight hundred and thirty-one PSSM horses from 36 breeds. Methods: Horses with PSSM diagnosed by histopathology of skeletal mus...
Ishii M, Kobayashi S, Acosta TJ, Miki W, Yamanoi T, Matsui M, Miyake Y, Miyamoto A.The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between circulating oxytocin (OT) and PGF(2alpha) metabolite (PGFM) in mares at the third stage of labor and placental expulsion time in order to investigate a cause of retained placenta of which the incidence increase in a heavy draft mare. Blood was sampled every 5 min from foaling to expulsion of the placenta in 18 heavy draft mares to evaluate circulating OT and PGFM. The relationships between OT and PGFM concentration and recorded placental expulsion times were investigated. The results were as follows (1) The highest level of OT conce...
Larcher T, Herszberg B, Molon-Noblot S, Guigand L, Chaffaux S, Guerin G, Cherel Y.Gluteus medius muscle was sampled from 53 Cob Normand horses for histologic evaluation. Twenty horses (38%) exhibited amylase-resistant material in myocytes consistent with polysaccharide storage myopathy. Diameter of affected type II fibers was increased (67.7 +/- 21.4 microm) compared with normal ones (57.3 +/- 19.7 microm). Two groups were distinguished by quantitative study. The first group (n = 14; 26%) was characterized by a low percentage of fibers (m = 0.98%) containing aggregates occurring singly or in perifascicular clusters without myopathic changes. The second group (n = 6; 11%) wa...
McGowan CM, McGowan TW, Patterson-Kane JC.The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of equine polysaccharide storage myopathy (EPSM) in two populations of horses in the UK. Biopsy specimens from 94 horses presented to an abattoir (population 1), and 46 horses with neuromuscular disorders presented to a university referral hospital (population 2) were obtained over a period of 4years. Histological sections were examined by a veterinary pathologist for lesions including abnormal polysaccharide inclusions in myofibres. In population 1, a diagnosis of EPSM was made in 8% and non-specific myopathy in 33% of horses. In populatio...
Burns JJ, MacMillan KM, John E.Respiratory disease is common in the horse population and is often associated with poor performance in equine athletes. Despite their outstanding strength and aerobic capacity, little regard is given to draft horses and the respiratory disorders they may encounter when performing athletic activity. For this reason, the objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the prevalence of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), tracheal mucus (TM) and recurrent laryngeal hemiplegia (RLH) in a population of competitive draft pulling horses, and (2) to determine if there was an association betw...
Matsuda K, Tabata S, Kawamura Y, Kurosawa T, Yoshie N, Taniyama H.Ectopic bone formation in the left atrioventricular valves and cardiac fibroskeleton, with systemic circulatory disturbance, is reported in a 4-year-old crossbred heavy horse. Microscopically, there was fibrosis, chondral metaplasia and mature bone, with bone marrow within the left atrioventricular cusps and in the annuli of the aortic and right atrioventricular valves.
Tuemmers C, Quezada G, Morales R, Serri M.In the Araucanía Region there are no studies on the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in horses. Serological samples from 100 draft horses from Mapuche communities of four communes in the region were analyzed using the microMAT technique. The seroprevalence was 35% for at least one serovar of Leptospira spp. being the most frequent serovars canicola (22%), grippotyphosa (21%), hardjo (13%) and pomona (10%). It was evident that the equine populations studied are exposed to infection by Leptospira spp. and reveal a potential risk of transmission to their owners.
Sheridan CK, Myrna KE, Nunnery CM, Czerwinski SL.To determine the prevalence of ocular disease in draft horses in the United States. Methods: Draft horses of various breeds and ages. Methods: Nondilated ophthalmic examination was performed using slit lamp biomicroscopy and indirect ophthalmoscopy. Intraocular pressures were measured when possible. Results: One hundred sixty-five draft horses were examined. Age range: 10 days to 33 years (mean 10.8 years, median 10 years); 87 geldings (52.7%), 71 mares (43.0%), 7 stallions (4.2%); 64 Percherons (38.8%), 51 Belgians (30.9%), 29 Clydesdales (17.6%), 15 Shires (9%), and 6 other draft bre...
Magata F, Ishii M, Oikawa E, Furuoka H, Yamada K, Sasaki N, Shimizu S, Inokuma H.A 42-day-old heavy draft horse fell into sudden astasia. Significant swelling and heat sensation of the left femoral region were observed. Because of a friction sound in the left hip, we supposed that the hip joint was dislocated or the hip bone was fractured. Computed Tomography (CT) examination showed that the left hip joint was dislocated and the left femoral head was disjunct. We carried out a pathological autopsy, and made a diagnosis of the foal as fracture of the hip bone and femoral head with suppurative umbilical arteritis. Pathologic changes in the umbilical artery and hind leg were ...
Gottlieb M.Muscle fibre recruitment was investigated during draught loaded exercise by studying glycogen depletion patterns from histochemical stains of muscle biopsies from the gluteus and semitendinosus muscles. Three Standardbred trotters performed several intervals of draught loaded exercise on a treadmill with 34 kp at a trot (7 m/sec) and with 34 and 80 kp, respectively at a walk (2m/sec). Exercise was continued until the horses were unwilling to continue. Glycogen depletion was seen in all three fibre types when trotting with 34 kp for 5 or 10 mins. When an equal weight resistance was pulled at a ...
Goto A, Tagami M, Kato F, Suzuki T, Yamaga T, Murase H, Sato F, Tsogtgerel M, Niikura T, Moriyama T, Chiba A, Watanabe KI, Tsuzuki N, Nambo Y.We performed a standing hand-assisted laparoscopic ovariectomy in a draft mare that presented with high serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level and had an enlarged single cystic ovary. Histopathological examination revealed no tumor cell proliferation in the ovary, but the presence of a large ovarian cyst was confirmed. In the diagnosis of abnormal ovaries in mares, a comprehensive assessment should be performed, including the monitoring of ovarian morphology and biomarkers over time, to determine the disease prognosis and treatment plan. The case of this mare with a nonneoplastic abnormal o...
Geiser DR.Chemical restraint in the standing horse is used for a variety of procedures in veterinary medicine. The choice of agent depends on the physical status, temperament, and size of the patient; the procedure to be performed; and safety for the patient, veterinarian, and owner. The combination of certain agents may provide more desirable restraint and analgesia than does the use of individual agents. The use of analgesics in the horse is not without side effects, some of which may be detrimental to the patient's condition. Analgesics should be chosen with these untoward effects in mind. Draft bree...
Valentine BA, Habecker PL, Patterson JS, Njaa BL, Shapiro J, Holshuh HJ, Bildfell RJ, Bird KE.Skeletal muscle samples from 38 draft horse-related animals 1-23 years of age were evaluated for evidence of aggregates of glycogen and complex polysaccharide characteristic of equine polysaccharide storage myopathy (EPSSM). Cardiac muscle from 12 of these horses was also examined. Antemortem serum levels of creatine kinase (CK) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) from 9 horses with EPSSM and 5 horses without EPSSM were compared. Skeletal muscle from 17 horses contained inclusions of periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive, amylase-resistant complex polysaccharide. Similar inclusions were also pr...
Cymbaluk NF, Bristol FM, Christensen DA.Plasma ceruloplasmin activities and plasma Cu and Zn concentrations were determined in 215 clinically normal equids of various ages and breeds. Newborn foals, regardless of breed, were hypocupremic, compared with adolescent and mature horses. The mean plasma Cu concentration of newborn Standardbred-Thoroughbred (STD-TB) foals was 2.9 mumol/L, which was about one-sixth of plasma Cu concentrations of mature horses. Newborn draft-cross foals had higher (4.6 mumol/L) plasma Cu concentrations than did newborn STD-TB foals, but plasma Cu content was only one-fifth of the dams' concentrations. Draft-...
Rothenbuhler R, Hawkins JF, Adams SB, Lescun TB, Weil AB, Glickman LT, Fessler JF, Glickman NG.To determine whether heavy (> or = 680 kg [> or = 1,500 lb]) draft horses undergoing surgical treatment for acute signs of abdominal pain were at a greater risk for anesthetic and postoperative complications and lower postoperative survival rates than light ( 1 year) follow-up information was available was 50%. Conclusions: Draft horses weighing > 680 kg that underwent surgery because of acute signs of abdominal pain had longer durations of anesthesia, more postoperative complications, and higher mortality rates than draft horses weighing < 680 kg.
Hanson CM, Kline KH, Foreman JH.Heart scores (the arithmetic mean of the QRS durations of the three bipolar limb leads for 10 cycles) and heart weights were determined from five draft type horses and five racing type horses, and evaluated for relationships between heart score and heart size within and between the two different types of horses. Horses were killed using a captive bolt gun, and actual heart weights were recorded using an electronic digital scale. The linear regression equation for heart weight versus heart score had a significant (P < 0.05) negative slope for racing types. The regression coefficients for heart ...
Ishii M, Aoki T, Yamakawa K, Magata F, Gojo C, Ito K, Kayano M, Nambo Y.The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between the placental retention time (PRT) and the reproductive performance following mating at the foal heat in Thoroughbreds. For this purpose, we interviewed 292 farmers over a period of 3 years with questionnaires evaluating foaling, expulsion of placenta and reproductive performance at the foal heat in 1,432 mares. The obtained data were later compared with a previous study of heavy draft mares. The average of the PRT of the 1,432 Thoroughbred mares was 58 ± 88 min (mean ± SD). The mean PRT of Thoroughbreds was significantly shorter ...
Gabriel A, Jolly S, Detilleux J, Dessy-Doize C, Collin B, Reginster JY.Navicular bones from the 4 limbs of 95 horses, classified in 9 categories, were studied. The anatomical bases were established for the morphometry of the navicular bone and its variations according to the category of horse, after corrections were made for front or rear limb, sex, weight, size and age. In ponies, navicular bone measurements were smallest for light ponies and regularly increased with body size, but in horses, navicular bone dimensions were smallest for the athletic halfbred, intermediate for draft horse, thoroughbreds and sedentary halfbreds and largest for heavy halfbreds. The ...
Bazzano M, Zhu C, Laus F, Giambattista AD, Laghi L.The application of the 'omics' studies in the field of animal reproduction has been aimed at identifying novel biomarkers of fertility since the last few years. When assessing reproductive efficiency in horses, breed should also be taken into account as it can influence semen quality and fertility. Considering the growing interest in metabolomic analysis to evaluate male fertility, we aimed to investigate the metabolomic profile of seminal plasma in two different horse breeds. Twelve healthy stallions, n.6 American Quarter Horse (AQH) and n.6 Italian Draft Horse (IDH) stallions, regularly used...
Cymbaluk NF, Laarveld B.The effects of dam parity, age at weaning, and preweaning diet were examined in the ontogeny of serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations in foals. Foals born to 13 primiparous and 19 multiparous draft-cross mares were weighed and bled near birth. About one-half of the foals in each group were weaned early (about 13 wk old); the remaining foals were weaned late (about 16 wk of age). Pooled values for serum IGF-I concentrations between birth and 17 wk of age were higher (P < 0.065) for foals born to multiparous (386 ng/ml) than to primiparous mares (237.5 ng/ml). Colts (378 n...
Doreau M, Boulot S, Barlet JP, Patureau-Mirand P.The yields and composition of milk from nursing mares were studied during the first two months of lactation in 11 mares of heavy breeds (784 kg). Daily yield increased from 21.7 to 24.6 kg between weeks 1 and 8 of lactation. Fat, protein, gross energy and Ca concentrations significantly decreased when lactose content increased during this period. Individual variations were higher for yield than for composition. Casein, whey protein and non-protein N (56, 34 and 10% of crude protein, respectively) and amino acid composition did not vary between weeks 1 and 8 of lactation.
Hackett ES, Leise BS.Upper respiratory tract (URT) endoscopy at rest is commonly used to evaluate competition draught horses with URT conditions. Overground endoscopy might be preferred for draught horse URT evaluation as it allows the horses to be driven with harness, overcheck and cart-load under similar conditions to those experienced in the show ring where airway conditions are most prominent. Objective: To describe the exercising URT findings of competition draught horses with abnormal respiratory noise and/or poor performance. Methods: Case series. Methods: Medical records of competition draught horses under...
Lejeune JP, Serteyn D, Gangl M, Schneider N, Deby-Dupont G, Deberg M, Henrotin Y.Several breeds of draft horses suffer from degenerative digital osteoarthropathy, resulting in a reduced active lifespan. A group of 30 Ardenner horses was followed, in standardized conditions, from 15 to 28 months of age to detect the early manifestations of the disease. The severity of the disease was assessed according to a personal grading system including clinical and radiographic items. Coll 2-1, a peptide of the helical region of type II collagen, and its nitrated form (Coll 2-1 NO(2)) were assayed in blood plasma collected at 452 +/- 18 days, 504 +/- 20 days, 558 +/- 18 days, 613 +/- 1...
Aoki T, Kimura Y, Oya A, Chiba A, Ishii M, Nambo Y.Heavy draft mares potentially have a higher risk of suffering from postpartum fever (PF) than light breed mares. The purpose of this study was to compare hematological and biochemical features between clinically healthy mares (n=40) and PF-affected mares (n=16). Mares were classified as having PF when their rectal temperature rose to >38.5°C within 96 hr of foaling. The numbers of leukocytes, lymphocytes, and neutrophils and the serum magnesium level were significantly lower in PF-affected mares. The serum SAA and NEFA levels were significantly higher in PF-affected mares. Strong inflammation...
Aberle K, Wrede J, Distl O.Gene contributions of foreign populations as well as coefficients of inbreeding and relationship were calculated in 1918 South German Coldblood horses registered in Bavaria in 2003. Based on nearly complete 8-generation-pedigrees (index of pedigree completeness: 76%) the mean coefficient of inbreeding was 23%. After considering missing pedigree data, the mean coefficient of inbreeding was 3%. The rates of inbreeding per generation in the current population amount to about 0.43% over the last eight generations and to about 0.15% in the forthcoming generation. In the total current population, th...
Valentine BA, Credille KM, Lavoie JP, Fatone S, Guard C, Cummings JF, Cooper BJ.A severe myopathy leading to death or euthanasia was identified in 4 Belgian and 4 Percheron draught horses age 2-21 years. Clinical signs ranged from overt weakness and muscle atrophy in 2 horses age 2 and 3 years, to recumbency with inability to rise in 6 horses age 4-21 years. In 5 horses there was mild to severe increases in muscle enzyme levels. Clinical diagnoses included equine motor neuron disease (2 horses), post anaesthetic myopathy (2 horses), exertional myopathy (2 horses), myopathy due to unknown (one horse), and equine protozoal myelitis (one horse). Characteristic histopathology...
Pérez R, Recabarren SE, Mora G, Jara C, Quijada G, Hetz E.In order to establish the relationship between draught force and cardiorespiratory responses to exercise heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), arterial and venous blood gases, pH, hemoglobin concentration and temperature were measured in five draught horses during rest, immediately after exercise and 30 min post-exercise under field conditions. A wagon equipped with an odometer and a hydraulic dynamometer was used for measuring distance and draught force. The wagon was loaded with 946 kg for the low load, 1,979 kg for the medium load and 2,994 kg for the high load, and drawn for a distance o...
Robles M, Peugnet PM, Valentino SA, Dubois C, Dahirel M, Aubrière MC, Reigner F, Serteyn D, Wimel L, Tarrade A, Chavatte-Palmer P.Ponies and sometimes draft horses are often used as experimental models for horses although size and metabolic parameters are known to vary between horse breeds. So far, there is little information about differences of placental structure and no information about differences of placental function between breeds. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in placental size, structure and function at birth in relation to foal size and weight in ponies, Saddlebred and draft horses. Pony, Saddlebred and draft horse pregnancies were obtained by artificial insemination over 2 successive br...
Stover KK, Williams SH.In mammals, chewing cycle duration (CCD) increases with various measures of size, scaling with body mass(0.13-0.28) and jaw length(0.55). Proposed explanations for these scaling relationships include the allometry of body size, basal metabolic rate and tooth size, on the one hand, and pendular mechanics treating the jaw as a gravity-driven pendulum, on the other. Little is known, however, about the relationship between CCD and size within species. Recent research in dogs demonstrates altogether different scaling exponents and weaker correlations. This research suggests that breed-specific grow...
Harada K, Kanemitsu S, Akioka K, Fujita K, Nishi Y, Taura Y, Sasaki N.Fifty-four slaughtered horses were classified into groups having adipose tissue in the crest of the neck with or without hemorrhage (AH and NH groups, respectively). Blood biochemical tests (Alb, TP, T-bil, GOT, GPT, LDH, T-cho, and BUN) and an epidemiological survey (age, gender, weight, origin, breed, BCS, CNS, and hoof disease) were performed. T-bil tended to be high, while the other parameters were normal. Weight, BCS, and CNS were higher in the AH group (P<0.05). GOT was lower in the AH group (P<0.05). It was suspected that the horses in the AH group had lipomatosis. It was assumed ...
Kimura Y, Aoki T, Chiba A, Nambo Y.Dystocia is often lethal for neonatal foals; however, its clinicopathological features remain largely unknown. We investigated the effect of dystocia on the foal blood profile. Venous blood samples were collected from 35 foals (5 Percheron and 30 crossbreds between Percheron, Belgian, and Breton heavy draft horses) at 0 hr, 1 hr, 12 hr and 1 day after birth. Dystocia was defined as prolonged labor >30 min with strong fetal traction with or without fetal displacement. The dystocia group (n=13) showed lower mean values for pH (P<0.01), bicarbonate (P<0.01), total carbon dioxide (P<0....
Furr M.Diagnosis of neuro-inflammatory conditions in the horse can be challenging. Current methods include evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for inflammation and determination of specific antibody status. The antibody index (AI) and Goldman-Witmer coefficient (C-value) can be used to aid in the interpretation. Objective: The null hypothesis to be tested was that the Al and C-values do not change in horses with neuroinflammation. Methods: Twelve horses of various ages (3-17 years) and breeds (Thoroughbred, Thoroughbred cross, draft, and Arabian) were included in the study. Methods: The study was...
Micera E, Moramarco AM, Zarrilli A.As horses may perceive several odour signals of danger at slaughter, application of mentholated ointment to their nostrils may limit their perception of danger. To assess the effect of the application of a mentholated ointment to horse nostrils on the stress response during pre-slaughter handling, plasma levels were evaluated for cortisol, beta-endorphin, epinephrine and norepinephrine prior to and after stunning. Twenty draught-type horses were divided into control (n=10) and treated (n=10) groups and a mentholated ointment applied to the nostrils of the treated horses following blood samplin...
