Energy metabolism in horses refers to the biochemical processes that convert nutrients into energy within the body, supporting various physiological functions. This process involves the breakdown of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the primary energy carrier in cells. Key metabolic pathways include glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. Energy metabolism is essential for maintaining muscle function, thermoregulation, and overall health in horses. Factors such as diet, exercise, and health status can influence these metabolic processes. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the mechanisms, regulation, and implications of energy metabolism in equine physiology.
Bryan K, McGivney BA, Farries G, McGettigan PA, McGivney CL, Gough KF, MacHugh DE, Katz LM, Hill EW.A single bout of exercise induces changes in gene expression in skeletal muscle. Regular exercise results in an adaptive response involving changes in muscle architecture and biochemistry, and is an effective way to manage and prevent common human diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disorders and type II diabetes. However, the biomolecular mechanisms underlying such responses still need to be fully elucidated. Here we performed a transcriptome-wide analysis of skeletal muscle tissue in a large cohort of untrained Thoroughbred horses (n = 51) before and after a bout of high-intensity exe...
Brinkmann L, Riek A, Gerken M.Domesticated horses are increasingly kept under semi-natural housing conditions, whereas their adaptation capacity is not fully investigated. In all, 10 Shetland pony mares were held under semi-extensive conditions for 1 year. In winter animals were allocated into two feeding groups (60% and 100% of maintenance energy requirement, respectively). Triiodothyronine, thyroxine, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), total bilirubin, total protein, triglyceride, glucose, insulin and hair length were measured at monthly intervals, whereas BW, body condition score, cresty neck score and resting heart rat...
Bochnia M, Boesel M, Bahrenthien L, Wensch-Dorendorf M, Zeyner A.The aim of the study was to compare diverse feed intake patterns in sport ponies and warmblood-type horses after feeding iso-energetic amounts of three different concentrates: a pelleted fibre-rich mixed feed (PF), a muesli feed (MF) and semicrushed oat grains (OG). Four sport ponies and six warmblood-type horses received the concentrates and meadow hay according to maintenance (0.52 MJ metabolizable energy (ME) kg body weight (BW) /day). Both breeds were allocated at random to three groups and received once daily for 8 days either OG (1 g starch/kg BW/meal) or iso-energetic quantities of ...
Hipp B, Südekum KH, Zeyner A, Goren G, Kienzle E.The prediction of renal energy excretion is crucial in a metabolizable energy system for horses. Phenolic acids from forage cell walls may affect renal energy losses by increasing hippuric acid excretion. Therefore, the relationships were investigated between renal energy, nitrogen (N) and hippuric acid excretion of four adult ponies (230-384 kg body weight (BW)) consuming diets based on fresh grass, grass silage, grass cobs (heat-dried, finely chopped, pressed grass), alfalfa hay, straw, extruded straw and soybean meal. Feed intake was measured; urine and faeces were quantitatively collected...
Ringmark S, Revold T, Jansson A.This study examined feed intake, growth, body condition, muscle glycogen content and nutrition-related health in 16 Standardbred horses fed a high-energy, forage-only diet ad libitum and allocated to either a control training programme (C-group) or a training programme with the high-intensity training distance reduced by 30% (R-group), from January as 2-year olds until December as 3-year olds. Feed intake was recorded on 10 occasions during 3 consecutive days. Body weight was recorded once in a week and height, body condition score (BCS), rump fat thickness and thickness of the m. longissimus ...
Hiraga A, Sugano S.Although the total number of horses raised in Japan dramatically decreased after World War II, because draft horses were still used for farm work in paddy fields and on farms during the period of the 1950s and 1960s, a performance test for selecting better draft horses was needed. In order to determine the most suitable size of draft horses for Japanese farm conditions, the working power of horses weighing from 185 to 622 kg was evaluated by performing an endurance test, several kinds of working power tests, and maximum pulling power tests. Oxygen consumption during draft exercise was measured...
Ohmura H, Mukai K, Takahashi T, Aida H, Jones JH.OBJECTIVE To determine cardiorespiratory responses of Thoroughbreds to uphill and downhill locomotion on a treadmill at identical gradients. ANIMALS 5 highly trained Thoroughbred geldings. PROCEDURES Thoroughbreds were exercised for 2-minute intervals on a treadmill at 1.7, 3.5, 6.0, 8.0, and 10.0 m/s at a 4% incline, 0% incline (horizontal plane), and 4% decline in random order on different days. Stride frequency, stride length, and cardiopulmonary and O-transport variables were measured and analyzed by means of repeated-measures ANOVA and Holm-Šidák pairwise comparisons. RESULTS Horses com...
Mach N, Ramayo-Caldas Y, Clark A, Moroldo M, Robert C, Barrey E, López JM, Le Moyec L.Endurance exercise in horses requires adaptive processes involving physiological, biochemical, and cognitive-behavioral responses in an attempt to regain homeostasis. We hypothesized that the identification of the relationships between blood metabolome, transcriptome, and miRNome during endurance exercise in horses could provide significant insights into the molecular response to endurance exercise. For this reason, the serum metabolome and whole-blood transcriptome and miRNome data were obtained from ten horses before and after a 160 km endurance competition. We obtained a global regulatory ...
Loscher DM, Meyer F, Kracht K, Nyakatura JA.Many ungulates show a conspicuous nodding motion of the head when walking. Until now, the functional significance of this behaviour remained unclear. Combining in vivo kinematics of quadrupedal mammals with a computer model, we show that the timing of vertical displacements of the head and neck is consistent with minimizing energy expenditure for carrying these body parts in an inverted pendulum walking gait. Varying the timing of head movements in the model resulted in increased metabolic cost estimate for carrying the head and neck of up to 63%. Oscillations of the head-neck unit result in w...
Davila MP, Muñoz PM, Bolaños JM, Stout TA, Gadella BM, Tapia JA, da Silva CB, Ferrusola CO, Peña FJ.To investigate the hypothesis that oxidative phosphorylation is a major source of ATP to fuel stallion sperm motility, oxidative phosphorylation was suppressed using the mitochondrial uncouplers CCCP and 2,4,-dinitrophenol (DNP) and by inhibiting mitochondrial respiration at complex IV using sodium cyanide or at the level of ATP synthase using oligomycin-A. As mitochondrial dysfunction may also lead to oxidative stress, production of reactive oxygen species was monitored simultaneously. All inhibitors reduced ATP content, but oligomycin-A did so most profoundly. Oligomycin-A and CCCP also sign...
Szcześniak KA, Ciecierska A, Ostaszewski P, Sadkowski T.β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) is a popular ergogenic aid used by human athletes and as a supplement to sport horses, because of its ability to aid muscle recovery, improve performance and body composition. Recent findings suggest that HMB may stimulate satellite cells and affect expressions of genes regulating skeletal muscle cell growth. Despite the scientific data showing benefits of HMB supplementation in horses, no previous study has explained the mechanism of action of HMB in this species. The aim of this study was to reveal the molecular background of HMB action on equine skeletal m...
Hadin S, Eriksson O.Horse keeping is of great economic, social and environmental benefit for society, but causes environmental impacts throughout the whole chain from feed production to manure treatment. According to national statistics, the number of horses in Sweden is continually increasing and is currently approximately 360,000. This in turn leads to increasing amounts of horse manure that have to be managed and treated. Current practices could cause local and global environmental impacts due to poor performance or lack of proper management. Horse manure with its content of nutrients and organic material can ...
Lemieux H, Boemer F, van Galen G, Serteyn D, Amory H, Baise E, Cassart D, van Loon G, Marcillaud-Pitel C, Votion DM.Equine atypical myopathy in Europe is a fatal rhabdomyolysis syndrome that results from the ingestion of hypoglycin A contained in seeds and seedlings of Acer pseudoplatanus (sycamore maple). Acylcarnitine concentrations in serum and muscle OXPHOS capacity were determined in 15 atypical myopathy cases. All but one acylcarnitine were out of reference range and mitochondrial respiratory capacity was severely decreased up to 49% as compared to 10 healthy controls. The hallmark of atypical myopathy thus consists of a severe alteration in the energy metabolism including a severe impairment in muscl...
Darr CR, Varner DD, Teague S, Cortopassi GA, Datta S, Meyers SA.Stallion sperm rely primarily on oxidative phosphorylation for production of ATP used in sperm motility and metabolism. The objective of the study was to identify which substrates included in Biggers, Whitten, and Whittingham (BWW) media are key to optimal mitochondrial function through measurements of sperm motility parameters, mitochondrial oxygen consumption, and cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. It was expected that mitochondrial substrates, pyruvate and lactate, would support sperm motility and mitochondrial function better than the glycolytic substrate, glucose, due to d...
Argo CM.Leisure animals now comprise the majority of working horses in industrialized nations; a shift that has decreased workloads yet improved veterinary care and lifetime health. Although many horses now progress well into their 20s without any requirement for dietary modification, age-related changes are insidious, and older animals benefit from regular veterinary monitoring to identify, address, and ameliorate the inevitable onset of age-related "disease." Basal metabolic rate decreases with age; older animals expend less energy on controlled exercise, and there can be an increased propensity tow...
Brinkmann L, Gerken M, Hambly C, Speakman JR, Riek A.During winter, free-living herbivores are often exposed to reduced energy supply at the same time that energy needs for thermoregulation increase. Several wild herbivores as well as robust horse breeds reduce their metabolism during times of low ambient temperature and food shortage. Thyroid hormones (THs) affect metabolic intensity and a positive effect of THs on basal metabolic rate (BMR) has been demonstrated in mammals and birds. As BMR and field metabolic rate (FMR) are often assumed to be intrinsically linked, THs may represent a reliable indicator for FMR. To test this hypothesis, 10 Sh...
Arfuso F, Giannetto C, Rizzo M, Fazio F, Giudice E, Piccione G.The aim of this study was to investigate the changes of serum mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and leptin levels as well as of lipid and lipoprotein profiles in mares during the peripartum period. Ten pregnant mares (group A) were monitored from 15 ± 3 days of pregnancy until 15 days after foaling, and 10 nonpregnant nonlactating mares constituted the control (group B). In group A, blood sampling was performed on Days 15 ± 3 and 7 ± 3 before foaling, on the day of foaling, and on Days 7 and 15 after foaling. In group B, blood sampling was performed on the same days as in gr...
O'Reilly J, Cheng HL, Poon ET.Weight-making practices have been shown to impair musculoskeletal and physiological function of jockeys. This study investigated the "in-race" heart rate (HR) responses and hydration status during competitive racing, as well as selected physiological and lifestyle parameters of professional jockeys based in Hong Kong. "In-race" HR responses and early morning hydration status of 20 male jockeys were examined in hot and moderate climactic occasions. Additionally, bone mineral density (BMD), dietary intake and lifestyle choices were assessed. Osteopenia was observed in the calcanei of jockeys (le...
Brøkner C, Austbø D, Næsset JA, Blache D, Bach Knudsen KE, Tauson AH.The hypothesis for this study was that a higher dietary proportion of soluble fibre would result in stable and constant plasma metabolite and regulatory hormone concentrations. The study was a 4×4 Latin Square design with a sequence of 17 days adaptation to the ration followed by 8 sampling days. The feed rations consisted of only timothy hay (H), hay plus molassed sugar beet pulp combined with either whole oats (OB) or barley (BB) and hay plus a loose chaff-based concentrate (M). Four horses were fitted with permanent caecal cannulas and liquid caecal content was withdrawn manually and blood...
Reisinger N, Schaumberger S, Nagl V, Hessenberger S, Schatzmayr G.Laminitis is one of the most common diseases in horses. It is not only painful for the animal, but also has a significant financial impact on the equine industry. This multifactorial disease affects the connective tissue of the hoof. However, the pathogenesis of laminitis is still not fully understood. Endotoxins, also known as lipopolysaccharides (LPS), and bacterial exotoxins seem to play an important role during the development of laminitis. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of increasing LPS concentrations (0, 2.5, 5, 10, and 100 μg/mL) on cell viability of isolated epide...
Do KT, Cho HW, Badrinath N, Park JW, Choi JY, Chung YH, Lee HK, Song KD, Cho BW.Since ancient days, domestic horses have been closely associated with human civilization. Today, horse racing is an important industry. Various genes involved in energy production and muscle contraction are differentially regulated during a race. Among them, creatine kinase (CK) is well known for its regulation of energy preservation in animal cells. CK is an iso-enzyme, encoded by different genes and expressed in skeletal muscle, heart, brain and leucocytes. We confirmed that the expression of CK-M significantly increased in the blood after a 30 minute exercise period, while no considerable c...
Kawasumi K, Yamamoto M, Koide M, Okada Y, Mori N, Yamamoto I, Arai T.Age effects on plasma metabolites, hormone concentrations, and enzyme activities related to energy metabolism were investigated in 20 riding horses. Animals were divided into two groups: Young (3-8 years) and aged (11-18 years). They were clinically healthy, and not obese. Plasma adiponectin (ADN) concentrations in aged horses were significantly lower than those in young horses (mean±SE, 6.5±1.3 µg mL(-1) vs, 10.9±1.7 µg mL(-1), Mann-Whitney U test, respectively; P=0.0233). Plasma non-esterified fatty acid levels and Insulin and malondialdehyde concentrations in aged group tended to incre...
Medina-Torres CE, Underwood C, Pollitt CC, Castro-Olivera EM, Hodson MP, Richardson DW, van Eps AW.A suitable method for evaluating lamellar perfusion changes and their metabolic consequences is currently lacking. Objective: To examine perfusion changes in lamellar tissue using serial microdialysis measurements of urea clearance and energy metabolites. Methods: Randomised, controlled (within subject) experimental trial. Methods: Nine Standardbred horses were instrumented with microdialysis probes in the foot lamellar tissue and skin (over the tail base). Urea (20 mmol/l) was added to the perfusate and its clearance was used to estimate local perfusion. Samples were collected every 15 min fo...
Jensen RB, Kyrstein TD, Junghans P, Tauson AH.Energy expenditure (EE) can be estimated based on respiratory gas exchange measurements, traditionally done in respiration chambers by indirect calorimetry (IC). However, the (13)C-bicarbonate technique ((13)C-BT) might be an alternative minimal invasive method for estimation of CO(2) production and EE in the field. In this study, four Shetland ponies were used to explore the effect of feeding on CO(2) production and EE measured simultaneously by IC and (13)C-BT. The ponies were individually housed in respiration chambers and received either a single oral or intravenous (IV) bolus dose of (13)...
Huang J, Zhao Y, Bai D, Shiraigol W, Li B, Yang L, Wu J, Bao W, Ren X, Jin B, Zhao Q, Li A, Bao S, Bao W, Xing Z, An A, Gao Y, Wei R, Bao Y, Bao T....The donkey, like the horse, is a promising model for exploring karyotypic instability. We report the de novo whole-genome assemblies of the donkey and the Asiatic wild ass. Our results reflect the distinct characteristics of donkeys, including more effective energy metabolism and better immunity than horses. The donkey shows a steady demographic trajectory. We detected abundant satellite sequences in some inactive centromere regions but not in neocentromere regions, while ribosomal RNAs frequently emerged in neocentromere regions but not in the obsolete centromere regions. Expanded miRNA famil...
Medina-Torres CE, van Eps AW, Nielsen LK, Hodson MP.Lamellar bioenergetic failure is thought to contribute to laminitis pathogenesis but current knowledge of lamellar bioenergetic physiology is limited. Metabolomic analysis (MA) can systematically profile multiple metabolites. Applied to lamellar microdialysis samples (dialysate), lamellar bioenergetic changes during laminitis (the laminitis metabolome) can be characterised. The objectives of this study were to develop a technique for targeted MA of lamellar and skin dialysates in normal horses, and to compare the lamellar and plasma metabolomic profiles of normal horses with those from horses ...
Argo CM, Dugdale AH, McGowan CM.The addition of hay soaking to current nutritional advice for weight loss management for equine obesity lacks clinical evidence. Twelve overweight/obese horses and ponies were used to test the hypothesis that feeding soaked hay at 1.25% of body mass (BM) daily as dry matter (DM) before soaking would elicit weight losses within the target 0.5-1.0% of BM weekly. Six animals were used to evaluate the impact of nutrient-leaching on the digestibility and daily intakes of dietary energy and nutrients. Soaked hay DM was corrected in accordance with the 'insoluble' ADF content of fresh and soaked hays...
Houben R, Leleu C, Fraipont A, Serteyn D, Votion DM.This prospective cohort study evaluated the potential of high-resolution respirometry applied to permeabilized muscle fibers for fitness evaluation in French Standardbred racehorses. Fitness evaluation by means of respirometric parameters did not correlate with racing performance registered over the following racing season. However, altered mitochondrial energy metabolism was associated with higher risk of developing exertional rhabdomyolysis, a common cause of exercise intolerance in racehorses. These data represent a first step towards establishing reference values for muscle OXPHOS capacity...
Luck MM, Le Moyec L, Barrey E, Triba MN, Bouchemal N, Savarin P, Robert C.Long-term endurance exercise severely affects metabolism in both human and animal athletes resulting in serious risk of metabolic disorders during or after competition. Young horses (up to 6 years old) can compete in races up to 90 km despite limited scientific knowledge of energetic metabolism responses to long distance exercise in these animals. The hypothesis of this study was that there would be a strong effect of endurance exercise on the metabolomic profiles of young horses and that the energetic metabolism response in young horses would be different from that of more experienced horses....
Bruynsteen L, Moons CP, Janssens GP, Harris PA, Vandevelde K, Lefère L, Duchateau L, Hesta M.Due to the high prevalence of obesity in some horses and ponies (especially in the leisure horse sector), effective and safe weight loss strategies are required. The present study evaluated the effect of two different energy restriction rates on physical, morphometric and welfare parameters in 18 obese (body condition score [BCS] 7-9/9) Shetland geldings. The trial was divided into three periods: (1) a 4 week adaptation period, during which the maintenance energy intakes to maintain a stable obese bodyweight were determined (100% MERob); (2) a 16.5-week weight loss period during which the poni...
Connysson M, Rhodin M, Jansson A.This study examined the effects of two housing systems (free-range and box stalls) on recovery of energy balance after competition-like exercise in Standardbred horses. Eight adult geldings (mean age 11 years) were used. The study had a change-over design, with the box stall (BOX) and free-range group housing (FreeR) treatments each run for 21 days. The horses were fed forage ad libitum and performed two similar race-like exercise tests (ET), on day 7 and day 14 in each treatment. Forage intake was recorded during the last 6-7 days in each period. Blood samples were collected before, during, a...
Heidler B, Aurich JE, Pohl W, Aurich C.This study summarizes weight development, plasma glucose concentrations and reproductive parameters in lactating (n = 46) and non-lactating Lipizzaner mares (n = 11) throughout the breeding season. It was the aim of the study to analyse if an energy deficit with possible effects on reproductive functions occurs at any time during the first 4 months of gestation. Mean gestation length was 334.3 +/- 7.3 days. Gestation of foals born in May/June was shorter (P < 0.01) than for foals born in March/April. Out of the 46 lactating mares, 44 ovulated between Days 8 and 18 postpartum and two mares ovul...
Wen X, Luo S, Lv D, Jia C, Zhou X, Zhai Q, Xi L, Yang C.The horse gut is colonized by a rich and complex microbial community that has important roles in horse physiology, metabolism, nutrition, and immune functions. Fewer across-breed variations in horse gut microbial diversity have been illustrated. In this article, the gut microbiota of Thoroughbred, Mongolian, and Hybrid horses [first filial generation (F1) of Mongolian (maternal) and Thoroughbred (paternal)] were studied by second-generation high-throughput sequencing technology. Differences in gut microbiota composition and function between breeds were determined using diversity and functional...
van der Kolk JH, Thomas S, Mach N, Ramseyer A, Burger D, Gerber V, Nuoffer JM.Mitochondrial β-oxidation is essential in fat metabolism and can be monitored with blood acylcarnitine profiling, as partly degraded fatty acids accumulate as their carnitine esters. To guarantee continuous energy supply during long-distance exercise, endurance horses oxidise considerable amounts of fat in the mitochondrion. In endurance races over 80 km, glycogen depletion is evident in equine slow-twitch high oxidative muscle fibres and as a consequence, horses participating in endurance races over 80 km rely almost entirely on β-oxidation of fatty acids. This study investigated mitoch...
Corrales-Hernández A, Mota-Rojas D, Guerrero-Legarreta I, Roldan-Santiago P, Rodríguez-Salinas S, Yáñez-Pizaña A, de la Cruz L....The horse welfare at markets includes fatigue, fear, fasting, dehydration and injuries. However, the scientific literature contains no readily-available information on the physiology responses of equids sold in livestock markets. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of holding in livestock markets on gas exchange, the acid-base balance, energy metabolism, and the mineral and water balance in 4 types of horses (), donkeys () and mules (( × ). To this end, a total of 1,438 equine were utilized, after classification into six groups, as follows: mules, donkeys, culled...
Vittur F, Grandolfo M, Fragonas E, Godeas C, Paoletti S, Pollesello P, Kvam BJ, Ruzzier F, Starc T, Mozrzymas JW.Some aspects of the physiology of chondrocytes from horse articular cartilage were studied, since this animal model can be helpful in understanding arthritic processes. The replicative ability of articular chondrocytes, measured by the incorporation of [3H]thymidine, and their capacity of proteoglycan production, evaluated from the incorporation of [35S] sulfate, are very low. In addition, these cells do not differentiate in vitro as shown by the constant specific activity of alkaline phosphatase measured at different times in culture. Two types of potassium channels were identified by patch c...
Ramaswamy NS.In fifty developing countries, which contain half of the total human population of the world, there is a heavy dependence on draught animals as an energy source. These animals are used for agriculture operations in 52% of cultivated areas of the world, as well as for hauling 25 million carts. This situation is likely to continue for at least another fifty years. The work performed annually by these draught animals would require 20 million tons of petroleum, valued at US$6 billion, if it were performed by motorized vehicles. The poor working conditions of these animals often adversely affect th...
Valberg SJ.There are 5 single-gene mutations that are known to cause muscle disease in horses. These mutations alter the amino acid sequence of proteins involved in cell membrane electrical conduction, muscle energy metabolism, muscle contraction, and immunogenicity. The clinical signs depend on the pathway affected. The likelihood that an animal with a mutation will exhibit clinical signs depends on the mode of inheritance, environmental influences, and interactions with other genes. Selection of a genetic test for use in diagnostic or breeding decisions requires a knowledge of clinical signs, mode of i...
Jeffcott LB, Kohn CW.Following public concern about the weather conditions for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta an international research programme was initiated. The primary objective of this effort was to identify strategies for ensuring welfare of horses competing in the heat. Field observations of horses during the endurance test of 3-day events in Europe, Canada, and the USA characterised the work effort of this form of competition; laboratory treadmill studies assessed limitations to performance of heat and humidity, explored the relationships of thermoregulatory demands to the phases of the competition and...
Ning T, Li J, Lin K, Xiao H, Wylie S, Hua S, Li H, Zhang YP.The domestic horse is the most widely used and important stock and recreational animal, valued for its strength and endurance. The energy required by the domestic horse is mainly supplied by mitochondria via oxidative phosphorylation. Thus, selection may have played an essential role in the evolution of the horse mitochondria. Besides, demographic events also affect the DNA polymorphic pattern on mitochondria. To understand the evolutionary patterns of the mitochondria of the domestic horse, we used a deep sequencing approach to obtain the complete sequences of 15 mitochondrial genomes, and fo...
Gallivan GJ, McDonell WN, Forrest JB.Ventilation and gas exchange were studied in healthy, adult horses and cows, two large species with different lung structures and different breathing patterns. The oxygen uptake (VO2), carbon dioxide output (VCO2), respiratory rate (fR), minute ventilation (VE), alveolar ventilation (VA), alveolar oxygen pressure (PAO2), and VE/VO2 ratio were higher in the cows, while the tidal volume (VT) and physiological dead space (VD) were larger in the horses. The arterial blood gases, alveolar-arterial oxygen pressure difference (PAO2-PaO2) and VD/VT ratio did not differ between the two species. The hig...
Bruynsteen L, Moons CP, Janssens GP, Harris PA, Vandevelde K, Lefère L, Duchateau L, Hesta M.Due to the high prevalence of obesity in some horses and ponies (especially in the leisure horse sector), effective and safe weight loss strategies are required. The present study evaluated the effect of two different energy restriction rates on physical, morphometric and welfare parameters in 18 obese (body condition score [BCS] 7-9/9) Shetland geldings. The trial was divided into three periods: (1) a 4 week adaptation period, during which the maintenance energy intakes to maintain a stable obese bodyweight were determined (100% MERob); (2) a 16.5-week weight loss period during which the poni...
Essén-Gustavsson B, Karlström K, Lindholm A.Venous blood samples and middle gluteal muscle biopsies were obtained from 21 horses taking part in 100 km or 50 km endurance rides. Group A consisted of seven horses competing over 100 km (four horses completed the ride). Group B consisted of the six horses that were among the 10 best over 50 km while the other eight horses of Group C completed 50 km at a slower speed. Blood lactate, glycerol and creatine kinase increased in all groups while aspartate aminotransferase levels were higher only in Group A. No changes was found in blood glucose in Groups B and C while horses in Group A had lower ...
Cymbaluk NF.Housing temperature effects on growth, feed utilization and feed digestion of 12, 7-mo-old Standardbred colts were evaluated for 22 wk beginning in late November. Colts were assigned to one of two treatments: housed in a barn heated at 10 degrees C (warm) or housed in a barn with no external heat supply (cold). All horses were allowed outdoors for 4 h daily. Mean temperatures of the warm and cold barn from November to April were 10.9 +/- .66 and -5.2 +/- 1.72 degrees C, respectively. Hair coat weight of cold-housed colts was 1.4- to twofold (P less than .05) that of warm-housed colts from Dece...
Ichibangase T, Imai K.To extend the applicability of the fluorogenic derivatization-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (FD-LC-MS/MS) method, which consists of fluorogenic derivatization (FD), separation by liquid chromatography (LC), and identification by LC-tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) proteomic analysis, we applied it to Thoroughbred horse muscle. With the optimization of the protein extraction and separation procedure, reproducible chromatograms were obtained and the changes in protein expressions during exercise were able to be analyzed. To quantify the changed protein expressi...
Pösö AR.Lactate is known as the end product of anaerobic glycolysis, a pathway that is of key importance during high intensity exercise. Instead of being a waste product lactate is now regarded as a valuable substrate that significantly contributes to the energy production of heart, non-contracting muscles and even brain. The recent cloning of monocarboxylate transporters, a conserved protein family that transports lactate through biological membranes, has given a new insight into the role of lactate in whole body metabolism. This paper reviews current literature on lactate and monocarboxylate transpo...
Sticker LS, Thompson DL, Bunting LD, Fernandez JM, DePew CL.Sixteen light horse mares (8 to 9 yr of age; 457 to 579 kg BW) were fed Bermudagrass hay and a corn/cottonseed hull-based supplement formulated to contain either 100% (control) or 50% (restricted) of the protein and(or) energy requirements for maintenance in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Daily measurements of intake, BW, and plasma hormones and metabolites were made for 33 d. Plasma glucose, insulin, NEFA, and urea N were measured in hourly samples drawn on d 27, and parallel with an i.v. glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) and epinephrine challenge on d 29. Energy restriction increa...
Stokes SM, Bertin FR, Stefanovski D, Belknap JK, Medina-Torres CE, Pollitt CC, van Eps AW.Hyperinsulinaemia is associated with the development of endocrinopathic laminitis; however, the mechanisms remain unclear. Objective: Evaluate the effects of hyperinsulinaemia on lamellar energy metabolism and perfusion during laminitis development. Methods: In vivo experiment. Methods: Eight Standardbred horses were instrumented with a microdialysis probe in the lamellae of a forelimb. A 24 hours baseline period (BASELINE) was followed by 48 hours of a continuous euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp (EHC) from 24 to 72 hours (CLAMP). Microdialysate was collected every 6 hours and analysed ...
Cordero VV, Cavinder CA, Tedeschi LO, Sigler DH, Vogelsang MM, Arnold CE.Mathematical nutrition models have been developed for beef and dairy cattle to estimate dietary energy intake needed to change BCS. Similar technology has not been used to improve nutrition and feeding strategies for horses. An accurate equine nutrition model may enhance feeding management and reduce the costs of unnecessary overfeeding and promote an optimal level of fatness to achieve reproductive efficiency. The objectives of this study were to develop and evaluate a mathematical nutrition model capable of accurately predicting dietary energy changes to alter BW, rump fat (RF) thickness, an...
Mazan MR, Deveney EF, DeWitt S, Bedenice D, Hoffman A.This study was conducted to determine whether horses with naturally occurring, severe chronic recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) 1). have a greater resting energy expenditure (REE) than control horses, 2). suffer body mass depletion, and 3). have significantly decreased REE after bronchodilation and, therefore, also 4). whether increased work of breathing contributes to the cachexia seen in some horses with RAO. Six RAO horses and six control horses underwent indirect calorimetric measures of REE and pulmonary function testing using the esophageal balloon-pneumotachograph method before and aft...
Martino NA, Dell'Aquila ME, Filioli Uranio M, Rutigliano L, Nicassio M, Lacalandra GM, Hinrichs K.Evaluation of mitochondrial function offers an alternative to evaluate embryo development for assessment of oocyte viability, but little information is available on the relationship between mitochondrial and chromatin status in equine oocytes. We evaluated these parameters in immature equine oocytes either fixed immediately (IMM) or held overnight in an Earle's/Hank's' M199-based medium in the absence of meiotic inhibitors (EH treatment), and in mature oocytes. We hypothesized that EH holding may affect mitochondrial function and that holding temperature may affect the efficiency of meiotic su...
Goachet AG, Julliand V.Measurements of respiratory exchanges in genuine exercise conditions are undoubtedly of interest to further define the energy needs of endurance horses. However, the equine K4b2, the gas exchanges portable device validated for equines, has not been used in Arabian endurance horses yet. Therefore, the objective of this study was to implement field cardio-respiratory measurements in such horses using the equine K4b2 in order to assess energy expenditure (EE). Measurements of heart rate (HR), oxygen uptake (VO2), carbon dioxide production (VCO2), respiratory frequency (RF), tidal volume (VT) and ...
Mueller PJ, Jones MT, Rawson RE, van Soest PJ, Hintz HF.Oxygen consumption (VO2) and concentration of venous blood metabolites were measured in donkeys trained to run and to pull loads on a treadmill. VO2 in two donkeys running at maximal speed on a 9.8% slope was 110 +/- 2 ml.min-1.kg-1, approximately 22 times preexercise VO2. Average heart rate at maximal VO2 (VO2max) was 223 +/- 2 beats/min, five times the preexercise heart rate. Blood lactate increased 14-fold, and blood glucose did not change (P > 0.05). Animals running up a 4% incline and incremental draft loading of five donkeys walking on the level were also studied. The total energy cost o...
Colborne GR, Lanovaz JL, Sprigings EJ, Schamhardt HC, Clayton HM.To calculate normative joint moments of force and power for the forelimb of walking horses as a benchmark against which to compare these mechanical variables in horses with specific lameness. Methods: 4 Dutch Warmblood horses with no recent history of lameness. Methods: Horses were walked by hand through the test area, and data from 5 walking trials were collected for each horse. Two camera views were combined with vertical and craniocaudal ground reaction forces to calculate net moments of force in the sagittal plane across the carpal, metacarpophalangeal (fetlock), and distal interphalangeal...
Self Davies ZT, Spence AJ, Wilson AM.Horse locomotion is remarkably economical. Here, we measure external mechanical work of the galloping horse and relate it to published measurements of metabolic cost. Seven Thoroughbred horses were galloped (ridden) over force plates, under a racing surface. Twenty-six full strides of force data were recorded and used to calculate the external mechanical work of galloping. The mean sum of decrements of mechanical energy was -876 J (±280 J) per stride and increments were 2163 J (±538 J) per stride as horses were accelerating. Combination with published values for internal work and metabolic c...
Mickelson JR, Valberg SJ.Horses are remarkable athletes and a fascinating species in which to study the genetic bases of athletic performance, skeletal muscle biology, and neuromuscular disease. Genetic selection in horses has resulted in many breeds that possess anatomical, physiological, and metabolic variations linked to speed, power, and endurance that are beginning to be defined at the molecular level. Along with the concentration of positive traits, equine breeding programs have also inadvertently concentrated heritable muscle diseases for which mutations impacting electrical conduction, muscle contraction, and ...
Wanderley EK, Manso Filho HC, Manso HE, Santiago TA, McKeever KH.Mangalarga-Marchador is a popular 4-gaited Brazilian horse breed; however, there is little information about their metabolic and physiological response to exercise. Objective: To measure physiological and metabolic responses of the Mangalarga-Marchador to a simulated marcha field test and to compare these responses between 2 types of marcha gaits (picada and batida). Methods: Thirteen horses were used in the study and randomly assigned to either the picada or batida gait for the simulated marcha field test (speed ∼ 3.2 m/s; 30 min; load ∼ 80 kg). Methods: Included body composition, heart r...
Bongers BC, Takken T.To examine energy expenditure at rest and during a single therapeutic horseback riding (THR) session in children with moderate to severe motor impairments. Methods: Heart rate (HR), oxygen uptake (.VO2), and minute ventilation (.VE) were measured continuously during a 10-minute rest period and during a typical THR session. Results: Seven children (4 males, mean age 12.3 ± 3.5 years) completed the protocol. Significant increases from rest were seen for mean HR, .VO2, .VE, and energy expenditure. Based on .VO2, 43.3 ± 24.3% of the THR session consisted of sedentary, 44.4 ± 13.4% of light, and...
