Equine biomechanics involves the study of the mechanical principles that govern the movement and structure of horses. This field examines the anatomical and physiological aspects that contribute to locomotion, including gait patterns, joint function, and muscle dynamics. Researchers utilize advanced technologies such as motion capture and force plate analysis to assess the efficiency and performance of equine movement. Understanding biomechanics aids in optimizing training regimens, improving performance, and preventing injuries. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the mechanics of equine movement, its applications in sports and rehabilitation, and its impact on overall equine health.
Pasicka E, Tarnawski K, Chrószcz A, Geringer de Oedenberg H.The study was carried out on 126 mares of the Polish Konik horse breed. Mares were bred under a stable system housing and they came from five leading conservation breeding centres. The mares were divided into three age groups: 3-5 years old, 6-9 years old and over 10 years old. Each animal was characterized using 40 morphometric measurements. Discriminant analysis proved the exterior differences of mares in terms of the analysed metric values. It was concluded that the morphotype of modern Polish Konik mares is statistically significantly influenced by the following traits: neck ventral len...
Szczepanik MP, Wilkołek PM, Adamek ŁR, Pluta M, Gołyński M, Sitkowski W, Kalisz G, Taszkun I, Pomorski ZJ.Non-invasive methods of skin condition assessment include, among others, the evaluation of transepidermal water loss (TEWL). The aim of the study was to examine whether TEWL values depend on horse breed. The study was conducted on four breeds: "Felin" ponies (FP) (n=16), Polish koniks (PK) (n=15), Polish cold-blooded horses (PcbH) (n=11) and Wielkopolska horses (WH) (n=12). It was found that horse breed influences TEWL values. In the neck region, statistically significant differences were found between PK and FP (p=0.006), and PK and WH (p=0.0005). In the lumbar region, there were statisticall...
Negro S, Imsland F, Valera M, Molina A, Solé M, Andersson L.Several variants in the KIT, PAX3 and MITF genes have previously been associated with white markings in horses. In this study, we examined eight variants of these genes in 70 Menorca Purebred horses (PRMe, only black solid-coloured horses) and 70 Spanish Purebred horses (PRE, different coat colour patterns) that were scored for the extent of white markings. A maximum-likelihood chi-square test, logistic regression model and ridge regression analyses showed that a missense mutation (p.Arg682His) in KIT was associated with white facial markings (P < 0.05) and with total white markings (P &...
of surveillance testing, July to September 2016International disease occurrence in the third quarter of 2016These are among matters discussed in the most recent quarterly equine disease surveillance report, prepared by Defra, the Animal Health Trust and the British Equine Veterinary Association.
Greve L, Pfau T, Dyson S.Equine movement symmetry is changed when turning, which may induce alterations in thoracolumbosacral kinematics; however, this has not previously been investigated. Our objectives were to document thoracolumbar movement in subjectively sound horses comparing straight lines with circles on both reins and to relate these observations to the objectively determined symmetry/asymmetry of hindlimb gait. Fourteen non-lame horses were assessed prospectively in a non-random, cross-sectional survey. The horses were trotted in straight lines and lunged on both reins and inertial sensor data collected at ...
Muellner P, Muellner U, Gates MC, Pearce T, Ahlstrom C, O'Neill D, Brodbelt D, Cave NJ.Veterinary practitioners have extensive knowledge of animal health from their day-to-day observations of clinical patients. There have been several recent initiatives to capture these data from electronic medical records for use in national surveillance systems and clinical research. In response, an approach to surveillance has been evolving that leverages existing computerized veterinary practice management systems to capture animal health data recorded by veterinarians. Work in the United Kingdom within the VetCompass program utilizes routinely recorded clinical data with the addition of fur...
Valenzuela OA, Jellyman JK, Allen VL, Holdstock NB, Forhead AJ, Fowden AL.In several species, adult metabolic phenotype is influenced by the intrauterine environment, often in a sex-linked manner. In horses, there is also a window of susceptibility to programming immediately after birth but whether adult glucose-insulin dynamics are altered by neonatal conditions remains unknown. Thus, this study investigated the effects of birth weight, sex and neonatal glucocorticoid overexposure on glucose-insulin dynamics of young adult horses. For the first 5 days after birth, term foals were treated with saline as a control or ACTH to raise cortisol levels to those of stressed...
Haneda S, Nagaoka K, Nambo Y, Kikuchi M, Nakano Y, Li J, Matsui M, Miyake YI, Imakawa K.From previous cDNA subtraction studies analyzing gene expression in equine endometrium, high lipocalin 2 (LCN2) mRNA expression was found in the gravid endometrium. In the uterus, LCN2 may transport hydrophobic molecules and siderophores with iron, or may form a complex with another protein, however, the expression of uterine LCN2 beyond day 20 of equine pregnancy and its receptor has not been characterized. To study the expression and potential roles of uterine LCN2 from pre-implantation to mid-gestation period, stage-specific endometrial samples were obtained from day 13 (day 0 = ovulation) ...
Azarpeykan S, Dittmer KE.Housekeeping genes (HKGs) are used as internal controls for normalising and calculating the relative expression of target genes in RT-qPCR experiments. There is no unique universal HKG and HKGs vary among organisms and tissues, so this study aimed to determine the most stably expressed HKGs in the equine kidney. The evaluated HKGs included 18S ribosomal RNA (18S), 28S ribosomal RNA (28S), ribosomal protein L32 (RPL32), β-2-microglobulin (B2M), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), succinate dehydrogenase complex (SDHA), zeta polypeptide (YWHAZ), and hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltran...
Okuda Y, Moe HH, Moe KK, Shimizu Y, Nishioka K, Shimogiri T, Mannen H, Kanemaki M, Kunieda T.Myanmar native horses are small horses used mainly for drafting carts or carriages in rural areas and packing loads in mountainy areas. In the present study, we investigated genotype distributions and allele frequencies of the LCORL/NCAPG, MSTN and DMRT3 genes, which are associated with body composition and locomotion traits of horses, in seven local populations of Myanmar native horses. The genotyping result of LCORL/NCAPG showed that allele frequencies of C allele associated with higher withers height ranged from 0.08 to 0.27, and 0.13 in average. For MSTN, allele frequencies of C allele ass...
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...
Harris PA, Ellis AD, Fradinho MJ, Jansson A, Julliand V, Luthersson N, Santos AS, Vervuert I.The horse is a non-ruminant herbivore adapted to eating plant-fibre or forage-based diets. Some horses are stabled for most or the majority of the day with limited or no access to fresh pasture and are fed preserved forage typically as hay or haylage and sometimes silage. This raises questions with respect to the quality and suitability of these preserved forages (considering production, nutritional content, digestibility as well as hygiene) and required quantities. Especially for performance horses, forage is often replaced with energy dense feedstuffs which can result in a reduction in the p...
Woo PC, Teng JL, Bai R, Wong AY, Martelli P, Hui SW, Tsang AK, Lau CC, Ahmed SS, Yip CC, Choi GK, Li KS, Lam CS, Lau SK, Yuen KY.In a molecular epidemiology study using 791 fecal samples collected from different terrestrial and marine mammals in Hong Kong, genogroup I picobirnaviruses (PBVs) were positive by RT-PCR targeting the partial RdRp gene in specimens from five cattle, six monkeys, 17 horses, nine pigs, one rabbit, one dog, and 12 California sea lions, with 11, 9, 23, 17, 1, 1, and 15 sequence types in the positive specimens from the corresponding animals, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the PBV sequences from each kind of animal were widely distributed in the whole tree with high diversity, shar...
Schuetz A, Farmer K, Krueger K.This study examines whether horses can learn by observing humans, given that they identify individual humans and orientate on the focus of human attention. We tested 24 horses aged between 3 and 12. Twelve horses were tested on whether they would learn to open a feeding apparatus by observing a familiar person. The other 12 were controls and received exactly the same experimental procedure, but without a demonstration of how to operate the apparatus. More horses from the group with demonstration (8/12) reached the learning criterion of opening the feeder twenty times consecutively than horses ...
Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Cervantes I, Molina A, Gutiérrez JP, Valera M.Making a morphological pre-selection of Pura Raza Español horses (PRE) for dressage is a challenging task within its current breeding program. The aim of our research was to design an early genetic selection morphological linear traits index to improve dressage performance, using 26 morphological linear traits and six dressage traits (walk, trot, canter, submission, general impression - partial scores - and total score) as selection criteria. The data set included morphological linear traits of 10 127 PRE (4159 males and 5968 females) collected between 2008 and 2013 (one record per horse) and...
Viljanto M, Scarth J, Hincks P, Hillyer L, Cawley A, Suann C, Noble G, Walker CJ, Kicman AT, Parkin MC.Detection of testosterone and/or its pro-drugs in the gelding is currently regulated by the application of an international threshold for urinary testosterone of 20 ng/mL. The use of steroid ratios may provide a useful supplementary approach to aid in differentiating between the administration of these steroids and unusual physiological conditions that may result in atypically high testosterone concentrations. In the current study, an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed to quantify testosterone (T) and epitestosterone (E). ...
Genangeli M, Caprioli G, Cortese M, Laus F, Matteucci M, Petrelli R, Ricciutelli M, Sagratini G, Sartori S, Vittori S.A new, fast and simple analytical method that is able to identify and quantify simultaneously 17 steroid hormones and metabolites (pregnenolone, 17-OH-pregnenolone, progesterone, 17-OH-progesterone, androsterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, testosterone, cortisol, corticosterone, aldosterone, 11-deoxycortisol, 11-deoxycorticosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estrone and estradiol) has been developed in equine serum using the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry technique. A total of 400 µl of sample was deproteinized ...
Metcalf GL, McClure SR, Hostetter JM, Martinez RF, Wang C.Use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) found in the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of equine adipose tissue has promising applications for regenerative therapies. The most commonly used source of equine adipose tissue is the subcutaneous tailhead. The objective of this study was to compare 3 adipose depot sites in horses and determine the viability and cellular yield, capillary density, gene expression for selected markers, and colony-forming unit fibroblasts (CFU-Fs) in adipose tissue taken from these sites. Adipose tissue was excised from the area lateral to the tailhead, the inguinal region,...
Olivera R, Moro LN, Jordan R, Luzzani C, Miriuka S, Radrizzani M, Donadeu FX, Vichera G.The demand for equine cloning as a tool to preserve high genetic value is growing worldwide; however, nuclear transfer efficiency is still very low. To address this issue, we first evaluated the effects of time from cell fusion to activation (<1h, n = 1261; 1-2h, n = 1773; 2-3h, n = 1647) on in vitro and in vivo development of equine embryos generated by cloning. Then, we evaluated the effects of using different nuclear donor cell types in two successive experiments: I) induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) vs. adult fibroblasts (AF) fused to ooplasts injected with the pluripotency-inducin...
Carnevale EM.Assisted reproductive techniques that are based on oocyte manipulations have gained acceptance in the equine industry. Methods to collect and handle immature or maturing oocytes have been developed, and systems to ship oocytes now allow for collection in one location and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in another. Subsequently, ICSI-produced embryos can be transferred onsite, shipped to another location, or cryopreserved. Methods for the collection, identification, culture, maturation, and shipment of equine oocytes are reviewed, with an emphasis on procedures from laboratories providi...
Walker AM, Applegate C, Pfau T, Sparkes EL, Wilson AM, Witte TH.Movement of a racehorse simulator differs to that of a real horse, but the effects of these differences on jockey technique have not been evaluated. We quantified and compared the kinematics and kinetics of jockeys during gallop riding on a simulator and real horses. Inertial measurement units were attached mid-shaft to the long bones of six jockeys and the sacrum of the horse or simulator. Instrumented stirrups were used to measure force. Data were collected during galloping on a synthetic gallop or while riding a racehorse simulator. Jockey kinematics varied more on a real horse compared to ...
Rigoglio NN, Barreto RS, Favaron PO, Jacob JC, Smith LC, Gastal MO, Gastal EL, Miglino MA.The neural system is one of the earliest systems to develop and the last to be fully developed after birth. This study presents a detailed description of organogenesis of the central nervous system (CNS) at equine embryonic/fetal development between 19 and 115 days of pregnancy. The expression of two important biomarkers in the main structure of the nervous system responsible for neurogenesis in the adult individual, and in the choroid plexus, was demonstrated by Nestin and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) co-labeling. In the 29th day of pregnancy in the undifferentiated lateral ventricle...
Moser DK, Schoonover MJ, Holbrook TC, Payton ME.To determine the effect of volume of amikacin perfusate for intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) via the cephalic vein in standing, sedated horses on (1) amikacin concentrations in the synovial fluid of the radiocarpal joint (RCJ) and distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) and, (2) amikacin concentration in the systemic circulation, and (3) regional intravenous pressure. Methods: Randomized cross-over design. Methods: Six adult horses. Methods: Each horse received IVRLP using 4 perfusate volumes (10, 30, 60 & 120 ml) in random order, after a minimum of 1 week washout. After application of ...
Druml T, Grilz-Seger G, Neuditschko M, Brem G.The aim of this study was to determine the allele frequency of the glycogen synthase 1 (GYS1) mutation associated with polysaccharide storage myopathy type 1 in the Austrian Noriker horse. Furthermore, we examined the influence of population substructures on the allele distribution. The study was based upon a comprehensive population sample (208 breeding stallions and 309 mares) and a complete cohort of unselected offspring from the year 2014 (1553 foals). The mean proportion of GYS1 carrier animals in the foal cohort was 33%, ranging from 15% to 50% according to population substructures based...
Marlo TL, Giuliano EA, Sharma A, Mohan RR.To develop an ex vivo equine corneal organ culture model. Specifically, to assess the equine cornea's extracellular matrix and cellularity after 7 days using two different culture techniques: either (i) immersion system or (ii) air/liquid interface system, to determine the best ex vivo equine corneal model. Methods: Fourteen healthy equine corneas of various breeds. Methods: Equine corneas with 2 mm of perilimbal sclera were freshly harvested from 7 horses undergoing humane euthanasia. One corneal-scleral ring (CSR) from each horse was randomly placed in the (i) immersion condition organ cultu...
Panagiotopoulou O, Rankin JW, Gatesy SM, Hutchinson JR.Horse racing is a multi-billion-dollar industry that has raised welfare concerns due to injured and euthanized animals. Whilst the cause of musculoskeletal injuries that lead to horse morbidity and mortality is multifactorial, pre-existing pathologies, increased speeds and substrate of the racecourse are likely contributors to foot disease. Horse hooves have the ability to naturally deform during locomotion and dissipate locomotor stresses, yet farriery approaches are utilised to increase performance and protect hooves from wear. Previous studies have assessed the effect of different shoe desi...
Hobbs SJ, Bertram JE, Clayton HM.Background. Although the trot is described as a diagonal gait, contacts of the diagonal pairs of hooves are not usually perfectly synchronized. Although subtle, the timing dissociation between contacts of each diagonal pair could have consequences on gait dynamics and provide insight into the functional strategies employed. This study explores the mechanical effects of different diagonal dissociation patterns when speed was matched between individuals and how these effects link to moderate, natural changes in trotting speed. We anticipate that hind-first diagonal dissociation at contact increa...
Han H, Mao C, Chen N, Lan X, Chen H, Lei C, Dang R.Kit gene is a genetic determinant of horse white coat color which has been a highly valued trait in horses for at least 2,000 years. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Kit are of importance due to their strong associations with melanoblast survival during embryonic development. In this study, a mutation analysis of all 21 Kit exons in 14 Chinese domestic horse breeds revealed six SNPs (g.91214T>G, g.143245T>G, g.164297C>T, g.170189C>T, g.171356C>G, and g.171471G>A), which located in 5'-UTR region, intron 6, exon 15, exon 20, intron 20, and exon 21 of the equine Kit gene, respectively. S...
Esser AF, Tarnuzzer RW, Tomlinson S, Tatar LD, Stanley KK.Lack of hemolytic activity of horse serum is an inherent property of horse C9. To understand the molecular reasons for this deficiency we have cloned C9 cDNA from a horse liver cDNA library and have sequenced the cDNA yielding the complete coding sequence for horse C9. Purification of C9 from horse plasma and microsequencing established the N-terminus of the mature protein and verified that the correct horse C9 cDNA clone had been isolated. The deduced amino acid sequence corresponds to a mature protein of 526 amino acids that is 77% identical to human C9. It has the same domain structure as h...
Dirks E, de Heus P, Joachim A, Cavalleri JV, Schwendenwein I, Melchert M, Fuehrer HP.A 23-year-old pregnant warmblood mare from Güssing, Eastern Austria, presented with apathy, anemia, fever, tachycardia and tachypnoea, and a severely elevated serum amyloid A concentration. The horse had a poor body condition and showed thoracic and pericardial effusions, and later dependent edema and icteric mucous membranes. Blood smear and molecular analyses revealed an infection with . Upon treatment with imidocarb diproprionate, the mare improved clinically, parasites were undetectable in blood smears, and 19 days after hospitalization the horse was discharged from hospital. However, 89 ...
Parés-Casanova PM, Salamanca-Carreño A, Crosby-Granados RA, Bentez-Molano J.Skull size and shape have been widely used to study domestic animal populations and breeds. Although several techniques have been proposed to quantify cranial form, few attempts have been made to compare the results obtained by different techniques. While linear morphometrics has traditionally been used in breed characterization, recent advances in geometric morphometrics have created new techniques for specifically quantifying shape and size. The objective of this study was to compare two morphometric methods for their ability to describe external morphology. For this purpose, 20 skull specim...
Onoda T, Yamamoto R, Sawamura K, Murase H, Nambo Y, Inoue Y, Matsui A, Miyake T, Hirai N.We propose an approach of estimating individual growth curves based on the birthday information of Japanese Thoroughbred horses, with considerations of the seasonal compensatory growth that is a typical characteristic of seasonal breeding animals. The compensatory growth patterns appear during only the winter and spring seasons in the life of growing horses, and the meeting point between winter and spring depends on the birthday of each horse. We previously developed new growth curve equations for Japanese Thoroughbreds adjusting for compensatory growth. Based on the equations, a parameter den...
Gómez-Torres F, Ruíz-Sauri A.The His bundle is a part of the specialized electrical conduction system that provides a connection between the atrial and ventricular myocardial compartments in both normal and abnormal hearts. The aim of this study was to perform a morphometric analysis of His bundle characteristics of in humans, dogs, horses and pigs and compare them in these studied species. Histological sections of 5 μm thickness were obtained and stained with hematoxylin-eosin and Masson's trichrome; the desmin and periodic acid-Schiff methods were also used for precise identification of cells. The His bundle was found...
Fincham DA, Ellory JC, Young JD.In thoroughbred horses, red blood cell amino acid transport activity is Na(+)-independent and controlled by three codominant genetic alleles (h, l, s), coding for high-affinity system asc1 (L-alanine apparent Km for influx at 37 degrees C congruent to 0.35 mM), low-affinity system asc2 (L-alanine Km congruent to 14 mM), and transport deficiency, respectively. The present study investigated amino acid transport mechanisms in red cells from four wild species: Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii), Hartmann's zebra (Zebra hartmannae), Grevy's zebra (Zebra grevyi), and onager (Equus hemonius). Re...
Tunnell JA, Sanders JO, Williams JD, Potter GD.Pedigrees of randomly selected Quarter Horses born in each of the years 1946, 1956, 1966 and 1976 and of winning halter, cutting and race horses born in the same years were evaluated and compared. Average inbreeding and inter se relationship levels and relationships of influential ancestors to the sample were calculated for each sample. The amount of Thoroughbred influence and the average generation interval were also determined for each random sample. The levels of inbreeding found in the random samples were low, ranging from 1.3% in 1956 to 2.6% in 1966; however, these levels were higher tha...
Cambier C, Di Passio N, Clerbaux T, Amory H, Marville V, Detry B, Frans A, Gustin P.The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of regulating factors on the oxygen equilibrium curve (OEC) under standard conditions and then to calculate the oxygen extraction between arterial and jugular venous blood in healthy Standardbred horses. The results were compared to those previously obtained in humans and cattle, using the same experimental method. The partial oxygen pressure at 50% saturation of haemoglobin, measured under standard conditions (standard P50), was 24.8+/-2.0 (SD of mean) mmHg. This value was similar to the cattle standard P50 (25.0+/-1.4 mmHg, SD of mean) bu...
Gobato MLM, Segabinazzi LGTM, Scheeren VFC, Bandeira RS, Freitas-Dell'Aqua CP, Dell'Aqua JA, Papa FO.Artificial insemination using cooled-transported semen has marked importance in equine breeding programs around the world, and the high value of mules has generated avid interest in donkey semen biotechnology. However, donkey semen cools poorly in commercially available equine extenders. Therefore, this study aimed to develop approaches to improve the ability of donkey semen to tolerate cooling. Ejaculates of seven donkeys (n = 21) were cooled at 5°C for 48 h in three different extenders (milk-based, SM; sodium caseinate-based, SC; or egg yolk-based, EY) in the presence or absence of seminal ...
Emeto UE, Okolo CC, Nweze NE.Epidemiological data on trypanosomosis and piroplasmosis of horses are lacking in southeastern Nigeria. The prevalence of trypanosome and piroplasm infections in horses and resistance profile of isolated trypanosomes to diminazene and isometamidium salts were investigated. For the cross-sectional study of horses billed for slaughter, 304 horses were randomly sampled. Approximately 2 ml of blood was collected into anticoagulant-treated bottles for haematocrit (HCT) determination, direct microscopic examinations, and rat inoculation. Gender, body condition scores (BCS), age groups, and body wei...
Wang P, Takawira C, Taguchi T, Niu X, Nazzal MD, Lopez MJ.To assess the effect of horseshoes with and without traction adaptations on the gait kinetics of nonlame horses during a trot on a concrete runway. Methods: 5 nonlame adult light-breed horses. Methods: Kinetic data were obtained for each horse when it was trotted across a force platform within a concrete runway unshod (control) and shod with standard horseshoes; standard horseshoes with high profile-low surface area calks, with low profile-high surface area calks, and coated with a thin layer of tungsten carbide (TLTC); and plastic-steel composite (PSC) horseshoes. Kinetic data were obtained f...
Kagan IA, Anderson ML, Kramer KJ, Seman DH, Lawrence LM, Smith SR.Nonstructural carbohydrates of pasture plants, comprising water-soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) and starch, may contribute to excessive consumption of rapidly fermentable carbohydrates by grazing horses. Seasonal and diurnal variation in WSCs were studied in red (Trifolium pratense L.) and white clovers (Trifolium repens L.) subjected to a typical management regime of rotationally grazed horse pastures. Two red and two white clover cultivars from monoculture plots were harvested after 4 weeks of growth from April to October of 2015, in the morning and afternoon of each harvest date. Water-soluble...
Karrasch NM, Hubbell JA, Aarnes TK, Bednarski RM, Lerche P.This study compared cardiorespiratory variables in dorsally recumbent horses anesthetized with guaifenesin-ketamine-xylazine and spontaneously breathing 50% or maximal (> 90%) oxygen (O2) concentrations. Twelve healthy mares were randomly assigned to breathe 50% or maximal O2 concentrations. Horses were sedated with xylazine, induced to recumbency with ketamine-diazepam, and anesthesia was maintained with guaifenesin-ketamine-xylazine to effect. Heart rate, arterial blood pressures, respiratory rate, lithium dilution cardiac output (CO), inspired and expired O2 and carbon dioxide partial pr...
Sánchez-Matamoros A, Beck C, Kukielka D, Lecollinet S, Blaise-Boisseau S, Garnier A, Rueda P, Zientara S, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM.African horse sickness (AHS) is a viral disease that causes high morbidity and mortality rates in susceptible Equidae and therefore significant economic losses. More rapid, sensitive and specific assays are required by diagnostic laboratories to support effective surveillance programmes. A novel microsphere-based immunoassay (Luminex assay) in which beads are coated with recombinant AHS virus (AHSV) structural protein 7 (VP7) has been developed for serological detection of antibodies against VP7 of any AHSV serotype. The performance of this assay was compared with that of a commercial enzyme-l...
Buchanan AM, Davis DC, Pedersen NC, Beaman BL.L-phase (CWD) broth and plate media were used in parallel with conventional microbiological media during a 3-year period for culturing synovial and pleural fluids of animals. Two kinds of recoveries were obtained where parallel conventional methods were negative: (1) parent or normal bacteria, in very low numbers; and (2) Type B CWD variants in equally low numbers. Organisms in group 1 were: Streptococcus zooepidemicus from horses (2x); beta-hemolytic streptococci, Lancefield Gp. G (2x); Staphylococcus aureus; Actinobacillus, and Actinomyces viscosus. Group 2 consisted of Bacteroides sp., Prop...
Tanaka Y, Suganuma K, Watanabe K, Kobayashi Y.Dourine, caused by infection with Trypanosoma equiperdum, is one of the trypanosomiasis in equids. The clinical course of dourine is long-term, ranging from 1-2 months to several years. Since the pathogenesis of dourine has not yet been elucidated, experimental studies using mouse infection models are needed. Although mice are not susceptible to most T. equiperdum strains, some strains can infect mice. Even in such strains, infected mice develop rapidly transient parasitemia and die within 2-8 days. Therefore, mice experimentally infected with these T. equiperdum strains are not suitable for m...
Valenzuela OA, Jellyman JK, Allen VL, Holdstock NB, Forhead AJ, Fowden AL.In several species, adult metabolic phenotype is influenced by the intrauterine environment, often in a sex-linked manner. In horses, there is also a window of susceptibility to programming immediately after birth but whether adult glucose-insulin dynamics are altered by neonatal conditions remains unknown. Thus, this study investigated the effects of birth weight, sex and neonatal glucocorticoid overexposure on glucose-insulin dynamics of young adult horses. For the first 5 days after birth, term foals were treated with saline as a control or ACTH to raise cortisol levels to those of stressed...
Fukuda K, Kuroda T, Tamura N, Mita H, Miyata H, Kasashima Y.This study aimed to verify the effects of platelet lysate (PL) administration on the repair of injured horse tissue. Skeletal muscle injuries were induced in 26 Thoroughbreds by bupivacaine administration. PL or saline was administered 1 day (1D) after injury. Muscle samples from 22 horses injected with PL or saline were obtained by needle biopsy at 2, 3, 4, or 7 days (2D, 3D, 4D, or 7D, respectively) after injury, and growth-factor concentrations and muscle regeneration-associated gene expression levels were determined. Intact samples were similarly collected before injury, and samples of inj...
Oriol JG.In most domestic animals, the zona pellucida is the outermost extracellular layer that covers the blastocyst before implantation. However, in the horse, an acellular membrane, the capsule, replaces the zona pellucida and envelops the developing conceptus during the 2nd and 3rd weeks of gestation. Although this structure was first described by Bonnet in 1889, it received little attention until the 1970s when its rediscovery by Marrable and Flood (1975) led to a series of reports (see review by Betteridge 1989). Nevertheless, until recently the structure, origin, and function of the capsule have...
Klymiuk MC, Balz N, Elashry MI, Wenisch S, Arnhold S.Nanoparticles including extracellular vesicles derived from mesenchymal stem cells are of increasing interest for research and clinical use in regenerative medicine. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including also previously named exosomes, provide a promising cell-free tool for therapeutic applications, which is probably a safer approach to achieve sufficient healing. Storage of EVs may be necessary for clinical applications as well as for further experiments, as the preparation is sometimes laborious and larger quantities tend to be gained. For this purpose, nanoparticles were obtained from mes...
Jacquinet G, Rowan C, Ryan J, Vinardell T, Thompson IR, Johnson JP.The Arabian horse has been identified as carrying a risk locus for equine metabolic syndrome, predisposing this breed to development of laminitis. Radigraphy of the equine foot is widely considered the main diagnostic imaging technique for evaluation of the laminitic horse. Knowledge of 'normal' breed values allows assessment of the degree and severity of radiological changes associated with laminitis. The objective of this study was to investigate the normal values for radiological measurements of the feet of the Straight Egyptian Arabian horse in Qatar. The design was a clinical prospective ...
Azcona F, Karlau A, Trigo P, Molina A, Demyda-Peyrás S.The Polo Argentino (PA) horse is a recognized breed, developed originally by mixing crossbred and Thoroughbred (TB) horses to play polo. Early PA selection is difficult due to unreliable performance estimations. This study investigated the usefulness of genomic markers previously linked to morphological and functional traits as a tool for the early selection of PA. To this, we genotyped 520 PA and 30 TB horses using the Equine GGPArray (Illumina, n=71,778 SNPs). Analyses included a genetic characterization of six genetic markers associated with behavioral (DRD4), muscular development (MSTN), a...
Henderson CS, Story MR, Nout-Lomas YS.To determine reasons for horses to have neck radiographs performed, the incidence of transposition of the ventral lamina of C6 onto C7 (TC67), and the final diagnoses for all horses. Our hypotheses were to find a similar incidence of TC67, as has been previously reported, and an increased incidence of neck pain and dysfunction in horses with TC67. Methods: 135 horses. Methods: Retrospective observational study. Medical records of 135 horses with cervical vertebral column radiographs between 2020 and 2022 were assessed. Patient signalment, reasons for radiographs, radiographic findings, and dia...
Furukawa R, Tozaki T, Kikuchi M, Ishige T, Takahashi Y, Fukui E, Kakoi H.Gene doping is prohibited in horse sports and can involve the administration of exogenous genes, called transgenes, to postnatal animals. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) methods have been developed to detect gene doping; however, these generally require DNA extraction from the plasma prior to qPCR. In this study, we developed two methods, direct droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and nested ddPCR, to detect the equine erythropoietin (EPO) transgene without DNA extraction. Direct ddPCR used pretreated plasma and PCR to detect the EPO transgene spiked at 10 copies/μL. Nested ddPCR utilis...
Yokomori T, Tozaki T, Ohnuma A, Ishimaru M, Sato F, Hori Y, Segawa T, Itou T.Retraining retired racehorses for various purposes can help correct behavioral issues. However, ensuring efficiency and preventing accidents present global challenges. Based on the hypothesis that a simple personality assessment could help address these challenges, the present study aimed to identify genetic markers associated with personality. Eight genes were selected from 18 personality-related candidate genes that are orthologs of human personality genes, and their association with personality was verified based on actual behavior. A total of 169 Thoroughbred horses were assessed for their...
Nawrot K, Soroko-Dubrovina M, Zielińska P, Dudek K, Howell K.The study aimed to evaluate the impact of BEMER (Physical Vascular Therapy) on body surface temperature using infrared thermography (IRT) in the distal parts of the forelimbs in Thoroughbreds. The study tested the hypothesis that BEMER therapy leads to an increase in body surface temperature and blood vessel diameter in the distal parts of the forelimbs. The study involved 16 horses, split into 2 groups: active BEMER ( = 8) and sham ( = 8). The active BEMER group had BEMER boots applied to the distal parts of the forelimbs, whereas the sham group had BEMER boots applied without activation of t...
de Carvalho JRG, Del Puppo D, Littiere TO, de Sales NAA, Silva ACY, Ribeiro G, de Almeida FN, Alves BG, Gatto IRH, Ramos GV, Ferraz GC.Diagnosing and treating lameness in horses is essential to improving their welfare. In equine orthopedic practice, infrared thermography (IRT) can indirectly detect soreness. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can treat painful and inflammatory processes in horses. Using IRT, the efficacy of meloxicam (Maxicam Gel) was evaluated in pre-treating transient synovitis in horses induced by a middle carpal joint injection of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from 055:B5 at a dose of 10 endotoxin units. Unassigned: In a cross-over design, six healthy horses were randomly assigned to receive either 0.6 ...
Baudisch N, Singer E, Jensen KC, Eichler F, Meyer HJ, Lischer C, Ehrle A.Surgical treatment options for horses with overriding dorsal spinous processes include interspinous ligament desmotomy and partial spinous process ostectomy. The impact of spinal surgery on the three-dimensional biomechanics of the equine thoracolumbar spine and the epaxial musculature is unclear. Objective: To investigate the influence of interspinous ligament desmotomy and cranial wedge ostectomy on the biomechanics of the equine thoracolumbar spine and the paraspinal Musculi multifidi. Methods: Ex-vivo experiments. Methods: Twelve equine thoracolumbar spine specimens were mounted in a custo...
Arrigo F, Aragona F, Faggio C, Giudice E, Giannetto C, Piccione G, Rizzo M, Arfuso F.The aim of this study was to assess the changes of pro-inflammatory interleukins in 10 horses subjected to road transport practices (distance of 150 km) from the training site (Messina, Sicily) to the competition centre in Syracuse (Sicily). Blood sampling and interleukins analysis were performed during a round trip transportation (transport 1 and transport 2). In particular, blood samples were collected before the transport took place (Pre), five minutes later (Post) and one hour later (Post 1 h), for each transport, in order to assess the serum concentration of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2 and IL-...
Skedros JG, Dayton MR, Cronin JT, Mears CS, Bloebaum RD, Wang X, Bachus KN.Many bones experience bending, placing one side in net compression and the other in net tension. Because bone mechanical properties are relatively reduced in tension compared with compression, adaptations are needed to reduce fracture risk. Several toughening mechanisms exist in bone, yet little is known of the influences of secondary osteon collagen/lamellar 'morphotypes' and potential interplay with intermolecular collagen cross-links (CCLs) in prevalent/predominant tension- and compression-loaded regions. Paired third metacarpals (MC3s) from 10 adult horses were prepared for mechanical test...
