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.
Krueger K, Flauger B, Farmer K, Maros K.This study evaluates the horse (Equus caballus) use of human local enhancement cues and reaction to human attention when making feeding decisions. The superior performance of dogs in observing human states of attention suggests this ability evolved with domestication. However, some species show an improved ability to read human cues through socialization and training. We observed 60 horses approach a bucket with feed in a three-way object-choice task when confronted with (a) an unfamiliar or (b) a familiar person in 4 different situations: (1) squatting behind the bucket, facing the horse (2) ...
El-Deeb WM, El-Bahr SM.A total of 30 horses were divided into two groups, one served as a control whereas other was rhabdomyolysis diseased horses. After blood collection, the resulted sera were used for estimation of the activities of creatin kinase (CK), aspartate transaminase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), lactic acid, triacylglycerol (TAG), glucose, total protein, albumin, globulin, urea, creatinine, Triiodothyronine (T(3)), calcium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, chloride, vitamin E, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis-α (TNF-α). In addition, whole blood was used for determination of selenium, reduce...
Fortier LA, Potter HG, Rickey EJ, Schnabel LV, Foo LF, Chong LR, Stokol T, Cheetham J, Nixon AJ.The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of treatment with bone marrow aspirate concentrate, a simple, one-step, autogenous, and arthroscopically applicable method, with the outcomes of microfracture with regard to the repair of full-thickness cartilage defects in an equine model. Methods: Extensive (15-mm-diameter) full-thickness cartilage defects were created on the lateral trochlear ridge of the femur in twelve horses. Bone marrow was aspirated from the sternum and centrifuged to generate the bone marrow concentrate. The defects were treated with bone marrow concentrate and mic...
Nielsen MK, Baptiste KE, Tolliver SC, Collins SS, Lyons ET.Increasing levels of anthelmintic resistance in equine nematodes have led to recommendations of more sustainable anthelmintic treatment protocols with emphasis on parasite surveillance and diagnosis, rather than prophylactic calendar-based treatments. This requires knowledge of the diagnostic test performance of techniques for counts of eggs per gram of feces (EPG) as well as methods for culturing, counting and identifying third stage (L(3)) strongyle larvae per gram of feces (LPG). For horses, such information does not exist in the published literature. The aim of this study was to examine th...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Kuzmina TA, Collins SS.Critical tests were performed in 2009 and 2010 in four 2-year-old horses naturally infected with internal parasites. The horses were from a herd (Farm MC) where reduced activity of ivermectin and moxidectin on small strongyles was demonstrated previously from EPG (eggs/gram of feces) data in field tests. Also, in critical tests in horses from the same herd, ivermectin was less effective on immature small strongyles in the lumen of the large intestine than when the drug was first marketed. The main interest in the present critical tests was to determine the efficacy of moxidectin (400 μg/kg) o...
Earing JE, Cassill BD, Hayes SH, Vanzant ES, Lawrence LM.The objective of this study was to determine if in vitro methodologies developed for the Ankom Daisy(II) incubator could produce accurate estimates of in vivo equine DM digestibility (DMD) and NDF digestibility (NDFD) when equine feces were used as the inoculum source. Four mature geldings were utilized in a 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of dietary treatments (timothy hay, alfalfa hay, timothy hay plus oats, and alfalfa hay plus oats), in which the geldings were individually housed and fed. During each 5-d total fecal collection period, feces were co...
Lee HY, Kopesky PW, Plaas A, Sandy J, Kisiday J, Frisbie D, Grodzinsky AJ, Ortiz C.To quantify the structural characteristics and nanomechanical properties of aggrecan produced by adult bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) in peptide hydrogel scaffolds and compare to aggrecan from adult articular cartilage. Methods: Adult equine BMSCs were encapsulated in 3D-peptide hydrogels and cultured for 21 days with TGF-β1 to induce chondrogenic differentiation. BMSC-aggrecan was extracted and compared with aggrecan from age-matched adult equine articular cartilage. Single molecules of aggrecan were visualized by atomic force microscopy-based imaging and aggrecan nanomechanical stiffness...
Hinrichs K.In vitro embryo production is possible in the horse both clinically and for research applications. Oocytes may be collected from excised ovaries post-mortem, or from either immature follicles or stimulated pre-ovulatory follicles in the live mare. In vitro maturation of immature oocytes typically yields approximately 60% mature oocytes. As standard in vitro fertilization is not yet repeatable in the horse, fertilization is performed by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Embryo culture requires medium with high glucose, at least during blastocyst development, and rates of blastocyst development ...
Shingu Y, Kondo S, Hata H.In this study, grazing behavior of mares and cows was compared on woodland pastures, in the context of foraging hierarchy. A horse-group (12 native Hokkaido horses) and a cattle-group (5 Hereford cows) were grazed on the woodland pastures of 13.3 ha and 5.8 ha, respectively. They grazed mainly on Sasa nipponica. Grazing behavior at a feeding station (FS) scale was recorded for three focal animals in each group. Mares took one bite per FS at a high percentage of FSs (24.3%) and cows took one, two and three bites per FS at high percentage (20.3%, 19.2% and 15.4%, respectively). Although feeding ...
Furness MC, Bienzle D, Caswell JL, Delay J, Viel L.Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) in the horse is a disease characterized by reversible bronchoconstriction and by mucus and neutrophil accumulation in the airways. It has been hypothesized that in horses with RAO, remodeling changes occur that are similar to those described in humans with asthma. Although collagen fibrils are present surrounding normal airways, they are a prominent feature of airway remodeling in human asthma with evidence of enhanced collagen III and I fibril deposition. An immunolabeling method was developed to identify collagen I and III in equine lung and to describe the...
Bartolomé E, Goyache F, Molina A, Cervantes I, Valera M, Gutiérrez JP.A method to quantify the contribution of subpopulations to genetic diversity in the whole population was assessed using pedigree information. The standardization of between- and within-subpopulation mean coancestries was developed to account for the different coat colour subpopulation sizes in the Spanish Purebred (SPB) horse population. The data included 166264 horses registered in the SPB Studbook. Animals born in the past 11 years (1996 to 2006) were selected as the 'reference population' and were grouped according to coat colour into eight subpopulations: grey (64 836 animals), bay (33 633...
Ling Y, Ma Y, Guan W, Cheng Y, Wang Y, Han J, Jin D, Mang L, Mahmut H.Y chromosome acts as a single nonrecombining unit that is male specific and in effect haploid, thus ensuring the preservation of mutational events as a single haplotype via male lines. In this study, 6 Y chromosome-specific microsatellites (SSR) were tested for the patrilineal genetic variations of 573 male samples from Chinese domestic horse (30 breeds), Przewalski's horse, and donkey. All the 6 loci appeared as a haplotype block in Przewalski's horse and the domestic donkey. There were notable differences, however, at Y chromosome markers between horse and donkey. There were 2 haplotypes of ...
Crook TC, Cruickshank SE, McGowan CM, Stubbs N, Wilson AM, Hodson-Tole E, Payne RC.Selective breeding for performance has resulted in distinct breeds of horse, such as the Quarter Horse (bred for acceleration) and the Arab (bred for endurance). Rapid acceleration, seen during Quarter Horse racing, requires fast powerful muscular contraction and the generation of large joint torques, particularly by the hind limb muscles. This study compared hind limb moment arm lengths in the Quarter Horse and Arab. We hypothesized that Quarter Horse hind limb extensor muscles would have longer moment arms when compared to the Arab, conferring a greater potential for torque generation at the...
Viklund A, Braam A, Näsholm A, Strandberg E, Philipsson J.For many years, the breeding value estimation for Swedish riding horses has been based on results from Riding Horse Quality Tests (RHQTs) of 4-year-olds only. Traits tested are conformation, gaits and jumping ability. An integrated index including competition results is under development to both get as reliable proofs as possible and increases the credibility of the indexes among breeders, trainers and riders. The objectives of this study were to investigate the suitability of competition data for use in genetic evaluations of horses and to examine how well young horse performance agrees with ...
Chaplin SJ, Gretgrix L.Housing conditions for horses impose various levels of confinement, which may compromise welfare. Lying behaviour and activity can be used as welfare indicators for domestic animals and rebound behaviour suggests a build-up of motivation resulting from deprivation. The objective of this study was to determine if activity and lying behaviour of horses are affected by housing conditions and to investigate the occurrence of rebound behaviour after release from confinement. Eight horses were subjected, in pairs, to each of four experimental treatments; paddock (P), fully stabled (FS), partly stabl...
Kuznetsova LP, Nikitina ER, Sochilina EE, Vasil'eva KA.The influence of some cationic detergents on the catalytic activity of the horse blood plasma cholinesterase in reaction of hydrolysis of alpha-naphthylacetate at different pH were investigated. It was shown, that in the absence of detergents in acid pH of the reaction medium the Km value increases, but V remain constant. In the range of pH from 8.5 to 5.0 in the presence of detergents the Km and V values are not practically changed. That is why the activation of cholinesterase hydrolysis of alpha-naphthylacetate in the presence of detergents is considerably higher than that of the neutral pH....
Cheung WK, Working DM, Galuppo LD, Leach JK.Adipose stromal cells (ASC) are a promising alternative to progenitor cells from other tissue compartments because of their multipotential and capacity to retrieve significantly more progenitor cells. Initial cell samples are heterogeneous, containing a collection of cells that may contribute to tissue repair, but the sample becomes more homogeneous with each passage. Therefore, we hypothesized that the osteogenic potential of culture-expanded ASC would differ from uncultured ASC. Methods: Adipose tissue was collected from a yearling colt, and ASC were isolated and expanded using standard prot...
Christmann U, Hite RD, Tan RH, Thatcher CD, Witonsky SG, Werre SR, Buechner-Maxwell VA.To evaluate the phospholipid composition and function of surfactant in horses with recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) at various clinical stages and compare these properties with findings in horses without RAO. Methods: 7 horses with confirmed RAO and 7 without RAO (non-RAO horses). Methods: Pairs of RAO-affected and non-RAO horses were evaluated before, during, and after exposure to hay. Evaluations included clinical scoring, lung function testing, airway endoscopy, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) absolute and differential cell counts. Cell-free BALF was separated into crude surfactan...
McIlwraith CW, Frisbie DD.The therapeutic value of microfracture has been demonstrated in clinical patients. The rationale is that focal penetration of the dense subchondral plate exposes cartilage defects to the benefits of cellular and growth factor influx in addition to improving anchorage of the new tissue to the underlying subchondral bone and, to some extent, the surrounding cartilage. While functional outcomes have been reported, there is a paucity of data on the histological, biochemical, and molecular changes in human patients. This paper reviews 4 basic science studies of microfracture using an equine chondra...
Yang H, Ma YH, Li B, Dugarjaviin M.There is unique genetic information belonging to various kinds of living beings. Understanding of the formation process of organisms and a variety of vital movement is associated with the achievements of genome study. As horse has a notable health condition and great record of the genealogy in the world, thus it becomes a valuable model animal for studying life science. Despite of a late start, the map of the horse genome has undergone unprecedented expansion during the last few years. The current progresses of the horse genome, including genetic map, physical map, comparative genomic map, and...
Grossi B, Canals M.We analyzed the morphology and the walk-trot and trot-gallop transition velocities of nine juvenile horses and compared them with their mothers. We also compared the relative stride length and the duty factor of the juveniles with respect to adults at three equivalent trotting speeds (Froude numbers 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0), to determine dynamic similarity. Juveniles had a negative allometry in their leg bones, mainly because of little size changes of the distal portions. The negative allometry of extremities allows juveniles to increase stride length without increasing step frequency, which can be...
Hodson DJ, Townsend J, Gregory SJ, Walters C, Tortonese DJ.A combined suppressive effect of prolactin (PRL) and dopamine on the secretion of luteinising hormone (LH) at the level of the pituitary gland has been identified in sheep, a short-day breeder. However, little is known about the role of PRL in the intra-pituitary regulation of the gonadotrophic axis in long-day breeders. In the present study, we investigated the effects of PRL on LH and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secretion during the equine annual reproductive cycle. Horse pituitaries were obtained during the breeding season (BS) and nonbreeding season (NBS). Cells were dispersed, plat...
Fleurance G, Duncan P, Fritz H, Gordon IJ, Grenier-Loustalot MF.The spatial heterogeneity of grasslands determines the abundance and quality of food resources for grazing animals. As plants mature, they increase in mass, which allows greater instantaneous intake rates, but the cell wall concentrations increase too, reducing diet quality. In ruminants, daily intake rates are often constrained by the time needed for the ingesta to pass through the rumen, which is influenced by the rate of digestion. It has been suggested that the digestive constraint should have much less effect on hindgut fermenters such as equids. Horses play an increasing role in the mana...
Kania M, Mikołajewska D, Marycz K, Kobielarz M.The aim of this research was to assess the effect of diet supplementation with zinc and copper, in different chemical forms (organic and inorganic), on the mechanical properties of the hair of healthy English thoroughbred horses. Hairs were taken from 18 horses which had been fed with oats and hay for a period of 110 days. Twelve of the horses had been additionally given a daily dose of 700 g of highquality 44-ingredients Fohlengold St-Hippolyt muesli made by Muhle Ebert Dilheim. Six of them had received the muesli-containing organic zinc and copper (OS), while the other six horses had receive...
Nagel C, Aurich J, Aurich C.Heart rate is an important parameter of fetal well-being. We have analyzed fetal heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) by fetomaternal electrocardiography (ECG) in the horse (Equus caballus) from midpregnancy to foaling. It was the aim of the study to detect changes in the regulation of fetal cardiac activity over time and to establish normal values in undisturbed pregnancies. A total of 22 mares were available for the study. Fetomaternal electrocardiography was a reliable technique to detect cardiac signals in fetuses between Day 173 of gestation and foaling. Fetal HR decreased fro...
Bartholomew S, Owens SD, Ferraro GL, Carrade DD, Lara DJ, Librach FA, Borjesson DL, Galuppo LD.Stem cells derived from umbilical cord tissue (UCT) and umbilical cord blood (UCB) in human subjects and horses can be obtained in a minimally invasive fashion with successful propagation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Currently there are no detailed protocols documenting a procedure to harvest UCB and UCT safely for equine stem cell propagation. Objective: UCB and UCT could be collected without harm to mare or foal. Objective: To develop a standard and safe method for UCB and UCT collection, and prospectively to compare foal and mare health between groups of animals where tissue was and wa...
Hill EW, Gu J, Eivers SS, Fonseca RG, McGivney BA, Govindarajan P, Orr N, Katz LM, MacHugh DE.Variants of the MSTN gene encoding myostatin are associated with muscle hypertrophy phenotypes in a range of mammalian species, most notably cattle, dogs, mice, and humans. Using a sample of registered Thoroughbred horses (n = 148), we have identified a novel MSTN sequence polymorphism that is strongly associated (g.66493737C>T, P = 4.85x10(-8)) with best race distance among elite racehorses (n = 79). This observation was independently validated (P = 1.91x10(-6)) in a resampled group of Thoroughbreds (n = 62) and in a cohort of Thoroughbreds (n = 37, P = 0.0047) produced by the same trainer...
Kon E, Muttini A, Arcangeli E, Delcogliano M, Filardo G, Nicoli Aldini N, Pressato D, Quarto R, Zaffagnini S, Marcacci M.The present in vivo preliminary experiment is aimed at testing mechanical and biological behaviour of a new nano-structured composite multilayer biomimetic scaffold for the treatment of chondral and osteochondral defects. The three-dimensional biomimetic scaffold (Fin-Ceramica Faenza S.p.A., Faenza-Italy) was obtained by nucleating collagen fibrils with hydroxyapatite nanoparticles, in two configurations, bi- and tri-layered, to reproduce, respectively, chondral and osteochondral anatomy. Chondral defects (lateral condyle) and deep osteochondral defects (medial condyle) were made in the distal...
Frisbie DD, Lu Y, Kawcak CE, DiCarlo EF, Binette F, McIlwraith CW.Current autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) techniques require 2 surgical procedures: 1 for cell harvest and 1 for reimplantation of cultured cells. A 1-step procedure is more desirable. Objective: A 1-step surgical procedure using autologous cartilage fragments on a polydioxanone scaffold, or CAIS (cartilage autograft implantation system), in a clinically relevant defect (15-mm diameter) within equine femoral trochlea was compared with a 2-step ACI technique as well as with empty defects and defects with polydioxanone foam scaffolds alone. Methods: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: ...
Jansen WL, van der Kuilen J, Geelen SN, Beynen AC.An attempt was made to quantify the effect of extra fat intake on fibre utilization in horses. In a 4 x 4 cross-over trial with feeding periods of 24 days each, eight mature trotting horses (age 4 to 12 years, 407 to 531 kg BW) were given four diets. The concentrates were formulated to contain either soybean oil or an iso-energetic amount of glucose or combinations of the two ingredients. The concentrates were fed in combination with the same amount of hay so that the whole diets contained 30, 50, 77 or 108 g EE/kg DM. Apart from the amounts of fat and glucose the four diets were identical. Wi...
Francis JM, Neander CR, Roeder MJ, Perry EB.Palatants may be added to equine feed and medication either during or after manufacturing to enhance product acceptance. Prior studies have examined a variety of palatants but results have been limited and inconsistent. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate topically applied oil-based palatants on feeding preferences in horses. Stock-type horses (n = 10) were used in this paired preference test across a two-phase study. Phase one compared six palatants (banana, anise, peppermint, apple, spearmint, and orange) to a control (corn oil), whereas phase two compared preference a...
Brøkner C, Nørgaard P, Hansen HH.The ingestive and post-digestion effect of a blend of special essential oil compounds (EO) on eating, chewing and faecal parameters were measured in horses. Ingestive effects appear after no adaptation. Post-digestion effects appear after adaptation. Six Icelandic horses were assigned to two groups in a Latin Square subplot design with EO treatments to four different roughage types and four different concentrates. The horses were fed four different roughage meals and two different concentrate meals on each of the four sampling days. Eating time and saliva were observed during meals. Jaw moveme...
Muko R, Sunouchi T, Urayama S, Toishi Y, Kusano K, Sato H, Muranaka M, Shin T, Oikawa MA, Ojima Y, Ali M, Nomura Y, Matsuda H, Tanaka A.Histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) is abundant plasma protein with various effects on angiogenesis, coagulation, and immune responses. Previously, we identified the base and amino acid sequences of equine HRG (eHRG) and revealed that eHRG regulates neutrophil functions. In this study, we first conducted a large-scale gene analysis with DNA samples extracted from 1700 Thoroughbred horses and identified unique insertion/deletion polymorphisms in the histidine-rich region (HRR) of eHRG. Here we report two types of polymorphisms (deletion type 1 [D1] and deletion type 2 [D2]) containing either a 45...
Mitema ES, Sangiah S, Martin T.Monensin is extremely toxic to some domestic animals, like the equine species, if they ingest poultry or cattle rations containing the drug. From a treatment standpoint, no specific compounds are known to alleviate or interact with monensin. Effects of some cardiovascular drugs which antagonize calcium influx in cardioskeletal and smooth muscles were evaluated in mice receiving varying lethal doses (80, 100, 120 or 140 mg/kg ip). Calcium channel blockers (verapamil, diltiazem and lidocaine), a calmodulin antagonist (chlorpromazine), adrenergic receptor blockers (yohimbine, tolazoline and propr...
Onyiche TE, Igwenagu E, Malgwi SA, Omeh IJ, Biu AA, Thekisoe O.Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease of equines with resultant economic consequences. To date, little information is available regarding the effects of EP on the health of equids in Nigeria. Therefore, this study was carried out to ascertain the effects of natural sub-clinical infection with T. equi on the hematology and biochemical profiles of horses and donkeys. Blood and serum samples were subjected to hematology and serum biochemistry analyses, respectively. Data corresponding to PCR-positive (infected) and PCR-negative (uninfected) was computed to ascertain changes in any of ...
Andrews FM, White SL, Williamson LH, Maykuth PL, Geiser DR, Green EM, Ralston SL, Mannsman RA.Thirty-four horses competing in the Endurance Test of a 3-day-event were divided into 3 groups: horses in Group 1 (n = 15) competing in a 3.5 min steeplechase phase; horses in Group 2 (n = 13) in a 3 min steeplechase phase (Phase B) and horses in Group 3 (n = 6) in a 2.5 min steeplechase phase. The shortening of Phase B was associated with a lengthening of Phase C so that the total distance of the event for all horses was 14,940 m. Bodyweight (BW) was measured and total body water (TBW) and water loss estimated. Blood samples were collected from the horses prior to the Endurance Test, at the e...
Davies Morel MC, Newcombe JR, Hinchliffe J.Delayed uterine involution is a major cause of early reproductive failure in mares. Involution is affected by mare age, and foaling to covering interval. Involution rates vary between the previously non-gravid horn (PNGH), which recovers the quicker, and the previously gravid horn (PGH). Location of a pregnancy and its likely success may, therefore, be affected by its location relative to the previous pregnancy. This study aimed to determine: (i) the location of concepti in consecutive pregnancies; (ii) whether this varies with mare age or foaling to conception interval; (iii) whether location...
Wollstein M.The parameningococci of Dopter are culturally indistinguishable from true or normal meningococci, but serologically they exhibit differences as regards agglutination, opsonization, and complement deviation. Because of the variations and irregularities of serum reactions existing among otherwise normal strains of meningococci it does not seem either possible or desirable to separate the parameningococci into a strictly definite class. It appears desirable to consider them as constituting a special strain among meningococci not, however, wholly consistent in itself. The distinctions in serum rea...
Torres Borda L, Roth P, Lumetzberger J, Auer U, Jenner F.Sociopositive interactions with conspecifics are essential for equine welfare and quality of life. This study aimed to validate the use of wearable ultra-wideband (UWB) technology to quantify the spatial relationships and dynamics of social behaviour in horses by continuous (1/s) measurement of interindividual distances. After testing the UWB devices' spatiotemporal accuracy in a static environment, the UWB measurement validity, feasibility and utility under dynamic field conditions was assessed in a group of 8 horses. Comparison of the proximity measurements with video surveillance data estab...
Stahl LT, Müller A, Krohn J, Büttner K, Wehrend A.An adequate supply of trace elements is very important for equine neonates, as deficiencies can lead to health problems and even death. Unassigned: This study investigated serum concentrations of selenium (Se), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in neonatal foals up to the 8th day of life. The influences of disease, age, and failure of passive transfer (FPT) on these concentrations were analyzed. Unassigned: Serum concentrations of Se, Cu, and Zn were determined from blood samples of 93 foals by means of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The foals were divided into 2 groups based on health...
Sielhorst J, Koether K, Volkmann N, Blanco M, Vicioso R, Baade S, Kemper N, de Mestre AM, Sieme H.Little is known about the incidence and outcome of high-risk pregnancies in equine practice and clinical studies on spontaneous occurring placentitis cases and treatments are missing. Therefore, the aims of this retrospective field study were to (1) describe the incidence and severity of ultrasonographic assessed placental abnormalities (UPA) in 4,192 pregnancies on a large commercial warmblood stud farm in 2017 - 2019 and (2) characterize these UPA cases and their pregnancy outcome. UPA severity (Placental abnormality score (PSc) 1-3; low to high), nine treatment regimens (TM1-9) used in UPA ...
May A, Gerhards H, Wollanke B.During hospitalization horses may develop gastrointestinal conditions triggered by a stress-associated weak local immune system. The prospective, clinical trial was conducted to find out whether fecal immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations could be determined in hospitalized horses and how they changed during hospitalization and in response to various stressors. Samples were obtained from 110 horses and a control group (n = 14). At arrival in the hospital, horses were categorized into pain grades (1-5), and elective versus strenuous surgery (> 2 hours, traumatic and emergency procedures). Feces...
Yeung CC, Svensson RB, Mogensen NMB, Merkel MFR, Schjerling P, Jokipii-Utzon A, Zhang C, Carstensen H, Buhl R, Kjaer M.Physical activity can activate extracellular matrix (ECM) protein synthesis and influence the size and mechanical properties of tendon. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether different training histories of horses would influence the synthesis of collagen and other matrix proteins and alter the mechanical properties of tendon. Samples from superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) from horses that were either (a) currently race trained (n = 5), (b) previously race trained (n = 5) or (c) untrained (n = 4) were analysed for matrix protein abundance (mass spectrometry), collage...
Perry EB, Handlos GC, Fenton JM.Anise has demonstrated equine palatability but its olfactory effect is underexplored. The objective was to investigate the effect of the aroma of anise on consumptive behavior. Stock-type horses (n = 8) were used in a crossover 6-day preference test. Palatability stocks were utilized. Bowls containing oats were situated on plates holding gauze soaked with 0.375 ml of anise or corn oil (control). Variables included first diet sniffed (FS), first consumed (FC), first action (FA), and amount consumed (AC). Each trial was video-recorded. Behavior data were analyzed using chi square and Kruskal...
Bazzano M, Marchegiani A, La Gualana F, Petriti B, Spaterna A, Laus F.Horse welfare is the product of multiple factors, including behavioral and physiological adjustments to cope with stressful situation regarding environment and housing condition. Collectively, it is supposed that a horse kept in the wild has a lower level of stress than other housing system, and the aim of the present study was to investigate the level of stress in domestic horses reared in the wild and then moved to human controlled housing, through saliva analysis. Twelve clinically healthy Catria (Italian local breed) mares, usually reared in the wild, were moved into collective paddocks fo...
Ebisuda Y, Mukai K, Takahashi Y, Yoshida T, Matsuhashi T, Kawano A, Miyata H, Kuwahara M, Ohmura H.This study aimed to determine whether heat acclimation could induce adaptations in exercise performance, thermoregulation, and the expression of proteins associated with heat stress in the skeletal muscles of Thoroughbreds. Thirteen trained Thoroughbreds performed 3 weeks of training protocols, consisting of cantering at 90% maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) for 2 min 2 days/week and cantering at 7 m/s for 3 min 1 day/week, followed by a 20-min walk in either a control group (CON; Wet Bulb Globe Temperature [WBGT] 12-13°C; n = 6) or a heat acclimation group (HA; WBGT 29-30°...
Fegraeus K, Rosengren MK, Naboulsi R, Orlando L, Åbrink M, Jouni A, Velie BD, Raine A, Egner B, Mattsson CM, Lång K, Zhigulev A, Björck HM....The control of transcription is crucial for homeostasis in mammals. A previous selective sweep analysis of horse racing performance revealed a 19.6 kb candidate regulatory region 50 kb downstream of the Endothelin3 (EDN3) gene. Here, the region was narrowed to a 5.5 kb span of 14 SNVs, with elite and sub-elite haplotypes analyzed for association to racing performance, blood pressure and plasma levels of EDN3 in Coldblooded trotters and Standardbreds. Comparative analysis of human HiCap data identified the span as an enhancer cluster active in endothelial cells, interacting with genes relevant ...
Smirnova KP, Frill MA, Warner SE, Cheney JA.Equine back pain is prevalent among ridden horses and is often attributed to poor saddle fit. An alternative explanation is that saddle fits are technically good but fit to the wrong configuration. Saddles are fit for the standing horse, but much of the time ridden is instead spent locomoting when the back experiences the greatest peak forces. We used an array of cameras to reconstruct the surface of the back and its movement during trot, walk and standing for five horses. We verified the setup's accuracy by reconstructing a laser-scanned life-sized model horse. Our reconstructions demonstrate...
Wong ASY, Yuen BP, Wong COL, Kong FK, So YM, Kwok WH, Brooks L, Wan TSM, Ho EN.Bisphosphonates and myo-inositol trispyrophosphate (ITPP) are two classes of difficult-to-detect polar drugs that are prohibited under the rules of racing. ITPP is a drug capable of increasing the amount of oxygen in hypoxic tissues, and studies have shown that administration of ITPP increases the maximal exercise capacity in mice. The properties of ITPP make it an ideal candidate as a doping agent to enhance performance in racehorses. In recent years, ITPP had indeed been detected in racehorses and confiscated items. As for bisphosphonates, it is especially critical to control their use as si...
Discepolo DR, Gaare E, Handlos G, Perry EB.Cutaneous pH and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) are commonly utilized measures in dermatological research as they provide information concerning barrier function. The importance of dermal health has become more evident in recent years. Accordingly, the aim of this work was to identify natural fluctuations in the biophysical parameters of healthy equine skin. Cutaneous pH and TEWL was collected on nine mares at 6:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 6:00 PM daily for five days on the nose, withers, girth area, mid-back, and base of tail. Ambient temperature and humidity were measured at each collection. Stat...
Cutler C, Viljanto M, Hincks P, Habershon-Butcher J, Scarth J, van Eenoo P.S-23 is an arylpropionamide selective androgen receptor modulator that has been investigated in animal models for use as a male hormonal contraceptive but is not yet available therapeutically. S-23 is available alongside other selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) to purchase online via uncontrolled sites, sold as supplement products. It has been detected in several human doping cases, highlighting the importance of identifying the best analytical targets for equine doping control. The purpose of this study was to investigate the detection of S-23 and its phase I metabolites in equine...
Long AE, Pitta D, Hennessy M, Indugu N, Vecchiarelli B, Luethy D, Aceto H, Hurcombe S.Currently, lack of standardization for fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in equine practice has resulted in highly variable techniques, and there is no data on the bacterial metabolic activity or viability of the administered product. The objectives of this study were to compare the total and potentially metabolically active bacterial populations in equine FMT, and assess the effect of different frozen storage times, buffers, and temperatures on an equine FMT product. Fresh feces collected from three healthy adult horses was subjected to different storage methods. This included different ...
Bacon EK, Donnelly CG, Bellone RR, Haase B, Finno CJ, Velie BD.The pleiotropic effects of the melanocortin system show promise in overcoming limitations associated with large variations in opioid analgesic effectiveness observed in equine practice. Of particular interest is variation in the melanocortin-1-receptor (MC1R) gene, which dictates pigment type expression through its epistatic interaction with the agouti signalling protein (ASIP) gene. MC1R has previously been implicated in opioid efficacy in other species; however, this relationship is yet to be explored in horses. In this study, analgesic effectiveness was scored (1-3) based on noted response...
Elghryani N, Lawlor A, McOwan T, de Waal T.Over the preceding decades, the widespread dependence on anthelmintic drugs for managing nematodes in grazing equids has given rise to resistance against commonly used anthelmintics in various countries. This study explores the prevalence of anthelmintic resistance across 44 horse farms in Ireland. Anthelmintic efficacy was evaluated through fecal egg count reduction (FECR) tests employing the mini-FLOTAC technique. Resistance to benzimidazoles was identified in 12 out of 14 farms (FECR range: 0.00% to 86.2%). Ivermectin resistance was observed on two farms, one with an FECR of 80.70% and anot...
Ing NH, Konganti K, Ghaffar N, Johnson CD, Forrest DW, Love CC, Varner DD.Males of some species, from horses to humans, require medical help for subfertility problems. There is an urgent need for novel molecular assays that reflect spermatozoal function. In the last 25 years, studies examined RNAs in spermatozoa as a window into gene expression during their development and, more recently, for their functions in early embryo development. In clinics, more dense spermatozoa are isolated by density gradient centrifugation before use in artificial insemination to increase pregnancy rates. The objectives of the current study were to discover and quantify the microRNAs i...
Babasyan S, Rollins A, Wagner B.Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is one of the key mediators of inflammation during innate immune responses. Mature bioactive IL-1β mediates essential host defense mechanisms but also has a mechanistic role in several autoinflammatory and degenerative diseases. In horses, specific and sensitive assays for IL-1β are crucial for immunological research on inflammatory processes and diseases. In this article, we describe the development of four monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against equine IL-1β. The specificity of the new IL-1β mAbs was confirmed using a panel of equine recombinant cytokines and chemok...
Lin J, Jing H, Wang J, Lucien-Cabaraux JF, Yang K, Liu W, Li X.The nutritional benefits of mare milk are attracting increasing consumer interest. Limited availability due to low yield poses a challenge for widespread adoption. Although lysine and threonine are often used to enhance protein synthesis and muscle mass in horses, their impact on mare milk yield and nutrient composition remains underexplored. This study investigated the effects of lysine and threonine supplementation on 24 healthy Yili mares, mares at day 30 of lactation, over a 120-day period. The mares were divided into control and three experimental groups (six mares each) under pure grazin...
Page AE, Johnson M, Parker JL, Jacob O, Poston R, Adams AA, Adam EN.Intra-articular corticosteroids are a popular treatment choice for joint-associated pain and inflammation in horses despite recent work on the metabolic effects of these drugs. The goal of this project was to compare metabolic effects between intra-articular (IA) triamcinolone acetonide (TA) and an autologous protein solution (APS). Five mixed-breed geldings (4-9 years) were utilized for this project. Three identical and consecutive 28-day treatment blocks were used, with metacarpophalangeal IA treatments consisting of equal volumes of saline, a commercially available APS, or 9 mg of TA. Regul...
Marunova E, Hernlund E, Persson-Sjödin E.Head and pelvis vertical movement asymmetries in horses are often evaluated under different conditions yet better understanding is required of how these asymmetries are altered by factors such as surface type or circle size. This study investigated how stride duration, surface and lungeing in circles of different sizes influenced objectively measured head and pelvis movement asymmetries in riding horses in full training. Movement asymmetries were recorded with body mounted accelerometers and were based on the differences between the two vertical displacement minima or maxima of head (HDmin, HD...
