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Topic:Equine Science
Equine Science encompasses the study of horses and their management, health, and performance. This field integrates various scientific disciplines such as biology, genetics, nutrition, physiology, and veterinary medicine to understand and improve the well-being and capabilities of horses. Areas of focus include equine anatomy, reproduction, behavior, and disease prevention. Research in equine science aims to enhance horse care, optimize training and performance, and address health challenges. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the diverse aspects of equine science, providing insights into the latest advancements and methodologies in the field.
A reaction norm model approach to estimate the genetic effect of temperature on sportive performance of trotter horses. The performance results of Spanish Trotter Horses were merged with the information from the nearest official weather stations, to estimate the effects of temperature (T) on speed during the day of the race. The resulting data set included: 104 125 individual results from 7653 races with 3772 participant horses and driven by 1402 jockeys. After a classical repeatability animal model in which the effects of T were assumed null, a total of five different random regression models (RRM) with the same fixed part were applied in a parsimonious nested process in which the (co)variance components for ...
State of the art: stem cells in equine regenerative medicine. According to Greek mythology, Prometheus' liver grew back nightly after it was removed each day by an eagle as punishment for giving mankind fire. Hence, contrary to popular belief, the concept of tissue and organ regeneration is not new. In the early 20th century, cell culture and ex vivo organ preservation studies by Alexis Carrel, some with famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, established a foundation for much of modern regenerative medicine. While early beliefs and discoveries foreshadowed significant accomplishments in regenerative medicine, advances in knowledge within numerous scientific di...
Comparison of equine endometrial cytology samples collected with uterine swab, uterine brush, and low-volume lavage from healthy mares. There have been no studies evaluating and comparing the quality of equine endometrial cytology samples obtained via the 3 most common sampling techniques from healthy mares. Objective: The objective was to compare the quality and contents of equine endometrial samples obtained by 3 different sampling techniques: double-guarded uterine swab, double-guarded uterine brush, and low-volume lavage (LVL), all collected from clinically healthy mares. Methods: Samples were collected from 24 healthy mares in early estrus. In 19 mares, samples were obtained in a sequential manner, first with the swab, th...
Hallmarks of hepatitis C virus in equine hepacivirus. Equine hepacivirus (EHcV) has been identified as a closely related homologue of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, but not in Asian countries. In this study, we genetically and serologically screened 31 serum samples obtained from Japanese-born domestic horses for EHcV infection and subsequently identified 11 PCR-positive and 7 seropositive serum samples. We determined the full sequence of the EHcV genome, including the 3' untranslated region (UTR), which had previously not been completely revealed. The polyprotein of a Japanese EHcV strain showed ap...
Testing VHF/GPS collar design and safety in the study of free-roaming horses. Effective and safe monitoring techniques are needed by U.S. land managers to understand free-roaming horse behavior and habitat use and to aid in making informed management decisions. Global positioning system (GPS) and very high frequency (VHF) radio collars can be used to provide high spatial and temporal resolution information for detecting free-roaming horse movement. GPS and VHF collars are a common tool used in wildlife management, but have rarely been used for free-roaming horse research and monitoring in the United States. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the design, safety, a...
An accelerometric measure of the gait pattern in horses after the administration of sublingual detomidine. The locomotor pattern alterations produced after the administration of a sublingual detomidine gel was measured by an accelerometric method in horses. Using a randomized two-way crossover design, all animals (n = 6) randomly received either detomidine gel or a placebo administered sublingually. A triaxial accelerometric device was used for gait assessment 15 minutes before (baseline) and every 10 minutes after each treatment for a period of 180 minutes. Eight different parameters were calculated, including speed, stride frequency, stride length, regularity, dorsoventral, propulsion, mediolater...
Copy number deletion has little impact on gene expression levels in racehorses. Copy number variations (CNVs), important genetic factors for study of human diseases, may have as large of an effect on phenotype as do single nucleotide polymorphisms. Indeed, it is widely accepted that CNVs are associated with differential disease susceptibility. However, the relationships between CNVs and gene expression have not been characterized in the horse. In this study, we investigated the effects of copy number deletion in the blood and muscle transcriptomes of Thoroughbred racing horses. We identified a total of 1,246 CNVs of deletion polymorphisms using DNA re-sequencing data from...
The Inferior Alveolar Nerve of the Horse: Course and Anatomical Relationship with Mandibular Cheek Teeth. The precise location of neurovascular structures within the relatively long mandibular canal of the horse is of paramount importance in surgical procedures of the area. The inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) enters the mandibular canal on the medial (lingual) surface of the mandible and innervates all the mandibular teeth. During its course, the nerve moves laterally, crossing the roots of the inferior cheek teeth. However, the exact anatomical relationships occurring between the IAN and the roots of the equine mandibular cheek teeth have not been described in detail. In this study, the mandibles o...
Thoroughbred Horse Single Nucleotide Polymorphism and Expression Database: HSDB. Genetics is important for breeding and selection of horses but there is a lack of well-established horse-related browsers or databases. In order to better understand horses, more variants and other integrated information are needed. Thus, we construct a horse genomic variants database including expression and other information. Horse Single Nucleotide Polymorphism and Expression Database (HSDB) (http://snugenome2.snu.ac.kr/HSDB) provides the number of unexplored genomic variants still remaining to be identified in the horse genome including rare variants by using population genome sequences of...
Changes in oxidative stress in response to different levels of energy restriction in obese ponies. The present study evaluated the effect of different levels of energy restriction on metabolic parameters in obese ponies. Relative weight changes, markers of lipid metabolism and oxidant/antioxidant balance were monitored. A total of eighteen obese (body condition score ≥ 7/9) Shetland ponies were studied over a 23·5-week trial, which was divided into three periods. The first period involved a 4-week adaptation period in which each animal was fed 100% of their maintenance energy requirements needed to maintain a stable obese body weight (MERob). This was followed by a 16·5-week weight-loss...
Expression of putative markers of pluripotency in equine embryonic and adult tissues. Expression of several putative markers of pluripotency (OCT4, SOX2, NANOG, LIN28A, REX1, DNMT3B and TERT) was examined in a range of equine tissues, including early embryos, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), testis, adipose- and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), and keratinocytes. Transcript levels of all markers were highest in embryos and iPSCs and, except for SOX2, were very low or undetectable in keratinocytes. Mean expression levels of all markers were lower in testis than in embryos or iPSCs and, except for DNMT3B, were higher in testis than in MSCs. Expression ...
Ex vivo equine medial tibial plateau contact pressure with an intact medial femoral condyle, with a medial femoral condylar defect, and after placement of a transcondylar screw through the condylar defect. To determine ex vivo contact data on the equine medial tibial plateau loaded by an intact medial femoral condyle (MFC), by an MFC with an osteochondral defect, and with a screw inserted in lag fashion through the MFC defect. Methods: Ex vivo experiment. Methods: Stifles (n = 6). Horses (n = 4). Methods: Stifle joints were axially loaded to 1800 N at 155°, 145°, and 130°, under 3 conditions: Intact, MFC with a 15 mm circular osteochondral defect, and with a transcondylar screw inserted in lag fashion through the defect. An electronic pressure sensor (Tekscan®) on the medial tibial plateau...
Transcriptome-wide analysis of messenger RNA decay in normal and osteoarthritic human articular chondrocytes. Messenger RNA (mRNA) decay rates control not only gene expression levels, but also responsiveness to altered transcriptional input. We undertook this study to examine transcriptome-wide posttranscriptional regulation in both normal and osteoarthritic (OA) human articular chondrocytes. Methods: Human articular chondrocytes were isolated from normal or OA tissue. Equine articular chondrocytes were isolated from young or old horses at a commercial abattoir. RNA decay was measured across the transcriptome in human cells by microarray analysis following an actinomycin D chase. Messenger RNA levels ...
Haplotype diversity in the equine myostatin gene with focus on variants associated with race distance propensity and muscle fiber type proportions. Two variants in the equine myostatin gene (MSTN), including a T/C SNP in the first intron and a 227-bp SINE insertion in the promoter, are associated with muscle fiber type proportions in the Quarter Horse (QH) and with the prediction of race distance propensity in the Thoroughbred (TB). Genotypes from these loci, along with 18 additional variants surrounding MSTN, were examined in 301 horses of 14 breeds to evaluate haplotype relationships and diversity. The C allele of intron 1 was found in 12 of 14 breeds at a frequency of 0.27; the SINE was observed in five breeds, but common in only the T...
Comparison of equine articular cartilage thickness in various joints. Thicknesses of fresh equine articular cartilage surfaces from the fetlock, carpal and stifle joints were measured employing a needle probe test. Methods: Eighty-seven samples used in measurement were cultivated from fetlock, carpal and stifle joints of 12 deceased within 4 h of death. After approximately three minutes of exposure to air during dissection, all cartilage samples were preserved in a saline solution to keep the articular cartilage hydrated for testing. The thickness was measured on five different spots on the same sample. The thicknesses of the fetlock, carpus and stifle were co...
Membrane vesicles mediate pro-angiogenic activity of equine adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells. Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have attracted a great deal of interest, due to several distinctive features, including the ability to migrate to damaged tissue and to participate in tissue regeneration. There is increasing evidence that membrane vesicles (MVs), comprising exosomes and shedding vesicles, represent a key component, responsible for many of the paracrine effects of MSCs. The aim of the present study was to establish whether equine adipose-derived MSCs (E-AdMSCs) produce MVs that are capable of influencing angiogenesis, a key step in tissue regeneration. A morphologic...
Lunar cycles at mating do not influence sex ratio at birth in horses. It is scientifically demonstrated that lunar cycles have important effects on several biological events. Controversy exists about the lunar influence on human and animal parturition. In addition, in the horse industry, especially in Polo Horse breeders of Argentina and around the world there is a higher demand for female offspring than for males. The objective of this study was to determine whether there is a significant association between the lunar phase at the time of mating and the sex ratio at birth in horses. The Argentinean Stud Book provided information related to all matings registere...
Effects of two field continuous incremental tests on cardiorespiratory responses in Standardbred trotters. In humans, cardiorespiratory responses are widely evaluated from field incremental exercise tests. On the contrary, equine exercise physiology faces a huge lack of oxygen consumption measurements (VO2) in field conditions due to technical concerns. The aim of this study was to test the effects of two incremental continuous field tests on cardiorespiratory responses in Standardbred trotters. The two protocols were realized at trot and ended when horses galloped. The tests started at 4.2 m/s (T1) and 6.4 m/s (T2), with speed increments of 1.4 m/s every 3 min for T1 and 0.8 m/s every 2 min for T2...
A missense mutation in melanocortin 1 receptor is associated with the red coat colour in donkeys. The seven donkey breeds recognised by the French studbook are characterised by few coat colours: black, bay and grey. Normand bay donkeys seldom give birth to red foals, a colour more commonly seen and recognised in American miniature donkeys. Red resembles the equine chestnut colour, previously attributed to a mutation in the melanocortin 1 receptor gene (MC1R). We used a panel of 124 donkeys to identify a recessive missense c.629T>C variant in MC1R that showed a perfect association with the red coat colour. This variant leads to a methionine to threonine substitution at position 210 in th...
Morphology, Morphometry and Spatial Distribution of Secondary Osteons in Equine Femur. A high number of differences exist in bone histological features depending on the species, breed, age and bone. Moreover, osteon distribution may vary in the different sides of a bone as a consequence of different biomechanical strains. The aim of this work was to study the distribution and morphology of osteons in different sides of the equine femoral diaphysis with the attempt to correlate them to the main strains operating on them. The following parameters of secondary osteons and Haversian canals were measured in the transverse sections of diaphyses: perimeter, area, minimum and maximum di...
Monitoring changes in skin temperature associated with exercise in horses on a water treadmill by use of infrared thermography. Infrared thermography (IRT) was used to assess surface temperature change as an indirect measure of muscle activity and exercise associated changes in blood flow in the working hind limb muscles of horses (n=7) undergoing water treadmill exercise. Three treatments were investigated including the treadmill ran dry (TD), water at the height of the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIP) and water at the height of the carpus (CP). Maximum skin surface temperature was recorded from the region of the semitendinosus muscle during exercise at each water height. There was a significant difference in surf...
Stallion fertility: a focus on the spermatozoon. Stallion fertility is a vast subject, with a wide array of permutations that can impact reproductive performance in either positive or negative ways. This review is intended to address a mere segment of the male fertility issue, but the very essence of the male contribution to fertilisation, that of the spermatozoon. Spermatozoal ultrastructure and form-to-function are detailed and spermatozoal metabolism is discussed, with specific reference to distinctive characteristics of stallion spermatozoa. Lastly, methods for assessment of spermatozoal function are considered, with emphasis on spermato...
[Energy intake and body weight development of Warmblood foals that changed stud at weaning]. This study investigated the energy requirements of Warmblood foals with a change of the stud at weaning. Methods: Nine colts purchased at weaning participated in the study aged approximately 6 months to 1 year. They were transported to the stud by their breeders either having been separated from their dams in their home stable or upon arrival at the stud. The foals were offered a late first cut of haylage, oats and foal starter feed. To ensure individual feeding of concentrates, the foals were tethered twice daily. The total combined haylage intake of all foals per day was recorded. Individu...
Interspecific communication from people to horses (Equus ferus caballus) is influenced by different horsemanship training styles. The ability of many domesticated animals to follow human pointing gestures to locate hidden food has led to scientific debate on the relative importance of domestication and individual experience on the origins and development of this capacity. To further explore this question, we examined the influence of different prior training histories/methods on the ability of horses (Equus ferus caballus) to follow a momentary distal point. Ten horses previously trained using one of two methods (Parelli™ natural horsemanship or traditional horse training) were tested using a standard object choice tas...
