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.
Cerrato S, Ramió-Lluch L, Brazís P, Rabanal RM, Fondevila D, Puigdemont A.There is increasing interest in the biological and pathological study of equine skin owing to the high prevalence of cutaneous diseases in horses. However, knowledge of equine skin cell biology and cultures is limited by the low number of in vitro studies in the literature. Objective: The objective of the study was to develop and characterize an in vitro equine skin equivalent. Methods: Cultures of pure equine keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts were obtained by enzymatic digestion of skin biopsies. Fibroblasts were embedded into type I collagen matrices to obtain dermal scaffolds, the surfac...
Lindinger MI, Anderson SC.We describe a safety assessment of an oral supplement designed to nutritionally support the gastrointestinal system of horses. The supplement comprised a mixture of essential (l-threonine) and conditionally essential (l-glutamine) amino acids, polar lipids, oat bran rich in beta glucans and yeast extract. Young (1-2years) horses of both sexes were allocated to control (n=7) and treatment groups (n=7) and studied for 9weeks. Horses in the treatment group received the supplement daily for 8weeks. After 8weeks of supplementation, horses were studied for one additional week. Outcome measures inclu...
Inness CM, Morgan KL.Polo, one of the world's oldest sports, is unique in merging human skill and balance with animal agility and performance in a contact sport. These modern-day 'centaurs' offer medical, dental and veterinary scientists an unrivalled, if quirky, opportunity to collaborate. Collection of epidemiological data on injuries to UK polo riders and ponies is the first step. Objective: To measure the reported risk and risk factors for injuries to UK polo ponies, their perception and mitigation by player-owners. Methods: A retrospective cohort design and telephone interviews were used. Methods: Data on equ...
Meira CT, Curi RA, Farah MM, de Oliveira HN, Béltran NA, Silva JA, Mota MD.Selection of Quarter Horses for different purposes has led to the formation of lines, including racing and cutting horses. The objective of this study was to identify genomic regions divergently selected in racing line of Quarter Horses in relation to cutting line applying relative extended haplotype homozygosity (REHH) analysis, an extension of extended haplotype homozygosity (EHH) analysis, and the fixation index (F ST) statistic. A total of 188 horses of both sexes, born between 1985 and 2009 and registered at the Brazilian Association of Quarter Horse Breeders, including 120 of the racing ...
Smiet E, Van Dierendonck MC, Sleutjens J, Menheere PP, van Breda E, de Boer D, Back W, Wijnberg ID, van der Kolk JH.Different head-and-neck positions (HNPs) are discussed in relation to potential welfare issues. To evaluate the effect on welfare, seven Royal Dutch Sport horses were studied in five predetermined HNPs: (1) unrestrained (HNP1); (2) neck raised, bridge of nose around the vertical (HNP2); (3) neck lowered and considerably flexed, bridge of nose pointing towards the chest (HNP4); (4) neck raised and extended, bridge of nose in front of the vertical (HNP5), and (5) neck lowered and flexed, bridge of nose pointing towards the carpus (HNP7). A standardised exercise test (SET) of 34 min consisted o...
Avanzi BR, Ramos Rdos S, Araujo GH, Fioratti EG, Trinca LA, Dell'Aqua JA, Melo E Oña CM, Zahn FS, Martin I, Alvarenga MA, Papa FO.The purpose of the present study was to compare two protocols for equine frozen semen programs using either postovulation insemination or fixed-time insemination (FT), evaluating both pregnancy rates and intrauterine fluid (IUF) accumulation after artificial insemination with semen obtained from either highly or poorly fertile stallions. Six ejaculates from two stallions (n = 12) were processed. After thawing, semen samples were evaluated by computerized semen analysis. Fifteen mares (30 cycles) were inseminated with frozen semen from highly fertile stallion A, and 14 mares (28 cycles) were in...
Lee JR, Hong CP, Moon JW, Jung YD, Kim DS, Kim TH, Gim JA, Bae JH, Choi Y, Eo J, Kwon YJ, Song S, Ko J, Yang YM, Lee HK, Park KD, Ahn K, Do KT, Ha HS....DNA methylation is an epigenetic regulatory mechanism that plays an essential role in mediating biological processes and determining phenotypic plasticity in organisms. Although the horse reference genome and whole transcriptome data are publically available the global DNA methylation data are yet to be known. Results: We report the first genome-wide DNA methylation characteristics data from skeletal muscle, heart, lung, and cerebrum tissues of thoroughbred (TH) and Jeju (JH) horses, an indigenous Korea breed, respectively by methyl-DNA immunoprecipitation sequencing. The analysis of the DNA m...
Obitsu T, Hata H, Taniguchi K.Nitrogen (N) digestion and urea-N metabolism in Hokkaido native horses fed roughage-based diets containing different types and levels of protein sources were studied. Horses (173 ± 4.8 kg) fitted with an ileum cannula were fed four diets consisting of 100% timothy hay (TH), 88% TH and 12% soybean meal (SBM), 79% TH and 21% SBM, and 51% TH and 49% alfalfa hay at 2.2% of body weight. Dietary protein content varied from 5% to 15% of dry matter. Apparent N digestibilities in the pre-cecum and total tract for the TH diet were lower than those for other diets. However, the proportion of post-ileum ...
Köhne M, Kuhl J, Ille N, Erber R, Aurich C.For prevention of early conceptus loss in the horse, treatment with progestins has become common practice. In cattle, treatment with human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) during the early postovulatory phase stimulates endogenous progesterone synthesis, which is an important factor for maintenance of early pregnancy via stimulation of endometrial function and conceptus development. In the present study we have therefore investigated the influence of treatment with hCG either for induction of ovulation or during the early luteal phase on plasma progestin concentrations, size of the corpus luteum ...
Tadich TA, Stuardo Escobar LH.In the past, the use of animals for transport and traction has been of economic importance all over the world, and this is still the case in certain areas of the world today, especially in rural and peri-urban areas of developing and transition countries. In Chile, for example, thousands of families rely on draught animal power as a fundamental source of income. This provides an opportunity to generate scientific information to increase understanding of the relationship between human well-being and that of domestic animals. Minimising the risks associated with poor draught animal welfare shoul...
Peugnet P, Wimel L, Duchamp G, Sandersen C, Camous S, Guillaume D, Dahirel M, Dubois C, Jouneau L, Reigner F, Berthelot V, Chaffaux S, Tarrade A....In equids, placentation is diffuse and nutrient supply to the fetus is determined by uterine size. This correlates with maternal size and affects intra-uterine development and subsequent post-natal growth, as well as insulin sensitivity in the newborn. Long-term effects remain to be described. In this study, fetal growth was enhanced or restricted through ET using pony (P), saddlebred (S) and draft (D) horses. Control P-P (n = 21) and S-S (n = 28) pregnancies were obtained by AI. Enhanced and restricted pregnancies were obtained by transferring P or S embryos into D mares (P-D, n =...
Hébert L, Rincé I, Sanna C, Laugier C, Rincé A, Petry S.The genus Taylorella is composed of two species: (i) Taylorella equigenitalis, the causative agent of CEM, a venereally transmitted infection of Equidae and (ii) Taylorella asinigenitalis, a closely related species considered to be nonpathogenic, although experimental infection of mares with this bacterium resulted in clinical signs of vaginitis, cervicitis or endometritis. Currently, there is a need for an alternative host model to further study the taylorellae species. In this context, we explored Galleria mellonella larvae as potential alternative model hosts for taylorellae. Our results sh...
Zsoldos RR, Krüger B, Licka TF.In vertebrates ageing is characterized by reduced viscoelasticity of the ligamentous and tendineous structures and fibre changes in muscle. Also, some vertebral joint degeneration develops with ageing. The aim of this study was to apply dynamic time warping to compare the temporal characteristics of the surface electromyography (sEMG) data and to illustrate the differences in the pattern of muscle use during tasks of daily life in old and mature horses. kinematics (24 skin markers) and sEMG measurements of neck extensors and flexors were taken in five mature horses (age 10 ± 2 years, half of...
Metzger J, Tonda R, Beltran S, Agueda L, Gut M, Distl O.Domestication has shaped the horse and lead to a group of many different types. Some have been under strong human selection while others developed in close relationship with nature. The aim of our study was to perform next generation sequencing of breed and non-breed horses to provide an insight into genetic influences on selective forces. Results: Whole genome sequencing of five horses of four different populations revealed 10,193,421 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 1,361,948 insertion/deletion polymorphisms (indels). In comparison to horse variant databases and previous reports, w...
Álvarez C, Gil L, González N, Olaciregui M, Luño V.The rise of assisted reproduction techniques in equine medicine has fostered investigations that seek to optimize methods to increase fertility rates. Since cryopreservation continues to give low values of viability in stallions, the handling and preservation of the sperm is of vital importance. This reduction of fertility makes it essential for farmers to find new options that ensure reliability in the use of these techniques. The main objective of this study was to assess the effect of INRA 96® (manufactured commercial extender for cooling of Equine semen) as an extender for cryopreservatio...
Bogers SH, Rogers CW, Bolwell CF, Roe WD, Gee EK, McIlwraith CW.The aim of the study was to use spatial and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) to describe and compare the regional proportion and spatial pattern of volumetric bone mineral density (BMDv) values within loaded regions of the plantar metatarsal epiphysis of young horses in race training. A single 2 mm transverse peripheral quantitative computed tomography 'slice', 10 mm proximal from the distal limit of the sagittal ridge of the distal metatarsal epiphysis was obtained from 14 2-year-old Thoroughbred fillies (7 exercised and 7 controls). Six regions of interest were generated and examin...
Galera PD, Ribeiro CR, Sapp HL, Coleman J, Fontes W, Brooks DE.Human amniotic membrane (AM) has been used as a biomaterial for surgical wound skin and ocular surface reconstruction for several years. Currently, equine AM has been used for corneal reconstruction in several animal species, and appears to have the same properties as human AM. Despite the observed positive healing abilities of this tissue in horses with ulcerative keratitis the proteins of equine AM have not been described. Objective: To identify proteins known to be associated with corneal healing from frozen equine AM. Methods: Placentas were acquired from healthy live foal births from a lo...
Knight PK, Hamilton NA.To compare handedness of whip use by Australian jockeys in Melbourne (where racing is counterclockwise) and Sydney (where racing is clockwise). Methods: Photographs of finishes of Thoroughbred horse races in Melbourne and Sydney were examined. Where whip use was clearly visible, the venue, the hand in which the whip was held and the names of the jockey and the horse were determined. Comparisons of whip hand use between cities were made using the Chi-squared test. Results: A total of 771 identifications were made, 328 from Melbourne and 443 from Sydney, representing 78 jockeys and 506 horses. R...
Finno CJ, Bannasch DL.Genome sequencing of the domestic horse and subsequent advancements in the field of equine genomics have led to an explosion in the development of tools for mapping traits and diseases and evaluating gene expression. The objective of this review is to discuss the current progress in the field of equine genomics, with specific emphasis on assembly and analysis of the reference sequence and subsequent sequencing of a Quarter Horse mare; the genomic tools currently available to researchers and their implications in genomic investigations in the horse; the genomics of Mendelian and non-Mendelian t...
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...
De Palo P, Tateo A, Maggiolino A, Centoducati P.The present work describes the effect of nutritive level on horse carcass traits and on meat quality. Eighteen male Italian Heavy Draught Horse (IHDH) breed foals were employed in the study. Soon after foaling they were randomly subdivided into three groups according to three nutritive level classes: 150%, 180% and 200% of maintenance requirements. Live weight, hot carcass weight and dressing percentage of each animal were recorded. After slaughtering, meat samples were collected from Longissimus dorsi muscle. The right half carcass of each animal was then divided into cuts. Each one was subdi...
Thomson PC, Hayek AR, Jones B, Evans DL, McGreevy PD.Significant proportions of horses leave the Australian Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing industries, which has ramifications for both the economic sustainability and the public perception of racing. The aim of this study was to quantify potential horse wastage, describe the destinations of exiting horses and identify risk factors for horses going to these destinations. Methods: Questionnaires were sent to 1258 selected Thoroughbred and 981 Standardbred trainers, with response rates of 30% and 32%, respectively. The survey investigated the role of various risk factors for wastage, including ...
Michanek P, Toth T, Bergström E, Treffenberg-Pettersson H, Bergh A.Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are commonly used for treating a variety of disorders in horses, including wounds. Despite its claim to shorten healing times, there is a lack of scientific documentation regarding its effects. Objective: To investigate if treatment with pulsating visible red light (λ ≈ 637 nm) and near-infrared (NIR) light (λ ≈ 956 nm) affects wound healing. Methods: Randomised blinded controlled experimental study. Methods: A circular skin wound (Ø = 2 cm) was created on each side of the neck in eight healthy horses. One randomly chosen wound received light treatm...
Nemery E, Gabriel A, Grulke S, Piret J, Toppets V, Antoine N.Lameness due to stifle and especially meniscal lesions is frequent in equine species. In humans, mechanoreceptors involved in proprioceptive function are well studied. Given the high incidence of meniscal injuries in horses, and the lack of information concerning them in equine menisci, our objective was to study these corpuscles in six healthy anterior horns of the equine medial meniscus, which is the most common localisation reported for equine meniscal injuries. Immunohistochemical stainings were performed using antibodies against high molecular weight neurofilaments and glial fibrillary ac...
Bailey E.Segregation distortion was found for a haplotype of the equine lymphocyte antigen (ELA) system in an extended family of American Standardbred horses. In one sire family, consisting of a stallion and his 17 sons and grandsons, the gene for ELA-A10 (A10) was transmitted to 57.7% of 638 offspring scored (P = 0.001). Significant segregation distortion was not seen for mares or for unrelated stallions, regardless of the ELA markers they possessed. Since the effect was seen for this one sire family and not seen for other stallions with A10, it is unlikely that the gene for A10 is the cause of this p...
Bidwell LA, Brown KE, Cordier A, Mullineaux DR, Clayton HM.Perineural analgesics are used for lameness diagnosis but the duration of effect, knowledge of which would provide valuable information when performing subsequent blocks, is unknown. Objective: To evaluate the duration of a palmar digital nerve block using force plate measurements. Methods: Ten horses diagnosed with unilateral navicular syndrome were trotted at range of 3 +/- 0.15 m/sec over a force plate to record ground reaction forces for 5 trials of each forelimb. Data were recorded before nerve block, and then at 15 mins, 1, 2 and 24 h post nerve block. Results: Before nerve block, peak v...
Clayton HM, Hodson E, Lanovaz JL.The objective was to measure the net joint moments and joint powers for the joints of the equine forelimb during the walk. Videographic and force data were combined with morphometric information using an inverse dynamics method. During stance phase the predominant joint moment was on the palmar aspect of all forelimb joints except the shoulder, where the peak moment was considerably higher than at any other joint. The entire forelimb showed net energy absorption in both stance and swing phases. The elbow was the only joint that showed net generation of energy, which was used to maintain the li...
Balssa F, Fischer M, Bonnaire Y.5(10)-Estrene-3β,17α-diol is an essential reference material for doping analysis in horse-racing laboratories. It is used to detect misuse, for doping purpose, of the pregnancy status in the mare. Its stereoselective synthesis from 17β-estradiol-3-methyl ether (prepared from estrone or 17β-estradiol) was performed in four steps: (1) Mitsunobu inversion of the 17β-alcohol; (2) Birch reduction of the aromatic ring; (3) stereoselective reduction of the 3-ketone via Noyori asymmetric transfer hydrogenation; (4) chemoenzymatic purification.
Crandell RA, Davis ER.The virus causing equine coital exanthema (equine herpesvirus 3) was isolated from a lesion on the nostril of a 2-month-old foal. One week after the mare had returned from a stallion station, vesicular lesions developed on her vulva. They were diagnosed clinically as coital exanthema, and 5 days later a lesion developed on the nostril of her foal. This case is an example of horse-to-horse transmission of coital exanthema virus without coitus. A laboratory diagnosis is necessary to differentiate viruses that cause vesicular lesions about the oral and nasal cavities of horses.
Yu K, Pfeiffer C, Burden C, Krekeler N, Marth C.Increased ambient temperatures has been identified to contribute to reproductive outcomes for several domesticated species, but its impact on equine reproduction has not been previously investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between ambient climatic conditions, as measured by temperature-humidity index (THI) between day 7 and day 14 of gestation, and early embryonic loss (EEL) in recipient mares undergoing embryo transfer. The study examined records from 834 embryo transfers at an equine breeding facility in Victoria, Australia. Early embryonic loss was defined a...
Almadhidi J, Moslemi S, Drosdowsky MA, Séralini GE.Aromatase (estrogen synthetase) is a steroidogenic enzyme complex which catalyzes the conversion of androgens to estrogens (termed aromatization). This enzyme was purified from adult equine testis to homogeneity by five chromatographic steps. The ability of purified and reconstituted equine aromatase to exhibit an estrogen 2-hydroxylase activity was tested and compared to testosterone aromatization. Enzymatic activities were assessed by tritiated water release from labelled estradiol and testosterone. Kinetic analysis of estradiol 2-hydroxylation showed an apparent K(m) of 23 microM and a V(ma...
Ha TY, Ahn MJ, Lee YD, Yang JH, Kim HS, Shin TK.Lectins are glycoproteins of plant and animal origin that have the ability to bind specific carbohydrate residues of cell glycoconjugates, particularly in terminal positions. In this study, the binding of lectins, Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA), soybean agglutinin (SBA), Bandeiraea simplicifolia BS-1 (isolectin B4), Triticum vulgaris (WGA), Arachis hypogaea (PNA), and Ulex europaeus (UEA-I), was studied in the reproductive systems of male thoroughbred horses.DBA was detected in the stereocilia of the caput and corpus epididymis, and in the vas deferens. It was weakly detected in connective...
Pollitt CC, Bell K.A method of horizontal thin layer polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at acid pH has been developed for the separation of the prealbumins in equine plasma. Using this method, it has been possible to split the S allele into two, S1 and S2, bringing the total number of prealbumin alleles in Thoroughbred horses to eight. The gene frequencies of these eight alleles in Australian Thoroughbreds are presented. All eight prealbumin types exhibit antiprotease activity and therefore, it is suggested that the name prealbumin (Pr) should be abandoned in favour of protease inhibitor (Pi) although at this st...
Slater J.Josh Slater looks back at the past 125 years of developments in equine infectious disease, including landmark discoveries in microbiology and genomics, and considers what the future may hold.
Maylin G, Fenger C, Machin J, Kudrimoti S, Eisenberg R, Green J, Tobin T.Aminorex, (RS)-5- Phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1,3-oxazol-2-amine, is an amphetamine-like anorectic and in the United States a Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA] Schedule 1 controlled substance. Aminorex in horse urine is usually present as a metabolite of Levamisole, an equine anthelmintic and immune stimulant. Recently, Aminorex identifications have been reported in horse urine with no history or evidence of Levamisole administration. Analysis of the urine samples suggested a botanical source, directing attention to the Brassicaceae plant family, with their contained GlucoBarbarin and Barbarin as p...
Auclair-Ronzaud J, Benoist S, Dubois C, Frejaville M, Jousset T, Jaffrézic F, Wimel L, Chavatte-Palmer P.In clinics, temperature is used as an indicator of health. Mostly rectal temperature is recorded, requiring handling and time. Temperature-sensitive identification microchips could be an alternative. Foals (26 males and 17 females), 4-12 months old, were housed in stalls over two winters (December-February). They were equipped with an identification and temperature sensor microchip implanted in the neckline. Temperature was recorded using an antenna located near the drinking trough. Animals were fed concentrated feed and forage twice daily, with free access to water. Rectal temperatures (79 m...
Gaughan EM.Early recognition and treatment of congenital and acquired flexural deformities of the carpi and fetlocks of foals can lead to conformation correction and an athletic future. Treatment is often based on rigid external coaptation assisted by systemic medical treatment. Foals that readily respond to treatment and correct conformation faults can have normal adult athletic expectations.
Delsol N, Stucky BJ, Oswald JA, Reitz EJ, Emery KF, Guralnick R.Unlike other European domesticates introduced in the Americas after the European invasion, equids (Equidae) were previously in the Western Hemisphere but were extinct by the late Holocene era. The return of equids to the Americas through the introduction of the domestic horse (Equus caballus) is documented in the historical literature but is not explored fully either archaeologically or genetically. Historical documents suggest that the first domestic horses were brought from the Iberian Peninsula to the Caribbean in the late 15th century CE, but archaeological remains of these early introduct...
Self Davies ZT, Spence AJ, Wilson AM.Horse locomotion is remarkably economical. Here, we measure external mechanical work of the galloping horse and relate it to published measurements of metabolic cost. Seven Thoroughbred horses were galloped (ridden) over force plates, under a racing surface. Twenty-six full strides of force data were recorded and used to calculate the external mechanical work of galloping. The mean sum of decrements of mechanical energy was -876 J (±280 J) per stride and increments were 2163 J (±538 J) per stride as horses were accelerating. Combination with published values for internal work and metabolic c...
Jones CJ, Wooding FB, Abd-Elnaeim MM, Leiser R, Dantzer V, Stoddart RW.Studies from this laboratory have shown great diversity in the glycosylation of tissues comprising the interhaemal barrier of species with different placental types. This diversity may be one of the factors preventing interbreeding between species. Glycan expression within the uterine epithelium and trophoblast of the interhaemal barrier was examined to test this proposition in three species with similar diffuse, microcotyledonary, epitheliochorial allantochorionic types of placenta: the horse (Equus caballus) and donkey (Equus asinus), which can interbreed with each other, and the camel (Came...
Cavalcanti MC, Rizgalla M, Geyer J, Failing K, Litzke LF, Bergmann M.In eukaryotic cells, the major protein constituents of the chromatin are histones, which can be divided into five classes, identified as H1, H2A, H2B, H3 and H4. During normal spermatogenesis, a testis-specific H1t is expressed in primary spermatocytes and believed to facilitate histone to protamine exchanges during spermiogenesis. In equine testes we detected the H1 protein at 22kDa by western blot analysis while H1t was detected at 29kDa. H1 protein was found to be expressed in all germ cells up to elongating spermatids (Sc) at stage IV. In peripubertal animals, there was a prolonged express...
Kavar T, Čeh E, Dovč P.Coat color of gray horses is associated with a 4.6-kb duplication, which can be determined using PCR amplification of about 5-kb DNA fragment. In practice, this means that amplification might fail frequently. Therefore, a novel genetic screening method based on amplification of the 246 bp DNA fragment has been developed.
