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.
Winsco KN, Coverdale JA, Wickersham TA, Lucia JL, Hammer CJ.Thirty pregnant mares (538 to 695 kg BW; 4 to 19 yr of age) were used to evaluate the effects of plane of nutrition on DMI of hay and mare performance (BW, BCS, and rump fat) during the last third of pregnancy. Mares were divided into 4 blocks by their expected foaling date and randomly assigned within block to either a hay or concentrate plus hay diet (concentrate fed at 0.75% BW, as-fed basis) with 15 mares per treatment. Treatments began 110 d before expected foaling date (230 d of gestation) and terminated at parturition. Mares were housed by block and allowed ad libitum access to coastal ...
Daly JM, Elton D.The calculation of p(epitope) values, a sequence-based measure of antigenic distance between strains, was developed for human influenza. The potential to apply the p(epitope) value to equine influenza vaccine strain selection was assessed. There was a negative correlation between p(epitope) value and vaccine efficacy for pairs of vaccine and challenge strains used in cross-protection studies in ponies that just reached statistical significance (p=0.046) only if one pair of viruses was excluded from the analysis. Thus the p(epitope) value has potential to provide additional data to consider in ...
Liu G, Xu CQ, Cao Q, Zimmermann W, Songer M, Zhao SS, Li K, Hu DF.Przewalski's horses have been imported from the western zoos to China since 1985. Yet the genetic diversity in China's populations has not been studied, thus lacking of such knowledge inevitably affects this population's management. The aim of this study was to assess genetic diversity in Chinese population of Przewalski's horses via mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and pedigree analysis. Methods: Two captive and one reintroduced populations were examined based on mitochondrial DNA control region variation via fecal sampling from 2010 to 2012, together with pedigree analysis. Results: ...
The Journal of physiologyJuly 1, 2013
Volume 591, Issue 18 4499-4513 doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2013.257956
Vengust M, Staempfli H, Viel L, Swenson ER, Heigenhauser G. During intense exercise in horses the transvascular fluid flux in the pulmonary circulation (Jv-a) represents 4% of cardiac output (Q). This fluid flux has been attributed to an increase in pulmonary transmural hydrostatic forces, increases in perfused microvascular surface area, and reversible alterations in capillary permeability under conditions of high flow and pressure. Erythrocyte fluid efflux, however, accounts for a significant fraction of Jv-a. In the lung the Jacobs-Stewart cycle occurs with diffusion of CO2 into alveolar space with possible accompanying chloride (Cl-) and water ...
Nemoto M, Kizaki K, Yamamoto Y, Oonuma T, Hashizume K.In vitro cell studies might be a useful tool for studying tendon pathology, but no suitable in vitro models exist for tendon disorders. The purpose of this study was to confirm whether cell scratch culture using tendon-derived fibroblasts can provide a suitable in vitro tendon disorder model. Extracellular matrix components were examined immunohistochemically in tendon tissue, and then their related gene expression levels were analyzed by conventional reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and/or quantitative real-time RT-PCR in tissues and cells. Collagen type I (Col I), col...
Ishii M, Aoki T, Yamakawa K, Magata F, Gojo C, Ito K, Kayano M, Nambo Y.The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between the placental retention time (PRT) and the reproductive performance following mating at the foal heat in Thoroughbreds. For this purpose, we interviewed 292 farmers over a period of 3 years with questionnaires evaluating foaling, expulsion of placenta and reproductive performance at the foal heat in 1,432 mares. The obtained data were later compared with a previous study of heavy draft mares. The average of the PRT of the 1,432 Thoroughbred mares was 58 ± 88 min (mean ± SD). The mean PRT of Thoroughbreds was significantly shorter ...
Dixon PM, Ceen S, Barnett T, O'Leary JM, Parkin TD, Barakzai S.Cheek teeth diastemata are a common cause of painful periodontal disease in horses, but there is limited objective information on their treatment. Objective: To assess the long-term response to diastema widening in clinically affected horses. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Medical records from cases of cheek teeth diastemata treated by diastema widening referred to the University of Edinburgh Equine Hospital from 2008 to 2011 were analysed. Results: During this period, 302 horses were diagnosed with clinically significant cheek teeth diastemata, of which 202, median age 11 years, with ...
Hall V, Hinrichs K, Lazzari G, Betts DH, Hyttel P.Over many decades assisted reproductive technologies, including artificial insemination, embryo transfer, in vitro production (IVP) of embryos, cloning by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), and stem cell culture, have been developed with the aim of refining breeding strategies for improved production and health in animal husbandry. More recently, biomedical applications of these technologies, in particular, SCNT and stem cell culture, have been pursued in domestic mammals in order to create models for human disease and therapy. The following review focuses on presenting important aspects of...
Galloway SS, Easley J.This article discusses the significant features and use of digital cameras, intraoral cameras, and oral endoscopes in equine dental practice. Although system features believed to be important have been listed, specific system recommendations have been omitted, since each veterinarian must individually determine the best system to meet practice clinical needs and budget. Veterinarians are encouraged to thoroughly research not only the camera/endoscope purchase but also the capabilities of the entire system, the compatibility of the system with different computer software programs, the reputatio...
Menzies R.The oral examination is performed in equids to assess and monitor oral health status, provide diagnoses, and determine efficacy of treatments. While there is currently insufficient scientific material of adequate quality to enable evidence-based medicine in equine dentistry, this by no means negates the clinician's responsibility to provide oral health care in a scientific and ethical manner. To do so requires that the clinician be knowledgable and skilled in dentistry and general medicine, that each case upholds the principles of scientific method, and that data is gathered and appraised in a...
Beccati F, Gialletti R, Giontella A, Davanzo S, Di Meo A, Pepe M.The aim of this study was to identify differences in bone shape (height and width) of proximal sesamoid bones (PSB) in 2-year-old Thoroughbred racehorses in training. Dorsal 15° proximal-palmarodistal oblique images of each metacarpophalangeal joint were acquired before the horses started training and at 1 year after the start of exercise and racing. There were no changes in height and width of PSBs induced by training. There was a significant difference of height and width between medial and lateral PSBs. In both forelimbs, the medial PSB was significantly wider and shorter than the lateral...
Dezutti JE.Patients with eating disorders may have the most complex interdisciplinary treatment plans of any mental illness. Nurses need innovative evidence-based treatment interventions to assist their patients with eating disorders on their road to recovery. Although much has been written about equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) and equine-facilitated psychotherapy, the literature has not described a detailed session that can help nurses understand how this experiential treatment works and the impact it can have on the patient. A review of the literature on eating disorders and on the use of equine th...
de Cocq P, Muller M, Clayton HM, van Leeuwen JL.The simplest model possible for bouncing systems consists of a point mass bouncing passively on a mass-less spring without viscous losses. This type of spring-mass model has been used to describe the stance period of symmetric running gaits. In this study, we investigated the interaction between horse and rider at trot using three models of force-driven spring (-damper)-mass systems. The first system consisted of a spring and a mass representing the horse that interact with another spring and mass representing the rider. In the second spring-damper-mass model, dampers, a free-fall and a forcin...
Pereira GR, Lorenzo PL, Carneiro GF, Ball BA, Pegoraro LM, Pimentel CA, Liu IK.In horses, successful in vitro fertilization procedures are limited by our inability to consistently mature equine oocytes by in vitro methods. Growth hormone (GH) is an important regulator of female reproduction in mammals, playing an important role in ovarian function, follicular growth and steroidogenesis. The objectives of this research were to investigate: the effects of equine growth hormone (eGH) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) on the in vitro maturation (IVM) of equine oocytes, and the effects of eGH in addition to estradiol (E2), gonadotropins (FSH and LH) and fetal calf seru...
Knight CG, Dunowska M, Munday JS, Peters-Kennedy J, Rosa BV.Equus caballus papillomavirus type 2 (EcPV-2) infection has been associated with equine genital squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). However, quantitative PCR (qPCR) has not been performed to determine viral copy numbers within these lesions. Additionally, the frequency with which EcPV-2 can be detected in other common sites of equine SCC development remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to develop a qPCR assay to estimate the viral load in a variety of equine tissue samples. These included 40 SCC lesions, 19 penile non-SCC or precursor disease lesions, and 222 tissues without observable le...
Proops L, Rayner J, Taylor AM, McComb K.It has been suggested that the process of domestication, at least in some species, has led to an innate predisposition to be skilled at reading human communicative and attentional cues. Adult domestic horses (Equus caballus) are highly sensitive to subtle bodily cues when determining if a person is attending to them but they are less adept at using human communicative cues in object choice tasks. Here we provide the first study into the ontogeny of such skills in order to gain insights into the mechanisms underlying these abilities. Compared with adult horses, youngsters under the age of three...
Schnabel LV, Fortier LA, McIlwraith CW, Nobert KM.Stem cells are commonly used in equine practice to treat musculoskeletal disorders including tendonitis, osteoarthritis, and more recently laminitis. As the field of regenerative medicine continues to advance, equine practitioners need contemporary information regarding the choice of stem cell type and recommendations regarding clinical implementation of stem cell therapies. Clinicians must also be aware of the limitation in current knowledge regarding stem cells, and the impending regulatory laws that may limit the use of equine stem cells in clinical patients.
Nauwelaerts S, Aerts P, Clayton H.Gaits can be defined based upon specific interlimb coordination patterns characteristic of a limited range of speeds, with one or more defining variables changing discontinuously at a transition. With changing speed, horses perform a repertoire of gaits (walk, trot, canter and gallop), with transitions between them. Knowledge of the series of kinematic events necessary to realize a gait is essential for understanding the proximate mechanisms as well as the control underlying gait transitions. We studied the kinematics of the actual transition from trot to canter in miniature horses. The kinema...
Campbell ML.Veterinarians have a key role in providing medical care for sports horses during and between competitions, but the standard client:veterinarian relationship that exists in companion and production animal medicine is distorted by the involvement of third parties in sports medicine, resulting in distinct ethical dilemmas which warrant focused academic attention. By comparing the existing literature on human sports medicine, this article reviews the ethical dilemmas which face veterinarians treating equine athletes, and the role of regulators in contributing to or resolving those dilemmas. Major ...
Lansade L, Coutureau E, Marchand A, Baranger G, Valenchon M, Calandreau L.Pavlovian to instrumental transfer (PIT) is a central factor in how cues influence animal behavior. PIT refers to the capacity of a Pavlovian cue that predicts a reward to elicit or increase a response intended to obtain the same reward. In the present study, using an equine model, we assessed whether PIT occurs in hoofed domestic animals and whether its efficacy can be modulated by temperamental dimensions. To study PIT, horses were submitted to Pavlovian conditioning whereby an auditory-visual stimulus was repeatedly followed by food delivery. Then, horses were submitted to instrumental cond...
Meyers-Brown GA, McCue PM, Troedsson MH, Klein C, Zent W, Ferris RA, Lindholm AR, Scofield DB, Claes AN, Morganti M, Colgin MA, Wetzel RL, Peters AR....Traditionally, mares are put under artificial lights to advance the first ovulation of the year. The aim of the present study was to determine the efficacy of recombinant equine FSH (reFSH) in stimulating follicular development and advancing the first ovulation of the year in seasonally anestrous mares compared with anestrous mares given a placebo. Both groups of mares were housed under ambient light conditions. Sixty deep anestrous mares of light horse breeds (follicular diameters ≤ 20 mm in diameter and progesterone <1 ng/mL) were maintained under a natural photoperiod at three differen...
Tremaine H.The last decade has seen a number of studies that have illuminated our knowledge of hypsodont dental disease and re-examined some of the traditionally performed practices. In addition there has been a major interest in routine preventative dentistry and non-traumatic treatments. These have highlighted some potential risks of the use of modern tools when applied to traditional techniques. This has also led to a reflective review of equine dentistry with the emphasis on attempting to preserve and salvage dental and periodontal tissues, with minimal trauma. In addition, precise imaging and instru...
Galvão AM, Ferreira-Dias G, Skarzynski DJ.In adults, physiological angiogenesis is a rare event, with few exceptions as the vasculogenesis needed for tissue growth and function in female reproductive organs. Particularly in the corpus luteum (CL), regulation of angiogenic process seems to be tightly controlled by opposite actions resultant from the balance between pro- and antiangiogenic factors. It is the extremely rapid sequence of events that determines the dramatic changes on vascular and nonvascular structures, qualifying the CL as a great model for angiogenesis studies. Using the mare CL as a model, reports on locally produced c...
Bovell DL, Riggs CM, Sidlow G, Troester S, MacLaren W, Yip W, Ko WH.Fluid secretion by sweat glands in response to heat and exercise is underpinned by increases in intracellular calcium. In horses, this is primarily via β2-adrenoceptors, but studies in equine sweat gland cell lines have indicated a possible role for purinergic agonists. Knowledge of equine sweating stimulus-secretion mechanisms in intact glands from healthy animals would allow future comparison to determine whether these mechanisms are affected in equine anhidrosis. Objective: To determine whether purinergic agonists can induce changes in intracellular calcium in intact, freshly isolated equi...
Gray BP, Viljanto M, Bright J, Pearce C, Maynard S.The detection of the abuse of anabolic steroids in equine sport is complicated by the endogenous nature of some of the abused steroids, such as testosterone and nandrolone. These steroids are commonly administered as intramuscular injections of esterified forms of the steroid, which prolongs their effects and improves bioavailability over oral dosing. The successful detection of an intact anabolic steroid ester therefore provides unequivocal proof of an illegal administration, as esterified forms are not found endogenously. Detection of intact anabolic steroid esters is possible in plasma samp...
Carrozzo U, Toniato M, Harrison A.Therapeutic ultrasound is a noninvasive technique, which is well tolerated by horses, does not need sedation, and can easily be performed in a routine clinical setting. Twenty-three client-owned sport horses were recruited at Clinica Equina San Biagio and included in this case study. Treatment of the injured suspensory ligament apparatus was administered using an EQ Pro, low-frequency therapeutic unit (38 kHz). The noninvasive treatment consisted of massaging the injured area in combination with a traditional ultrasound gel while maintaining the head of the device in direct contact with the i...
Schneider RK, Milne DW, Gabel AA, Groom JJ, Bramlage LR.Rosette strain gauges were applied to the equine radius and tibia. Three sites were examined on each bone on separate occasions (proximal metaphysis, middiaphysis, and distal metaphysis). At each site, 4 rosette gauges were applied around the bone (ie, cranial, caudal, medial, and lateral). Strain recordings were made while walking the horse with and without a full-limb plaster cast. The principal axis of tensile strain was on the craniolateral aspect of the radius. Distally, on the radius, the largest strains were torsional. The cast changed the principal axis of tensile strain on the radius ...
Barrey E, Valette JP, Jouglin M, Blouin C, Langlois B.The purpose of this study was to determine the percentage of fast myosin heavy chains (fast MHCs = MHC 2A + 2B) in 2 propelling muscles to estimate the heritability and to identify any relationship with performance. The gluteus medius and the biceps femoris muscles were biopsied in 100 related French Anglo-Arabian horses. The percentages of slow and fast myosin heavy chains were measured using an ELISA technique. The heritability (s.e.) of the fast MHCs percentage was estimated at 13% (0.1) using a restricted maximum likelihood resolution of a mixed animal model. There were significant (P < 0....
Bowers JR, Slocombe RF.Eight horses were exercised at speeds to produce 80% of maximal heart rates, on 4 occasions using a randomised block design, and girthed at tensions of approximately 5, 10, 15 or 20 kg using a standard canvas girth attached to a racing saddle. Tension was recorded continuously using an in-line load cell connected to a physiograph. Horses ran until fatigued on a treadmill inclined at 10% slope. Tensions were measured at peak inhalation (T/inh) and exhalation (T/exh), recorded at rest (rest) and during exercise (ex). Data were analysed by ANOVA and, in addition, least squares linear regression w...
The commentary by Gallup and Anderson (Anim Cogn https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-021-01538-9 , 2021) on the original article by Baragli, Scopa, Maglieri, and Palagi (Anim Cogn https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-021-01502-7 , 2021) raised some concerns about the methodological approach used by the authors to demonstrate Mirror Self-Recognition (MSR) in horses. The commentary does not take into account horse physiology and psychology, leading Gallup and Anderson to inappropriately discredit the findings obtained by Baragli et al. Anim Cogn 2021. In this reply, we underlined the importance of a blinke...
Usherwood JR, Smith BJH.Many medium and large herbivores locomote forwards very slowly and intermittently when grazing. While the footfall order during grazing is the same as for walking, the relative fore-hind timing-phasing-is quite different. Extended periods of static stability are clearly required during grazing; however, stability requirements are insufficient to account for the timing. Aspects of relatively rapid rolling and pitching-toppling due to the resistance of the back to bending and twisting-can be included in a simplifying geometric model to explain the observation that, in grazing livestock, a step f...
Boyde A, Firth EC.We describe morphological aspects of the articular calcified cartilage mineralizing front 'tidemark' in the distal joint surface of the third metacarpal bone from 14 horses. Compositional backscattered electron scanning electron microscopy and confocal scanning light microscopy were conducted on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)-embedded medio-lateral slices. After maceration, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study the calcified cartilage surface in the 'wedges' intervening between the slices. An anatomically reproducible clustering of canals in the calcified cartilage was found at o...
Edwards DJ, Brownlow MA, Hutchins DR.Urine and blood samples were taken at the same time from normal adult horses presented for routine investigations to establish reference values for a variety of parameters reported to be useful in the clinical evaluation of renal function. Blood biochemical values were consistent with previous studies and had well-defined normal ranges. Parameters representing urine concentration and electrolyte excretion however, varied widely reflecting the ability of the healthy kidney to change the composition of urine in response to differences in environment and management. Percent creatinine clearance r...
McGreevy PD, Griffiths MD, Ascione FR, Wilson B.Recent studies have cast doubt on the effectiveness of whipping horses during races and this has led to questions concerning its continuing justification. Furthermore, it has been argued that whipping tired horses in racing is the most televised form of violence to animals. The present study used de-identified data from a recent independent Australian poll (n = 1,533) to characterise the 26% of respondents (113 females and 271 males) who support the whipping of racehorses and the 10% of racing enthusiasts in the sample (44 females and 63 males) who would stop watching races and betting on them...
Bhardwaj A, Nayan V, Legha RA, Bhattacharya TK, Pal Y, Giri SK.Equines' ability in racing and riding as well as gaitedness have influenced the human civilization. Aim of this study was to identify and characterize the novel polymorphisms or SNPs in gene in Indian horse and donkey breeds. In this study, the gene was sequenced and characterized in 72 Indian horses' and 33 Indian donkeys' samples. One SNP (A > C) at 878 was found in studied horses while identical SNPs (A > C) at two different nucleotide positions i.e., 878 and 942 in gene (chromosome 23) were observed in studied Indian donkey breeds. Horses and donkeys both have a non-synony...
Riis RC, Jackson C, Rebhun W, Katz ML, Loew E, Summers B, Cummings J, de Lahunta A, Divers T, Mohammed H.The characteristics of the ocular manifestations of equine motor neuron disease (EMND) are described. Forty-two horses with histories, clinical signs and necropsies compatible with EMND were the subjects of this study. Ophthalmoscopic lesions that varied in severity were found in 40 of 42 horses and appeared as a distinct pigmented reticulated pattern at the tapetal-nontapetal junction or throughout the fundus, depending upon severity. The pattern colours ranged from yellow brown to black. Areas of hyperreflectivity formed mosaic patterns in the tapetal fundus. ERG B-wave amplitudes were usual...
Bowker RM, Brewer AM, Vex KB, Guida LA, Linder KE, Sonea IM, Stinson AW.Two types of sensory receptors were located in the equine foot, using anatomic techniques. Histologic examination of stained hoof sections revealed lamellated corpuscles in the hoof dermis, which had many of the morphologic characteristics of Pacinian corpuscles. These sensory receptors were restricted to the palmar (caudal) aspects of the solar dermis of the heel. A second type of receptor was detected by use of immunocytochemistry, indicating apparently naked nerve endings containing the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide-like immunoreactivity in skin, solar dermal tubules, and the...
Cognie J, Freret S, Lansade L, Parias C, Barriere P, Gesbert A, Reigner F, Deleuze S.The impact of very early castration of foals has not yet been studied despite the many positive effects observed in dogs and cats. Objective: The objective of the study was to compare castration at 3 days and 18 months and assess their subsequent morphological and behavioural development. Methods: This was a randomised, blinded clinical study. Methods: Twenty-two Welsh ponies underwent either early (3-day old, EC group, n = 11) or traditional (18-month old, TC group, n = 11) castration. Animals were followed up to 3 years of age. All ponies were castrated using a primary closure techn...
Houpt KA, Wolski TR.The dominance hierarchy of a herd of 10 Thoroughbred mares was determined twice, at an interval of 18 months, using paired feeding tests. Each mare's rank was correlated significantly between the 2 tests. This indicated that the hierarchy within the herd was stable. The offspring of dominant and subordinate mares were also tested for dominance in their own age groups. The offspring of dominant mares tended to be near the top of the hierarchy while those of middle and low ranking mares were not consistently found in the middle or bottom of their own hierarchies. Paired feeding tests were carrie...
Owen RN, Semanchik PL, Latham CM, Brennan KM, White-Springer SH.Maintenance of mitochondrial health, which is supported in part by dietary antioxidants such as selenium (Se) and vitamin E (vitE), is pertinent to optimizing athletic performance. Deficiencies in Se and vitE negatively impact muscle health but mitochondrial adaptations to various levels of dietary Se and vitE are poorly understood. Young Quarter Horses (mean ± SD: 17.6 ± 0.9 mo) undergoing submaximal exercise training were used to test the hypothesis that a proprietary antioxidant blend containing elevated Se yeast (EconomasE, Alltech, Inc., Nicholasville, KY) would improve mitochondrial ch...
Timmerman I, Macaire C, Hanne-Poujade S, Bertoni L, Martin P, Marin F, Chateau H.Repeatability and reproducibility of any measuring system must be evaluated to assess possible limitations for its use. The objective of this study was to establish the repeatability and the inter-operator reproducibility of a sensors-based system (EQUISYM®) for quantifying gait asymmetries in horses.. Seven wireless IMUs were placed on the head, the withers, the pelvis, and the 4 cannon bones on three horses, by four different operators, four times on each horse, which led to a total of 48 repetitions randomly assigned. Data were collected along three consecutive days and analysed to calcula...
Kingston JK, Geor RJ, McCutcheon LJ.Rate and ionic composition of sweat fluid losses and partitioning of evaporative heat loss into respiratory and cutaneous components were determined in six horses during three 15-km phases of exercise at approximately 40% of maximal O2 uptake. Pattern of change in sweat rate (SR) and composition was similar during each phase. SR increased rapidly for the first 20 min of exercise but remained at approximately 24-28 ml . m-2 . min-1 during the remainder of each phase. Similarly, the concentrations of Na and Cl in sweat increased until 30 min of exercise but were unchanged thereafter. Sweat osmol...
Mudge MC, Macdonald MH, Owens SD, Tablin F.To compare viability of equine whole blood stored by 4 different methods, and to establish optimal storage protocols for an equine autologous blood donation program. Methods: In vitro study of stored equine whole blood. Animals- Six healthy adult horses. Methods: Blood from each horse was collected into 4 different containers: glass bottles containing acid-citrate-dextrose solution (ACD), plastic bags containing ACD, citrate-phosphate-dextrose (CPD), and CPD with supplemental adenine (CPDA-1). Blood was stored for 5 weeks and sampled at 2-day intervals. Standard hematologic and biochemical var...
Willemen MA, Savelberg HH, Bruin G, Barneveld A.Toe weights are applied to influence the stride characteristics of trotters. The quantitative effect of 88-g toe weights on the stride characteristics of Standardbred trotters was evaluated in a kinematic study using a CODA-3 analysis system. Six trotters were studied at a speed of 11 m/s on a treadmill. Temporal gait variables, joint angles, and the trajectories of the forelimb hoof were calculated. The stride patterns of the individual trotters were assessed by a judge and compared to the CODA-output. Those trotters with poor flexion of the carpal joint during the swing phase or with insuffi...
Rogers CW, Firth EC, Anderson BH.To examine the effect of race training on kinematic parameters of the trot in a sample of 2-year-old Thoroughbred fillies. Methods: Two-year-old Thoroughbred fillies that had been either trained for racing (n=7) or left untrained in small paddocks (n=7) were examined for lameness, and linear and temporal kinematic data were collected from video recordings of each horse trotted in-hand, 5, 9 and 13 weeks after the beginning of training. Horses were graded as: sound (Grade 0), suspected but not obviously lame (Grade 1), or definitely lame at the trot (Grade 2). Results: Mean velocity at the trot...
Chilcoat CD, Rowlingson KA, Jones SL.Toxic products such as reactive oxygen intermediates released by activated polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) have an important role in the pathophysiology of diseases associated with the deposition of immune complexes (IC) in tissues. IC-induced activation of PMN requires adhesion mediated by integrin adhesion receptors. Of the integrins expressed on PMN, the beta(2) family has been found to be of particular importance for activation of PMN by IC. beta(2) Integrin ligand binding must be activated to enable adhesion to IC. Both activating and inhibitory signals regulate beta(2) integrin ligand...
Du Toit N, Burden FA, Baedt LG, Shaw DJ, Dixon PM.Equine cheek teeth (CT) diastemata often cause deep periodontal food pocketing and are therefore regarded as a painful dental disorder of equidae. However there appears to be no information available on the size or shape of these diastemata. This post mortem study examined 16 donkey skulls (mean age = 32-years) containing 45 CT diastemata to define the anatomical shape and dimensions of these diastemata, and of the associated periodontal food pockets that occur with this disorder. Diastemata were found to more commonly involve mandibular (56.0%) compared with maxillary CT (44.0%), and 71.0% of...
Panzani D, Zicchino I, Taras A, Marmorini P, Crisci A, Rota A, Camillo F.Artificial photoperiod treatment is currently the best method to hasten the first ovulation of the breeding season in winter anoestrus mares. However, this is not easy to apply in large herds of mares and, to be effective, has to be planned in the northern hemisphere in December at the latest. Pharmacological treatments have been proposed as alternatives: GnRH agonists, progesterone or its synthetic agonist Altrenogest, and dopamino-antagonists, as pherphenazine, domperidone or sulpiride. Dopamino-antagonists protocols, beginning at a given day of the year, gave controversial results in terms ...
Sekkin S, Gokbulut C, Kum C, Karademir U.This study was designed to investigate the plasma disposition and systemic availability of enrofloxacin (ENR) following intramuscular and intravenous administrations. Six donkeys (Equus asinus) were used in this study. The animals were allocated into two groups (intramuscular and intravenous groups). After a 2-week washout period, the experiment was repeated with the groups reversed according to a two-phase crossover design. In phase I, group I received intravenously the commercially available injectable solution of ENR at the dose of 5 mg/kg and group II received intramuscularly the same ENR ...
Lee CD, Maxwell LK.In most species, large variations in body size necessitate dose adjustments based on an allometric function of body weight. Despite the substantial disparity in body size between miniature horses and light-breed horses, there are no studies investigating appropriate dosing of any veterinary drug in miniature horses. The purpose of this study was to determine whether miniature horses should receive a different dosage of flunixin meglumine than that used typically in light-breed horses. A standard dose of flunixin meglumine was administered intravenously to eight horses of each breed, and three-...
O'Leary JM, Barnett TP, Parkin TD, Dixon PM, Barakzai SZ.Although equine motorised dental instruments are widely used, there is limited information on their thermal effect on teeth. The recently described variation in subocclusal secondary dentine depth overlying individual pulp horns may affect heat transmission to the underlying pulps. Objective: This study compared the effect of 3 different equine motorised dental instruments on the pulpar temperature of equine cheek teeth with and without the use of water cooling. It also evaluated the effect of subocclusal secondary dentine thickness on pulpar temperature changes. Methods: A thermocouple probe ...
York CA, Schulte BA.Maintaining a dominant position in a hierarchy requires energetically expensive aggressive displays and physical exertion. Lab based winner-loser studies, often conducted with individuals from non-social species, have shown that subordinates have higher stress hormone levels than dominant individuals. However, in wild studies on cooperative breeders, displays of aggression used to maintain dominance status are associated with elevated stress hormone levels. The effect of reproductive state on dominance and stress has not been addressed within either of these situations. The purpose of this stu...
Morrell JM, Geraghty RM.A method of removing equine arteritis virus (EAV) from equine semen used for artificial insemination is urgently needed. Recent medical studies suggest that a double semen processing technique of density gradient centrifugation followed by a 'swim-up' can provide virus-free sperm preparations for assisted reproduction. Objective: To investigate the use of the double semen processing technique to obtain virus-free sperm preparations from stallion semen containing EAV. Methods: Aliquots of an ejaculate from an uninfected stallion were spiked with virus and processed by the double processing tech...
Kallerud AS, Hernlund E, Byström A, Persson-Sjodin E, Rhodin M, Hendrickson EHS, Fjordbakk CT.Little is known regarding how trotting through curves affects locomotion symmetry in Standardbred trotters. Objective: To investigate differences in objectively measured Standardbred trotter vertical motion symmetry between straight and non-banked, curved sections of oval trotting tracks during exercise warm-up, using a wireless inertial measurement unit (IMU) system. Methods: Cross-sectional, observational study. Methods: Sixteen horses were included. Mixed models were used to assess associations between symmetry, track segment (straight vs curve) and stride duration. Results: Significant res...
Spadavecchia C, Levionnois O, Kronen PW, Leandri M, Spadavecchia L, Schatzmann U.To investigate effects of isoflurane at approximately the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) on the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) of the forelimb of ponies as a method for quantifying anesthetic potency. Methods: 7 healthy adult Shetland ponies. Methods: Individual MAC (iMAC) for isoflurane was determined for each pony. Then, effects of isoflurane administered at 0.85, 0.95, and 1.05 iMAC on the NWR were assessed. At each concentration, the NWR threshold was defined electromyographically for the common digital extensor and deltoid muscles by stimulating the digital nerve; additional el...
