Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
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.
Nitric oxide synthase inhibition speeds oxygen uptake kinetics in horses during moderate domain running. Within the moderate exercise intensity domain, the speed of oxygen uptake (V(O(2))) kinetics at the transition to a higher metabolic rate is thought to be limited by an inertia of the oxidative machinery. Nitric oxide (NO)-induced inhibition of O(2) consumption within the electron transport chain may contribute to this inertia. This investigation tested the hypothesis that a reduction or removal of any such NO effect via infusion of N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; a NOS inhibitor) would speed V(O(2)) kinetics at the onset of moderate exercise. Five Thoroughbred geldings underwe...
Repeatability of standard transthoracic echocardiographic measurements in horses. To assess the repeatability of commonly employed transthoracic echocardiographic measurements in standing horses. Methods: Thirteen healthy 3- to 4-year-old fit Standardbred geldings with a mean weight of 411 (SEM +/- 10) kg were studied. The horses' environment, feeding and management regimens were standardised. All measurements were performed by the same investigator at the same time every day for three consecutive days. Methods: Standard transthoracic measurements were made on all horses. Each measurement was performed over three consecutive cardiac cycles on 1 day and all measurements were...
Evaluation of factors affecting individual assignment precision using microsatellite data from horse breeds and simulated breed crosses. Assignment tests have been utilized to investigate population classification, measure genetic diversity and to solve forensic questions. Using microsatellite data from 26 loci genotyped in eight horse breeds we examined how population differentiation, number of scored loci, number of scored animals per breed and loci variability affected individual assignment precision applying log likelihood methods. We found that both genetic differentiation and number of scored loci were highly important for recognizing the breed of origin. When comparing two and two breeds, a proportion of 95% of the most ...
A PCR-RFLP for KIT associated with tobiano spotting pattern in horses. An MspI polymorphism was identified in intron 13 of the equine homologue of proto-oncogene c-kit (KIT) by comparing DNA sequences from horses with solid coat colour and horses homozygous for the tobiano spotting (To) gene. The allele associated with solid coat colour was designated KM0, while the allele associated with the tobiano pattern created an additional MspI restriction site and was designated KM1. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) studies using DNA from hair follicles demonstrated that all 129 of 129 tobiano patterned horses possessed the KM1...
History and integrity of thoroughbred dam lines revealed in equine mtDNA variation. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop sequences (381 bp) from 100 thoroughbreds in 19 of the most common matrilineal female families were used to reconstruct a founder female population for the thoroughbred ( approximately 1650-1750 AD). Seventeen haplotypes were found to have contributed to the 19 female lineages. In order to place the reconstructed founder population in wider historical context, we examined, using both single strand conformation polymorphism and direct sequence analysis, variation in a 343 bp mtDNA fragment in that population and 13 other horse populations of disparate provenance...
Insulin-like growth factor-I and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 and -5 in equine seminal plasma: association with sperm characteristics and fertility. The objectives of this study were 1) to determine whether insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) were present in seminal plasma of stallions; 2) to compare semen parameters (IGF proteins, sperm numbers, morphology, and motility) from stallions at sexual rest (SR) and when sexually active (SA); 3) to compare semen parameters between stallions with high and low seminal plasma IGF-I concentrations; and 4) to examine the relationship between seminal plasma IGF-I concentrations and fertility parameters of stallions. Ejaculates were collected fr...
Production of nuclear transfer horse embryos by Piezo-driven injection of somatic cell nuclei and activation with stallion sperm cytosolic extract. We investigated the use of direct nuclear injection using the Piezo drill and activation by injection of stallion sperm cytosolic extract for production of cloned equine embryos. When metaphase II horse oocytes were injected with either of two dosages of sperm extract and cultured 20 h, similar activation rates (88% vs. 90%) and cleavage rates (49% vs. 46%) were obtained. The successful reconstruction rate of horse oocytes with horse somatic cell donor nuclei after direct injection using the Piezo drill was 82%. Four dosages of sperm extract (containing 59, 176, 293, or 1375 microg/ml protein)...
Langerhans cells within the follicular epithelium and the intradermal sweat duct in equine insect hypersensitivity “Kasen”. Histopathologic and electron microscopic observations were given on Langerhans cells (LCs) within the follicular epithelium (FE) and intradermal sweat duct (ISD) of equine "Kasen". By light microscopy, LCs were present in the greatest numbers within the FE and ISD than within the epidermal layer and the normal skin, with an occasional formation of several aggregated foci. By electron microscopy, LCs within the FE and ISD widely extended their dendritic processes between the keratinocytes and contained Birbeck granules (Bgs), mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticula and ribosomes in the cytopla...
Contribution of heme-propionate side chains to structure and function of myoglobin: chemical approach by artificially created prosthetic groups. Horse heart myoglobin was reconstituted with mesohemin derivatives methylated at the 6- or 7-position to evaluate the role of the heme-6-propionate or heme-7-propionate side chain in the protein. The association and dissociation of the O(2) binding for the deoxymyoglobin with 6-methyl-7-propionate mesoheme are clearly accelerated. Furthermore, the myoglobin with 6-methyl-7-propionate mesoheme shows fast autoxidation from oxymyoglobin to metmyoglobin compared to the myoglobin with 6-propionate-7-methyl heme and the reference protein. These results indicate the 6-propionate plays an important ph...
Two bi-allelic single nucleotide polymorphisms within the promoter region of the horse tumour necrosis factor alpha gene. Primers based on GenBank sequences within the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of the human and horse tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) genes were designed and used to amplify a 522-bp product. Sequencing of five clones derived from five independent PCRs obtained from three different animals of three different breeds (Old Kladruber, Akhal-Teke and Shetland Pony) revealed a high level of sequence identity to the TNF-alpha promoter regions of other species. The existing GenBank horse sequences were confirmed and extended upstream by 230 nucleotides. Based on the sequence obtained, a new horse...
Mitochondrial DNA and the origins of the domestic horse. The place and date of the domestication of the horse has long been a matter for debate among archaeologists. To determine whether horses were domesticated from one or several ancestral horse populations, we sequenced the mitochondrial D-loop for 318 horses from 25 oriental and European breeds, including American mustangs. Adding these sequences to previously published data, the total comes to 652, the largest currently available database. From these sequences, a phylogenetic network was constructed that showed that most of the 93 different mitochondrial (mt)DNA types grouped into 17 distinct p...
Equine oocyte maturation with epidermal growth factor. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) has been shown to have a positive effect during oocyte in vitro maturation in several species. This study was performed to establish the capacity of equine oocytes to undergo nuclear maturation in the presence of EGF and to localise its receptor in the equine ovary by immunohistochemical methods. Oocytes were obtained by aspiration and subsequent scraping from equine follicles (15-25 mm diameter) and cultured in 3 different treatment groups for 36 h: control Group (modified TCM 199 with 0.003% BSA), EGF Group (TCM-199 supplemented with 50 ng/ml EGF) and EMS Group ...
Effect of tapered normal and interval training on performance of Standardbred pacers. Human athletes taper or reduce their training load before a race to enhance performance, apparently because recovery from the effects of fatigue occurs faster than the loss of fitness from the reduced training. However, there appear to be no previous studies of tapering of equine athletes. Our aim in the present study was, therefore, to investigate the efficacy of tapering with Standardbred pacers. We determined the effect of repeated cycles of tapered training on performance of Standardbred pacers. After 8 weeks of jogging and 3 x 2 week cycles of pace work, 19 horses were randomised to a tap...
Molecular characterisation of carbohydrate digestion and absorption in equine small intestine. Dietary carbohydrates, when digested and absorbed in the small intestine of the horse, provide a substantial fraction of metabolisable energy. However, if levels in diets exceed the capacity of the equine small intestine to digest and absorb them, they reach the hindgut, cause alterations in microbial populations and the metabolite products and predispose the horse to gastrointestinal diseases. We set out to determine, at the molecular level, the mechanisms, properties and the site of expression of carbohydrate digestive and absorptive functions of the equine small intestinal brush-border memb...
Three-dimensional architecture of the myosalpinx in the mare as revealed by scanning electron microscopy. The three-dimensional architecture of the myosalpinx in the mare was investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after removal of interstitial connective tissue with NaOH digestion. In the extramural portion of the tubo-uterine junction (TUJ), isthmus, and ampulla, the myosalpinx architecture is represented by a unique muscular structure which runs from the mesosalpinx to the base of the inner mucous folds. This unique muscular structure consists mainly of bundles of muscular fibers independent of one another, which show a multiple spatial arrangement and form a complex network...
Modelling equine influenza 1: a stochastic model of within-yard epidemics. This paper demonstrates that a simple stochastic model can capture the features of an epidemic of equine influenza in unvaccinated horses. When the model is modified to consider vaccinated horses, we find that vaccination dramatically reduces the incidence and size of epidemics. Although occasional larger outbreaks can still occur, these are exceptional. We then look at the effects of vaccination on a yard of horses, and in particular at the relationship between pre-challenge antibody level and quantity of virus shed when challenged with the virus. While on average, a high antibody level impli...
Comparison of VHS video recording system with apple Macintosh-based image analysis and modified CODA-3 systems in equine motion analysis. A VHS video--computer-based image analysis combination is described as a low sampling rate motion analysis system. Video recordings were taken indoor without any artificial illumination at 25 fps sampling rate. The horse studied was running on a high-speed treadmill and observed at 1.6, 4 and 7 m/s velocities at walk, trot and canter, respectively. Left forelimb and hindlimb were recorded separately from lateral view. For comparison, parallel CODA-3 recordings were taken at the same time from the same position. Joint angles were expressed and compared in angle-time diagrams. Sampling of both s...
Analysis of protein ions in the range 3000-12000 Th under partial (no discharge) atmospheric pressure chemical ionization conditions using ion trap mass spectrometry. A new approach, based on the use of atmospheric pressure chemical ionization ion trap mass spectrometry (APCI-ITMS), but without a corona discharge, was investigated for application to creating and monitoring protein ions. It must be emphasized that APCI is not usually used in protein analysis. In order to verify the applicability of the proposed method to the analysis of proteins, two standard proteins (horse cytochrome c and horse myoglobin) were analyzed. A mixture of the two proteins was also analyzed showing that this novel approach, based on the use of APCI, can be used in the analysis o...
Age-related morphometry of equine calcified cartilage. Although there are many studies in the equine literature focused on articular diseases and the aetiology of osteoarthritis, few have concentrated on normal articular structures and how they change with age. The objective of this investigation was to study the thickness and morphology of the calcified cartilage layer of the distal metacarpus over a range of ages. A parasagittal slab of bone was sectioned from the region of sesamoid contact on the medial condyle of the metacarpi from 34 horses. The slab of bone was preserved, dehydrated and embedded, undecalcified, in methylmethacrylate and then...
Development of biochemical heterogeneity of articular cartilage: influences of age and exercise. The objective of this study was to document the development of biochemical heterogeneity from birth to maturity in equine articular cartilage, and to test the hypothesis that the amount of exercise during early life may influence this process. Neonatal foals showed no biochemical heterogeneity whatsoever, in contrast to a clear biochemical heterogeneity in mature horses. The process of formation of site differences was almost completed in exercised foals age 5 months, but was delayed in those deprived of exercise. For some collagen-related parameters, this delay was not compensated for after a...
A study of the ultrastructure and staining characteristics of the ‘dental star’ of equine incisors. The objective of this study was to examine the diameter, extent, orientation and contents of dentinal tubules in order to validate the hypothesis of pigment penetration into the dental star of equine incisival occlusal surfaces. The time of appearance and the configuration of the dental star on the incisival occlusal surface are macroscopically visible features that, along with other more reliable parameters, are used for the determination of horses' age. Although dental stars are an integral part of the equine incisor occlusive surface, the exact nature and microstructure of the dental star a...
Dietary soyabean oil depresses the apparent digestibility of fibre in trotters when substituted for an iso-energetic amount of corn starch or glucose. The aim of the present study was to establish whether the inhibitory effect of fat feeding on fibre digestion has been underestimated due to the substitution of fat for corn starch. A high fat intake has been shown to lower total intestinal tract apparent digestibility of crude fibre in horses but, since fat was substituted for nonstructural carbohydrates, including starch, the specific effect of fat could not be ascertained. The possibility could not be excluded that starch also inhibits fibre digestibility, so that the fat effect observed earlier would have been underestimated. In this study...
Chemoattractant properties of conditioned medium from equine corpora lutea collected at various stages of the oestrous cycle. This study investigated the chemotactic activity of equine CL at different stages of the oestrous cycle. The purpose of this was to ascertain whether luteal tissue itself contributes to the massive influx of leucocytes around the time of natural and induced luteal regression. Corpora lutea were collected at different stages of dioestrus and after treatment with PGF2alpha. Culture medium harvested after incubation of luteal tissue for 20 h was chemotactic for both polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cells in late dioestrus (before functional regression) as well as after natural and induced luteal...
Cytological analysis of equine bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Part 1: Comparison of sequential and pooled aliquots. The aim of this study was to investigate whether initial equine bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) aliquots were more representative of bronchial cytology that bronchiolar and alveolar cytology. Cell viability and total nucleated (TCC), differential (DCC) and absolute cell counts of cytocentrifuged preparations of 3 sequentially collected BALF aliquots (Aliquots 1-3) were compared with those of pooled BALF (Aliquot 4) to assess whether all aliquots were representative of the lavaged lung segment. BALF samples (n = 21) were collected from control horses (n = 5) or heaves-affected horses (n = 5...
Evolution of the six horse IGHG genes and corresponding immunoglobulin gamma heavy chains. It is generally assumed that the different mammalian IgG isotypes have developed during evolution by duplications of a common ancestor gamma heavy chain constant region gene (IGHG). In contrast to other species studied so far, which express between one and four IGHG genes, the horse (Equus caballus) genome contains six IGHG genes, and it has been postulated that they all can be expressed. For determination of the evolutionary history of the six horse IGHG genes, genomic DNA and cDNA of the IGHG genes were sequenced. The structure of these genes with reference to exons and introns was determine...
