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.
van Buiten A, Remmen JL, Colenbrander B.In horses reproductive performance is usually expressed as the foaling rate. This rate ranges from 40% to 80%. Three major factors contribute to this variation namely, the stallion, the mare and management. In this study, the performance of Shetland ponies kept in three different breeding systems was investigated retrospectively. In one breeding system, the stud farmer travelled with his stallion (n = 9) to the mare (system 1) while in another system, the stallion (n = 3) stayed at the stud farm and the mares came to the stallion (system 2). The last system was pasture breeding (system 3; n = ...
Godard S, Schibler L, Oustry A, Cribiu EP, Guérin G.A horse BAC library was constructed with about 40,000 clones and mean insert size of 110 kb representing a 1.5 genome equivalent coverage and a probability of finding a single sequence of 0.75. It was characterized by PCR screening of about 130 sequences of horse microsatellites and exonic gene sequences retrieved from databases. BACs containing 8 microsatellites and 12 genes were subsequently localized by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) on chromosomes. Two linkage groups were newly assigned to chromosomes: LG2 to ECA3 and LG5 to ECA24, and five linkage groups were also oriented--LG3,...
Cheng FP, Fazeli AR, Voorhout WF, Tremoleda JL, Bevers MM, Colenbrander B.The aim of this study was to investigate whether mare follicular fluid (FF) induces the acrosome reaction (AR) in stallion spermatozoa and, if so, to identify the component in FF responsible for it. Furthermore, the effect of this component on sperm-zona binding and the subsequent AR was studied. Pooled FF, aspirated from the preovulatory follicles of mares in oestrous, was used and aliquots of the fluid were treated with charcoal to remove steroids (CFF). Charcoal treatment reduced the progesterone concentration in FF from 153 to < 2 ng/mL. Spermatozoa from fertile stallions collected by a...
Wilsdorf G, Graf G.Since the early twenties several institutes of the Veterinary College in Berlin were involved in the development of microchemical analyzing methods for doping-alkaloids and clinical studies in doped race horse. This research made it possible to build national acting structures against the abuse of doping in race horses, which soon became a model for similar activities in other countries, for instance Greece, Japan and the United States. Concerning the results of their research, the scientists of the Veterinary College in Berlin have got an enormous part in fighting against doping in race horse...
Hinterhofer C, Stanek C, Binder K.The elastic (E-) modulus of hoof horn samples as a function of moisture content was determined from different segments of the equine hoof. 110 hoof horn specimens with different pigmentation taken from six adult warm-blooded horses with no obvious pathological changes within t he foot were used for the 177 tension and bending tests which were performed in accordance with ASTM D 5026, ASTM D 5023 and DIN 53.457. E-moduli were determined under physiological conditions with mean 761.8, SD +/- 295.4 N/mm for dorsal wall samples, 708 +/- 280.4 N/mm2 for lateral wall samples, 230 +/- 92.4 N/mm2 for ...
Muylle S, Simoens P, Lauwers H, Van Loon G.The dentition of 170 Arab horses of known ages was examined and compared with the dental characteristics of trotter horses and Belgian draft horses of the same ages. The results indicated that inaccuracies in the determination of the age of horses by their dentition may result, at least partly, from differences between the breeds of horse involved because there were some major differences between the three breeds examined. These differences increased as the horses' true age increased. In general, the rate of dental wear was slower in the Arab horses than in trotter horses and Belgian draft hor...
Hammond SA, Issel CJ, Montelaro RC.Equine immunological research is hindered by the lack of a simple yet reliable general protocol by which to assay CTL activity specific for viral or parasitic antigens. We present here the first comprehensive analysis of the parameters necessary to reliably culture equine T cells and to analyze the antigen specific cytolytic activity of T lymphocytes utilizing the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) infection of outbred ponies as a source for in vivo primed T lymphocytes. Effective long-term in vitro culture of equine T cells was determined to require minimally 200 U/ml of recombinant human ...
Goudet G, Belin F, Bézard J, Gérard N.In the equine species, a large proportion of oocytes fail to complete meiosis during in-vitro culture. The biochemical and molecular basis of this failure is unknown. The meiotic cell cycle is controlled in part by the maturation-promoting factor (MPF) and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). In this study, we evaluated the oocyte competence for in-vitro maturation and the expression of MPF components (p34cdc2 and cyclin B) and MAPK after in-vitro culture. The maturation rate was influenced by the culture medium and the physiological stage of the mare at the time of oocyte recovery. We...
Douglas JE, Biddick TL, Thomason JJ, Jofriet JC.The equine laminar junction plays a vital role in transferring the forces of weight-bearing between the epidermal hoof wall and the bone of the third phalanx, but the way in which it performs this function is poorly understood. Using samples from sites varying proximodistally and circumferentially around the hoof, the stress/strain behaviour of this tissue was characterised in three directions: radial tension and proximodistal and mediolateral shear. The influences of toe angle and length were also examined. For all three test directions, the modulus of elasticity increased with increasing str...
Palmer JL, Bertone AL, Malemud CJ, Mansour J.To determine if arthroscopic synovectomy in normal and inflamed joints had temporal or site-related effects on articular cartilage. Methods: Alterations in equine third carpal bone articular cartilage were studied at two time periods: groups 1 and 2 (6 weeks) and groups 3 and 4 (2 weeks) after synovectomy in normal (groups 2 and 4) and inflamed carpi (groups 1 and 3). Methods: 16 carpi from eight horses. Methods: Biochemical and biomechanical properties of dorsal and palmar articular cartilage were determined by radioloabeling, proteoglycan (PG) extraction, chromatography, electrophoresis, and...
Mehlhorn H, Schein E.The horse-parasitizing species Babesia equi Laveran, 1901 was redescribed as Theileria equi Mehlhorn, Schein 1998 and, thus, transferred from one valid genus to another. This transfer was needed since it turned out that this horse parasite showed the relevant characteristics of theilerians with regard to biological data, morphological features, biochemical properties, and molecular biological relationships.
Gaarder JE, Rebhun WC, Ball MA, Patten V, Shin S, Erb H.To compare initial clinical appearances, healing mechanisms, risk factors, and outcomes of horses with fungal keratitis. Methods: Retrospective analysis. Methods: 52 horses (53 eyes) with fungal keratitis. Methods: Medical records and clinical photographs of eyes were reviewed. Keratomycoses were categorized on the basis of clinical appearance at initial examination and pattern of healing. Results: Five distinct forms of mycotic keratitis were recognized. Of 53 affected eyes, 34 (64%) retained sight and had varying degrees of corneal scarring after treatment, 6 (11%) had a cosmetic appearance ...
Schulman ML, Bolton LA.A sunflower-based feed supplement grossly contaminated with the seed of a Datura sp. resulted in severe signs of poisoning in 2 horses. One horse died peracutely of acute gastric dilatation and rupture following ingestion of the contaminated feed. The 2nd horse developed unresponsive paralytic ileus that led to euthanasia. Examination of the feed and gastrointestinal contents of both horses showed a high proportion of the characteristic Datura sp. seeds. The clinical signs and pathology in both cases were consistent with intoxication by the parasympatholytic alkaloid components of Datura sp.
Harris PA, Marlin DJ, Gray J.In order to investigate the effect of age, sex and month on the response of plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatine kinase (CK) to exercise, blood samples were collected once a month between March and September from a group of 40 2- and 3-year-old (2yo and 3yo) thoroughbred racehorses (kept under the same managemental regimen) at rest before exercise (PRE) and at 2 (2H) and 24 h (24H) post-exercise. The absolute change in activities between the 2H and PRE samples (2H delta) and the 24H and PRE samples (24H delta) was also calculated. Age had a significant effect on all measured an...
Lunn DP, Holmes MA, Antczak DF, Agerwal N, Baker J, Bendali-Ahcene S, Blanchard-Channell M, Byrne KM, Cannizzo K, Davis W, Hamilton MJ, Hannant D....The final assignment of antibody clusters for leucocyte antigens and immunoglobulins, as described in detail in Sections 3 and 4, is summarized in Table 4. Together with other mAbs developed outside of ELAW II (Table 9) this pool of reagents represent a powerful array of tools for the study of equine immunity. The Second Equine Leucocyte Antigen Workshop made considerable advances in pursuing the objectives of establishing the specificities of mAbs and achieving consensus on the nomenclature for equine leucocyte and immunoglobulin molecules. Of equal importance, several productive collaboratio...
Cottrell DF, Jones AF, Potter KE.Electromanometric recordings of caecal pressures were made in chronically cannulated ponies. Endoscopy allowed direct observation of the caecal base and cupola while recording intracaecal pressures and enabled a functional interpretation of caecal pressure profiles. Using gas-tight seals, the caecal gas cap baseline pressure (tone) was usually below atmosphere, becoming less negative postprandially. Diurnal variations were observed in the amplitude and frequency of caecal pressure profiles and the direction of caecal movements, during which intra-caecal gas cap pressures briefly became positiv...
Khalil AM, Murakami N, Kaseda Y.Jugular vein blood samples were collected from 23 young and sexual mature feral stallions to examine the relationship between plasma testosterone concentration and age, breeding season or harem size. Testosterone concentration increased with the age of the stallions until they formed their own harems, at about 4 to 6 years old. Seasonal variations in testosterone concentrations were observed, and found to be significantly higher (P<0.001) throughout the breeding season than non-breeding season, from 3 years of age. Testosterone levels were correlated with harem size for individual stallions...
Alfredson H, Hedberg G, Bergström E, Nordström P, Lorentzon R.To evaluate whether the type of weight-bearing loading subjected to the skeleton during horseback-riding was associated with differences in bone mass and muscle strength of the thigh, we investigated bone mass and isokinetic muscle strength in 20 female horse riders (age 17.9 +/- 0.6 years) who were riding 7.0 +/- 3.4 hours/week, and 20 nonactive females (age 17.8 +/- 1.1 years). The groups were matched according to age, weight, and height. Areal bone mineral density was measured in total body, head, lumbar spine, right femoral neck, Ward's triangle, and trochanter, the whole dominant and nond...
Fey K, Jonigkeit E, Moritz A.Equine and canine Cushing's syndrome, both of which are the result of elevated cortisol levels, show some different pathogenetical and clinical features and require different therapeutical approaches. In older horses the equine Cushing's syndrome (ECS) is not uncommon. Nearly all cases result from excessive hormone production in cells of the pars intermedia of the pituitary. Besides elevated levels of adrenocorticotrope hormone (ACTH), high peripheral levels of pro-opiomelanocortin, beta-endorphines and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone can be measured. In middle-aged and geriatric dogs, Cu...
Yang GC, Croaker D, Zhang AL, Manglick P, Cartmill T, Cass D.Lethal white foal syndrome (LWFS) is a congenital anomaly of horses characterized by a white coat colour and aganglionosis of the bowel, which is similar to Hirschsprung disease (HSCR). We decided to investigate possible mutations of the endothelin-B receptor gene ( EDNRB ) in LWFS as recent studies in mutant rodents and some patients have demonstrated EDNRB defects. First, we identified a full-length cDNA for horse EDNRB . This cDNA fragment contained a 1329 bp open reading frame which encoded 443 amino acid residues. The predicted amino acid sequence was 89, 91 and 85% identical to human, bo...
Howard RD, McIlwraith CW, Trotter GW, Nyborg JK.To clone equine interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) and equine interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta) and determine their full-length cDNA sequences. Methods: The mRNA isolated from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cultured equine monocytes was reverse transcribed, and a cDNA library was constructed in a lambda phage. The cDNA library was screened by means of plaque hybridization with radiolabeled human IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta cDNA probes. The cDNA nucleotide sequences for equine IL-1 alpha and equine IL-1 beta were determined by use of the dideoxy chain termination technique. The cDNA sequences were analy...
Merlin A, Ravinet N, Sévin C, Bernez-Romand M, Petry S, Delerue M, Briot L, Chauvin A, Tapprest J, Hébert L.Cyathostomins are considered as the most prevalent and pathogenic parasites of grazing horses. The development on pastures of the free-living stages of these gastrointestinal worms is particularly influenced by outdoor temperature. Understanding the bionomics of free-living stages is an important prerequisite to implement mathematical models designed to assess the parasitic risk for grazing equids. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of 3 constant temperatures under laboratory conditions (10 ± 1 °C, 23 ± 2 °C, 30 ± 2 °C) and one fluctuating temperature under outdoor c...
Hernlund E, Egenvall A, Peterson ML, Mahaffey CA, Roepstorff L.Increased knowledge of the influence of stride type on hoof impact accelerations for fore and hind limbs could lead to a more complete picture of hoof-ground interactions in equine athletes. Hoof accelerations were quantified for each hoof of five show jumping horses using two orthogonal single axis ± 250 g accelerometers. Accelerations were recorded when cantering horses jumped fences of varying types (upright and oxer) and heights (90-130 cm) on three different surface conditions. Strides were identified as normal canter strides, take-off strides and landing strides. Descriptive hoof impact...
Hall SE, Nixon B, Aitken RJ.Feral horses are a significant pest species in many parts of the world, contributing to land erosion, weed dispersal and the loss of native flora and fauna. There is an urgent need to modify feral horse management strategies to achieve public acceptance and long-term population control. One way to achieve this is by using non-surgical methods of sterilisation, which are suitable in the context of this mobile and long-lived species. In this review we consider the benefits of implementing novel mechanisms designed to elicit a state of permanent sterility (including redox cycling to generate oxid...
Turner DD, Garcia MC, Miller KF, Holtan DW, Ginther OJ.The influence of the ovaries and presence of a foal on periparturient concentrations of FSH and LH were studied in 19 Pony mares. In intact and ovariectomized mares, mean concentrations of FSH fluctuated between 1.1and 9.9 ng/ml on Days -14 to-1 before parturition (Day 0). A surge of FSH occurred in all mares in association with parturition. From Days 1 to 10, the high levels of FSH gradually decreased in the intact group to the minimal concentrations that occur during oestrus, but remained elevated in the ovariectomized mares. There were no significant pre-partum changes in LH in either type ...
Sinnemaa L, Järvimaa T, Lehmonen N, Mäkelä O, Reilas T, Sankari S, Katila T.The effect of artificial insemination (AI) volume on uterine contractility and inflammation and on elimination of semen in the reproductive tract of mares was examined for 4 h after AI using two methods, scintigraphy and ultrasonography. The same doses were used in both methods: 2 and 100 ml of skim milk-extended frozen semen. In the scintigraphic study, the number of reproductively normal mares was four per group and in the ultrasonographic study five per group. For scintigraphy, the semen was radiolabelled with technetium-99m. The static scintigrams were acquired immediately before and 30, 6...
Manso Filho HC, McKeever KH, Gordon ME, Manso HE, Lagakos WS, Wu G, Watford M.Glutamine is concentrated within skeletal muscle, where it has been proposed to play a regulatory role in maintaining protein homeostasis. The work presented here addressed the hypothesis that glutamine would be the most abundant free alpha-AA in plasma and skeletal muscle in the foal during the first year of life. Glycine, however, was the most abundant free alpha-AA in plasma at birth and between 3 and 12 mo of age. The concentration of glutamine, the second most abundant AA at birth, increased through the first 7 d (P < 0.05) and then returned to values similar to those at birth. This re...
Herholz C, Phillip M, Straub R, Ueltschi G, Busato A.The elimination of carbon dioxide from the lung can be used to monitor ventilation and perfusion, and 99mtechnetium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetate (99mTc-DTPA) clearance is a highly sensitive index of alveolar epithelial integrity, which is a presupposition for effective gas exchange. The aim of this study was to determine whether a correlation exists between indices of lung function derived from the single breath diagram for CO2, and 99mTc-DTPA clearance in horses with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The rate of 99mTc-DTPA elimination was negatively and substantially correlated with th...
Goudet G, Leclercq L, Bézard J, Duchamp G, Guillaume D, Palmer E.This study reports the follicular growth and oocyte competence for in vitro maturation and fertilization under the influence of circulating eCG. Three to 7 successive ultrasound-guided follicular punctures were performed on 4 pregnant mares from Day 23 until Day 75 of pregnancy and on 5 control mares whose embryonic vesicle was crushed on Day 22. All follicles larger than 5 mm were punctured 24 h after the largest follicle reached 18 mm. Expanded cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) were stained at recovery to analyze the nuclear stage. Compact COCs were cultured in vitro for 46 h and either staine...
Chui YC, Esaw B, Laviolette B.Urine samples collected from a horse after intramuscular administration of 40 mg of azaperone were extracted at pH 10 before and after acid hydrolysis. The extracts were concentrated and analysed by LC-MS-MS. Two N-dealkylated metabolites, N-despyridinylazaperol and N-despyridinylazaperone, and a low concentration of azaperone were detected in the unhydrolysed urine. Six metabolites; hydroxyazaperol, two hydroxyazaperones, azaperol, N-despyridinylazaperol and N-despyridinylazaperone were detected in the hydrolysed urine extracts. Using XAD-2 resin extraction, three glucuronide conjugated azape...
Smith JE, Erickson HH, Debowes RM, Clark M.Five horses were exercised at 10m/sec at a 3 degree incline for 2 mins. Packed cell volume, erythrocyte count, haemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume, plasma protein, total white cell count and lymphocytes increased significantly in blood samples taken after exercise, compared with those taken before exercise; but mean corpuscular haemoglobin and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration decreased. Erythrocytes were more resistant to osmotic stress after exercise, but their shape and degree of deformity were unaffected by exercise.
de Souza AF, Pascual CJ, Maia BT, do Valle De Zoppa AL.This study aimed to evaluate the distribution of dye at two perineural injection sites of the palmar/plantar nerves and describe their anatomical variations of positioning at the level of the distal metacarpus/metatarsus in horses. Two ml of 1% methylene blue solution was injected in 24 limbs (12 forelimbs and 12 hindlimbs) of horse cadavers at two different points: Group 1: between the branch of the suspensory ligament and deep digital flexor tendon, and Group 2: between the deep and superficial digital flexor tendons. This was followed by dissection and evaluation of the solution diffusion. ...
Huhtinen M, Reilas T, Katila T.The pregnancy rate is lower in mares inseminated at the first post-partum (p.p.) oestrus (40-50%) compared with pregnancy rates in subsequent oestrous cycles (55-65%). The causes of the lowered pregnancy rate are not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to examine if embryonic defects could be one of the reasons for lowered pregnancy rate. A total of 23 p.p. and 14 non-lactating control mares were flushed 7 days after detection of ovulation. Embryo recovery rate was 48% and 71% in p.p. and control mares, respectively (p = 0.16). Embryos were photographed, measured, graded and sta...
Watson ED, Pedersen HG, Thomson SR, Fraser HM.Control of the equine estrous cycle was studied by suppressing gonadotropin secretion by administration of a GnRH antagonist to cyclic pony mares. Four mares received vehicle (control cycle) or a GnRH antagonist, Antarelix (100 microg/kg) on Day 8 of diestrus, and blood samples were collected at 15-min intervals from 0 to 16 h, 24 to 36 h, and daily until the next ovulation. Ovarian activity was monitored by transrectal ultrasonography, and measurement of plasma concentrations of progesterone and estradiol. Antagonist treatment eliminated large diestrous pulses of LH. Progesterone concentratio...
Tezuka A, Takasu M, Tozaki T, Nagano AJ.Taishu horses are a native Japanese breed, of which only 41 individuals remained on Tsushima Island in 2018. Their genetic diversity is considered lower than that of other Japanese native horse breeds; thus, it needs to be investigated for sustainable conservation of this breed. Historical records revealed that several Taishu individuals were released areas off-Tsushima Island in mid-1980s. At present, Taishu horses living outside of Tsushima Island, hereafter referred to as Non-Tsushima Taishus (NTTs), are tagged. However, the genetic structure of the NTT individuals remains unclear, and such...
Urwin VE, Allen WR.The concentrations of follicle stimulating hormone, luteinising hormone and progesterone were measured in serial blood samples taken throughout one or more oestrous cycles from 12 Thoroughbred mares, some of which exhibited single and others twin ovulations. The resulting profiles clearly demonstrated that no simple relationship exists between circulating gonadotrophin levels and subsequent ovulation rate in the mare. However, plasma progesterone concentrations during dioestrus are, as expected, higher following twin than single ovulations. The findings suggest that the underlying cause of twi...
Donaldson LL.In the United States, more than 75% of equine athletes are reported to suffer from exercise-related haemorrhage of the respiratory tract (Voynick and Sweeney, 1986; Sweeney et al., 1990). Fiberoptic endoscopy has traced the source of blood to beyond the bifurcation of the trachea. In 1981, the term exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) was introduced (Pascoe et al., 1981). Racehorses of all breeds, polo ponies and three-day event horses of mixed heritage, even foxhunters, may 'bleed' (Voynick and Sweeney, 1986; Pascoe et al., 1981; Sweeney and Soma, 1983; Hillidge, 1986). Any horse wor...
Mittelholzer C, Johansson I, Olsson AK, Ronéus M, Klingeborn B, Belák S.Recovery of infectious Equine arteritis virus (EAV) from the semen of persistently infected Swedish stallions was attempted by classical cell culture isolation and by transfection of extracted total RNA. Whereas virus from semen samples stored for several months at -20 degrees C or from extended semen could only be recovered by transfection of extracted RNA, isolation in cell culture was achieved readily with fresh, unextended semen stored at -70 degrees C or directly used after sampling. In parallel, the viruses were examined in the variable region of the large glycoprotein GP5 by nested RT-P...
Spyrou V, Papanastassopoulou M, Psychas V, Billinis Ch, Koumbati M, Vlemmas J, Koptopoulos G.There appears to be a lack of information concerning responses of mules to natural infection or experimental inoculation with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). In the present study EIAV was isolated from mules, for the first time, and its pathogenicity in naturally infected and experimentally inoculated animals was investigated. Two naturally infected (A and B) and three EIAV free mules (C, D and E) were used for this purpose. Mule A developed clinical signs, whereas mule B remained asymptomatic until the end of the study. Mules C and D were each inoculated with 10ml of blood from mule A ...
Hall C, Liley C, Murphy J, Crundall D.Individuals develop visual skills whilst participating in sport. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of reported riding expertise on the recall of visual information relating to show-jumps. Relevant (F1) and irrelevant (F2) points of focus were identified in 22 photographs of show-jumps. Participants were students (n=40) with varying levels of horse-riding ability. After viewing each photograph for 4s, the task was to identify F1s or F2s from four alternatives viewed for 10s. F1s were recalled significantly more than F2s (P<0.001). Riding expertise did not affect overall recall but ...
Karatt TK, Sathiq MA, Laya S, Karakka Kal AK, Subhahar MB, M P MA, Philip M, Graiban FM, Caveney MR.Since 2010, there has been an increasing number of adverse analytical findings related to selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) in competitive sports. It emphasizes the importance of comprehensive doping control analytical procedures that are capable of detecting SARM misuse. Methods: In this study, it is described how LY2452473, a SARM, was metabolized in thoroughbred horses after a single-dose oral administration and in vitro with equine liver microsome preparations. An investigation of the metabolism of LY2452473 in horses' urine, plasma, and hair matrices was carried out during th...
Ghezelsoflou H, Hamidi P, Gharahveysi S.The Iranian Turkoman horse is considered one of the major categories of Iranian native horses. The aim of this research was to study the genetic and nongenetic factors affecting body conformation traits in Iranian Turkoman horses. For this, measurements were performed on body conformation traits of 121 horses. To study the effect of nongenetic factors, the Lsmeans procedure was used. Variance components and heritability were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood method (REML) and AI-REML convergence algorithm. The standard deviation was estimated to be 7.04 cm for croup depth and 2.08 cm ...
Muylle S, Simoens P, Lauwers H.The distribution of intratubular (peritubular) dentine was studied by scanning electron microscopy in 12 equine incisor teeth. High levels of intratubular dentine were found in the peripheral regions of the dentine. In these areas, a marked asymmetry occurred, as intratubular dentine was predominantly deposited onto the side of the dentinal tubular walls nearest to the dentino-enamel junction. The quantity and asymmetry of intratubular dentine were reduced towards the centre of the tooth. The significance of these variations in the amount and distribution of intratubular dentine between the di...
Okólski A, Babusik P, Tischner M, Lietz W.Comparisons were made between 2 methods of oocyte recovery from the ovarian follicles of slaughtered mares: 500 oocytes (3 per mare) were obtained by aspiration of follicular fluid from ovaries of 162 mares, and 120 oocytes (8 per mare) by isolation and rupture of follicles from ovaries of 14 mares. In the oocytes recovered after rupture of follicles, 89.2% were morphologically unchanged, in comparison to 29.3% obtained by aspiration of follicular fluid. Stallion spermatozoa capacitated in vitro were tested on zona-free hamster oocytes. The stallion spermatozoa were washed in TCM-199 and prein...
Yang F, Wu S, Yang W, Yu J, Liu B, Zeng S.To study the effects of exercise on donkey semen parameters, Dezhou donkey (Equus asinus) jackasses (n = 18) were assigned to three groups: control (CN, n = 6), 1-hour exercise (1 h EX, n = 6) and 2-hour exercise (2 h EX, n = 6) groups. They were exercised with a walking machine for 3 days/week for 8 weeks. Semen parameters and reproductive hormones were evaluated weekly. The heart rate, rectal temperature, blood haematology indexes, and the body condition score (BCS) were also measured. Results showed that the ejaculation volume increased while the sperm concentration decreased after ...
Zetterström SM, Johansson BC, Carmalt JL.OBJECTIVE To evaluate clinical and tenoscopic findings in a large group of horses undergoing surgery of the carpal flexor sheath (CFS) and determine whether any of the presurgical clinical signs were associated with tenoscopic findings. ANIMALS 242 horses that had undergone diagnostic and therapeutic tenoscopy of the CFS because of aseptic tenosynovitis. PROCEDURES Medical and tenoscopic video records (when available) of 242 horses undergoing tenoscopy of the CFS at a single equine clinic between January 2005 and June 2014 were reviewed. Tenoscopic findings were categorized as present or absen...
Walker AM, Martin A, Pfau T, Sparkes EL, Wilson AM, Witte TH.Race jockey training is demanding and technical. Increased horse care costs and demands on time have led to greater availability and use of racehorse simulators during training. Little is known about the accuracy of the simulated movement and therefore how effective they are for developing the desired technique. We quantified and compared sacral rotation and displacement vectors for a racehorse simulator and a real galloping horse. A single inertial measurement unit was placed on the sacrum of six horses (horse) during a training gallop along an all-weather seven furlong gallop and on the high...
Bousquet D, Guillomot M, Betteridge KJ.The capsule which surrounds the pre-attachment equine embryo has been compared with the zona pellucida (zp) that it replaces, as well as with the rabbit blastocyst coverings, by means of physicochemical and immunological methods. Trypsin solution at pH varying between 7.5 and 9.0 completely solubilized the capsule, as did Na borohydride. However, solutions of pH 2.0 or 12.0, urea, high temperature (65 degrees C, 60 min or 80 degrees C, 30 min), mercaptoethanol and dithiothreitol were able to solubilize the zp but not the capsule at the concentrations used. Indirect immunofluorescence on cryost...
Kramer KJ, Kagan IA, Lawrence LM, Smith SR.Ethanol-soluble carbohydrates (ESCs) of cool-season grasses include mono- and disaccharides and sometimes short-chain fructans, which may exacerbate the risk of pasture-associated laminitis. A calibration for prediction of ESC concentrations by near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) was developed from 323 samples of four cool-season grass species (orchardgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass) across 10 cultivars collected in central Kentucky in the morning and afternoon over two growing seasons. The calibration, which had accuracy above 95%, was used to predict ...
Renaudin CD, Conley AJ.Methods to diagnose and monitor equine pregnancy continue to advance with improved instrumentation enabling the development of novel, non-invasive approaches to assess fetal well-being and viability using ultrasound and endocrine testing. From early embryonic loss to placentitis, that is typically encountered later in gestation, fetal viability and development as well as placental function can be evaluated using two fundamentally different, structural and functional, approaches. Ultrasound provides structural information on embryonic and fetal growth using such parameters as combined thickness...
Johnson KL, Hespel AM, Price JM, de Swarte M.Radiology can be a challenging subject for students and finding new techniques that help improve their understanding could have positive effects in their clinical practice. The purpose of this prospective experimental study was to implement the use of color-coded, three-dimensional-printed, handheld equine carpus models into a radiographic anatomy course and evaluate the impact objectively and subjectively using quizzes and student response surveys. A first-year veterinary class was randomly divided into two similarly sized groups (groups A and B) for an equine normal radiographic anatomy labo...
