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.
Veeramachaneni DN, Sawyer HR.The presence of atypical germ cells resembling carcinoma in situ of human testis is reported for the first time in an unilaterally cryptorchid stallion. These cells were found in association with developing intratubular seminoma indicating they represented carcinoma in situ.
Witham CL, Stull CL.To examine metabolic responses of chronically starved horses to refeeding with 3 isoenergetic diets. Methods: Uncontrolled clinical trial. Methods: 22 mature mixed-breed horses that were emaciated but otherwise clinically normal. Methods: Horses were fed 1 of 3 diets: alfalfa hay, oat hay, or a combination diet of half oat hay and half commercially prepared ration. Digestible energy of diets was gradually increased throughout the refeeding period. One pre- and 4 postprandial blood samples were obtained daily, and analyses included RBC count, Hct, and determination of hemoglobin, glucose, insul...
Becker CK, Savelberg HH, Buchner HH, Barneveld A.To evaluate clinical and biomechanical consequences of desmotomy of the accessory ligament (AL) of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) of equine forelimbs and determine whether this procedure is a viable treatment for chronic desmitis of the AL-DDFT. Methods: 6 adult Standardbred trotters. Methods: Biomechanical recordings obtained before and 6 months after desmotomy were compared. Walk and trot joint angles, ground reaction forces, peak joint moments, and tendon forces were assessed. Results: Within 10 days after surgery, all horses were sound at a trot. Swelling, increased carpal flexion i...
Lester GD, Merritt AM, Neuwirth L, Vetro-Widenhouse T, Steible C, Rice B, Mauragis DF, Madison JB.To determine normal cecal emptying curves for liquid- and solid-phase radiolabeled markers and to further define myoelectric patterns of the ileum, cecum, and colon in healthy ponies. Methods: 6 adult ponies. Methods: A cecal cannula and 12 bipolar Ag-AgCl recording electrodes were sutured to the ileum, cecum, and right ventral colon of the ponies. Radioisotopes, indium 111-labeled diethyltriaminepentaacetic acid (111In-DTPA) and technetium 99m (99mTc)-labeled sulfur colloid bound to egg albumen, were introduced through the cannula directly into the cecal body. Movement of these markers from t...
Rakhit S, Murdoch R, Wilson SM.Adrenaline, forskolin and ATP all evoked accumulation of cyclic AMP in equine sweat gland epithelial cells, although the response to adrenaline was more transient than that to forskolin and ATP. Cells preincubated in adrenaline (10 micromol l-1, 32 min) showed essentially complete, homologous desensitisation, and this phenomenon reversed slowly (half-time 6.3+/-0.9 h). After 10 min of recovery from preincubation in adrenaline, isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX, 5 mmol l-1) had no effect upon the desensitisation and the cells showed no loss of sensitivity to ATP and forskolin. After 10 h, however, t...
van den Hoogen BM, van Weeren PR, Lopes-Cardozo M, van Golde LM, Barneveld A, van de Lest CH.The amount of uronic acid residues in samples containing glycosaminoglycans or pectin is an important parameter in the quantitative and structural analysis of these complex carbohydrates. This paper describes a method to determine the content of uronic acids in biological samples, using conventional polystyrene microtiter plates and microtiter plate-reading equipment with standard interference filters (i.e., 540 or 492 nm). This assay is a modification of a commonly used procedure, viz. hydrolysis of uronic acid containing carbohydrate polymers in 80% sulfuric acid containing tetraborate ions ...
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...
Elliott J, Brady FE.Isolated equine digital veins (EDVs) which had been denuded of their endothelium were used to study adenosine receptors causing vasodilation. When the blood vessel wall tension was raised with the thromboxanemimetic, U44069 (30 nM), the order of vasodilator potency of adenosine receptor agonists was: 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA) > 2-p-(2-carboxyethyl)phenyl amino-5'-N-ethylcarboxamido-adenosine (CGS 21680) > 5'-N-methylcarboxamido-adenosine (MECA) > N6-cyclohexyladenosine (CHA) > N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA) > N6-2-(4-Aminophenyl)ethyladenosine (APNEA) > adenosine. ...
Reilly GC, Currey JD, Goodship AE.Exercise can have a profound effect on bone mass, but little is known of its effect on bone's material properties. In this experiment, our hypothesis was that a large difference in the training regimen of young thoroughbreds would produce a measurable difference in the mechanical properties of their bone material. When they were about 19 months old, eight thoroughbred racehorses were given one of two exercise regimens that lasted for 19 weeks: four horses (controls) were walked for 40 minutes a day but had no other exercise, and the remaining four (exercised) were additionally trotted for 20 m...
Hopper SA, Schneider RK, Ratzlaff MH, White KK, Johnson CH.To determine the ability of a full-limb transfixation pin cast to protect the distal portion of the equine forelimb from weight-bearing forces by measuring bone strain in vitro on cadaver limbs loaded in a mechanical testing machine. Methods: 6 forelimbs from 6 horses. Methods: Each limb was instrumented with 3 unidirectional metal foil electrical resistant strain gauges. Gauges were placed on the dorsal aspect of the distal portion of the radius and the mid-dorsal portion of the cortex of the third metacarpal bone and the first phalanx. Each limb was tested 3 times, once supported with a tran...
Harris DB, Harris RC, Wilson AM, Goodship A.Muscle ATP loss with exercise has implications both to the causes of fatigue and muscle damage. To study this at the single muscle fibre level, five trained thoroughbred horses performed consecutive 90 second gallops on an inclined treadmill followed by a final gallop to fatigue. Biopsies of the m. gluteus medius were taken at rest, post-exercise and during 24 hour recovery. Blood lactate was 20.0 mmol litre-1 or more, and plasma NH3 300-800 mumol litre-1, following the final gallop. Minimal changes occurred in the plasma markers, CK and AST. ATP loss with exercise was 32.2 (SD 12.2) per cent....
Koepf EK, Hewitt J, Vo H, Macgillivray RT, Burtnick LD.We have generated and characterized the cDNA from equine smooth muscle that encodes gelsolin, an actin-modulating protein. Overlapping cDNA clones synthesized by the reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction and clones isolated from a horse genomic library provided the complete primary structure for the intracellular isoform of gelsolin, while cDNA complemented with protein sequence data produced the full-length primary transcript of the gelsolin isoform found circulating in equine plasma. The deduced amino acid sequences of the intracellular and secreted versions of equine gelsolin infe...
Sahagun-Ruiz A, Waghela SD, Holman PJ, Chieves LP, Wagner GG.A DNA probe from Babesia caballi (Bc1) was selected by antibody screening of a genomic library. The Bc1 probe hybridized specifically to B. caballi genomic DNA. A polymerase-chain-reaction-based assay for B. caballi DNA was developed from primers deduced from the probe nucleotide sequence. An amplified product of 1.6 kb was detected from as little as 500 fg B. caballi template DNA. Sensitivity increased 1000-fold when the biotin-labeled Bc1 probe was hybridized to the amplicons in a Southern blot.
Deluca TH, Patterson Iv WA , Freimund WA, Cole DN./ Various types of recreational traffic impact hiking trails uniquely and cause different levels of trail degradation; however, trail head restrictions are applied similarly across all types of packstock. The purpose of this study was to assess the relative physical impact of hikers, llamas, and horses on recreational trails. Horse, llama, and hiker traffic were applied to 56 separate plots on an existing trail at Lubrecht Experimental Forest in western Montana. The traffic was applied to plots at intensities of 250 and 1000 passes along with a no-traffic control under both prewetted and dry t...
Gabriel A, Yousfi S, Detilleux J, Dessy-Doizé C, Bernard C.Navicular bones collected from the four limbs of 95 sound horses were studied. The anatomic bases have been laid down about morphometry of the navicular bones and their variations according to limbs, after corrections have been made for morphologic type, gender, weight, size and age. All the dimensions of the navicular bone (except for the thickness) were larger in the fore limb. This phenomenon probably reflects an attempt to compensate for the greater forces exerted upon the fore limbs during exercise and at rest. Navicular bones collected from the four limbs of 61 sound horses were studied ...
Carter RA, Ericsson SA, Corn CD, Weyerts PR, Dart MG, Escue SG, Mesta J.The objective of this study was to determine if spermatozoal reduction of the dyes methylene green to colorless and resazurin to pink or colorless was associated with the fertility potential of an equine semen sample. Fifty samples from 38 stallions were evaluated for the number of spermatozoa per milliliter and number of motile sperm per milliliter. Methylene green (20 micrograms/mL of semen) or resazurin (85 micrograms/mL of semen) was added to 3-mL aliquots of semen. Semen samples were identified as having low fertility potential (< 200 x 10(6) total cells/mL and or = 200 x 10(6) total ...
Kuiper HA, Noordam MY, van Dooren-Flipsen MM, Schilt R, Roos AH.The use of veterinary medicinal products within the European Community is governed by a series of directives and regulations that describe the requirements for safety, quality, and efficacy of these products. Veterinary therapeutic use of beta-agonists has only been approved in the case of clenbuterol for bronchodilatation in horses and calves and for tocolysis in cows. No beta-agonists have been permitted in the European Community for growth-promoting purposes in farm animals. Surveillance for the presence of residues of veterinary agents in food-producing animals and meat is regulated by the...
Larsen M, Nansen P, Grønvold J, Wolstrup J, Henriksen SA.The potential of using fungi to prevent nematodosis caused by parasites with free-living larval stages is well documented today. In this respect Duddingtonia flagrans, a net-trapping, nematode-destroying fungus, appears to be the most promising candidate. Laboratory experiments and in-vivo studies, where fungal spores have survived passage through the gastro-intestinal tract of cattle and horses, plus field studies with cattle, horses and pigs, demonstrate significant reduction in the number of infective larvae that develop in the faecal environment. In field trials this reduction subsequently...
Platt D, Bird JL, Bayliss MT.In order to identify the pathological processes involved in the destruction of articular cartilage in arthritic diseases, it is first necessary to characterise the normal homeostasis of cartilage in a healthy joint. In particular, normal age-related changes in the biochemistry of cartilage complicate any comparisons that are made between diseased and healthy tissue. There are, however, no reports in the literature detailing the influence of ageing on the biochemistry of proteoglycans in equine articular cartilage. This study addresses the absence of such information by investigating the struct...
Zhang XY, Zhu FX, Olszewski MA, Robinson NE.The beta 2-agonists currently used as bronchodilators are racemic mixtures of R- and S-enantiomers. In the present study, we examined the effects of enantiomers of the beta 2-agonists albuterol and formoterol on acetylcholine (ACh) release from equine trachealis parasympathetic nerves. ACh release was evoked by electrical field stimulation (20 V, 0.5 ms, 0.5 Hz) and measured by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrochemical detection. We also tested the effects of enantiomers of albuterol and formoterol on equine tracheal smooth muscle (TSM) contraction in response to exog...
Levanti B, Hannestad J, Esteban I, Ciriaco E, Germanà G, Vega JA.The neurotrophins are a family of growth factors that act on responsive cells through specific high-affinity signal-transducing receptors called Trk (A, B, and C) proteins. The neurotrophin receptor proteins are widely distributed in both nervous and nonnervous tissues, including the lymphoid organs. The expression of these receptor proteins by a cell population is an indication of responsiveness to the respective binding neurotrophin. The present study investigated the presence and cellular localization of high-affinity neurotrophin receptor proteins in equine and bovine Peyer's patches. Peye...
Patterson-Kane JC, Wilson AM, Firth EC, Parry DA, Goodship AE.Injury to the core of the mid-metacarpal region of the superficial digital flexor tendon in Thoroughbred racehorses is a very frequent but poorly understood condition. It has been suggested that subclinical changes induced by galloping exercise weaken the collagen in this region of the tendon, predisposing it to rupture. The longitudinally arranged collagen fibrils in tendon follow a planar waveform, termed the crimp. Fibril bundles with a smaller crimp angle fail at a lower level of strain than those with a larger crimp angle. This study tested the hypothesis that a specific 18 month exercise...
Magdaleno L, Gasset M, Varea J, Schambony AM, Urbanke C, Raida M, Töpfer-Petersen E, Calvete JJ.HSP-3 is a member of the cysteine-rich secretory protein (CRISP) family from stallion seminal plasma. We report a large-scale purification protocol for native HSP-3. This protein is a non-glycosylated polypeptide chain with a pI of 8-9 and an isotope-averaged molecular mass of 24987 +/- 3 Da. The molecular mass of HSP-3, determined by equilibrium sedimentation, is 26 kDa, showing that the protein exists in solution as a monomer. The concentration of HSP-3 in the seminal plasma of different stallions ranged from 0.3 to 1.3 mg/ml. On average, 0.9-9 million HSP-3 molecules/cell coat the postacros...
Skedros JG, Su SC, Bloebaum RD.Artiodactyl and perissodactyl calcanei have been recently introduced as models for examining bone for mechanically mediated adaptation. We have reported substantial regional variations in cortical bone microstructure and mineral content within the same cross-section of mule deer calcanei. In part, these variations may be adaptations accommodating the customary presence of predominantly tension, compression, and shear strain modes in mutually exclusive cortical locations. Calcanei from skeletally mature horses, elk, and sheep were examined in order to corroborate these previous findings. From e...
O'Niell FD, Issel CJ.Growth kinetics of equine influenza virus-A1, equine herpesvirus-1, and equine rhinovirus-1 were determined in susceptible cell monolayers and in organ cultures of equine fetal tracheal and nasal turbinate epithelium. Equine influenza virus-A1 was replicated in cell and organ cultures and was released more readily and for longer periods from nasal turbinate epithelium than from tracheal epithelium. Equine herpesvirus-1 was also replicated in cell and organ cultures. During the first 24 hours after inoculation, equine herpesvirus-1 was released more readily from tracheal epithelium than from na...
Smith RL, Murphy DJ, Day RE, Lester GD.To test single cycle to failure tensile strength characteristics of 6 suture material-pattern combinations in equine superficial digital flexor (SDF) tenorrhaphy, specifically to compare a 10-strand modification of the Savage core suture technique with the 3-loop pulley technique. Methods: Ex vivo mechanical experiment comparing 3 different suture patterns with 2 different materials. Methods: Forelimb and hindlimb SDF tendons (n=48) harvested from adult Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses of mixed age and gender. Methods: Six suture material-pattern combinations were evaluated: (1) 10-strand ...
Kim W, Kawcak CE, McIlwraith CW, Firth EC, McArdle BH, Broom ND.To investigate the influence of early conditioning exercise on the development of gross cartilage defects and swelling behavior of cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) in the midcarpal joint of horses. Methods: 12 Thoroughbreds. Methods: 6 horses underwent early conditioning exercise from birth to 18 months of age (CONDEX group), and 6 horses were used as control animals (PASTEX group). The horses were euthanized at 18 months of age, and the midcarpal joints were harvested. Gross defects of the cartilage surface were classified and mapped. Opposing surfaces of the third and radial carpal bones...
Vandeplassche M, Podliachouk L, Beaud R.A study has been made of 44 cases of twin pregnancy in mares. The fetuses, foals, fetal membranes and blood groups of parents and foals were examined in order to determine the incidence of chorio-vascular anastomosis, blood chimaerism and freemartinism. All of the twins proved to be dizygotic and 33 of the 34 pregnancies were bicornual. Fusion of the chorion was seen in 14 of 22 placentas and macroscopic choriovascular bridges were observed in five of these, although blood chimaerism was diagnosed in 11 of 25 cases (44 per cent) examined. This would indicate a high incidence of microchoriovasc...
Tortonese DJ, Gregory SJ, Eagle RC, Sneddon CL, Young CL, Townsend J.The intrahypophysial mechanisms involved in the control of gonadotrophin secretion remain unclear. In the horse, a divergent pattern of gonadotrophins is observed at different stages of the reproductive cycle in response to a single secretagogue (gonadotrophin-releasing hormone), and dramatic changes in fertility take place throughout the year in response to photoperiod. This species thus provides a useful model to investigate the regulation of fertility directly at the level of the hypophysis. A series of studies were undertaken to examine the cytological arrangements and heterogeneity of gon...
Kusliy MA, Druzhkova AS, Popova KO, Vorobieva NV, Makunin AI, Yurlova AA, Tishkin AA, Minyaev SS, Trifonov , Graphodatsky AS, Dymova MA, Filipenko ML.From genetic point of view, differences between ancient and modern horses can be reconstructed by using the phylogeographic analysis of mitochondrial genomes and by studying phenotypically important nuclear loci. The variety of modern horse coat colors resulted from artificial selection indicates a high degree of domestication. We have conducted the phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA extracted from bone samples of six ancient horses from Tsaramburial in the Republic of Buryatia, and established that they belong to a haplogroup E by Achilli’s classification. This haplogroup is found a...
Einarsson S, Dalin AM, Lundeheim N.The present study investigated daily sperm output and sperm morphology of fresh semen in eight Swedish Warmblood stallions aged 5-8 years. They were used for artificial insemination, and their fertility during the breeding season of semen collection exceeded 60% per cycle. One ejaculate of semen was collected daily for 10 consecutive days from each stallion. The gel-free volume was measured, and the sperm concentration was assessed with a Bürker chamber. The volume of gel-free fraction was multiplied by the sperm concentration to give the total number of spermatozoa (TSN). Sperm morphology wa...
Carmalt JL, Delaney L, Wilson DG.To compare the biomechanical cyclic fatigue properties of 2 and 3 parallel transarticular 5.5 mm cortical screws used in arthrodesis of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint. Methods: Randomized block design, for horse, fixation method (2 versus three 5.5 mm cortical screws), side (right, left) and end (front, hind) in cadaveric equine limbs. Methods: Cadaveric adult equine fore- and hindlimbs (n=5 pairs each). Methods: Two parallel 5.5 mm cortical screws were inserted in lag fashion, transarticularly through the PIP joint in 1 limb of a pair, and in the contralateral limb, three 5.5 mm cor...
Kato H, Ohashi T, Nakamura N, Nishimura Y, Watari T, Goitsuka R, Tsujimoto H, Hasegawa A.Equine interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) and IL-1 beta were molecularly cloned to establish a basis for research on inflammatory and immune responses in the horse. Equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and cDNA clones of equine IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta covering the whole coding sequences were isolated from them. These equine IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta clones contained open reading frames encoding 271 and 269 amino acids, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequence of equine IL-1 alpha showed 71.6% and 60.2% similarity with that of human ...
Burn JF, Wilson A, Nason GP.Impact is implicated in the development of several types of musculoskeletal injury in the horse. Characterisation of impact experienced during strenuous exercise is an important first step towards understanding the mechanism for injury. Measurement and analysis of large, short duration impacts is difficult. The measurement system must be able to record transient peaks and high frequencies accurately. The analysis technique must be able to characterise the impact signal in time and frequency. This paper presents a measurement system and analysis technique for the characterisation of large impac...
Kochová P, Witter K, Cimrman R, Mezerová J, Tonar Z.The relationship between mechanical behaviour and microscopic structure of the laminar junction of equine hooves under testing conditions requires elucidation. Objective: To determine mechanical parameters and 2D length density of profiles of secondary lamellae of the laminar junction in the dermal region and to assess possible correlations. Methods: Specimens (25 samples in total) of the laminar junction were taken from front, quarter and heel parts from 3 equine hooves and exposed to a uniaxial tensile test until rupture to obtain Young's moduli of elasticity, ultimate stress and strain. Nei...
Jensen AM, Ahmed W, Elbrønd VS, Harrison AP.It has been proposed that manipulating proprioceptive signals of the equine distal limb as part of a rehabilitation process in cases of musculoskeletal pain or neurologic deficits can be used to correct postural control and restore normal motor programs. This trial has examined the effect of treatment with a light-weight and loose-fitting bell boot (82 g) on an imbalance of muscle gluteus superficialis function in horses as measured using acoustic myography (AMG). Eight horses were trained over a 60-minute period every 3 days for 6 weeks, a protocol based on preliminary findings. Acoustic my...
Patterson SD, Bell K, Manton VJ.A detailed biochemical characterization of four of the five previously described alleles of the plasma protease inhibitor (Pi) system of Equus przewalskii was performed using both one- and two-dimensional electrophoretic techniques. The proteins have been characterized in terms of isoelectric point, relative molecular mass, inhibitory activity to bovine trypsin and chymotrypsin, immunochemical cross-reactivity, terminal sialic acid content and enzyme:inhibitor complex formation and the oxidation sensitivity of this interaction. Using these functional criteria, only three loci (Spi 1, 2 and 3) ...
Simoens P, Van den Broeck W, Lauwers H.Vascular corrosion casts of 12 equine, 15 bovine and 50 porcine eyes were studied scanning electron microscopically for the presence of posterior ciliary veins. These veins drain a postequatorial segment of the choroid and emerge near the posterior bulbar pole. They complement the four vorticose veins that emerge near or at the equatorial zone of the eyeball and the slender choroidoretinal veins that drain the peridiscal area of the choroid. Posterior ciliary veins were observed in all equine and bovine eyes examined. In these species they presented a large variation in size, number and positi...
Nakashima M, Noda H, Hasegaea M, Ikai A.We studied the oxygenation of mammalian hemoglobins: mouse (Mus musculus molossinus), rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus), Japanese monkey (Macaca fuscata), man (Homo sapiens), sheep (Ovis aries), llama (Lama glama), pig (Sus scrofa domesticus), cow (Bos taurus domesticus) and horse (Equus caballus), in the absence of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) and compared their oxygen affinity in relation to the body weight. The negative correlation between body weight and the oxygen affinity of the whole blood, observed by Schmidt-Nielsen and Larimer (1958), was not observed in the absence of DPG. O...
Snow DH, Frigg M.The bioavailability of ascorbic acid administered to thoroughbreds by intramuscular injection was investigated. For intramuscular injection two preparations were studied, and the percentage bioavailability up to 24 h of 10 g of ascorbic acid was 95% +/- 22 in four horses and 60% in two horses with preparations A and B, respectively. Bioavailability at 24 h in three horses injected subcutaneously with 10 g of preparation B was 82%. Intramuscular injection of both preparations was apparently well tolerated while subcutaneous injection of preparation B (pH 6.0) was associated with marked irritanc...
Serafini R, Varner DD, Bissett W, Blanchard TL, Teague SR, Love CC.The effect of flash-freezing storage temperature on stallion sperm DNA has not been evaluated. Commonly, sperm are flash-frozen at various temperatures to preserve sperm DNA prior to analysis. It is unclear whether the temperature at which sperm are frozen and stored may affect the results of DNA assays. In this study, the neutral comet assay was used to evaluate the effect of flash-freezing storage temperature (freezer [-60 °C], dry ice [-78.5 °C], liquid nitrogen [-196 °C]) compared to fresh sperm DNA structure. In addition, intra- and inter-assay and intra- and inter-stallion variabil...
Gaillard JL, Silberzahn P.In the stallion testis, aromatase activity was localized in the microsomal fraction. Androgen aromatization occurred through the loss of 1 beta,2 beta hydrogen atoms and appeared to involve free sulfhydryl groups. A single enzyme system seemed to aromatize androgen and norandrogen at the same rate while having a much lower affinity for norandrogens.
Reilly JD, Hopegood L, Gould L, Devismes L.The lipid chemistry of the normal equine hoof, together with the effect of oral supplementation with an evening primrose oil mixture (EPOM) on its growth, growth rate and lipid content was assessed in a controlled and blinded feeding trial at the Defence Animal Centre. Twelve horses were paired as closely as possible according to sex, age, weight, height and colour and then one from each pair was randomly allocated to treatment or control groups. The treatment group received 30 ml of oral EPOM/day, otherwise the nutrition and management regimes were the same for all horses. No significant diff...
Pace MM, Sullivan JJ.Fertilization rate was highest in mares inseminated with frozen semen within 12 hr of ovulation. Foaling rate was improved (P less than 0-05) by increasing the number of motile spermatozoa inseminated from 40 X 10(6) to 80 X 10(6) but was not further improved by increasing the number to 160 X 10(6) or by increasing the frequency of insemination from once to twice daily. The fertilizing capacity of spermatozoa frozen in one of the hydrogen ion extenders studied was dependent upon relative osmotic pressure and method of freezing (ampoules or pellets). Adjusting glycerol concentration from 7% to ...
McCue PM, Hughes JP.Mares (n = 37) were treated on Days 2 and 4 post partum with a uterine lavage of 10 l of warm, sterile NaCl (0.9%) solution. Endometrial cytology and culture were performed on Day 7. Mares were bred on the first postpartum estrus by artificial insemination. Pregnancy rates were determined by ultrasound examination at Day 16 post ovulation. No differences were noted in degree of uterine inflammation or presence of uterine bacteria at Day 7 post partum between treated (n = 18) and control (n = 19) mares. Pregnancy rates at the first postpartum estrus for treated mares (55.5%) was not statistical...
Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Szmatoła T, Łątka J, Długosz B, Ropka-Molik K.Horse musculature has been shaped through evolution by environmental and human factors, which has resulted in several extraordinary adaptations to physical effort. Skeletal muscle plasticity results from the response to mechanical stimulation causing hypertrophy, where sarcomeres increase the muscle's cross-sectional area under the influence of contractile forces. The aim of the present study was the evaluation of transcript abundance of the telethonin () gene, which is a part of the sarcomere macromolecular mechanosensory complex in the gluteus medius muscle, and the whole blood of Arabian ho...
Bowers J, Slocombe RF, Sides RH, Bayly WM, Kingston JK.To determine the effect of girth construction and tension on respiratory mechanics and gas exchange during supramaximal treadmill exercise in horses. Methods: Six healthy detrained Thoroughbred horses were exercised on a treadmill inclined at 10% at 110% VO2max. Horses were instrumented for respiratory mechanics and gas exchange studies, and data were recorded during incremental exercise tests. The animals were exercised for 2 min at 40% VO2max, and samples and measurements were collected at 1 min 45 sec. After 2 min, speed was increased to that estimated at 110% VO2max and data was collected ...
Beccati F, Pepe M, Pascucci L, Ceccarelli P, Chiaradia E, Mancini F, Mandara MT.The purpose of this study was to delineate the pattern of sympathetic innervation in the suprasesamoidean region of the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) in horses using immunohistochemical staining (IHC) for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and alpha-1 adrenergic receptor (α1-AR). Fourteen forelimbs were collected from 10 horses. Longitudinal sections of the suprasesamoidean region of healthy DDFTs were harvested. Most of the sympathetic innervation was found to be in the walls of blood vessels. The tendon tissue proper was sparsely innervated, with a lesser degree of innervation within the dorsal ...
Roth SP, Brehm W, Troillet A.Cell-based therapies for the treatment of osteoarthritis in equine patients experienced a real boom within the last few years. In every day medical practice, attending veterinary surgeons extract patient's blood or other autologous tissue samples and process the material for the purpose of administering the resulting product to the same patient under their own responsibility. Although being consistently classified as treatment option within the framework of regenerative medicine, the manufacturing processes, ingredients, and mechanisms of action remain highly diverse among cell-based therapies...
Malinowski K, Johnson AL, Scanes CG.The ability of interrupted photoperiods to induce early estrus and ovulation was examined. Horse mares were exposed to long (16 h light) or short (10 h light), noninterrupted photoperiods, ambient light, or various interrupted photoperiod treatments from December 1 to April 15 (135 d). Follicular development was assessed by rectal palpation and estrous behavior was determined by teasing with a stallion. Serum concentrations of progesterone were used as an indicator of corpus luteum function. Differences among the light treatment groups were compared for the following behavioral and ovarian cha...
Saltiel A, Calderon A, Garcia N, Hurley DP.Ovarian activity, as measured by the presence of small (10-15 mm diam.), medium (15-30 mm) and large (greater than 30 mm) follicles, corpora haemorrhagica and corpora lutea (CL), was determined in a total of 3584 ovaries during 1 year using post-mortem specimens. There were significant correlations of the incidence of ovulated follicles (ovulations), large and medium follicles (P less than 0 . 001) and of the mean number of small follicles (P less than 0 . 05) per mare with respect to season. The yearly averages of ovulated, large and medium follicles were 30 . 1, 13 . 9 and 73 . 9%, respectiv...
Valenchon M, Deneubourg JL, Nesterova AP, Petit O.In collective movements, specific individuals may emerge as leaders. In this study on the domestic horse (Equus ferus caballus), we conducted experiments to establish if an individual is successfully followed due to its social status (including hierarchical rank and centrality). We first informed one horse about a hidden food location and recorded by how many it was followed when going back to this location. In this context, all horses lead their groupmates successfully. In a second step, we tested whether group members would trust some leaders more than others by removing the food before the ...
Patterson AL, Squires EL, Hansen TR, Bouma GJ, Bruemmer JE.Maternal recognition of pregnancy is a physiological process that primarily describes endometrial responses to a conceptus. Recognition of a conceptus prevents the release of prostaglandin F(2α) , thereby ensuring survival of the corpus luteum and continued progesterone production. Exactly how this occurs in the mare is poorly understood. Because prostaglandin F(2α) is a pro-inflammatory hormone, we hypothesized that differential gene expression in the endometrium at the time of maternal recognition reflects an anti-inflammatory event leading to decreased prostaglandin F(2α) secretion. Mare...
Umair M, Beitsma M, de Ruijter-Villani M, Deelen C, Herrera C, Stout TAE, Claes A.The cryotolerance of equine blastocysts larger than 300 μm can be improved by aspirating blastocoele fluid prior to vitrification; however, it is not known whether blastocoele aspiration also enables successful slow-freezing. The aim of this study was therefore to determine whether slow-freezing of expanded equine embryos following blastocoele collapse was more or less damaging than vitrification. Grade 1 blastocysts recovered on day 7 or 8 after ovulation were measured (>300-550 μm, n = 14 and > 550 μm, n = 19) and blastocoele fluid was aspirated prior to slow-freezing in 10...
