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.
McFadden A, Martin K, Foster G, Vierra M, Lundquist EW, Everts RE, Martin E, Volz E, McLoone K, Brooks SA, Lafayette C.Mutations causing depigmentation are relatively common in Equus caballus (horse). Over 40 alleles in multiple genes are associated with increased white spotting (as of February 2023). The splashed white phenotype, a coat spotting pattern described as appearing like the horse has been splashed with white paint, was previously associated with variants in the PAX3 and MITF genes. Both genes encode transcription factors known to control melanocyte migration and pigmentation. We report two novel mutations, a stop-gain mutation in PAX3 (XM_005610643.3:c.927C>T, ECA6:11,196,181, EquCab3.0) and a m...
Karasu GK, Rogers CW, Gee EK.Sustainability is the balancing act of optimizing the use of current resources without compromising the current or future environment. Within the agriculture sector the primary focus of sustainability has been to reduce environmental pollution, specifically greenhouse gasses (GHG) emissions, nitrogen emissions, and leaching. For the equine industry the first step towards sustainability is the documentation and critique of current feeding and management practices to permit modifications to enable the industry meet social and legislative obligations. As a monogastric hindgut fermenter on a per k...
Meuffels-Barkas J, Wilsher S, Allen WRT, Ververs C, Lueders I.Recent loss of rhinoceros subspecies has renewed interest in using more advanced assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in rhinoceroses and elephants. Currently, only semen collection, semen preservation and artificial insemination (AI) have been used repeatedly with success in these species. Although ovum pick-up (OPU) and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) have been reported in rhinoceroses, the techniques are not yet optimised. In contrast, multiple ART applications are routinely used in the horse. Since elephant and rhinoceroses share some reproductive features with equids, we post...
Mogielnicka-Brzozowska M, Woźniak MJ, Cichowska AW, Fraser L, Kraziński B, Strzezek R, Zielińska D.Seminal plasma (SP) proteins are responsible for sperm functional quality. Developing a reliable method to determine the degree of oxidative damage of these proteins is important for establishing semen fertilizing ability. The main aim of the study was to verify the applicability of protein carbonyl derivatives measurement in the SP of canine and stallion, using a method with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH). The research material consisted of ejaculates obtained from eight English Springer Spaniels, and from seven half-blood stallions during the breeding and non-breeding season. The content ...
Mieszkowska M, Holak P, Zhalniarovich Y, Mieszkowski M, Domagalska-Stomska K.A sound knowledge of horseshoe impact on blood flow parameters is required for making shoeing decisions and selecting the most appropriate types of shoes. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of horse shoeing with egg bar shoes and shoes with wedge pads on blood flow parameters in the lateral palmar digital artery measured by Doppler ultrasound. The study was conducted on 16 horses divided into two groups. Horses from group 1 were shod with egg bar shoes. Horses from group 2 were shod with shoes with wedge pads. Doppler ultrasound parameters of the lateral palmar digital artery at...
He H, Banks SA, Biedrzycki AH.The objective of this study was to provide an overarching description of the inter-subject variability of the equine femur and tibia morphology using statistical shape modeling. Fifteen femora and fourteen tibiae were used for building the femur and tibia statistical shape models, respectively. Geometric variations in each mode were explained by biometrics measured on ±3 standard deviation instances generated by the shape models. Approximately 95% of shape variations within the population were described by 6 and 3 modes in the femur and tibia shape models, respectively. In the femur shape mod...
Dosi MCM, Riggs CM, May J, Lee A, Cillan-Garcia E, Pagan J, McGorum BC.There is a paucity of data relating to the vitamin D status of racehorses. We hypothesised that the management of racehorses in Hong Kong (HK) predisposes to low vitamin D status unless they receive dietary supplementation. Serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 (25OHD2), 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3) and total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (total 25OHD) for 79 non-grazing HK racehorses were compared with those for 22 racehorses training in the United Kingdom (UK) that grazed for ≥1 h/d, and for which published data exists. A nested group of 41 HK horses was sampled twice to determine the effect...
Haddy E, Burden F, Raw Z, Rodrigues JB, Zappi Bello JH, Brown J, Kaminski J, Proops L.Belief in animal sentience and the quality of human-animal relationships play a significant role in animal welfare. However, the link between an individual animal's welfare and the beliefs and emotional connection of the owner to the animal is understudied and focussed on single cultures, limiting generalisability. In this study, we explored potential links between owner attitude, beliefs in animal sentience, and working equid welfare across four continents. This study used a welfare assessment protocol alongside a questionnaire exploring owner attitudes to assess 378 participants across six c...
Ohnuma A, Tozaki T, Kikuchi M, Ishige T, Kakoi H, Hirota KI, Takahashi Y, Nagata SI.To ensure fair competition and sports integrity, gene doping is prohibited in horseracing and equine sports. One gene doping method is by administering exogenous genes, called transgenes, to postnatal animals. Although several transgene detection methods have been developed for horses, many are unsuitable for multiplex detection. In this proof-of-concept study, we developed a highly sensitive and multiplex transgene detection method using multiple πCode with identification patterns printed on the surface. The following steps were employed: (1) multiplex polymerase chain reaction amplification...
Murray R, Fisher M, Fairfax V, MacKechnie-Guire R.The association between rider-saddle interaction and horse kinematics has been little studied. It was hypothesized that differences in a thigh block design would influence (a) rider-saddle interface pressures, (b) rider kinematics, and (c) equine limb/spinal kinematics. Eighteen elite sport horses/riders were trotted using correctly fitted dressage saddles with thigh blocks S (vertical face) and F (deformable face). Contact area, mean, and peak pressure between rider and saddle were determined using an on-saddle pressure mat. Spherical markers allowed for the measurement of horse/rider kinemat...
Lee J, Kang YJ, Kim YK, Choi JY, Shin SM, Shin MC.The influences of diet and environmental factors on gut microbial profiles have been widely acknowledged; however, the specific roles of host genetics remain uncertain. To unravel host genetic effects, we raised 47 Jeju crossbred (Jeju × Thoroughbred) foals that exhibited higher genetic diversity. Foals were raised under identical environmental conditions and diets. Microbial composition revealed that Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Spirochaetes were the predominant phyla. We identified 31 host-microbiome associations by utilizing 47,668 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 734 taxa with...
Sätter JK, McGawley K, Connysson M, Staunton CA.To identify how riding rein direction (left and right) and rider asymmetry affect tölt performance in Icelandic horses. Two horses were ridden in tölt by four riders on both left and right reins. Riders wore pressure insoles that measured the total absolute force (FAbs) and absolute force difference (FDiff) in their left and right feet in the stirrups. A 3D motion-analysis system recorded the degrees of side-to-side movement in the pelvis (RollP) and in the thoracolumbar region (RollT). Lateral advanced placement (LAP) and duty factor (DF) were calculated to determine tölt performance. One-...
Krishnan BS, Jones LR, Elmore JA, Samiappan S, Evans KO, Pfeiffer MB, Blackwell BF, Iglay RB.Visible and thermal images acquired from drones (unoccupied aircraft systems) have substantially improved animal monitoring. Combining complementary information from both image types provides a powerful approach for automating detection and classification of multiple animal species to augment drone surveys. We compared eight image fusion methods using thermal and visible drone images combined with two supervised deep learning models, to evaluate the detection and classification of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), domestic cow (Bos taurus), and domestic horse (Equus caballus). We cla...
Musiał AD, Ropka-Molik K, Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Myćka G, Bieniek A, Yasynetska N.Przewalski horses are considered the last living population of wild horses, however, they are secondarily feral offspring of herds domesticated ~ 5000 years ago by the Botai culture. After Przewalski horses were almost extinct at the beginning of the twentieth century, their population is about 2500 individuals worldwide, with one of the largest breeding centers in Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve (Ukraine). The research aimed to establish the maternal variation of Przewalski horses population maintained in Askania-Nova Reserve based on mitochondrial DNA hypervariable 1 and hypervariable 2 r...
Himebaugh NE, Robertson JB, Weninger K, Gilger BC, Ekesten B, Oh A.The aim of this study was to assess the transmission of the ultraviolet (UV) radiation (200-400 nm) through intact enucleated globes of different species (dogs, cats, pigs, rabbits, horses, and humans) using spectrophotometry. Globes of cats (n = 6), dogs (n = 18), pigs (n = 10), rabbits (n = 6), horses (n = 10), and humans (n = 4) were analyzed. A 5-10 mm circular area of sclera and choroid from the posterior aspect of the globe was removed under a surgical microscope, leaving the retina intact in all species except the horse. Glass coverslips were added in horses and rabbits du...
Shapter FM, Granados-Soler JL, Stewart AJ, Bertin FR, Allavena R.Crofton weed (Ageratina adenophora) is a global and highly invasive weed, with ingestion causing severe respiratory disease in horses, leading to irreversible and untreatable pulmonary fibrosis and oedema. While reports of equine pneumotoxicity remain common in Australia and New Zealand, equine pneumotoxicity may be underdiagnosed in other countries where Crofton weed is endemic but poorly differentiated. The pathogenesis of Crofton weed toxicity following ingestion has been well described in a number of different animal models, including rodents, rabbits, and goats. However, induced toxicity ...
Bou T, Ding W, Ren X, Liu H, Gong W, Jia Z, Zhang X, Dugarjaviin M, Bai D.Traditional Mongolian endurance training is an effective way to improve the athletic ability of the horse for endurance events and is widely used. This incorporates aerobic exercise and intermittent fasting and these altered physiologic conditions are associated with switches between muscle fibre types. Objective: To better understand the adaption of horse skeletal muscle to traditional Mongolian endurance training from muscle fibre characteristics and transcriptional levels and to explore possible molecular mechanisms associated with the endurance performance of horses. Methods: Before-after ...
Palomar-Ciria N, Bello HJ.Alternative treatments for Post-traumatic-Stress Disorder (PTSD) have attracted attention, especially Equine-Assisted Services (EAS) including psychotherapy and occupational therapy involving horses. In this work, we measured the effectiveness of EAS in PTSD through a meta-analysis. An intensive bibliography search focusing in EAS and PTSD was conducted following the PRISMA recommendations. The search was not restricted by date. For the quantitative analyses, 5 works were selected. They were chosen based on the instrument utilized for the assessment of PTSD symptoms: the PTSD Checklist for DSM...
Vincelette AR, Renders E, Scott KM, Falkingham PL, Janis CM.The traditional story of the evolution of the horse (family Equidae) has been in large part about the evolution of their feet. How did modern horses come to have a single toe (digit III), with the hoof bearing a characteristic V-shaped keratinous frog on the sole, and what happened to the other digits? While it has long been known that the proximal portions of digits II and IV are retained as the splint bones, a recent hypothesis suggested that the distal portion of these digits have also been retained as part of the frog, drawing upon the famous Laetoli footprints of the tridactyl (three-toed...
Greening L, Allen S, McBride S.Sleep disturbance is observed across species, resulting in neurocognitive dysfunction and poor impulse control/regulation of negative emotion. Understanding animal sleep disturbance is thus important to understand how environmental factors influence animal sleep and day-to-day welfare. Self-reporting tools for sleep disturbance are commonly used in human research to determine sleep quality, that cannot be transferred to non-verbal animal species research. Human research has, however, successfully used frequency of awakenings to create an objective measurement of sleep quality. The aim of this ...
Pinetre J, Delcourt V, Becher F, Garcia P, Barnabé A, Loup B, Popot MA, Fenaille F, Bailly-Chouriberry L.Many innovative biotherapeutics have been marketed in the last decade. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and Fc-fusion proteins (Fc-proteins) have been developed for the treatment of diverse diseases (cancer, autoimmune diseases, and inflammatory disorders) and now represent an important part of targeted therapies. However, the ready availability of such biomolecules, sometimes characterized by their anabolic, anti-inflammatory, or erythropoiesis-stimulating properties, raises concerns about their potential misuse as performance enhancers for human and animal athletes. In equine doping control labo...
Forino S, Cameron L, Stones N, Freeman M.The ideal equestrian body image (BI) is a smaller physique and riders feel body shape (BS) influences subjective judge scoring within dressage competitions. The aims were to identify perceptions of equestrian coaches and dressage judges of rider body shape (BS), identify perceptions of appropriate horse-rider matching and establish the impact of BS on perceived rider ability. An online survey (GoogleFormsTM) was shared, respondents (n = 265, coaches = 174 judges = 91) viewed images of twelve riders of different BS (Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph) mounted on three horses of different...
Machmoum M, Badaoui B, Petit D, Germot A, El Alaoui MA, Boujenane I, Piro M.Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships within the Arabian show horse populations are of particular interest to breeders worldwide. Using the complete mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequence (916 pb), this study aimed (i) to understand the genetic relationship between three populations, the Desert-Bred (DB), a subset of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain (BAH), the Straight Egyptian (EG) and the Polish bloodline (PL), and (ii) to assess the accuracy of the traditional strain classification system based on maternal lines, as stated by the Bedouin cultur...
Gysens L, Vanmechelen B, Maes P, Martens A, Haspeslagh M.Infection with bovine papillomavirus (BPV) types 1 and 2 results in the most common skin tumor of horses, termed equine sarcoid. The persistent and recurrent nature of this tumor stands in contrast to the regressive nature of BPV-1/- 2 induced cutaneous papillomas in cattle. The circulation of horse-specific BPV-1/- 2 variants within equine populations has been suggested as a possible explanation for the difference in clinical presentation of BPV-1/- 2 infection between horses and cattle. In order to investigate this hypothesis, we identified 98 complete BPV-1/- 2 genomes using a Nanopore ...
Faria R, Vicente A, Silva J.The aim of this study was to evaluate the sprint racing performance of Quarter Horses in Brazil. Estimating genetic parameters, trends and correlations were obtained by single- and two-trait analyses using Bayesian inference (earnings to 2 years of equestrian age, best time and time class at distances of 301 m and 402 m). The data comprised a period of 38 equestrian years (1978 to 2015) with 23,482 sprint race records from 5861 animals. The heritability estimates were of low to moderate magnitude, ranging from 0.10 to 0.37 (single-trait) and from 0.15 to 0.41 (two-traits), and the repeatabilit...
Bampidis V, Azimonti G, Bastos ML, Christensen H, Durjava M, Kouba M, López-Alonso M, López Puente S, Marcon F, Mayo B, Pechová A, Petkova M....Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of an essential oil from the seeds of Houtt. (nutmeg oil), when used as a sensory additive in feed and water for drinking for all animal species. The additive contains myristicin (up to 12%), safrole (2.30%), elemicin (0.40%) and methyleugenol (0.33%). For long-living and reproductive animals, the Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) considered of low concern the use of the additive in complete feed at 0.2 mg/kg for laying hens and...
Gao Y, Yoshida S, Takeyama A, Tagami M, Rajabi-Toustani R, Tsogtgerel M, Nambo Y.Ultrasound examination during late gestation is one of the best methods for monitoring potential pregnancy risks. Enlarged bladder is a urological disorder rarely observed in equine fetuses. This clinical case report aimed to present a case illustrating the development of equine fetal enlarged bladder using transabdominal ultrasound examinations and maternal hormone evaluation during gestation. An 8-year-old Hokkaido native pony was impregnated by embryo transfer, and at 215 days of gestation, abnormalities of the fetal bladder were detected. The bladder volume increased with gestational age, ...
Cittadini A, Domínguez R, Sarriés MV, Pateiro M, Lorenzo JM.This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the total or partial replacement of NaCl by a commercial low-salt mixture Pansalt® (T1) or Kombu (L. ochroleuca) seaweed powder (T2), respectively, on the quality properties of dry-cured foal "cecina". Salt reformulation unaffected fat percentages, decreased (P < 0.001) moisture and ash contents, while protein amounts increased (P < 0.001) in the T2 batch. Considering the physicochemical variables, any significant differences were observed among batches, except for a*, water activity, and springiness values. T1 and T2 samples presented a si...
Velloso Alvarez A, Wooldridge AA, Fuller J, Shrader SM, Mansour M, Boone LH.No studies have evaluated the effect of culture in serum-free media (SF) vs. media supplemented with equine serum (ES) on co-culture of synovial membrane and cartilage tissue explants. The study objective was to evaluate the effects of equine serum supplementation on induced production of inflammatory and catabolic mediators from articular cartilage and synovial explants while in co-culture. Articular cartilage and synovial membrane explants were harvested from femoropatellar joints of five adult horses. Cartilage and synovial explants were harvested from the stifle of five horses, placed in c...
De Schauwer C, Meyer E, Van de Walle GR, Van Soom A.Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are a very promising subpopulation of adult stem cells for cell-based regenerative therapies in veterinary medicine. Despite major progress in the knowledge on adult stem cells during recent years, a proper identification of MSC remains a challenge. In human medicine, the Mesenchymal and Tissue Stem Cell Committee of the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) recently proposed three criteria to define MSC. Firstly, cells must be plastic-adherent when maintained under standard culture conditions. Secondly, MSC must express CD73, CD90 and CD105, and lac...
Lorenzo JM, Sarriés MV, Tateo A, Polidori P, Franco D, Lanza M.Meat has exerted a crucial role in human evolution and is an important component of a healthy and well balanced diet due to its nutritional richness. The aim of the present review was to shed light on the nutritional composition of horsemeat and their benefits for human health. One of the reasons for such interest was the occurrence, in Europe several years ago, of dioxin, Bovine Encephalopathy and foot-and-mouth disease problems in farm animals. Therefore, consumers began to look for alternative red meats from other non-traditional species. There is no carcass classification system on horses ...
Soave O, Brand CD.Coprophagy is performed by rodents and lagomorphs and to a lesser degree by piglets, foals, dogs and nonhuman primates. Due to the construction of the digestive system of rodents and rabbits, coprophagy is necessary to supply many essential nutrients. Bacterial synthesis of nutrients occurs in the lower gastrointestinal tract in these animals where little absorption is realized. The eating of their feces provides a method for obtaining these nutrients.
Thorpe CT, Godinho MSC, Riley GP, Birch HL, Clegg PD, Screen HRC.While the predominant function of all tendons is to transfer force from muscle to bone and position the limbs, some tendons additionally function as energy stores, reducing the cost of locomotion. Energy storing tendons experience extremely high strains and need to be able to recoil efficiently for maximum energy storage and return. In the equine forelimb, the energy storing superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) has much higher failure strains than the positional common digital extensor tendon (CDET). However, we have previously shown that this is not due to differences in the properties of...
Witte TH, Knill K, Wilson AM.Measurement of peak vertical ground reaction force (GRFz) from multiple limbs simultaneously during high-speed, over-ground locomotion would enhance our understanding of the locomotor mechanics of cursorial animals. Here, we evaluate the accuracy of predicting peak GRFz from duty factor (the proportion of the stride for which the limb is in contact with the ground). Foot-mounted uniaxial accelerometers, combined with UHF FM telemetry, are shown to be practical and accurate for the field measurement of stride timing variables, including duty factor. Direct comparison with the force plate produc...
Costa MC, Weese JS.The equine intestinal tract contains a complex microbial population (microbiota) that plays an important role in health and disease. Despite the undeniable importance of a 'normal' microbiota, understanding of the composition and function of this population is currently limited. As methods to characterize the microbiota and its genetic makeup (the microbiome) have evolved, the composition and complexity of this population are starting to be revealed. As is befitting a hindgut fermenter, members of the Firmicutes phylum appear to predominate, yet there are significant populations of numerous ot...
Vilstrup JT, Seguin-Orlando A, Stiller M, Ginolhac A, Raghavan M, Nielsen SC, Weinstock J, Froese D, Vasiliev SK, Ovodov ND, Clary J, Helgen KM....The genus Equus is richly represented in the fossil record, yet our understanding of taxonomic relationships within this genus remains limited. To estimate the phylogenetic relationships among modern horses, zebras, asses and donkeys, we generated the first data set including complete mitochondrial sequences from all seven extant lineages within the genus Equus. Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic inference confirms that zebras are monophyletic within the genus, and the Plains and Grevy's zebras form a well-supported monophyletic group. Using ancient DNA techniques, we further charact...
Proops L, McComb K.It has recently been shown that some non-human animals can cross-modally recognize members of their own taxon. What is unclear is just how plastic this recognition system can be. In this study, we investigate whether an animal, the domestic horse, is capable of spontaneous cross-modal recognition of individuals from a morphologically very different species. We also provide the first insights into how cross-modal identity information is processed by examining whether there are hemispheric biases in this important social skill. In our preferential looking paradigm, subjects were presented with t...
Eddy AL, Van Hoogmoed LM, Snyder JR.Equine thermography has increased in popularity recently because of improvements in thermal cameras and advances in image-processing software. The basic principle of thermography involves the transformation of surface heat from an object into a pictorial representation. The colour gradients generated reflect differences in the emitted heat. Variations from normal can be used to detect lameness or regions of inflammation in horses. Units can be so sensitive that flexor tendon injuries can be detected before the horse develops clinical lameness. Thermography has been used to evaluate several dif...
Pfau T, Witte TH, Wilson AM.Biomechanical studies often employ optical motion capture systems for the determination of the position of an object in a room-based coordinate system. This is not ideal for many types of study in locomotion since only a few strides may be collected per ;trial', and outdoor experiments are difficult with some systems. Here, we report and evaluate a novel approach that enables the user to determine linear displacements of a proprietary orientation sensor during cyclical movement. This makes experiments outside the constraints of the laboratory possible, for example to measure mechanical energy ...
Barberini DJ, Freitas NP, Magnoni MS, Maia L, Listoni AJ, Heckler MC, Sudano MJ, Golim MA, da Cruz Landim-Alvarenga F, Amorim RM.Studies with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are increasing due to their immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and tissue regenerative properties. However, there is still no agreement about the best source of equine MSCs for a bank for allogeneic therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cell culture and immunophenotypic characteristics and differentiation potential of equine MSCs from bone marrow (BM-MSCs), adipose tissue (AT-MSCs) and umbilical cord (UC-MSCs) under identical in vitro conditions, to compare these sources for research or an allogeneic therapy cell bank. Methods: The BM-MS...
Lewis NS, Daly JM, Russell CA, Horton DL, Skepner E, Bryant NA, Burke DF, Rash AS, Wood JL, Chambers TM, Fouchier RA, Mumford JA, Elton DM, Smith DJ.Equine influenza virus is a major respiratory pathogen in horses, and outbreaks of disease often lead to substantial disruption to and economic losses for equestrian industries. The hemagglutinin (HA) protein is of key importance in the control of equine influenza because HA is the primary target of the protective immune response and the main component of currently licensed influenza vaccines. However, the influenza virus HA protein changes over time, a process called antigenic drift, and vaccine strains must be updated to remain effective. Antigenic drift is assessed primarily by the hemagglu...
Lippold S, Matzke NJ, Reissmann M, Hofreiter M.DNA target enrichment by micro-array capture combined with high throughput sequencing technologies provides the possibility to obtain large amounts of sequence data (e.g. whole mitochondrial DNA genomes) from multiple individuals at relatively low costs. Previously, whole mitochondrial genome data for domestic horses (Equus caballus) were limited to only a few specimens and only short parts of the mtDNA genome (especially the hypervariable region) were investigated for larger sample sets. Results: In this study we investigated whole mitochondrial genomes of 59 domestic horses from 44 breeds an...
Fernandes KA, Kittelmann S, Rogers CW, Gee EK, Bolwell CF, Bermingham EN, Thomas DG.The effects of abrupt dietary transition on the faecal microbiota of forage-fed horses over a 3-week period were investigated. Yearling Thoroughbred fillies reared as a cohort were exclusively fed on either an ensiled conserved forage-grain diet ("Group A"; n = 6) or pasture ("Group B"; n = 6) for three weeks prior to the study. After the Day 0 faecal samples were collected, horses of Group A were abruptly transitioned to pasture. Both groups continued to graze similar pasture for three weeks, with faecal samples collected at 4-day intervals. DNA was isolated from the faeces and microbial 16S ...
Scoles GA, Ueti MW.Equine piroplasmosis is a disease of Equidae, including horses, donkeys, mules, and zebras, caused by either of two protozoan parasites, Theileria equi or Babesia caballi. These parasites are biologically transmitted between hosts via tick vectors, and although they have inherent differences they are categorized together because they cause similar pathology and have similar morphologies, life cycles, and vector relationships. To complete their life cycle, these parasites must undergo a complex series of developmental events, including sexual-stage development in their tick vectors. Consequentl...
Johnson L, Thompson DL, Varner DD.Testicular function is under the control of expression and repression of several genes and gene products, and many of these works through Sertoli cells. The capability of Sertoli cells to regulate spermatogenesis is dependent on Sertoli cell functions and Sertoli cell number. Sertoli cell number has long been thought to be stable in adults with no proliferation of Sertoli cells once adult numbers have been reached. However, adult horses do not have stable Sertoli cell numbers, and new studies indicate that adult Sertoli cells can be made to re-enter mitotic phase under certain experimental con...
Gibb Z, Lambourne SR, Aitken RJ.The relationship between stallion fertility and oxidative stress remains poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to identify criteria for thoroughbred fertility assessment by performing a logistical regression analysis using "dismount" sperm parameters as predictors and weekly per-cycle conception rate as the dependent variable. Paradoxically, positive relationships between fertility and oxidative stress were revealed, such that samples that produced pregnancies exhibited higher rates of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine release (1490.2% vs. 705.5 pg/ml/24 h) and lower vitality (60.5% vs. 6...
Minetti AE, ArdigO LP, Reinach E, Saibene F.Three-dimensional motion capture and metabolic assessment were performed on four standardbred horses while walking, trotting and galloping on a motorized treadmill at different speeds. The mechanical work was partitioned into the internal work (W(INT)), due to the speed changes of body segments with respect to the body centre of mass, and the external work (W(EXT)), due to the position and speed changes of the body centre of mass with respect to the environment. The estimated total mechanical work (W(TOT)=W(INT)+W(EXT)) increased with speed, while metabolic work (C) remained rather constant. A...
Thorpe CT, Udeze CP, Birch HL, Clegg PD, Screen HR.Age-related tendinopathy is common in both humans and horses; the initiation and progression of which is similar between species. The majority of tendon injuries occur to high-strain energy storing tendons, such as the human Achilles tendon and equine superficial digital flexor (SDFT). By contrast, the low-strain positional human anterior tibialis tendon and equine common digital extensor (CDET) are rarely injured. It has previously been established that greater extension occurs at the fascicular interface in the SDFT than in the CDET; this may facilitate the large strains experienced during l...
Costa MC, Weese JS.This article provides readers with the basic concepts necessary to understand studies using recent molecular methods performed in intestinal microbiome assessment, with special emphasis on the high throughput sequencing. This review also summarizes the current knowledge on this topic and discusses future insights on the interaction between the intestinal microbiome and equine health.
McGreevy PD, Cripps PJ, French NP, Green LE, Nicol CJ.A greater knowledge of the effect of management factors is required to investigate the ontogeny of abnormal behaviour in the stabled horse. A postal survey of racehorse (flat) trainers yielded information about 22 yard and management factors. The relationship of the factors to the prevalence of abnormal behaviour was analysed by logistic regression. Management factors related to the time spent in the stable showed the strongest associations with stereotypic behaviour. The risk of horses performing abnormal behaviour increased: 1) as the amount of forage fell below 6.8 kg/day, 2) when bedding t...
Ayliffe LK, Cerling TE, Robinson T, West AG, Sponheimer M, Passey BH, Hammer J, Roeder B, Dearing MD, Ehleringer JR.Temporal stable isotope records derived from animal tissues are increasingly studied to determine dietary and climatic histories. Despite this, the turnover times governing rates of isotope equilibration in specific tissues following a dietary isotope change are poorly known. The dietary isotope changes recorded in the hair and blood bicarbonate of two adult horses in this study are found to be successfully described by a model having three exponential isotope pools. For horse tail hair, the carbon isotope response observed following a dietary change from a C3 to a C4 grass was consistent with...
Metcalf JL, Song SJ, Morton JT, Weiss S, Seguin-Orlando A, Joly F, Feh C, Taberlet P, Coissac E, Amir A, Willerslev E, Knight R, McKenzie V, Orlando L.The mammal gut microbiome, which includes host microbes and their respective genes, is now recognized as an essential second genome that provides critical functions to the host. In humans, studies have revealed that lifestyle strongly influences the composition and diversity of the gastrointestinal microbiome. We hypothesized that these trends in humans may be paralleled in mammals subjected to anthropogenic forces such as domestication and captivity, in which diets and natural life histories are often greatly modified. We investigated fecal microbiomes of Przewalski's horse (PH; Equus ferus p...
Guest DJ, Smith MR, Allen WR.Injury to the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) is common in racing and sport horses and poor tendon regeneration leads to high reinjury rates. Autologous mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are being used clinically to improve tendon regeneration but they have some practical limitations. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) may overcome these limitations but their fate following injection into the damaged SDFT is unknown. Objective: To inject MSCs and ESCs into distinct areas of damage in the SDFT and monitor their survival over a 3 month period. Methods: MSCs and ESCs expressing different reporte...
Smith RK, Birch HL, Goodman S, Heinegård D, Goodship AE.Strain-induced tendinopathy is a common injury in both human and equine athletes, with increasing incidence associated with greater involvement in sport and an increasingly aged population. This paper reviews our studies on the abundant non-collagenous protein, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), in equine tendons. Its variation between tendon type and site, age and exercise has provided an insight into how age and exercise influence tendon growth and maturation. Tendons can be broadly divided into two types, reflecting their different matrix composition and function: the energy-storin...
Radcliffe CH, Flaminio MJ, Fortier LA.Mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs) are often characterized using surface markers after expansion and treatment in culture. There are no studies directly comparing gene and protein markers in undifferentiated samples during the very early phases of culture. The goal of this study was to evaluate temporal gene and protein expression changes during establishment of equine MPC cultures. Bone marrow aspirate was obtained from 35 horses and processed by density gradient centrifugation. In freshly isolated bone marrow, mononuclear cells had variable expression of CD44, CD11a/CD18, CD90, and CD45RB c...
