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.
Blake CC, Evans PR, Scopes RK.The single peptide chain of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase is folded into two distinct globular units, only one of which seems to be involved in substrate binding.
Momose A, Tsuji T.When sulpyrine and aminopyrine are administered to the horse, unchanged aminopyrine and its metabolites, 4-methylaminoantipyrine and 4-aminoantipyrine, are detected in the urine by means of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and gas liquid chromatography. Further identification of aminopyrine and these metabolites was carried out by the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. The procedures for separation and identification are as follows : The excretions were adjusted to pH 9 with ammonium hydroxide and extracted with chloroform. The extract was separated by TLC. The spots were loca...
Denny HR.Brucella abortus infection in horses is important not only as a clinical entity but also as a potential source of infection for man and other animals. A review of the current knowledge of this disease in the horses is therefore thought to be useful. The incidence of infection in horses has been the subject of many surveys. Most authors used the serum agglutination test as an indication of infection. The majority of surveys were carried out in about 1930 and these showed a wide range in the proportion of positive reactors from 0.5 to 40 percent. Several factors would account for this: variation...
Schryver HF, Hintz HF, Craig PH, Hogue DE, Lowe JE.The site of phosphorus absorption was studied by comparing the absorption of 32P placed directly into the cecum of fistulated ponies, with that absorbed from an intragastric dose and by estimating apparent absorption in different areas of the intestinal tract of ponies using Cr2O3 as an unabsorbable marker. There was no difference in the absorption of 32P following gastric or cecal administration indicating that phosphorus may be absorbed from the large intestine. The Cr2O3/nutrient ratio technique indicated that phosphorus was secreted into the upper half of the small bowel and that a nearly ...
Beard WL, Lohse CL, Robertson JT.The blood supply to the descending colon of the horse was studied by gross dissection and methyl methacrylate corrosion casts. The arterial supply is derived from the left colic artery and cranial rectal artery with the left colic artery supplying approximately the proximal three fourths. Each artery gives off four to eight arcuate arteries that form a series of anastomosing arcades. The arcade pattern continues to form a marginal artery that parallels the long axis of the colon. Small branches from the marginal artery anastomose with adjacent branches to form a secondary arcade. The secondary...
Crijns CP, Van Bree HJ, Broeckx BJG, Schauvliege S, Van Loon G, Martens A, Vanderperren K, Dingemanse WB, Gielen IM.The objective of this study was to examine the influence of the size, age and sex of the horse on the size of the pituitary gland and determine the possibility of using the pituitary gland height-to-brain area ratio (P:B ratio) to allow comparison of different sized and aged horses. Thirty-two horses without pituitary pars inter-media dysfunction that underwent a contrast-enhanced computed tomographic (CT) examination were included in a cross-sectional study. On the CT images, the pituitary gland height was measured and the P:B ratio was calculated. These measurements were correlated to the si...
Dart AJ, Snyder JR, Harmon FA.The microvascular circulation of the descending colon was studied in 5 adult horses, using microangiography and light microscopy combined with gross studies and scanning electron microscopy of vascular replicas. After heparinization, horses were euthanatized, and 3 segments of the descending colon and its mesentery containing 1 vascular arcade were removed from each horse. The fecal balls were gently massaged from the lumen, and the blood was flushed free of the circulation with isotonic NaCl. In 5 segments, the vascular system was injected with a modified radiopaque medium and evaluated radio...
Lusi CM, Davies HMS.Passive dynamics is an aspect of locomotion which is entirely dependent on the mechanical configuration and linkages of adjacent body segments. Tension distribution along mechanical linkages enables the execution of movement patterns with reduced need for complex neurological pathways and may play a role in reestablishing postural stability following external disturbances. Here we demonstrate a uni-directional mechanical relationship between the equine forelimb, head and neck, which may have implications for balance and forelimb loading in the horse. These observations suggest that forelimb, h...
Proudman C, Pinchbeck G, Clegg P, French N.As in other competitive sports, the famous Grand National steeplechase, which is held at Aintree in the United Kingdom and is watched by 600 million people worldwide, sometimes results in injury. By analysing data from the past 15 Grand National races (consisting of 560 starts by horses), we are able to identify several factors that are significantly associated with failure to complete the race: no previous experience of the course and its unique obstacles, unfavourable ground conditions (too soft or too hard), a large number of runners, and the length of the odds ('starting price'). We also f...
Prado Silva RH, Carneiro de Rezende AS, Felipe da Silva Inácio D, Norberto F, Saraiva de Melo Queiroz JN, Melo MM, Colares de Araújo Moreira D....Mangalarga Marchador foals in Minas Gerais, Brazil, are usually weaned during the dry season, when there is a scarcity of forage. Although sorghum silage has been used to feed weanlings, the effect on their feeding behavior in comparison with grass hay has not been reported. Twelve Mangalarga Marchador weanlings were randomly assigned to two groups of six animals: SS: sorghum silage; VH: Vaquero hay. Both groups received commercial concentrate in the proportion of 1.2 kg.100 kg of the live weight and forage ad libitum. The animals were filmed for 48 hours, being timed: forage intake time, wate...
Parks AH, Stick JA, Arden WA, Chou CC, Hengemuhle SM.The influence of distention (high baseline intraluminal pressure) and neostigmine methylsulfate on intestinal vascular resistance, oxygen uptake, and intraluminal pressure changes (rhythmic contractions) was studied in terminal jejunal segments, which were perfused at a constant rate, in 16 anesthetized ponies. When baseline intraluminal pressure was increased to 10 mm of Hg, the intestinal vascular resistance and amplitude of rhythmic contractions were increased. Neostigmine induced cyclic increases in amplitude of rhythmic contractions whether intraluminal pressure was 0 or 10 mm of Hg. Neos...
Evans MJ, Alexander SL, Irvine CH, Livesey JH, Donald RA.In vitro, the prolactin response of perifused anterior pituitary cells of horses to thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) (0.1, 1.0, 10 and 100 nM), correlated significantly with hours of daylight (P less than 0.01). Baseline concentrations of prolactin also were significantly correlated with daylength (P less than 0.01). When response and baseline data were fitted by nonlinear least squares to a cosine function, the circannual phase was -0.06072 (+/- 0.02170) and -0.05560 (+/- 0.0255), respectively, which are not significantly different from that of daylength. In vivo, prolactin secretion was ...
Mundy LN, Lescun TB, Main RP, Hall Griffin T.To compare heat generation and mechanical bone damage achieved with 2 tapered and 1 cylindrical transfixation pin taps in third metacarpal bones from equine cadavers. Methods: 18 pairs (36 specimens) of third metacarpal bones from euthanized horses with no known metacarpal disease. Methods: In each bone, an investigator drilled 3 holes for placement of a 6.3-mm cylindrical transfixation pin, a 6.3-mm tapered pin using a prototype tapered tap, and a 6.3-mm tapered pin using a revised tapered tap. One bone of each pair was tapped by hand and the other with an electric drill. Temperatures of the ...
Linford N, MacKechnie-Guire R, Cassar M.The aim of this trial project was to identify whether buried archaeological remains may have an influence on equine locomotion, through comparison with a non-invasive Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey. This study was conducted at the world-renowned Burghley Horse Trials site, near Stamford, City of Peterborough, U.K. that has a diverse range of heritage assets throughout the wider park land centred on the Grade 1 listed Elizabethan Burghley House. The initial aim of the research was to first use geophysical survey to identify and characterise archaeological remains, and then to determine a...
Becsek A, Schweizer A, Knutti B, Bollwein H.The aim of this study was to compare transrectal two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound examination with regards to required time and accuracy of fetal sex determination in early pregnant mares. Methods: For this purpose 47 mares were examined transrectally once between days 58 and 115 of gestation. Initially, the fetal sex was determined by identifying the location of the genital tubercle (GT) or external genitalia using 2D-ultrasound. Subsequently, the ultrasound machine was switched to 3D-mode to obtain images for later computer-based evaluation. Results: The gestational...
Jose-Cunilleras E, Wijnberg ID.Reference values for quantitative electromyography (QEMG) in shoulder and hindlimb muscles of horses are limited. Objective: To determine normative data on QEMG analysis of supraspinatus (SS), infraspinatus (IS), deltoideus (DT) and biceps femoris (BF) muscles. Methods: Experimental observational study and retrospective case series. Methods: Seven adult healthy Royal Dutch sport horses underwent quantitative motor unit action potential analysis of each muscle using commercial electromyography equipment. Measurements were made according to published methods. One-way ANOVA was used to compare qu...
Brown-Douglas CG, Firth EC, Parkinson TJ, Fennessy PF.Gonadotropin releasing-hormone analogue (buserelin) challenges were carried out every 8 weeks from 4 to 14 months of age on thoroughbred colts born in the spring (n = 6) or autumn (n = 5) to define the onset of puberty. In all colts, luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion followed a seasonal pattern, with high baseline and maximal concentrations in the spring and summer and low concentrations in the winter. Testosterone concentrations were undetectable before spring and, thus, autumn-born colts were younger than spring-born colts when a testosterone response to buserelin was first observed. Mean w...
Klein HJ, Schulze E, Deegen E, Giese W.In 5 horses, 13CO2/12CO2 ratios in expired air were determined using isotope mass spectroscopy to investigate metabolism of naturally occurring [13C]glucose. Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) were performed using maize or beet glucose. Maize has a higher 13C concentration than that of most plants. The 13CO2/12CO2 ratios after OGTT was performed using maize glucose were compared with 13CO2/12CO2 ratios in expired air after OGTT was performed using beet glucose. The ratio also was determined during the period horses were not fed. Using OGTT, all horses were glucose tolerant. The OGTT performed...
Albanese V, Munsterman AS, DeGraves FJ, Hanson RR.To measure intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) in horses that crib and compare it with IAP in horses that do not have this vice. Methods: Cohort study. Methods: Healthy cribbing horses (cribbing cohort, n = 8) and 8 healthy noncribbing horses (noncribbing cohort). Methods: A microsensor catheter was introduced into the peritoneal cavity through the right paralumbar fossa, using local anesthesia, for measurement of IAP. These pressures were recorded in 1-minute intervals for 2 hours, while the horses were standing tied in a stall. IAPs of cribbing horses were compared to the noncribbing cohort...
Graper M, Fischer AT.Practicing at a referral center makes one aware of the necessity for consistent clear communication with the referring veterinarians. The referring veterinarian is ultimately the primary client of the referral center and should be respected as such. Once the necessary care has been provided, the client and horse should be returned to the care of the referring veterinarian. It is important that the referring veterinarian stay involved in the case and communicate if they wish for more or less contact with the referral center.
Hoskinson JJ, Tucker RL, Lillich J, Bertone JJ.While many equine diagnostic imaging procedures can be done in field, some procedures require specialized facilities, equipment or expertise which are generally only available in referral or specialty practices. As client awareness of the availability and advantages of these diagnostic procedures increases, veterinarians are faced with the increasing opportunity to utilize these services to provide optimal patient care. A working knowledge of the value and limitations of these methods is required to help guide veterinarians and clients in the selection of additional, and sometimes costly, diag...
Gable TL, Woods GL.The objectives were to compare cumulus type with nucleus form in equine cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs), to define the percentage of germinal vesicle (GV)-stage oocytes within a population of mares, and to further define GV nucleus shapes of equine oocytes. Cumulus types were as follows: 1) compact (56/208, 26.9%), 2) slightly expanded (37/208, 17.8%), 3) moderately expanded (27/208, 13.0%), 4) greatly expanded (15/208, 7.2%), or 5) denuded (73/208, 35.1%). One hundred thirty of 208 COCs (62.5%) were GV-stage, 21/208 (10.1%) were condensed chromatin-stage, 8/208 (3.8%) were polar body-stage, 4...
Maia BT, Vendruscolo CDP, de Souza AF, Zoppa ALDV.The neurovascular bundle of the equine distal cannon can dynamically vary with limb position, and this can affect the performance of low 4- or 6-point block. This study aims to identify and describe the anatomical position and variations of the lateral and medial palmar/plantar nerve at the metacarpal/metatarsal distal level in horses by ultrasonography. Eight mares underwent ultrasound examination on the lateral and medial palmar/plantar sides of the metacarpus/metatarsus. Images were obtained for measurements of the cross-sectional area of the nerve, distances between the nerve and the skin ...
Raz T, Green GM, Carley SD, Card CE.Induction of multiple ovulations, or superovulation, may potentially increase the efficiency of equine embryo transfer programs. Our objective was to investigate the effects of equine follicle-stimulating hormone (eFSH) treatment on the success rate of embryo transfer programs in mares. Methods: In the research facility of the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, we studied 12 donor mares and 37 recipient mares during the physiological breeding season. Donor mares were used in two consecutive oestrous cycles: the first served as the control cycle and in the second an eFSH regimen was applied (e...
Luksaite J, Zokaityte E, Starkute V, Sidlauskiene S, Zokaityte G, Bartkiene E.The aim of this study was to apply the FaceReader technique to select the animal species and breed for a personalized AAT based on the emotions ('neutral', 'happy', 'sad', 'angry', 'surprised', 'scared', 'disgusted', and 'contempt') induced in the persons (18-64 years old) by the images of different animal species and breeds. To implement the aim, the images of different animal species (, , , , and ) and their breeds (dogs: Australian shepherd, pug, Labrador retriever, Doberman, miniature schnauzer, beagle, three mixed-breed types, Yorkshire terrier, Cane Corso, Samoyed, and Chihuahua; cats: B...
Rückert C, Emmerich I, Hertzsch R, Vervuert I.Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are secondary plant metabolites with hepatotoxic effect in humans and several animal species. In recent studies, foods such as herbal teas and honey have been found to be contaminated with pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify and assess pyrrolizidine alkaloids in compound feeds manufactured for horses and containing either alfalfa or a blend of herbs. Methods: Forty-eight feed products for horses were included in the study. The feedstuffs were analysed for 28 selected pyrrolizidine alkaloids by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry...
Kumar S, Ashraf M, Pannu U, Mehta SC.In equines, muscle exercise highly affects the expression of genes which are associated with secretion of cytokines. Myokines are the group of cytokines that are produced by skeletal muscles during exercise. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Interleukin-8 (IL-8) are among such myokines. This study was therefore taken up in 42 animals of Marwari, Kathiawari, Manipuri and Zanskari horses; and Poitou and Halari donkeys to find out the Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IL-6 and IL-8 genes. Sequence analysis of exon 2 of IL-6 gene revealed an intronic SNP (C>T) at position Equcab3.0:4:54607583 i...
McGowan CM, Ireland JL.Equine endocrine disease is an important area for equine research, requiring an appropriate case definition for inclusion and criteria for exclusion from disease. Defining a case for research may be different from criteria for clinical diagnosis. Further, clinical diagnosis recommendations have been changing regularly, making this area challenging for equine scientists. This review discusses the diagnosis of major equine endocrine diseases, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, equine metabolic syndrome and insulin dysregulation, focusing on the most appropriate diagnostic methods for researc...
Govaere JL, Hoogewijs MK, de Schauwer C, Dewulf J, de Kruif A.Embryo reduction of unilateral twin vesicles is normally successful before fixation of the vesicles. After fixation, however, it becomes a challenge, and the later in the gestation period that the reduction is performed, the greater the challenge. One therapy to reduce a twin into a singleton pregnancy is the transvaginal ultrasound-guided aspiration (TUGA) of one of the vesicles. The results of 35 unilateral twin reductions by TUGA are discussed in this paper and possible negative influences of age, parity and days pregnant are analysed statistically.
Cutler C, Viljanto M, Taylor P, Habershon-Butcher J, Van Eenoo P.Ibutamoren mesylate, or MK-0677, is an orally active, nonpeptide growth hormone secretagogue that has been developed to stimulate excretion of endogenous growth hormone. It has been evaluated for the treatment of a range of clinical conditions but is not available therapeutically. Nonetheless, MK-0677 is widely available to purchase online, sold as 'supplement' products. The mode of action and relative ease of purchase make MK-0677 a potential threat with regard to sports doping. The aim of this study was to investigate the metabolism of MK0677 in the horse following in vitro incubation and or...
Ignácio FS, Montechiesi DF, Bergfelt DR, Orlandi CMB, Carvalho LR, Puoli Filho NJ, Meira C.The present study was designed to evaluate luteinization rates subsequent to aspiration of dominant follicles (≥25 mm) in the absence of a functional CL (progesterone <1 ng/mL) and characterize the temporal changes in plasma concentrations of progesterone following aspiration-induced luteinization during the estrous cycle in mares. A total of 29 estrous cycles involving 15 mares in a cross-over design were randomly assigned to five groups: 1) ASP-F≥25 mm (n = 6; follicle aspiration 25-29 mm), 2) ASP-F≥30 mm (n = 6; follicle aspiration 30-34 mm), 3) ASP-F≥35 mm (n = 6; foll...
Huhtinen M, Lagneaux D, Koskinen E, Palmer E.Seventy-five embryos were collected 6 days after ovulation. Sixty embryos were frozen in straws using glycerol as the cryoprotectant in an automatic freezer. In Experiment 1 the freezing and thawing media were supplemented with 1.3 g/l PVP; in Experiment 2 the supplement was 5% FCS. The embryos were thawed for 30 s at +37 degrees C in a waterbath. In Experiment 1 glycerol was removed from 10 embryos in 6 steps. In 10 other embryos, glycerol and sucrose were both removed from the medium in 6 steps. After glycerol and sucrose removal, the embryos were stained with 4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole ...
Collier MA, Brighton CT, Rendano VT, Schryver HF, Kallfelz FA.Electrically induced osteogenesis exhibits a dose response curve and can induce bone formation in the absence of trauma and in nonunions. Electrically induced osteogenesis, using direct electric current (DC) in a third metacarpal diaphyseal osteotomy model, in conjunction with internal fixation and postoperative loading, was investigated. Twelve young adult ponies of mixed sex were divided into 2 treatment groups (A and B) of 3 stimulated and 3 controls each and evaluated, using a specifically designed procedure. Stimulated ponies in both groups were given 20 microA of DC via an implanted bone...
Weber JA, Woods GL, Freeman DA, Vanderwall DK.The objective of this experiment was to contrast the influence of the oviductal and uterine environments on development of Day-2 embryos. Embryos were transferred to oviducts or uteri of synchronous recipient mares, or were incubated in oviductal co-culture, in uterine co-culture or in defined culture medium. Significantly more (P < 0.02) embryos transferred to the oviduct versus the uterus survived until Day 11 after ovulation (5 7 vs 0 7 , respectively). Significantly more (P 0.1) in oviductal co-culture versus uterine co-culture (3 7 vs 6 7 , respectively), or in oviductal co-culture ve...
