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.
Qi PF, Gao XY, Ji JK, Zhang Y, Yang SH, Cheng KH, Cui N, Zhu ML, Hu T, Dong X, Yan B, Wang CF, Yang HJ, Shi WF, Zhang W.Equine coronavirus (ECoV) was first identified in the USA and has been previously described in several countries. In order to test the presence of ECoV in China, we collected 51 small intestinal samples from donkey foals with diarrhoea from a donkey farm in Shandong Province, China between August 2020 and April 2021. Two samples tested positive for ECoV and full-length genome sequences were successfully obtained using next-generation sequencing, one of which was further confirmed by Sanger sequencing. The two strains shared 100% sequence identity at the scale of whole genome. Bioinformatics an...
Ghosh S, Kjöllerström J, Metcalfe L, Reed S, Juras R, Raudsepp T.We present cytogenetic and genotyping analysis of a Thoroughbred foal with congenital neurologic disorders and its phenotypically normal dam. We show that the foal has non-mosaic trisomy for chromosome 26 (ECA26) but normal 2n = 64 diploid number because two copies of ECA26 form a metacentric derivative chromosome der(26q;26q). The dam has normal 64,XX karyotype indicating that der(26q;26q) in the foal originates from errors in parental meiosis or post-fertilization events. Genotyping ECA26 microsatellites in the foal and its dam suggests that trisomy ECA26 is likely of maternal origin and tha...
Møller-Jensen M, Blomquist MH, Mortensen CL, Olsson IKC, Cuevas-Ramos G.The popliteal tendon and muscle are major stabilizers of the human and dog knee, more specifically the postero-lateral corner. Injury to this complex causes posterior knee pain, and it is generally associated with other injured structures such as the lateral collateral ligament, lateral meniscus, and/or the cranial cruciate ligament. The popliteal complex is poorly reported in the horse, and its specific function has not been determined. Nevertheless, it is likely that it is similar to that of other species, and that injury to it could have similar clinical repercussions. Lameness due to stifl...
De Maré L, Boshuizen B, Vidal Moreno de Vega C, de Meeûs C, Plancke L, Gansemans Y, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Deforce D, de Oliveira JE, Hosotani G....There is a great need for objective external training load prescription and performance capacity evaluation in equestrian disciplines. Therefore, reliable standardised exercise tests (SETs) are needed. Classic SETs require maximum intensities with associated risks to deduce training loads from pre-described cut-off values. The lactate minimum speed (LMS) test could be a valuable alternative. Our aim was to compare new performance parameters of a modified LMS-test with those of an incremental SET, to assess the effect of training on LMS-test parameters and curve-shape, and to identify the optim...
Rankins EM, Manso Filho HC, Malinowski K, McKeever KH.Horses' muscular tension during acute stress remains unexplored. Our aim was to assess muscular, behavioral, cortisol, and hematocrit responses to social isolation (ISO), novel object exposure (NOV), and sham clipping (CLIP). Altered stress responses were expected. Eight mature Standardbred horses (four mares and four geldings) were exposed to acute stressors and a control period (CON) in a balanced, replicated 4×4 Latin Square experimental design with 3 min treatment periods and 10 min washout periods. Surface electromyography collected from the masseter, brachiocephalas, cervical trapeziu...
Cawley A, Keen B, Tou K, Elbourne M, Keledjian J.The concept of biomarker measurements in the form of a ratio has not been explored in detail. This is surprising considering the current and future potential for biomarkers incorporating endogenous reference compounds (ERCs) in a range of fields. A selection of these relating to clinical and forensic applications, human antidoping, equine antidoping and veterinary residues are discussed.
Kaps M, Lutzer A, Gautier C, Nagel C, Aurich J, Aurich C.Horse mares are frequently treated with the progestin altrenogest with the aim to suppress estrous behavior and its negative impact on equestrian performance. Progestogens, however, also have sedative effects in males, and females of different species. The aim of our study was therefore to investigate altrenogest-induced changes in the stress response of female horses during initial equestrian training. Three-yr-old Warmblood mares were randomly assigned to treatment with altrenogest (ALT; 0.044 mg/kg once daily; n = 6) or sunflower oil (CON; n = 5) for 12 wk during training. At predefined...
Gamucci F, Pallante M, Molle S, Merlo E, Bertuglia A.Superficial skeletal muscle activation is associated with an electric activity. Bidimensional High-Density Surface Electromyography (HD-sEMG) is a non-invasive technique that uses a grid of equally spaced electrodes applied on the skin surface to detect and portray superficial skeletal muscle activation. The goal of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of HD-sEMG to detect electrical activation of skeletal muscle and its application during rehabilitation exercises in horses. To fulfil this aim, activation of the superficial descending pectoral and external abdominal oblique core muscles w...
Dorrego A, Serres C, Cruz-Lopez F.Taylorella equigenitalis has long been recognised as a causative agent of contagious equine metritis, but practitioners may be less familiar with Taylorella asinigenitalis, which has been identified more recently. Here, Abel Dorrego, Consuelo Serres and Fatima Cruz-Lopez of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid describe T asinigenitalis and report the findings of a survey they carried out in donkeys in Spain.
Dockalova H, Baholet D, Batik A, Zeman L, Horky P.Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) provides several possible benefits for horses, namely anti-inflammatory, antioxidant effects, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective effects. Silybin exerts also pronounced effects on energy metabolism, that could be useful for sport horses. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of milk thistle seed cakes (in the form of a granulated mixture with barley) on blood biochemical parameters (total protein, albumin, bilirubin, urea, creatinine, ALT, AST, ALP, GGT, LDH, the total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, TAG, BHB, NEFA, creatine kinase, l...
Ott EC, Cavinder CA, Wang S, Smith T, Lemley CO, Dinh TTN.Oxidative stress caused by routine physical stressors may negatively impact the performance of equine athletes; thus, the present study identifies oxidative biomarkers in the blood plasma of exercising horses. Stock-type horses were subject to a standardized moderate-intensity exercise protocol 3 times per week for 8 wk. Exercise protocol followed NRC guidelines consisting of 30% walk, 55% trot, and 15% canter, with a target heart rate (HR) of 90 BPM. Blood plasma was collected in wk 1, 2, 7, and 8 immediately before and 0, 30, 60, and 90 min after exercise and analyzed for total antioxidant...
Lucas RG, Rodríguez-Hurtado I, Álvarez CT, Ortiz G.Equine back pain can potentially initiate an unstable intervertebral situation that results in atrophy and dysfunction of the epaxial muscles even after back pain has resolved. Several physiotherapy approaches are advocated to promote the strengthening of the multifidus muscle. This study aimed to asses and compare the effect of dynamic mobilization exercises (DME) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in 8 adult horses (4 individuals by group) to increase the cross-sectional area (CSA) of this muscle after a 7-weeks period treatment. The epaxial muscles of NMES group were electrical...
Faramarzi B, Nelson S, Dong F.Imbalances and altered kinetics of the hoof result in lameness in horses. Previously, studies have focused on the midstance phase of a gait, hence, available information on the impact phase is scarce. This study aimed to investigate the effect of hoof trimming on the fore and hindhooves at the impact phase of the walk. Our objective was to compare the kinetic variables of force (N), contact area (cm), contact pressure (kPa), and peak contact pressure (kPa) before and after hoof trimming. Nine Arabian horses were walked straight over a pressure plate to collect the above kinetic variables for b...
Ramos MM, Nabeiro M.Balance is the basis for all body movements, and is influenced by sensory systems: visual, vestibular and proprioceptive. Therefore, the loss of any of these systems, as in the case of visual impairment (VI), may carry important consequences for body balance and, thus, motor development. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in the static and dynamic balance of a participant with VI and autism characteristics. application of the Berg and Tinetti's Balance Scale, pre- and post-equine assisted services interventions. The study is a qualitative and descriptive case study. The data f...
Magalhaes HB, Canisso IF.This study aimed to establish normal ranges and determine variables affecting the duration of gestation, placental and fetal eyeball measurements in donkeys. Jennies (n = 121) were submitted to transrectal ultrasonography at 15-day-intervals from 120 days of gestation until parturition. During each examination, variables assessed included: the combined thickness of uterus and placenta (CTUP), fetal eyeball diameter, amniotic membrane thickness, allantoic and amniotic fluids echogenicity, and chorioallantois edema. Parametric data were analyzed with t-test, linear regression, mixed models, AN...
Ničová K, Bartošová J.This study aimed to identify factors that can influence show-jumping performance during top level competitions in the Western European League (2017/2018, CSI5*). The performance data of 144 riders and 222 horses were obtained from video records (FEI TV/ website). Riders with horses achieved a total of 9114 jumping-efforts over 320 obstacles including oxers (n = 142), oxers with water (n = 15), triple bars (n = 6), verticals (n = 136), verticals with water (n = 14) and walls (n = 7). Obstacles in the first round (FR) or in jump off (JO) were standing either as single (n = 6290) or as a combinat...
Regenerative medicine applied to skin lesions is a field in constant improvement. The use of biomaterials with integrin agonists could promote cell adhesion increasing tissue repair processes. The aim of this pilot study was to analyze the effect of an α4β1 integrin agonist on cell adhesion of equine adipose tissue (AT) and Wharton's jelly (WJ) derived MSCs and to investigate their adhesion ability to GM18 incorporated poly L-lactic acid (PLLA) scaffolds. Adhesion assays were performed after culturing AT- and WJ-MSCs with GM18 coating or soluble GM18. Cell adhesion on GM18 containing PLLA sc...
Lee GKC, Kang H, Beeler-Marfisi J, Sears W, Lillie BN, Bienzle D.Salivary scavenger and agglutinin (SALSA) is a secreted protein with various immunomodulatory roles. In humans, the protein agglutinates and inactivates microorganisms, and inhibits the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Saliva, which is rich in SALSA, accelerates bacterial phagocytosis, but SALSA's contribution is unclear. In horses, the functions of SALSA in inflammation remain undetermined, so they were investigated through phagocytosis and cytokine assays. Equine SALSA was purified from duodenal tissue, which contains abundant SALSA. To assess phagocytosis, fluorescently-labelled bacte...
Martinez RE, Leatherwood JL, Bradbery AN, Silvers BL, Fridley J, Arnold CE, Posey EA, He W, Bazer FW, Wu G.In livestock species, the enterocytes of the small intestine are responsible for the synthesis of citrulline and arginine from glutamine and proline. At present, little is known about de novo synthesis of citrulline and arginine in horses. To test the hypothesis that horses of different age groups can utilize glutamine and proline for the de novo synthesis of citrulline and arginine, jejunal enterocytes from 19 horses of three different age groups: neonates (n = 4; 7.54 ± 2.36 d of age), adults (n = 9; 6.4 ± 0.35 yr), and aged (n = 6; 22.9 ± 1.0 yr) with healthy gastrointestinal tracts were...
Jardat P, Calandreau L, Ferreira V, Gouyet C, Parias C, Reigner F, Lansade L.In a recent experiment, we showed that horses are sensitive to pet-directed speech (PDS), a kind of speech used to talk to companion animals that is characterized by high pitch and wide pitch variations. When talked to in PDS rather than adult-directed speech (ADS), horses reacted more favorably during grooming and in a pointing task. However, the mechanism behind their response remains unclear: does PDS draw horses' attention and arouse them, or does it make their emotional state more positive? In this study, we used an innovative paradigm in which female horses watched videos of humans speak...
Gao S, Zeng Z, Wang H, Chen F, Huang L, Wang X.African horse sickness (AHS) is a devastating equine infectious disease. On 17 March 2020, it first appeared in Thailand and threatened all the South-East Asia equine industry security. Therefore, it is imperative to carry out risk warnings of the AHS in China. The maximum entropy algorithm was used to model AHS and Culicoides separately by using climate and non-climate variables. The least cost path (LCP) method was used to analyze the habitat connectivity of Culicoides with the reclassified land cover and altitude as cost factors. The models showed the mean area under the curve as 0.918 and ...
Fowler AL, Hayes SH, Crum AD, Lawrence LM.Titanium dioxide has been used as a marker for determining diet digestibility indirectly, but some authors have expressed difficulty in measuring TiO2 concentrations in fecal material. We developed an accurate and precise method to determine TiO2 concentrations in equine feces. The method includes dry-ashing samples, digestion with (NH4)2SO4 in concentrated sulfuric acid, followed by the addition of H2O2 to produce a yellow to orange color that can be read spectrophotometrically. Accuracy was tested by spike recovery, and precision was tested by examining the coefficient of variation (CV) betw...
Fanelli D, Tesi M, Monaco D, Diaz-Jimenez M, Camillo F, Rota A, Panzani D.In the literature, the very low pregnancy rates after artificial insemination (AI) with frozen semen in donkeys were improved in one study after re-extension of the frozen-thawed semen in autologous seminal plasma. The aims of our study were (1) to describe in vitro post-thaw parameters of donkey jackass semen after re-extension in seminal plasma (SP) or in INRA96 and (2) to compare pregnancy rates in jennies bred with frozen-thawed semen using two different AI protocols. Semen collected from two Amiata donkey stallions, known to be fertile, was frozen in INRA96 supplemented with 2% egg yolk, ...
Köhne M, Unruh C, Böttcher D, Tönissen A, Ulrich R, Sieme H.Uterine pathologies are the most common causes of infertility in mares. This study aimed to establish an ex vivo blood-perfused model for equine uteri and investigate the possible effects of different cycle stages (estrus, diestrus and anestrus) on the applicability of the model. Uteri (n = 13) were collected at an abattoir, flushed with preservation solution, transported to the laboratory on ice, and isolated perfused with autologous blood for 6 h (n = 12). For negative control, one uterus was handled as described but left without perfusion for 6 h. The cycle stage was determined by ex...
Keen B, Cawley A, Reedy B, Fu S.Metabolomics is a multidisciplinary field providing workflows for complementary approaches to conventional analytical determinations. It allows for the study of metabolically related groups of compounds or even the study of novel pathways within the biological system. The procedural stages of metabolomics; experimental design, sample preparation, analytical determinations, data processing and statistical analysis, compound identification and validation strategies are explored in this review. The selected approach will depend on the type of study being conducted. Experimental design influences ...
Floriano D, Watkins AR, Hopster K.To evaluate the efficacy of 2 different oxygen delivery strategies-intranasal and tracheal insufflation-on the inspired fraction of oxygen (FIO2) in standing horses and to determine the time needed for arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO2) equilibration. Methods: 6 healthy adult horses. Methods: In this blinded, randomized crossover design study, horses were randomly assigned to receive oxygen via nasal cannula (group N) or transcutaneous tracheal catheter (group T). After placement of venous and arterial catheters, FIO2 was measured through a catheter placed into the distal portion of the t...
Livolant F.The fine structure of chromatin in sperm heads was investigated by different microscopic techniques: in vivo examinations in the polarizing microscope, thin sections and freeze-fracture replicas observed by transmission electron microscopy. The freeze-fractured chromatin appears to be formed of superimposed lamellae, each one 330 A thick. These lamellae are parallel to the flattening plane of the sperm head. This situation was already described in other mammal spermatozoa and in particular in the bull and the rabbit. This work presents a new interpretation of this lamellated aspect. The chroma...
Jeffcott LB.The horse is predisposed to back injury by virtue of the type of work and intensity of competition
to which it is subjected nowadays. This paper reviews some of the inherent difficulties in establishing meaningful criteria for the diagnosis and treatment of these injuries. It highlights some
of the large gaps in knowledge, particularly in relation to the causative factors involved and the
biomechanics of the equine spine. One controversial area in diagnosis and treatment concerns
the possible subluxation of vertebral dorsal spinous processes and their subsequent reposition by
means of man...
Kinnison T, McGilvray TA, Couëtil LL, Smith KC, Wylie CE, Bacigalupo SA, Gomez-Grau E, Cardwell JM.Current consensus defines mild-moderate equine asthma (mEA; previously inflammatory airway disease) by a hierarchy of indicators of lung pathology: cough, poor performance, increased tracheobronchial mucus, inflammatory bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytology and pulmonary dysfunction. Exclusion criteria include fever, systemic disease, or increased resting respiratory effort. The aim of this review was to inform future research by identifying gaps, strengths and weaknesses in the current body of evidence supporting this consensus-proposed definition. Objectives were to critique evidence support...
Samuelson DA, Andresen TL, Gwin RM.Conjunctival swab specimens were obtained from both eyes of 43 horses, 25 cows, 50 dogs, and 25 cats without keratitis or other ophthalmologic problems. Fungi were isolated from 95% of the horses, 100% of the cows, 22% of the dogs, and 40% of the cats. Aspergillus spp were isolated from 56% of the horses, 12% of the cows, 8% of the cats, and none of the dogs. Penicillium spp and Cladosporium spp were isolated ubiquitously. Collectively, 28 species from 209 isolants were identified.
Andersson LS, Juras R, Ramsey DT, Eason-Butler J, Ewart S, Cothran G, Lindgren G.Equine Multiple Congenital Ocular Anomalies (MCOA) syndrome consists of a diverse set of abnormalities predominantly localized to the frontal part of the eye. The disease is in agreement with a codominant mode of inheritance in our horse material. Animals presumed to be heterozygous for the mutant allele have cysts originating from the temporal ciliary body, peripheral retina and/or iris. In contrast, animals predicted to be homozygous for the disease-causing allele possess a wide range of multiple abnormalities, including iridociliary and/or peripheral retinal cysts, iridocorneal angle abnorm...
Lwin KO, Matsui H.Comparative analysis of methanogen compositions in the feces of horse and pony was carried out by constructing the α -subunit of methyl coenzyme-M reductase (mcrA) gene and 16S ribosomal RNA gene (16S rRNA) clone libraries. The mcrA clone library analysis indicated that Methanomicrobiales was predominant in both horse and pony. Furthermore, most of the clones of the 16S rRNA gene library showed that Methanomicrobiales was also predominant in horse and pony, but the LIBSHUFF analysis showed that the horse and pony libraries were significantly different (P < 0.05). Most of operational taxono...
Barrey E.Over the last 30 years, the increase in interest in horses for racing and riding activities has stimulated scientific research in equine locomotion. This paper presents a review of the measurement methods and their applications used to assess equine locomotion. After describing gaits and velocity-related changes in stride variables, the current applications of gait analysis are presented. The economic consequences of lameness justifies the great effort now being put into lameness quantification and prevention. To improve breeding and reduce the costs of training, early performance evaluation t...
Oakenfull EA, Ryder OA.Variation in the control region and the 12S rRNA gene of all surviving mitochondrial lineages of Przewalski's horse was investigated. Variation is low despite the present day population being descended from 13 individuals probably representing animals from three different regions of its range. Phylogenetic comparison of these sequences, with sequences for the domestic horse, does not resolve the ancestral status of either horse.
Arencibia A, Vázquez JM, Jaber R, Gil F, Ramírez JA, Rivero M, González N, Wisner ER.The purpose of this investigation was to define the magnetic resonance imaging anatomy of the rostral part of the equine head. 10 mm-thick, T1-weighted images of two isolated equine cadaver heads were obtained using a 1.5 Tesla magnet and a body coil. MR images were compared to corresponding frozen cross-sections of the cadaver head. Relevant anatomic structures were identified and labeled at each level. The resulting images provided excellent anatomic detail of the oral and nasal cavities, paranasal sinuses and associated structures. Annotated MR images from this study are intended as a refer...
Stout TA.The first month of equine pregnancy covers a period of rapid growth and development, during which the single-cell zygote metamorphoses into an embryo with a functional circulation and precursors of many important organs, enclosed within extraembryonic membranes responsible for nutrient uptake and gaseous exchange. After exiting the oviduct, the conceptus must influence uterine physiology to ensure adequate nutrition and preparation for implantation, while continued development results in the chorioallantois superseding the yolk sac as the primary interface for maternal interaction and exchange...
Colombino E, Raspa F, Perotti M, Bergero D, Vervuert I, Valle E, Capucchio MT.The conventional feeding management of horses is still characterized by high starch and low fibre diets, which can negatively affect horse's gastrointestinal health. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the effects of a high-starch (HS) vs. a high-fibre (HF) diet on gut health in horses. A total of 19 Bardigiano horses destined for slaughter and aged 14.3 ± 0.7 months were randomly allotted to two dietary groups: HS (5 fillies and 4 colts,) and HF group (7 fillies and 3 colts). They received the same first-cut meadow hay but different complementary feeds for 72 days: HS group was ...
Mobasheri A, Gent TC, Nash AI, Womack MD, Moskaluk CA, Barrett-Jolley R.Chondrocytes are highly sensitive to variations in extracellular glucose and oxygen levels in the extracellular matrix. As such, they must possess a number of mechanisms to detect and respond to alterations in the metabolic state of cartilage. In other organs such as the pancreas, heart and brain, such detection is partly mediated by a family of potassium channels known as K(ATP) (adenosine 5'-triphosphate-sensitive potassium) channels. Here we investigate whether chondrocytes too express functional K(ATP) channels, which might, potentially, serve to couple metabolic state with cell activity. ...
Essén-Gustavsson B, Lindholm A.Muscle biopsies were taken from the middle gluteus muscle of 36 Standardbred horses. Twelve of the horses were inactive, while 24 were actively trained and raced. Twelve of the trained horses were moderate performers, with a mean racing time of 1 min 21 secs per km (741 m/min) and the other 12 were excellent performers, with a mean racing time of 1 min 16 secs per km (789 m/min). The percentage and mean area of Type I fibres were similar in all three groups of horses. Marked differences were found among the subgroups of Type II fibres. The well-trained horses had a higher proportion of Type II...
Diez de Castro E, Lopez I, Cortes B, Pineda C, Garfia B, Aguilera-Tejero E.Equine pituitary pars intermedia function can be assessed by the measurement of baseline and thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH)-induced concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH); however, these measurements may be affected by the environment. Therefore, a prospective observational study evaluated the influence of feeding, time of the day, and season on baseline and TRH-induced concentrations of ACTH in healthy horses. Baseline ACTH was measured in 50 horses before and 2 h after feeding. Six research horses were subjected to a crossover study in which 6 TRH tests were performed in ...
Viklund A, Braam A, Näsholm A, Strandberg E, Philipsson J.For many years, the breeding value estimation for Swedish riding horses has been based on results from Riding Horse Quality Tests (RHQTs) of 4-year-olds only. Traits tested are conformation, gaits and jumping ability. An integrated index including competition results is under development to both get as reliable proofs as possible and increases the credibility of the indexes among breeders, trainers and riders. The objectives of this study were to investigate the suitability of competition data for use in genetic evaluations of horses and to examine how well young horse performance agrees with ...
Martano M, Corteggio A, Restucci B, De Biase ME, Borzacchiello G, Maiolino P.Equine sarcoids are locally invasive, fibroblastic benign skin tumors. Bovine papillomavirus type-1 (BPV-1) and/or Bovine papillomavirus type-2 (BPV-2) are believed to be the causative agent of sarcoids, although the mechanisms by which the virus induce the tumor are still poorly understood. We hypothesized that in genetically predisposed equines latent BPV infection may be reactivated by immunosoppression and/or mechanical injury leading to a form of pathologic wound which may transform into a sarcoid. In this study, we investigated in 25 equine sarcoids and in five normal skin samples the hi...
Rice NR, Simek S, Ryder OA, Coggins L.Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) recently has been shown to possess a high-molecular-weight RNA genome and a virion reverse transcriptase. We completed the demonstration that EIAV is a retrovirus by showing the presence of proviral DNA in equine cells infected in vitro, but not in normal horse DNA. These studies were performed by using a highly representative cDNA probe synthesized by the virion polymerase. It was found that this cDNA reassociated extensively, and with high thermal stability, with either viral RNA or DNA extracted from infected cells, but showed no detectable reassociatio...
Mendonça T, Bienboire-Frosini C, Kowalczyk I, Leclercq J, Arroub S, Pageat P.The learning and cognitive challenges that horses may face differ according to the activities in which they are involved. The aim of this investigation was to study the influence of equine activities on the behavioral responses and autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity of adult horses. Forty-one horses were divided into four groups: dressage (9), jumping (10), eventing (13) and equine-assisted activity/therapy (9). A test was created to compare the horses' behavioral and physiological responses to different stimuli. The goal was always to obtain a treat. To study the ANS activity, heart rate...
Self Davies ZT, Spence AJ, Wilson AM.The horse has evolved to gallop economically at high speed. Limb force increases with speed but direct measures of limb ground reaction forces (GRFs) at gallop are sparse. This study reports GRFs for multiple limbs, using force plates, across seven Thoroughbred racehorses during ridden galloping. The results show peak vertical GRF values of 13.6 N kg (non-lead hindlimb), 12.3 N kg (lead hindlimb), 14.0 N kg (non-lead forelimb) and 13.6 N kg (lead forelimb) at 11.4 m s and recorded values are consistent with those predicted from duty factor. The distribution of body weight b...
Probst A, Henninger W, Willmann M.Heads from 15 male and female horses of various breeds and ages were examined with computed tomography under general anesthesia in dorsal recumbency. The main interest was the evaluation of the entire paranasal sinus system. Special attention was paid to the location, size, and shape of the conchomaxillary, nasomaxillary, frontomaxillary, and sphenopalatinal openings. The frontomaxillary opening was the largest aperture and was found to be age-dependent in size mostly. Orientation and shape of the openings were sagittal or horizontal; the narrowest of them was the slit-like nasomaxillary apert...
Voss B, Mohr E, Krzywanek H.The objectives of the present study were to investigate the effects of Aquatraining of horses (aqua-treadmill exercise; treadmill manufactured by Equitech - L.u.S. Equipment, Warendorf, Germany) on selected blood parameters [lactic acid concentration (mmol/l), haemoglobin content (g/l)] and on heart-rate variability (HRV) [heart rate (beats per min; b.p.m.), standard deviation of all NN-intervals (SDNN; ms), normalized power of the low and high frequency band (LFnorm, Hfnorm; au), % recurrence, % determinism and ratio(corr)]. Seven horses performed six exercise tests with different work loads ...
Brosnahan MM, Paradis MR.To describe the demographic and clinical characteristics, management practices, and owner perception of a population of geriatric horses, and to compare these data with findings in a group of younger horses. Methods: Original study. Methods: 218 horses. Methods: Data were collected via a survey tool from owners of 165 horses that were > or = 20 years of age and 53 horses that were < 20 years of age. Results: Compared with young horses, the geriatric group included a significantly greater number of ponies; geriatric horses were also more likely to have a history of colic, dental disease, ...
Wilsher S, Clutton-Brock A, Allen WR.A total of 78 day 10 horse embryos were transferred non-surgically to recipient mares that had ovulated 9, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 day after (negative asynchrony), on the same day (synchronous), or 2 or 4 days before (positive asynchrony) the donor (n=6 or 8 mares per group). Pregnancy rates between 100% (6/6) and 63% (5/8) were seen in recipient mares that were between +2 and -6 days asynchronous. Embryo survival to the heartbeat stage declined in recipients that were -7 days asynchronous and no embryos survived in recipients that were -9 days asynchronous. Irrespective of uterine asynchrony, c...
McCutcheon LJ, Byrd SK, Hodgson DR.Thoroughbred horses were exercised to fatigue at 40, 85, and 100% of their maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) on a treadmill and completed a 1,600-m gallop on a track to identify the effect of exercise of various durations and intensities on the ultrastructure of mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) from the middle gluteal muscle. The percentage of the total area occupied by mitochondria and SR increased in electron micrographs of muscle samples collected at the termination of exercise and at 30 and 60 min of recovery compared with those collected before exercise. Mitochondrial area i...
Jun J, Cho YS, Hu H, Kim HM, Jho S, Gadhvi P, Park KM, Lim J, Paek WK, Han K, Manica A, Edwards JS, Bhak J.The horse (Equus ferus caballus) is one of the earliest domesticated species and has played an important role in the development of human societies over the past 5,000 years. In this study, we characterized the genome of the Marwari horse, a rare breed with unique phenotypic characteristics, including inwardly turned ear tips. It is thought to have originated from the crossbreeding of local Indian ponies with Arabian horses beginning in the 12th century. Results: We generated 101 Gb (~30 × coverage) of whole genome sequences from a Marwari horse using the Illumina HiSeq2000 sequencer. The seq...
Dohmen PM, da Costa F, Lopes SV, Vilani R, Bloch O, Konertz W.In the past, successful use of decellularized xenogenic tissue was shown in the pulmonary circulation. This study, however, evaluates a newly developed decellularized equine pericardial patch under high pressure circumstances. Methods: Seven decellularized equine pericardial scaffolds were implanted into the descending aorta of the juvenile sheep. The implanted patches were oversized to evaluate the durability of the decellularized tissue under high surface tension (Law of Laplace). After 4 months of implantation, all decellularized patches were inspected by gross examination, light microscopy...
The Journal of physiologyNovember 15, 2002
Volume 547, Issue Pt 1 67-76 doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2002.027409
Giussani DA, Forhead AJ, Gardner DS, Fletcher AJ, Allen WR, Fowden AL.This study used between-breed embryo transfer in the horse to investigate the effects of maternal size and uterine capacity on fetal growth and postnatal cardiovascular and neuroendocrine functions. Equine embryos were transferred to establish eight Thoroughbred-in-Thoroughbred (TinT), seven Pony-in-Pony (PinP), five Thoroughbred-in-Pony (TinP) and eight Pony-in-Thoroughbred (PinT), pregnancies. Maternal and foal weights and placental microscopic area were measured at birth. At 6 days of postnatal life, arterial blood pressure and heart rate were monitored and blood samples were taken for horm...
Payne RC, Veenman P, Wilson AM.Muscles have two major roles in locomotion: to generate force and to absorb/generate power (do work). Economical force generation is achieved by short-fibred pennate muscle while the maximum power output of a muscle is architecture independent. In this study we tested the hypothesis that there is an anatomical and structural separation between the force-generating anti-gravity muscles and the propulsive (limb/trunk moving) muscles of the equine forelimb. Muscle mass and fascicle length measurements were made on the thoracic limb extrinsic muscles of six fresh horse cadavers. Physiological cros...
