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.
Hisey E, Ross PJ, Meyers SA.OCT4 is a core transcription factor involved in pluripotency maintenance in the early mammalian embryo. The POU5F1 gene that encodes the OCT4 protein is highly conserved across species, suggesting conserved function. However, studies in several species including mice, cattle, and pigs, suggest that there are differences in where and when OCT4 is expressed. Specifically, in the horse, several studies have shown that exposure to the uterine environment may be necessary to induce OCT4 expression restriction to the inner cell mass (ICM) of the developing embryo, suggesting that there may be equine...
Marliani G, Sprocatti I, Schiavoni G, Bellodi A, Accorsi PA.The increasing interest in animal welfare and the knowledge of equine physiological and ethological needs have led to the development of different types of horses' management and housing systems. The research presented here aimed to assess the daytime activity budget of horses. Focal animal sampling was used as an observational sampling method, and the five animals were observed for a total of 9920Â minutes in the paddock and inside the stall. The results showed that horses spent most of the daytime in foraging behaviors, followed by resting behaviors, and locomotion. Social behaviors (s.e. al...
Saiz JC.West Nile virus (WNV) is a widely distributed enveloped flavivirus transmitted by mosquitoes, which main hosts are birds. The virus sporadically infects equids and humans with serious economic and health consequences, as infected individuals can develop a severe neuroinvasive disease that can even lead to death. Nowadays, no WNV-specific therapy is available and vaccines are only licensed for use in horses but not for humans. While several methodologies for WNV vaccine development have been successfully applied and have contributed to significantly reducing its incidence in horses in the US, n...
Ohmura H, Mukai K, Matsui A, Takahashi T, Jones JH.Supramaximal exercise while inspiring different O gases may induce different responses in cardiopulmonary function at the same relative and/or absolute exercise intensity. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of supramaximal exercise in hypoxia, normoxia and hyperoxia on cardiopulmonary function in Thoroughbred horses. Using a crossover design, five well-trained horses were made to run up a 6% grade on a treadmill at supramaximal speeds sustainable for approximately 110 sec (approximately 115% Omax) while breathing normoxic gas (NO, 21% O) or hypoxic gas (LO, 15.3% O) in random...
Toma M, Pandya YH, Dongre D, Nizich M.There is a multitude of whips and riding crops. It is assumed that the whip in Thoroughbred racing must be padded and designed to be energy-absorbing. The new whips have a cushion made of softer material to be presumably more ethical when used on the horses. This study quantifies the forces exerted on a flat target plate using three different riding crops. The goal is to comparatively determine which one is less likely to leave a mark on the equine skin when the same bending level of the crop cores is achieved. Counterintuitively, it is shown that the riding crop even when its popper is made o...
Fukuda K, Kuwano A, Kuroda T, Tamura N, Mita H, Okada Y, Kasashima Y.This study optimized the double-spin conditions for preparing equine platelet-rich plasma (PRP): leukocyte-rich PRP (L-PRP) and leukocyte-poor PRP (P-PRP). Whole blood samples were centrifuged at various double-spin conditions. Both L-PRP and P-PRP were prepared at each stage, and complete blood counts and growth factor concentrations were compared. Samples centrifuged at 160 × 900 g, 160 × 2,000 g, and 400 × 2,000 g exhibited the highest platelet counts. P-PRP had significantly lower leukocyte and erythrocyte contents than L-PRP, especially at 400 × 2,000 g. No significant differences wer...
May-Davis S, Minowa F, Brown WY.The Yonaguni pony is a rare breed of pony that has remained isolated on the westernmost island of Japan and may well retain normal morphological traits currently lost in most domestic horses (Equus caballus), such as the attachment of the nuchal ligament lamellae (NLL) from C2-C7. Recent research has found that NLL attachments are no longer present at C6 and C7 in most modern domesticated horses. This study investigated the attachments of the NLL in three Yonaguni ponies; 2 were examined in situ(deceased), and 1 was examined in vivo via ultrasound. The aim was to verify the attachments and com...
Kopper JJ, Alexander TL, Kogan CJ, Berreta AR, Burbick CR.Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), a technique used to restore normal intestinal microbial communities, has been successful in treating humans with Clostridioides difficile colitis. Subsequently, FMT is being used in veterinary patients with suspected intestinal dysbiosis. Unfortunately, little data are available regarding best practices for FMT in horses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of storing manure prepared for equine FMT (MP-FMT) at -20°C for up to 4 weeks and passage through a simulated proximal gastrointestinal (GI) tract on the viability of MP-FMT. The resu...
Francis JM, Thompson-Witrick KA, Perry EB.Despite its importance to product development, few data compare preferences for horses with human consumers. The objectives of this research were to compare treat preferences of horses against horse owners. Product A was a disk-shaped cinnamon-flavored flax-based treat, and product B was a textured apple-flavored oat-based treat. Horses were presented with two treat products in a paired preference test which comprised separate olfaction and consumption periods. Consumers evaluated the treats separately for purchase intent as well as hedonic testing of sensory attributes. No difference was obse...
Ishii H, Shibuya M, Leung GN, Yamashita S, Yamada M, Kushiro A, Kasashima Y, Okada J, Kawasaki K, Kijima-Suda I.The use of GW1516, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor δ (PPAR δ) agonist, is strictly prohibited in both horseracing and equestrian competitions. However, little is known about its metabolic fate in horses. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported metabolic study of GW1516 in equine urine. Methods: Urine samples obtained from a thoroughbred after nasoesophageal administration with GW1516 were protein-precipitated and the supernatants were subsequently analyzed by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-HRMS) with a Q-E...
Ricard A, Dumont Saint Priest B, Chassier M, Sabbagh M, Danvy S.The aim was to assess the efficiency of gaits characteristics in improving jumping performance of sport horses and confront accelerometers and judge scores for this purpose. A sample of 1,477 young jumping horses were measured using accelerometers for walk, trot, and canter. Of these, 702 were genotyped with 541,175 SNPs after quality control. Dataset of 26,914 horses scored by judges in breeding shows for gaits and dataset of 142,682 horses that performed in jumping competitions were used. Analysis of accelerometric data defined three principal components from 64% to 89% of variability explai...
Jackson K, Kelty E, Meylan M, Tennant M.Equine peripheral caries (PC) can cause significant dental pathology and appears to be increasing in prevalence and recognition in many areas [1, 2]. Previous studies have identified risk factors for the condition including the feeding of oaten hay [3]. It was hypothesized that this may be due to the higher water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) or "sugar" content of the hay. A randomized control trial involving 30 horses on three properties was completed. The horses were randomly assigned to two groups: high WSC (H-WSC) or low WSC (L-WSC) oaten hay and were then sedated and intraoral photographs an...
Hu D, Chao Y, Li Y, Peng X, Wang C, Wang Z, Zhang D, Li K.Many studies on human intestinal microbiota indicate that gender difference is one of the key factors influencing microbial community composition. To date, the degree of influence that gender has on equid intestinal microbiota has not been reported. Thus, microbiota was analyzed in feces of seven female Przewalski's horses (FRPHs) and seven male Przewalski's horses (MRPHs) in this study, determining which microbiota characteristics respond to gender biases. The microbial community composition and structure were explored by 16S rRNA sequencing, followed by diversity analysis and difference anal...
Matheson A, Regmi SC, Jay GD, Schmidt TA, Scott WM. Local biological and biomechanical-stimuli modulate proteoglycan-4 secretion within synovial joints. For the horse, changes to proteoglycan-4 concentration and function are notable in acute joint injury and osteoarthritis. Proteoglycan-4 (also known as Lubricin) is present in the blood, however the effect of exercise on equine serum levels is unknown. The overall objective of this study was, therefore, to investigate the effect of intense exercise on serum proteoglycan-4 in thoroughbred horses. Samples of blood were taken from thoroughbreds ( = 12) during a chuckwagon racing event (Alberta, ...
Herbert E, Ouerdane H, Lecoeur P, Bels V, Goupil C.Muscles are biological actuators extensively studied in the frame of Hill's classic empirical model as isolated biomechanical entities, which hardly applies to a living organism subjected to physiological and environmental constraints. Here we elucidate the overarching principle of a living muscle action for locomotion, considering it from the thermodynamic viewpoint as an assembly of actuators (muscle units) connected in parallel, operating via chemical-to-mechanical energy conversion under mixed (potential and flux) boundary conditions. Introducing the energy cost of effort as the generaliza...
Pollard D, Grewar JD.Over 60% of UK horse riders report having experienced a road-related near-miss or accident. The aim of this study was to describe horse-related road incidents ( = 4107) reported to the British Horse Society (2010-2020) and to identify factors associated with higher odds of collisions with another vehicle and horse fatalities using multivariable logistic regression modelling. Drivers passed the horse too closely in 84.2% of incidents while road rage and speeding were reported in 40.3% and 40.1% of incidents, respectively. Close passing distance alone (odds ratio [OR] 18.3, 95% confidence interv...
Kadivar A, Rashidzadeh H, Davoodian N, Nazari H, Dehghani Tafti R, Heidari Khoei H, Seidi Samani H, Modaresi J, Ahmadi E.Accurate diagnosis of foetal sex in pregnant mare is helpful for many breeders, both for private or commercial purposes. In this study, in order to pre-natal foetal sexing in equine, we used TaqMan duplex real-time PCR to detect the specific regions of SRY and TSPY genes on extracted cell-free foetal DNA from maternal blood. Peripheral blood samples from 50 pregnant Arabian mares with singleton foetuses were collected. Cell-free foetal DNA was extracted from maternal plasma, and duplex real-time PCR assays were performed with TaqMan probes and primers. Amplification of glyceraldehyde-3-phospha...
Kjellberg L, Morgan K.Interest in the use of open barns on Swedish horse farms is increasing as an alternative to keeping horses in box stalls and as a 2007 law requires phasing out of tie stalls. To provide adequate forage to satisfy welfare requirements for nutrition, gut health and behavioural needs, the use of automated feeding is also increasing. Studies on forage intake rate report wide variation but provide little information on how to introduce horses to an automatic forage station and on how forage intake rate varies in individual horses fed using an automatic forage station. This study documented the proc...
Martin-Rosset W, Andueza D, Vermorel M.The metabolisable energy (ME) content of feeds is a better estimate of their 'true' energy value than their digestible energy (DE) content, because ME takes account of the gross energy of methane (GEgas) and the gross energy of urine (GEurine) losses. The accuracy and precision of the Gesellschaft für Ernährungsphysiologie (GfE) and Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) systems for predicting the DE and ME contents of diets for horses were compared using the results of a study comprising 15 mixed diets. The INRA system was more accurate than the GfE system for predicting DE, G...
Diaz-Jimenez M, Rota A, Dorado J, Consuegra C, Pereira B, Camillo F, Panzani D, Fanelli D, Tesi M, Monaco D, Hidalgo M.Sperm vitrification has been recently developed, but fertility trials have not been performed yet in equine species. In this study, a new warming technique for vitrified donkey semen was developed and the uterine inflammatory response and fertility were compared to conventional freezing. In Experiment 1, sperm was vitrified in straws and warmed in 3 ml of extender or in a water bath at: 37 °C/30 s; 43 °C/10 s; and 60 °C/5 s. Sperm motility, plasma and acrosome membranes and DNA integrity were compared between treatments. In Experiment 2, jennies were inseminated twice (500 Ã...
Mokry A, Van de Water E, Politiek HT, van Doorn DA, Pille F, Oosterlinck M.Dynamic load distribution and landing patterns play an important role in equine orthopaedics. The aim of this study was to analyse dynamic load distribution and hoof landing patterns of sound Standardbreds. Twenty-four sound, unshod Standardbreds were walked and trotted over a pressure plate to obtain the peak vertical force (PVF), vertical impulse (VI) and stance time (ST) of both forelimbs. Asymmetry indices between both forelimbs were calculated and the dynamic medio-lateral and toe-heel load distribution of the forelimbs were compared between normal, toed-in and toed-out horses. The hoof l...
Mure S, Oishi K, Hirooka H.The objective of the present study was to develop a deterministic simulation model for evaluating the reproductive performance of Thoroughbred mares. As an application, the model was used to estimate the herd level asymptotic foaling percentage (AFP) for evaluating the performance of mares in stabilized mare herds using the convergent method for estimating a steady-state distribution of mares. In this model, it was assumed that the mares were mated only during the breeding season. The effects of early pregnancy loss and fetal loss on reproductive performance were investigated. The sensitivitie...
Bagge J, MacLeod JN, Berg LC. Bone marrow (BM)- and adipose tissue (AT)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are used increasingly for autologous cell therapy in equine practice to treat musculoskeletal and other injuries. Current recommendations often call for 10-100 million MSCs per treatment, necessitating the expansion of primary cells in culture prior to therapeutic use. Of concern, human and rodent studies have shown a decline of both MSC recovery from sampled tissue and proliferative capacity with increasing donor age. This may be problematic for applications of autologous cell-based therapies in the important eq...
Janczarek I, Wiśniewska A, Chruszczewski MH, Tkaczyk E, Górecka-Bruzda A.We tested the hypothesis that social defensive responses to the vocalisation of a predator still exist in horses. The recordings of a grey wolf, an Arabian leopard and a golden jackal were played to 20 Konik polski and Arabian mares. Durations of grazing, standing still, standing alert and the number of steps in walk and trot/canter were measured. In one-minute scans, the distances of the focal horse from the reference horse (DIST-RH) and from the nearest loudspeaker (DIST-LS) were approximated. The vocalisation of a leopard aroused the Arabians more than the Koniks (less grazing, stand-still ...
Mott RO, Hawthorne SJ, McBride SD.Measuring animal stress is fundamentally important for assessing animal emotional state and welfare. Conventional methods of quantifying stress (cortisol levels, heart rate/heart rate variability) require specialist equipment and are not instantly available. Spontaneous blink rate (SBR) has previously been used to measure stress responses in humans and may provide a non-invasive method for measuring stress in other animal species. Here we investigated the use of SBR as a measure of stress in the domestic horse. SBR was measured before and during a low-stress event (sham clipping) and compared ...
Burattini B, Fenner K, Anzulewicz A, Romness N, McKenzie J, Wilson B, McGreevy P.The broad traits of boldness and independence in domestic horses can affect their usefulness and, indirectly, their welfare. The objective of the current study was to explore associations between attributes that reflect equine boldness and independence with both the age of horses and the age at which they were started under saddle, as well as other variables including breed, colour and primary equestrian discipline. All data were sourced from responses (n = 1940) to the 97-question online Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ). Twenty E-BARQ items from the dataset were...
Hughes K.An understanding of the anatomy, histology, and development of the equine mammary gland underpins study of the pathology of diseases including galactorrhoea, agalactia, mastitis, and mammary tumour development. This review examines the prenatal development of the equine mammary gland and the striking degree to which the tissue undergoes postnatal development associated with the reproductive cycle. The gland is characterised by epithelial structures arranged in terminal duct lobular units, similar to those of the human breast, supported by distinct zones of intra- and interlobular collagenous s...
Arfuso F, Giannetto C, Giudice E, Fazio F, Piccione G.The physiological role of L-carnitine in equine species is worthy of investigation; however, the systemic content of free L-carnitine and its dynamic change in growing foals as well as in exercising horses are still poorly investigated. In this study, the influence of age and exercise on free serum L-carnitine levels was evaluated in equine species. Ten foals were monitored from 6 up to 18Â months of age (group 1), whereas 60 horses were divided in six groups in accordance with their age: group 2, 2-year-old; group 3, 3-year-old; group 4, 4-year-old; group 5, 5-year-old; group 6, 6-year-old; g...
Collins J, Hanlon A, More S, Duggan V.The equine industries in Ireland are vibrant and growing. They are broadly classified into two sectors: Thoroughbred racing, and sports and leisure. This paper describes these sectors in terms of governance, education and training in equine welfare, and available data concerning horse numbers, identification, traceability and disposal. Animal welfare, and specifically equine welfare, has received increasing attention internationally. There is general acceptance of concepts such as animal needs and persons' responsibilities toward animals in their care, as expressed in the 'Five Freedoms'. As y...
Webb AI, Weaver BM.Seventeen horses were dissected and their organs and tissues weighed. The results of these dissections are presented together with comparisons of the data with that already available in the literature. Predictive equations for organs and tissue weights are also given which were derived by comparison of linear and allometric regression models using 4 different body weight indices.
Hermanson JW, Hurley KJ.The biceps brachii of horses is a complex muscle subdivided into two heads which may subserve distinct functions. The lateral head contains a large percentage of type I myofibers. This region is largely composed of short fibers (5-7 mm long) arranged in a pinnate fashion and heavily invested with connective tissue. The medial head contains fewer type I fibers and is composed of relatively longer myofibers (15-20 mm long), also arranged in a pinnate fashion but less heavily invested with connective tissue. It is hypothesized that the lateral muscle head of biceps brachii contributes to the post...
Cheetham J, Pigott JH, Hermanson JW, Campoy L, Soderholm LV, Thorson LM, Ducharme NG.The equine upper airway is highly adapted to provide the extremely high oxygen demand associated with strenuous aerobic exercise in this species. The tongue musculature, innervated by the hypoglossal nerve, plays an important role in airway stability in humans who also have a highly adapted upper airway to allow speech. The role of the hypoglossal nerve in stabilizing the equine upper airway has not been established. Isolated tongues from eight mature horses were dissected to determine the distal anatomy and branching of the equine hypoglossal nerve. Using this information, a peripheral nerve ...
van Weeren PR, van den Bogert AJ, Barneveld A.Skin displacement was investigated at 16 sites in the front and hind limbs of four Dutch Warmblood horses at the trot. For visualisation of the bone under the skin, a measuring device mounted on a Steinmann pin driven into the bone under investigation, was employed. Mean displacements ranged from 8 mm (X-displacements proximal and distal metacarpus) to 142 mm (Y-displacement caudal part of greater trochanter). When compared with previously determined skin displacement patterns at walk, mean displacements at trot were of the same magnitude whereas the shape of the time-displacement curve was di...
Guedes A.There has been great progress in the understanding of basic neurobiologic mechanisms of pain, but this body of knowledge has not yet translated into new and improved analgesics. Progress has been made regarding pain assessment in horses, but more work is needed until sensitive and accurate pain assessment tools are available for use in clinical practice. This review summarizes and updates the knowledge concerning the cornerstones of pain medicine (understand, assess, prevent, and treat). It highlights the importance of understanding pain mechanisms and expressions to enable a rational approach...
Donnelly BP, Nixon AJ, Haupt JL, Dahlgren LA.To characterize the nucleotide sequence of equine platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-A and -B and analyze temporal expression of these genes in equine tendon after induced tendinitis injury. Animals-18 mature horses. Methods: Genes for equine PDGF-A and -B were reverse transcribed and sequenced from synovial tissue mRNA obtained from a 3-year-old horse. Collagenase-induced lesions were created in the tensile region of the superficial digital flexor tendon in 14 horses; 3 horses served as uninjured control animals. Tendons were harvested and total RNA was isolated from experimental horses 1,...
Human rotavirus is the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in infants and children under the age of 5 years in both developed and developing countries. Human lactadherin, a milk fat globule membrane glycoprotein, inhibits human rotavirus infection in vitro, whereas bovine lactadherin is not active. Moreover, it protects breastfed infants against symptomatic rotavirus infections. To explore the potential antiviral activity of lactadherin sourced by equines, we undertook a proteomic analysis of milk fat globule membrane proteins from donkey milk and elucidated its amino acid sequence. Alignm...
López-Sanromán FJ, Holmbak-Petersen R, Santiago I, Gómez de Segura IA, Barrey E.The aim of the present study was to verify the efficacy and sensitivity of an accelerometric device in detecting and quantifying the degree of movement alteration produced in horses sedated with xylazine. Horses (n=6) were randomly administered either xylazine or a control by intravenous injection, with at least 1 week between each treatment. A triaxial accelerometric device was used for the accelerometric gait assessment 15 min before (baseline) and 5, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105 and 120 min after each treatment. Eight different accelerometric parameters were calculated, including speed, stri...
Glass K, Wood JL, Mumford JA, Jesset D, Grenfell BT.This paper demonstrates that a simple stochastic model can capture the features of an epidemic of equine influenza in unvaccinated horses. When the model is modified to consider vaccinated horses, we find that vaccination dramatically reduces the incidence and size of epidemics. Although occasional larger outbreaks can still occur, these are exceptional. We then look at the effects of vaccination on a yard of horses, and in particular at the relationship between pre-challenge antibody level and quantity of virus shed when challenged with the virus. While on average, a high antibody level impli...
Mayhew IG, deLahunta A, Whitlock RH, Geary JC.Five horses of mixed breeding and 1 zebra with symmetric tetraparesis and ataxia were studied. There were 2 females and 4 males. Signs of illness were first noticed from birth to 12 months of age. Clinical and pathologic studies were performed when the animals were 4 to 24 months old. Two of the horses were related. All of the subjects had diffuse degenerative myeloencephalopathy. The degeneration was most pronounced in thoracic segments of the spinal cord. Ventral and dorsolateral funiculi were most severely affected. Axonal swelling and abnormal neuronal cell bodies were seen in the gray mat...
Mugnier S, Kervella M, Douet C, Canepa S, Pascal G, Deleuze S, Duchamp G, Monget P, Goudet G.Oviduct epithelial cells (OEC) co-culture promotes in vitro fertilization (IVF) in human, bovine and porcine species, but no data are available from equine species. Yet, despite numerous attempts, equine IVF rates remain low. Our first aim was to verify a beneficial effect of the OEC on equine IVF. In mammals, oviductal proteins have been shown to interact with gametes and play a role in fertilization. Thus, our second aim was to identify the proteins involved in fertilization in the horse. Results: In the first experiment, we co-incubated fresh equine spermatozoa treated with calcium ionophor...
Brosnahan MM.The genus Equus is made up of donkeys, horses, and zebras. Despite significant variation in chromosome number across these species, interspecies breeding results in healthy, although infertile, hybrid offspring. Most notable among these are the horse-donkey hybrids, the mule and hinny. Donkeys presently are used for everything from companion animals to beasts of burden. Although closely related from an evolutionary standpoint, differences in anatomy and physiology preclude the assumption that they can be treated identically to the domestic horse. Veterinarians should be aware of these differen...
Mugnier S, Dell'Aquila ME, Pelaez J, Douet C, Ambruosi B, De Santis T, Lacalandra GM, Lebos C, Sizaret PY, Delaleu B, Monget P, Mermillod P....The mechanism of fertilization remains largely enigmatic in mammals. Most studies exploring the molecular mechanism underlying fertilization have been restricted to a single species, generally the mouse, without a comparative approach. However, the identification of divergences between species could allow us to highlight key components in the mechanism of fertilization. In the pig, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and polyspermy rates are high, and spermatozoa penetrate easily through the zona pellucida (ZP). In contrast, IVF rates are low in the horse, and polyspermy is scarce. Our objective was ...
Hoyt DF, Wickler SJ, Biewener AA, Cogger EA, De La Paz KL.The activity of muscles can be concentric (shortening), eccentric (lengthening) or isometric (constant length). When studying muscle function it is important to know what the muscle fascicles are actually doing because the performance of muscle is strongly influenced by the type of activity: force decreases as a function of shortening velocity during concentric contractions; force produced during eccentric contractions can be stronger than maximum isometric force, and force production is enhanced if a concentric contraction follows an eccentric phase. It is well known that length changes of mu...
Hybridization has been widely practiced in plant and animal breeding as a means to enhance the quality and fitness of the organisms. In domestic equids, this hybrid vigor takes the form of improved physical and physiological characteristics, notably for strength or endurance. Because the offspring of horse and donkey is generally sterile, this widely recognized vigor is expressed in the first generation (F1). However, in the absence of recombination between the two parental genomes, F1 hybrids can be expected to be phenotypically intermediate between their parents which could potentially restr...
Nollet H, Deprez P, van Ham L, Dewulf J, Decleir A, Vanderstraeten G.Cervical spinal cord dysfunction is a common problem in equine medicine and the currently available tests give no objective information about the functionality of the nervous tracts. Therefore, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was performed in 84 healthy horses of different height in order to have an objective measure for the integrity of the descending motor tracts in normal horses. Objective: To obtain reference values for onset latency and peak-to-peak amplitude of magnetic motor evoked potentials (MMEPs) and to evaluate the possible effect of height, age and gender on the neurophysi...
Valigura HC, Leatherwood JL, Martinez RE, Norton SA, White-Springer SH.Mitigation of exercise-induced stress is of key interest in determining ways to optimize performance horse health. To test the hypothesis that dietary supplementation of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product would decrease markers of exercise-induced stress and inflammation in young horses, Quarter Horse yearlings (mean ± SD; 9 ± 1 mo) were randomly assigned to receive either no supplementation (CON; n = 8) or 21 g/d S. cerevisiae fermentation product (10.5 g/feeding twice daily; SCFP; n = 10) top-dressed on a basal diet of custom-formulated grain as well as ad libitum Coastal berm...
Senju N, Tozaki T, Kakoi H, Almunia J, Maeda M, Matsuyama R, Takasu M.To help plan conservation of the endangered Miyako horse, a biological resource of the Miyako Islands in Japan, we characterized the genetics of the breed by genotyping 32 microsatellites and identifying mitochondrial DNA haplotypes. We also calculated genetic distances between individuals based on the proportion of shared alleles and visualized the genetic relationships with a phylogenetic tree. Two important results were obtained. One is that accurate pedigree registration of the horse by using microsatellites is possible, as the exclusion power of parentage testing is 0.999998. Another is t...
Mendez-Angulo JL, Firshman AM, Groschen DM, Kieffer PJ, Trumble TN.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of three footing surfaces on the flexion/extension, and range of motion (ROM) of the carpus, tarsus and fetlocks in the horse. The percentage of stride spent in the stance phase of sound horses at the walk was also measured. Nine sound horses were walked on hard ground (HD), soft ground (SF) and a land treadmill (LT), and five complete gait cycles were recorded by a digital video camera. Retro-reflective markers were placed on the skin at four anatomical locations on the left fore and hind limbs, and data were analyzed using two-dimensional (2D)...
Prystupa JM, Juras R, Cothran EG, Buchanan FC, Plante Y.As part of the requirements of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Canada has been investigating the genetic diversity of its native equine and pony populations. Along with examining four indigenous Canadian equine populations (Canadian horse, Lac La Croix pony, Newfoundland pony and Sable Island population), another 10 Mountain and Moorland, three Nordic, four horse and two feral equine populations (thought to have influenced some pony breeds) were also investigated. In total, 821 individuals were genotyped at 38 microsatellite loci. Results of the analysis of molecular variance indicated...
Merkies K, Nakonechny L, DuBois C, Derisoud E.Training practices may impose restrictions on the equine behavioral repertoire through the use of training equipment. Presently, the prevalence of the use of training equipment in Canada is unknown. Through an online survey for horse enthusiasts (n = 654), this study evaluated the prevalence and predominant uses of whips, spurs, and head-control equipment by enthusiasts with direct contact with horses compared to perceptions held by enthusiasts with no direct horse contact using chi-squared analyses. Respondents primarily reported using whips and spurs to augment rider or trainer cues and re...
Ablondi M, Summer A, Vasini M, Simoni M, Sabbioni A.Horses are nowadays mainly used for sport and leisure purposes, and several local breeds, traditionally used in agriculture, are exposed to the risk of extinction. The long-term survival of local horse breeds depends on strategies to both monitor their genetic diversity and to find their sustainable role in the equine market. Thus, several local horse breeds need to adapt their breeding objective to allow a modernization process. The Bardigiano is an example of such horse breeds; we, therefore, studied the existing evaluation protocol from a genetic standpoint to assess the protocol's suitabil...
Amilon KR, Cortes-Araya Y, Moore B, Lee S, Lillico S, Breton A, Esteves CL, Donadeu FX.Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have revolutionized human biomedicine through their use in disease modeling and therapy. In comparison, little progress has been made toward the application of iPSCs in veterinary species. In that regard, skeletal myocytes from iPSCs would have great potential for understanding muscle function and disease in the equine athlete. In this study, we generated skeletal myotubes by transducing equine iPSC-derived mesenchymal derivatives with an inducible lentiviral vector coding for the human sequence of the myogenic factor, MyoD. Myosin heavy chain-positive my...
de Mestre AM, Bacon SJ, Costa CC, Leadbeater JC, Noronha LE, Stewart F, Antczak DF.The chorionic girdle of the equine conceptus is comprised of specialized trophoblast cells which, at day 36-38 of equine pregnancy, gain an invasive phenotype and invade the endometrium to form endometrial cups. Studies of equine endometrial cups remain difficult to perform because of the invasive techniques required to obtain cup tissue and because sampling requires termination of the pregnancy. In this study we developed a system to model trophoblast differentiation and trophoblast-immune interactions in vitro and in vivo. We utilized a method of culturing chorionic girdle pieces in serum-fr...
van de Lest CH, Brama PA, van El B, DeGroot J, van Weeren PR.Osteochondrosis (OC) is the most important developmental orthopaedic disease in the horse. Despite some decades of research, much of the pathogenesis of the disorder remains obscure. Increasing knowledge of articular cartilage development in juvenile animals led to the presumption that the role of collagen in OC might be more important than previously thought. To study collagen characteristics of both cartilage and subchondral bone in young (5 and 11 months of age) horses, samples were taken of subchondral bone and articular cartilage from a group of 43 Dutch Warmblood foals and yearlings that...
Gibbs PG, Potter GD, Schelling GT, Kreider JL, Boyd CL.Mature ponies fitted with permanent ileal cannulas were used in a 3 X 3 Latin square experiment to quantify prececal, postileal and total tract digestion of hay protein. Coastal Bermuda grass (CB), containing 11.7% crude protein, and two qualities of alfalfa, containing 15.0% (low-protein alfalfa; LA) and 18.1% (high-protein alfalfa; HA) crude protein, were fed in coarsely chopped form at 2% of body weight daily. Total tract apparent digestibility of the N in HA (73.8%) was higher than that in CB (57.0%; P less than .05) and was slightly higher than that in LA (66.1%; P less than .10). Nitroge...
van den Hoven R, Wensing T, Breukink HJ, Meijer AE, Kruip TA.The distribution of type-I and type-II fibers in 9 different parts of the musculi triceps brachii, longissimus dorsi, gluteus medius, and biceps femoris was studied to determine whether biopsies from these muscles give reliable information. All 4 investigated muscles were not homogeneous in their fiber-type distribution. Large differences existed among different muscle parts. The percentage of type-I fibers increased toward the deeper and cranial parts of the muscles. In the same zone of the gluteus muscle, differences of 30% were found for type-I fibers. Therefore, results obtained by biopsie...
Prieto A, Martins Almeida Ayupe K, Nemetala Gomes L, Saúde AC, Gutierres Filho P.Evaluate the effects of Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT) on the functioning of individuals with different health conditions through a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCT). Unassigned: This review was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42018100035) and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses recommendations. RCT were searched in eight different databases, using relevant keywords until July 7, 2020. Two independent reviewers performed selection of articles and data extraction that w...
Eriksson S, Grandinson K, Fikse WF, Lindberg L, Mikko S, Broström H, Frey R, Sundquist M, Lindgren G.There is a lack of knowledge about the genetic background of eczema due to insect bite hypersensitivity, also called summer eczema, in horses. The condition is known in several horse breeds and countries and it causes reduced welfare of the horse and economic losses to the owner. The aim of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for summer eczema in Swedish-born Icelandic horses. A questionnaire was sent to owners of horses sired by stallions with more than 50 offspring born in Sweden between 1991 and 2001. Variance components of summer eczema classified as healthy, mild, moderate or se...
