Horse breeds represent the diverse genetic and phenotypic variations found within the species Equus ferus caballus. These breeds are categorized based on characteristics such as size, conformation, coat color, and temperament, which have been selectively bred over centuries to fulfill specific roles and functions. Common classifications of horse breeds include light horses, draft horses, and ponies, each serving different purposes ranging from riding and racing to work and companionship. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the genetics, history, and functional attributes of various horse breeds, as well as their impact on equine management and breeding practices.
Bartolomé E, Milho S, Prazeres J.The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) ranks horses participating in dressage tests resulting in a prestigious list where equestrians would like to see their horses ranked. The main objective of this study was to analyze morphological and genealogical differences between Lusitano horses (LPB) participating at international events and those ranked by FEI, considering pedigree information. For this study, 324 LPB participating in dressage competitions were analyzed. Thirty-two were ranked at FEI. The pedigree was reconstructed up to 1148 animals. For analyses, the complete pedigree (CP) a...
Nakamura K, Tozaki T, Kakoi H, Owada S, Takasu M.Kiso horse is a breed of Japanese native horses. In this study, to clarify coat color gene variation in Kiso horses, we used SNaPshot™ genotyping to evaluate variation in MC1R, ASIP, and MATP genes at the Extension (E), Agouti (A), and Cream dilution (C) loci. The coat color of 149 horses was documented. The coat color of 140, 3, and 6 horses was bay, chestnut, and buckskin, respectively. Furthermore, the frequency of alleles E, e, A, a, C, and Cr was 0.80, 0.20, 0.86, 0.14, 0.98, and 0.02, respectively. Current status of coat color genes in Kiso horses was clarified, and this information wi...
Gene mutations influencing melanocytes also impact on physiological and behavioural functions. In this study, we investigated their association with four different coat colours in the Pura Raza Español (PRE) horse using morphological traits and molecular datasets. Four different subpopulations were identified according to individual coat colour: grey, bay, chestnut and black. Coat colour significantly associated with morphological measurements. Observed and expected heterozygosity values were low in grey compared with the other three subpopulations, suggesting the presence of unique ancestral...
Ball BA, El-Sheikh Ali H, Scoggin KE, Riddle WT, Schnobrich M, Bradekamp E, Agnew M, Squires EL, Troedsson MHT.The objectives of this study were to evaluate; 1) the stability of measured serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations in samples after multiple freeze-thaw cycles, 2) the repeatability of AMH concentrations within mares during the same breeding season as well as across breeding seasons, and 3) the relationship between serum AMH concentrations and fertility (measured as first cycle pregnancy rates) in thoroughbred mares. For the first aim, AMH concentrations (n = 9) were examined across four freeze-thaw cycles with no significant change in measured AMH concentrations. For the second ...
Kalbfleisch TS, Rice ES, DePriest MS, Walenz BP, Hestand MS, Vermeesch JR, O Connell BL, Fiddes IT, Vershinina AO, Saremi NF, Petersen JL, Finno CJ....Recent advances in genomic sequencing technology and computational assembly methods have allowed scientists to improve reference genome assemblies in terms of contiguity and composition. EquCab2, a reference genome for the domestic horse, was released in 2007. Although of equal or better quality compared to other first-generation Sanger assemblies, it had many of the shortcomings common to them. In 2014, the equine genomics research community began a project to improve the reference sequence for the horse, building upon the solid foundation of EquCab2 and incorporating new short-read data, lon...
Jo A, Lee HE, Kim HS.Horses (Equus caballus) have been domesticated and bred to enhance speed, strength, and agility. Members of the Equus caballus Endogenous Retrovirus (EqERV) family affect several of these abilities in horses. EqERV elements have been integrated in the horse genome during evolution and generate repeat elements such as long terminal repeats (LTRs). LTR sequences are involved in retrovirus replication and play an essential function in post-transcriptional control mechanisms, such as by providing binding sites for microRNAs (miRNAs) or generating miRNA precursors. In this study, we identified a no...
Ortega-Ferrusola C, Martin Muñoz P, Ortiz-Rodriguez JM, Anel-López L, Balao da Silva C, Álvarez M, de Paz P, Tapia JA, Anel L, Silva-Rodríguez A....We hypothesized that thiols and particularly glutathione (GSH) are essential for the regulation of stallion sperm functionality. To test this hypothesis, we initially investigated the relationship between sperm function and GSH content, revealing highly significant correlations between GSH, sperm viability, motility, and velocity parameters (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the deleterious effects of GSH depletion using menadione and 1,3 dimethoxy 1,4, naphtoquinone (DMNQ) were able to be prevented by the addition of cysteine, but no other antioxidant. Pre-incubation with cysteine prevented menad...
Zhu H, Gifford RJ, Murcia PR.The evolution of mammalian genomes has been shaped by interactions with endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). In this study, we investigated the distribution and diversity of ERVs in the mammalian order , with a view to understanding their impact on the evolution of modern equids (family ). We characterize the major ERV lineages in the horse genome in terms of their genomic distribution, ancestral genome organization, and time of activity. Our results show that subsequent to their ancestral divergence from rhinoceroses and tapirs, equids acquired four novel ERV lineages. We show that two of these ER...
Neuhauser S, Gösele P, Handler J.During semen processing for cryopreservation, most seminal plasma is usually removed, and components with protective effects on sperm may be missing after thawing and within the female reproductive tract. The present study evaluated the effect of postthaw addition of autologous seminal plasma on motion characteristics of stallion sperm with fair (n = 4) or poor (n = 3) freezability. Therefore, pure seminal plasma (group SP1), seminal plasma combined with fresh semen extender (group SP2), or seminal plasma mixed with freezing extender (group SP3) were used to fill 0.5 mL straws and frozen sim...
Uliani RC, Conley AJ, Corbin CJ, Friso AM, Maciel LFS, Alvarenga MA.Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is used as a marker of follicle population numbers and potential fertility in several species including horses but limited data exist across the lifespan. No one has decreased ovarian reserve experimentally to investigate whether a corresponding, quantitative decrease in AMH results. Concentrations of AMH across the lifespan were compiled from 1101 equine females sampled from birth to >33 years of age. Young and old mares (averaging 6 and 19 years) were hemi-ovariectomized and circulating AMH was assessed before and daily thereafter for 15 days. The remaining o...
Šichtař J, Šimoník O, Bubeníčková F, Svobodová J, Nehasilová A.The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of two freezing extenders and two packaging systems on motility, plasma membrane (PM) integrity, and the apoptotic status of frozen-thawed (F-T) spermatozoa of the endangered Old Kladruber stallions. The collected semen (n = 6 stallions, three collections each) was diluted either with Gent or Lactose-EDTA (Lact) extender. Two aliquots of semen from each collection diluted in this way were prepared and then loaded into 5-mL aluminum tubes or 0.5-mL plastic straws. After thawing and then at 15 minutes intervals within 1 hour, the samples were ...
Rooney MF, Hill EW, Kelly VP, Porter RK.Thoroughbred horses are finely-tuned athletes with a high aerobic capacity relative to skeletal muscle mass, attributable to centuries of genetic selection for speed and stamina. Polymorphisms in the myostatin gene (MSTN), a pronounced inhibitor of skeletal muscle growth, have been shown to almost singularly account for gene-based race distance aptitude in racehorses. In Thoroughbreds, two MSTN polymorphisms, a single nucleotide variation in the first intron (SNP g.66493737C>T) and a non-coding transposable element within the promoter region (a 227 bp SINE insertion) are of particular inter...
Ropka-Molik K, Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Musiał AD, Piórkowska K, Szmatoła T.The ACTN3 gene codes for α-actinin-3, a protein localized in the Z-line in the skeletal muscle. Actinin-3 is critical in anchoring the myofibrillar actin filaments and plays a key role in muscle contraction. ACTN3 (α-actinin-3) cross-links glycogen phosphorylase (GP), which is the key enzyme catalysing glycogen metabolism. The aim of present study was to establish the expression level of the ACTN3 gene (for both isoforms separately and together in the gene expression analysis) in the gluteus medius muscle in order to verify if the α-actinin-3 gene can be related to training intensity in Ara...
Sackman JE, Houpt KA.Temperament can be defined as innate properties of the nervous system, whereas personality includes the complex behavioral traits acquired through life. Association between personality and behavior is important for breeding, selection, and training of horses. For the first time, we evaluated if equine personality components previously identified in Japan and Europe were consistent when applied to American horses. We examined the association of personality with breed, age, sex, management, training, stereotypies, and misbehaviors. The owner directed personality survey consisted of 25 questions....
DiVincenzo MJ, Bonagura JD, Rings L, Burns TA, Cianciolo RE, Kohnken R.An 8-month-old Hanoverian gelding was presented with a history of cardiac murmurs that were not apparent as a foal nor reported at the time of castration. Major echocardiographic findings included mitral valvular thickening, functional stenosis, and mitral regurgitation of sufficient severity to cause diastolic and systolic cardiac murmurs, left-sided volume overload, and pulmonary hypertension. Due to the hemodynamic severity of the lesion and poor prognosis for future performance and longevity, euthanasia was elected. On gross postmortem examination, there was focal fibrous epicarditis affec...
Cieslak J, Wodas L, Borowska A, Pawlak P, Czyzak-Runowska G, Wojtowski J, Puppel K, Kuczynska B, Mackowski M.Genes encoding casein proteins are important candidates for milk composition traits in mammals. In the case of the domestic horse, our knowledge of casein genes is limited mainly to coding sequence variants. This study involved screening for polymorphism in 5'-flanking regions of four genes encoding equine caseins (CSN1S1, CSN1S2, CSN2, and CSN3) and making a preliminary assessment of their effect on the gene expression (on the mRNA and protein levels) and milk composition traits in selected horse breeds. Altogether, 23 polymorphisms (21 described previously SNPs and two novel InDels) were fou...
Restrepo G, Varela E, Duque JE, Gómez JE, Rojas M.Maintaining the integrity of equine sperm subjected to preservation protocols is essential for the successful development of assisted reproduction procedures. The aim of this study was to assess the mitochondrial membrane potential, lipid peroxidation, and DNA integrity of equine sperm subjected to freezing, vitrification, and freeze-drying. Eight ejaculates obtained from four Colombian Creole horses were subjected to programmable freezing, vitrification, and freeze-drying. After thawing or rehydration, sperm motility and kinetics were assessed through a CASA system. The mitochondrial membrane...
Chassier M, Barrey E, Robert C, Duluard A, Danvy S, Ricard A.Genotype imputation is now a key component of genomic analyses as it increases the density of available genotypes within a population. However, many factors can influence imputation accuracy. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the accuracy of imputation of high-density genotypes (Affymetrix Axiom Equine genotyping array, 670,806 SNPs) from two moderate-density genotypes (Illumina Equine SNP50 BeadChip, 54,602 SNPs and Illumina Equine SNP70 BeadChip, 65,157 SNPs), using single-breed or multiple-breed reference sets. Genotypes were available from five groups of horse breeds: Arab (A...
Andrysikova R, Pot S, Rüegg S, Markova J, Horackova E, Kolos F, Voelter K, Spiess B.To screen a closed herd of the Old Kladruber Horses (OKH) for the prevalence of ocular disorders and report normal ocular variations. Methods: Two hundred and sixty-one horses, 122 Old Kladruber Gray Horses, and 139 Old Kladruber Black Horses owned by the National Stud Farm Kladruby nad Labem, Czech Republic, were included in the study with signalment and pedigree information recorded. Methods: Bilateral ocular examination of manually restrained horses was performed in a darkened environment by a single examiner (RA), using a portable slit-lamp biomicroscope, direct ophthalmoscope, and monocul...
Patkowski K, Pluta M, Lipiec A, Greguła-Kania M, Gruszecki TM.The research objective was to assess the behavior patterns of the Polish Konik horse breed and the Uhruska variety of the Polish Lowland Sheep breed under a mixed-grazing system, and their relationship with climatic factors. The observation included 4 adult horses, 27 ewes with lambs and 10 primiparous ewes. The behavior of the animals and the weather conditions were recorded at 60-min intervals. Horses and sheep displayed similarities in both species-specific behavioral patterns and timing of grazing activity, and the duration of foraging sessions was mostly influenced by time of day, lower t...
Knickelbein KE, Lassaline ME, Bellone RR.To document a case of limbal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in a Rocky Mountain Horse stallion determined to be homozygous for the genetic risk factor (DDB2 c.1013C>T) strongly associated with the disease in Haflinger and Belgian horses, and to determine the frequency of this allele in a larger population of Rocky Mountain Horses. Methods: One privately owned Rocky Mountain Horse and 84 Rocky Mountain Horses screened for allelic frequency. Methods: A complete ophthalmic examination was performed on a Rocky Mountain Horse stallion for assessment of a mass affecting the right eye. A clinical diag...
Kasper DT, Gandy RF.The 2016 Equibase data set of American Quarter Horse starts in North America was analyzed, with the purpose of ranking the sires of the racehorses. A speed z-score derived from the race times and distances was used as a racing performance measure. Mixed effects models were used on various subsets of the data based on race distance and sire offspring number. The sire categorical variable was considered as a random effect. Various statistical criteria were used to optimize the model. The constructed models were then varied in terms of the random and fixed effects included, and the conditional mo...
Ivester KM, Couëtil LL, Moore GE.Mild equine asthma is presumed to arise in response to environmental exposures but the relative impact of differing inflammatory phenotypes upon performance are largely unexplored. Objective: Airway inflammation negatively affects performance and cytological phenotype varies with environmental exposure. Methods: Thoroughbred racehorses in active training and racing. Methods: Thoroughbreds were recruited 24-48 hours before racing. Each horse was eligible for re-enrollment with each race entry. Within one hour of race completion, physical examination, respiratory endoscopy, and BAL were performe...
Yoon SH, Lee W, Ahn H, Caetano-Anolles K, Park KD, Kim H.The Thoroughbred horse breed was developed primarily for racing, and has a significant contribution to the qualitative improvement of many other horse breeds. Despite the importance of Thoroughbred racehorses in historical, cultural, and economical viewpoints, there was no temporal and spatial dynamics of them using the mitogenome sequences. To explore this topic, the complete mitochondrial genome sequences of 14 Thoroughbreds and two Przewalski's horses were determined. These sequences were analyzed together along with 151 previously published horse mitochondrial genomes from a range of breed...
Chikhaoui M, Smail F, Adda F.The Barb horse this famous Maghreb horse, symbol of the pride of the Berber peoples It is particularly significant in the Algerian history, tradition and culture. This study consists in establishing the hematologic values specific to the Barb horse in the national stud farm "Chaou-Chaoua" in Tiaret. Algeria. Age of the study animals varied between 1 and 23 years. The effects of age and sex were analyzed by dividing animals into four groups, A (1 - 2 years, n=5), B (3-5 years, n=5), C (5-10 years, n=5) and D (11-23 years, n=5); for females and E (2 - 3 years, n=5), F (5-7, n=5), G (10, n=5) and...
Cais-Sokolińska D, Danków R, Bierzuńska P, Kaczyński ŁK, Chudy S, Teichert J, Dobek A, Skotarczak E, Pikul J.Mare milk is a valued and sought-after raw material for the production of innovative dairy products. The high demand, low supply, high price, and lack of accurate characterization of the milk of a given horse breed may provoke its deliberate fraudulent dilution. The aim of this work was to analyze the freezing point against a background of various selected technological parameters of Polish Coldblood mare milk. Research was carried out on multiparous Polish Coldblood mares from 5 to 8 yr of age with live weights between 618 and 851 kg. Their milk was tested on d 1, 3, and 7 postpartum and once...
Cozzi MC, Strillacci MG, Valiati P, Rogliano E, Bagnato A, Longeri M.The Akhal-Teke horse (AKH) is native of the modern Turkmenistan area. It was introduced in Italy from 1991 to 2000 mainly as an endurance horse. This paper characterizes the genetic variability of the whole Italian AKH horse population and evaluates their inbreeding level by analyzing microsatellite markers and mitochondrial D-Loop sequences. Methods: Seventeen microsatellite marker loci were genotyped on 95 DNA samples from almost all the AKH horses bred in Italy in the last 20 years. Standard genetic variability measures (Ho, He, FIS) were compared against the same variables published on oth...
Brito LF, Greene LM, Kelleman A, Knobbe M, Turner R.The objective of this study was to determine the effects of method and clinician on stallion sperm morphology evaluation. Five clinicians evaluated 60 semen samples using wet-mount preparations with phase-contrast, eosin/nigrosin-stained semen smears, and Papanicolaou-stained semen smears. There were significant differences among methods for all sperm morphology categories and most intra-class correlation coefficients were only fair to moderate. The use of wet-mount preparations facilitated detection of acrosome defects, nuclear vacuoles, and cytoplasmic droplets when compared to stained smear...
Morley PS, Townsend HG.A survey was performed to evaluate the reproductive performance of Thoroughbred mares, estimate risks of dystocia and of morbidity and mortality in foals during the first year post partum and their physical acceptability at age one year. The study population consisted of registered Thoroughbred mares and their foals owned by residents of 4 Western Canadian provinces. Owners were identified using information obtained from the North American Jockey Club, and questionnaires were mailed regarding mares bred in 1988 and their foals born in 1989. Eighty-three per cent of mares were reported to be pr...
Vidament M.Results on procedures for freezing stallion semen and the subsequent fertility during 20 years are presented. The present system applied in French National Stud includes: (1) a freezing protocol (dilution in milk, centrifugation and addition of freezing extender (INRA82+egg yolk (2%, v/v)+glycerol (2.5%, v/v) at 22 degrees C, a moderate cooling rate to 4 degrees C and freezing at -60 degrees C/min in 0.5-ml straws); (2) selection of ejaculates showing post-thaw rapid motility >35%; and (3) an insemination protocol (mares examined once daily, two AI of 400 x 10(6) spermatozoa 24 h apart before ...
Matsuura A, Irimajiri M, Matsuzaki K, Hiraguri Y, Nakanowatari T, Yamazaki A, Hodate K.The aim of this study was to establish a method for estimating loading capacity for Japanese native horses by gait analysis using an accelerometer. Six mares of Japanese native horses were used. The acceleration of each horse was recorded during walking and trotting along a straight course at a sampling frequency of 200 Hz. Each horse performed 12 tests: one test with a loaded weight of 80 kg (First 80 kg) followed by 10 tests with random loaded weights between 85 kg and 130 kg and a final test with a loaded weight of 80 kg again. The time series of acceleration was subjected to fa...
Nielsen BD, Turner KK, Ventura BA, Woodward AD, O'Connor CI.While Quarter Horses are recognised as the fastest breed of horse, direct comparisons to race times with other breeds can be misleading. Quarter Horse races begin when the starting gates open. Thoroughbred and Arabian races begin a short distance from the gates after horses have started running. This study compared speeds of these breeds as they accelerate from the starting gates and during the middle and end of races. Objective: To compare racing speeds of the 3 breeds, and to compare speeds during various segments of the races. Methods: Video tapes of races were obtained from a local track. ...
Haase B, Rieder S, Leeb T.White spotting phenotypes have been intensively studied in horses, and although similar phenotypes occur in the donkey, little is known about the molecular genetics underlying these patterns in donkeys. White spotting in donkeys can range from only a few white areas to almost complete depigmentation and is characterised by a loss of pigmentation usually progressing from a white spot in the hip area. Completely white-born donkeys are rare, and the phenotype is characterised by the complete absence of pigment resulting in pink skin and a white coat. A dominant mode of inheritance has been demons...
Katila T.The article reviews methods used for in vitro evaluation of sperm, with particular emphasis on frozen-thawed stallion sperm. The techniques, limitations of the methods and correlations with fertility results are discussed. Very few studies have tried to find correlation between fertility of frozen stallion semen and laboratory tests. It is difficult and expensive to inseminate an adequate number of mares to achieve statistically significant differences. Significant, but low correlations have been demonstrated between the foaling rate and subjective motility of sperm incubated for 2 h and 4 h a...
Kvist L, Niskanen M, Mannermaa K, Wutke S, Aspi J.The Finnhorse was established as a breed more than 110 years ago by combining local Finnish landraces. Since its foundation, the breed has experienced both strong directional selection, especially for size and colour, and severe population bottlenecks that are connected with its initial foundation and subsequent changes in agricultural and forestry practices. Here, we used sequences of the mitochondrial control region and genomic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to estimate the genetic diversity and differentiation of the four Finnhorse breeding sections: trotters, pony-sized horses, dr...
Cahill JI, Goulden BE.Individual nerve fibres were isolated from the recurrent laryngeal and some distal hindlimb nerves, in an investigation of equine laryngeal hemiplegia. One hundred teased fibres were obtained from each of three sampling sites on both left and right recurrent laryngeal nerves, from 15 Thoroughbred horses. These fibres were graded descriptively and internode lengths measured. A distal distribution of pathology was demonstrated in all groups studied, but was most severe in the clinical group of horses. The predominant change was one of short thinly myelinated internodes interspersed amongst norma...
Norris JW, Pratt SM, Auh JH, Wilson SJ, Clutter D, Magdesian KG, Ferraro GL, Tablin F.Bleeding in racing horses associated with exercise appears to be multifactorial, and clinical investigation into severe cases rarely occurs. Previously, we reported a severe bleeding diathesis in a Thoroughbred mare. Herein, we describe the cellular physiology of this defect, provide a diagnostic tool for identifying it, and demonstrate that the dysfunction is heritable. Objective: The subject has a heritable defect in platelet secretion that reduces thrombin generation in the absence of additional plasma factors and delays the onset of thrombin production even in the presence of these factors...
Gene mutations influencing melanocytes also impact on physiological and behavioural functions. In this study, we investigated their association with four different coat colours in the Pura Raza Español (PRE) horse using morphological traits and molecular datasets. Four different subpopulations were identified according to individual coat colour: grey, bay, chestnut and black. Coat colour significantly associated with morphological measurements. Observed and expected heterozygosity values were low in grey compared with the other three subpopulations, suggesting the presence of unique ancestral...
Soni Y, Talluri TR, Kumar A, Ravi SK, Mehta JS, Tripathi BN.Traditionally Glycerol (Gly) is being used as major cryoprotectant and its toxicity could be a reason for the variation on stallion sperm freezability and fertility. In an effort to minimize Gly toxicity alternative cryoprotective agents like Di-methyl Formamide (DMF) have been investigated. The effect of the cryoprotectant and dose of cryoprotective agent varies from breed to breed and also from stallion to stallion within the same breed. Considering these factors a study was designed to study the effects of Gly and DMF at different concentrations and combinations on the plasma membrane, acro...
Love S, Wyse CA, Stirk AJ, Stear MJ, Calver P, Voute LC, Mellor DJ.The assessment of belief that equine conformation is associated with performance and durability is a fundamental concept of horsemanship. Surprisingly, there is almost no quantitative evidence to support these beliefs. Objective: To assess the prevalence and heritability of conformational traits in Thoroughbred yearlings, and investigate their significance for subsequent turf flat-racing performance and durability. Methods: Nine selected conformational traits were assessed in a consistent, qualitative manner by a single veterinary observer and entered into a database together with details of p...
Cole FL, Hodgson DR, Reid SW, Mellor DJ.To establish the prevalence of health disorders reported by horse owners registered with veterinary practices in Australia. Methods: Mailed questionnaire-based study of horse owners in Australia conducted in 2001. Results: Data were obtained for 3901 horses belonging to 621 owners. The most prevalent health disorders were non-laminitic lameness (13.0%), skin disorders (6.1%) and behavioural disorders (4.5%). Prevalence of health disorders varied among different age, breed and sex categories within the study population, and disorders were more prevalent in male and older horses. Conclusions: Th...
Szcześniak KA, Ciecierska A, Ostaszewski P, Sadkowski T.Adult skeletal muscle myogenesis depends on the activation of satellite cells that have the potential to differentiate into new fibers. Gamma-oryzanol (GO), a commercially available nutriactive phytochemical, has gained global interest on account of its muscle-building and regenerating effects. Here, we investigated GO for its potential influence on myogenesis, using equine satellite cell culture model, since the horse is a unique animal, bred and exercised for competitive sport. To our knowledge, this is the first report where the global gene expression in cultured equine satellite cells has ...
Upjohn MM, Archer RM, Christley RM, McGowan CM.A telephone survey of 51 National Hunt racing yards with 1140 horses in training was made in April and May 2003 to establish the incidence of exertional rhabdomyolysis syndrome during the previous year. A case-control study was used to investigate the risk factors for the syndrome in eight yards selected on the basis that cases had been confirmed by the analysis of serum muscle enzymes. The overall incidence of syndrome was 6.1 cases per 100 horses per year, and 55 per cent of the yards reported at least one case. The risk factors identified were sex, the average length of the training gallop,...
Griggers S, Paccamonti DL, Thompson RA, Eilts BE.Urospermia has been reported as a cause of infertility in numerous species. The detrimental effects of urine on spermatozoa are due, at least in part, to changes in pH and osmolarity. Semen was collected and subjected to conditions of varying pH (Experiment 1), of varying osmolarity (Experiment 2), and various quantities and concentrations of urine (Experiment 3) and effects on motility were recorded. Finally, semen was contaminated with urine and then either of 2 semen extenders was added, with or without centrifugation, in an attempt to alleviate the detrimental effect of urine on motility (...
Rosanowski SM, Chang YM, Stirk AJ, Verheyen KLP.A key focus of the racing industry is to minimise the number of race-day distal limb fractures although no studies have identified risk factors for both fatal and non-fatal distal limb fractures. Objective: To determine risk factors for race-day distal limb fractures experienced by Thoroughbred racehorses participating in flat racing in Great Britain (GB). Methods: Retrospective cohort. Methods: Information was collected from all flat racing starts occurring on GB racecourses between 2000 and 2013, including horse, race, course, trainer and jockey data for each horse start and race-day injury ...
Schwarzenberger F, Möstl E, Bamberg E, Pammer J, Schmehlik O.Faecal samples were collected at weekly intervals from pregnant Lipizzan mares during Weeks 7-16 following mating and from Lipizzan, Trotter and Thoroughbred mares during the last 3 months of gestation. After parturition, samples were taken daily from the Thoroughbred mares for another 6 days. Non-pregnant mares served as controls. The concentrations of unconjugated oestrogens (Eg), 20 alpha-OH-progestagens (20 alpha-G) and 20 beta-OH-progestagens (20 beta-G) were measured by enzyme immunoassay. In the faeces of Lipizzan mares, immunoreactive progestagens were significantly (P less than 0.01) ...
Khlifaoui M, Battut I, Bruyas JF, Chatagnon G, Trimeche A, Tainturier D.The cryoprotective effect of l-glutamine and an approach of its mechanism of action, in preserving motility of stallion spermatozoa during the freezing-thawing process, were studied. In Experiment 1, thirty-six ejaculates were collected from six stallions (two good, two middle, and two of poor sperm freezability) and were diluted with 10 different freezing media derived from INRA 82 medium supplemented with 20 mM HEPES and 2% (v/v) centrifuged egg yolk (BM). After thawing, sperm motility was evaluated by a computer-assisted semen motility analyser. The effects of glutamine and glycerol at diff...
Cais-Sokolińska D, Danków R, Bierzuńska P, Kaczyński ŁK, Chudy S, Teichert J, Dobek A, Skotarczak E, Pikul J.Mare milk is a valued and sought-after raw material for the production of innovative dairy products. The high demand, low supply, high price, and lack of accurate characterization of the milk of a given horse breed may provoke its deliberate fraudulent dilution. The aim of this work was to analyze the freezing point against a background of various selected technological parameters of Polish Coldblood mare milk. Research was carried out on multiparous Polish Coldblood mares from 5 to 8 yr of age with live weights between 618 and 851 kg. Their milk was tested on d 1, 3, and 7 postpartum and once...
Davis EG, Sang Y, Blecha F.beta-Defensins are cysteine-rich endogenously produced antimicrobial peptides that play an important role in innate immune defense. Although, previous investigations have identified beta-defensins in several mammalian species, no reports have identified equine beta-defensins. Using a strategy of database searching for expressed sequence tags (EST) we identified putative expression of equine beta-defensins in hepatic tissue. Based on this information, sequence specific primers were designed for the equine gene enabling the identification of the full-length cDNA sequence of equine beta-defensin-...
González-Fernández L, Sánchez-Calabuig MJ, Alves MG, Oliveira PF, Macedo S, Gutiérrez-Adán A, Rocha A, Macías-García B.Equine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) are classified as compact (cCOC) or expanded (eCOC) and vary in their meiotic competence. This difference could be related to divergent glucose metabolism. To test this hypothesis in the present study, eCOCs, cCOCs and expanded or compact mural granulosa cells (EC and CC respectively) were matured in vitro for 30h, at which time maturation rate, glucose metabolism and the expression of genes involved in glucose transport, glycolysis, apoptosis and meiotic competence were determined. There were significant differences between eCOCs and cCOCs in maturation ...
Al Abri MA, Brooks SA, Al-Saqri N, Alkharousi K, Johnson EH, Alqaisi O, Al-Rawahi A, Al Marzooqi W.Arabian horses were selected for metabolic efficiency, beauty, efficiency and endurance. Therefore, Bedouins have for centuries traced their prized horses' ancestries. With the establishment of the World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO), registration of Arabian horses became centralized and countries worldwide registered them in its database. Most existing Arabian horses in Oman today were imported after the 1970s and are predominantly flat-racing Arabians. This work aimed at revealing the genetic background and diversity of Omani Arabian horses by comparing them with Arabian horses from a di...
Posta J, Somogyvári E, Mihók S.Gene conservation and management of small populations requires proper knowledge of the background and history of the breed. The aim of the study was the evaluation of population structure and changes of the Hungarian Hucul horse population. Population changes were described for the actual breeding stock as well as for groups of 10-year epochs reflecting major periods of change in the breed. Pedigree data of the registered population were analyzed using Endog and GRain software. The average value of equivalent complete generations was above nine for the actual breeding population. The longest g...
Zhang T, Lu H, Chen C, Jiang H, Wu S.In order to protect the genetic resource of native horse breeds, the genetic diversity of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop of three native horse breeds in western China were investigated. Forty-three 600 bp mtDNA D-loop sequences were analyzed by PCR and sequencing techniques, 33 unique haplotypes with 70 polymorphic sites were detected in these horses, which account for 11.67% of 600 bp sequence analyzed, showing the abundant genetic diversity of the three native horse breeds in western China. The Neighbour-Joining (NJ) phylogenetic tree based on 247 bp of 43 D-loop sequences demonstrated the...
Byron CR, Embertson RM, Bernard WV, Hance SR, Bramlage LR, Hopper SA.Dystocia in the mare is an emergency in which duration has a profound effect on survival of the foal. Specific examination of the effects of dystocia duration on foal survival provides information to enable horse care personnel and veterinarians to manage these cases more effectively and maximise the chances of obtaining a live foal. Objective: Dystocia duration would have a negative impact on foal survival while method of dystocia resolution would not have an effect on foal survival. Additionally, we were interested in determining the effects of dystocia on subsequent fertility. Results: In t...
Robie SM, Janson CH, Smith SC, O'Connor JT.Concentrations of serum phospholipids, triglycerides, total cholesterol, nonesterified fatty acids, and glucose were determined for 9 months (September, 1972, to May, 1973) in 19 fasting horses and ponies (8 Morgan horses, 7 Thoroughbred horses, and 4 Shetland Ponies). Morgan horses had higher concentrations of total lipid than did Thoroughbreds, although the relative proportions of each type of lipid were similar in the 2 breeds. Shetland Ponies had higher nonesterified fatty acid and lower glucose concentrations than did either breed of horse. In both breeds of horses, concentrations of seru...
Pu Y, Zhang Y, Zhang T, Han J, Ma Y, Liu X.As a nutrient sensor, the placenta plays a key role in regulating fetus growth and development. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to regulate growth-related traits. However, the biological function of lncRNAs in horse placentas remains unclear. To compare the expression patterns of lncRNAs in the placentas of the Chinese Ningqiang (NQ) and Yili (YL) breeds, we performed a transcriptome analysis using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology. NQ is a pony breed with an average adult height at the withers of less than 106 cm, whereas that of YL is around 148 cm. Based on 813 million high...
Brum AM, Sabeur K, Ball BA.The objective was to evaluate apoptotic markers in ejaculated equine spermatozoa after separation by density-gradient centrifugation and after cryopreservation. Subpopulations of percoll-separated equine spermatozoa differed (P<0.05) in the percentage of live, caspase-activated spermatozoa (2.9+/-0.7% vs 14.2+/-6.4%; mean+/-S.E.M.), low mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP; 6.8+/-1.1 vs 23.8+/-3.7), altered plasma membrane permeability (1.3+/-0.2 vs 3.0+/-0.5), DNA fragmentation (2.0+/-1.3 vs 14.3+/-3.6), total motility (81.8+/-3.3 vs 35.1+/-5.4), and progressive motility (66.3+/-4.3 vs 24...
