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Topic:Horse Breeds
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.
Cross-sectional study of the prevalence of and risk factors for hoof disorders in horses in The Netherlands. Information is scarce on the prevalence of hoof disorders in horses. In this study, we examined the prevalence of and risk factors for hoof disorders in a population of horses in The Netherlands. In a group of 942 randomly selected horses, hoof health was scored during regular foot trimming (one horse/farm). Hooves were assessed for the occurrence of one of 12 hoof disorders by a group of 21 certified farriers in two periods i.e. winter and summer of 2015. The mean age of the group of horses was 11.2±5.6years. They were mainly used for recreation (28.2%), dressage (26.8%), other disciplines (...
Sex chromosomal abnormalities associated with equine infertility: validation of a simple molecular screening tool in the Purebred Spanish Horse. Chromosomal abnormalities in the sex chromosome pair (ECAX and ECAY) are widely associated with reproductive problems in horses. However, a large proportion of these abnormalities remains undiagnosed due to the lack of an affordable diagnostic tool that allows for avoiding karyotyping tests. Hereby, we developed an STR (single-tandem-repeat)-based molecular method to determine the presence of the main sex chromosomal abnormalities in horses in a fast, cheap and reliable way. The frequency of five ECAX-linked (LEX026, LEX003, TKY38, TKY270 and UCDEQ502) and two ECAY-linked (EcaYH12 and SRY) mar...
The relationship between mitochondrial DNA copy number and stallion sperm function. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number has been utilized as a measure of sperm quality in several species including mice, dogs, and humans, and has been suggested as a potential biomarker of fertility in stallion sperm. The results of the present study extend this recent discovery using sperm samples from American Quarter Horse stallions of varying age. By determining copy number of three mitochondrial genes, cytochrome b (CYTB), NADH dehydrogenase 1 (ND1) and NADH dehydrogenase 4 (ND4), instead of a single gene, we demonstrate an improved understanding of mtDNA fate in stallion sperm mitochond...
The legacy of Columbus in American horse populations assessed by microsatellite markers. Criollo horse populations descend from horses brought from the Iberian Peninsula over the period of colonization (15th to 17th century). They are spread throughout the Americas and have potentially undergone genetic hybridization with other breeds in the recent past. In this study, 25 autosomal microsatellites were genotyped in 50 horse breeds representing Criollo populations from 12 American countries (27 breeds), breeds from the Iberian Peninsula (19), one breed each from France and Morocco and two cosmopolitan horse breeds (Thoroughbred and Arabian). The genetic relationships among breeds i...
Monitoring training response in young Friesian dressage horses using two different standardised exercise tests (SETs). Most Friesian horses reach their anaerobic threshold during a standardized exercise test (SET) which requires lower intensity exercise than daily routine training. Objective: to study strengths and weaknesses of an alternative SET-protocol. Two different SETs (SETA and SETB) were applied during a 2 month training period of 9 young Friesian dressage horses. SETB alternated short episodes of canter with trot and walk, lacking long episodes of cantering, as applied in SETA. Following parameters were monitored: blood lactic acid (BLA) after cantering, average heart rate (HR) in trot and maximum H...
Pedigree analysis of the Turkish Arab horse population: structure, inbreeding and genetic variability. The aim of this study was to evaluate genetic variability in the Turkish Arab horse population using pedigree information. This study is the first detailed pedigree analysis of the breed in Turkey. Pedigree data were collected from the National Studbook. The pedigree data for 23 668 horses, born between 1904 and 2014, were used in the analysis. From this data set, a reference population (RP) of 14 838 animals symbolising the last generation was defined. Demographic parameters, the inbreeding level (F), the average relatedness (AR), the effective population size (N e), the effective number of f...
The effect of dual-hemisphere breeding on stallion fertility. Breeding records were analyzed from 24 Thoroughbred stallions that were subjected to dual-hemisphere breeding (DH), including novice (first-year; NOV; n = 11) and experienced (EXP; n = 13) stallions. Fertility variables included seasonal pregnancy rate, pregnancy rate per cycle, and first-cycle pregnancy rate. In addition, values for book size, total number of covers, distribution of mare type (maiden, foaling, and barren) within a stallion's book, cycles per mare, and mare age were examined. Some data were also categorized by mare type (maiden-M, foaling-F, and barren-B). Five separate an...
Pentoxifylline effects on capacitation and fertility of stallion epididymal sperm. The aims of this study were to determinate whether pentoxifylline (PTX) increases the motion parameters of fresh and frozen-thawed equine epididymal spermatozoa, to evaluate the tyrosine phosphorylation of frozen-thawed epididymal sperm in the presence of PTX and to determine whether the PTX-treatment of stallion epididymal sperm prior to freezing improves the fertility response of mares to a reduced number of spermatozoa per insemination dose. Fifty epididymis were flushed with a skim milk based extender with or without PTX. The pre-treatment with PTX enhanced the sperm motility after being h...
Association of low race performance with mtDNA haplogroup L3b of Australian thoroughbred horses. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes the genes for respiratory chain sub-units that determine the efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria. The aim of this study was to determine if there were any haplogroups and variants in mtDNA that could be associated with athletic performance of Thoroughbred horses. The whole mitochondrial genomes of 53 maternally unrelated Australian Thoroughbred horses were sequenced and an association study was performed with the competition histories of 1123 horses within their maternal lineages. A horse mtDNA phylogenetic tree was constructed based on a t...
Morphometric Changes in Polish Konik Mares After Nearly a Hundred Years of the Breed’s Existence. The study was carried out on 126 mares of the Polish Konik horse breed. Mares were bred under a stable system housing and they came from five leading conservation breeding centres. The mares were divided into three age groups: 3-5 years old, 6-9 years old and over 10 years old. Each animal was characterized using 40 morphometric measurements. Discriminant analysis proved the exterior differences of mares in terms of the analysed metric values. It was concluded that the morphotype of modern Polish Konik mares is statistically significantly influenced by the following traits: neck ventral len...
Influence of horse breed on transepidermal water loss. Non-invasive methods of skin condition assessment include, among others, the evaluation of transepidermal water loss (TEWL). The aim of the study was to examine whether TEWL values depend on horse breed. The study was conducted on four breeds: "Felin" ponies (FP) (n=16), Polish koniks (PK) (n=15), Polish cold-blooded horses (PcbH) (n=11) and Wielkopolska horses (WH) (n=12). It was found that horse breed influences TEWL values. In the neck region, statistically significant differences were found between PK and FP (p=0.006), and PK and WH (p=0.0005). In the lumbar region, there were statisticall...
Association analysis of KIT, MITF, and PAX3 variants with white markings in Spanish horses. Several variants in the KIT, PAX3 and MITF genes have previously been associated with white markings in horses. In this study, we examined eight variants of these genes in 70 Menorca Purebred horses (PRMe, only black solid-coloured horses) and 70 Spanish Purebred horses (PRE, different coat colour patterns) that were scored for the extent of white markings. A maximum-likelihood chi-square test, logistic regression model and ridge regression analyses showed that a missense mutation (p.Arg682His) in KIT was associated with white facial markings (P < 0.05) and with total white markings (P &...
The Osteometry of Equine Third Phalanx by the Use of Three-Dimensional Scanning: New Measurement Possibilities. This study consisted in analyzing the asymmetry between bilateral third phalanges (coffin bones) in cold-blood horses based on the angle range of the plantar margin of the bone. The study employed a scanner projecting a hybrid set of images, consisting of sinusoidal stripes preceded by a Gray code sequence. As it turned out, three-dimensional scanning can be used to effectively determine the angle range for a selected portion of the studied bone. This provides broad possibilities for osteometric studies, as it enables the determination of angle distribution in a given fragment. The results obt...
[Historic treasures of Swiss horse breeding]. Both a mandate of the Bernese Government (1705) and statements in the Georgica Helvetica of 1706 prove that Swiss horse breeding was lucrative and of good quality at that time. However, the political turmoil at the transition from the 18th to 19th century and excessive sales to France and Italy led to a severe drop in quantity as well in quality. The exhibition of horses in Aarau in 1865 showed a wretched state of the material. In the same year, Rudolf Zangger wrote a guide for the discussion of horse breeding in Switzerland. In the following year (1866), Johann Jakob Rychner published a repor...
Exercise induced upregulation of glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit and glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit gene expression in Thoroughbred horses. This study was performed to reveal the molecular structure and expression patterns of horse glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit () and glutamate-cysteine ligase modifier subunit () genes whose products form glutamate cysteine ligase, which were identified as differentially expressed genes in the previous study. Methods: We performed bioinformatics analyses, and gene expression assay with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for horse and genes in muscle and blood leukocytes of Thoroughbred horses. Results: Expression of showed the same pattern in both blood and muscle tissu...
Establishment and characterization of Caspian horse fibroblast cell bank in Iran. Caspian horse, a rare horse breed found in 1965 by Louise Firouz in northern Iran, is a small horse which is reported to be in danger of extinction in its original homeland. There seems to be a great need to prevent extinction of this valuable horse. In this study, 51 fibroblast cell lines from Caspian horse ear marginal tissue were successfully established by sampling 60 horses using primary explant technique. Cells were authenticated and growth curve was plotted. According to results obtained, population doubling time (PDT) was calculated 23 ± 0.5 h for all cell lines. Multiplex polymera...
High-resolution melting analysis for detection of a single-nucleotide polymorphism and the genotype of the myostatin gene in warmblood horses. OBJECTIVE To develop a high-resolution melting (HRM) assay to detect the g.66493737C>T polymorphism in the myostatin gene (MSTN) and determine the frequency of 3 previously defined g.66493737 genotypes (T/T, T/C, and C/C) in warmblood horses. SAMPLES Blood samples from 23 horses. PROCEDURES From each blood sample, DNA was extracted and analyzed by standard PCR methods and an HRM assay to determine the MSTN genotype. Three protocols (standard protocol, protocol in which a high-salt solution was added to the reaction mixture before the first melting cycle, and protocol in which an unlabeled p...
Ability of clinicopathologic variables and clinical examination findings to predict race elimination in endurance horses. OBJECTIVE To compare results of point-of-care laboratory testing with standard veterinary clinical examination findings at a single time point during endurance competition to identify horses at risk for elimination. ANIMALS 101 endurance horses participating in the 2013 Western States 160-km (100-mile) endurance ride. PROCEDURES At the 58-km checkpoint, blood samples were collected from all horses. Samples were analyzed for pH, Pco2, base excess, anion gap, PCV, and whole blood concentrations of sodium, potassium, chloride, total carbon dioxide, BUN, glucose, and bicarbonate. Corrected electro...
Studies on exercise physiology and performance testing of racehorses performed in Japan during the 1930s using recovery rate as an index. The history of research on the exercise physiology of racehorses in Japan dates back to the 1930s. A research report entitled "Studies on exercise physiology and performance testing of the racehorse", published in 1933 by Shigeo Matsuba and Torao Shimamura of The University of Tokyo, was epoch-making and the most important study in the history of equine exercise physiology in Japan. Research results were reported from 92 Thoroughbred racehorses in a large-scale project during the period of 1928 to 1932 at the Shimofusa Imperial Farm and the Koiwai Farm, which were the two greatest racehorse fa...
Diversity of mitochondrial DNA in three Arabian horse strains. Arabian horse registries classify Arabian horses based on their dam lineages into five main strains. To test the maternal origin of Syrian Arabian horses, 192 horses representing the three major strains Saglawi, Kahlawi, and Hamdani were sequenced for 353 bp of their mitochondrial displacement loop (D-loop) region. Sequencing revealed 28 haplotypes comprising 38 sequence variations. The haplotype diversity values were 0.95, 0.91, and 0.90 in Kahlawi, Hamdani, and Saglawi strains, respectively. The pair-wise population differentiation estimates (Fst) between strains were low, ranging between 0...
Spotted phenotypes in horses lost attractiveness in the Middle Ages. Horses have been valued for their diversity of coat colour since prehistoric times; this is especially the case since their domestication in the Caspian steppe in ~3,500 BC. Although we can assume that human preferences were not constant, we have only anecdotal information about how domestic horses were influenced by humans. Our results from genotype analyses show a significant increase in spotted coats in early domestic horses (Copper Age to Iron Age). In contrast, medieval horses carried significantly fewer alleles for these phenotypes, whereas solid phenotypes (i.e., chestnut) became domina...
Polymorphisms in ten candidate genes are associated with conformational and locomotive traits in Spanish Purebred horses. The Spanish Purebred horses, also known as Andalusian horses, compete to the highest standards in international dressage events. Gait and conformation could be used as early selection criteria to detect young horses with promising dressage ability. Although the genetic background of equine size variation has been recently uncovered, the genetic basis of horse conformational and locomotive traits is not known, hampered by the complex genetic architecture underlying quantitative traits and the lack of phenotypic data. The aim of this study was to validate the loci associated with size in 144 Spa...
Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmitis (DSLD) in Peruvian Paso Horses Is Characterized by Altered Expression of TGFβ Signaling Components in Adipose-Derived Stromal Fibroblasts. Equine degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis (DSLD) in Peruvian Paso horses typically presents at 7-15 years and is characterized by lameness, focal disorganization of collagen fibrils, and chondroid deposition in the body of the ligament. With the aim of developing a test for disease risk (that can be used to screen horses before breeding) we have quantified the expression of 76 TGFβ-signaling target genes in adipose-derived stromal fibroblasts (ADSCs) from six DSLD-affected and five unaffected Paso horses. Remarkably, 35 of the genes showed lower expression (p<0.05) in cells from DSL...
Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage: where are we now? As the Thoroughbreds race for the final stretch, 44 hooves flash and thunder creating a cacophony of tortured air and turf. Orchestrated by selective breeding for physiology and biomechanics, expressed as speed, the millennia-old symphony of man and beast reaches its climax. At nearly 73 kilometers per hour (45 mph) over half a ton of flesh and bone dwarfs its limpet-like jockey as, eyes wild and nostrils flaring, their necks stretch for glory. Beneath each resplendent livery-adorned, latherin-splattered coat hides a monstrous heart trilling at 4 beats per second, and each minute, driving over...
Genetic diversity of Halla horses using microsatellite markers. Currently about 26,000 horses are breeding in Korea and 57.2% (14,776 horses) of them are breeding in Jeju island. According to the statistics published in 2010, the horses breeding in Jeju island are subdivided into Jeju horse (6.1%), Thoroughbred (18.8%) and Halla horse (75.1%). Halla horses are defined as a crossbreed between Jeju and Thoroughbred horses and are used for horse racing, horse riding and horse meat production. However, little research has been conducted on Halla horses because of the perception of crossbreed and people's weighted interest toward Jeju horses. Methods: Using 17 ...
Unfractionated and Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin and the Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors, IBMX and Cilostazol, Block Ex Vivo Equid Herpesvirus Type-1-Induced Platelet Activation. Equid herpes virus type-1 (EHV-1) is a major pathogen of horses, causing abortion storms and outbreaks of herpes virus myeloencephalopathy. These clinical syndromes are partly attributed to ischemic injury from thrombosis in placental and spinal vessels. The mechanism of thrombosis in affected horses is unknown. We have previously shown that EHV-1 activates platelets through virus-associated tissue factor-initiated thrombin generation. Activated platelets participate in thrombus formation by providing a surface to localize coagulation factor complexes that amplify and propagate thrombin genera...
Implementing an open-access CASA software for the assessment of stallion sperm motility: Relationship with other sperm quality parameters. Setting an open-access computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA) may benefit the evaluation of motility in mammalian sperm, especially when economic constraints do not allow the use of a commercial system. There have been successful attempts to develop such a device in Zebra fish sperm and the system has been used in very few studies on mammalian spermatozoa. Against this background, the present study aimed at developing an open-access CASA system for mammalian sperm using the horse as a model and based upon the Image J software previously established for Zebra fish sperm. Along with determining...
