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Topic:Horse Industry
The horse industry encompasses a wide range of activities and sectors related to the breeding, care, training, and utilization of horses. This industry includes equestrian sports, recreational riding, horse racing, breeding farms, and equine therapy programs. Horses are used for various purposes, such as competitive sports, leisure activities, and therapeutic interventions. The industry also supports ancillary businesses, including veterinary services, feed production, and equipment manufacturing. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the economic, cultural, and social aspects of the horse industry, as well as the health and welfare of horses within this sector.
Phenotypic and genetic factors that affect the likelihood of Standardbred foals achieving a race start. This study was conducted to quantify the probability of a Standardbred foal attaining early career milestones and to estimate some environmental and genetic factors that influence achievement of those milestones. Data for all Standardbred foals registered at birth in New Zealand from 1995 to 2018 were used to estimate variance components and fixed effects influencing attainment of three early-career traits; registered with trainer (REG), starting in a trial (TRIAL) and starting in a race (RACE). The study population comprised 65,256 foals. Of these, 65.5% attained REG, 55.4% progressed to TRIA...
Blood ammonia levels: A potential indicator of high-risk pregnancy in Thoroughbred broodmares. Exposure to high blood ammonia (hyperammonemia) interferes with gestation due to its detrimental effect on hormone levels, fetal development, the immune system, placental integrity, and fertility of broodmares. Increases in ammonia levels are dangerous and elusive, as damage may occur from earlier peaks, resulting in the trapping of ammonia in the amniotic fluid and then disappearing from the blood circulation before clinical symptoms are observed. Thus, it should be recognized early and treated immediately before complications arise. This study aimed to investigate if blood ammonia levels in ...
Research Trends and Emerging Frontiers in Racehorse Genetics: A Bibliometric Analysis. The global horse racing industry relies heavily on elite breeding. Therefore, a molecular understanding of athletic traits is crucial for the industry's advancement. This study utilized Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 869 publications in the Web of Science Core Collection (2011-2025), decoding the academic landscape and evolutionary trajectory of equine genetics. The results indicate a significant upward trend in academic output since 2019, with the United States, South Korea, and the United Kingdom emerging as the primary contributors...
Horse species symposium: Current and future outlook on equine industry, research trends, and opportunities: How to promote a sustainable field into the future. The equine industry represents a complex and evolving sector with substantial economic, social, and scientific significance, yet it faces growing challenges related to funding constraints, societal expectations for animal welfare, regulatory pressures, and rapid scientific and technological change. This article synthesizes perspectives presented at the 2025 Horse Species Symposium, held during the joint Annual Meeting of the American Society of Animal Science and Canadian Society of Animal Science, which convened experts from academia, government, and industry to evaluate the current state and...
A service provider perspective in Irish horseracing on the availability of retirement specific support services for professional jockeys and perceived barriers and facilitators to their use. Retirement can come at any time in horse racing due to the unpredictable nature of the sport. Preplanning for the retirement transition in sport has been reported to lead to faster adjustment to retirement and better transition for athletes. The purpose of this study was to highlight the current support services available to Irish horseracing jockeys to aid with career transitions and to a) explore perceived barriers and b) perceived facilitators to their use. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 representatives from various racing bodies including the Irish Horse Racing Regulator...
Money, morality, and nationalism: the contested sponsorship of the Falsterbo horse show. In early 2025, the Falsterbo Horse Show entered a title sponsorship agreement with Al Shira'aa Stables in the United Arab Emirates, prompting extensive Swedish media coverage and strong public reactions. This controversy offers an opportunity to examine how sport sponsorship becomes a site for moral and geopolitical boundary-making. Drawing on a Foucauldian understanding of discourse as a meaning-making practice, the study analyses 210 Swedish newspaper articles published between February and April 2025 to explore how power/knowledge operates through language and how sponsorship is discursivel...
United States stakeholder insights on genetic testing for equine health and breeding. The S1094 United States Department of Agriculture Multistate Research Project is a collaborative effort utilizing equine genetics and genomics to improve horse health and well-being. It also provides educational resources and genetic testing tools to equine industry stakeholders. Objective: A survey assessed the knowledge, priorities, and information sources of U.S. horse owners and enthusiasts regarding equine genetic testing to inform future outreach and research efforts. Methods: An online survey was distributed from March to October 2024, targeting horse owners and enthusiasts across the U...
Finishing Performance, Meat Quality, and Economic Efficiency of Retired Thoroughbred Versus Belgian-Cross Geldings Under an Identical Total Mixed Ration: A Pilot Study. This study evaluated a 181-day finishing system for horses entering the Korean meat chain by comparing retired thoroughbred geldings and Belgian-crossbred geldings under identical management and an ad libitum forage-based total mixed ration. Ten geldings ( = 5 per group) were individually housed, with body weight and feed intake recorded monthly. After slaughter, carcass traits and meat quality grade were assessed, and longissimus thoracis et lumborum samples were analyzed for proximate composition. Belgian-crossbreds consumed more dry matter (18.68 vs. 13.60 kg DM/day), corresponding to 2.3% ...
Verifying thoroughbred racehorse fatalities through Equibase chart review. Equibase (EQB) race charts provide the official record of North American Thoroughbred races and often document catastrophic injury, euthanasia, or equine-ambulance transport. Because chart documentation and regulatory classification differ, fatalities occurring > 72 hours after a race fall outside international regulatory definitions applied by the Equine Injury Database (EID) and may not appear in EID aggregates. EQB charts confirm horse identity, race participation, finishing status, and last recorded start. Horseracing Wrongs (HRW), an advocacy group, publishes horse-level fatality data ...
Mental health challenges in the Irish thoroughbred horse breeding industry: Prevalence and associated risk factors. The thoroughbred horse breeding industry contributes significantly to the Irish economy. However, staff shortages threaten the economic sustainability of the industry, as well as the welfare of both horses and workers. Previous research on the staffing crisis faced by the broader horseracing industry has highlighted mental health concerns as a factor. Furthermore, the influence of workplace context on mental health has been widely recognised in organisational psychology. The aim of this study was to assess prevalence rates of Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) in Irish thoroughbred horse breeding ...
Descriptive network analysis of Ontario, Canada equine competitions: implications for disease control. Competitions are an important source of entertainment and revenue in the horse industry but may contribute to disease introduction and spread. The objectives of this study were to, (i) describe the annual (2016 to 2018) contact networks of Equestrian Canada competitions in Ontario, Canada, and (ii) determine if the networks exhibit characteristics of 'small world' networks. Data on Equestrian Canada registered competitions in the province of Ontario, Canada between 2016 and 2018 were used to create three types of yearly contact networks: competition networks, horse networks, and venue networks...
A Systematic Narrative Review of Stable Staff and Trainers’ Occupational Health and Well-Being in Thoroughbred Horse Racing: An International Perspective. Stable staff and trainers are essential to racing yards and horse welfare, yet limited research focuses on this vital workforce that the thoroughbred industry heavily relies on. This systematic narrative review synthesizes existing literature on the occupational health and well-being of stable staff and trainers in the thoroughbred horse racing industry. Methods: A systematic narrative review was conducted across PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus using relevant keywords. Manuscripts reporting occupational or mental health data on stable staff and/or trainers and had the full-text available we...
Born to run? Racing and training outcomes, population dynamics and traceability of a Thoroughbred birth cohort. Analyses of industry-level data suggest that around one-third of the UK and Ireland Thoroughbred foal crop fail to enter training. Prospective follow-up of individual horses could provide additional insight, particularly around individuals not attaining specific career milestones. Methods: A Thoroughbred birth cohort was established on stud farms across the UK and Ireland. Training, race performance, sales, export data, destinations and reasons for individuals failing to meet career milestones were collected from stud records, follow-up with owners, stud book and racing authorities' databases,...
Spatial Modeling of Equine Herpesviruses 1 (EHVs-1) Risks in Kazakhstan Using 2017-2024 Surveillance Data. Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is one of the most dangerous viral diseases affecting ungulates, and is characterized by a wide range of clinical manifestations in horses, including rhinopneumonia, abortion, neonatal death, and myeloencephalopathy. It is well known for causing mass abortions in mares and respiratory diseases in young animals. Once introduced into a horse breeding farm of any type, EHV-1 tends to establish as a persistent infection. The disease is reported on nearly all continents and causes substantial annual economic losses to horse breeding operations. In Kazakhstan, 34 EHV-1 o...
Phenotypic Associations Between Linearly Scored Traits and Sport Horse Auction Sales Price in Ireland. This study examines the associations between linearly scored phenotypic traits and auction sales prices of young event horses in Ireland, aiming to identify key traits influencing market value. Data from 307 horses sold at public auctions (2022-2023) were analysed using regression analysis, binary optimisation, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Regression identified Head-neck Connection, Quality of Legs, Walk length of Stride, and Scope as highly significant predictors of sales price ( < 0.001), with Length of Croup, Trot Elasticity, Trot Balance, and Take-off Direction also significa...
Ohio horse industry survey: feeding and housing management practices. Equine industry housing and feeding management strategies vary widely. Management choices are important as horses spend most of their time in housing environments and demonstrating ingestive/foraging behavior. As of 2023, over 1.4 million Ohioans identified as horse owners and/or enthusiasts. The objectives of this survey were to determine demographics of the Ohio horse industry, commonly used sources of information, knowledge gaps regarding equine management practices, and to explore what may influence equine management choices. Using Qualtrics (Provo, UT), a 52-question online, anonymous sur...
Using Tennessee youth hippology contest results as a needs assessment for 4-H horse project members and development of a train-the-trainer program for Tennessee extension agents. Land-Grant Institutions and Cooperative Extension Services seek to disseminate information to the public; however, Extension agents differ in areas of expertise, leaving some counties with minimal ability to provide 4-H horse project members with sufficient content knowledge while agents in other counties are more well versed in equine-specific areas. Results from the 2021 and 2023 Tennessee regional and 2022 Eastern National 4-H Hippology contests were used to determine areas of knowledge deficiency. Nutrition, tack, selection, health, and breeds were categories identified as areas in which 4...
Pooled Sampling Technique to Improve the Monitoring of Medication Use in the Racehorse Industry. All anti-doping programmes face financial constraints and monitoring trends in medication use or abuse in a population of racehorses can be difficult and expensive. Obtaining biological samples is the primary method of anti-doping control in individual horses or stables of horses but can be invasive and expensive. Another important practice of anti-doping control has been the confiscation of used and filled syringes by regulators for individual forensic analysis. Pooled samples testing involves the testing of multiple individual samples together as one composite sample. This pooled sample appr...
Enhancing equine welfare: a qualitative study on the impact of RAiSE (Recognizing Affective States in Equine) as an educational tool. The horse industry's growing focus on improving horse welfare stems from stakeholders' desires, increasing public scrutiny, and potential threats to its Social License to Operate. Correctly assessing equine affective states is crucial for enhancing horse welfare. However, horse owners often struggle with this assessment, especially those with limited consistent access to horses. To address this gap, RAiSE (Recognizing Affective State in Equine) was developed as an educational tool aimed at improving horse industry participants' ability to recognize these states. After development of the educat...
Just how accepting are the public of horse sports? Georgina Mills discusses a new report that delves into the social licence of horse sports.
The value of using multilevel performances (from recreational to international) to the genetic evaluation for show jumping performance in Warmblood horses. Show jumping is a popular equestrian sport that requires a unique combination of jumping capacity and rideability. It has been shown that genetics play an important role in show jumping performance that has significant implications for horse breeding programmes. This gives an important opportunity for studbooks to breed horses with the potential to perform at the highest level in show jumping competitions. However, show jumping competitions are performed at various levels (from recreational to international level) but only national competition results are used by Warmblood studbooks in most ge...
Factors associated with time to return to horse racing following a clavicle fracture in jockeys competing in Great Britain: A review and analysis of medical records. Competitive horse racing is the second largest sport in Great Britain by spectator attendance, employability, and revenue. It is a lucrative yet hazardous sport, with high injury rates, particularly from falls. Clavicular fractures are one of the most common injuries reported, yet their management, especially regarding return to racing, is under-researched. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors associated with the time to return to competition following a clavicular fracture in jockeys competing in Great Britain. Methods: This review of medical records utilised data from the Bri...
Showing the unshowable: a new start for rescue horses. Emma Dahm introduces a new society in the world of showing that aims to give horses that have come back from neglect and abuse a platform to show off their talents and resilience.
Inertial measurement unit technology for gait detection: a comprehensive evaluation of gait traits in two Italian horse breeds. The shift of the horse breeding sector from agricultural to leisure and sports purposes led to a decrease in local breeds' population size due to the loss of their original breeding purposes. Most of the Italian breeds must adapt to modern market demands, and gait traits are suitable phenotypes to help this process. Inertial measurement unit (IMU) technology can be used to objectively assess them. This work aims to investigate on IMU recorded data (i) the influence of environmental factors and biometric measurements, (ii) their repeatability, (iii) the correlation with judge evaluations, and (...
Intelligence-based anti-doping via an Intelligence and Drug Testing Management (IDTM) system. The Intelligence and Drug Testing Management (IDTM), a system that can enhance drug testing analytics with related horse information and intelligence in a single platform, can help identify and mitigate potential doping and other threats.
Globetrotting Horses: Welfare Discourses and Disciplinary Power in the Transportation of Horses by Air. Every year, many horses are transported by air. Alongside sport horses traveling to tournaments worldwide, mainly breeding horses, such as shuttle stallions and broodmares, thoroughbreds traded at auctions, and leisure horses are transported by air. Research in veterinary science has highlighted welfare concerns during air transportation. Equine welfare is constituted in the language and discourse evolving from social, political, and ethical views about the treatment of horses. Consequently, this study targets power in creating equine welfare by analyzing the welfare discourses, transportation...
Is it pain, or is it behaviour? This year BVA Live will, for the first time, feature farm animal and equine CPD. Among the varied topics on offer, Gemma Pearson will be presenting an introduction to equine behavioural medicine, examining the link between emotional and physical health in horses.
Development of a Real-Time Recombinase-Aided Amplification Method for the Rapid Detection of Streptococcus equi subsp. equi. subspecies () is the causative pathogen of strangles in horses, donkeys, and other equine animals. Strangles has spread globally and causes significant losses to the horse industry. In response to the urgent need for effective disease control, this study introduces a novel nucleic acid diagnostic method known as a real-time recombinase-assisted amplification (RAA) assay, developed based on the gene, for the rapid detection of nucleic acid. The real-time RAA method employs specifically designed probes and primers targeting the gene, enhancing the overall specificity and sensitivity of the ...
