The musculoskeletal system in horses encompasses the bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints that facilitate movement and provide structural support. This system is essential for locomotion, athletic performance, and overall health in equine species. The equine skeleton consists of approximately 205 bones, which are connected by joints and supported by a network of muscles and connective tissues. Tendons connect muscles to bones, while ligaments link bones to other bones, contributing to joint stability. The musculoskeletal system is subject to various conditions, including injuries, degenerative diseases, and developmental disorders, which can impact a horse's mobility and performance. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the anatomy, physiology, pathology, and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions in horses.
Shojaee A, Parham A, Ejeian F, Nasr Esfahani MH.Equine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (eq-ASCs) possess excellent regeneration potential especially for treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. Besides their common characteristics, MSCs harvested from different species reveal some species-specific and donor-dependent behaviors. Hence, the molecular analysis of MSCs may shed more light on their future clinical application of these cells. This study aimed to investigate some behavioral aspects of eq-ASCs in vitro which may influence the efficacy of stem cell therapy. For this purpose, MSCs of a donor horse were isolated, characterized a...
Mariani LPR, Sampaio F, Silveira AB, Bastos LF, Weber SH, Michelotto PV.Diseases of the stifle joint remain a challenge for veterinarians. The objective of this study was to achieve a valuable acupuncture suggestive diagnosis to be considered for stifle joint diseases in horses. Thirty-nine nonlame horses involved in different activities were assessed. Acupuncture was independently performed by two evaluators. Reactions of the animal when pressurizing the point suggestive of stifle disease (PSSD), Bladder-20 and/or Bladder-21, were considered as the inclusion criteria for inclusion in the stifle group (SG, n = 31), and the animals with no reactions were assigne...
Chesworth M, Brandenberger O, Cheetham J, Windley Z, Schumacher J, Cochran K, Piercy RJ, Perkins JD. To investigate the effect of the transverse arytenoid ligament (TAL) on abduction of the arytenoid cartilage when performing laryngoplasty. Modified prosthetic laryngoplasty was performed on right and left sides of 13 cadaver larynges. Increasing force was sequentially applied to the left arytenoid cartilage at 3 N intervals from 0-24 N, when the force on the right arytenoid cartilage was either 0 or 24 N, before and after TAL transection. Digital photographs of the rostral aspect of the larynx were used to determine the left arytenoid abduction angles for these given force combinations and ...
Shojaee A, Parham A.Tendon injuries, as one of the most common orthopedic disorders, are the major cause of early retirement or wastage among sport horses which mainly affect the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT). Tendon repair is a slow process, and tendon tissue is often replaced by scar tissue. The current treatment options are often followed by an incomplete recovery that increases the susceptibility to re-injury. Recently, cell therapy has been used in veterinary medicine to treat tendon injuries, although the risk of ectopic bone formation after cell injection is possible in some cases. In vitro teno...
Latham CM, Fenger CK, White SH.Responses of equine skeletal muscle characteristics to growth and training have been shown to differ between breeds. These differential responses may arise in part because muscle fiber type and mitochondrial density differ between breeds, even in untrained racing-bred horses. However, it is not known when these breed-specific differences manifest. To test the hypothesis that weanling Standardbreds (SB) and Thoroughbreds (TB) would have higher mitochondrial measures than Quarter Horses (QH), gluteus medius samples were collected from SB (mean ± SD; 6.2 ± 1.0 mo; n = 10), TB (6.1 ± 0.5 mo; n ...
Lee H, Campbell WD, Theis KM, Canning ME, Ennis HY, Jackson RL, Hanson RR.Fresh and frozen cartilage samples of the fetlock, carpus, and stifle were collected from 12 deceased horses. Half were measured immediately following extraction, and half were frozen for seven days and then measured. Seven indentations (various normalized displacements) were implemented with an indention rate of 0.1 mm/s. Solid phase aggregate modulus (Es), hyperelastic material constant (α), and fluid load fraction (F') of equine articular cartilage were assessed using the Ogden hyperelastic model. The properties were statistically compared in various joints (fetlock, carpus, and stifle),...
May-Davis S, Vermeulen Z, Brown WY.The 55-million-year history of equine phylogeny has been well-documented from the skeletal record; however, this is less true for the soft tissue structures that are now vestigial in modern horse. A recent study reported that two ligamentous structures resembling functional interosseous muscle II and IV were evident in Dutch Konik horses. The current study investigates this finding and compares it to members of the genus Equus to identify either a breed anomaly or functional primitive trait. Distal limbs (n = 574) were dissected from four species of Equus; E. caballus, E. asinus, E. przewalski...
Adair HS, Levine D. The purpose of this study was to examine the tissue temperature changes that occur at various depths during 1.0-MHz ultrasound (US) treatments of the epaxial muscles in horses. Ten healthy adult mares with no lameness or orthopedic disease weighing between 465 and 576 kg were studied. Two 1.0 MHz US treatments, one at an intensity of 1.0 W/cm and one at 2.0 W/cm, were administered to the epaxial region. Needle thermistors were inserted in the epaxial muscles below the skin surface at depths of 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 cm, directly under the US treatment area. Depths were verified with diagnostic u...
Gmel AI, Druml T, von Niederhäusern R, Leeb T, Neuditschko M.The evaluation of conformation traits is an important part of selection for breeding stallions and mares. Some of these judged conformation traits involve joint angles that are associated with performance, health, and longevity. To improve our understanding of the genetic background of joint angles in horses, we have objectively measured the angles of the poll, elbow, carpal, fetlock (front and hind), hip, stifle, and hock joints based on one photograph of each of the 300 Franches-Montagnes (FM) and 224 Lipizzan (LIP) horses. After quality control, genome-wide association studies (GWASs) for t...
Oliver GD, Gilmer GG, Barfield JW, Brittain AR.Although polo is a well-known equestrian sport, it is fundamentally misunderstood. The purpose of this study was to examine trunk and upper extremity kinematics and segmental velocities during the offside forehand polo swing between male and female athletes. Ten female and 17 male professional polo athletes volunteered. An electromagnetic tracking system collected kinematic data at 100 Hz while participants performed three offside forehand polo swings from a stationary wooden horse. One-way ANOVAs revealed statistically significant differences (<0.05) in all kinematic variables and segmenta...
Fortier Guillaume J, Laroche D, Babault N.The objective of this study was to identify the key biomechanical patterns (functional muscles and kinematics) of amateur horse riders during various cross-country jumps in equestrian. Eleven riders first performed a control condition that corresponded to jumps over three different obstacles (log wall, brush and tree trunk) before jumping over the same three obstacles in a cross-country course. 3D Kinematics and electromyographic (EMG) activity was synchronously collected which included seven muscles of the riders back, lower and upper limbs. Maximum voluntary isometric strength of knee extens...
Self Davies ZT, Spence AJ, Wilson AM.Horse locomotion is remarkably economical. Here, we measure external mechanical work of the galloping horse and relate it to published measurements of metabolic cost. Seven Thoroughbred horses were galloped (ridden) over force plates, under a racing surface. Twenty-six full strides of force data were recorded and used to calculate the external mechanical work of galloping. The mean sum of decrements of mechanical energy was -876 J (±280 J) per stride and increments were 2163 J (±538 J) per stride as horses were accelerating. Combination with published values for internal work and metabolic c...
Gunst S, Dittmann MT, Arpagaus S, Roepstorff C, Latif SN, Klaassen B, Pauli CA, Bauer CM, Weishaupt MA.Asymmetric forces exerted on the horse's back during riding are assumed to have a negative effect on rider-horse interaction, athletic performance, and health of the horse. Visualized on a saddle pressure mat, they are initially blamed on a nonfitting saddle. The contribution of horse and rider to an asymmetric loading pattern, however, is not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of horse and rider asymmetries during stance and in sitting trot on the force distribution on the horse's back using a saddle pressure mat and motion capture analysis simultaneously. D...
Dengel OH, Raymond-Pope CJ, Bosch TA, Oliver JM, Dengel DR.To examine measures of total and regional body composition using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in NCAA Division I collegiate equestrian athletes, 31 female collegiate equestrian athletes were matched to a population of normal controls by age and body mass index. Total and regional fat tissue mass (FM), lean tissue mass (LM), bone mineral density (BMD), and abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) were measured by DXA. Equestrian athletes had a significantly (p=0.03) lower total body fat percentage (%fat) than controls. There were no significant differences in total LM and VAT between equestri...
Aithal HP, Kinjavdekar P, Pawde AM, Dubey P, Kumar R, Tyagi SK, Madhu DN. The aim of this study was to evaluate epoxy-pin external skeletal fixation technique for the treatment of open fractures in calves and foals. Methods: Twenty-eight calves and four foals (weighing 45-105 kg) with fractures distal to the stifle or elbow made the subject for the retrospective study. The pins (2.0-3.0-mm Kirschner wires, crossed at 60-90°) were fixed at least at two locations in both proximal and distal bone fragments as per the case situation. The pins in the same plane were bent (∼2 cm from the skin) towards the fracture site or joint and were joined using an adhesive t...
Satoh M, Higuchi T, Inoue S, Miyakoshi D, Gotoh T.Assessment of the cricoarytenoideus dorsalis muscle (CAD) in horses using a transesophageal ultrasound, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging is available in a limited number of hospitals. This study assessed the ease of ultrasonographic imaging of the CAD using an external transcutaneous technique in horses. After confirmation of the CAD in the cadavers, ultrasonography in twenty live horses was carried out using a transcutaneous approach. In live horses, ultrasonographic imaging of the CAD was possible by pushing the larynx from the opposite side with the other hand. It is belie...
Seino KK, Secord T, Vig M, Kyllonen S, DeClue AJ.Our aim was to assess three-dimensional kinematic motion analysis as an objective diagnostic tool for the characterization of the movement disorder of Shivers in horses. Kinematic parameters were measured in three horses with Shivers and were compared with a control group of four normal horses. Multiple parameter differences were found in the horses with Shivers at the walk, during backing, and when asked to pick up their hindlimbs. Most significant changes were a wider hindlimb stance of 0.39 ± 0.15 m and increased abduction angle of 48.7 ± 7.52° and hoof elevation (0.77 ± 0.08 m left a...
Kaashoek M, Hobbs SJ, Clayton HM, Aerts P, Nauwelaerts S.To reduce anatomically unrealistic limb postures in a virtual musculoskeletal model of a horse's forelimb, accurate knowledge on forelimb joint constraints is essential. The aim of this cadaver study is to report all orientation and position changes of the finite helical axes (FHA) as a function of joint angle for different equine forelimb joints. Five horse cadaver forelimbs with standardized cuts at the midlevel of each segment were used. Bone pins with reflective marker triads were drilled into the forelimb bones. Unless joint angles were anatomically coupled, each joint was manually moved ...
Torrent A, Kilcoyne I, Johnson A, Affolter VK, Berryhill E, Aleman M.This report describes an unusual presentation of multicentric B-cell lymphoma with central and peripheral nerve involvement in a horse that was presented with acute onset, severe, multiple limb lameness, and muscle atrophy. This case highlights the importance of including neoplasia in the differential list in horses presenting for severe limb lameness associated with muscle atrophy, muscle fasciculations, and weakness. Présentation atypique d’un lymphome à cellules B multisystémique chez un cheval. Ce rapport décrit la présentation inhabituelle d’un lymphome à cellules B multicentriq...
Among the protozoa of the genus Sarcocystis (Apicomplexa; Sarcocystidae), Sarcocystis bertrami (syn. Sarcocystis fayeri) is an obligate intracellular parasite of donkeys and horses with worldwide distribution. Here, we report the detection of S. bertrami in naturally infected donkeys from southern Italy and describe their structure by light microscopy (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Protozoal cysts were detected both morphologically and molecularly in skeletal muscles of 28.57% (40/140) donkeys. Mature cysts of S. bertrami were found in skeletal muscle measuring 31-102 μm l...
Rajão MD, Leite CS, Nogueira K, Godoy RF, Lima EMM.The aim of this study was to understand the bone response against the exercise adaptations to reduce the occurrence of orthopedic injuries in endurance horses. To this end, the objective of the present work was to investigate how the bone adaptation on adult equines that were trained for 4-5 yr to endurance races responds to the long-term exercise of moderate intensity by comparing to non-athlete horses. For this purpose, 14 Arabian horses were selected and divided equally into two groups; a control group formed by animals that had never practiced physical activity nor been tamed and an exerci...
Kamineni S, Ruggles A, Ashfaq H.Ultrasonic debridement as a treatment for tendinopathy and desmitis is a relatively new approach in orthopedic surgery. Previously only used in limited cases, this procedure shows promise for treating ligament-bone and tendon-bone interface injuries. We present a case study of a 2-yr-old thoroughbred male horse, unable to train due to recalcitrant symptoms after extensive conservative management of suspensory branch desmitis. It was then treated with ultrasonic debridement and concurrent manubrial stem cell autograft injection, to treat the ultrasound visualized lesion. Post-surgically, the pa...
Joostens Z, Evrard L, Busoni V.Lifting the contralateral forelimb (unipodal stance) is often used as a method of restraint in horses. This experimental one group pretest, posttest study was conducted to evaluate the effects of unipodal stance on quantitative radiographic parameters in equine forefeet. Seven nonlame horses were randomly selected. Lateromedial (LM) and dorsopalmar (DP) projections were acquired for both forefeet, squarely placed on blocks, using two X-ray generators. Radiographs of each foot were acquired first in a bipodal stance, immediately followed by the same radiographic projections obtained in a unipod...
Kirkpatrick CJ, Ernst NS, Trumble TN.There are limited radiographic-guided injection techniques of the insertion of the distal interphalangeal joint (DIPJ) collateral ligaments. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a palmar/plantar radiographic-guided injection of the collateral ligament insertion in cadavers. Fifty limbs were used to develop the technique and 24 additional limbs were used to evaluate accuracy. An 18 G, 9 cm spinal needle was placed in the depression between the palmar digital neurovascular bundle and arch of the ungular cartilage with dorsodistal advancement towards the distal phalanx collat...
Spargo KE, Rubio-Martinez LM, Wheeler DP, Fletcher L, Carstens A.The incidence and types of catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries in Thoroughbreds that resulted in euthanasia on selected racetracks in South Africa between 1998 and 2012 were investigated by an observational retrospective investigation. Data from the National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa for these racetracks were used to calculate incidence rates in Thoroughbreds (n = 114) that sustained catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries during racing that required immediate euthanasia, based on the diagnosis made by the on-site veterinarian as well as on fetlock radiographs and dissections o...
Donaldson MC, Holter AM, Neuhoff S, Arnosky JA, Simpson BW, Vernon K, Blob RW, DesJardins JD.Although horseback riding is a well-established means of rehabilitation therapy for a variety of human patients, there are few data on the biomechanical relationships between horse and rider during such hippotherapy. We simultaneously tracked the movements of a horse with several different novice riders, under conditions similar to hippotherapy, to evaluate whether horses pass the same motion to different riders while being lead at a walk. Riders were outfitted with a goniometric data collection system that recorded the angles of flexion and extension and lateral bending of the thoracic and lu...
Suagee JK, Corl BA, Crisman MV, Hulver MW, McCutcheon LJ, Geor RJ.Laminitis is a painful, inflammatory disease of the equine hoof that often results in euthanasia. Elevated plasma insulin concentrations are a predictive factor for laminitis, and in previously healthy horses and ponies, laminitis was induced by infusion of insulin. Thus, we chose to determine if an infusion of insulin would increase plasma concentrations of inflammatory cytokines and cytokine mRNA abundance in subcutaneous adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and white blood cells. Ten mature Thoroughbred mares received an insulin infusion that elevated plasma insulin concentrations for 6h or an ...
Osteochondrosis (OC) develops in growing horses due to disturbed differentiation and maturation of cartilage, particularly at the predilection sites of the fetlock, hock and stifle joints. Horses with osteochondrotic lesions are at a high risk of developing orthopaedic problems later in life. This article briefly reviews the published heritability estimates for OC and offers perspectives for selection in the horse industry. Heritabilities for OC in Warmblood and Standardbred horses have been estimated at 0.1-0.4 in animal threshold models. Whole genome scans using microsatellites have identifi...
von Peinen K, Wiestner T, Bogisch S, Roepstorff L, van Weeren PR, Weishaupt MA.The exact relationship between the saddle pressure pattern during one stride cycle and the movements of horse and rider at the walk are poorly understood and have never been investigated in detail. Objective: The movements of rider and horse account for the force distribution pattern under the saddle. Methods: Vertical ground reaction forces (GRF), kinematics of horse and rider as well as saddle forces (FS) were measured synchronously in 7 high level dressage horses while being ridden on an instrumented treadmill at walk. Discrete values of the total saddle forces (FStot) were determined for e...
Bellone RR, Ocampo NR, Hughes SS, Le V, Arthur R, Finno CJ, Penedo MCT.Catastrophic fractures are among the most common cause of fatalities in racehorses. Several factors, including genetics, likely contribute to increased risk for fatal injuries. A variant in the procollagen-lysine, 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase1 gene (PLOD1 c.2032G>A) was shown to cause Warmblood fragile foal syndrome type 1 (WFFS), a fatal recessive defect of the connective tissue. Screening of multiple horse breeds identified the presence of the WFFS allele in the Thoroughbred. PLOD1 is involved in cross-linking of collagen fibrils and thus could potentially increase the risk of catastrophic b...
Eizema K, van den Burg M, Kiri A, Dingboom EG, van Oudheusden H, Goldspink G, Weijs WA.The horse is one of the few animals kept and bred for its athletic performance and is therefore an interesting model for human sports performance. The regulation of the development of equine locomotion in the first year of life, and the influence of early training on later performance, are largely unknown. The major structural protein in skeletal muscle, myosin heavy-chain (MyHC), is believed to be primarily transcriptionally controlled. To investigate the expression of the MyHC genes at the transcriptional level, we isolated cDNAs encoding the equine MyHC isoforms type 1 (slow), type 2a (fast...
Dyson S, Pollard D.The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE) comprising 24 behaviours was developed to facilitate the identification of musculoskeletal discomfort, with scores of ≥8/24 indicating the presence of pain. The median RHpE score for 147 competitors at World Cup Grand Prix events from 2018 to 2020 was three (interquartile range [IQR] 1-4; range 0-7). The aim of the current study was to apply the RHpE to 38 competitors at the Hickstead-Rotterdam Grand Prix Challenge and 26 competitors at the British Dressage Grand Prix National Championship in 2020. The median RHpE scores were four (IQR 3-6; range 0-8) an...
Sarrafian TL, Case JT, Kinde H, Daft BM, Read DH, Moore JD, Uzal FA, Stover SM.To determine major causes of death and the anatomic location of musculoskeletal injuries in Quarter Horse racehorses in California. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 314 Quarter Horse racehorses with musculoskeletal injuries that were necropsied through the California Horse Racing Board Postmortem Program from 1990 to 2007. Methods: Postmortem pathology reports were retrospectively reviewed. Musculoskeletal injuries were categorized by anatomic region and described. The number of Quarter Horse starts and starters for the same period of time were obtained from a commercial database f...
Butcher MT, Hermanson JW, Ducharme NG, Mitchell LM, Soderholm LV, Bertram JE.Racing and training related lesions of the forelimb superficial digital flexor tendon are a common career ending injury to racehorses but aetiology and/or predisposing causes of the injury are not completely understood. Objective: Although the injury takes place within the tendon, the lesion must be considered within the context of the function of the complete suspensory system of the distal limb, including the associated muscles. Methods: Both muscle and tendon function were investigated in vivo using implanted strain gauges in 3 Thoroughbred horses walking, trotting and cantering on a motori...
Back W, Schamhardt HC, Barneveld A.The canter is a 3 beat asymmetrical gait with a difference in timing between left and right limbs. To evaluate intralimb asymmetry at the canter, a group of 24 Dutch Warmbloods was evaluated on a treadmill (7 m/s) using a modified CODA-3 optoelectronic gait analysis system. Thirteen horses cantered in the left lead ('leading limb' group) and 11 in the right lead ('trailing limb' group) during left forelimb recordings, while 11 horses were at the left and 13 were at the right lead during left hindlimb recordings. Kinematic differences between horses from the 'leading limb' and 'trailing limb' g...
Vos NJ.Data are lacking in the literature regarding the incidence of osteochondrosis (dissecans) [OC(D)] in relation to lameness evaluation in Dutch Warmblood horses. The objective of this retrospective study was to assess the incidence of radiological abnormalities consistent with osteochondrosis or osteochondrosis dissecans in 1,231 sound Dutch Warmblood (DW) horses presented for pre-purchase examination. Standardised (Dutch) pre-purchase examination protocols were evaluated. The pre-purchase examination included a clinical, lameness and radiological evaluation, performed at a private equine clinic...
Santschi EM, Williams JM, Morgan JW, Johnson CR, Bertone AL, Juzwiak JS.To determine if medial femoral condylar (MFC) subchondral cystic lesions (SCL) causing lameness will demonstrate radiographic evidence of healing and lameness reduction after placement of a transcondylar screw in lag fashion. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Horses (n = 20) with lameness attributed to a MFC SCL. Methods: A 4.5 mm screw was inserted in lag fashion across MFC SCL in horses with hindlimb lameness. Post-operative radiography and lameness examinations were performed at 30-60 day intervals after surgery for 120 days, and SCL radiographic area and lameness were graded. Tr...
Vanel M, Olive J, Gold S, Mitchell RD, Walker L.Deep digital flexor (DDF) tendinopathy is one of the most frequent causes of foot lameness and the prognosis is guarded. The progress of lesion healing may be followed by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to formulate a prognosis and to adapt the rehabilitation program. We assessed the correlation of outcome with total tendon damage and temporal resolution of MR abnormalities. Images from 34 horses with DDF tendinopathy that had undergone at least two low-field standing MR examinations of the foot (mean 2.5 ± 1.3 times) were reviewed. No horse having a T1-GRE hyperintense lesion over 30 mm in l...
Clayton HM.High speed cinematography was used to describe the stride kinematics in a group of six, sound horses subjected to two farriery treatments, designated 'normal' and 'acute' hoof angulation. Normal was defined as having the dorsal hoof wall aligned with the pastern axis, whereas the acute hoof angulation was approximately 10 degrees lower than the normal angle for the individual horse. The acute angle was achieved by allowing the toes to grow relatively longer than the heels. The results of a multivariate analysis of variance showed significant differences between the two farriery treatments in t...
Björnsdóttir S, Axelsson M, Eksell P, Sigurdsson H, Carlsten J.The prevalence of degenerative joint disease (DJD) in the distal tarsal joints and the relation between radiographic and clinical signs compatible with the disease were estimated in a population of Icelandic horses used for riding. The material consisted of 614 horses age 6-12 years (mean age = 7.9 years). Radiographs with 3 projections of each tarsus were made and a clinical examination, including palpation of the medial aspect of the distal tarsus and motion evaluation of the hindlimbs before and after a flexion test of the tarsus, was performed. Radiographic signs of DJD in the distal tarsa...
Sacchi L, Corona S, Gajadhar AA, Pozio E.The nurse cell-larva complex of nematodes of the genus Trichinella plays an important role in the survival of the larva in decaying muscles, frequently favouring the transmission of the parasite in extreme environmental conditions. The ultrastructure of the nurse cell-larva complex in muscles from different hosts infected with T. nativa (a walrus and a polar bear), T. spiralis (horses and humans), T. pseudospiralis (a laboratory mouse) and T. papuae (a laboratory mouse) were examined. Analysis with transmission electron microscope showed that the typical nurse cell structure was present in all...
Reardon RJ, Boden LA, Mellor DJ, Love S, Newton JR, Stirk AJ, Parkin TD.Superficial digital flexor (SDF) tendinopathy is a common injury in Thoroughbred horses racing over hurdles. Identification of risk factors may allow the introduction of measures to minimise the incidence of this injury. Objective: To identify risk factors for SDF tendinopathy in Thoroughbred horses in hurdle races in the UK. Methods: Potential risk factors for SDF tendinopathy were studied between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2009 using a retrospective cohort study design with 1031 case starts and 168,637 control starts. Potential risk factors were screened using univariable logistic regres...
Firth EC, Rogers CW, Anderson BH.To determine the weight, volume, density and cross-sectional area (CSA) of the digital flexor tendons, common digital extensor tendon (CDET) and suspensory ligament (SL) of the forelimb of young Thoroughbred horses in early training, and to assess the response to a training programme of known parameters of superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) tissue at mid-metacarpal level. Methods: The tendons of seven 2-year-old Thoroughbred horses in training were inspected, transected into segments of known length, and compared with those from seven untrained horses matched for age, sex and breed. The ...
Lee CM, Kisiday JD, McIlwraith CW, Grodzinsky AJ, Frisbie DD.To develop an in vitro model of cartilage injury in full-thickness equine cartilage specimens that can be used to simulate in vivo disease and evaluate treatment efficacy. Methods: 15 full-thickness cartilage explants from the trochlear ridges of the distal aspect of the femur from each of 6 adult horses that had died from reasons unrelated to the musculoskeletal system. Methods: To simulate injury, cartilage explants were subjected to single-impact uniaxial compression to 50%, 60%, 70%, or 80% strain at a rate of 100% strain/s. Other explants were left uninjured (control specimens). All speci...
Tozaki T, Sato F, Ishimaru M, Kikuchi M, Kakoi H, Hirota KI, Nagata SI.Ligand-dependent nuclear receptor compressor-like (LCORL) encodes a transcription factor, and its polymorphisms are associated with measures of skeletal frame size and adult height in several species. Recently, the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) BIEC2-808543 located upstream of LCORL was identified as a genetic diagnostic marker associated with withers height in Thoroughbreds. In this study, 322 Thoroughbreds-in-training were genotyped for BIEC2-808543 to evaluate the association between genotype and body composition traits, including body weight, withers height, the ratio of body weight...
McD￮ LA, Pack L, Lores M, Wright GM, Esparza-Gonzalez B, Masaoud E.To compare the efficacy of osteoprogenitors in fibrin glue to fibrin glue alone in bone healing of surgically induced ostectomies of the fourth metacarpal bones in an equine model. Methods: Experimental. Methods: Adult horses (n = 10). Methods: Segmental ostectomies of the 4th metacarpal bone (MC4) were performed bilaterally in 10 horses. There was 1 treatment and 1 control limb in each horse. Bone defects were randomly injected with either fibrin glue and osteoprogenitor cells or fibrin glue alone. Radiography was performed every week until the study endpoint at 12 weeks. After euthanasia, bo...
Salek Ardestani S, Aminafshar M, Zandi Baghche Maryam MB, Banabazi MH, Sargolzaei M, Miar Y.Selective breeding has led to gradual changes at the genome level of horses. Deciphering selective pressure patterns is progressive to understand how breeding strategies have shaped the sport horse genome; although, little is known about the genomic regions under selective pressures in sport horse breeds. The major goal of this study was to shed light on genomic regions and biological pathways under selective pressures in sport horses. In this study, whole-genome sequences of 16 modern sport and 35 non-sport horses were used to investigate the genomic selective signals of sport performance, by...
Zedda M, Sathe V, Chakraborty P, Palombo MR, Farina V.The microstructural features of the tissue of long bones subjected to different biomechanical stresses could be a helpful tool for a better understanding of locomotor behavior in extant and extinct mammals, including equids. However, few researches have attempted to describe the bone tissue of extinct horses. In our study, we analyze and compare the histomorphometric features of the bone tissue in extant modern horses, Equus caballus, and Equus namadicus, a Pleistocene Indian extinct wild horse. The number, position, and size of the osteons and Haversian canals of the bone tissue, classifiable...
Wilson G, Martin D, Morton JP, Close GL.Despite consistent reports of poor bone health in male jockeys, it is not yet known if this is a consequence of low energy availability or lack of an osteogenic stimulus. Given the rationale that low energy availability is a contributing factor in low bone health, we tested the hypothesis that both hip and lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) should progressively worsen in accordance with the years of riding. In a cross-sectional design, male apprentice (n = 17) and senior (n = 14) jockeys (matched for body mass and fat-free mass) were assessed for hip and lumbar spine BMD, as well as bot...
Hermanson JW, Cobb MA.Two of the forearm flexors of the horse, the superficial and deep digital flexor muscles, are critical to support the digital and fetlock joints, exhibit differing insertions, and are passively supported by the proximal and distal check ligaments, respectively. These two muscles differ in histochemical composition and architecture. The differences are correlated with the different stress levels transmitted through their tendons, and the different frequencies of clinical breakdown that have been reported. Both muscles contain type I and type IIa fibers. A few type IIb fibers occurred in the dee...
Ehrle A, Ressel L, Ricci E, Singer ER.Pain related to the osseous thoracolumbar spine is common in the equine athlete, with minimal information available regarding soft tissue pathology. The aims of this study were to describe the anatomy of the equine SSL and ISL (supraspinous and interspinous ligaments) in detail and to assess the innervation of the ligaments and their myofascial attachments including the thoracolumbar fascia. Ten equine thoracolumbar spines (T15-L1) were dissected to define structure and anatomy of the SSL, ISL and adjacent myofascial attachments. Morphological evaluation included histology, electron microscopy...
Haussler KK.Manual therapy includes a diverse array of techniques, such as touch therapies, massage, physical therapy, osteopathy, and chiropractic, that were originally developed for use in humans and have been gradually applied to horses. All forms of manual therapy have variable reported levels of effectiveness for treating musculoskeletal issues in humans, but mostly only anecdotal evidence exists in horses. This article explores the scientific literature for evidence of efficacy, safety, and common mechanisms of action of the different forms of manual therapies for potential use in managing acute or ...
Rivero JL, Talmadge RJ, Edgerton VR.In adult horses, three myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms can be identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunohistochemistry using specific anti-MyHC monoclonal antibodies. This report studies the suitability of a consistent SDS-PAGE technique for quantifying MyHC profiles in homogenized cryostate sections of equine gluteus medius muscle biopsies (n = 18). The method used (previously described by R. J. Talmadge and R. R. Roy; J. Appl. Physiol. 1993, 75, 2337-2340) resolved MyHCs in three bands: I, IIB or IIX, and IIA from the fastest to the slowe...
Vergari C, Ravary-Plumioën B, Evrard D, Laugier P, Mitton D, Pourcelot P, Crevier-Denoix N.Axial speed of sound (SOS) measurements have been successfully applied to noninvasively evaluate tendon load, while preliminary studies showed that this technique also has a potential clinical interest in the follow up of tendon injuries. The ultrasound propagation theory predicts that the SOS is determined by the effective stiffness, mass density and Poisson's ratio of the propagating medium. Tendon stiffness characterizes the tissue's mechanical quality, but it is often measured in quasi-static condition and for entire tendon segments, so it might not be the same as the effective stiffness w...
Rodríguez MJ, Agut A, Soler M, López-Albors O, Arredondo J, Querol M, Latorre R.In human medicine, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered the 'gold standard' imaging procedure to assess the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). However, there is no information regarding MRI evaluation of equine TMJ. Objective: To describe the normal sectional MRI anatomy of equine TMJ by using frozen and plastinated anatomical sections as reference; and determine the best imaging planes and sequences to visualise TMJ components. Methods: TMJs from 6 Spanish Purebred horse cadavers (4 immature and 2 mature) underwent MRI examination. Spin-echo T1-weighting (SE T1W), T2*W, fat-suppressed (...
Firth EC, Rogers CW, Perkins NR, Anderson BH, Grace ND.This is the first in a series of papers reporting studies in 2-year-old Thoroughbred racehorses that aimed to determine the response of musculoskeletal tissues to early training on grass and sand racetracks. In this paper, the experimental set-up of the whole study is described, and nutritional, workload, and clinical, radiographic and pathological outcomes are reported, including semi-quantitative assessment of macroscopic changes in articular cartilage. Methods: The study group comprised 14 two-year-old Thoroughbred fillies reared entirely at pasture. Of these, seven were selected by a licen...
