Topic:Performance Horses
Performance horses are equines specifically trained and conditioned for activities that require a high level of athleticism, such as racing, dressage, show jumping, and eventing. These horses undergo specialized training regimens to enhance their physical capabilities, including speed, endurance, agility, and strength. The management of performance horses often involves tailored nutrition plans, regular veterinary care, and specific conditioning programs to optimize their performance and minimize the risk of injury. This topic covers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the physiology, training methodologies, health management, and performance outcomes of these horses in various competitive disciplines.
Effects induced by exercise on lymphocyte β-adrenergic receptors and plasma catecholamine levels in performance horses. The effect of dynamic exercise on complete blood cell count, lymphocyte β-adrenergic receptor and plasma catecholamine (adrenaline and noradrenaline) levels in horses performing different disciplines were investigated during rest and after exercise. Blood samples were collected from jumping horses (n=6), Arabian Endurance horses (n=6) and Standardbred trotters (n=6) before and immediately after competition. Dynamic exercise caused a significant increase in red blood cell count (Standardbred trotters: P=0.0012), haemoglobin concentration (jumping horses: P=0.001; Standardbred trotters: P=0.01)...
Exercising upper respiratory videoendoscopic evaluation of 100 nonracing performance horses with abnormal respiratory noise and/or poor performance. Although well documented in racehorses, there is paucity in the literature regarding the prevalence of dynamic upper airway abnormalities in nonracing performance horses. Objective: To describe upper airway function of nonracing performance horses with abnormal respiratory noise and/or poor performance via exercising upper airway videoendoscopy. Methods: Medical records of nonracing performance horses admitted for exercising evaluation with a chief complaint of abnormal respiratory noise and/or poor performance were reviewed. All horses had video recordings of resting and exercising upper airw...
Use of in vitro technologies to study phase II conjugation in equine sports drug surveillance. Within equine drug surveillance, there is significant interest in analyzing intact phase II conjugates of drugs in urine, but progress has been limited by a lack of reference material. Methods: In this study, in vitro techniques using equine liver fractions were employed to produce glucuronide and sulfate conjugates of stanozolol, 16β-hydroxystanozolol and nandrolone, the glucuronide conjugate of morphine and the glutathione metabolite of chlordinitrobenzene for the first time in equine sports drug surveillance. Results: The glucuronide conjugate of the synthetic progestagen altrenogest was a...
A genome-wide association study for racing performances in Thoroughbreds clarifies a candidate region near the MSTN gene. Using 1400 microsatellites, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed to identify genomic regions associated with lifetime earnings and performance ranks, as determined by the Japan Racing Association (JRA). The minimum heritability (h(2) ) was estimated at 7-8% based on the quantitative trait model, suggesting that the racing performance is heritable. Following GWAS with microsatellites, fine mapping led to identification of three SNPs on ECA18, namely, g.65809482T>C (P=1.05E-18), g.65868604G>T (P=6.47E-17), and g.66539967A>G (P=3.35E-14) associated with these performance ...
Quantifying show jumping horse rider expertise using IMUs. Horse rider ability has long been measured using horse performance, competition results and visual observation. Scientific methods of measuring rider ability on the flat are emerging such as measuring position angles and harmony of the horse-rider system. To date no research has quantified rider ability in show jumping. Kinematic analysis and motion sensors have been used in sports other than show jumping to measure the quality of motor control patterns in humans. The aim of this study was to quantify rider ability in show jumping using body-mounted IMUs. Preliminary results indicate that ther...
Metabolism of anabolic steroids and their relevance to drug detection in horseracing. The fight against doping in sport using analytical chemistry is a mature area with a history of approximately 100 years in horseracing. In common with human sport, anabolic/androgenic steroids (AASs) are an important group of potential doping agents. Particular issues with their detection are extensive metabolism including both phase I and phase II. A number of the common AASs are also endogenous to the equine. A further issue is the large number of synthetic steroids produced as pharmaceutical products or as 'designer' drugs intended to avoid detection or for the human supplement market. An u...
Exercising videoendoscopic evaluation of 45 horses with respiratory noise and/or poor performance after laryngoplasty. To (1) assess upper airway function by videoendoscopy in horses performing poorly after laryngoplasty and (2) establish whether dynamic collapse of the left arytenoid can be predicted by the degree of resting postsurgical abduction. Methods: Case series. Methods: Horses that had left laryngoplasty (n=45). Methods: Medical records (June 1993-December 2007) of horses evaluated for abnormal respiratory noise and/or poor performance after laryngoplasty were reviewed. Horses with video recordings of resting and exercising upper airway endoscopy were included and postsurgical abduction categorized. ...
Candidate genes for physical performance in the horse. Intense selection for speed, endurance or pulling power in the domestic horse (Equus caballus) has resulted in a number of adaptive changes in the phenotype required for elite athletic performance. To date, studies in humans have revealed a large number of genes involved in elite athletic performance, but studies in horses are rare. The horse genome assembly and bioinformation tools for genome analyses have been used to compare human performance genes with their equine orthologues, both to retrieve pathways for these genes and to investigate their chromosomal distribution. In this review, 28 c...
Effects of long-time series of data on genetic evaluations for performance of Swedish Warmblood riding horses. For Swedish Warmblood sport horses, breeding values (BVs) are predicted using a multiple-trait animal model with results from competitions and young horse performance tests. Data go back to the beginning of the 1970s, and earlier studies have indicated that some of the recorded traits have changed through the years. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of including all performance data or excluding the older ones compared to a bivariate model (BM) considering performance traits in early and late periods as separate traits. The bivariate approach was assumed to give the mo...
Effect of head and neck position on pharyngeal diameter in horses. Dynamic nasopharyngeal collapse with upper airway obstruction is an important cause of exercise intolerance in performance horses. Its underlying pathophysiology is not fully understood. We hypothesize that head position affects pharyngeal diameter, and thus head position may be a contributing factor to nasopharyngeal obstruction. Fifteen adult healthy horses were subjected to endoscopy and radiography at rest. The pharyngeal diameter was measured at nine different head and neck positions. The effect of sedation and breathing cycle on the pharyngeal diameter was determined, and the relationshi...
Confirmatory analysis of continuous erythropoietin receptor activator and erythropoietin analogues in equine plasma by LC-MS for doping control. Continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA) is the third generation of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) medication that retains the effect of promoting red blood cell production but has longer duration of action in the body. CERA, rhEPO, and darbepoetin alpha (DPO) can be misused to enhance performance in both human and equine athletes. To deter such misuse, a very selective and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method has now been developed for identification of CERA, rhEPO, and DPO in equine plasma. The method employs a new signature tryptic...
A genome-wide SNP-association study confirms a sequence variant (g.66493737C>T) in the equine myostatin (MSTN) gene as the most powerful predictor of optimum racing distance for Thoroughbred racehorses. Thoroughbred horses have been selected for traits contributing to speed and stamina for centuries. It is widely recognized that inherited variation in physical and physiological characteristics is responsible for variation in individual aptitude for race distance, and that muscle phenotypes in particular are important. Results: A genome-wide SNP-association study for optimum racing distance was performed using the EquineSNP50 Bead Chip genotyping array in a cohort of n = 118 elite Thoroughbred racehorses divergent for race distance aptitude. In a cohort-based association test we evaluated geno...
Modulation of circulating purines and pyrimidines by physical exercise in the horse. This study was designed to examine the influence of sub-maximal exercise on purine and pyrimidine catabolism in horses. Ten horses were initially trained for 12 weeks at the end of which they underwent a standardized exercise test (SET); venous blood samples were taken at rest, 5 and 30 min after the SET. Six untrained healthy horses, from which a blood withdrawal was taken at rest, were used as the control group. Samples were analyzed by HPLC for the simultaneous determination of uric acid, uridine, β-pseudouridine and creatinine in plasma. Glucose and lactate were measured in blood. Trained...
Detection and confirmation of 60 anabolic and androgenic steroids in equine plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with instant library searching. In 2008, Pennsylvania (PA) became the first State in the USA to ban and enforce the ban on the use of anabolic and androgenic steroids (AAS) in equine athletes by using plasma for analysis. To enforce the ban, a rapid and high-throughput method for analysis of 60 AAS in equine plasma was developed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Analytes were recovered from plasma by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) using methyl tert-butyl ether, separated on a reversed-phase C₁₈ column and analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM)...
Amino acid profile during exercise and training in Standardbreds. The objective of this study is to assess the influence of acute exercise, training and intensified training on the plasma amino acid profile. In a 32-week longitudinal study using 10 Standardbred horses, training was divided into four phases, including a phase of intensified training for five horses. At the end of each phase, a standardized exercise test, SET, was performed. Plasma amino acid concentrations before and after each SET were measured. Training significantly reduced mean plasma aspartic acid concentration, whereas exercise significantly increased the plasma concentrations of alanin...
Circadian regulation of locomotor activity and skeletal muscle gene expression in the horse. Circadian rhythms are innate 24-h cycles in behavioral and biochemical processes that permit physiological anticipation of daily environmental changes. Elucidating the relationship between activity rhythms and circadian patterns of gene expression may contribute to improved human and equine athletic performance. Six healthy, untrained mares were studied to determine whether locomotor activity behavior and skeletal muscle gene expression reflect endogenous circadian regulation. Activity was recorded for three consecutive 48-h periods: as a group at pasture (P), and individually stabled under a ...
Estimation of genetic parameters for racing speed at different distances in young and adult Spanish Trotter horses using the random regression model. A total of 71 522 records (from 3154 horses) with the times per kilometre (TPK), recorded in Spanish Trotter horses (individual races) from racing performances held from 1991 to 2007, were available for this study. The TPK values for the different age groups (young and adult horses) and different distances (1600-2700 m) were considered as different traits, and a bi character random regression model (RRM) was applied to estimate the (co)variance components throughout the trajectory of age groups and distances. The following effects were considered as fixed: the combination of hippodrome-dat...
Correlation of product ion profiles with molecular structures of androgenic and anabolic steroids in ESI MS/MS. Androgenic and anabolic steroids (AASs) are a class of chemical substances closely related to testosterone in molecular structure. They can be abused to enhance performances in human and equine athletes, and are banned by the sports authorities. To assist with method development for doping analyses of AASs, investigations were conducted to correlate their product ion profiles with the molecular structures. Although very similar in chemical structure, AASs generated noticeably different product ion profiles from collision-induced dissociation (CID). On the basis of both outlines of the product ...
Comparative analyses of rider position according to skill levels during walk and trot in Jeju horse. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rider position at walk and trot as a function of rider skill level by analyzing joint angles. Participants included three advanced riders and six beginners, and training was conducted for one hour, twice a week for 24 weeks. In the walk stage of the beginners' group, the elbows and shoulders sustained postures comparable to those of the advanced riders group; the trunk tilted forwards at first, but later it tilted slightly behind the vertical. The knee, ankle, and left-right angle kept stable postures after 12 weeks of training (p<.05). The fron...
The use of small (2.7 mm) screws for arthroscopically guided repair of carpal chip fractures. Removal of large chip fractures of the carpal bones and the osteochondral deficits that result, have been associated with a worse prognosis than removal of small fragments in similar locations. Objective: Reducing the articular defects by repair of large osteochondral fragments may have advantages over removal. Methods: Horses with osteochondral chip fractures that were of sufficient size and infrastructure to be repaired with small (2.7 mm diameter) AO/ASIF cortex screws were identified and repair effected by arthroscopically guided internal fixation. Results: Thirty-three horses underwent su...
Muscle damage, hydration, electrolyte balance and vasopressin concentrations in successful and exhausted endurance horses. Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is released in response to depletion of the effective circulating blood volume. Endurance horses might develop exhaustion because loss of water and electrolytes in sweat with hypovolaemia and electrolytes abnormalities. Therefore, AVP should act in the control of volemia in these animals. This research evaluates the differences in AVP, hydration, electrolyte status and serum muscle enzymes in successful endurance horses in comparison with those eliminated from the competition because of exhaustion. Eighteen endurance horses, divided into two groups, successful (n = 1...
High speed field kinematics of foot contact in elite galloping horses in training. Mechanical characterisation of the high speed gallop has significant importance for animal welfare and basic biology. Kinematic parameters such as the velocity of each foot at contact can inform theories of why animals gallop, and supplant epidemiological investigation into the mechanisms of musculoskeletal injury. Objective: To determine the velocity at which the fore and hind hooves of elite galloping horses impact the surface. Methods: High speed videography was used to measure the horizontal and vertical velocity of the hoof immediately prior to impact, and the subsequent sink (vertical) a...
Pemoline and tetramisole ‘positives’ in english racehorses following levamisole administration. Pemoline is a central nervous system stimulant that has been used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy in humans; its identification in horses could be considered evidence of attempts to influence performance. Two recent pemoline 'positives' in English racehorses led us to review the chemical relationships between tetramisole, levamisole, aminorex and pemoline. Pemoline is a simple oxidation product of aminorex, which has been shown in the United States and elsewhere to be an equine metabolite of levamisole. Based on the clear structural relationships between aminor...
Pulmonary function measurements immediately after exercise are correlated with neutrophil percentage in tracheal aspirates in horses with poor racing performance. Inflammatory airway disease (IAD) is common in racehorses, and is a cause of wastage in the industry. IAD has been diagnosed by measurement of percent neutrophils (N%) in tracheal aspirates (TA). The aim of this study was to investigate whether spirometric indices of pulmonary function were correlated with N% in TAs. Limits to breathing were measured by analyses of relationships between relative times and relative respiratory gas flows during inspiration and expiration in individual breaths recorded after exercise. Horses with higher N% had significantly lower relative gas flows at the same re...
Random regression model estimation of genetic parameters for show-jumping results of Hungarian Sporthorses. The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters for show-jumping competition performance of Hungarian Sporthorses using a random regression model. There were 21,210 records from 739 horses collected in Hungary between 1996 and 2004. Performance was expressed as shifted Blom normalized ranks and as the difference between fence height and fault points. The random regression model (RRM) included fixed effects for sex, year, location, and obstacle height and random effects for animal, rider and permanent environment. Regressions for the random effects in the RRM were modelled with Leg...
Length and elasticity of side reins affect rein tension at trot. This study investigated the horse's contribution to tension in the reins. The experimental hypotheses were that tension in side reins (1) increases biphasically in each trot stride, (2) changes inversely with rein length, and (3) changes with elasticity of the reins. Eight riding horses trotted in hand at consistent speed in a straight line wearing a bit and bridle and three types of side reins (inelastic, stiff elastic, compliant elastic) were evaluated in random order at long, neutral, and short lengths. Strain gauge transducers (240 Hz) measured minimal, maximal and mean rein tension, rate ...
Upper airway resistance: species-related differences. In veterinary medicine, upper airway resistance deserves a particular attention in equines athletes and brachycephalic dogs. Due to the anatomical peculiarities of the upper airway and/or pathological conditions, significant alterations of performance and/or well being might occur in horses and dogs. Physiological specificities and pathological changes of the lower respiratory tract deserve a major attention in other species.
[Select changes in the upper airways of the horse – an overview]. Horses are obligate nasal breathers and depend on patency of their nasal passages. Several dynamic obstructive diseases in the pharyngeal and laryngeal area can be differentiated by high speed treadmill endoscopy and may be responsible for impaired exercise tolerance in the equine athlete. The anatomical specialty of guttural pouches predisposes the horse to species-specific diseases.
Epidemiology of exertional rhabdomyolysis susceptibility in standardbred horses reveals associated risk factors and underlying enhanced performance. Exertional rhabdomyolysis syndrome is recognised in many athletic horse breeds and in recent years specific forms of the syndrome have been identified. However, although Standardbred horses are used worldwide for racing, there is a paucity of information about the epidemiological and performance-related aspects of the syndrome in this breed. The objectives of this study therefore were to determine the incidence, risk factors and performance effects of exertional rhabdomyolysis syndrome in Standardbred trotters and to compare the epidemiology and genetics of the syndrome with that in other bree...
Molecular cloning, expression, and initial characterization of members of the CYP3A family in horses. The use of performance-enhancing drugs in the horse racing industry combined with the need for more rational approaches in the use of therapeutic agents in equids necessitates additional studies on the spectrum, content, and catalytic activities of hepatic cytochrome P450 monooxygenases in this species. In this study, three cytochrome P450 (P450) monooxygenases in the 3A family were cloned from, sequenced, and expressed in a baculovirus expression system. The proteins were designated CYP3A89, CYP3A96, and CYP3A97. Expression studies produced various results among the three proteins. CYP3A89 ap...