Regression analysis is a statistical method used to examine the relationship between variables, often employed to predict outcomes or understand associations in equine studies. In the context of horses, regression analysis can be applied to a variety of research areas, including performance metrics, health parameters, and genetic traits. By analyzing data, researchers can identify patterns or correlations that may inform breeding decisions, training regimens, or health interventions. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the application of regression analysis in equine research, focusing on methodologies, findings, and implications for horse management and care.
Pratt SL, Bowen M, Hallowell GH, Shipman E, Bailey J, Redpath A.Equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD) is a common condition of the horse. Misoprostol is reported to be superior to oral omeprazole and sucralfate for treatment. Long-acting intramuscular injectable omeprazole (LAIOMEP) is a novel treatment shown to be effective in a small population. This study aimed to determine LAIOMEP efficacy compared to misoprostol and oral omeprazole and identify characteristics that predict treatment outcome. All horses that underwent gastroscopy between 2012 and 2019 were reviewed. Lesions were characterised by 4 blinded observers, all of whom are diplomates in equi...
Berryhill EH, Urbina NS, Marton S, Vernau W, Alonso FH.The Wellness Ready Test (WRT) is a lateral flow, stall-side assay that measures equine insulin in whole blood and requires validation before recommending clinical use. We evaluated intra- and inter-assay precision and linearity and compared the WRT with a radioimmunoassay (RIA). Tested concentrations ranged from 695 pmol/L (100 μIU/mL). For 20 replicates at each insulin level, intra-assay CVs of the WRT for insulin were 13.3%, 12.9%, and 15.3% at low (139-278 pmol/L; 20-40 μIU/mL), intermediate (278-417 pmol/L; 40-60 μIU/mL), and high (>417 >60 μIU/mL) concentrations...
Li XM, Geng HL, Wei YJ, Yan WL, Liu J, Wei XY, Zhang M, Wang XY, Zhang XX, Liu G.Cryptosporidiosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Cryptosporidium infection with the main symptom of diarrhea. The present study performed a metaanalysis to determine the global prevalence of Cryptosporidium in Equus animals. Unassigned: Data collection was carried out using Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Chinese journal database (VIP), WanFang Data, PubMed, and ScienceDirect databases, with 35 articles published before 2021 being included in this systematic analysis. This study analyzed the research data through subgroup analysis and univariate regression analysis to re...
Gmel AI, Haraldsdóttir EH, Bragança FMS, Cruz AM, Neuditschko M, Weishaupt MA.In gait quality assessments of horses, stride length (SL) is visually associated with spectacular movements of the front limbs, and described as ground coverage, while the movement of the hind limb under the body is supposedly essential to a longer over-tracking distance (OTD). To identify movement patterns with strong associations to SL and OTD, limb and body kinematics of 24 Franches-Montagnes (FM) stallions were measured with 3D optical motion capture (OMC) on a treadmill during an incremental speed test at trot (3.3-6.5 m/s). These measurements were correlated to the scores of ground cover...
Salamanca-Carreño A, Parés-Casanova PM, Monroy-Ochoa NI, Vélez-Terranova M.This study examined paedomorphosis in PAH and F1 crossbreds. A sample of 99 horses was selected from 40 different breeders and consisted of three groups: stallions ( = 16), mares ( = 53), and geldings ( = 30), ranging from 10 months to 27 years in age. All horses presented a concave celloid lateral left head profile in the acquired photographic images. The hypothesis proposed in this study suggested the lateral profile of the head in juveniles was representational in the adult form due to the neonate's facial bones (part of the splanchnocranium) developing at a different rate to those of the s...
Basran PS, McDonough S, Palmer S, Reesink HL.Proximal sesamoid bone (PSB) fractures are the most common musculoskeletal injury in race-horses. X-ray CT imaging can detect expressed radiological features in horses that experienced catastrophic fractures. Our objective was to assess whether expressed radiomic features in the PSBs of 50 horses can be used to develop machine learning models for predicting PSB fractures. The μCTs of intact contralateral PSBs from 50 horses, 30 of which suffered catastrophic fractures, and 20 controls were studied. From the 129 intact μCT images of PSBs, 102 radiomic features were computed using a variety of...
Boakari YL, Legacki E, Alonso MA, Dos Santos ACF, Nichi M, Conley AJ, Fernandes CB.It is necessary to study hormonal patterns from mules to recognize alterations and neonatal maladaptation. Our objective was to evaluate concentrations of hormones in mule (n = 6) and equine foals (n = 6). Blood was collected at T0, 1, 6 and 12 h after birth. Hormone concentrations were evaluated using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Effects of time, group and interactions and regression analysis were evaluated (p < 0.05). There was a cubic and quadratic decline in mule and equine foals, respectively, for 3β,20α-dihydroxy-DHP. Mule foals were born with lower circulating 3...
Novotna A, Birovas A, Vostra-Vydrova H, Vesela Z, Vostry L.The aim of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters of a one-day performance test together with the linear type traits of 3-year-old warmblood horses. The study of genetic parameters was based on 5958 tested horses in the period 1998-2021. A total of 22 traits of linear description, three quantitatively measured traits, and one summary mark from the performance test were tested. The model equation included the fixed effect of gender and combination effects of classifier-year of evaluation-place. A single-trait animal model was used for the estimation of heritability and genetic varian...
Legg KA, Bolwell CF, Gee EK, Gibson MJ, Rogers CW.This study aimed to determine the incidence of, and risk factors for race-day horse falls in Thoroughbred jumps (hurdle and steeplechase) racing in New Zealand. Incidence rates for race-day horse falls in jumps races from 2005/6 - 2018/19 racing seasons (n = 13,648 race day starts) were calculated per 1000 starts. Univariable and multivariable analyses of race-, horse- and jockey-level risk factors for horse falls were conducted using Poisson regression in a generalised linear mixed model. The incidence rate of horse falls in jumps races was 42 (95 % confidence intervals [CI], 39 - 45) per 1...
Gomez DE, Leclere M, Arroyo LG, Li L, John E, Afonso T, Payette F, Darby S.This study describes the clinicopathological findings, diagnostic approach, treatment, and factors associated with non-survival of diarrheic horses admitted to 4 Canadian university teaching hospitals between 2015 and 2019. A total of 300 horses, ≥1-year-old, with acute diarrhea were included and represented 1.6% (300/18 481; range: 0.7 to 3%) of admissions during that period, 70% of the horses survived to discharge. Testing for enteropathogens was limited to a single fecal culture for Salmonella spp. in most cases. An enteropathogen was identified in 14% (42/300) of the horses, but in the h...
Straticò P, Varasano V, Palozzo A, Guerri G, Celani G, Revelant O, Petrizzi L.(1) Background: colic syndrome is a multifactorial life-threatening condition in equids. Awareness of predisposing and prognostic indicators is useful to adequately inform the owner of the outcome and plan the best treatment. The aim of the study was to identify the variables associated with short-term survival in a cohort of horses referred for colic to a veterinary teaching hospital; (2) Methods: medical records of horses referred for colic from 2016 to 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Univariate and multivariate regression models were built to assess the odds ratios of discharge from the...
Önder H, Şen U, Piwczyński D, Kolenda M, Drewka M, Abacı SH, Takma Ç.This work aimed to compare the fitting performance of the random regression models applied to the different order orthogonal Legendre polynomials on the race completion speed (m/s) of Arabian racing horses. Legendre polynomial function for additive genetic, permanent environmental variances and heritability values with the L(2,2), L(2,3), L(3,2) and L(3,3) models (where L(i,j) means L(order of fit for additive genetic effects, order of fit for permanent environmental effects)) was estimated. A total of 233,491 race speed records (m/s) of Arabian horses were taken from the Jockey Club of Turkey...
Soma LR, Stefonovski D, Robinson MA, Tsang DS, Haughan J, Boston RC.A retrospective study was conducted to establish the prerace venous acid-base and blood gas values of Standardbred horses at rest using big data analytics. Methods: Venous blood samples (73,382) were collected during seven racing seasons from 3 regional tracks in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Horses were detained 2 hours prior to race time. Methods: A mixed-effects linear regression model was used for estimating the marginal model adjusted mean (marginal mean) for all major outcomes. The interaction between age and gender, track, and the interaction between month, treatment (furosemide), a...
Dosi MCMC, McGorum BC, Kirton RD, Cillán-García E, Mellanby RJ, Keen JA, Hurst EA, Morgan RA.Vitamin D deficiency is common in humans and is increasingly linked to the pathogenesis of a multitude of diseases including obesity and metabolic syndrome. The biology of vitamin D in horses is poorly described; the relative contribution of the diet and skin synthesis to circulating concentrations is unclear and associations with the endocrine disease have not been explored. Objective: To determine the relationship between management, season and endocrine disease and vitamin D status in horses. Methods: Cross-sectional cohort study. Methods: Plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 (25(O...
Whitlock F, Grewar J, Newton R.During 2019, an epidemic of equine influenza (EI) occurred in Europe. Objective: To describe the epidemiology of the 2019 EI epidemic within Great Britain (GB). Methods: Retrospective descriptive study of laboratory confirmed EI cases. Methods: Epidemiological data were obtained from veterinary surgeons referring samples for EI virus testing. Where available, data on confirmed cases and their wider resident population on EI-infected premises were collated and described. On a national level, spatial and temporal representations, consisting of choropleth maps and epidemic curves, described the s...
Nylund LE, Sinclair PJ, Hitchens PL, Cobley S.To identify characteristics of jockey falls associated with high-risk landings using a modified Equestrian Fall Assessment Instrument. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Video footage of 22 flat and 58 jump racing falls (N = 80) which occurred in Great Britain, Ireland, and New Zealand from 2013 to 2018 was systematically analysed using the modified Equestrian Fall Assessment Instrument. Race, horse, and jockey-level factors, including the nature of ground contact (landings), were characterised identifying factors associated with high-risk landings. High-risk landings refer to cases ...
Bennet ED, Cameron-Whytock H, Parkin TDH.The equestrian discipline of eventing tests athletes' and horses' skill over three phases: dressage, jumping and cross-country. Falls during cross-country can be particularly serious and result in serious or fatal injury for both horse and athlete. Cross-country course and fence design are crucial contributory factors to safety. Objective: To provide descriptive statistics and identify fence-level risk factors for horses competing in Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) events worldwide. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Data were collected for every horse start worldwide in ...
Hobbs KJ, Johnson PJ, Wiedmeyer CE, Schultz L, Foote CA.Limited information is available regarding endothelial glycocalyx degradation during sepsis in horses. Plasma syndecan-1 concentrations are increased in consequence of sepsis in other species and have been useful for prognostication. Objective: To determine whether plasma syndecan-1 levels are increased in adult horses affected with sepsis. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Adult horses were assigned to one of three groups based on results of physical and laboratory examinations, clinical diagnosis, and results of previously described SIRS classification: Group 1 horses included he...
Mirmojarabian SA, Kajabi AW, Ketola JHJ, Nykänen O, Liimatainen T, Nieminen MT, Nissi MJ, Casula V.Machine learning models trained with multiparametric quantitative MRIs (qMRIs) have the potential to provide valuable information about the structural composition of articular cartilage. To study the performance and feasibility of machine learning models combined with qMRIs for noninvasive assessment of collagen fiber orientation and proteoglycan content. Retrospective, animal model. An open-source single slice MRI dataset obtained from 20 samples of 10 Shetland ponies (seven with surgically induced cartilage lesions followed by treatment and three healthy controls) yielded to 1600 data points...
Fazio F, Aragona F, Piccione G, Arfuso F, Giannetto C.Lithium (Li) represent a substance particularly used for human psychiatric disorders but its therapeutic effect is not well documented for equine specie. For its neurotrophic effect, it may be used as a possible doping substance in horses sports competitions. The purpose of the present study was to determine the different bioaccumulation of lithium concentrations in different biological substrates (blood, serum, mane, and tail), in 30 horses (15 geldings and 15 mares) and hematological parameters as blood biomarkers for lithium bioaccumulation. (RBC, WBC, HGB, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC). The lithium...
Morrice-West AV, Hitchens PL, Walmsley EA, Tasker K, Lim SL, Smith AD, Whitton RC.Fatigue life (FL) is the number of cycles of load sustained by a material before failure, and is dependent on the load magnitude. For athletes, 'cycles' translates to number of strides, with load proportional to speed. To improve previous investigations estimating workload from distance, we used speed (m/s, x) per stride collected using 5 Hz GPS/800 Hz accelerometer sensors as a proxy for limb load to investigate factors associated with FL in a Thoroughbred race start model over 25,234 race starts, using a combination of mathematical and regression modelling. Fore-limb vertical force (NKg) w...
Ferreira L, Machado N, Gouvinhas I, Santos S, Celaya R, Rodrigues M, Barros A.n-Alkanes and long-chain alcohols (LCOH) have been used as faecal markers to assess the feeding behaviour of both wild and domestic herbivore species. However, their chemical analysis is time-consuming and expensive, making it necessary to develop more expeditious methodologies to evaluate concentrations of these markers. This work aimed to evaluate the use of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) technology in the near infrared (NIR) and mid infrared (MIR) intervals, for the determination of n-alkane and LCOH concentrations of different plant species and faecal samples of domestic he...
Marchese GA, Crystal J, Louro LF.Prevalence and risk factors of severe hypoxemia in anesthetized horses undergoing emergency exploratory laparotomy are sparsely documented. The aim of this study was to report incidence of severe hypoxemia ( PaO2 < 60 mmHg) in horses undergoing emergency exploratory laparotomy and identify potential risk factors for this complication. A single center retrospective cross sectional designed was used. Clinical data of 714 horses undergoing general anesthesia for emergency explorative laparotomy were reviewed. A backward stepwise elimination procedure was used to determine the final multivariable ...
Gmel AI, Haraldsdóttir EH, Serra Bragança FM, Cruz AM, Neuditschko M, Weishaupt MA.Ground coverage and over-tracking are two gait quality traits describing the forward movement of the front respectively the hind limbs in relation to stride length and over-tracking distance. To investigate the complex interplay of different movement patterns in ground coverage and over-tracking, limb and body kinematics of 24 Franches-Montagnes (FM) stallions were measured with 3D optical motion capture (OMC) on a treadmill during an incremental speed test at the walk (1.4-2.0 m/s). The significance and amount of explained variance of kinematic parameters on stride length and over-tracking di...
Tranquille C, Tacey J, Walker V, Mackechnie-Guire R, Ellis J, Nankervis K, Newton R, Murray R.Water treadmill (WT) exercise is frequently used for training/rehabilitation of horses. There is limited study into the effect of water depth on limb/back kinematics warranting investigation. The objective was to determine the effect of walking in different water depths, at the same speed, on limb/back kinematics measured simultaneously in a group of horses. Six horses (age:15 ± 6.5 years) completed a standardized WT exercise session (19 minutes duration; speed:1.6 m/s; water depths: 0.0/7.5/21.0/32.0/47.0 cm). Ten waterproof light-emitting-diode tea-light-markers and reflective-spheres were ...
Riva MG, Dai F, Huhtinen M, Minero M, Barbieri S, Dalla Costa E.Noise anxiety is an over-reaction to loud noises commonly detected among pets and can greatly impact on their welfare and on their management. When exposed to noisy events, horses can show intense escape attempts, which may cause severe accidents for the horse and the rider/handler. The aim of the present study was to investigate, through a web survey, UK and US owners' perception of noise anxiety severity in their horses, their management strategies and perceived efficacy. The questionnaire was shared via social networking and advertised as "What is your horse afraid of?". Over a total of 183...
Daniels A, Pezzanite LM, Griffenhagen GM, Hendrickson DA.The frequency of surgical site infection (SSI) following orthopaedic implant placement in horses has been reported but not compared with respect to specific antibiotic protocols administered. To determine factors associated with SSI in horses undergoing proximal interphalangeal joint (PIPJ) arthrodesis including perioperative antibiotic protocols. Records were evaluated (2010-2019), and horses undergoing PIPJ arthrodesis were identified. Patient signalment, supervising surgeon, reason for surgery, limb, implants placed, anaesthetic time, duration casting/coaptation postoperatively, antibiotic ...
Satoła A, Łuszczyński J, Petrych W, Satoła K.Knowledge of the body weight of horses permits breeders to provide appropriate feeding and care regimen and allows veterinarians to monitor the animals' health. It is not always possible to perform an accurate measurement of the body weight of horses using horse weighbridges, and therefore, new body weight formulas based on biometric measurements are required. The objective of this study is to develop and validate models for estimating body weight in Icelandic foals using machine learning methods. The study was conducted using 312 data records of body measurements on 24 Icelandic foals (12 col...
Walker VA, Tranquillle CA, MacKechnie-Guire R, Spear J, Newton R, Murray RC.Walking over poles is a commonly employed training and rehabilitation tool and it is crucial to understand its effect on equine locomotion, particularly joint range of motion (ROM). The study aimed to compare the effect of ground poles (GP) and raised poles (RP) on limb kinematics and poll, wither and pelvic ROM at walk. It was hypothesized that walking over poles would increase joint ROM but have no effect on poll, wither and pelvic ROM compared to no poles (NP). Forty-one horses were walked in-hand over NP, GP (10 cm) and RP (26 cm) in a crossover design. Limb kinematics were determine...
Mata F, Johnson C, Wilding L.The process of domestication of the horse introduced changes limiting accessibility to graze land and roughage while increasing highly digestible carbohydrates content of meal-fedrations. We have tested whether the effect of a higher degree of human contact impacts horses' welfare by assessing the development of sharp enamel points (SEP) and buccal ulcerations (BU) in ridden and unridden horses. We were able to fit logistic regression models significantly differentiating the impact of these two conditions in both groups of horses (p < 0.001 for SEP and p < 0.01 for BU). The impact is higher...
Luescher UA, McKeown DB, Dean H.A researcher-administered survey study was performed involving 769 horses from 32 Thoroughbred, Standardbred, and pleasure horse stables in southwestern Ontario. Data were gathered on individuals (breed, age, and sex) and at the stable level (housing, management). The effects of these factors on cribbing, stall-walking, weaving, stall-kicking, tongue playing, and pawing were assessed by unconditional analysis (Chi-square, t test) and conditionally using stepwise logistic regression. Individual level factors had significant effects on most compulsive behaviours. Some stable level factors, in mo...
Christen-Clottu O, Klocke P, Burger D, Straub R, Gerber V.Equine sarcoids (ES) are common, difficult to treat, and have high recurrence rates. Viscum album extracts (VAE) are used in human cancer treatment. Objective: That therapy with VAE (Iscador P) is effective in the treatment of ES. Methods: Fifty-three horses (444 ES); 42 were treated with VAE or placebo as monotherapy; 11 were treated with VAE or placebo after selective excision of ES. Methods: Prospective, randomised, blinded, clinical trial. Horses were randomly assigned to treatment (VAE; n=32) or control group (Placebo; n=21). One milliliter of VAE (Iscador P) in increasing concentrations ...
Weller R, Pfau T, Verheyen K, May SA, Wilson AM.There is a lack of scientific data and studies on the effect of conformation on performance or on orthopaedic health. Objective: To investigate the relationship between conformation, injury and performance in racehorses used for racing over fences. Methods: Over 2 years, 108 National Hunt racehorses were followed and their medical and performance data recorded. Conformation was measured in 3D with a computerised motion analysis system. Linear multiple regression models were used to evaluate the effect of conformation on measures of race performance and stepwise forward logistic regression mode...
Klein WR, Bras GE, Misdorp W, Steerenberg PA, de Jong WH, Tiesjema RH, Kersjes AW, Ruitenberg EJ.A total of 30 horses with single or multiple sarcoid tumors of the skin were randomly divided into three treatment groups: (i) cryosurgical treatment, (ii) intralesional immunotherapy with a live BCG vaccine, (iii) intralesional immunotherapy with a BCG cell wall preparation. Complete tumour regression was obtained in all 10 cryosurgically treated horses, in 6 of 10 live BCG treated horses, and in 7 of 10 BCG cell wall treated horses. One live BCG and 2 BCG cell wall treated horses showed partial tumour regression of more than 50% of the tumour area. Eleven horses with sarcoid tumours were not...
Kearns CF, McKeever KH, John-Alder H, Abe T, Brechue WF.It has long been known that body mass and, more specifically, lean body mass are strongly correlated with maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) in man and animals. However, there are no data to date describing this phenomenon in the horse. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between body composition and VO2max in the horse. Twenty-three healthy and unfit Standardbred mares performed an incremental exercise test (GXT) to measure VO2max. Rump fat thickness (RTH), a measure of fat covering, was measured using B-mode ultrasound. Plasma volume, total blood volume and red cell volume w...
Giles SL, Nicol CJ, Harris PA, Rands SA.The aim of our study was to explore the association between dominance rank and body condition in outdoor group-living domestic horses, . Social interactions were recorded using a video camera during a feeding test, applied to 203 horses in 42 herds. Dominance rank was assigned to 194 individuals. The outcome variable body condition score (BCS) was recorded using a 9-point scale. The variables age and height were recorded and considered as potential confounders or effect modifiers. Results were analysed using multivariable linear and logistic regression techniques, controlling for herd group as...
Viklund A, Thorén Hellsten E, Näsholm A, Strandberg E, Philipsson J.There are two types of 1-day field tests available for young Swedish Warmblood sport horses; one test for 3-year olds and one more advanced test for 4-year olds. Conformation, gaits and jumping ability are evaluated at both tests. Studies on various genetic parameters were based on about 20 000 tested horses. The data for 4-year olds consisted of 30 years of testing. The aims of the study were to estimate genetic parameters for results from different time periods, and to estimate heritabilities for, and genetic correlations between, traits scored in the two tests. The judgement of traits was s...
Cuervo-Arango J, Claes AN, Stout TA.Advancing maternal age is known to negatively affect fertility in the horse. This age-related decrease in fertility has been linked primarily to reduced oocyte quality rather than to impaired uterine function. In the past decade, the use of ovum pick-up (OPU) and ICSI to produce foals has rapidly gaining popularity amongst sport horse breeders. However, it is not yet known how maternal age influences the efficiency of a commercial OPU-ICSI program and whether the age effect is similar to that observed for other ART in the horse. To answer this question, reproductive records of 289 mares bred b...
Clayton HM, Buchholz R, Nauwelaerts S.A stabilogram plots movements of the centre of pressure (COP) in the horizontal plane. Derived stabilographic variables quantify postural balance, but it is not known if these variables are size dependent. The aims of this study were to determine which morphological variable was most representative of size, which stabilographic variables were most representative of balance and whether size normalisation improved estimates of postural performance. Croup height (0.93-1.77 m), mass (117-666 kg), base of support (BOS) length (0.74-1.18 m) and BOS width (0.22-0.45 m) were measured in 24 horses. Sta...
Franz R, Soliva CR, Kreuzer M, Hummel J, Clauss M.It is assumed that small herbivores produce negligible amounts of methane, but it is unclear whether this is a physiological peculiarity or simply a scaling effect. A respiratory chamber experiment was conducted with six rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus, 1.57±0.31 kg body mass) and six guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus, 0.79±0.07 kg) offered grass hay ad libitum. Daily dry matter (DM) intake and DM digestibility were 50±6 g kg⁻⁰·⁷⁵ d⁻¹ and 55±6% in rabbits and 59±11 g kg⁻⁰·⁷⁵ d⁻¹ and 61±3% in guinea pigs, respectively. Methane production was similar for both species (0.2...
Stucchi L, Alberti E, Stancari G, Conturba B, Zucca E, Ferrucci F.Mild-moderate equine asthma (MEA) is a common disease of young racehorses characterized by inflammation of the lower airways diagnosed by cytological examination of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and it is considered an important cause of poor performance. The most common parameter of athletic capacity associated with horse performance is the speed at 4 mmol/L of lactate (VLA4). The aim of the present work was to evaluate the relation between the different BALF inflammatory cells and VLA4 in racehorses affected by MEA. A population of Standardbred racehorses that underwent an accurate pr...
Giontella A, Sarti FM, Biggio GP, Giovannini S, Cherchi R, Pieramati C, Silvestrelli M.The purpose of this study was to estimate the heritability and genetic correlations of four biometric measurements and an overall score (OS) in the Sardinian Anglo-Arab horse (SAA); moreover, the effect of inbreeding on these traits was investigated. A dataset with 43,624 horses (27,052 females and 16,572 males) was provided by the Agricultural Research Agency of Sardinia (AGRIS). Cannon bone circumference (BC), chest girth (CG), shoulder length (SL), and withers height (WH) were measured on 6033 SAA horses born in Sardinia between 1967 and 2005; beside the measurements, an overall score (OS) ...
Dai F, Zappaterra M, Minero M, Bocchini F, Riley CB, Padalino B.An online survey was conducted to determine associations between equine transport management and transport-related injuries and problem behaviors in Italy. The survey was composed of four sections: respondents' demographic information and background, transport management practices, journey details and vehicle design, and transport injuries experienced by the horse in the previous two-year period. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression with a binary outcome variable was performed to explore associations between variables (respondents' and journeys' details and transport practices) an...
Milner PI, Bardell DA, Warner L, Packer MJ, Senior JM, Singer ER, Archer DC.To determine risk factors involved in survival to hospital discharge of cases of synovial sepsis. Objective: Investigate pre-, intra- and post operative factors involved in short-term survival of horses undergoing endoscopic treatment for synovial sepsis. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Clinical data were obtained for horses (>6 months old) undergoing endoscopic surgery as part of management for synovial sepsis over a 7-year period in a single hospital population. Descriptive data were generated for pre-, intra- and post operative variables. Multivariable logistic regression analy...
Morrice-West AV, Hitchens PL, Walmsley EA, Stevenson MA, Wong ASM, Whitton RC.With each stride, galloping horses generate large skeletal loads which influence bone physiology, and may contribute to musculoskeletal injury. Horse speed and stride characteristics are related, but the usefulness of using horse speed and distance travelled as a proxy for stride characteristics is unknown. Objective: We aimed to determine stride characteristics, their variance and their relationship with speed in horses performing maximally. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of archived data. Methods: Stride characteristics obtained using GPS and inertial sensors in Thoroughbred...
Hollis AR, Dallap Schaer BL, Boston RC, Wilkins PA.More information is needed regarding accuracy of commonly used methods of glucose measurement in the critically ill horse. Objective: Glucometry will have good agreement with a laboratory standard. Glucometry with plasma will have better agreement than when performed with whole blood. Methods: Fifty sequentially admitted equine emergency patients, aged >1year. Methods: Venous blood was collected at admission and immediately analyzed by point-of-care glucometry on both whole blood (POC/WB) and plasma (POC/PL), a multielectrode blood gas analyzer with whole blood (BLG), and a standard laborat...
Rohrbach BW, Buchanan BR, Drake JM, Andrews FM, Bain FT, Byars DT, Bernard WV, Furr MO, Paradis MR, Lawler J, Giguère S, Dunkel B.To create a mathematical model to assist in early prediction of the probability of discharge in hospitalized foals < or= 7 days old. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: 1,073 foals. Methods: Medical records from 910 hospitalized foals < or = 7 days old for which outcome was recorded as died or discharged alive were reviewed. Thirty-four variables including historical information, physical examination findings, and laboratory results were examined for association with survival. Variables associated with being discharged alive were entered into a multivariable logistic regression model. A...
Hinchcliff KW, Rush BR, Farris JW.To evaluate plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations and serum cortisol concentration in horses with colic and assess the relationship of these variables with clinical signs, routinely measured clinicopathologic variables, and outcome in affected horses. Methods: Prospective observational study. Methods: 35 horses with colic. Methods: Blood samples were collected within 30 minutes of arrival at the veterinary hospital from horses referred because of colic. Plasma and serum samples were analyzed for cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, lactate, and electrolyte concentrations and a...
Poyato-Bonilla J, Perdomo-González DI, Sánchez-Guerrero MJ, Varona L, Molina A, Casellas J, Valera M.Inbreeding is caused by mating between related individuals and is associated with reduced fitness and performance (inbreeding depression). Several studies have detected heterogeneity in inbreeding depression among founder individuals. Recently, a procedure was developed to predict hidden inbreeding depression load that is associated with founders using the Mendelian sampling of non-founders. The objectives of this study were to: (1) analyse the population structure and general inbreeding, and (2) test this recent approach for predicting hidden inbreeding depression load for four morphological ...
Little D, Blikslager AT.Deal impaction is prevalent in the south-eastern USA, where feeding of Coastal Bermuda hay has been implicated as a risk factor. Alternatively, infection with the tapeworm Anoplocephala perfoliata has been identified as a risk factor for ileal impaction in the UK. We hypothesised that feeding Coastal Bermuda hay and failure to administer routinely an anthelmintic with efficacy against tapeworms would place horses at risk of developing ileal impaction in the USA. Seventy-eight horses, with surgically confirmed ileal impaction and 100 horses admitted for colic that did not have an ileal impactio...
Voulgaris DA, Hofmeister EH.To identify anesthesia-related variables which may independently predict time to standing in horses anesthetized with ketamine/diazepam/isoflurane. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Three hundred and eighty-one horses. Methods: Case records were searched for the years 2000-2003 and 381 horses older than 12 months which weighed at least 200 kg were identified. Data were extracted from the records, and only horses that were anesthetized with xylazine, ketamine, diazepam and isoflurane were included in the analysis. Multiple linear regression was used to relate time to standing with de...
Whitlock F, Grewar J, Newton R.During 2019, an epidemic of equine influenza (EI) occurred in Europe. Objective: To describe the epidemiology of the 2019 EI epidemic within Great Britain (GB). Methods: Retrospective descriptive study of laboratory confirmed EI cases. Methods: Epidemiological data were obtained from veterinary surgeons referring samples for EI virus testing. Where available, data on confirmed cases and their wider resident population on EI-infected premises were collated and described. On a national level, spatial and temporal representations, consisting of choropleth maps and epidemic curves, described the s...
Zucca E, Ferrucci F, Croci C, Di Fabio V, Zaninelli M, Ferro E.The aim of this study was to obtain echocardiographic measurements and establish reference ranges for 14 parameters in Standardbred racehorses in training. Background: Several studies have been published about cardiac measurements in Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds, National Hunt horses, Warmbloods and ponies; however, not all parameters have been published for the Standardbred trotter in training. Methods: Thirty normal Standardbred racehorses in training were assessed by two-dimensional echocardiography (2-D) and M-mode echocardiography using standardized imaging planes. Mean values, standard d...
Rosanowski SM, Cogger N, Rogers CW, Bolwell CF, Benschop J, Stevenson MA.To investigate property-level factors associated with the movement of horses from non-commercial horse properties, including the size and location of the property, number and reason for keeping horses. Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey 2,912 questionnaires were posted to randomly selected non-commercial horse properties listed in a rural property database. The survey collected information about the number of horses, and reasons for keeping horses on the property, and any movement of horses in the previous 12 months. Three property-level outcomes were investigated; the movement status of ...
Johnson AL, McAdams-Gallagher SC, Aceto H.There are no studies evaluating a large population of adult horses treated for botulism. Reported survival rates in outbreak situations are low; however, many horses in outbreaks do not receive treatment. Objective: That adult horses treated at a veterinary hospital would have improved survival compared to outbreak situations. Additional aims included identification of predictors of nonsurvival. Methods: All horses greater than 6 months of age with a final diagnosis of botulism admitted to a veterinary teaching hospital between 1989 and 2013 were included. Methods: Retrospective study. Histori...
Druml T, Dobretsberger M, Brem G.In this experiment, which is based on a cohort of 44 Lipizzan mares from the Austrian state stud farm of Piber, we present new statistical techniques for the analysis of shape and equine conformation using image data. In addition, we examined which strategies and procedures of image processing techniques led to a successful interpretation of the traits implemented in horse breeding programs. A total of 246 two-dimensional anatomical and somatometric landmarks were digitized from standardized photographs, and the variation of shape has been analyzed by the use of generalized orthogonal least-sq...
Faverjon C, Vial F, Andersson MG, Lecollinet S, Leblond A.West Nile virus (WNV) is a growing public health concern in Europe and there is a need to develop more efficient early detection systems. Nervous signs in horses are considered to be an early indicator of WNV and, using them in a syndromic surveillance system, might be relevant. In our study, we assessed whether or not data collected by the passive French surveillance system for the surveillance of equine diseases can be used routinely for the detection of WNV. We tested several pre-processing methods and detection algorithms based on regression. We evaluated system performances using simulate...
Furr M, Tinker MK, Edens L.This study was conducted to develop an equation for the prediction of outcome in neonatal foals undergoing treatment in an intensive care unit (ICU). Fifty-three physical examination, historical, and clinicopathologic variables were analyzed from the records of 99 neonatal foals (< 14 days of age) treated in the neonatal ICU of the Equine Medical Center. The outcome was recorded and the results were categorized into either surviving or nonsurviving groups. The mean values for the 2 groups were compared, and variables that differed significantly between the two groups were retained and used ...
Serra Bragança FM, Rhodin M, Wiestner T, Hernlund E, Pfau T, van Weeren PR, Weishaupt MA.Objective gait analysis is becoming more popular as a tool assisting veterinarians during the clinical lameness exam. At present, there is only limited information on the effect of misplacement of markers/motion-sensors. Objective: To investigate and describe the effect of marker misplacement on commonly calculated pelvic symmetry parameters. Methods: Experimental study. Methods: Each horse was equipped with custom-made devices consisting of several reflective markers arranged in a predefined manner with a reference marker correctly positioned regarding the anatomical landmark and several misp...
Jasko DJ, Lein DH, Foote RH.The analysis of breeding records and sperm morphologic classifications from ejaculated semen during 99 stallion seasons, over a 2-year period, revealed a significant correlation (r = 0.34, P less than 0.01) between the percentage of morphologically normal sperm in ejaculates and the per cycle fertility estimate of the stallions studied. In addition, the percentage of sperm classified as having major defects (abnormal heads, proximal droplets, and abnormal midpieces) was significantly inversely correlated (r = -0.36, P less than 0.01) with the same fertility estimates. Multiple variable regress...
