Sport horses are a subset of the equine population specifically bred and trained for competitive disciplines such as dressage, show jumping, eventing, and racing. These horses are characterized by their athleticism, agility, and endurance. The management and training of sport horses require specialized knowledge to optimize their performance and maintain their health. Factors such as genetics, nutrition, exercise physiology, and veterinary care are integral to their development and success in various sports. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the breeding, training methodologies, performance evaluation, and health management of sport horses within the context of equine sports science.
Perrone G, Lastra Y, González C, Caggiano N, Giménez R, Pareja R, De Simone E.Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent arthropathy in sport horses. The administration of a platelet lysate (PL) is an alternative method for the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. The mechanisms by which PL exerts its beneficial effects have not been determined, and less is known about its effect on the activity of the proteolytic enzymes of the synovial fluid of equines with OA. In this work, the effect of the administration of PL to horses with OA was analyzed both clinically and molecularly by determining the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), matrix metalloproteinase-9...
Kirsch K, Sandersen C.Early recognition and management of acid-base, fluid, and electrolyte disorders are crucial for the maintenance of health and performance in equine athletes. Objective: To analyze changes in acid-base and electrolyte status associated with exercise during cross-country competitions at different levels using traditional and quantitative approaches. Methods: Thirty-eight eventing horses. Methods: Prospective observational study. Jugular venous blood samples were collected before and after the cross-country test of 25 international eventing competitions ranging from 2-star (formerly 1-star) to 5-...
Schmutz A, Chèze L, Jacques J, Martin P.With the emergence of numerical sensors in sports, there is an increasing need for tools and methods to compute objective motion parameters with great accuracy. In particular, inertial measurement units are increasingly used in the clinical domain or the sports one to estimate spatiotemporal parameters. The purpose of the present study was to develop a model that can be included in a smart device in order to estimate the horse speed per stride from accelerometric and gyroscopic data without the use of a global positioning system, enabling the use of such a tool in both indoor and outdoor condi...
Becero M, Saitua A, Argüelles D, Sánchez de Medina AL, Castejón-Riber C, Riber C, Muñoz A.Capacitive resistive electric transfer (CRET), a radiofrequency at 448 kHz, resulted in increased superficial and deep temperature and hemoglobin saturation, faster elimination of metabolic and inflammatory products and enhanced sport performance in humans. This research aims to investigate whether the application of CRET affects the locomotor pattern in horses and to assess whether an accumulative effect appears when two CRET sessions are applied two consecutive days. Methods: Nine horses were subjected to two CRET sessions applied in both right and left sides of neck, shoulder, back and cr...
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...
Medeiros BR, Garbade P, Seixas L, Peripolli V, McManus C.The aim of this study was to evaluate genetic parameters for subjective scores given at the Brazilian Sport Horse (BSH) Stallion Approval by estimating heritability (h) for morphological, gait, and jumping traits and genetic correlations (γ) among the functional ones and by verifying selection feasibility. The analysis included 1179 complete evaluations from 294 horses, by 4.26 ± 0.96 judges. Each trait was evaluated using mixed models in SAS® v9.2, considering the individual as a random effect. Variance components and genetic parameters were obtained by single and two-trait animal mode...
Sauer FJ, Hermann M, Ramseyer A, Burger D, Riemer S, Gerber V.Sport horses need to fulfill high physical and psychological requirements during training and competition. These as well as certain conditions of modern husbandry may affect their wellbeing. Here we aimed to (1) evaluate effects of demographic and management factors as well as personality traits on stress reactivity of sport horses, (2) investigate if elite sport horses have elevated stress levels compared to amateur sport horses, and (3) assess whether different equestrian disciplines differentially influence equine adrenal cortex responsiveness. For this purpose, we visited 149 healthy elite...
Michio Clark J, Connor TA, Post A, Blaine Hoshizaki T, Ní Annaidh A, Gilchrist MD.The performance of equestrian helmets to protect against brain injuries caused by fall impacts against compliant surfaces such as turf has not been studied widely. We characterize the kinematic response of simulated fall impacts to turf through field tests on horse racetracks and laboratory experiments. The kinematic response characteristics and ground stiffness at different going ratings (GRs) (standard measurement of racetrack condition) were obtained from 1 m and 2 m drop tests of an instrumented hemispherical impactor onto a turf racetrack. The "Hard" rating resulted in higher peak lin...
Medica P, Giunta RP, Bruschetta G, Ferlazzo AM.Exercise represents a physical stress that challenges homeostasis affecting central and peripheral serotoninergic systems. The influence of the exercise on circulating serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) levels depends on training state as well as the exercise protocol. The purpose of the present research was to determine changes of plasma 5-HT in sport horses in response to training (T) and simulated race (SR) and in addition to assess the possible presence of significant differences on circulating 5-HT between two different sessions of exercise. In particular, the research was carried out...
MacKechnie-Guire R, MacKechnie-Guire E, Fairfax V, Fisher D, Fisher M, Pfau T.This study evaluated the effect of saddle tree width on thoracolumbar and limb kinematics, saddle pressure distribution, and thoracolumbar epaxial musculature dimensions. Correctly fitted saddles were fitted by a Society of Master Saddler Qualified Saddle Fitter in fourteen sports horses (mean ± SD age 12 ± 8.77 years, height 1.65 ± 0.94 m), and were altered to one width fitting wider and narrower. Horses were equipped with skin markers, inertial measurement units, and a pressure mat beneath the saddle. Differences in saddle pressure distribution, as well as limb and thoracolumbosacral kine...
Ginés-Díaz A, Martínez-Romero MT, Cejudo A, Aparicio-Sarmiento A, Sainz de Baranda P.Previous research has analyzed how the sport influences sagittal spinal curvatures in young athletes and has found that spinal curves may be modified as a consequence of repeated movement patterns and postures of each discipline. Objective: To analyze sagittal spinal alignment by equestrian discipline and its relation to training load, and to describe "sagittal integrative morphotype" in young riders. Methods: Observational descriptive study. Methods: Training room. Methods: A total of 23 riders (aged 9-17 y)-13 dressage riders (3 males and 10 females) and 10 show jumping riders (5 males and ...
Schambourg M, Taylor PM.Alteration of limb sensitivity is forbidden in equine sports but difficult to enforce. We aimed to develop an objective field method to assess mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT) in endurance horses. Methods: A remotely controlled pneumatic actuator (1 mm tip) was used to measure forelimb pastern MNT in 108 endurance horses. Results: Median (IQR) MNT at rest was 1.9 N (0.9-3.5). Icing had no significant effect on limb sensitivity. MNT measured at weekly intervals increased from week 1 (1.2 N (0.6-1.8)) to week 3 (1.9 N (1.2-2.8)) (P<0.05). In 17 horses without impaired sensitivity, MNT ...
Ablondi M, Viklund Å, Lindgren G, Eriksson S, Mikko S.A growing demand for improved physical skills and mental attitude in modern sport horses has led to strong selection for performance in many warmblood studbooks. The aim of this study was to detect genomic regions with low diversity, and therefore potentially under selection, in Swedish Warmblood horses (SWB) by analysing high-density SNP data. To investigate if such signatures could be the result of selection for equestrian sport performance, we compared our SWB SNP data with those from Exmoor ponies, a horse breed not selected for sport performance traits. Results: The genomic scan for homoz...
Bull J, Bas F, Silva-Guzmán M, Wentzel HH, Keim JP, Gandarillas M.The aim of this study was to characterize the routine care, training, feeding, and nutritional management of Chilean corralero horses that participated in the rodeos of the Chilean Rodeo Federation. Forty-nine horse farms between the Metropolitan (33°26'16″ south (S) 70°39'01″ west (W)) and Los Lagos Regions (41°28'18″ S 72°56'12″ W), were visited and a survey was conducted on the management and feeding of the Chilean horse. Of the horses which participated in at least one official rodeo in the 2014-2015 season, 275 horses were included in the study. The survey consisted of five qu...
Massacci FR, Clark A, Ruet A, Lansade L, Costa M, Mach N.Understanding gut microbiota similarities and differences across breeds in horses has the potential to advance approaches aimed at personalized microbial modifications, particularly those involved in improving sport athletic performance. Here, we explore whether faecal microbiota composition based on faecal 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing varies across six different sport breeds at two time points 8 months apart within a cohort of 189 healthy horses cared for under similar conditions. Lusitano horses presented the smallest and Hanoverians the greatest bacterial diversity. We found subtle bu...
Muñoz A, Saitua A, Becero M, Riber C, Satué K, de Medina AS, Argüelles D, Castejón-Riber C.In recent years, exercise on a water treadmill has come to have great relevance in rehabilitation and training centres for sport horses. Its use exploits certain physical properties of water, related to the fundamental principles of hydrodynamics, such as buoyancy, viscosity, hydrostatic pressure, and water temperature. These properties together with deliberate specification of the depth of the water and the velocity of the treadmill provide a combination of parameters that can be varied according to the purpose of the rehabilitation or training programme, the disease to rehabilitate, or the h...
Murray R, Mackechnie-Guire R, Fisher M, Fairfax V.Back pain is frequently recognized in racehorses, but saddle fit and design are rarely assessed. In sport horses, relationships between horse-saddle interaction, back pain, and altered kinematics are established, but few studies investigating horse-saddle interaction in racehorses exist. We hypothesized that reducing pressures under saddles at thoracic (T) vertebrae 10-13 in galloping racehorses is associated with improved limb and lumbosacral kinematics. The objectives of the study were to (1) determine pressure magnitude/distribution under 3 frequently used race-exercise saddles and a saddle...
Greco-Otto P, Bond S, Sides R, Bayly W, Leguillette R.Equine water treadmills (WT) were initially designed for rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injuries, but are also commonly used for conditioning sport horses, however the effects are not well documented. The purpose of this study was to test the effect of an 18-day WT conditioning programme on peak oxygen consumption (V̇O2peak). Nine unfit Thoroughbreds were used in a randomised controlled trial. Six horses worked daily for 18 days in stifle-height water (WT group), while 3 control horses worked without water (dry treadmill group (DT)). Preconditioning and postconditioning maximal exercise ra...
Legg KA, Weston JF, Gee EK, Bolwell CF, Bridges JP, Rogers CW.The welfare of horses in endurance competitions has been the focus of recent media attention. Epidemiological studies have examined the sport at the international (FEI) level. However, much of the participation in the sport occurs at a national level in preparation for FEI level competition. The aims of this study were to describe participation in, and risk factors for elimination, from New Zealand endurance competitions. Data were collated from all endurance competitions (≥40 km) held in New Zealand during the 2010/11-2015/16 competition seasons. There were 6885 starts (n = 775 horses, n = ...
Júnior WHF, Garcia de Carvalho JR, Mendes de Almeida ML, Macedo Lemos EG, Brioschi Soares OA, Ribeiro G, de Queiroz-Neto A, de Camargo Ferraz G.We compare the expression levels of the lactate transporter complex consisting of the lactate transporter, monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1), and its ancillary protein, cluster of differentiation 147 (CD147), in the membranes of red blood cells (RBCs) from two breeds of jumping horses and associate the expression levels of these proteins with their jumping ability. The expression levels of MCT1 and CD147 proteins on the membranes of RBCs collected from 30 show jumping horses of two different breeds were quantified: the Brazilian Sport Horses (n = 17) and the European Warmbloods (n = 13). ...
Lewczuk D, Metera-Zarzycka E.Many horse breeds in the world are reserved as genetic resources; however, their characteristics seem to be insufficiently clarified, especially in terms of horse performance. Two jumping ability evaluation methods have been used to compare different types of performance breeds and on this basis their applicability for precision phenotyping has been determined. Methods: Jumping data of 186 young Polish Warmblood stallions (27 with an endangered status) bred for sport and multipurpose use was collected during their performance tests organised under identical environmental conditions following t...
Egan S, Brama P, McGrath D.Wearable sensing technologies are increasingly used in human and equine gait research to improve ecological validity of research findings. It is unclear how these tools have penetrated the equine industry or what perspectives industry stakeholders' hold in relation to these relatively new devices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Irish equine industry stakeholders to understand their perception of objective tools for biomechanical analysis in the field. The study participants came from professional/elite backgrounds in both the sport horse ( = 6) and thoroughbred ( = 6) sectors. ...
Trevorrow P.In this sensational case, it was alleged that after jinking unexpectedly and throwing its rider, racehorse Ile de Chypre, had been nobbled by an ultrasonic emitter concealed within a pair of binoculars. Ile de Chypre was 4-1 favourite at the King George V Handicap at Ascot on June 16, 1988 and a good distance away from the pack, a clear winner albeit for this alleged act of sensational intervention.
Carrozzo U, Toniato M, Harrison A.Therapeutic ultrasound is a noninvasive technique, which is well tolerated by horses, does not need sedation, and can easily be performed in a routine clinical setting. Twenty-three client-owned sport horses were recruited at Clinica Equina San Biagio and included in this case study. Treatment of the injured suspensory ligament apparatus was administered using an EQ Pro, low-frequency therapeutic unit (38 kHz). The noninvasive treatment consisted of massaging the injured area in combination with a traditional ultrasound gel while maintaining the head of the device in direct contact with the i...
Moiroud CH, Coudry V, Denoix JM. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of fracture location and horse sporting discipline as prognostic indicators after a pelvic fracture in a referral centre caseload. Methods: Data were collected for the short- and long-term follow-up of all cases with a diagnosis of pelvic fracture in a 7-year period. Information was obtained for 75 horses through a postal and internet survey. The proportion of horses returning to competition following fractures was compared between groups according to the competition discipline and the characteristics of the fracture. Results: Fort...
Best R, Standing R.Global positioning systems (GPS) have recently been shown to reliably quantify the spatiotemporal characteristics of Polo, with the physiological demands of Polo play at low- and high-goal levels also investigated. This study aims to describe the spatiotemporal demands of Polo across 0-24 goal levels. A player-worn GPS unit was used to quantify distance, speed and high-intensity activities performed. Data were divided into chukkas and five equine-based speed zones, grouped per cumulative player handicap and assessed using standardized mean differences. Average distance and speed per chukka inc...
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...
McCoy AM, Smith RL, Herrera S, Kawcak CE, McIlwraith CW, Goodrich LR.To report the outcome of horses engaged in Western performance disciplines after stifle arthroscopy and identify prognostic factors for return to performance. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Eighty-two Western performance horses undergoing stifle arthroscopy. Methods: Medical records were reviewed for horses involved in athletic performance/training for various Western performance disciplines and undergoing arthroscopy for lameness localized to the stifle. Follow-up was obtained ≥2 years postoperatively by telephone interviews with the owners. Preoperative and intraoperative f...
Witkowska-Piłaszewicz O, Bąska P, Czopowicz M, Żmigrodzka M, Szczepaniak J, Szarska E, Winnicka A, Cywińska A.Sport training leads to adaptation to physical effort that is reflected by the changes in blood parameters. In equine endurance athletes, blood testing is accepted as a support in training, however, only the changes before versus after exercise in creatine phosphokinase activity (CPK) and basic blood parameters are usually measured. This study is the first longitudinal investigation of the changes in routinely measured blood parameters and, additionally, serum amyloid A (SAA), during seven months, in Arabian horses introduced to endurance training and competing in events for young horses. It h...
Best R, Standing R.The implementation of global positioning systems (GPSs) has become widely supported in a variety of sports, owing to the insight it provides into athlete workloads, training parameters, and playing styles. Despite widely reported use of GPS in equine settings, few studies have quantified the reliability of spatiotemporal characteristics in a dynamic environment of high-intensity gameplay. Owing to the unique game demands of Polo for both riders and horses, this study aimed to assess the interunit reliability between a traditional GPS placement between the shoulder blades and a Polo-specific pl...
Negro Rama S, Valera M, Membrillo A, Gómez MD, Solé M, Menendez-Buxadera A, Anaya G, Molina A.The association of five candidate genes with sporting performance in young and adult Spanish Trotter horses (STHs) was performed according to a previous selection based on quantitative analysis of the trait time per kilometre (TPK). A total of 334 516 records of TPK from 5958 STHs were used to estimate the estimated breeding values (EBVs) at different age groups (young and adults horses) throughout the range of distances (1600-2700 m) using a bicharacter random regression model. The heritability estimated by distance ranged from 0.16 to 0.40, with a different range for the two age groups. Co...
Hennessy KD, Quinn KM, Murphy J.Horses are individual, each having differential characteristics such as height, color, breeding, conformation, and temperament. These bio-characteristics often influence potential purchasers when buying horses. This study sought to investigate if producers and potential purchasers placed similar emphasis on equine bio-characteristics. Sport-horse stakeholders--n = 1377 (792 producers and 585 potential purchasers)--rated various equine bio-characteristics on a Likert psychometric response scale during a questionnaire-based survey. The study analyzed responses, using the Wilcoxan test for statis...
Walker VA, Tranquille CA, Newton JR, Dyson SJ, Brandham J, Northrop AJ, Murray RC.Dressage horses are often asked to work in lengthened paces during training and competition, but to date there is limited information about the biomechanics of dressage-specific paces. Preliminary work has shown increased fetlock extension in extended compared with collected paces, but further investigation of the kinematic differences between collected, medium and extended trot in dressage horses is warranted. Objective: Investigation of the effect of collected vs. medium/extended trot on limb kinematics of dressage horses. Methods: Prospective kinematic evaluation. Methods: Twenty clinically...
Faulkner JE, Joostens Z, Broeckx BJG, Hauspie S, Mariën T, Vanderperren K.Injuries of the sagittal groove of the proximal phalanx (P1) in equine athletes are considered to predominantly occur due to chronic bone stress overload. Objective: To describe the range of abnormalities that is present in the sagittal groove in a large group of horses diagnosed with sagittal groove disease (SGD) on low-field MRI. Methods: Retrospective, cross-sectional. Methods: Medical records were searched to identify initial MRI images of horses diagnosed with SGD and these were blindly evaluated using a semi-quantitative grading scheme and novel SGD MRI classification system reflecting p...
Nagy A, Dyson S.There is a limited description of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and no information on computed tomographic (CT) findings in the fetlock of non-lame, non-racing sports horses. This study aimed to document comparative CT, MRI and radiographic findings in the metacarpophalangeal joints of showjumpers in full work. Clinical and gait assessments, low-field MRI, fan-beam CT and radiographic examinations of both metacarpophalangeal joints were performed on 31 showjumpers. Images were analysed descriptively. In most limbs (53/62, 85.5%), there were CT and MRI changes consistent with densification i...
Li P, Sun S, Zhang W, Ouyang W, Li X, Yang K.The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of pre-exercise -citrulline supplementation on the athletic performance of speed-racing horses during a high-intensity exercise. On the 20th day of the experiment, blood samples were collected at 3 h and 6 h post-supplementation to measure the amino acid and polyamine concentrations. On the 38th day of the experiment, the horses participated in a 2000 m speed race, and three distinct blood samples were gathered for assessing blood gases, hematological parameters, the plasma biochemistry, antioxidant parameters, and NO concentrations. The...
Wang C, Zeng Y, Wang J, Wang T, Li X, Shen Z, Meng J, Yao X.Racing performance traits are the main indicators for evaluating the performance and value of sport horses. The aim of this study was to identify the key genes for racing performance traits in Yili horses by performing a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Breeding values for racing performance traits were calculated for Yili horses (n = 827) using an animal model. Genome-wide association analysis of racing performance traits in horses (n = 236) was carried out using the Blink, and FarmCPU models in GAPIT software, and genes within the significant regions were functionally annotated....
Pineau V, Ter Woort F, Julien F, Vernant M, Lambey S, Hébert C, Hanne-Poujade S, Westergren V, van Erck-Westergren E.Gastric disease is highly prevalent in sport horses and may lead to poor performance, cause behavioral changes and impact welfare. Objective: Assess whether diet affects gastric disease and pain expression during riding, and whether it has an impact on physiological and locomotor variables during an exercise test, including jumps. Methods: Nine healthy show-jumping Warmbloods trained at the same stable. Methods: Prospective observational cohort study. The horses receiving a pelleted diet, high in sugar and starch (>30%), were examined at T0 and after 12 weeks (T12) of changing to a cooked, m...
Phelipon R, Hennes N, Ruet A, Bret-Morel A, Górecka-Bruzda A, Lansade L.Societal concerns for animal welfare extend to all domestic species, including high-level sport horses. The welfare of these horses, notably highlighted during the recent Olympics, has garnered significant public interest, prompting inquiries into their living conditions. Animal welfare studies have emphasised three key needs crucial to equine welfare: unlimited access to forage, freedom of movement, and social interactions with peers, commonly referred to as the "3Fs"-access to Forage, Freedom of movement, and interactions with Friend conspecifics. However, the feasibility and benefits of sat...
Sinclair Elder AJ, Nilson CJ, Elder CL.To analyze injury frequency, density, location, type, mechanism of injury (MOI), activity phase of injury, and injury risk in professional rodeo. Retrospective epidemiological review. Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association sanctioned rodeos from 2011 to 2014. Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association competitors competing in bull riding, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, team roping, tie-down roping, and steer wrestling. Injury reports were documented by sports medicine personnel. Variables assessed include event, frequency, density, location, type, MOI, activity phase of injury, and injury d...
Doyle JL, Carroll CJ, Corbally AF, Fahey AG.The breeding of sport horses to compete in the Olympic disciplines of show jumping, eventing, and dressage is fast becoming a global industry with the increased use of reproductive technologies, including artificial insemination and embryo transfer. Reproductive technologies have facilitated the dissemination of genetics from elite horses across multiple countries and breeds as breeders are no longer limited by location. Due to this increased level of crossbreeding, there is an increased need for estimated breeding values (EBVs) for sport horse performance that can be compared across breeds an...
Wang D, Shi L, Griffith JF, Qin L, Yew DT, Riggs CM.Surface-based morphometry method is advantageous in its objectivity and increased capability in detecting focal morphological changes, but has not been applied in bone-related research. Orthopedics research in human has confirmed the association of the bone geometry in proximal femur and its fracture. In this study, surface-based morphometry is used to test the hypothesis that there is relationship between bone geometry and fracture risk of the proximal sesamoid bone (PSB) in forelimbs of Thoroughbred racehorses. The PSB surfaces were extracted from CT images of nonfractured forelegs (i.e., ri...
Argüelles D, Becero M, Muñoz A, Saitua A, Ramón T, Gascón E, Sánchez de Medina A, Prades M.Capacitive resistive electric transfer (CRET), a radiofrequency at 448 kHz, increases flexibility in quadricep muscles of human athletes. To assess whether CRET would result in clinical and biomechanical improvements in horses with thoracolumbar pain, 18 sport horses were divided into two groups: CRET (n = 9), subjected to four CRET sessions, during two consecutive weeks, and SHAM (n = 9), subjected to the same procedure with the device off. Clinical examination and accelerometry were performed before and after the four sessions. During the study, horses were in training and in active competit...
Pratt GW.A discussion is presented of contributing factors to the injury to the foreleg of the Thoroughbred racehorse. The critical part of the step is taken to be the first 10-20 ms after ground contact as the hoof slides forward and stops. Large nonaxial loads associated with the deceleration of the hoof are shown to arise. Results of accelerometer measurements on the hoof of a horse running at racing speed are presented as well as mechanical properties of the racing surface. The mechanical properties of the track surface, the type of shoe, and the degree of fatigue of the horse all work together to ...
Rogers CW, Bolwell CF, Gee EK.Across many equestrian disciplines the median competition career of a horse is relatively short. One of the major reasons for short career length is musculoskeletal injury and a consistent variable is the trainer effect. There are significant opportunities within equestrian sport for a holistic approach to horse health to attenuate musculoskeletal injury. Proactive integration of care by health professionals could provide a mechanism to attenuate injury risk and the trainer effect. However, the limited data available on current exercise regimens for sport horses restricts interpretation of how...
Coelho CS, Sodre TDRP, Sousa LN, Siqueira RF, Manso Filho HC, Aragona F, Fazio F.Vaquejada is a high-intensity and short-duration exercise in which helper horses (HH) are responsible to keep a bull running in a line while pull horses (PH) work to put the bull down after 100 m of running. The purpose of this study was to quantify and compare energy expenditures (EE), transport costs (COT) and metabolic energy requirements (Pmet) of horses used in Vaquejada. Thus, eight Quarter Horses, in randomly formed pairs, performed a vaquejada simulation test (VST), which consisted of three races on a sand track (130-150 m), with a 5-min interval between them. All horses used an integr...
Cravana C, Medica P, Ragonese G, Fazio E.To investigate the effects of training sessions on circulating β-endorphin changes in sport horses before and after competition and to ascertain whether competition would affect this response. Methods: A total of 24 trained jumping horses were randomly assigned to one of two training groups: Group A (competing) and Group B (not competing). To determined plasma β-endorphin concentrations, two pre- and post-competition training weeks at aerobic workout and two competitive show jumping event days at anaerobic workout were measured before, 5 and 30 min after exercise. Exercise intensity is descr...
Wijnberg ID, Hardeman LC, van der Meij BR, Veraa S, Back W, van der Kolk JH.Therapeutic reduction of the activity of the deep digital flexor (DDF) muscle may play a role in treatment of laminitic horses. Clostridium botulinum toxin type A induces reduced muscle activity and has a spasmolytic effect in horses. In this study, the effectiveness of 200 IU C. botulinum toxin type A on reduction of DDF muscle activity was measured in seven healthy, sound, adult Royal Dutch sport horses. C. botulinum toxin type A was injected using ultrasound and electromyographic (EMG) guidance. The effectiveness was assessed by interference pattern analysis (IPA) and motor unit action pote...
Almeida JC, Vidotto O, Ferreira EP, Ribeiro LP, Mongruel AC, Vieira TS, Freire RL, Mota RA, Vieira RF.Although the infection by Toxoplasma gondii in horses is usually asymptomatic, it may be characterized by the presence of tissue cysts and maintenance of detectable antibody titers. The aim of this study was to detect anti-T.gondii antibodies and to determine risk factors associated in sport horses from Paraíba State, Northeastern Brazil. A total of 138 apparently healthy sport horses of different age and gender were sampled. Anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies were detected in 16/138 (11.6%; 95% CI: 6.77-18.14%) horses by indirect immunofluorescence antibody assay (IFA). A significant associat...
Leclercq A, Byström A, Söderlind M, Persson E, Rhodin M, Engell MT, Hernlund E.Lameness, a wellknown issue in sport horses, impedes performance and impairs welfare. Early detection of lameness is essential for horses to receive needed treatment, but detection of hindlimb lameness is challenging. Riding instructors and trainers observe horses in motion in their daily work and could contribute to more efficient lameness detection. In this cross-sectional and prospective study, we evaluated the ability of riding instructors and trainers to assess hindlimb lameness. We also evaluated different feedback methods for improved lameness detection. For the cross-sectional part, =...
Crijns CP, Gielen IM, van Bree HJ, Bergman EH.A 5-year-old Rheinlander gelding was evaluated for left hindlimb stifle lameness. The lameness was localised to the stifle, but source of the lameness was not specifically diagnosed from the physical, radiographic and ultrasonographic examinations. Computed tomography (CT) and CT arthrography were therefore used for further investigation since these imaging techniques image bony structures, cartilage and soft tissues. This examination showed multiple lesions in the stifle: an osteochondrosis dissecans like lesion of the medial femoral condyle, bony fragments, cartilage trauma and caudal crucia...
Chope KB.Cardiac murmurs are not uncommonly detected in the equine athlete. Although most are benign in nature, differentiation and quantification of murmurs due to valvular regurgitation are important for prognosis and recommendations. Arrhythmias can be associated with structural disease or occur independently and may range in severity from minimal clinical effect to poor performance to presenting a safety risk to rider and horse. This article discusses commonly encountered cardiac conditions in the sport horse. Physical examination, diagnostic approach, valvular disease, and arrhythmias with an impa...
Benoit P, Barrey E, Regnault JC, Brochet JL.The purpose of this study was to compare the damping effect of 16 types of shoeing by measuring hoof acceleration parameters on two trotting horses. At impact, maximal deceleration had extreme values such as 188 m/s2 (+/- 55) for the most damping combination (p < 0.01) and 746 m/s2 (+/- 14) for the steel shoe (mean = 551 m/s2 +/- 125). After the shock, the hoof was exposed to a mean vibrating acceleration at 418 Hz (+/- 84) which was progressively damped in 37.3 ms (+/- 10.5). According to these results, the damping ability of different farriery products significantly reduces (p < 0.05) shocks...
Best R, Standing R.When compared with other equestrian sports, Polo players engage in a high number of player-pony interactions. To ensure optimal performance of the player-pony dyad, an understanding of the workloads performed by each pony and the physiological cost placed on the rider are required. This investigation examined the relationship and interaction between Polo pony performance (speeds attained, distance covered, and movements performed) and the corresponding heart rate responses in Polo players, within and between games across a 16-goal Polo tournament. Descriptive statistics revealed Polo is played...
Wilkins CA, Nankervis K, Protheroe L, Draper SB.Static assessment and grouping of riders by competition level are prevalent in equestrian coaching practice and research. This study explored sagittal pelvic tilt in 35 competitive dressage riders to analyse the relationship between static and dynamic postures and assess the interaction of competition level. Riders were assessed using optical motion capture on a riding simulator at halt and in walk, trot, and left and right canter. Mean, minimum and maximum pelvic tilt, and range of motion (ROM) were measured as the pitch rotation of a rigid body formed by markers placed on the rider's left/ri...
Rietbroek NJ, Dingboom EG, Joosten BJ, Eizema K, Everts ME.To investigate whether training for show jumping that is commenced early after birth affects the characteristics of equine locomotory muscle. Methods: 19 Dutch Warmblood horses. Methods: Horses were assigned to a trained or not trained (control) group. After weaning, training (free jumping [2 d/wk] that was alternated with a 20-minute period of exercise in a mechanical rotating walker [3 d/wk]) was started and continued until horses were 3 years old. Fiber type composition (determined from myosin heavy chain [MyHC] content), fiber area, diffusion index (area supplied by 1 capillary), citrate s...
Kalashnikov V, Zajcev A, Atroshchenko M, Miroshnikov S, Frolov A, Zav'yalov O, Kalinkova L, Kalashnikova T.A study on the Russian trotting breeds was conducted to assess the impact of horses' sporting results and the degree of accumulation of chemical elements in the hair. In the first phase of the research, the elemental composition of the mane hair of trotter horses (n = 215) was studied. Based on these studies, percentile intervals for the distribution of concentrations of chemical elements in the hair have been established, and the values of 25 and 75 percentile adopted as a "physiological standard" have been defined. In the second stage of the research into clinically healthy Russian trott...
Jones JH, Ohmura H, Stanley SD, Hiraga A.Human athletes run faster and experience fewer injuries when running on surfaces with a stiffness 'tuned' to their bodies. We questioned if the same might be true for horses, and if so, would running on surfaces of different stiffness cause a measurable change in the amount of energy required to move at a given speed? Objective: Different brands of commercial treadmills have pans of unequal stiffness, and this difference would result in different metabolic power requirements to locomote at a given speed. Methods: We tested for differences in stiffness between a Mustang 2200 and a Säto I comme...
Villas-Boas JD, Dias DP, Trigo PI, Almeida NA, de Almeida FQ, de Medeiros MA.Startle is a fast response elicited by sudden acoustic, tactile, or visual stimuli in a variety of animals and in humans. As the magnitude of startle response can be modulated by external and internal variables, it can be a useful tool to study reaction to stress. Our study evaluated whether acupuncture can change cardiac autonomic modulation (heart rate variability); and behavioural (reactivity) and endocrine (cortisol levels) parameters in response to startle. Brazilian Sport horses (n = 6) were subjected to a model of startle in which an umbrella was abruptly opened near the horse. Before s...
