Statistical analysis in equine research involves the application of mathematical techniques to collect, review, and interpret data related to horse health, behavior, and performance. This field encompasses a variety of methods, including descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and multivariate analysis, to identify patterns, test hypotheses, and draw conclusions from equine data. Statistical analysis aids in understanding various aspects of equine science, such as disease prevalence, treatment efficacy, genetic traits, and performance metrics. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, applications, and outcomes of statistical analysis in the context of equine studies.
Alonso MA, Dos Santos GR, Fonte JS, Marques PC, Pereira DD, Toral FLB, Bordignon V, Junior JB, Squires E, Fernandes CB.This retrospective study evaluated whether different reproductive biotechnologies influence neonatal behaviour parameters in foals. Data from 102 foalings in two commercial breeding farms were analysed, including foals conceived by artificial insemination (AI), conventional embryo transfer (ET) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Neonatal parameters recorded were birth weight, time to achieve sternal recumbency, time to stand, time to nurse and time to meconium elimination. Mixed statistical models were applied to assess the influence of reproductive technique, breed, sex and farm. Si...
Whitlock F, Grewar J, Newton R.The epidemiology of equine influenza (EI) in the United Kingdom has not been systematically described since the 2019 epidemic. Objective: To summarise UK EI surveillance (2020-2024), quantify outbreak seasonality and assess movement-related sources. Methods: Retrospective observational analysis of national surveillance and horse importation data. Methods: Epidemiological data for laboratory-confirmed EI cases in the United Kingdom were collated. Outbreaks (EI-infected premises) were defined as one or more laboratory-confirmed cases on the same premises within a 4-week period. Monthly outbreak ...
Avison A, Pyle WG, Sears W, Physick-Sheard PW.Sudden cardiac death is a leading cause of athletic death in both humans and horses, making racehorses a potentially valuable model for investigating sudden cardiac death. Cardiac restitution ratio (QT/TQ interval) is used to assess arrhythmia risk in humans, but investigations in athletes are scarce. The objective was to characterize QT interval and cardiac restitution ratio in Thoroughbred racehorses during maximal effort. Automated restitution analysis was performed using 2709 pairs of cardiac cycles from 30 Thoroughbred horses during races. Cardiac cycles were obtained during: pre-race; ac...
Viviani P, Ragno VM, Parker S, Montgomery JB.Endocrine disorders in horses, such as pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction and equine metabolic syndrome, rely on hormone testing for diagnosis, but seasonal and regional variabilities highlight the need for locally generated data. Objective: To characterize monthly blood concentrations of ACTH and insulin over 1 year in healthy horses in Saskatchewan. A secondary objective was to assess the association between these outcomes and the following factors: sex, age, breed, pregnancy status, level of exercise, body condition score, and cresty neck score. Methods: Sixty-eight clinically healthy, c...
Keller J, Hassenstein MJ, Jung K, Geburek F.Ground reaction forces are accepted as gold standard for objective assessment of weightbearing lameness but measurements at the hoof are limited to experimental devices. This study aimed to evaluate whether innovative instrumented hoof boots (IHBs) could detect and monitor lameness in horses during diagnostic anaesthesia. Twenty-six horses referred for lameness examination (15 front limbs, 17 hindlimbs) were equipped with IHBs and body mounted inertial sensors. Data were collected simultaneously before and after diagnostic anaesthesia until objectively considered positive. Recorded IHB data i...
Hmb O, L W, M V, Jm W, Ct F.A systematic study of regional skin thickness in different types of horses has not yet been described. Knowledge about regional skin thickness has long been used in human medicine to optimise wound care and skin grafting outcomes and similar knowledge could prove useful in equine wound management. The objective of the current study was to report the topographical variation in skin thickness of Warmblood (WB) and Coldblood (CB) type horses and to compare different methods for measuring skin thickness. Horses free of skin conditions and euthanised for reasons unrelated to this study were include...
O'Reilly K, Aldworth-Yang S, Catalano DN.There are many different concentrate feeders available to horse owners, but little data exists on feeder effect of equine intake rate. Rapid consumption ("bolting") is associated with issues such as esophageal obstruction. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate three common concentrate feeders on intake rate. We hypothesized horses would have the slowest intake rate when fed from the trough. Methods: Four geldings were fed 0.454 kg of concentrate from a pan on the ground (P), shallow trough (T), or hanging feeder (H). Horses were randomly assigned a first feeder and then rotate...
Samuels AN, Collins N, Albrecht M, Cuming R, Reed S, Gomez D, Toribio R.To evaluate associations between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), nonsurvival, illness severity, and infectious etiologies. Unassigned: This was a retrospective multicenter study that included 100 healthy horses and 444 horses presenting with acute diarrhea to 5 equine referral hospitals. Inclusion criteria were diarrhea duration < 48 hours, complete hemograms, and outcome data. Illness severity was assessed using systemic inflammatory response syndrome. The results of pathogen testing for Salmonella spp, equine coronavirus, Clostridium spp, and Neorickettsia risticii/findlayensis ...
Häussling MPP, Steinberg T, Büttner K, Hannig C, Hannig M, Lemke L, Zierau O, Staszyk C.Destructive lesions of the peripheral and infundibular cementum are increasingly recognized in equine dentistry. While similarities to human caries have been noted, current evidence does not conclusively support this classification. This study aims to assess the prevalence, distribution, and potential risk factors associated with these lesions in a defined horse population. Unassigned: A total of 114 horses from northern Germany underwent standardized oral examination between 2021 and 2023. Clinical data on peripheral and infundibular lesions, diastemata, and influencing factors such as age an...
Hein M, Volkmann N, Probst J, Kemper N, Venner M.This retrospective report investigated whether starting racehorses' training and racing early is associated with a less successful and a shorter racing career. The data of 600 Thoroughbred racehorses from the German Racehorse Association's archiving programme were evaluated. The horses were classified into three groups regarding their different ages when starting training and racing: early training (16-24 months old)/early racing (two years old); early training/late racing (>two years old); and late training (25-30 months). Statistical models investigated effects on the horses' length of caree...
Henderson AR, Valverde A, Côté N, Sanchez A, Arroyo LG, Gu Y, Johnson R.To compare cardiopulmonary variables and recovery scores in isoflurane-anesthetized horses undergoing arthroscopy using two different intravenous (IV) lidocaine constant rate infusions (CRIs; 50 or 100 μg kg minute) under intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) or spontaneous ventilation (SV). Methods: Prospective, randomized, clinical study. Methods: A group of 30 client-owned horses, 8-156 months old (range), with body masses of 280-550 kg. Methods: Anesthesia protocol consisted of xylazine, ketamine and diazepam, and maintenance with isoflurane and a CRI of dexmedetomidine. All g...
Nocera I, Cingottini D, Di Franco C, Sala G, Bindi F, Spadari A, Rinnovati R, Vitale V, Jose-Cunilleras E, Sgorbini M.Several studies investigated risk and prognostic parameters for horses with colic; however, the consensus is still debated. The present work aimed to investigate colic outcomes and to identify risk factors in horses referred for colic. In this multicenter retrospective study, 236 clinical records of equids referred for colic at three different equine centers were reviewed. The following data were collected: history, signalment, physical examination at the time of admission, hematological and biochemical analysis, diagnosis, SIRS status and 0-6 point-scale SIRS score, colic type, treatment atte...
Meistro F, Rinnovati R, Blanc E, Berni P, Napoli S, Marcucci E, D'Angelo P, Ruggeri M, Spadari A, Gialletti R.Accurate early prognostic assessment is a central aspect of clinical decision-making in horses presenting with colic. Despite the availability of multiple clinical and laboratory parameters, reliable biomarkers that provide useful information at the time of admission remain limited. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate is a non-specific indicator of systemic inflammation that has recently been validated for automated point-of-care use in horses. Its behaviour in equine colic has not been previously characterised. This study included 85 horses admitted for colic at two university referral hospita...
Cabaret J, Guerrero Molina C, Martínez-Ortiz-de Montellano C, Alcala Canto Y.Faecal egg counts (FECs) are used to assess the intensity of gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections in herbivores. FEC distribution is aggregated, meaning that approximately 20% of animals harbour 80% of infections. In times of escalating anthelmintic resistance, it may be necessary to restrict treatment to the animals with the heaviest infections. This strategy is called targeted selective treatment (TST) and is relevant to GIN, for example. The difficulty lies in identifying which animals to treat. One solution is to select potentially at-risk animals based on age (for example, treating ...
Barreira AP, Moreira T, Silva R, Nunes L, Lioi A, Kraus E, Altheman V, Ribeiro M, Leite C, Silva A, Almeida F, Santos Junior G, Lessa D, Alves AL.Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease that affects humans and animals worldwide. Its early diagnosis remains challenging due to subtle clinical signs and late radiographic changes. This study aimed to explore candidate biomarkers associated with spontaneous OA and to investigate their correlation with ultrasonographic scores to support early diagnosis. Clinical, radiographic, and ultrasonographic evaluations were performed on 52 equine metacarpophalangeal joints, with and without OA, allowing joint scoring and classification into osteoarthritis (OAG) and control groups. Synovial ...
Boger B, Naraian M, Hernandez E, Eaton A, Rockburn R, Tillman I, Payne S, Yob C, Panek C, Manfredi JM.Resistance bands used while horses are exercised with their handlers have shown benefits, but it is unknown if whole-body resistance bands used independently have therapeutic benefits. This study hypothesized that horses with varying gait asymmetries would experience improvements in lameness, muscular function, range of motion, posture, and cortisol following short-term use of a whole-body resistance band wrap (RBW). In this study, nine lame adult horses were evaluated with and without the RBW. The assessment included: objective gait analysis, acoustic myography, postural analysis, gait kinema...
Bindi F, Cingottini D, Sorvillo B, Sala G, De Marchi L, Monni G, Celardo S, Bonelli F, Sgorbini M.During the perinatal period, neonates experience a sudden increase in oxygen exposure, predisposing them to oxidative stress. Objective: This prospective, in vivo study aimed to evaluate biomarkers of oxidative stress and antioxidant defence in healthy neonatal foals during the first 48 hours of life. Methods: Ten Standardbred foals were enrolled. Blood samples were collected at birth, 24 hours, and 48 hours after birth and analyzed for biomarkers using spectrophotometry assays. Statistical analysis was performed using non-parametric tests and linear regression. Results: The results revealed s...
Santana ML, Bignardi AB, Faria RAS, Silva JAIV.Thermal load is a major welfare and performance concern for athletic horses, as physical exertion increases internal heat production. Although several phenotypic strategies have been developed to mitigate its effects, the genetic basis of thermal tolerance in horses remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to (1) evaluate the influence of thermal indices on the racing performance of Brazilian Quarter Horses, and (2) investigate the genetic basis of thermal tolerance through the estimation of genetic parameters across temperature gradients. We analyzed 21,857 racing-time (RT) records from 5...
Repciuc CC, Oros NV, Mureșan ȘMC, Sevastre B, Joaquim JGF, Oana LI.Limb wounds in horses represent a significant therapeutic challenge due to poor vascularization, reduced skin elasticity, and high risk of complications such as exuberant granulation tissue. Conventional treatments sometimes fail to provide satisfactory healing outcomes, leading to prolonged recovery and increased costs. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of topical ozone therapy using the bagging method in promoting the epithelialization and contraction of chronic distal limb wounds in horses refractory to conventional management. Eight horses, aged 3-21 years, with chronic wounds aver...
Taned M, Zandi MB, Salek Ardestani S, Abdoli M, Spangler ML.Race performance in Thoroughbred horses is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Understanding their genetic architecture is essential for designing effective breeding programs. Objective: This study aimed to estimate genetic parameters and trends for key performance traits in Iranian Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Performance data, including race completion time (RCT), rank at the end of the competition (REC), and average speed (AS), were obtained from the Iranian Equestrian Federation (2002-2021). Pedigree data from 14,391 individuals were analyzed using CFC software. Gene...
Kranenburg LC, Reinke KS, van den Broek J, Zaal EA, van den Boom R, van Doorn DA.Hydrolysed collagen is used as a supplement for horses with osteoarthritis, hoof horn growth problems, and gastric ulcers. To determine the oral availability of a specific hydrolysed collagen supplement and the appropriate dose, six Warmblood mares were fed two different concentrations of the supplement: 100 g HC (C), 50 g HC (C), and a control of 0 g HC (C) during one week in a randomised cross-over design. On day 7, 14 and 21, blood sampling for amino acid (AA) analysis was performed, just prior to feeding the supplement (t = 0) and every hour after feeding for 8 h (t = 1-8). Statistical ana...
St George L, Nankervis K, Walker V, Maddock C, Robinson A, Sinclair J, Hobbs SJ.Despite growing evidence on the adaptive movement patterns that horses adopt during water treadmill (WT) exercise, underlying adaptations in muscle activity remain uninvestigated. This feasibility study aimed to develop a method for the synchronous measurement of muscle activity and movement of horses during WT exercise. Combined surface electromyography (sEMG) (2000 Hz) from selected hindlimb (biceps femoris, gluteus medius, tensor fasciae latae) and epaxial (longissimus dorsi) muscles, and three-dimensional kinematic (200 Hz) data from the back and pelvis of one (n = 1) horse were collected ...
Fowler AL, Pyles MB, Hayes SH, Crum AD, Lawrence LM.Total fecal collection studies to determine digestibility of nutrients are costly and laborious. The use of externally dosed indigestible markers, such as titanium dioxide (TiO2), to estimate digestibility using spot samples could be advantageous, but studies validating their use in horses are inadequate. Two experiments were conducted to determine if TiO2 in fecal spot samples effectively estimated fecal output in horses. In Exp. 1, four mature horses were fed a forage-based diet (85:15 forage: concentrate) split into two equal meals with 1.75 ± 0.03 g TiO2/kg DM (10 g TiO2) per day ...
Takahashi Y, Pfau T, Tsuruoka F, Yoshida T, Edwards WB, Mukai K.To identify the race- and horse-level factors affecting stride parameters during Thoroughbred races in Japan. Unassigned: Global Navigation Satellite System sensors were attached to 921 horses (1,189 starts) participating in 83 races, with distances ranging from 1,000 to 1,800 m, held from April through July 2024. Stride frequency and stride length were calculated from speed spectrograms at 3 racing phases (phase 1, 200 m after gate open; phase 2, 10 m after reaching the final straight stretch; and phase 3, 130 m before the finishing line). Additionally, 10 variables (race distance, surface ty...
Ali A, Derar DR, Alaeyeari AA, Alharbi YM.This study aimed to monitor intrauterine fetal growth, establish predictive equations for gestational age estimation, and determine the optimal period for fetal sexing in Arabian horses using ultrasonography. Unassigned: Seven Arabian mares were monitored from insemination to parturition using transrectal ultrasonography. The following fetal and embryonic parameters were measured: embryonic vesicle (EV), crown-rump length (CRL), biparietal diameter (BIP), stomach diameter (STD), chest depth (CHD), abdominal diameter (ABD), kidney length (KDL), eyeball diameter (EBD), and eye lens length (ELL)....
Ripollés-Lobo M, Perdomo-González DI, Azor P, Valera M.Investigate the genetic inbreeding depression load (IDL) on two dressage traits and two conformational defects in horses. Unassigned: The dataset included performance records for Walk and Points per Reprise (PPR) (N:43,838) and conformation data for Closed and Convergent hocks (N:57,949). Pedigree information spanned over 400,000 individuals. Inbreeding coefficients (F, F6, Fk) and partial inbreeding coefficient (Fij) were computed to quantify the IDL using Bayesian approach. Linear and ordinal logistic regressions were used to assess the relationship between inbreeding and phenotypic values. ...
Steensma MJ, Doekes HP, Derks MFL, Ducro BJ.In Friesian horses, withers height is an important trait as a minimum has been set to be eligible to the studbook. Several loci for withers height have been identified in horses. However, withers height has not been studied in the Friesian horse. Therefore, our aim was to identify loci associated with withers height in the Friesian horse population. We performed a genome-wide association study using 70 K SNP data of 2192 Friesian horses. We found ECA1 and ECA9 to be significantly associated with withers height, explaining 19.6% and 3.5% of the phenotypic variance, respectively. In other hors...
Nilsson E, Moazzami AA, Lindberg JE, Jansson A.Feeding a high amount of starch-rich grains is common practice for performance horses even though the horse has evolved to eat a grass based, i.e. low starch diet. To our knowledge, there are no studies using metabolomics to investigate the effects of a high-starch diet in horses. In this study we investigated differences in the plasma metabolic profile of 6 Standardbred horses fed a no-starch, forage-only (F) diet or a high-starch forage-concentrate (FC) diet for 29 days, respectively in a cross-over design. Postprandial plasma samples were collected on the morning of day 25 of each dietary ...
de Lara NSS, Weiss RR, Oba E, Kozicki LE, Souza FA, Bergstein-Galan TG, Muehlbauer E, Silvestri M, de Lima PHL, Vaz ES.In equine reproduction, determining foetal sex is of economic and strategic importance, but currently available methods are often invasive, costly, or require specialised expertise. This study aimed to assess whether plasma progesterone concentrations could serve as a predictive tool for foetal sex determination in Criollo mares between the 4th and 8th months of gestation and to determine whether these measurements could identify foetal sex. Blood samples were collected at 30-day intervals from 17 Crioula mares between 114 days and 240 days of gestation. Maternal plasma progesterone concen...
Dumičić I, Ostojić L.Like other domesticated species, most notably dogs, horses have been reported to follow human gestures and successfully use them to gain rewards in an object choice task. Empirical support for the hypothesis that a domain-general mechanism may underlie this ability comes from studies in which horses have successfully solved the task by using not just a human pointing gesture but also an arbitrary physical cue, namely a wooden marker. Here, we replicated the two conditions in which these two cues were used by Proops et al. (2010) with two critical changes: first, we positioned the marker out of...
Hansen TF.Comparative studies tend to differ from optimality and functionality studies in how they treat adaptation. While the comparative approach focuses on the origin and change of traits, optimality studies assume that adaptations are maintained at an optimum by stabilizing selection. This paper presents a model of adaptive evolution on a macroevolutionary time scale that includes the maintenance of traits at adaptive optima by stabilizing selection as the dominant evolutionary force. Interspecific variation is treated as variation in the position of adaptive optima. The model illustrates how phylog...
Gilbert M, Nicolas G, Cinardi G, Van Boeckel TP, Vanwambeke SO, Wint GRW, Robinson TP.Global data sets on the geographic distribution of livestock are essential for diverse applications in agricultural socio-economics, food security, environmental impact assessment and epidemiology. We present a new version of the Gridded Livestock of the World (GLW 3) database, reflecting the most recently compiled and harmonized subnational livestock distribution data for 2010. GLW 3 provides global population densities of cattle, buffaloes, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and ducks in each land pixel at a spatial resolution of 0.083333 decimal degrees (approximately 10 km at the equat...
Visser EK, van Reenen CG, van der Werf JT, Schilder MB, Knaap JH, Barneveld A, Blokhuis HJ.Forty-one Dutch Warmblood immature horses were used in a study to quantify temperamental traits on the basis of heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) measures. Half of the horses received additional training from the age of 5 months onwards; the other half did not. Horses were tested at 9, 10, 21 and 22 months of age in a novel object and a handling test. During the tests, mean HR and two heart variability indices, e.g. standard deviation of beat-to-beat intervals (SDRR) and root mean square of successive beat-to-beat differences (rMSSD), were calculated and expressed as response va...
Jamieson A, Taylor SC.Three general formulae calibrate the average capability of marker systems to dispute falsely reported pedigree records in uniparous species. The most familiar exclusion formula applies to paternity, although the same formula applies equally to maternity. Another formula faults the relationship of a single offspring with its putative parent; for example, where the genotype of the other parent is not available. The remaining formulae excludes both of the falsely recorded parents of a substituted offspring. Simplified forms of the three general formulae facilitate the calculation of maximal avera...
Giles SL, Rands SA, Nicol CJ, Harris PA.Reasons for performing study. The prevalence of obesity in companion animals, including horses and ponies has risen drastically in recent years and risk factors have been little investigated. Horses are unique amongst companion animals in that many are outdoor-living and forage independently on pasture; they also have a dual utility and companionship role. The body condition of wild and free-living equines is known to vary seasonally, yet previous estimates of the prevalence of obesity and associated risk factors in domestic animals do not consider this. Most previous studies were conducted du...
Keeling LJ, Jonare L, Lanneborn L.The heart rates (HR) of horses and the people leading them (10 horses, 20 people), and riding them (17 horses, 17 people), were recorded in an indoor arena. The horses were Swedish leisure horses of mixed ages, sex and breed. All except two of the people were female and all were of mixed age and riding experience. Each horse-human pair walked or rode between points A and B (30m) four times on each test occasion. However, just before the fourth pass, participants were told that an umbrella would be opened as they rode, or led, the horse past the assistant. The umbrella was not opened, so this p...
Greve L, Dyson SJ.Saddle slip is usually blamed on saddle fit, crooked riders or horse shape, but may reflect hindlimb lameness. There are no studies of the frequency of occurrence of saddle slip and risk factors within a tested sample population of the general sports horse population. Objective: To quantify the frequency of saddle slip and to describe the association with lameness, thoracolumbar shape/symmetry, crooked riders and ill-fitting saddles. Methods: Nonrandom, cross-sectional survey using convenience sampling. Methods: Five hundred and six sports horses in normal work were assessed prospectively. Tho...
Price J, Catriona S, Welsh EM, Waran NK.To develop a method for objective assessment of equine post-operative pain. Methods: Prospective nonblinded clinical study. Methods: Twelve adult horses: Group 1 (G1, n = 6), admitted for arthroscopy (under general anaesthesia, with multimodal analgesia); Group 2 (G2, n = 6), 'pain free' controls. Methods: Horses were filmed continuously (CVI, time-lapse video recorder) over 72 hours, from 24 hours pre-surgery (PS) to 48 hours post-recovery (PR) (G1), and over 24 hours (G2). Activity budgets were determined from 24 to 0 hours PS, 0-24 and 24-48 hours PR (G1) and for 24 hours (G2). Using direct...
Beekman L, Tohver T, Léguillette R.The pathophysiology of inflammatory airway disease (IAD) is unknown, but in some cases involves the accumulation of mast cells, neutrophils, or both in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). The objective of this study was to characterize cytokine gene expression in the BALF cells of horses with IAD, including a comparison of cytokine gene expression between IAD horses with increased BALF mast cells (IAD-Mast) or neutrophils (IAD-Neutro). Methods: The mRNA expression of IL-4, IFN-γ, IL-17, IL-8, IL-1β, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p35, and eotaxin-2 was studied by quantitative polymerase chain ...
Dalla Costa E, Pascuzzo R, Leach MC, Dai F, Lebelt D, Vantini S, Minero M.Pain recognition is fundamental for safeguarding animal welfare. Facial expressions have been investigated in several species and grimace scales have been developed as pain assessment tool in many species including horses (HGS) and mice (MGS). This study is intended to progress the validation of grimace scales, by proposing a statistical approach to identify a classifier that can estimate the pain status of the animal based on Facial Action Units (FAUs) included in HGS and MGS. To achieve this aim, through a validity study, the relation between FAUs included in HGS and MGS and the real pain co...
Laurenza C, Ansart L, Portier K.A retrospective analysis was performed to determine mortality and morbidity rates for elective and emergency cases in an equine university teaching hospital. It investigated the effect of horse-, anesthetic-, timing, and clinician experience-related variables on anesthetic complications. In total, 1,161 horses undergoing general anesthesia between January 2012 and December 2016 were included in the study. Patient information and details of the anesthetic, recovery period and immediate complications were retrieved from an archival database. Statistical analysis of qualitative and quantitative f...
Rivara FP.Examine the current magnitude of the injury problem to children and adolescents on farms, and to compare these data to that from 1978-83. Methods: US National Center for Health Statistics Mortality Multiple Cause of Death Tapes for the years 1991-3, and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission National Electronic Injury Surveillance System for data on emergency department visits for 1990-3. Methods: Children and adolescents 19 years and younger injured on farms. Results: There were an average of 104 deaths per year due to injuries occurring on farms. The rate of 8.0 deaths per 100,000 child f...
Textor JA, Norris JW, Tablin F.To test the hypotheses that preparation method, exposure to shear force, and exposure to collagen affect the release of growth factors from equine platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Methods: PRP obtained from 6 horses. Methods: PRP was prepared via 2 preparation methods (tube and automated) and subjected to 6 treatment conditions (resting, detergent, exposure to shear via 21- and 25-gauge needles, and exposure to collagen [10 and 20 μg/mL]). Concentrations of platelet-derived growth factor, isoform BB (PDGF-BB); transforming growth factor β, isoform 1 (TGFβ₁); and insulin-like growth factor, iso...
Quintero-Moreno A, Miró J, Teresa Rigau A, Rodríguez-Gil JE.The aim of this study was to test the presence of separate sperm subpopulations, with specific motility characteristics, in stallion ejaculates by using a computer-assisted semen motility analysis (CASA) system. Motility data were analyzed with a hierarchical clustering of variables based on a correlation or covariance matrix to select like parameters of sperm motility descriptors that better explain the kinetics of spermatozoa. The statistical analyses clustered the whole motile sperm population in both fresh and 24 h stored ejaculates into four separate groups. There were significant differe...
Abu-Zidan FM, Rao S.Horse riding and handling are uniquely dangerous. Knowledge of the risk factors of horse-related injuries is essential to prevent them. We aimed to define the factors that affect the severity of horse-related injuries and the length of hospital stay. A number of 231 patients (136 females and 95 males) with horse-related injuries were studied. A generalized linear model was used to test the effect of age, sex, cause of injury, complexity of the mechanism of injury, year, place of injury and profession of the injured, on the injury severity score (ISS) and the hospital stay. Fall from a horse wa...
León CA.The purpose of this study was the identification of possible sequelae of the infection of human individuals with Virus of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis (VEE). Special emphasis was laid on exploring neurological, psychological and behavioural aspects and particularly on the search for a possible association of the disease with epileptic phenomena, brain damage and/or mental deficiency. A four-year period of observation was conducted on a sample of children from El Carmelo (Colombia) where an epidemic of VEE took place in 1967. A group of seven children who presented the encephalitic type of th...
Proudman CJ.The records of 200 colic episodes, collected prospectively, over a two year period, from first opinion cases, were analysed and compared with a control sample selected at random from the same population. Analysis by colic type revealed 72% spasmodic/undiagnosed; 7% surgical; 5.5% flatulent; 5% pelvic flexure impactions; 9.5% other implications and 1% colitis. A possible predisposing cause was identified in 43% of the spasmodic/undiagnosed cases. The total incidence of colic in each age group showed no statistically significant differences from the control population. Stallions were significant...
Argo CM, Curtis GC, Grove-White D, Dugdale AH, Barfoot CF, Harris PA.Evidence-based, weight loss management advice is required to address equine obesity. Changes in body mass (BM), body condition score (BCS), heart (HG) and belly circumference (BG), direct (ultrasonographic) and indirect (D(2)O dilution, bioelectrical impedance analysis [BIA]) measures of body fat as well as indices of insulin resistance (IR) were monitored in 12 overweight (BCS ≥ 7/9) horses and ponies of mixed breed and gender for 16 weeks. Animals were randomly assigned to two groups (Group 1, n=6, BCS 7.6/9 ± 0.6, 489 ± 184.6 kg; Group 2, n=6, BCS 8.1/9 ± 0.6, 479 ± 191.5 kg). Daily d...
Pascoe JR, Ferraro GL, Cannon JH, Arthur RM, Wheat JD.Of 235 Thoroughbred racehorses examined with a flexible fiberoptic endoscope within 2 hours of racing to determine the frequency of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), 103 (43.8%) had various degrees of hemorrhage in the tracheal lumen. Two of these horses (0.8%) subsequently had blood flow from the nostrils. Blood seemed to originate from the lung. Statistical analysis of frequency data for 191 horses which finished in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places did not show any relationship between EIPH and horse's age, sex, or finishing position. However, a trend toward an increased frequency of EIP...
Zimmerman M, Dyson S, Murray R.There has been no objective study comparing radiological features of spinous processes (SPs) in the thoracolumbar region and/or scintigraphic findings with clinical signs. Objective: To investigate the relationship between the presence or absence of clinical signs of back pain and: 1) radiological findings of close, impinging or overriding SPs; 2) increased radiopharmaceutical uptake (IRU) in the SPs; and 3) the combination of radiological findings and IRU. Also to determine the prevalence of concurrent osseous pathology. Methods: Five-hundred and eighty-two horses, presented for perceived bac...
Estberg L, Stover SM, Gardner IA, Johnson BJ, Case JT, Ardans A, Read DH, Anderson ML, Barr BC, Daft BM, Kinde H, Moore J, Stoltz J, Woods LW.To characterize and contrast data from Thoroughbreds that incurred a fatal musculoskeletal injury (FMI; injury resulting in death or euthanasia) during racing or training and data from all California race entrants during a 9-month period in 1991. Methods: Case-control study. Methods: Thoroughbreds that incurred a FMI during racing or training at a California race-meet and all California race entrants from January through June and October through December 1991. Methods: Age and sex were compared with chi 2 and Fisher's exact tests among horses fatally injured while racing and training. A log-li...
Boemer F, Detilleux J, Cello C, Amory H, Marcillaud-Pitel C, Richard E, van Galen G, van Loon G, Lefère L, Votion DM.Equine atypical myopathy (AM) is caused by hypoglycin A intoxication and is characterized by a high fatality rate. Predictive estimation of survival in AM horses is necessary to prevent unnecessary suffering of animals that are unlikely to survive and to focus supportive therapy on horses with a possible favourable prognosis of survival. We hypothesized that outcome may be predicted early in the course of disease based on the assumption that the acylcarnitine profile reflects the derangement of muscle energetics. We developed a statistical model to prognosticate the risk of death of diseased a...
Marti E, Gerber H, Essich G, Oulehla J, Lazary S.The genetic influence on chronic hypersensitivity bronchitis (CB) was investigated in families at two studs and among half-siblings of three affected and three non-affected sires at several farms. The family members at the two studs were born and raised under the same conditions, whereas the half-siblings were kept individually under very different conditions and were exposed to various environmental factors. The diagnosis was based on long-term observations and multiple clinical examinations at each of the two studs. In the half-sibling group, the diagnosis was based on the individual history...
Merkies K, Ready C, Farkas L, Hodder A.Physiological changes provide indices of stress responses, however, behavioural measures may be easier to determine. Spontaneous eye blink rate has potential as a non-invasive indicator of stress. Eyelid movements, along with heart rate (HR) and behaviour, from 33 horses were evaluated over four treatments: (1) control-horse in its normal paddock environment; (2) feed restriction-feed was withheld at regular feeding time; (3) separation-horse was removed from visual contact with their paddock mates; and (4) startle test-a ball was suddenly thrown on the ground in front of the horse. HR data wa...
Dugdale AH, Obhrai J, Cripps PJ.To determine the mortality rates associated with equine anaesthesia for elective and emergency (colic and non-colic) cases in one equine, university teaching hospital and to investigate the effect of several horse- and anaesthetic-related variables on anaesthetic recovery quality. Methods: Retrospective data analysis. Unassigned: In total, 1416 horses undergoing anaesthesia between May 2010 and December 2013. Methods: Patient information and details of the anaesthetic, recovery period and immediate complications were extracted from an archiving database. Statistical evaluation of factors affec...
Wilk I, Wnuk-Pawlak E, Janczarek I, Kaczmarek B, Dybczyńska M, Przetacznik M.It was assumed that a horse with its rider body weight found in the upper limit may negatively impact the horse's welfare. The objective of this paper was to analyze the differences in body temperature and selected heart rate parameters in horses in response to physical exercise accompanied by various rider's body weight loads. The study was carried out on 12 leisure, 10-15-year-old warmblood geldings. The horses were ridden by two equally qualified riders whose body weights were about 20% and 10% of the average body weight (BW) of the animals (about 470 kg). Each rider rode each of the 12 hor...
Rustin M, Janssens S, Buys N, Gengler N.Genetic parameters for the height at withers, 27 linear type and six linear gait traits were estimated for the Belgian warmblood horse. Observations on 987 mares, mostly 3 years old, were analysed using a multi-trait animal model. The statistical model included appraiser, age and location (date x place of appraisal) as fixed effects. Genetic parameters were estimated using a canonical transformation and an expectation-maximization restricted maximum likelihood algorithm with an additional deceleration step. Estimates of heritability for the 33 linear traits were between 0.15 and 0.55. Heritabi...
Lumsden JH, Rowe R, Mullen K.Reference hematology and biochemistry intervals are presented for a number of variables of clinical interest determined for blood samples obtained from 60 thoroughbred mares, 12 thoroughbred foals and 50 standardbred horses in training. The observations for each variable were examined for outliers and Gaussian distribution. Parametric analysis was used where the observations were Gaussian initially or after any of four transformations, otherwise nonparametric analysis was required for estimation of the 2.5 and 97.5 percentiles. Description of the sample collection procedures, laboratory method...
Casella S, Fazio F, Giannetto C, Giudice E, Piccione G.The modifications of Haptoglobin (Hp), Serum Amyloid A (SAA), Fibrinogen (Fbg) and White Blood Cells (WBCs) were evaluated in 15 Saddle Italian horses. Ten horses were transported covering a distance of about 320 km within 4 h with an average speed of 80 km/h (experimental group) and five horses were not subject to transportation (control group). Blood was collected via jugular venipuncture before the transportation (T0), immediately after the transportation (T1), 12 (T12), 24 (T24) and 48 (T48)hours after the transportation in experimental group and at the same time point in control group. Fo...
Denwood MJ, Love S, Innocent GT, Matthews L, McKendrick IJ, Hillary N, Smith A, Reid SW.The faecal egg count (FEC) is the most widely used means of quantifying the nematode burden of horses, and is frequently used in clinical practice to inform treatment and prevention. The statistical process underlying the FEC is complex, comprising a Poisson counting error process for each sample, compounded with an underlying continuous distribution of means between samples. Being able to quantify the sources of variability contributing to this distribution of means is a necessary step towards providing estimates of statistical power for future FEC and FECRT studies, and may help to improve t...
