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.
Leishman EM, Sahar M, Cieslar S, Darani P, Ellis JL.To properly formulate diets, the ability to accurately estimate feed intake is critical as the amount of feed consumed will influence the amount of nutrients delivered to the animal. Inaccurate intake estimates may lead to under- or over-feeding of nutrients to the animal. Individual differences in equine forage intake are well-known, but predictive equations based on animal and nutritional factors are not comprehensive. The objective of the present study was to consolidate the current body of knowledge in the published literature on voluntary forage DM intake (VFDMI) in equines and conduct a ...
Son JK, De Paz P, Kim J, Sanaei R, Seungho R, Bailey S, Davies HMS.The risk of carpal injury in racehorses may be related to the morphology, yet whether carpal morphologies are set from birth or change through growth remains unclear. Objective: To quantify carpal bone changes through growth. Methods: Twenty privately owned Thoroughbred foals born between January 2022 and May 2023 were radiographed bimonthly from birth to 10 months of age. Imprint training was used to take radiographs safely without chemical restraints. Fifteen individual and 11 relative angular carpal parameters were measured using ImageJ on dorsopalmar radiographs of the carpus at zero degre...
Kwok WH, Leung EMK, Chan RCM, Ho ENM.The Intelligence and Drug Testing Management (IDTM), a system that can enhance drug testing analytics with related horse information and intelligence in a single platform, can help identify and mitigate potential doping and other threats.
Kapusniak A, Nath L, Hebart M, Franklin S.Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is an important cause of exercise-associated fatalities in Thoroughbred racehorses. Equine deaths share similarities with fatalities in human athletes that result from inherited cardiac disease. Whilst genetic causes have been postulated in horses, these have not been confirmed and heritability of SCD has not previously been estimated in Thoroughbred racehorses. Objective: To determine the heritability of SCD in a sample population of Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods: Retrospective case-control study. Methods: Steward and post-mortem reports of Thoroughbred racehorse...
Onouchi S, Yoshida T, Saito S, Atoji Y.We examined the relationship between inherited motor-related conformation and orientation of facial hair whorls in Japanese Kiso horses. Eleven horses were divided into clockwise, counterclockwise, and radial groups according to facial hair whorls. We placed six markers on anatomical landmarks of each lateral side in a horse and measured the height of the landmarks, the distance between adjacent landmarks, and the angle of the adjacent landmarks. In the counterclockwise group, the horses tended to exhibit higher values on the left side than on the right side, and the comparison of the height o...
Wolframm I, Reuter P, Zaharia I, Vernooij J.This study investigated the visual search behavior of equestrian dressage judges at different expertise levels during the assessment of Grand Prix horse-rider combinations. Twenty judges (11 foundational level, 9 advanced level) participated in the study, with their eye movements recorded using Tobii Fusion Eyetracker as they evaluated video recordings of dressage tests. Fixation metrics, namely Total Duration of Fixation (TDF), Average Duration of Fixation (ADF), and Total Number of Fixations (TNF), were analyzed across four Areas of Interest (AOIs): front, back, rider, and horse's feet. Stat...
Tiwari M, Gujar G, Shashank CG, Ponsuksili S.High altitude adapted livestock species (cattle, yak, goat, sheep, and horse) has critical role in the human socioeconomic sphere and acts as good source of animal source products including milk, meat, and leather, among other things. These species sustain production and reproduction even in harsh environments on account of adaptation resulting from continued evolution of beneficial traits. Selection pressure leads to various adaptive strategies in livestock whose footprints are evident at the different genomic sites as the "Selection Signature". Scrutiny of these signatures provides us crucia...
Discepolo DR, Gaare E, Handlos G, Perry EB.Cutaneous pH and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) are commonly utilized measures in dermatological research as they provide information concerning barrier function. The importance of dermal health has become more evident in recent years. Accordingly, the aim of this work was to identify natural fluctuations in the biophysical parameters of healthy equine skin. Cutaneous pH and TEWL was collected on nine mares at 6:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 6:00 PM daily for five days on the nose, withers, girth area, mid-back, and base of tail. Ambient temperature and humidity were measured at each collection. Stat...
Lochner HL, Jaqueth AL, Staniar WB, Martinson KL.The equine industry contributes $74 billion and provides 1.3 million jobs annually to the United States economy. However, limited information is available on the current salaries and benefits of equine professionals. In 2022, an online survey was conducted to assess salaries, benefits, and education levels of equine professionals across several career types in the equine industry. The survey consisted of 38 questions with conditional branching and was distributed through social media and e-newsletters. Survey branching focused on grouping participants by career type into the following categori...
Nunes MM, Gurgel JRC, Munhoz ML, de Giuli V, Carneiro GF, Miragaya MH, Gallelli MF, Guimaraes JD.The aim of this study was to assess the effect of lyophilized freezing extenders, which can be stored at room temperature, on stallion post-thaw sperm total motility (TM). Ejaculates of 28 stallions were frozen with four different extenders: two commercial freezing extenders offered worldwide and two novel lyophilized extenders (STAR and MX3), and two different cryopreservation protocols (CP1 with an equilibration period of 20 min. and CP2 with an equilibration period of 60 min.). The TM was assessed after thaw. Mean TM did not show significant differences between cryopreservation protocols wi...
Bishop RC, Migliorisi A, Holmes JR, Kemper AM, Band M, Austin S, Aldridge B, Wilkins PA.Understanding normal microbial populations within areas of the respiratory tract is essential, as variable regional conditions create different niches for microbial flora, and proliferation of commensal microbes likely contributes to clinical respiratory disease. The objective was to describe microbial population variability between respiratory tract locations in healthy horses. Samples were collected from four healthy adult horses by nasopharyngeal lavage (NPL), transtracheal aspirate (TTA), and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of six distinct regions within the lung. Full-length 16S ribosomal DN...
Means K, Hayden L, Kramer J, McCracken MJ, Reed SK, Wilson DA, Keegan KG.Compensatory vertical head and pelvis movement asymmetry may occur in trotting horses with a primary cause of lameness in one end of the body due to the weight shifting between limbs, leading to apparent combined forelimb and hindlimb lameness (CFHL). Little is known about CFHL patterns observed with body-mounted inertial sensors (BMIS) and regardless of their underlying mechanisms, compensatory and secondary lameness may complicate the definitive identification of the primary causes of lameness. Objective: Determine associations between vertical pelvic movement asymmetry and location of prima...
Bartlett E, Blackwell EJ, Cameron LJ, Hockenhull J.The way horses are trained has implications for equine welfare and training success, yet little is known about the factors that influence horse-owners' choice of training approach (TA). Limited understanding in this area will hinder the development and dissemination of evidence-based training advice to owners. Consequently, this study aims to identify demographic and attitudinal factors that influence horse-owner TA selection. A 22-question online survey collected information from 1,593 horse-owners about their demographics, equestrian activities, goals and beliefs. Participants rated how like...
Sekerel BE, Aliyeva G.Recent advancements in molecular diagnostics have unveiled a multitude of allergen molecules (AMs) associated with animal sensitizations, revealing significant cross- and co-sensitization patterns among these seemingly distinct allergens. Methods: We investigated the sensitization profiles of 120 children, sensitized to at least one of the 14 AMs from cat, dog, or horse using the Alex test, employing correlations and hierarchical clusters to explore relationship between sensitizations. Results: Sensitizations to Fel d 1, Can f 4/5, and Equ c 4 differ from other cat, dog, and horse AM sensitiza...
Reich P, Möller S, Stock KF, Nolte W, von Depka Prondzinski M, Reents R, Kalm E, Kühn C, Thaller G, Falker-Gieske C, Tetens J.Body conformation, including withers height, is a major selection criterion in horse breeding and is associated with other important traits, such as health and performance. However, little is known about the genomic background of equine conformation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to use imputed sequence-level genotypes from up to 4891 German Warmblood horses to identify genomic regions associated with withers height and linear conformation traits. Furthermore, the traits were genetically characterised and putative causal variants for withers height were detected. Results: A genome-wide ...
Haider KM, Focsa C, Decuq C, Esnault B, Lafouge F, Loubet B, Petitprez D, Ciuraru R.Animal manure is considered a valuable organic fertilizer due to its important nutrient content enhancing soil fertility and plant growth in agriculture. Besides its beneficial role as fertilizer, animal manure represents a significant source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), playing a significant role in atmospheric chemistry. Understanding the composition of VOCs Understanding VOCs from animal manure is crucial for assessing their environmental impact, as they can cause air pollution, odors, and harm to human health and ecosystems. Laboratory studies enhance field measurements by providi...
Yokomori T, Tozaki T, Ohnuma A, Ishimaru M, Sato F, Hori Y, Segawa T, Itou T.Retraining retired racehorses for various purposes can help correct behavioral issues. However, ensuring efficiency and preventing accidents present global challenges. Based on the hypothesis that a simple personality assessment could help address these challenges, the present study aimed to identify genetic markers associated with personality. Eight genes were selected from 18 personality-related candidate genes that are orthologs of human personality genes, and their association with personality was verified based on actual behavior. A total of 169 Thoroughbred horses were assessed for their...
Data in briefJune 10, 2024
Volume 55 110603 doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2024.110603
Groot M, Schmidtová D, Fernandes R.This paper presents an archaeozoological dataset listing numbers of identified fragments for domestic cattle, sheep/goat, pig and horse from archaeological sites in the Netherlands dating from the Bronze Age to the Early Medieval period (c. 2000 BC - AD 1050) [1]. In addition to fragment numbers per species, the geo-referenced dataset includes chronological information, site descriptions, and bibliographic references. Data were collected from tables listing numbers of bone fragments per animal species as found in published and unpublished reports. Number of identified bone fragments per animal...
Hardwick JL, Ahern BJ, Crawford KL, Allen KJ, Franklin SH.Yearling laryngeal function (YLF) is frequently assessed at the time of sale and the outcomes of these assessments can have significant economic implications. The YLF of horses that subsequently underwent a prosthetic laryngoplasty (PL) is unknown. Objective: We hypothesised horses with YLF ≥grade II.2 would be at increased risk of requiring PL, compared with YLF <grade II.2. Methods: Case-control. Methods: There were 150 PL cases from 2019 to 2021 with an available yearling post-sale videoendoscopic examination and 600 controls. Two observers unaware of the outcome graded YLF using the H...
Librado P, Tressières G, Chauvey L, Fages A, Khan N, Schiavinato S, Calvière-Tonasso L, Kusliy MA, Gaunitz C, Liu X, Wagner S, Der Sarkissian C....Horses revolutionized human history with fast mobility. However, the timeline between their domestication and their widespread integration as a means of transport remains contentious. Here we assemble a collection of 475 ancient horse genomes to assess the period when these animals were first reshaped by human agency in Eurasia. We find that reproductive control of the modern domestic lineage emerged around 2200 BCE, through close-kin mating and shortened generation times. Reproductive control emerged following a severe domestication bottleneck starting no earlier than approximately 2700 BCE, ...
Silva AH, Lucena JEC, Taran FMP, Cunha DS, Almeida JAT, Lima RS, Dias WS, Santiago JM.This study aimed to compare the digestibility of tropical grasses by horses by the in vivo method using mobile nylon bags with the in vitro digestibility method using horse feces as a source of inoculum. Five horses were used in a 2 × 5 factorial design with randomized blocks featuring two methods (in vivo and in vitro) and five grasses: Tifton 85 hay (Cynodon spp.), sixweeks threeawn grass (Aristida adsencionis, Linn), Alexandergrass (Brachiaria plantaginea (Link) Hitchc.), capim-de-raiz (Chloris orthonoton, Doell), and Sabi grass (Urochloa mosambicensis). No difference (P>0.05) was f...
Kawaida MY, Maas KR, Moore TE, Reiter AS, Tillquist NM, Reed SA.To determine the effects of astaxanthin (ASTX) supplementation on the equine gut microbiota during a deconditioning-reconditioning cycle, 12 polo ponies were assigned to a control (CON; n = 6) or supplemented (ASTX; 75 mg ASTX daily orally; n = 6) group. All horses underwent a 16-week deconditioning period, with no forced exercise, followed by a 16-week reconditioning program where physical activity gradually increased. Fecal samples were obtained at the beginning of the study (Baseline), after deconditioning (PostDecon), after reconditioning (PostRecon), and 16 weeks after the ces...
Albishi AM.Horseback riding requires adapting to constant changes in balance conditions, maintaining equilibrium on the horse, and preventing falls. However, differences in balance performance among horseback riders and non-rider-healthy young women in Saudi Arabia have not been explored. This study investigates whether horseback-rider women would perform better on static and dynamic balance tests than non-rider women. Also, the study examined the effect of years of horseback riding on balance performance in the rider group. Twenty healthy young females participated in the study using a convenience sampl...
Brumund L, Wittenberg-Voges L, Rohn K, Kästner SBR.An accurate risk score that can predict peri-anesthetic morbidity and mortality in equine patients could improve peri-operative management, outcome and client communication. Unassigned: Three hunded horses underwent pre-anesthetic risk assessment using the American Society of Anesthesiologists-Physical Status augmented with equine-specific diseases (ASA-PS-Equine), a multifactorial 10-part rubric risk scale (10-RS), and a combination of both, the Combined horse anesthetic risk identification and optimization tool (CHARIOT). Intra-and post-anesthetic complications, the recovery phase and mortal...
Busechian S, Bindi F, Pieramati C, Orvieto S, Pisello L, Cozzi S, Ortolani F, Rueca F.Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is a worldwide disease, and includes two different syndromes, Equine Squamous Gastric Disease (ESGD), affecting the squamous mucosa, and Equine Glandular Gastric Disease (EGGD), affecting the glandular mucosa. These two diseases are present in different categories (different activities, ages, etc.) and breeds of horses. The effect of sex on gastric health is not clear: some studies found a higher prevalence of ESGD in geldings and stallions, while others found no influence of sex on the squamous mucosa. The few studies conducted on glandular diseases failed...
Miglio A, Falcinelli E, Mezzasoma AM, Busechian S, Rueca F, Gresele P, Antognoni MT.Physical exercise has an activating effect on platelet function that differs between trained and untrained subjects, depending on the type of exercise and training status. In humans, soluble P-selectin (sP-sel) and platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (PEVs) are considered reliable markers of platelet activation during exercise. In untrained humans, they increase after transient physical exercise, whereas long-term training induces a decrease in their resting levels due to an improved ability to adapt to hemodynamic changes. The aim of this study was to assess whether circulating levels of...
Steensma MJ, Doekes HP, Pook T, Derks MFL, Bakker N, Ducro BJ.In the past, small population sizes and unequal ancestor contributions have resulted in high inbreeding rates (ΔF) in the Friesian horse. Two decades ago, the studbook implemented a mating quota and started publishing individual kinships and reduced ΔF below 1% per generation. However, since then, the breeding population size has decreased and this raises the question whether current breeding strategies are sufficient to keep ΔF below desired rates. The aim of this study was to (1) reflect on past inbreeding trends and their main determinants, using pedigree analysis and (2) evaluate the ef...
Rusenova N, Rusenov A, Chervenkov M, Sirakov I.The aim of this study was to analyze the seroprevalence of West Nile virus (WNV) among equids in Bulgaria, confirm the results of a competitive ELISA versus the virus neutralization test (VNT) and investigate some predisposing factors for WNV seropositivity. A total of 378 serum samples from 15 provinces in northern and southern Bulgaria were tested. The samples originated from 314 horses and 64 donkeys, 135 males and 243 females, aged from 1 to 30 years. IgG and IgM antibodies against WNV protein E were detected by ELISA. ELISA-positive samples were additionally tested via VNT for WNV and Usu...
Greppi M, Bordin C, Raspa F, Maccone E, Harris P, Ellis AD, Cavallini D, Bergero D, Valle E.Slow feeding devices (SFDs) are useful tools in order to improve the horse well-being and to reduce wastage, but their use may result in unnatural posture during feeding and frustration behaviours. Moreover, it may be important to evaluate the laterality during feeding. The aim of the study was to investigate ponies' feeding behaviour (i.e., lateralisation, frustration, postural eating style) with different hay feeding methods: on the ground (G), a fully filled hay net (HF), a partially filled hay net (HL), and a slow feeder hay box (HB). Nine ponies of two different breed types (Shetland and ...
Baldwin CM, Ireland JL, Barakzai SZ.There is no objective information reporting the effect of unilateral laser ventriculocordectomy (VeC) on arytenoid abduction or stability. Objective: To evaluate arytenoid stability and abduction in horses with severe recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) before and after unilateral laser VeC. Methods: Prospective cohort. Methods: Eight horses with grade C or D exercising laryngeal function that underwent unilateral laser VeC were included. Exercising endoscopy was performed before and ≥6 weeks after left-sided laser VeC. Arytenoid stability at maximal exercise was calculated by measuring t...
Jordan KV, Drouillard JS, Douthit TL, Lattimer JM.Eight cecally cannulated Quarter Horses were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square experiment conducted in four 14-d periods to determine effects of sodium caseinate (casein) on hindgut fermentation and fiber digestion. During each period, horses were assigned to one of four treatments consisting of control (water; CON), 0.125 g casein/kg BW (LOW), 0.25 g casein/kg BW (MED), or 0.5 g casein/kg BW (HI). Casein was solubilized in 800 mL water and dosed directly into the cecum at 0700 and 1900 hours using a metal dosing syringe. Smooth Bromegrass hay (CP 8.50%), water, and salt were provided a...
Doherr MG, Carpenter TE, Wilson WD, Gardner IA.Potential biases introduced by the use of hospital admission records have rarely been discussed in the veterinary literature. Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) patient records kept at the University of California, Davis (UCD) School of Veterinary Medicine provide a unique opportunity to perform in-depth analyses on the effect of different control selection (sampling) techniques on odds ratio (OR) estimates for disease risk factors in a retrospective case-control study. Horses with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis abscesses (134) and the (secondary) study base population (source for...
Byron M, Lection J, Foster RA, Chenier T, Wagner B, Diel de Amorim M.Prostaglandins have many roles in the equine reproductive tract, including but not limited to luteolysis, luteal support, ovulation, transport through the uterine tube, uterine contraction, embryonic mobility, inflammation, and fibrosis. Altered secretion of inflammatory proteins are likely to disrupt the balance of endometrial function and could impair fertility. Our overall goal was to measure the expression of several prostaglandin- and inflammation-related genes in mares with different degrees of endometrial histological changes. Our hypothesis was that mares with neutrophilic and lymphocy...
Carvalho Filho WP, Souto PC, Orozco AMO, Jiménez AKA, Girardi FM, Bento LD, Fonseca LAD.Horse transport is a common practice and is usually associated as a cause of stress in animals, with consequences for their well-being. There are several of evidence that stress can increase an acute phase response. The aim of this study was to verify whether the road transport of horses over distances of 50 and 300 kilometers induces changes in the values of acute phase proteins. To do this, the serum SDS-PAGE was performed and the bands obtained were identified by mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). The blood samples were collected in tubes without anticoagulant to obtain the serum, and the evalu...
Hunt WF, Thomas VG, Stiefel W.Studies of growth and conformation require statistical methods that are not applicable to subjective conformation standards used by breeders and trainers. A new system was developed to provide an objective approach for both science and industry, based on analysis of video images to measure aspects of conformation that were represented by angles or lengths. A studio crush was developed in which video images of horses of different sizes were taken after bone protuberances, located by palpation, were marked with white paper stickers. Screen pixel coordinates of calibration marks, bone markers and...
Gehlen H, Marnette S, Rohn K, Kreienbrock L, Stadler P.Echocardiographic measurements have to be reliable and reproducible with only a low day to day variability for detecting pathological changes of left ventricular myocardial function in horses. The day dependent fluctuation margin represents an important indicator for the reproducibility of a method. To find out the day to day variability of echocardiographic parameter in healthy warmblood horses, in the present study repeated echocardiographic measurements at three consecutive days were carried out (at the same time and by the same examiner) at 11 untrained and 7 trained warmblood horses. The ...
Vörös K, Holmes JR, Gibbs C.This study was performed on 15 horses to validate the cardiac anatomy as imaged with two dimensional echocardiography (2DE) and to determine the accuracy of intracardiac measurements. 2DE images were recorded in five horses in life with a Diasonics DRF100 ultrasound system and a 3.5 MHz transducer in different tomographic planes. After slaughter, the hearts were fixed in 10 per cent formalin. To compare in vivo and in vitro results, the specimens were suspended in a water-filled tank and 2DE images were made using the same transducer positions as in life. In vitro 2DE and autopsy measurements ...
Baldwin JL, Cooper WL, Vanderwall DK, Erb HN.Serum samples for determination of IgG concentration were obtained between postpartum hours 18 and 48 from 132 Standardbred foals. Results of the IgG assay were not known to farm personnel. None of the foals was given plasma IV for treatment of hypogammaglobulinemia. Foal health records were examined retrospectively to determine prevalence of infectious-type illness (foal treatment days [FTD]), prevalence of life-threatening infectious illness (foal treatment days-serious condition [FTD-SC]), and number of diseases (NOD) per foal. Values for FTD, FTD-SC, and NOD per foal were compiled for the ...
Suontama M, van der Werf JH, Juga J, Ojala M.Heritability and repeatability and genetic and phenotypic correlations were estimated for trotting race records with linear and generalized linear models using 510,519 records on 17,792 Finnhorses and 513,161 records on 25,536 Standardbred trotters. Heritability and repeatability were estimated for single racing time and earnings traits with linear models, and logarithmic scale was used for racing time and fourth-root scale for earnings to correct for nonnormality. Generalized linear models with a gamma distribution were applied for single racing time and with a multinomial distribution for si...
Cao X, Vidyashankar AN, Nielsen MK.Decades of intensive anthelmintic treatment has caused equine large strongyles to become quite rare, while the cyathostomins have developed resistance to several drug classes. The larval culture has been associated with low to moderate negative predictive values for detecting Strongylus vulgaris infection. It is unknown whether detection of other large strongyle species can be statistically associated with presence of S. vulgaris. This remains a statistical challenge because of the rare occurrence of large strongyle species. This study used a modified Poisson regression to analyse a dataset fo...
Lee H, Campbell WD, Theis KM, Canning ME, Ennis HY, Jackson RL, Hanson RR.Fresh and frozen cartilage samples of the fetlock, carpus, and stifle were collected from 12 deceased horses. Half were measured immediately following extraction, and half were frozen for seven days and then measured. Seven indentations (various normalized displacements) were implemented with an indention rate of 0.1 mm/s. Solid phase aggregate modulus (Es), hyperelastic material constant (α), and fluid load fraction (F') of equine articular cartilage were assessed using the Ogden hyperelastic model. The properties were statistically compared in various joints (fetlock, carpus, and stifle),...
Razavizadeh AT, Mashhadi AG, Paphan AA.An observational field study was performed on a well-know purebred horses in Iran (Khozestan-Arab horse). The study was conducted on 105 apparently healthy horses. To find the prevalence of cardiac dysrhythmias in different sexes and ages, the horses were divided into 2 sexes (63 females and 42 males) and three age groups (0-4, 4-8, > 8 years old). After taking the history and performing clinical examination, ECG was obtained on a base apex lead system with the paper speed of 25 mm sec(-1) and sensitivity of 10 or 5 mm mv(-1) at rest. The electrocardiograms were evaluated according to the c...
Carr EA, Spier SJ, Kortz GD, Hoffman EP.Evaluate histories, clinical signs, and laboratory data of 69 horses homozygous by DNA testing for hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HPP). Methods: Cohort study. Methods: 69 of 189 horses testing homozygous for HPP between October 1992 and November 1994. Methods: Questionnaires addressing signalment, training regimes, medical history, and current status of affected horses were sent to owners, trainers, or attending veterinarians. Data from completed questionnaires were tabulated and evaluated, using descriptive statistics. Results: Sixty-nine (37%) of 189 questionnaires were completed and retur...
Romness N, Fenner K, McKenzie J, Anzulewicz A, Burattini B, Wilson B, McGreevy P.An evidence-based understanding of dangerous or unwelcome behaviour in horses would greatly benefit both horses and humans who interact with them. Using owner-reported data from the Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ), the current study investigated in-hand behaviours associated with dangerous or unwelcome ridden behaviours, notably bolting, rearing and bucking. Respondents ( = 1584) to the ridden horse section of the E-BARQ answered 42 demographic questions, followed by 268 behavioural items. Parallel analysis was conducted to group individual behaviours into rotat...
Bokor A, Blouin C, Langlois B.The aim of this study was to detect Thoroughbred mare families and sire lines, in France, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, whose offspring may be successful in steeplechase races and can be recommended therefore for sport horse breeding. Race results were collected from all steeplechase races in these countries between 1998 and 2003, which contained the results of 17,355 horses from 12,861 dams and 2452 sires. In France, non-Thoroughbred horses were also included in the analysis because they race and mate together with Thoroughbreds. Performance was measured with two criteria: earnings and r...
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...
Bartolomé E, Milho S, Prazeres J.The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) ranks horses participating in dressage tests resulting in a prestigious list where equestrians would like to see their horses ranked. The main objective of this study was to analyze morphological and genealogical differences between Lusitano horses (LPB) participating at international events and those ranked by FEI, considering pedigree information. For this study, 324 LPB participating in dressage competitions were analyzed. Thirty-two were ranked at FEI. The pedigree was reconstructed up to 1148 animals. For analyses, the complete pedigree (CP) a...
Mokry A, Van de Water E, Politiek HT, van Doorn DA, Pille F, Oosterlinck M.Dynamic load distribution and landing patterns play an important role in equine orthopaedics. The aim of this study was to analyse dynamic load distribution and hoof landing patterns of sound Standardbreds. Twenty-four sound, unshod Standardbreds were walked and trotted over a pressure plate to obtain the peak vertical force (PVF), vertical impulse (VI) and stance time (ST) of both forelimbs. Asymmetry indices between both forelimbs were calculated and the dynamic medio-lateral and toe-heel load distribution of the forelimbs were compared between normal, toed-in and toed-out horses. The hoof l...
Bush AM, Westneat S, Browning SR, Swanberg J.Occupational illnesses are inadequately reported for agriculture, an industry dominated by a vulnerable Hispanic population and high fatal and nonfatal injury rates. Work-related illnesses can contribute to missed work, caused by a combination of personal and work factors, with costs to the individual, employer, and society. To better understand agricultural occupational illnesses, 225 Hispanic horse workers were interviewed via community-based convenience sampling. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and log binomial regression modeling were used to: (1) describe the prevalence of mis...
Bornmann T, Williams J, Richardson K.The impact of head and neck position (HNP) on horse welfare has received much attention in the scientific literature within the last two decades. Studies have identified physiological and behavioral signs of distress in horses ridden for prolonged time in an HNP with their noseline behind the vertical (BTV), which may compromise their welfare. The objective of this study was to compare potential differences of HNPs shown in horse sales photographs advertised in an Australian horse sales magazine (Horse Deals) from the years 2005 and 2018. In addition, factors potentially impacting HNPs, such a...
De Lille AJ, Silvers ML, Cadario ME, Tran TQ, Cage CL, LeBlanc MM.The effects of the sedatives xylazine (predominantly alpha2 agonist) and acepromazine (predominantly alpha1 antagonist) and their influence on intrauterine pressure were measured in four reproductively normal mares and four mares with delayed uterine clearance. Intrauterine pressure was measured in each mare during oestrus for three 100 min periods using an 8-F catheter with three discrete pressure sensors. After 10 min of baseline recording, xylazine, acepromazine or saline was administered i.v. Oxytocin was administered i.v. after a further 30 min, and pressure recordings were continued for ...
Ghezelsoflou H, Hamidi P, Gharahveysi S.The Iranian Turkoman horse is considered one of the major categories of Iranian native horses. The aim of this research was to study the genetic and nongenetic factors affecting body conformation traits in Iranian Turkoman horses. For this, measurements were performed on body conformation traits of 121 horses. To study the effect of nongenetic factors, the Lsmeans procedure was used. Variance components and heritability were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood method (REML) and AI-REML convergence algorithm. The standard deviation was estimated to be 7.04 cm for croup depth and 2.08 cm ...
Dixon JB, Savage M, Wattret A, Taylor P, Ross G, Carter SD, Kelly DF, Haywood S, Phythian C, Macintyre AR, Bell SC, Knottenbelt DC, Green JR.A condition resembling acquired immunodeficiency with anemia has been described in British Fell pony foals. The pathogenesis is unknown. The present study involved 322 foals of which 164 were of Fell breed and 12 were affected. Discriminant and multiple regression analyses were used to test the results of all clinical pathology parameters from these foals for statistical association with (1) breed origin and (2) presence of disease. Only hematocrit associated significantly with presence of disease. However, significant associations were found with Fell breed origin, including serum albumin con...
Lançoni R, Celeghini ECC, Gonella-Diaza AM, Júnior VG, de Carvalho CPT, Zoca GB, Garcia-Oliveros LN, Batissaco L, Oliveira LZ, de Arruda RP.This study aimed to assess the semen ubiquitin levels of stallions with good (GF) and poor semen freezability (PF) and to evaluate the relationship between sperm ubiquitination and sperm morphological defects. Five ejaculates from eight adult stallions (n = 40) were collected and cryopreserved. Then, the ubiquitin level in equine sperm cells was assessed by immunohistochemistry with epifluorescence microscopy, and sperm morphology was assessed by differential interference contrast microscopy. Sperm cells were classified according to the intensity (classification 1: from I to IV; I = very l...
Dymock DC, Pauwels FE.To describe key morphological attributes of the third metacarpal bone (Mc3) of horses and to determine whether or not the symmetry of the Mc3 varied significantly between limbs of the same horse. Methods: Ten pairs of metacarpi were collected from slaughter facilities. The age and breed of the horses were recorded. Fixed points and axes that could be easily reproduced between bones were identified on high-quality photographic images of each bone. Using image analysis, three angles were measured. Angle gamma measured the rotation around the long axis of the diaphysis of Mc3, angle delta the ang...
Kozelek P, Holcik J, Sedlinska M.The paper describes experiments and their results that offered an insight to relationship between RR and QT intervals in equine ECG signals recorded under various conditions. In contrast to human heart in a great number of cases the QT intervals prolonged with a heart rate acceleration. Peak-to-peak differences between maximum and minimum RR intervals during the excitation response in non-standard responses were twice as smaller as in standard responses and the lengths of QT intervals were significantly longer in the non-standard records. This fact means that the electrical processes in equine...
Hopster K, Hurcombe SDA.Bioreactance is the continuous analysis of transthoracic voltage variation in response to an applied high frequency transthoracic current and was recently introduced for non-invasive cardiac output measurement (NICOM). We evaluated NICOM compared to thermodilution (TD) in adult horses. Six healthy horses were used for this prospective, blinded, experimental study. Cardiac output (CO) measurements were performed simultaneously using TD and the bioreactance method. Different cardiac output scenarios were established using xylazine (0.5 mg/kg IV) and dobutamine (1.5-3 mcg/kg/min). Statistical ana...
Colahan PT, Savage KA, Tebbett IR, Rice BL, Jackson CA, Freshwater L.Adrenergic activity accompanies intense exercise and mediates physiological and metabolic responses to exercise. Guanabenz, an antihypertensive drug marketed for human usage, depresses brain vasomotor and cardioaccelerator centres, blocks peripherally adrenergic neurons and is reportedly used as a calming agent in horses but little is known of its effects in the species. Objective: To determine if guanabenz induces measurable signs of adrenergic suppression on fit Thoroughbred horses undergoing intense exercise. Methods: In a random crossover design, 12 exercise conditioned Thoroughbred horses...
