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.
Jones RS, Lawrence TL, Veevers A, Cleave N, Hall J.Fifty-three horses, all but two of them over two years of age and varying in type, sex and liveweight (230 to 707 kg) were weighed and seven different body measurements were recorded in duplicate by a single operator. The best overall prediction of liveweight using an equation with two variables was found to be: liveweight (kg) = (umbilical girth [cm])1.78 X (length of body from tuber ischii to elbow [cm]0.97/3011). This equation had an adjusted R2 value of 94.9 per cent and was derived from the pooled data, because differences of sex, type and weight did not significantly affect the relations...
Copland VS, Hildebrand SV, Hill T, Wong P, Brock N.Blood pressure during anesthesia and surgery was compared for 2 groups of horses. Group A, consisting of 23 horses, had a tourniquet placed on the distal portion of a limb. The other group of 20 horses (group B) had surgery of comparable nature and duration as did group-A horses, but a tourniquet was not used. There was a statistical difference (P less than 0.05) in the peak systolic arterial blood pressure between the groups; group-A horses had a mean (+/- SEM) peak of 151 +/- 6 mm of Hg and group-B horses had a peak of 118 +/- 4 mm of Hg. In addition, group-A horses had immediate decrease in...
Craig AM, Blythe LL, Lassen ED, Rowe KE, Barrington R, Slizeski M.Fluctuations of serum vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), cholesterol, and total lipids were monitored in 12 horses at 3-hour intervals for 72 hours. Mean coefficients of variation were 12, 5, and 15%, respectively. Statistical analyses were used to conclude that instrumentation error was accountable for only a small portion of the vitamin E variation. Results indicated that a single serum sample assay is an unsatisfactory indicator of vitamin E status in horses. These data have clinical application in the evaluation of horses suspected to be affected with equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy. Th...
Berndtson WE.Data from testes of 16, 2- to 3-yr-old stallions and 34 yearling beef bulls were utilized in a components of variance approach to calculate the number of observations required per testis and(or) the number of animals required per treatment group to provide experiments of known sensitivity and precision, where treatment was to be assessed by one of several endpoints. The latter included paired testes weight, seminiferous tubular diameter, the number of germ cells per seminiferous tubular cross-section, or the number of elongated spermatids per gram of testicular parenchyma or per testis. For al...
Bianchi M.In 13 horses from both sexes, between 5 months and 18 years of age, in good nutritional state, statistical evaluations of fat cell sizes were performed in 16 body regions. From direct and indirect measurements referred to the cell diameter and cell number in equivalent areas, carried out on sections from paraffin embedded material and on preparations of dissociated whole cells, it emerged that the adipose cells of the subserous fat of the abdominal floor are consistently the largest, whereas those of the orbital fat body and supraorbital fossa are the smallest. In the other regions the cells h...
McMurphy RM, Cribb PH.This study was designed to investigate the effect of the nasotracheal insufflation of oxygen at a flow rate of 15 L/min on the arterial partial pressure of oxygen during the recovery period following inhalation anesthesia in the horse. It has been stated that this is a suitable flow rate to prevent postoperative hypoxemia but without any experimental evidence to support those statements. Horses being used for the study of healing of cartilage were anesthetized on two separate occasions. Following one period of anesthesia they were allowed to recover breathing room air, and following the other ...
Irvine CH, Alexander SL.Pituitary venous blood was collected by a painless nonsurgical cannulation method from five ambulatory stallions at 5-min intervals for 5-6 h during the breeding season. In four adult stallions, statistical analysis showed that pulses of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and LH were coincident (P less than 0.01), as were pulses of FSH and LH (P less than 0.05). Furthermore, the patterns of changes in concentration of FSH and LH were highly correlated in each of the four stallions. However, seemingly ineffective pulses of GnRH were also observed, with 28% of GnRH pulses failing to induce a...
Cribb PH.Forty-five horses were maintained on halothane or isoflurane anesthesia for at least 90 minutes and received positive pressure ventilation after the first 30 minutes of anesthesia. Parameters monitored included end-tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide (ETPCO2), arterial blood pressure, and arterial blood gases and pH. There was a statistically significant correlation between end-tidal carbon dioxide and arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) for both halothane and isoflurane anesthesia. There was no significant correlation between end-tidal carbon dioxide and either body weigh...
Ralston JM, Stenhouse AM, Stenhouse NS, Buck GJ, Lucks SF, Reynoldson JA, Bolton JR.A survey of the concentrations of cortisol in blood and urine samples taken from thoroughbred and standardbred horses after racing is presented. Statistical analysis showed the only significant difference between thoroughbred and standardbred horses was a higher cortisol concentration in thoroughbred urine. Urine volume and pH had no significant influence on the urinary cortisol concentration, however 9.5% of the urinary cortisol variation could be explained due to the influence of plasma cortisol concentration. The results of cortisol and ACTH administrations are also shown and compared with ...
Denny JE.Horses receiving a pelleted or cubed dietary supplementation with roughage, have serum inorganic phosphate (SIP) concentrations consistently below an accepted mean of 1,032 mmol l-1 or 3, 1 mg dl-1. Further, it has been reported that the best eight, two-year-old Irish Thoroughbred track performers of 51 horses tested over a 10 month period, had significantly lower SIP concentrations than the worst eight track performers. In an endeavour to assess any nutritive effect on SIP concentrations and also to assess any effect of SIP concentrations on track performance, metabolic blood profiles from 30...
Leach DH, Sprigings EJ, Laverty WH.Standard univariate and bivariate statistical methods and two multivariate methods, stepwise regression and factor analyses, were used to analyze 17 stride-timing measurements of 22 racing Thoroughbreds filmed at the beginning of races. All horses were in a right-lead transverse gallop. Data were extracted from frame-by-frame analysis of 16-mm film taken with a high-speed camera. The mean stride duration was 0.405 s and the mean stride frequency was 2.47 strides/s. Stride duration had a higher correlation to the suspension-phase duration (r = 0.864) than to stride-stance-phase duration (r = 0....
von Segesser L, Jornod N, Faidutti B.The risk of repeat sternotomy is higher than that of the initial sternotomy, especially if the pericardial sac was left open at the first intervention. In 200 consecutive patients with a pericardial defect after open heart operations, the pericardium was closed with a glutaraldehyde-preserved equine pericardial patch. Precardiac adhesions at reoperation were assessed in four groups of patients on a scale of 6, ranging from 0 (no adhesions) to 5 (calcified or ossified adhesions). Group I comprised 13 patients in whom the pericardium was left open at the first operation and an equine pericardial...
Fuchs R, Militz H, Hoffmann M.The ascertainment of the digestibility of crude nutrients in rations for horses requires the inclusion of movement-based performance as influencing factor. Under the consideration of this requirement, indicator methods gain significance in comparison with the standard method of collecting faeces completely. In two experiments the digestion of the crude nutrients in rations for horses was tested according to the standard method (complete collection of faeces) and the indicator method 4 N HCl-insoluble ash). According to the indicator method the digestibility of crude nutrients was slightly high...
Andersson L, Arnason T, Sandberg K.Investigations on relationships between biochemical polymorphism and variation in quantitative traits are of interest from the perspectives of both theoretical quantitative genetics and practical animal breeding. This subject was studied by using racing performance records of more than 25,000 horses of the Swedish Trotter breed born in the period 1970-1979. For all horses data on six blood group and nine electrophoretic loci were available. Two different performance traits were investigated. A racing performance index value was calculated for all individuals which had started in at least five ...
Pascoe RR, Pascoe DR, Wilson MC.Between 1982 and 1985, 1015 mares were evaluated using the following parameters: age, mare status (maiden, barren, lactating), Caslick index, Caslick operation, ovarian cycle, ovarian and follicular size, treatments (hCG and intrauterine infusions), number of ovulations after mating (184 mares), number of conceptuses present, dimensions of embryonic vesicles, and pregnancy status 45 days after mating. Mares were examined ultrasonographically between Days 12 and 25 to detect the presence of embryonic vesicles and measure the dimensions of each vesicle. The data were analysed by a stepwise logis...
Hodson NP, Wright JA, Hunt J.Plasma levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol and catecholamines were used to study the role of the sympatho-adrenal system in equine grass sickness. Statistical evaluation determined differences of hormone levels between seven horses with grass sickness (one acute, five subacute and one chronic), six horses with colic (one with laminitis) and 16 control horses before and after mild stress. Plasma levels of the hormones were higher in horses with acute and subacute grass sickness than in the other groups. No differences were detected between horses with colic and stressed contr...
O'Callaghan MW.This study was initiated to determine the accuracy of M-mode echocardiography in measuring left ventricular dimensions and estimating heart weights in horses. Left ventricular free wall and interventricular septal thickness and left ventricular external and internal diameters were measured and heart weights estimated from the echocardiograms of 47 horses. Autopsy measurements of the same parameters were then recorded. Statistical comparison of the data demonstrated: (1) Systolic measurements of wall thickness more closely resembled the heart in death than the diastolic measurements; (2) good c...
Goulden BE, Anderson LJ, Cahill JI.An endoscopic survey was performed to assess arytenoid cartilage movement during quiet respiration in 48 Clydesdale horses. Physical characteristics which could influence the length of the recurrent laryngeal nerves were also recorded from these horses and the relationship of these characteristics to the presence of abnormal left arytenoid cartilage movements was assessed statistically. Some degree of abnormal arytenoid movement was observed in 50% of the animals over one year of age. No significant correlation between sex, age, estimated weight, height, or neck length could be found although ...
Soma LR, Laster L, Oppenlander F, Barr-Alderfer V.In 3 groups of horses with exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), comparisons of racing times and finishing positions were made between the 5 races before the horses were given furosemide and 5 races after furosemide administration. The horses were grouped according to 3 methods used to diagnose EIPH: group 1, observation of hemorrhage at the nostrils within 1 hour after a workout or race; group 2, observation of pulmonary hemorrhage only by endoscopic examination after a race or workout; and group 3, observation of hemorrhage at the nostrils during a race or immediately after a race. G...
Kovár J.Single biochemical analyses can be used for the diagnosis of animal diseases only with the knowledge of the effects that may distort the single result. The study of the repeatability of analyses is described in the four basic enzymes (AST, ALP, GMT, LD), which are most frequently used for diagnosis. The experiment was conducted in a group of ten Kladrub mares. Six blood samples were taken from each of the mares within ten days. The measured values were subjected to statistical processing and repeatability coefficients (r op) were calculated. All the r op values were high (ALP--0.96, LD--0.93, ...
Tolley EA, Notter DR, Marlowe TJ.Repeatabilities (t) and heritabilities (h2) of racing time were estimated from data on 7,206 2- and 3-yr-old Standardbred pacers and trotters competing in 1-mile (1.6 km) charted races at six tracks between 1975 and 1978. A total of 38,487 records representing 2,387 sire progeny groups were divided into subsets by gait, age and track. Initially, the designation "class of race" was recognized as a subjective categorization that reflected nonrandom assignments of horses to races. After extensive investigation, we concluded that racing times should be adjusted by linear regression for the time of...
Pascoe PJ, McDonell WN, Trim CM, Van Gorder J.A retrospective survey of 300 surgical treatments for colic involving 341 interventions was carried out to determine mortality rates and associated factors. These horses had been referred to the Ontario Veterinary College over the period September 1974 to February 1980. Data from the case records was collected and stored on a computer and statistical analysis was carried out using X(2) tests.Fifty percent (150/300) of the horses survived to be discharged from the hospital. Fifty-two horses were euthanized during the operation and another ten horses should have been; if these cases are excluded...
Reiffsteck A, Dehennin L, Scholler R.Estrone, 2-methoxyestrone and estradiol-17 beta have been definitely identified in seminal plasma of man, bull, boar and stallion by high resolution gas chromatography associated with selective monitoring of characteristic ions of suitable derivatives. Quantitative estimations were performed by isotope dilution with deuterated analogues and by monitoring molecular ions of trimethylsilyl ethers of labelled and unlabelled compounds. Concentrations of unconjugated and total estrogens are reported together with the statistical evaluation of accuracy and precision.
Raphel CF.A flexible fiberoptic endoscope was used to examine the upper respiratory tract of 479 horses and 41 (8.6%) had abnormalities. Pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia (PLH) was found in 141 horses (29.5%). Statistical analysis showed a relationship between the age of the horse and the prevalence of PLH. Sixteen (3.3%), 10 (2.1%), and 6 (1.3%), of the horses had laryngeal hemiplegia, epiglottic entrapment, and dorsal displacement of the soft palate, respectively. There was no association between the age of the horse and the prevalence of any of these abnormalities; nor was there a positive correlation ...
Raphel CF, Soma LR.Thoroughbred horses (n = 191) were examined with a flexible fiberoptic endoscope within 2 hours of racing on a dirt track; 147 (75.4%) had evidence of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), and 13 (9.0%) had blood at the nostrils. Of 107 Thoroughbreds examined within the same period after breezing, 41 (38.3%) had evidence of EIPH. One horse (2.4%) of this group had blood at the nostrils. Statistical analysis of frequency data showed that a relationship existed between EIPH and the horse's age or distance raced or breezed. Relationship did not exist between EIPH and sex or finishing posi...
Rose RJ.Blood counts and noradrenaline estimations were performed in 14 horses competing in a 160 km endurance ride. Samples were collected before the ride, immediately after the ride. 30 minutes after the ride and the day after the ride. For statistical analysis, a group of seven horses that completed the ride at a mean speed of 234 m/minute (fast group) was compared with seven horses that completed the ride at a mean speed of 144 m/minute (slow group). Immediately after the ride the fast group of horses had higher packed cell volume, haemoglobin, neutrophils and lower lymphocyte counts than the slow...
Strigazzi A, Bianchi M.The dimensional distributions of the adipocytes in Equus caballus in many subjects and in many regions have been studied: such distributions turn out to be in good approximation galtonian ones. Furthermore, all the logarithm populations of the cell diameters have significantly the same variance. The used statistical methods (ANOVA two way with replications, and TUKEY -test) indicate an extremely significant different among the various regions (the smallest cells are in the supra-orbital fossa, the greatest ones are in the abdominal subserous floor).
Martins NA, Patterson Rosa L, Frank MI, Dellbrigge CF, Marafon WL, Paz LB, Schmidt CH, De La Côrte FD.The Criollo horse is prized for its endurance, yet its specific biomechanical signatures remain under-researched. This study investigated diagonal dissociation and support patterns in eleven clinically sound Criollo horses to understand the influence of head and neck position (HNP), surface compliance, and morphometry. Using high-speed video (120 fps) and kinematic analysis, we found that diagonal dissociation occurred in 85.24% of hoof contacts, while HNP1 showed a higher frequency of positive (hindlimb-first) dissociation and HNP2 had a higher incidence of negative (forelimb-first) dissociat...
Kovács M, Hegedűs B, Mihók S, Knop R, Szabó C, Posta J.The conservation of genetic diversity in historically structured horse breeds requires fi-ne-scale population genetic evaluation beyond conventional pedigree-based approaches. The present study assessed genetic diversity, population structure, and mare family differentiation in a Lipizzan horse population using 16 ISAG/FAO-recommended microsatellite markers. A total of 172 mares representing 29 mare families were genotyped. All loci were polymorphic, with a mean number of alleles per locus of 6.69 and a mean effective number of alleles of 3.56. The average polymorphism information content (PIC...
Vaz IS, Silva MB, Maran AP, Almeida MER, Guimarães EC, Cuervo-Arango J, Silva ESM.The duration of endometrial edema has been positively correlated with uterine receptivity and likelihood of pregnancy. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether there is a relationship between the duration of endometrial edema (DEdema) and other key parameters of the estrous cycle: maximum edema (MEdema), largest follicle diameter (LPF), corpus luteum and uterine tone on day 5 post ovulation (CLD5 and TD5), progesterone concentration (P4) and fertility. A total of 88 cycles from 36 mares were evaluated and divided into Short Estrus (SE), Long Estrus (LE), Inseminated (AI) and Non-insemin...
Mata F, Johnson C.Cheek-tooth diastemata are a common dental abnormality in horses and are considered a major predisposing factor for periodontal disease. However, the influence of diastema type and anatomical location on disease severity remains incompletely understood. To determine the prevalence and distribution of open and closed cheek-tooth diastemata and evaluate their association with periodontal disease severity in horses, while assessing the influence of age, sex, jaw location and laterality, fifty equine cadaver heads obtained from an abattoir were examined. Diastemata were identified through visual a...
Gosbee H, Hume PA, Theadom A.Helmets play a critical role in preventing and reducing the severity of head injuries in high-risk sports. Understanding the factors influencing equestrian helmet use and safety perceptions is needed to optimise injury prevention strategies. Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 596 equestrian participants aged ≥12 years, we assessed helmet use, factors influencing helmet purchase decisions, and perceptions of helmet safety. Chi square tests and regression models examined differences by age, professional status, jumping versus non-jumping disciplines and concussion history. Results: Helm...
Dirikolu L, Liu CC, Schaeffer DJ.The objectives of the study were to report the incidence of race-related injuries and equine fatalities in racehorses at the Louisiana racetracks from 2014 to 2022 for both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racehorses. Additionally, this study evaluated several factors that may be related to the occurrence of race-related injuries in racehorses in Louisiana. The average rates of equine fatal injuries (euthanized on or off track within 72 h of the race) were 1.70 ± 0.76 and 1.94 ± 0.89 per 1000 starts in Thoroughbred and Quarter racehorses, respectively. The average rates of non-fatal injur...
Yalavarthi G, Sabbinen H, Kosuri P, Amalaradjou M, Govoni K, Nadeau J.Strongyles are parasitic roundworms that cause significant gastrointestinal infections in equines, primarily through contact with infected soil. Worldwide, strongylosis affects nearly 90% of horse populations. Objective: The objectives of our study were to determine if there was a relationship between fecal egg count (FEC) and housing types on interleukin IL-4 and IL-13. Methods: Horses (N=25) were separated into two groups based on housing conditions: pasture (housed on pasture 24/7; PS, N=13) and semi-intensive (housed in stalls with turnout overnight; SI, N=12). Within each housing group, t...
Poinsard L, Anson C, Billat V.Turnout locomotor activity is a potentially informative indicator of health and welfare in older horses, yet objective field data in seniors remain limited. We examined whether a brief turnout recording could detect cross-sectional associations between chronological age and locomotor activity in senior horses in this study setting. In this single-site observational study, 28 senior Selle Français horses (17-35 years) contributed 122 paddock sessions (2 h each), with total distance and mean speed quantified using a Polar Team Pro sensor. Associations with age were assessed using linear mixed-e...
Purnama MTE, Firdausy LW, Fikri F, Wicaksono AP, Maslamama ST, Wardhani LDK.African horse sickness (AHS) is a highly fatal, vector-borne viral disease of equids with substantial economic and animal health impacts, particularly in endemic regions. Despite numerous epidemiological studies, reported prevalence estimates remain highly variable, and a comprehensive quantitative synthesis is lacking. This study aimed to systematically evaluate and synthesize the global prevalence of AHS and to identify sources of epidemiological heterogeneity. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, with the protocol registered in the Open Scie...
Scott D, Seabaugh K, Kim L, Magzamen S, Duncan C.Ambient air pollution contributes substantially to human morbidity and mortality, and athletes are recognised as a particularly vulnerable group. However, little is known about the impact of air pollution on equine athletes. Objective: To explore the relationship between air pollution exposure during the pre-competition training period and race day performance among Thoroughbred racehorses that competed on California racetracks. Methods: A retrospective longitudinal study. Methods: For each winning horse, pollutant exposure during the 21-day pre-competition training period was assigned using d...
Pasicka E, Sobek Z, Wierzbicki H, Różańska-Zawieja J, Nienartowicz-Zdrojewska A.The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the morphometric diversity of 172 Polish Koniks from the largest Polish breeding centers and to assess their genetic diversity by estimating the effective population size () and heritabilities () of the studied traits. The animals were bred under a stable housing system. Horses of both sexes aged 3 to 24 years were analyzed. Each horse was characterized with 40 metric traits. Multifactorial analyses (PCA, DA) and the REML method were applied to reveal the exterior differentiation and the development of distinct morphometric types. The findings esta...
Próchniak T.The aim of this study was to characterise the pedigree and genetic structure of Polish Sport Horses competing in Grand Prix show jumping events and to assess the implications for international sport horse breeding. Pedigrees of 513 horses were analysed, encompassing a total of 18,836 individuals over a maximum of 16 generations. The completeness and depth of the pedigrees allowed for a reliable estimation of inbreeding coefficients and genetic diversity. The mean inbreeding coefficient was low (0.645%), yet 82% of the horses exhibited some degree of inbreeding. The greatest loss of genetic var...
Sánchez A, Sánchez P, Sánchez A, Durán G, Solano G, Villalta M, Gómez A, Gutiérrez JM, León G.Variability in the antibody response of horses used for snake antivenom manufacture is well recognized, yet its statistical structure and implications for industrial productivity remain poorly characterized. In this study, we quantified antivenom antibody titers by ELISA in a cohort of 14 horses immunized with venoms from the clinically most important snakes in sub-Saharan Africa. To integrate antibody levels with plasma availability, we calculated the Cumulative Plasma Productivity (CPP) by converting individual plasma volumes into titer-corrected equivalents and sequentially pooling these vo...
Shen Z, Yang L, Xue Y, Chang X, Shen J, Sun W, Zeng Y, Meng J, Yao X.Body measurement traits are key indicators for evaluating growth performance, production potential, and breeding value in Yili horses. However, studies investigating the association between body measurement traits and mutation loci in Yili horses remain limited. In this study, 255 adult Yili mares were used as the study population, including 152 speed-type and 103 meat-type individuals. Whole-genome resequencing was performed, and four phenotypic traits and body weight were measured. A mixed linear model (MLM)-based genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted using GEMMA (v 0.98.5), inc...
Freire A, Silva AVD, Patterson Rosa L, Guimarães PHS, Araujo BPG, Silva CAF, Borges LRT, Bertechini AG, Meirelles SLC.The evaluation of biomechanical parameters in four-beat gaited horses remains limited by the subjectiveness and complexity of current standard methods. Through a deep learning approach, we aimed to infer dissociation % using only acoustic signals. A total of 268 audio samples were extracted from publicly available videos featuring three Brazilian horse breeds (Mangalarga Marchador, Campolina, and Piquira) performing marcha batida and marcha picada. Acoustic features, including root mean square energy (RMS), zero-crossing rate (ZCR), and 13 Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs), were extr...
Laseca N, Molina A, Ziadi C, Perdomo-Gonzalez DI, Valera M.Conformational traits define a horse's shape and morphology, heavily influencing its functionality, sport performance, health, and appearance, making conformation a critical selection criterion in horse breeding. However, the genomic basis of conformational defects, specifically those affecting the hock, remains largely unexplored. This research aimed to identify the genomic regions associated with hock defects using a large cohort of Pura Raza Española (PRE) horses. A total of 58,930 horses were evaluated for hock angle, with 4,122 genotyped on high or medium density arrays. For this purpose...
Cianci JM, Bills KW, Skelton G, Stewart HL, Johnson AL, Colmer SF, Stefanovski D, Brown KA.Radiography of the caudal cervical vertebral column is commonly performed in horses, but image distortion may occur due to factors such as scapular superimposition, divergent beam, and the distance between anatomy and detector. These variables can falsely suggest enlargement of the articular processes (APs) at the seventh cervical and first thoracic vertebrae (C7-T1). Objective: To assess the presence of magnification of C7-T1 APs as determined by AP:vertebral body (VB) height ratio on lateral radiographs compared to cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) as a gold standard, and to explore inter...
Iturregui C, Liu CC, Carter RT, Camacho-Luna P.Circadian variations in central corneal thickness (CCT) and their correlation with intraocular pressure (IOP) have not been reported in horses. This information may be clinically relevant when interpreting IOP readings. Methods: Twenty-four eyes of 6 healthy adult gelded males and 6 healthy adult intact mares were evaluated. Rebound tonometry (TonoVet, Jorgensen Laboratories) followed by ultrasonic pachymetry (iPac Pachymeter, Reichert technologies) was performed in both eyes every 3 h over 24 h during the natural 14-h daylight summer photoperiod. Results: Central corneal thickness varied ...
Sobotková E, Kuřitková D, Zeliszewska-Duk P, Mikule V.The aim of the research was to assess how the selected factors could influence the performance of the best horses in dressage, jumping and eventing competitions. The research was based on the Studbook Rankings published by the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses from 2019 to 2024. Our analysis shows a statistically significant effect of each of the observed factors in at least one discipline. The leading factor in all disciplines was studbook affiliation. The Belgian warmblood, German Sport Horse, Hanoverian, Royal Dutch Sport Horse, Oldenburg and Westphalian studbooks are represented a...
Wolframm IA, Everding M, Savulchyk V, Borssen J, Gudden DDM.In equestrian circles, horse-rider harmony is understood intuitively, yet clear criteria are lacking. This study examined how different equestrians conceptualized and visually assessed harmony and how this influenced scoring. Qualitative interviews were combined with eye tracking technology. Thirty equestrians assessed five videos of horse-rider combinations performing in dressage, showjumping, eventing, working equitation and Icelandic riding, with eye movements being recorded using a mounted eye tracker. Verbal definitions were analyzed using thematic analysis, revealing three overarching th...
Studer N, Byrne D, Raisis A, Adler A, Cheong J, Secombe C, Schramel JP, Mosing M.Traditional one-plane (oneP) electrical impedance tomography (EIT) electrode configurations limit evaluation to a convex lens-shaped lung slice, prone to overrepresentation of central areas. Two-plane (twoP) EIT is expected to refine this technique and result in more representative lung imaging. Objective: To compare ventilation distribution using single slice reconstructions, obtained with twoP or oneP. Methods: Computational modelling and in vivo exploratory randomised experimental trial. Methods: A finite element simulation model of oneP and twoP was calculated to estimate captured lung fie...
Siemieniuch-Tartanus M, Tomczyk-Wrona I, Tobolski D.Performance testing is a critical tool for achieving genetic progress, yet its long-term effectiveness in primitive breeds under conservation programs is poorly documented. The Konik Polski horse breeding program aims to improve utility while preserving primitive characteristics. Unassigned: This retrospective study analyzed a 25-year longitudinal dataset ( = 1,608) from the official Field Performance Test to quantify genetic trends in gait efficiency, using nonparametric methods to assess the effects of test type, year, and age on stride length and speed at the walk and trot. To estimate he...
Peere S, Dewulf M, Van den Branden E, Papas M, Broothaers K, De Coster T, Briote I, Hedia M, Angel-Velez D, Hoogewijs M, Govaere J, Smits K.While fast in vitro embryo development has been associated with improved outcomes, the relationships of slow in vitro embryo development and vitrified versus fresh in vitro produced (IVP) embryo transfer to foaling percentage and foal sex are less explored. Objective: To determine the relationships of (1) day of blastocyst formation (D7-11 after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)) and (2) vitrification and warming method (one- and three-step) versus fresh transfer with pregnancy, early pregnancy loss (EPL), foaling percentage and foal sex. Methods: Retrospective clinical study. Methods: B...
Hacan Ö, Tekerli M, Çinkaya S, Demirtaş M.Changes in genetic variation in body measurements are a subject of interest. This study aimed to understand the changes in the genetic effects of body measurement at birth in Turkish Arabian foals over the years. Furthermore, estimating the sources of variation in body measurements at birth in Turkish Arabian foals, considering additive genetic, maternal genetic, and maternal permanent effects and the covariance between offspring and dams in animal models, was the objective of this study. The records for birth weight (BW), wither height (WH), chest circumference (CC), and cannon-bone circumfer...
McDonald S, Verheyen KLP, Chang YM, Allen SE.Limited literature is available about the career outcomes of horses sustaining a long-term injury (LTI) in a jump race. Methods: All Thoroughbreds that sustained an LTI, defined as any non-fatal musculoskeletal injury requiring a minimum 90-day break from racing, in a British jump race between May 2018 and April 2023 were followed up for at least 24 months and outcomes described. Pre-injury racing performance was compared between horses that did and did not return to racing, and post-injury racing performance was compared between horses that sustained tendon/ligament injuries and fractures. R...
Cryopreservation is a valuable tool in equine reproduction, although its success remains highly variable among stallions. The proAKAP4 protein has been proposed as a molecular marker of sperm quality and cryotolerance. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between proAKAP4 concentration and sperm cryotolerance in ejaculates from Asturcon ponies, and to assess whether proAKAP4 levels in fresh semen can predict post-thaw sperm quality parameters before and after cryopreservation. Methods: Twenty-four ejaculates from eight different stallions were used (three ejaculates per ani...
Santana ML, Bignardi AB.Heat stress is an increasingly important challenge for the performance and welfare of equine athletes, particularly in competitions conducted across diverse climatic conditions. Understanding the genetic basis of performance responses to increasing thermal load is therefore essential to support robust genetic evaluation and sustainable selection strategies. The objective of this study was to evaluate barrel racing performance of Brazilian Quarter Horses across thermal environments defined by two widely used indicators, the temperature-humidity index (THI) and the wet bulb globe temperature (WB...
Rogić B, Moravčíková N, Margeta P, Štrbac L, Zorc M, Kovács M, Vostry L, Kasarda R, Posta J.Lipizzan horses, bred for over four centuries, represent a unique genetic, cultural and historic resource. This study assessed genetic diversity and population structure across seven European Lipizzan populations, with emphasis on the Bosnia and Herzegovina population. A total of 547 Lipizzan horses were genotyped using 12 microsatellite markers. The parameters of genetic variability, admixture level and migration rate were calculated. The mean number of alleles, effective number of alleles and Shannon's information index were 5.78, 3.24 and 1.31, respectively. The average fixation indices wer...
Júnior AMCA, da Silva AH, Buroxid RP, Padovan JR, Nunes AT, Poleti MD, Fukumasu H, Gobesso AAO.Intense training in athletic foals may alter fecal microbiota, highlighting the need for nutritional strategies such as hydrolyzed collagen supplementation. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary hydrolyzed collagen on the fecal microbiome of weanlings in training. Methods: Twenty Mangalarga Marchador foals (206 ± 18 kg; 7 ± 1 mo age) were assigned to two groups: a supplemented group (50 g/day of hydrolyzed collagen for 180 days) and a control group. A completely randomized design with repeated measures over time was used. Foals were exercised five consecutive days pe...
Boubakeur E, Belmdjahed M.Gestation length is a key parameter in equine reproductive management, yet its variability remains poorly documented in Barb and Arabian mares under Algerian conditions. Objective: This study aims to determine gestation length in mares and to assess the influence of various factors, including breed, year of mating, mating month, mare age, parity, reproductive status, stallion and the foal's sex on gestation duration. Methods: A total of 133 mares from the National Stud Farm of Tiaret (Algeria) were monitored over the period 2021-2024. Results: The mean gestation length was 332.5 days (range: 3...
