Thoroughbreds are a breed of horse known for their agility, speed, and spirit, often associated with horse racing and equestrian sports. Originating from crossbreeding native English mares with imported Arabian, Barb, and Turkoman stallions, Thoroughbreds have a well-documented pedigree that traces back to the late 17th and early 18th centuries. This breed is characterized by a refined head, deep chest, and long legs, contributing to their athletic capabilities. Thoroughbreds are primarily bred for their performance in racing but are also utilized in other equestrian disciplines. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the genetics, physiology, and performance characteristics of Thoroughbreds, as well as their management and welfare in various equine activities.
Jeffcott LB, Kold SE, Melsen F.The gross and histological appearance of subchondral bone cysts in six Thoroughbred or partbred horses is described. The lesions were all situated in the centre of the medial femoral condyle and were not associated with any other damage to the articular surface of the femorotibial or femoropatellar joints. In three cases the cysts were unilateral but had an early non-cystic lesion present in the opposite stifle. All the cysts had a narrow channel at their distal extremity which communicated with the femorotibial joint. The more recently developed ones were fluid filled and contained fibrous st...
Urwin VE, Allen WR.The concentrations of follicle stimulating hormone, luteinising hormone and progesterone were measured in serial blood samples taken throughout one or more oestrous cycles from 12 Thoroughbred mares, some of which exhibited single and others twin ovulations. The resulting profiles clearly demonstrated that no simple relationship exists between circulating gonadotrophin levels and subsequent ovulation rate in the mare. However, plasma progesterone concentrations during dioestrus are, as expected, higher following twin than single ovulations. The findings suggest that the underlying cause of twi...
Speirs VC, Bourke JM, Anderson GA.Four variations of abductor muscle prosthesis for treating laryngeal hemiplegia were evaluated in 153 horses by questionnaire, and in the 100 Thoroughbred racehorses in this group survival analysis was used to compare their racing performances and earnings with those of 400 control horses. The questionnaire indicated that the technique which included a ventriculectomy and 2 prostheses was regarded as being the most successful (P less than 0.01) and resulted in the least residual stertor (P less than 0.001). Survival analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the treated g...
Smith P, Stubley D, Blackmore DJ.Methods were developed for the measurement of superoxide dismutase (SOD), diamine oxidase (DAO) and caeruloplasmin oxidase in the blood of thoroughbred horses. These enzymes were measured in 178 normal thoroughbreds stabled throughout the United Kingdom. The relationships between the activities of SOD, DAO and caeruloplasmin oxidase and the blood concentrations of their associated trace metals (copper, zinc and manganese) were studied in 52 of the thoroughbreds. Trace metals were measured by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry. No relationships were found between the activities ...
Warner A, Mayhew IG.Anhidrosis is loss of the ability to sweat. The problem is seen in horses kept in a hot humid climate, and it may cause severe impairment of thermoregulation in the equine athlete. British Thoroughbreds imported to her tropical colonies are the earliest recorded cases, and since then the syndrome has come to be described as one of Thoroughbreds, usually performance athletes, undergoing acclimatization to heat and humidity. A recent epidemiologic study of cases in Florida has shown, however, that many different breeds, and long time inhabitants of a hot climate, may be affected. Equine sweat gl...
Linford RL, O'Brien TR, Wheat JD, Meagher DM.A lateral radiograph of the pharyngeal region provides a technique for identifying pharyngeal disorders, including entrapment of the epiglottic cartilage and dorsal displacement of the soft palate. Epiglottic cartilage length, predicted from radiographs by measurement from the body of the thyroid cartilage to the tip of the epiglottis (thyroepiglottic length), was well correlated to actual length at postmortem examination (r2 = 0.98). Thyroepiglottic length, corrected for magnification, was 8.76 +/- 0.44 cm in 24 healthy Thoroughbreds. Nine Thoroughbreds with entrapment of the epiglottic carti...
Tunnell JA, Sanders JO, Williams JD, Potter GD.Pedigrees of randomly selected Quarter Horses born in each of the years 1946, 1956, 1966 and 1976 and of winning halter, cutting and race horses born in the same years were evaluated and compared. Average inbreeding and inter se relationship levels and relationships of influential ancestors to the sample were calculated for each sample. The amount of Thoroughbred influence and the average generation interval were also determined for each random sample. The levels of inbreeding found in the random samples were low, ranging from 1.3% in 1956 to 2.6% in 1966; however, these levels were higher tha...
Carson K, Wood-Gush DG.Thoroughbred foals were found to nurse in bouts of nursing activity delimited by intervals of non-nursing activity lasting 27 secs or longer. Nursing activity included nosing, sucking and interval behaviour. During the first week after birth, foals nursed, on average, seven times an hour with a mean bout duration of 147 secs but were not successful at sucking during all nursing bouts. Time spent nursing decreased as the foals grew older until before weaning, at 24 weeks of age, the foals were nursing once an hour with a mean bout duration of 74 secs. The dams hindered their foals' nursing acti...
Silver IA, Brown PN, Goodship AE, Lanyon LE, McCullagh KG, Perry GC, Williams IF.This project was carried out over a five year period (1977 to 1981 inclusive) at the University of Bristol following discussion between the British Veterinary Association and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons about the efficacy of, and ethical justification for, the practice of 'firing' (cautery). These discussions had been promoted by parliamentary questions but led to no firm conclusions because previously reported clinical investigations on specific treatments lacked adequate comparisons and controls and thus did not provide scientifically acceptable, statistically valid data. The pr...
Stubley D, Campbell C, Dant C, Blackmore DJ, Pierce A.The concentration of copper and zinc in the blood and sera of over 300 Thoroughbreds in training was determined by atomic absorption between February 1979 and July 1981. The mean (+/- sd) concentration of copper in the serum of stabled Thoroughbreds (79 +/- 16 micrograms/dl) was significantly (P less than 0.0001) lower than that of those at grass (101 +/- 26 micrograms/dl), whereas the mean serum zinc concentration of stabled Thoroughbreds (170 +/- 54 micrograms/dl) was higher than that of those at grass (111 +/- 45 micrograms/dl). No such differences were observed in whole blood. There were m...
Snow DH, Douglas TA.The absorption characteristics of a new paste preparation of phenylbutazone were studied in ponies and thoroughbreds. The results suggested that at a similar dose rate of 5 mg/kg greater bioavailability results from the paste than from a powder preparation. Delivery of an accurate dosage of the paste was not possible using the multidose applicator. Repeated administration of the paste preparation (5 mg/kg twice daily) indicated that it is more toxic to both ponies and thoroughbreds than a powder preparation. In addition to the toxic manifestations previously reported, a neutropenia developed d...
Tulamo RM, Bramlage LR, Gabel AA.The case histories and follow-up data for 11 horses with slab fractures of the central or 3rd tarsal bones were examined for information pertaining to the diagnosis, which was difficult to identify, treatment, which was proven ineffective, and the prognosis, which was shown to be poor for return to racing. The purpose of the study was to define the results that could be obtained by nonoperative methods, in an attempt to determine whether surgical treatment was advisable. Nine of the horses were Standardbreds and 2 were Thoroughbreds; all horses were 2 to 4 years old and were being exercised at...
Lyons ET, Tolliver SC, Drudge JH, Swerczek TW, Crowe MW.A total of 363 Thoroughbreds (62 males, 292 females, and 9 geldings), 1 to 26 years of age, were examined at necropsy for internal parasites for about a 12-month period from February 1981 through February 1982. Emphasis was on examining the stomach for nematodes and the small intestine and cecum for tapeworms. Parasites recovered from the stomach and infection rates were: Habronema spp--immature (24%), H muscae--adult (38%), Draschia megastoma--immature (13%), D megastoma--adult (62%), and Trichostrongylus axei--adult (4%); lesions caused by D megastoma were found upon gross observation in 58%...
Rose RJ, Leadon DP.The research paper discusses the case of a newborn Thoroughbred foal suffering from severe metabolic acidosis, which showed up as an inability to adapt, often referred by the term neonatal […]
Snow DH, Ricketts SW, Mason DK.The haematological response to racing and to fast and slow training exercise was investigated in studies involving two populations of horses which differed widely in geographical location, climatic factors and management (Newmarket and Hong Kong). The well documented elevations in erythrocyte parameters were demonstrated and changing responses in leucocyte parameters, resulting in variations in the neutrophil to lymphocyte (N/L) ratio were described. It was shown that the immediate response to the anticipation or stress of exercise was a decrease in N/L ratio in association with an increase in...
Leach DH, Crawford WH.This paper describes the major areas that require investigation in equine locomotion and outlines a plan for such research in both the Thoroughbred and Standardbred. Fifteen topics for future investigation have been selected and given an order of priority. These topics deal with characteristics of normal locomotion, factors which influence locomotion, the epidemiology and economics of lameness and the clinical identification of lameness.
Revington M.Eight hundred and sixteen blood samples were collected from horses at Sydney race tracks, 1 to 3 h before racing, and subjected to haematological analysis. Haemograms were also performed on 65 blood samples taken from horses at rest in their stalls. These were used as reference values of prerace and resting haemograms, respectively. The haemograms of 29 of the resting horses were compared with the haemograms of the same 29 horses the following day at the race track. Both samples were considered to be representative of their reference populations. In general, there was a significant increase fr...
Van Niekerk CH, Morgenthal JC, Starke CJ.Two thoroughbred mares bearing twins as diagnosed by rectal palpation, were subjected to nutritional stress by drastically reducing the daily ration. This resulted in a marked reduction in plasma progestagen levels and the death of either one or both of the twin embryos.
Rose RJ, Hodgson DR, Leadon DP, Rossdale PD.The effect of intranasal administration of oxygen at a flow rate of 10 litres per minute for 10 minutes, was studied in a total of 19 foals (thoroughbred and pony) aged between 0.5 and 12 hours. Arterial blood samples were collected before and after oxygen administration for the determination of paO2, paCO2, pHa and base excess. The foals were divided into three groups: five spontaneously delivered thoroughbred and pony foals (group 1), seven term induced thoroughbred foals (group 2) and seven induced premature pony foals (group 3). To examine the effect of duration of oxygen administration on...
Katano Y, Imai S.The effects of dipyridamole on thromboxane A2 formation by horse platelet microsomes were studied in comparison with those of imidazole, a prototype inhibitor of TXA2 synthetase and nifedipine, a calcium antagonistic vasodilator. Thromboxane A2 was synthesized by incubating PGH2 with horse platelet microsomes and was assayed on the superfused rabbit aorta. Dipyridamole induced as strong an inhibition of TXA2 synthesis as imidazole, while nifedipine was without effects. The possible beneficial clinical outcomes of this effect of dipyridamole are discussed.
Bailey E.336 Standardbred mares and 334 Thoroughbred mares in the vicinity of Lexington, Kentucky, were lymphocyte typed for 11 allelic antigenic specificities of the equine lymphocyte antigen (ELA) system. The Standardbred mares were divided into a population of pacers and a population of trotters. Substantial differences in ELA gene frequencies were found between the 3 groups. When the distribution of antigens within populations were compared to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium expectations, relatively good agreement was found.
Weitkamp LR, Costello-Leary P, Guttormsen SA.Polymorphism for two autosomal alleles of equine plasminogen, PLG1 and PLG2, was demonstrated in plasma by isoelectric focusing and immunofixation, with a goat anti-human plasminogen antibody. The frequency of PLG2 was 0.16 in 150 Standardbreds, 0.20 in 96 Thoroughbreds, and 0.39 in 32 Shetland ponies. No evidence for linkage of PLG with any of 13 marker loci was found.
Pollitt CC, Bell K.The isoelectric points and the molecular weights of the major components of the eight Thoroughbred protease inhibitor (Pi) types have been determined by polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing and polyacrylamide gel pore gradient (ISO-DALT) electrophoresis respectively. The major Pi proteins focus in the range pH 3.74-4.43 and have molecular weights ranging from 55 000-72 000 daltons. Using the ISO-DALT method of electrophoresis, protein maps for the eight Thoroughbred Pi types have been presented for the first time. None of the homozygous Pi types are identical except for the types S1 and S2 ...
Thurmon JC, Neff-Davis C, Davis LE, Stoker RA, Benson GJ, Lock TF.The effects of intravenous xylazine (1.1 mg/kg) were studied in six thoroughbred horses (five mares and a stallion). Plasma glucose concentration increased to 168% of control at 45 min and decreased to 112% of control at 180 min. Insulin had decreased to 31% of control at 15 min. Thereafter, insulin concentration increased, reaching its highest concentration at 150 min. The mechanism for these changes is not fully understood and further investigation is indicated.
Dzikiti TB, Bester L, Cilliers I, Carstens A, Stegmann GF, Hubert J.A 10-year-old Thoroughbred mare was presented for lameness of the left hindlimb as a result of an apical fracture of the lateral proximal sesamoid bone. The mare was ultimately euthanased after suffering catastrophic fractures of the 3rd and 4th metatarsal bones of the contra-lateral hindlimb during an uncoordinated attempt to rise during recovery from general anaesthesia after undergoing arthroscopic surgery. The case report focuses mostly on horse anaesthesia-related mortality, anaesthetic procedure in the horse, possible causes of fractures in horses during recovery and ways in which rate o...
Crowley J, Po E, Celi P, Muscatello G.Oxidative stress (OS) is most simply defined as an imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants. Oxidative stress has been suggested to play roles in various equine respiratory diseases and the significance of OS in the pathogenesis of Rhodococcus equi pneumonia is unknown. Objective: To measure and relate biomarkers of OS to lesions consistent with R. equi pneumonia. Methods: Case-control study. Methods: Various OS biomarkers were measured from blood and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) samples collected from 26 foals between 1 and 2 months of age (n = 12 cases and n = 14 controls) on 2 Thoro...
Gee EK, Firth EC, Morel PC, Fennessy PF, Grace ND, Mogg TD.To determine the influence of copper (Cu) supplementation by injection of mares in late gestation on the frequency and severity of osteochondrosis (OC) lesions in their foals at around 160 days of age. To determine if there was any influence of the concentration of Cu in the liver, growth rate, birthweight, weight at 160 days of age, fatness, sex, or year of birth of the foal on the frequency and severity of OC lesions. To determine the influence of dam's age, and sex and birthweight of the foal on the growth rate from birth to 160 days of age, and weight at 160 days of age. Methods: Thirty-th...
Osteochondrosis (OC) develops in growing horses due to disturbed differentiation and maturation of cartilage, particularly at the predilection sites of the fetlock, hock and stifle joints. Horses with osteochondrotic lesions are at a high risk of developing orthopaedic problems later in life. This article briefly reviews the published heritability estimates for OC and offers perspectives for selection in the horse industry. Heritabilities for OC in Warmblood and Standardbred horses have been estimated at 0.1-0.4 in animal threshold models. Whole genome scans using microsatellites have identifi...
Mohammed HO, Cummings JF, Divers TJ, Valentine B, de Lahunta A, Summers B, Farrow BR, Trembicki-Graves K, Mauskopf A.Equine motor neuron disease (EMND), a newly described neurodegenerative disease, bears a striking resemblance to progressive muscular atrophy (PMA) in humans. We present a comparison of the equine and human diseases and the results of a case-control study conducted to identify intrinsic factors associated with EMND. Cases included all horses with a confirmed diagnosis of EMND diagnosed in the United States since 1985 (32 cases). Controls included horses diagnosed with either cervical stenotic myelopathy, equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy, or protozoan myelitis at the Veterinary Teaching ...
Sullivan JJ, Turner PC, Self LC, Gutteridge HB, Bartlett DE.Reproductive efficiency was evaluated for 838 Quarter-horse mare-years on five farms and 939 Thoroughbred mare-years on seven farms over 4 years. The pregnancy rate from first service was 51% for Quarter-horse mares and 43% for Thoroughbred mares (P less than 0-05). The cumulative pregnancy rate after five services was 85% for Quarter-horse and 77% for Thoroughbred mares (P less than 0-05). First-service-period pregnancy rates were 44, 40 and 54% for maiden, barren and foaling mares, respectively. Cumulative pregnancy rates after five service-periods were 84, 74 and 84% for maiden, barren and ...
Bannai H, Takahashi Y, Ohmura H, Ebisuda Y, Mukai K, Kambayashi Y, Nemoto M, Tsujimura K, Ohta M, Raidal S, Padalino B.This study evaluated the effects of 12-hour transportation on immune responses to equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) and type 4 (EHV-4). Possible replication of EHV-1 and EHV-4 was monitored by real-time PCR of nasal swabs and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and changes in systemic and mucosal antibodies were investigated. Six healthy Thoroughbreds with transport experience were transported in commercial trucks, repeating the same three-hour route four times. Blood samples for cortisol measurement were taken before departure and every three hours. Nasal swabs, PBMCs, nasal wash and ...
Pagan JD, Hauss AA, Pagan EC, Simons JL, Waldridge BM.To assess the relationship between plasma and RBC fatty acid composition and incidence and severity of squamous gastric ulcers when altered by short-chain (SC) or long-chain (LC) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation. 13 fit Thoroughbred horses in training. Horses were evaluated by gastroscopy for squamous ulcer score, gastric pH, and blood fatty acid composition prior to supplementation (UNSUPP) and after 3 months of supplementation with a corn-flax oil blend of alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid (SC-PUFA) or a gamma-linolenic acid (GLA)-fish oil blend of GLA, eicosapentaenoic...
Berber N, Gaouar S, Leroy G, Kdidi S, Tabet Aouel N, Saïdi Mehtar N.In this study, genetic analyses of diversity and differentiation were performed on five horse breeds raised in Algeria (Barb, Arab-Barb, Arabian, Thoroughbred and French Trotter). All microsatellite markers were highly polymorphic in all the breeds. A total of 123 alleles from 14 microsatellite loci were detected in 201 horses. The average number of alleles per locus was the highest in the Arab-Barb horses (7.86) and lowest in the thoroughbred breed (5.71), whereas the observed and expected heterozygosities per breed ranged from 0.71 (Thoroughbred) to 0.752 (Barb) and 0.71 (Thoroughbred) to 0....
Minami Y, Yamano S, Kawai M, Hiraga A, Miyata H.To find a new parameter indicating muscle fitness in Thoroughbred horses, we examined time-dependent recovery of glycogen content and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+)-ATPase activity of skeletal muscle after intensive treadmill running. Two repeated 50-sec running sessions (13 m/sec) were performed on a flat treadmill (approximately 90%VO2max). Muscle samples of the middle gluteal muscle were taken before exercise (pre) and 1 min, 20 min, 60 min, and 24 hr after exercise. Muscle fiber type composition was determined in the pre muscle samples by immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal an...
Kondo T, Sato F, Tsuzuki N, Chen CJ, Yamada K.Computed tomographic myelography can be a useful tool for evaluating vertebral canal stenosis. However, an index of spinal cord compression is yet to be established. This observational descriptive study aimed to establish an index for spinal cord compression using computed tomography (CT). Twenty-three Thoroughbred horses (age, 155-717 days; weight, 205-523 kg) with suspected cervical vertebral malformation were subjected to computed tomographic myelography in dorsal recumbency using large-bore gantry CT to define the entire cervical vertebrae from C1 to C7. Subsequently, the height of the sp...
Knych HK, Weiner D, Steinmetz S, Flynn K, McKemie DS.Hydroxyzine is a first-generation antihistamine and cetirizine, a second-generation antihistamine and active metabolite of hydroxyzine. Hydroxyzine is commonly used in performance horses and as such its use in closely regulated; however, there are no published studies suitable for establishing appropriate regulatory recommendations. In the current study, 12 exercised Thoroughbred research horses received a single oral administration of 500 mg of hydroxyzine. Blood and urine samples were collected prior to and up to 96 hr postdrug administration and concentrations of hydroxyzine and cetirizin...
Yamasaki A, Omura T, Murata D, Kobayashi M, Sunaga T, Kusano K, Ueno Y, Kuramoto T, Hobo S, Misumi K.Synovium-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (SM-MSCs) from seven Thoroughbreds with naturally occurring intra-articular fracture proliferated to over ten million cells by the second passage. Using three experimental Thoroughbreds, columnar osteochondral defects were made arthroscopically at the bilateral distal radius. Five million allogenic SM-MSCs were implanted into the right defect, and another five million were injected into the right radio-carpal joint (implantation site). No SM-MSCs were implanted into the left defect or the same joint (control site). At 3 and 6 weeks after surgery, ten ...
Kane AJ, Stover SM, Gardner IA, Case JT, Johnson BJ, O'Brien MJ, Read DH, Ardans AA.To develop a standard technique for evaluation of racehorse shoes, to assess homotypic variation (interlimb variation) in shoe characteristics, and to determine whether shoe characteristics varied with age and sex. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Thoroughbred racehorses (n = 201) that died or were euthanatized at California racetracks between August 1992 and July 1994. Methods: Shoe characteristics were measured on horses examined after death. Percentage of agreement was used to compare shoe characteristics between limbs (homotypic variation). Using chi 2 analysis, shoe characteristic...
Rainger JE, Evans DL, Hodgson DR, Rose RJ.The influence of training on blood lactate concentrations during treadmill exercise and a 40-minute inactive recovery period was examined in seven trained and seven detrained thoroughbred horses. Lactate concentrations were measured in venous blood collected at the end of each exercise state, and at intervals for 40 minutes afterwards. Measurements were made of maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max, ml kg-1 min-1), VLA4 (velocity at which blood lactate concentration was 4 mmol litre-1); LA8 (lactate concentration [mmol litre-1] during exercise at 8 m sec-1), peak lactate (highest lactate concentration...
Hoffman AM, Viel L, Juniper E, Prescott JF.Respiratory tract infections are prevalent in foals, yet the frequency with which the distal airways are affected in clinical episodes of respiratory tract disease has not been evaluated to our knowledge. The objective of the study was to determine the incidence of distal respiratory tract infection (DRTI) in foals on a sample of Thoroughbred breeding farms (n = 10) in Ontario. In a pilot study, clinical criteria commonly used to select foals for antimicrobial treatment (detection of abnormal lung sounds, plus nasal discharge, cough, fever, tachypnea, and/or lethargy) were found to segregate f...
Todd ET, Hamilton NA, Velie BD, Thomson PC.Horses produce only one foal from an eleven-month gestation period, making the maintenance of high reproductive rates essential. Genetic bottlenecks and inbreeding can increase the frequency of deleterious variants, resulting in reduced reproductive levels in a population. In this study we examined the influence of inbreeding levels on foaling rate, gestation length and secondary sex ratio in Australian Thoroughbred mares. We also investigated the genetic change in these traits throughout the history of the breed. Phenotypic data were obtained from 27,262 breeding records of Thoroughbred mares...
Nieto JE, Spier S, Pipers FS, Stanley S, Aleman MR, Smith DC, Snyder JR.To compare effects of a commercially available omeprazole paste and a compounded omeprazole suspension on healing of gastric ulcers in Thoroughbred racehorses in active training. Methods: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: 32 horses with gastric ulcers. Methods: Horses were assigned to 2 groups on the basis of endoscopic gastric ulcer severity. Group-1 horses were treated with omeprazole suspension for 30 days and with omeprazole paste for an additional 30 days. Group-2 horses were treated with omeprazole paste for 30 days and omeprazole suspension for an additional 30 days. Serum omeprazol...
Beste KJ, Ortved KF, Rossignol F, Ducharme NG.To describe the use of a silicone-covered laser guide and diode laser for surgical correction of epiglottic entrapment and report postoperative outcomes in horses with epiglottic entrapment. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Thoroughbred and standardbred racehorses (n = 29) with epiglottic entrapment. Methods: A silicone-covered laser guide was placed endoscopically to direct the diode laser cutting action during transection of the entrapping subepiglottic membrane and to act as a physical barrier between the membrane and the epiglottic cartilage. Postoperative complications and tra...
Warner A, Mayhew IG.Anhidrosis is loss of the ability to sweat. The problem is seen in horses kept in a hot humid climate, and it may cause severe impairment of thermoregulation in the equine athlete. British Thoroughbreds imported to her tropical colonies are the earliest recorded cases, and since then the syndrome has come to be described as one of Thoroughbreds, usually performance athletes, undergoing acclimatization to heat and humidity. A recent epidemiologic study of cases in Florida has shown, however, that many different breeds, and long time inhabitants of a hot climate, may be affected. Equine sweat gl...
Egan S, Brama P, McGrath D.Wearable sensing technologies are increasingly used in human and equine gait research to improve ecological validity of research findings. It is unclear how these tools have penetrated the equine industry or what perspectives industry stakeholders' hold in relation to these relatively new devices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Irish equine industry stakeholders to understand their perception of objective tools for biomechanical analysis in the field. The study participants came from professional/elite backgrounds in both the sport horse ( = 6) and thoroughbred ( = 6) sectors. ...
Noschka E, Porter D, Franklin SH, Caraguel C.Tongue-ties (TTs) are used to aid control and aim to conservatively treat upper airway disorders in racehorses. However, welfare concerns have led to their use being banned in other equestrian disciplines. In the United Kingdom, TTs have been reported to be used in approximately 5% of starts. The frequency of their use elsewhere is unknown. The objectives of this retrospective single cohort study were to estimate the frequency of TT use within the Australian Thoroughbred (TB) racing industry, and to describe usage patterns. Data of all Australian TB horse races from 2010 to 2013 calendar years...
Pause B, Nolte I, Geiss V, Mayer H, Lasch HG.A thoroughbred horse, suffering from intermittent lameness was treated with streptokinase, urokinase and warfarin. The appearing fibrinolytic changes in coagulation were exhibited in a resonance thrombogram. In attendant coagulation studies fibrinogen- and fibrin-degradation products were demonstrated. The stallion does not show any lameness since the end of the treatment and is standing in a breeding station since March 1988.
Henley WE, Rogers K, Harkins L, Wood JL.Survival analysis was used to assess risk factors for fatal injuries on UK race courses. This allowed assessment of variation due to temporal horse-level effects, including previous racing intensity and historical distribution of race types, as well as race-level factors. Comparisons were made between measuring survival time as number of days and as number of races to injury from the first race. Two related models were presented for time as number of races to injury: a Cox regression model fitted using partial likelihood, with the Efron approximation to handling ties, and a discrete-time logit...
Hayes AM, Kastl B, Perry E, Moore AR, Springer NL.Myeloma-related disorders, including multiple myeloma, extramedullary plasmacytoma, and solid osseous plasmacytoma, are rare in horses. Clinical complaints for myeloma-related disorders are nonspecific, and when present, M-protein location is more variable on protein electrophoresis in horses relative to dogs and cats. Here, we describe a case of a 15-year-old Thoroughbred mare who presented with recurrent blepharitis. Marked hyperglobulinemia was an incidental finding on routine hematologic and biochemical testing. Bone marrow aspiration consisted of >30% plasma cells, and serum protein el...
Matheson A, Regmi SC, Jay GD, Schmidt TA, Scott WM. Local biological and biomechanical-stimuli modulate proteoglycan-4 secretion within synovial joints. For the horse, changes to proteoglycan-4 concentration and function are notable in acute joint injury and osteoarthritis. Proteoglycan-4 (also known as Lubricin) is present in the blood, however the effect of exercise on equine serum levels is unknown. The overall objective of this study was, therefore, to investigate the effect of intense exercise on serum proteoglycan-4 in thoroughbred horses. Samples of blood were taken from thoroughbreds ( = 12) during a chuckwagon racing event (Alberta, ...
Riggs CM, Thompson SL, So YM, Wong JKY, Wan TSM, Robinson P, Stewart BD, Ho ENM.Administration of bisphosphonates, including tiludronic acid, to Thoroughbred racehorses below 3 and a half years of age is prohibited in most racing jurisdictions. Objective: To determine if evidence of administration of tiludronic acid could be obtained from analysis of blood and urine samples beyond 40 days after administration. Methods: Retrospective cohort. Methods: Horses maintained in a highly controlled environment and treated with Tildren®a were selected from clinical records. Twenty-four horses were identified, 21 of which were still in race training. Blood and urine samples were c...
Spehar AM, Hill MR, Mayhew IG, Hendeles L.Pharmacokinetic characteristics of the anticonvulsant phenobarbital were studied in seven pony and two Thoroughbred foals aged between four and 10 days. A single, 20 mg/kg bodyweight (bwt) dose of phenobarbital was given intravenously over 25 mins and the serum concentrations of the drug were measured using an EMIT AED assay (coefficient of variation 1.37 per cent at 30 micrograms/ml, n = 7). Phenobarbital elimination was found to follow first order kinetics. The mean (+/- sd) peak phenobarbital serum concentration was 18.6 +/- 2.1 micrograms/ml at 1 h after initiation of infusion with a mean ...
Schönbom H, Kassens A, Hopster-Iversen C, Klewitz J, Piechotta M, Martinsson G, Kißler A, Burger D, Sieme H.Pregnancy diagnostics in equine reproduction are routinely performed using transrectal ultrasonography, although it is also possible to visualize the fetus by transabdominal ultrasound examinations from the 90th day of gestation onward. We hypothesized that ultrasound examinations may stress the mare and that the gestational stage status and lactation may influence the mare's stress reaction. To investigate the stress reaction, 25 thoroughbred mares of different age, pregnancy and lactational status underwent a transrectal examination. In pregnant mares, an additional transabdominal examinatio...
Costello S, Heffron B, Taddei L, Benoit M, Hurt L, Simpson L, Bishop J, Folker-Calderon D, Negrusz A.Fluphenazine, a potent antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia in humans, is used in racehorses as a performance-enhancing drug, and for that reason it has been banned by the Association of Racing Commissioners International. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for detecting and quantitating fluphenazine in equine serum was developed and validated. The method was then employed to quantitate fluphenazine in serum samples collected from three study horses after intramuscular injection of fluphenazine decanoate. Stability testing showed that fluphenazine is stable in unextra...
