Veterinary science and horses encompass the study and application of medical, surgical, and therapeutic practices to maintain and improve the health and welfare of equines. This field addresses a wide range of topics, including disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as nutrition, reproduction, and behavior. Research in veterinary science for horses often involves understanding the pathophysiology of equine-specific diseases, developing advanced diagnostic techniques, and improving treatment protocols. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of veterinary science related to horses, providing insights into the latest advancements and methodologies in equine healthcare.
Chowdhary BP, Raudsepp T.The map of the horse genome has undergone unprecedented expansion during the past six years. Beginning from a modest collection of approximately 300 mapped markers scattered on the 31 pairs of autosomes and the X chromosome in 2001, today the horse genome is among the best-mapped in domestic animals. Presently, high-resolution linearly ordered gene maps are available for all autosomes as well as the X and the Y chromosome. The approximately 4350 mapped markers distributed over the approximately 2.68 Gbp long equine genome provide on average 1 marker every 620 kb. Among the most remarkable deve...
Duarte PC, Morley PS, Traub-Dargatz JL, Creekmore LH.To identify factors associated with development of vesicular stomatitis (VS). Methods: Case-control study. Methods: 138 livestock premises and 118 horses suspected of having VS in Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. Methods: Premises with >or= 1 animal with clinical signs and laboratory confirmation of infection were classified as case premises. Premises where laboratory confirmation results were negative were control premises. Among equine premises, case and control horses were selected on the basis of premises status. A survey was conducted to identify factors associated with VS for premises an...
Ritruechai P, Weller R, Wakeling JM.The longissimus dorsi is the largest muscle in the equine back and plays an important role in locomotor ability and performance in the horse. In vivo studies suggest that the mechanical function varies between different muscle segments, in part determined by anatomy. It is possible therefore that variations in function reflect variations in the anatomy of the longissimus dorsi along its length. Objective: To identify if there are regional variations in muscle architecture of the longissimus dorsi. Methods: Computed tomography scans were obtained from 8 cadaver backs to identify the cross-secti...
Matsumura Y, Li J, Ikeguchi M, Kihara H.Acidic buffer conditions are known to stabilize helix-rich states of even those proteins with a predominantly beta-sheet native secondary structure. Here we investigated whether such states also exist under alkaline buffer conditions. The guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl)-induced unfolding transition and kinetic refolding of equine beta-lactoglobulin (ELG) by GuHCl-jump were investigated at pH 8.7 by far-ultraviolet circular dichroism. We found that an equilibrium intermediate appeared in 45% ethylene glycol (EGOH) buffer with 1.5 M GuHCl. The intermediate is rich in non-native alpha-helix, whic...
Blackmore TL, Foster TM, Sumpter CE, Temple W.The ability of four horses (Equus caballus) to discriminate coloured (three shades of blue, green, red, and yellow) from grey (neutral density) stimuli, produced by back projected lighting filters, was investigated in a two response forced-choice procedure. Pushes of the lever in front of a coloured screen were occasionally reinforced, pushes of the lever in front of a grey screen were never reinforced. Each colour shade was randomly paired with a grey that was brighter, one that was dimmer, and one that approximately matched the colour in terms of brightness. Each horse experienced the colour...
Maros K, Gácsi M, Miklósi A.Twenty domestic horses (Equus caballus) were tested for their ability to rely on different human gesticular cues in a two-way object choice task. An experimenter hid food under one of two bowls and after baiting, indicated the location of the food to the subjects by using one of four different cues. Horses could locate the hidden reward on the basis of the distal dynamic-sustained, proximal momentary and proximal dynamic-sustained pointing gestures but failed to perform above chance level when the experimenter performed a distal momentary pointing gesture. The results revealed that horses coul...
Brooks SA, Lear TL, Adelson DL, Bailey E.Tobiano is a white spotting pattern in horses caused by a dominant gene, Tobiano(TO). Here, we report TO associated with a large paracentric chromosome inversion on horse chromosome 3. DNA sequences flanking the inversion were identified and a PCR test was developed to detect the inversion. The inversion was only found in horses with the tobiano pattern, including horses with diverse genetic backgrounds, which indicated a common genetic origin thousands of years ago. The inversion does not interrupt any annotated genes, but begins approximately 100 kb downstream of the KIT gene. This inversion...
Tateo A, De Palo P, Ceci E, Centoducati P.To investigate rheological and chemical characteristics of the meat from Italian Heavy Draft horse, 24 foals (12 males and 12 females) were weaned at 6 mo, reared and fed in the same way, and slaughtered at 11 mo of age. The results obtained showed that there were no significant differences between the sexes but that the muscle type is a significant variation source. The rectus femoris muscle was lighter, and the biceps femoris had a lower a* index than longissimus dorsii, rectus femoris, and semimembranosus muscle. The most tender muscle was the semitendinosus, and the toughest even after coo...
Miragliotta V, Ipiña Z, Lefebvre-Lavoie J, Lussier JG, Theoret CL.Wound healing in horses is fraught with complications. Specifically, wounds on horse limbs often develop exuberant granulation tissue which behaves clinically like a benign tumor and resembles the human keloid in that the evolving scar is trapped in the proliferative phase of repair, leading to fibrosis. Clues gained from the study of over-scarring in horses should eventually lead to new insights into how to prevent unwanted scar formation in humans. cDNA fragments corresponding to CTNNB1 (coding for beta-catenin) and PECAM1, genes potentially contributing to the proliferative phase of repair,...
Gader AG, Ghumlas AK, Hussain MF, Haidari AA, White JG.Previous studies indicated that the camel has a very active haemostatic mechanism with a short bleeding time and thrombocytosis. However, platelet function, when tested by agonist-induced aggregation and PFA 100 closure time, showed marked inhibition compared to humans. Since camels are also far more resistant to long exposure to excessive heat and high body temperature than humans, it seemed worthwhile to explore fundamental morphological differences between human and camel platelets and those from other species. The present study has examined the ultrastructure of camel platelets and compare...
Güçlü Z, Karaer Z, Babür C, Kiliç S.The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in horses bred for sportive purposes in the province of Ankara. Sera collected from a total of 100 clinically healthy horses were tested for the presence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies using the Sabin-Feldman dye test and a seropositivity of 28% was found. The distribution of seropositivity among dilutions showed that 23 samples were positive at a dilution of 1:16 (82.1%), and 5 samples, positive at 1:64 (17.8%).
Escribano BM, Castejón FM, Santisteban R, Agüera EI, Tovar P, Vivo R, Rubio MD.Gender differences have not been shown in relation to the immune system in athletic horses. The aim of the present paper was to elucidate gender differences in the non-specific immune response of the polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN), plasma glucose and in hormones before and after an exercise in the lactate threshold (LT). A group of 12 Anglo-Arabian horses (6 females and 6 males, 4-7 years old) was observed. A submaximal exercise test was carried out at the LT. The results showed that males had a higher PMN percentage, plasma glucose values, Adherence index (AI) and random migration than fe...
Rho JR, Srygley RB, Choe JC.We investigated mutual grooming by Jeju pony (Equus caballus) foals to determine whether male foals preferentially interact with potential future sexual partners or competitors. We predicted that relative to female foals, male foals would exchange grooming more frequently with young mares and that in general, foals would mutually groom more frequently with the opposite sex rather than the same sex. Observing 53 foals between April and October 1998, we recorded 113 mutual grooming events. Male foals exchanged grooming with yearling mares more frequently than with their mother, while female foal...
King SS, Abughazaleh AA, Webel SK, Jones KL.Fatty acids of the n-3 type confer health benefits to humans and other species. Their importance to equine physiology could include improved exercise tolerance, decreased inflammation, and improved reproductive function. The circulating fatty acid profile and the acquisition and washout of fatty acids in response to n-3 supplementation were determined for horses in the current study. A fatty acid supplement high in eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid was fed to deliver EPA plus DHA at 0 (control), 10, 20, or 40 g/d to 16 mares (n = 4/group) for 28 d. Plasma was collected at -...
Krueger K, Heinze J.Animals that live in stable social groups need to gather information on their own relative position in the group's social hierarchy, by either directly threatening or by challenging others, or indirectly and in a less perilous manner , by observing interactions among others. Indirect inference of dominance relationships has previously been reported from primates, rats, birds, and fish. Here, we show that domestic horses, Equus caballus, are similarly capable of social cognition. Taking advantage of a specific "following behavior" that horses show towards humans in a riding arena, we investigat...
Crook TC, Cruickshank SE, McGowan CM, Stubbs N, Wakeling JM, Wilson AM, Payne RC.The Quarter Horse (bred for acceleration) and the Arab (bred for endurance) are situated at either end of the equine athletic spectrum. Studies into the form and function of the leg muscles in human sprint and endurance runners have demonstrated that differences exist in their muscle architecture. It is not known whether similar differences exist in the horse. Six Quarter Horse and six Arab fresh hind limb cadavers were dissected to gain information on the muscle mass and architecture of the following muscles: gluteus medius; biceps femoris; semitendinosus; vastus lateralis; gastrocnemius; tib...
Blancou J, Parsonson I.Since Roman Antiquity, domestic and wild animals have been transported over long distances for purposes as different as improvement of livestock production, food supply, scientific interest, public entertainment, war and numerous other purposes. This long distance transportation was originally limited to the Mediterranean area but, during the Middle Ages extended to the rest of Europe. The conquest of the New World was the first major occasion to transport large numbers of horses and other livestock across the oceans. Domestic animals were necessary for the new colonies and their armies. Europ...
Williams CA, Gordon ME, Betros CL, McKeever KH.Eight mature (12 +/- 2 yr; MAT) and 5 older (22 +/- 2 yr; OLD) Standardbred mares were used to test the hypothesis that aging and exercise training would alter apoptosis in white blood cells and antioxidant status. The horses were housed indoors overnight (16 h/d) in 3 m x 3 m stalls and were turned out in a drylot during the day. They were fed a diet consisting of total mixed ration, hay cubes fed ad libitum or an equine senior diet plus grass hay. Horses were trained for 20 to 30 min/d, 3 to 5 d/wk for 8 wk at a submaximal work intensity between 60 to 70% of maximal heart rate. A graded exer...
Christensen JW, Malmkvist J, Nielsen BL, Keeling LJ.In fear-eliciting situations, horses tend to show flight reactions that can be dangerous for both horse and man. Finding appropriate methods for reducing fearfulness in horses has important practical implications. Objective: To investigate whether the presence of a calm companion horse influences fear reactions in naive subject horses. Objective: The presence of a habituated (calm) companion horse in a fear-eliciting situation can reduce fear reactions in naive subject horses, compared to subject horses with a nonhabituated companion (control). Methods: Minimally handled (n = 36), 2-year-old s...
Johnson L, Thompson DL, Varner DD.Testicular function is under the control of expression and repression of several genes and gene products, and many of these works through Sertoli cells. The capability of Sertoli cells to regulate spermatogenesis is dependent on Sertoli cell functions and Sertoli cell number. Sertoli cell number has long been thought to be stable in adults with no proliferation of Sertoli cells once adult numbers have been reached. However, adult horses do not have stable Sertoli cell numbers, and new studies indicate that adult Sertoli cells can be made to re-enter mitotic phase under certain experimental con...
Watanabe T, Imamura Y, Hosaka Y, Ueda H, Takehana K.By using ultramorphological and biochemical methods, we analyzed the regional differences between the three parts of the equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT), namely, the myotendinous junction (MTJ), middle metacarpal (mM), and osteotendinous junction (OTJ). Cross-sectional images showed unique distributions of collagen fibrils of varying diameters in each region. Small collagen fibrils (diameter 200 nm). In the mM region, the collagen fibrils were intermediately distributed between the MTJ and OTJ. The results indicate a graded arrangement of collagen fibrils in the tendon. Type V ...
Kasashima Y, Takahashi T, Birch HL, Smith RK, Goodship AE.Tendons can be considered in two functional groups, those contributing to energetics of locomotion and those acting solely to position the limb. The energy-storing tendons in both human and equine athletes have a high frequency of injury with similar pathophysiology. In previous studies, high-intensity exercise appears to induce a disruption of the matrix rather than functional adaptation in adults. Here we explore the hypothesis that the introduction of controlled exercise during growth would result in an adaptive response without deleterious effects. Young horses were given a controlled exer...
Wilson ME.Pathologic conditions of the urinary tract may produce specific clinical signs, but they are more than likely to be nonspecific clinical signs, which often occur with chronic renal disease in addition to countless other diseases. Further, clinical signs that may seem to be directly related to the urinary tract may be the result of other systemic diseases. Thus, before embarking on diagnostics, it is important to obtain a thorough history and physical examination.
Morel PC, Bokor A, Rogers CW, Firth EC.To mathematically describe the growth of a population of Thoroughbred foals reared on pasture in New Zealand from birth to weaning. Methods: Twice-monthly liveweight data (including birthweight; BW) from 218 foals (98 colts and 120 fillies) born over a 6-year period, and reared on four different pasture types, were available for analysis. Data truncated to the time of weaning (107-217 days old) provided 3,200 data points. After testing for non-linearity of the relationship of age and liveweight (LW), five non-linear regression equations were tested for goodness of fit. Results: Colts and filli...
Thorpe CT, Marlin DJ, Franklin SH, Colborne GR.Changes in shape of the equine thorax during locomotion are not well defined, although it has been shown recently that the transverse hemi-diameter changes its dimension by up to 80mm on the side of the trailing forelimb during gallop, despite minimal change in thoracic circumference. The aim of this project was to analyse transverse and dorso-ventral changes in shape of the thorax simultaneously, and to determine if leading limb, treadmill slope and speed have an effect on these shape changes. Reflective markers were placed on the horse's hemi-thorax and movement of the markers was recorded u...
Kaczensky P, Ganbaatar O, von Wehrden H, Enksaikhan N, Lkhagvasuren D, Walzer C.The Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii Poljakov, 1881), or "Takhi" in Mongolian, became extinct in the wild by the mid 1960's. The last recorded sightings of Przewalski's horses occurred in the Dzungarian Gobi desert in SW Mongolia, today's Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (SPA). A re-introduction program was initiated in 1992 and the first group of captive-born Przewalski's horses was airlifted to the SPA. Given the logistical challenges associated with such a venture, the initial project focus has been on transport logistics and the well-being of the re-introduced horses. Today,...
Siegers E, van den Broek J, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan M, Munsters C.Young Friesian stallions have to complete a 10-week training program (70-day test) for acceptance as a breeding stallion. Part one of this study showed that the 70-day test was too intense and led to reduced fitness. In the present (part two) study, the effects of an adapted training program were studied. Training frequency and minutes of cantering per week were lowered compared with part one. The external workload (EW) of sixteen stallions (3.4 ± 0.8 years) was monitored during the 6-weeks before testing (preparation period) as well as during the 70-day test. Standardized exercise tests (SET...
Potter SJ, Bamford NJ, Baskerville CL, Harris PA, Bailey SR.Ponies and some horse breeds such as Andalusians exhibit an 'easy keeper' phenotype and tend to become obese more readily than other breeds such as Standardbreds. Various hypotheses have been proposed, including differences in appetite or metabolic efficiency. This study aimed to investigate the effect of breed on nutrient digestibility. Ponies, Standardbreds and Andalusian horses were adapted to consuming either a control fibre-based diet ( = 9), a hypercaloric cereal-rich diet ( = 12) or a hypercaloric fat-rich diet ( = 12) over 20 weeks. Total faecal collection was performed over 24 h to de...
Younis AI, Sehgal PK, Biggers JD.A single s.c. injection of 1000 IU of pregnant mare's serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) stimulates the growth of multiple antral follicles in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). The number of cumulus-enclosed oocytes (CEO) from six non-stimulated controls was 36 (mean = 6). In contrast, a total of 95 CEO (mean = 31.7) were recovered from three animals stimulated and ovariectomized 3 days later, while 385 CEO (mean = 128.3) were obtained from three animals stimulated and ovariectomized 4 days later. A comparison of the effects of highly purified human follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), human lu...
Metz GE, Ocampos GP, Serena MS, Gambaro SE, Nosetto E, Echeverría MG.To perform genetic analysis of the ORF5 of equine arteritis virus (EAV) may provide new insights into the genetic evolution and origin of the Argentinean EAV sequences. Methods: A total of 76 sequences were analyzed by neighbor joining (NJ), maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood algorithms. The analysis of the selective pressures was performed using the Tajima's test. Results: The trees showed similar topologies. Two clades were identified: the first clade was formed by strains isolated mainly from a donkey, whereas the second clade presented four large groups from different geographic regi...
Eisenhauer KM, Roser JF.A stallion testicular cell incubation system was developed and used to investigate the regulation of steroidogenesis in stallion testes. Cells isolated from testes of 2- to 4-year-old stallions (n = 6) were cultured for 12 hours in a defined medium with and without varying doses of lipoprotein, equine luteinizing hormone (eLH), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), equine follicle-stimulating hormone (eFSH), and/or equine prolactin (ePRL). Estrogen conjugate (EC), testosterone (T), and estradiol-17 beta (E2) production were determined by RIA. Increasing doses of lipoprotein significantly (P <...
Lorenzo-Figueras M, Preston T, Ott EA, Merritt AM.To evaluate the effect of ingestion of a high-carbohydrate versus a high-fat meal on relaxation of the proximal portion of the stomach and subsequent gastric emptying in horses. Methods: 6 healthy adult horses. Methods: The study consisted of 2 phases. In phase I, horses were offered a high-fat (8% fat) or a high-carbohydrate (3% fat) pelleted meal (0.5 g/kg) of identical volume, caloric density, and protein content. In phase II, meals consisted of a commercial sweet feed meal (0.5 g/kg) or this meal supplemented with corn oil (12.3% fat) or an isocaloric amount of glucose (2.9% fat). Proximal...
Köhne M, Unruh C, Böttcher D, Tönissen A, Ulrich R, Sieme H.Uterine pathologies are the most common causes of infertility in mares. This study aimed to establish an ex vivo blood-perfused model for equine uteri and investigate the possible effects of different cycle stages (estrus, diestrus and anestrus) on the applicability of the model. Uteri (n = 13) were collected at an abattoir, flushed with preservation solution, transported to the laboratory on ice, and isolated perfused with autologous blood for 6 h (n = 12). For negative control, one uterus was handled as described but left without perfusion for 6 h. The cycle stage was determined by ex...
Björkman N, Nielsen P, Hornshøj Møller V.Formaldehyde was removed from embalmed animal cadavers by pumping ethanol (20%) through the pleural and peritoneal cavities of 4 goats, 4 cows and 4 horses. The goats were percolated intermittently for 7 days and the large animals continuously for 72 h. Just after opening the body cavities, samples of air close to the organs were collected and analyzed for formaldehyde using a spectrofluorimetric method. The concentration of formaldehyde in the air samples was in goats 0.45 +/- 0.44 microgram/l (mean +/- SD), cows 0.42 +/- 0.29 microgram/l and horses 0.43 +/- 0.25 microgram/l.
Gueguen L, Lerch N, Grandgeorge M, Hausberger M.Tactile perception is involved in a variety of contexts (adaptations to climatic conditions, protection of the body against external dangers…) and is as important as the other sensory modalities for the survival of an individual. This tactile modality has been particularly well studied in humans, revealing high individual variations modulated by a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as age, sex, pathological disorders, or temperament. Tactility is also involved in animals' social lives, although there are disparities between species. For example, social tactile contact among hors...
Gasa S, Makita A.Gangliosides were isolated from equine kidney and spleen, and their carbohydrate and lipid moieties were characterized. Among the long-chain bases, considerable proportions of trihydroxy bases (42.3 to 61.2% of the total bases), in which phytosphingosine was predominant were found in all the ganglioside classes. The other major base was sphingosine. Among the constituent fatty acids, long-chain acids (with a carbon number of more than 20), comprised approximately half the total acids, with some alpha-hydroxy and mono-unsaturated acids. By means of sequential hydrolysis with glycosidases couple...
Pass MA, Mogg TD.Amitraz and its active metabolite BTS27271 were given intravenously to ponies and sheep at equimolar doses of 1 mg/kg and 0.68 mg/kg, respectively, and the plasma concentrations of amitraz and BTS27271 estimated at various times thereafter. Amitraz was hydrolysed to BTS27271 in both species. Amitraz was undetectable in sheep plasma after approximately 5 min but persisted in the plasma of ponies for at least 90 min. The persistence of unmetabolized amitraz in ponies may have implications for the toxicity of amitraz in that species. The primary and secondary disposition half-lives of amitraz in ...
Rohlf CM, Garcia TC, Fyhrie DP, le Jeune SS, Peterson ML, Stover SM.Shear forces at the surface-hoof interface affect hoof slide, surface grip, forces transferred to the limb, and injury risk. However, the variation in shear forces among surfaces with different compositions have not been quantified. Shear ground reaction forces were measured on five dirt and seven synthetic arena surfaces. Cohesion/adhesion and angle of internal friction/coefficient of friction were calculated. Surface composition, surface temperature, cushion depth, and moisture content were also measured. The effects of surface material (dirt/synthetic) on shear properties were assessed usin...
Bellone RR.Advances in equine genetics and genomics resources have enabled the understanding of some inherited ocular disorders and ocular manifestations. These ocular disorders include congenital stationary night blindness, equine recurrent uveitis, multiple congenital ocular anomalies, and squamous cell carcinoma. Genetic testing can identify horses with or at risk for disease and thus can assist in clinical management. In addition, genetic testing can identify horses that are carriers and thus can inform breeding decisions. Use of genetic tests in management and breeding decisions should aid in reduci...
Fachal MV, Furlan M, Clark R, Card CE, Chedrese PJ.The objective of this investigation was to clone and express the elk and horse common alpha-subunit and FSH beta-subunit cDNAs, and to produce recombinant FSH from both species in vitro. The RNAs extracted from elk and horse pituitary glands were reverse-transcribed and amplified by polymerase chain reaction. The cDNAs corresponding to both subunits of elk and horse were cloned into the expression vector pBudCE4.1 and transfected into CRL-9096 cells. Expression of both genes was determined in the transfected cells by Northern and Western blot analysis. Recombinant elk and horse FSH secreted in...
Narváez SÁ, Fernández I, Patel NV, Sánchez S. is an important veterinary pathogen that takes the lives of many foals every year. With the emergence and spread of MDR to current antimicrobial treatment, new tools that can provide a fast and accurate diagnosis of the disease and antimicrobial resistance profile are needed. Here, we have developed and analytically validated a multiplex qPCR for the simultaneous detection of and related macrolide resistance genes in equine respiratory samples. The three sets of oligos designed in this study to identify housekeeping gene and macrolide resistance genes (46) and (51) showed high analytic se...
Pereira GR, Lorenzo PL, Carneiro GF, Bilodeau-Goeseels S, Kastelic J, Liu IK.The objectives of this study were firstly to determine whether the stimulatory function of equine growth hormone (eGH) on equine oocyte maturation in vitro is mediated via cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP); and secondly if the addition of eGH in vitro influences oocyte nuclear maturation and if this effect is removed when GH inhibitors are added to the culture. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were recovered from follicles <25 mm in diameter and randomly allocated as follows: (i) control (no additives); and (ii) 400 ng/ml of eGH. A specific inhibitor against cyclic AMP-dependent protein ...
Guan F, You Y, Li X, Robinson MA.Bioactive peptides possess pharmacological effects and can be illicitly used in sports. To deter such misuse, an untargeted method using high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has been developed for comprehensive detection of multitudinous exogenous peptides in equine plasma and urine. Forty-four peptides were extracted using mixed-mode solid-phase extraction (SPE) from plasma and urine, separated with a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) column, and detected on an HRMS instrument. Ammonium formate as a mobile phase additive had effects on HILIC retention and charge state ...
Morillo Rodriguez A, Balao da Silva C, Macías-García B, Gallardo Bolaños JM, Tapia JA, Aparicio IM, Ortega-Ferrusola C, Peña FJ.A total of 42 ejaculates were used in the experiment; six ejaculates per stallion, obtained from seven Pure Spanish stallions (PRE), were split and frozen in freezing media with different concentrations and combinations of cryoprotectant (CPA): (i) Cáceres (skim milk based extender) containing 2.5% glycerol (2.5GL), (ii) Cáceres containing 1.5% glycerol and 1.5% dimethylformamide (1.5%GL-1.5%DMFA), (iii) Cáceres extender supplemented with 1.5% glycerol and 2.5% dimethylformamide (1.5%GL-2.5%DMFA) and (iv) Cáceres extender supplemented with 4% dimethylformamide (4%DMFA). After at least 4 we...
Smyth GB, Dagley K.To obtain information on the types of Australian horses, how they are kept and their activities. Methods: An invitation to participate in an opt-in, internet-based survey was sent to 7000 people who had registered an email address to receive information from the Australian Horse Industry Council Inc. Results: There were 3377 (48%) useable responses from owners of 26,548 horses. Most horses were kept on small properties (usually 2-8 ha) in paddocks in rural areas of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Most horses were female or geldings and the most common of 54 different activities was...
Barstow A, Pfau T, Bolt DM, Smith RK, Weller R.The ability to recognize lameness in the horse is an important skill for veterinary graduates; however, opportunities to develop this skill at the undergraduate level are limited. Computer-aided learning programs (CALs) have been successful in supplementing practical skills teaching. The aim of this study was to design and validate a CAL for the teaching of equine lameness recognition (CAL1). A control CAL was designed to simulate learning by experience (CAL2). Student volunteers were randomly assigned to either CAL and tested to establish their current ability to recognize lameness. Retesting...
Desantis S, Acone F, Corriero A, Deflorio M, Zubani D, Ventriglia G, Palmieri G, De Metrio G.The distribution of sialic acid residues as well as other glycosidic sugars has been investigated in the horse oviductal isthmus during anoestrus, oestrus and pregnancy by means of lectin and pre-lectin methods. Ciliated cells and non-ciliated (secretory) cells exhibited different lectin binding profiles that were found to change during the investigated stages. Ciliated cells did not show any reactivity in the basal cytoplasm, while the supra-nuclear cytoplasm displayed a few of oligosaccharides with terminal and internal alphamannose (Man) and/or alphaglucose (Glc) during oestrus and pregnanc...
Arango-Sabogal JC, Mouncey R, de Mestre AM, Verheyen K.Thoroughbred breeders aim to have foals born early in the season, but scientific evidence on the advantages for race performance is scarce and contradictory. Unassigned: The association between date of birth and purchase price as foal/yearling, with race performance by the end of the second and third years of life of Thoroughbreds racing in flat races in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland (IRE) was assessed using negative binomial and zero-inflated negative binomial models on the entire 2014-2015 UK/IRE foal crops ( = 28,282). Unassigned: In total, 6666 and 9456 horses raced in UK/IRE flat r...
Hoffmann M, Steinhöfel O, Fuchs R.The digestibility of the crude nutrients of 6 rations on the basis of oat, hay and wheat straw (in one case a straw-concentrate mixture as sole feed) was compared at a nutrition level of 1.0 and 1.3 resp. with adult geldings of the species "Noble Crossbreed", adult pony geldings and wethers The energy concentration of the rations varied between 424 and 585 EFUcattle/kg DM, the crude fibre content between 17 and 25% of the DM. In the studied field, a good agreement between horse and pony could be ascertained as to the digestibility of the organic matter and NFE. There are partly considerable di...
Holmes JR, Alps BJ.The paper describes observations on the distributions of the P, QRS and T cardiac vectors in the horizontal plane, comparing healthy horses with those with arrhythmia and cardiac murmurs. Deviation of the T vector from the normal range appeared to occur most commonly in association with cardiac murmurs, particularly those involving the semilunar valves and aorta.
McDonnell SM, Freeman DA, Cymbaluk NF, Schott HC, Hinchcliff K, Kyle B.To compare quantitative measures and clinical assessments of behavior as an indication of psychologic well-being of stabled horses provided drinking water continuously or via 1 of 3 intermittent delivery systems. Methods: 22 Quarter Horse (QH) or QH-crossbred mares and 17 Belgian or Belgian-crossbred mares (study 1) and 24 QH or QH-crossbred mares and 18 Belgian or Belgian-crossbred mares (study 2). Methods: Stabled horses were provided water continuously or via 1 of 3 intermittent water delivery systems in 2 study periods during a 2-year period. Continuous 24-hour videotaped samples were used...
Antczak DF, Allen WR.There is little evidence for maternal immunological recognition of pregnancy in most species with the striking exception of the members of the genus Equus. Almost all mares make strong cytotoxic antibody responses to paternally inherited fetal antigens by Day 60 of gestation. Most of these responses are directed against antigens of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), which constitutes the primary immunogenetic barrier to successful organ transplantation. The source of fetal MHC antigens in the pregnant mare appears to be the specialized trophoblast cells of the chorionic girdle region ...
Cristoni S, Bernardi LR, Biunno I, Guidugli F.A new approach, based on the use of atmospheric pressure chemical ionization ion trap mass spectrometry (APCI-ITMS), but without a corona discharge, was investigated for application to creating and monitoring protein ions. It must be emphasized that APCI is not usually used in protein analysis. In order to verify the applicability of the proposed method to the analysis of proteins, two standard proteins (horse cytochrome c and horse myoglobin) were analyzed. A mixture of the two proteins was also analyzed showing that this novel approach, based on the use of APCI, can be used in the analysis o...
Ortolani F, Nannarone S, Scilimati N, Gialletti R.Pararectal abscesses are life-threatening conditions that can rupture and cause septic peritonitis. The objective of this case report is to describe aggressive treatment of a pararectal abscess to allow a quick return to competitions. A 14-year-old pony was admitted to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) of the University of Perugia because of a suspected intra-abdominal mass. Two weeks earlier, it exhibited clinical signs compatible with colic which was treated medically; however, because of the persistence of a firm mass on the right side of the abdomen noted on rectal palpation, the pony...
Yuan M, Breitkopf SB, Asara JM.Horse urine is easily collected and contains molecules readily measurable using mass spectrometry that can be used as biomarkers representative of health, disease or drug tampering. This study aimed at analyzing microliter levels of horse urine to purify, identify and quantify proteins, polar metabolites and non-polar lipids. Urine from a healthy 12 year old quarter horse mare on a diet of grass hay and vitamin/mineral supplements with limited pasture access was collected for serial-omics characterization. The urine was treated with methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and methanol to partition into...
Livengood JL, Lanka S, Maddox C, Tewari D.Streptococcus equi subspecies equi (S. equi), the causative agent of strangles, is an important equine pathogen. Strangles is a highly contagious disease and a commercial modified live vaccine (MLV) is used for protection, which although effective, may also result in clinical signs of the disease. A rapid means to differentiate between the MLV and wild-type infection is crucial for quarantine release and limiting the disease spread. This study describes the use of a pyrosequencing assay targeting a single nucleotide deletion upstream of the SzPSe gene to distinguish between the wild-type and v...
