Warmblood horses are a group of middle-weight horse breeds known for their versatility and performance in equestrian sports such as dressage, show jumping, and eventing. They are characterized by a combination of athleticism, temperament, and conformation, which make them suitable for competitive disciplines. Breeds within this group include the Hanoverian, Dutch Warmblood, and Holsteiner, among others. The breeding and selection processes for Warmbloods focus on traits such as movement, trainability, and soundness. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that investigate the genetics, breeding practices, performance traits, and health considerations specific to Warmblood horses.
Merkt H, Klug E, Bohm KH, Weiss R.A high incidence of Klebsiella contamination in German 'Warmblut' and Thoroughbred stallions is reported. The organism was recovered from the nostrils, prepuce, pre-ejacultory secretion and, in some cases, on the body surface, in the faeces and on the ground of the covering (mating) yard. Fertility was not affected. However, differences of virulence were observed and Type 5 proved to be the most pathogenic.
Warm-season grasses (WSG) incorporated into traditional cool-season rotational grazing systems to increase summer yields are typically established in monoculture in separate pasture areas. Few studies have evaluated alternative interseeded establishment of WSG, despite potential benefits for improving biodiversity and land-use efficiency. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of establishment method (monoculture vs. interseeded) on crabgrass pasture forage yield, nutritive value, and preference under equine grazing. Three adult standardbred mares grazed two main plots on two ...
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...
Exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) and its familial basis in Warmblood horses is incompletely understood. Objective: To describe the case details, clinical signs and management of ER-affected Warmblood horses from a family with a high prevalence of ER, to determine if histopathological signs of polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) and the glycogen synthase (GYS1) mutation are associated with ER in this family, and to investigate potential risk factors for development of ER. Methods: A family consisting of a sire with ER and 71 of his descendants was investigated. History of episodes of ER, husba...
Unlike in Warmblood horses, aortic rupture is quite common in Friesian horses, in which a hereditary trait is suspected. The aortic connective tissue in affected Friesians shows histological changes such as medial necrosis, elastic fibre fragmentation, mucoid material accumulation and fibrosis with aberrant collagen morphology. However, ultrastructural examination of the collagen fibres of the mid-thoracic aorta has been inconclusive in further elucidating the pathogenesis of the disease. Objective: To assess several extracellular matrix (ECM) components biochemically in order to explore a pos...
Sage SE, Leeb T, Jagannathan V, Gerber V.Severe equine asthma (SEA) is a complex respiratory condition characterized by chronic airway inflammation. It shares many clinical and pathological features with human neutrophilic asthma, making it a valuable model for studying this condition. However, the immune mechanisms driving SEA have remained elusive. Although SEA has been primarily associated with a Th2 response, there have also been reports of Th1, Th17, or mixed-mediated responses. To uncover the elusive immune mechanisms driving SEA, we performed single-cell mRNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on cryopreserved bronchoalveolar cells from 1...
Dufourni A, Buschmann E, Vernemmen I, Van Steenkiste G, van Loon G, Decloedt A.Echocardiographic measurements are important prognostic indicators but might be influenced by heart rate and blood pressure. This is particularly important when comparing repeated examinations. Objective: To determine the effect of physiological stress at mildly increased heart rates and pharmacological challenge using IV administration of N-butylscopolammonium bromide and metamizol sodium on heart rate, blood pressure, and echocardiographic measurements. Methods: Twenty healthy Warmblood horses. Methods: Randomized crossover study. Horses were examined echocardiographically by 2-dimensional, ...
Gmel AI, Haraldsdóttir EH, Bragança FMS, Cruz AM, Weishaupt MA.Speed alterations affect many gait analysis parameters. How horses adapt to speed is relevant in many equestrian disciplines and may differ between breeds. This study described changes in gait parameters in 38 Warmblood (WB) and 24 Franches-Montagnes (FM) horses subjected to an incremental speed test at walk (1.35-2.05 m/s) and trot (3.25-5.5 m/s). Time, force and spatial parameters of each limb were measured with an instrumented treadmill and analysed with regression analysis using speed as the independent variable. With higher speeds, stride rate, length, over-tracking distance and vertica...
Lan Y, Hu Y, Guo Y, Ali F, Amjad N, Ouyang Q, Almutairi MH, Wang D.Similar to gut bacterial community, gut fungal community are also an important part of the gut microbiota and play crucial roles in host immune regulation and metabolism. However, most studies have focused on the gut bacterial community, and research on the gut fungal community has been limited. Dutch Warmblood (DWH) and Mongolian horses (MGH) are important equine breeds, but little research has been done on their gut fungal community. Here, we assessed differences in gut fungal community between two horse species. Results showed that a total of 2159 OTUs were found in the Dutch Warmblood and ...
Vidal Moreno de Vega C, de Meeûs d'Argenteuil C, Boshuizen B, De Mare L, Gansemans Y, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Deforce D, Goethals K, De Spiegelaere W....Mapping-out baseline physiological muscle parameters with their metabolic blueprint across multiple archetype equine breeds, will contribute to better understanding their functionality, even across species. Aims: 1) to map out and compare the baseline fiber type composition, fiber type and mean fiber cross-sectional area (fCSA, mfCSA) and metabolic blueprint of three muscles in 3 different breeds 2) to study possible associations between differences in histomorphological parameters and baseline metabolism. Methods: Muscle biopsies [m. pectoralis (PM), m. vastus lateralis (VL) and m. semitendin...
Ibrahim L, Buschmann E, van Loon G, Cornillie P.Three-dimensional electro-anatomical mapping, previously performed in horses with atrial arrhythmias, has demonstrated the medial region of the caudal vena cava (CaVC), 1-8 cm caudal to the fossa ovalis, as an anatomical predilection site for atrial tachycardia associated with areas of slow conduction and conduction block. Slow conduction has also been recorded in the cranial vena cava (CrVC). Objective: To investigate the morphological characteristics of the myocardial sleeves (MS) in the CaVC and CrVC, in order to identify a potential substrate of right sided atrial arrhythmias. Methods: C...
Gmel A, Ricard A, Gerber V, Neuditschko M.The breeding history of the Einsiedler horse is closely connected with the Benedictine cloister Einsiedeln. In the mid-nineteenth century, it was decided to use European Warmblood stallions for cross-breeding and to abandon the selection of stallions. Since that time, it has only been possible to trace back the origin of Einsiedler horses using maternal ancestry information. Here, we collected high-density genotype data for European Warmblood horses (Selle Français, Swiss Warmblood and Einsiedler) and Franches-Montagnes horses, the last native Swiss horse breed, to unravel the current populat...
Sielhorst J, Koether K, Volkmann N, Blanco M, Vicioso R, Baade S, Kemper N, de Mestre AM, Sieme H.Little is known about the incidence and outcome of high-risk pregnancies in equine practice and clinical studies on spontaneous occurring placentitis cases and treatments are missing. Therefore, the aims of this retrospective field study were to (1) describe the incidence and severity of ultrasonographic assessed placental abnormalities (UPA) in 4,192 pregnancies on a large commercial warmblood stud farm in 2017 - 2019 and (2) characterize these UPA cases and their pregnancy outcome. UPA severity (Placental abnormality score (PSc) 1-3; low to high), nine treatment regimens (TM1-9) used in UPA ...
