FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / BMC Vet Res / Seasonal fluctuations in body weight during growth of Thorou...
BMC veterinary research2017; 13(1); 257; doi: 10.1186/s12917-017-1184-3

Seasonal fluctuations in body weight during growth of Thoroughbred racehorses during their athletic career.

Abstract: Domesticated horses adapt to environmental conditions through seasonal fluctuations in their metabolic rate. The seasonal change of metabolic rates of domesticated horses in pastures is documented. However, there are few investigations on seasonal body weight change of domesticated horses housed in stables, which are provided constant energy intake throughout the year. Both seasonal changes and gain in body weight of racehorses during their athletic career is known to a lesser extent because their body weight are not measured in most countries. Here, we used a seasonal-trend decomposition method to conduct a time series analysis of body weight of Thoroughbred racehorses participating in flat races held by the Japan Racing Association from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2014. Results: We acquired 640,431 body weight measurements for race starts and included 632,540 of these in the time series analysis. Based on seasonal component analysis, the body weight of male and gelding horses peaked in autumn and winter and reached its nadir in summer. In contrast, the body weight of female horses peaked in autumn and reached the nadir in spring. Based on trend component analysis, most of the increase in body weight was observed when all sexes approached 5 years of age. The slope of the body weight gain was smaller after that, and an approximately 30 kg gain was observed during their careers. Conclusions: These results indicate that the body weight of a Thoroughbred racehorse fluctuates seasonally, and that there may be sex differences in energy balance mechanisms. Moreover, the present results suggest that the physiological development of Thoroughbred racehorses is completed just before they reach 5 years of age.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2017-08-18 PubMed ID: 28821254PubMed Central: PMC5563038DOI: 10.1186/s12917-017-1184-3Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research paper carries out a time series analysis on the weight fluctuations of Thoroughbred racehorses over a 12-year period to identify patterns and trends, revealing both seasonal and sex-based differences.

Research Background and Methodology

  • The paper begins with reference to existing research on how domesticated horses adapt to environmental conditions through fluctuations in metabolic rates. These studies primarily focus on horses in pastures but lack insight on stabled horses with steady energy intake, and Thoroughbred racehorses in particular.
  • To address this gap, the researchers analyzed the body weight measurements of Thoroughbred racehorses participating in races held by the Japan Racing Association from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2014.
  • They obtained 640,431 body weight measurements and used 632,540 of these data points in their time series analysis through a seasonal-trend decomposition method, focusing on trends and seasonal components.

Findings

  • The body weight of male and gelding horses was found to peak in autumn and winter, and hit its lowest in summer. Conversely, the body weight of female horses peaked in autumn and reached the nadir in spring.
  • The analysis also unearthed age-related trends, indicating that most of the increase in body weight happened as the horses approached 5 years of age. Beyond this, the rate of weight gain reduced significantly, with an approximately 30 kg gain observed during their careers.

Conclusions and Implications

  • The research illustrates that the body weight of a Thoroughbred racehorse varies according to season and that there are potential sex differences in energy balance mechanisms.
  • The analysis additionally suggests that physiological development in Thoroughbred racehorses is typically completed just before they reach 5 years old.
  • This research could be used to inform care and feeding practices for racehorses, especially as it pertains to the sex and age-specific weight trends identified.

Cite This Article

APA
Takahashi Y, Takahashi T. (2017). Seasonal fluctuations in body weight during growth of Thoroughbred racehorses during their athletic career. BMC Vet Res, 13(1), 257. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-017-1184-3

Publication

BMC veterinary research
ISSN: 1746-6148
NlmUniqueID: 101249759
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 1
Pages: 257

Researcher Affiliations

Takahashi, Yuji
  • Sports Science Division, Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, 1400-4, Shiba, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, 329-0412, Japan. yuji_takahashi@equinst.go.jp.
Takahashi, Toshiyuki
  • Sports Science Division, Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, 1400-4, Shiba, Shimotsuke, Tochigi, 329-0412, Japan.

MeSH Terms

  • Animal Husbandry
  • Animals
  • Body Weight
  • Female
  • Horses / anatomy & histology
  • Horses / growth & development
  • Male
  • Physical Conditioning, Animal
  • Seasons
  • Sex Factors

Conflict of Interest Statement

ETHICS APPROVAL AND CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE: Not applicable. CONSENT FOR PUBLICATION: Not applicable COMPETING INTERESTS: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

References

This article includes 37 references
  1. Mitchell B, McCowan D, Nicholson IA. Annual cycles of body weight and condition in Scottish Red deer. J Zool 1976;180(1):107–127.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1976.tb04667.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  2. Adamczewski JZ, Flood PF, Gunn A. Seasonal patterns in body composition and reproduction of female muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus). J Zool 1997;241(2):245–269.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1997.tb01956.xgoogle scholar: lookup
  3. Scheibe KM, Streich WL. Annual rhythm of body weight in Przewalski horses (Equus ferus przewalskii). Biol Rhythm Res 2003;34(4):383–395.
    doi: 10.1076/brhm.34.4.383.26227google scholar: lookup
  4. Kuntz R, Kubalek C, Ruf T, Tataruch F, Arnold W. Seasonal adjustment of energy budget in a large wild mammal, the Przewalski horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) I. Energy intake. J Exp Biol 2006;209(22):4557–4565.
    doi: 10.1242/jeb.02535pubmed: 17079725google scholar: lookup
  5. Arnold W, Ruf T, Kuntz R. Seasonal adjustment of energy budget in a large wild mammal, the Przewalski horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) II. Energy expenditure. J Exp Biol 2006;209(22):4566–4573.
    doi: 10.1242/jeb.02536pubmed: 17079726google scholar: lookup
  6. Parker KL, Gillingham MP, Hanley TA, Robbins CT. Foraging efficiency: energy expenditure versus energy gain in free-ranging black-tailed deer. Can J Zoolog 1996;74(3):442–450.
    doi: 10.1139/z96-051google scholar: lookup
  7. Brinkmann L, Gerken M, Riek A. Adaptation strategies to seasonal changes in environmental conditions of a domesticated horse breed, the Shetland pony (Equus ferus caballus). J Exp Biol 2012;215(7):1061–1068.
    doi: 10.1242/jeb.064832pubmed: 22399650google scholar: lookup
  8. Brinkmann L, Gerken M, Hambly C, Speakman JR, Riek A. Saving energy during hard times: energetic adaptations of Shetland pony mares. J Exp Biol 2014;217(24):4320–4327.
    doi: 10.1242/jeb.111815pubmed: 25359931google scholar: lookup
  9. Kappen KL, Garner LM, Kerr KR, Swanson KS. Effects of photoperiod on food intake, activity and metabolic rate in adult neutered male cats. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr 2014;98(5):958–967.
    doi: 10.1111/jpn.12147pubmed: 25356486google scholar: lookup
  10. Fitzgerald BP, McManus CJ. Photoperiodic versus metabolic signals as determinants of seasonal anestrus in the mare. Biol Reprod 2000;63(1):335–340.
    doi: 10.1095/biolreprod63.1.335pubmed: 10859276google scholar: lookup
  11. Cho KH, Son SK, Cho BW, Lee HK, Kong HS, Jeon GJ. Effects of change of body weight on racing time in Thoroughbred racehorses. J Anim Sci Technol 2008;50(6):741–746.
    doi: 10.5187/JAST.2008.50.6.741google scholar: lookup
  12. Giles SL, Rands SA, Nicol CJ, Harris PA. Obesity prevalence and associated risk factors in outdoor living domestic horses and ponies. Peer J 2014;2:e299.
    doi: 10.7717/peerj.299pmc: PMC3970797pubmed: 24711963google scholar: lookup
  13. Staniar WB, Kronfeld DS, Treiber KH, Splan RK, Harris PA. Growth rate consists of baseline and systematic deviation components in Thoroughbreds. J Anim Sci 2004;82(4):1007–1015.
    doi: 10.2527/2004.8241007xpubmed: 15080321google scholar: lookup
  14. Brown-Douglas CG, Parkinson TJ, Firth EC, Fennessy PF. Bodyweights and growth rates of spring-and autumn-born Thoroughbred horses raised on pasture. New Zeal Vet J 2005;53(5):326–331.
    doi: 10.1080/00480169.2005.36568pubmed: 16220125google scholar: lookup
  15. Morel PCH, Bokor A, Rogers CW, Firth EC. Growth curves from birth to weaning for Thoroughbred foals raised on pasture. New Zeal Vet J 2007;55(6):319–325.
    doi: 10.1080/00480169.2007.36788pubmed: 18059651google scholar: lookup
  16. Onoda T, Yamamoto R, Sawamura K, Inoue Y, Matsui A, Miyake T. Empirical growth curve estimation using sigmoid sub-functions that adjust seasonal compensatory growth for male body weight of Thoroughbred horses. J Equine Sci 2011;22(2):37–42.
    doi: 10.1294/jes.22.37pmc: PMC4013972pubmed: 24833986google scholar: lookup
  17. Lawrence LM, DiPietro J, Ewert K, Parrett D, Moser L, Powell D. Changes in body weight and condition of gestating mares. J Equine Vet Sci 1992;12(6):355–358.
    doi: 10.1016/S0737-0806(06)81361-4google scholar: lookup
  18. Geor RJ. Metabolic predispositions to laminitis in horses and ponies: obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndromes. J Equine Vet Sci 2008;28(12):753–759.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2008.10.016google scholar: lookup
  19. Wylie CE, Collins SN, Verheyen KLP, Newton JR. Risk factors for equine laminitis: a case-control study conducted in veterinary-registered horses and ponies in Great Britain between 2009 and 2011. Vet J 2013;198(1):57–69.
    doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.08.028pubmed: 24070987google scholar: lookup
  20. Takahashi T, Kasashima Y, Ueno Y. Association between race history and risk of superficial digital flexor tendon injury in Thoroughbred racehorses. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2004;225(1):90–93.
    doi: 10.2460/javma.2004.225.90pubmed: 15239479google scholar: lookup
  21. Ellis JM, Hollands T, Allen DE. Effect of forage intake on bodyweight and performance. Equine Vet J Suppl 2002;34:66–70.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.2002.tb05393.xpubmed: 12405661google scholar: lookup
  22. Butler JA, Colles CM, Dyson SJ, Kold SE, Poulos PW. Clinical radiology of the Horse. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific; 1993. The spine; pp. 355–398.
  23. NRC. Nutrient requirement of horses 6th edition (online). Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 2007.
  24. Cleveland RB, Cleveland WS, McRae JE, Terpenning I. STL: a seasonal-trend decomposition procedure based on loess. J Off Stat 1990;6(1):3–73.
  25. R Development Core Team. R: a language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna; R Foundation for Statistical Computing. ISBN 3-900051-07-0.
  26. Edholm OG, Adam JM, Best TW. Day-to-day weight changes in young men. Ann Hum Biol 1974;1(1):3–12.
    doi: 10.1080/03014467400000011pubmed: 16431548google scholar: lookup
  27. Ma Y, Olendzki BC, Li W, Hafner AR, Chiriboga D, Hebert JR. Seasonal variation in food intake, physical activity, and body weight in a predominantly overweight population. Eur J Clin Nutr 2006;60:519–528.
    doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602346pmc: PMC1428793pubmed: 16340952google scholar: lookup
  28. Amato C, Martin L, Dumon H, Jaillardon L, Nguyen P, Siliart B. Variations of plasma leptin in show horses during a work season. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr 2012;96(5):850–859.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0396.2011.01263.xpubmed: 22129462google scholar: lookup
  29. Brinkmann L, Gerken M, Riek A. Seasonal changes of total body water and water intake in Shetland ponies measured by an isotope dilution technique. J Anim Sci 2013;91(8):3750–3758.
    doi: 10.2527/jas.2012-5317pubmed: 23736044google scholar: lookup
  30. McBride GE, Christopherson RJ, Sauer W. Metabolic rate and plasma thyroid hormone concentrations of mature horses in response to changes in ambient temperature. Can J Anim Sci 1985;65(2):375–382.
    doi: 10.4141/cjas85-043google scholar: lookup
  31. Boon P, Visser H, Daan S. Effect of photoperiod on body mass, and daily energy intake and energy expenditure in young rats. Physiol Behav 1997;62(4):913–919.
    doi: 10.1016/S0031-9384(97)00271-0pubmed: 9284517google scholar: lookup
  32. Bertolucci C, Giannetto C, Fazio F, Piccione G. Seasonal variations in daily rhythms of activity in athletic horses. Animal 2008;2(7):1055–1060.
    doi: 10.1017/S1751731108002267pubmed: 22443706google scholar: lookup
  33. Takahashi Y, Akai M, Murase H, Nambo Y. Seasonal changes in serum progesterone levels in Thoroughbred racehorses in training. J Equine Sci 2015;26(4):135–139.
    doi: 10.1294/jes.26.135pmc: PMC4739144pubmed: 26858579google scholar: lookup
  34. Gramm M, Marksteiner R. The effect of age on thoroughbred racing performance. J Equine Sci 2010;21(4):73–78.
    doi: 10.1294/jes.21.73pmc: PMC4013968pubmed: 24833980google scholar: lookup
  35. Takahashi T. The effect of age on the racing speed of Thoroughbred racehorses. J Equine Sci 2015;26(2):43–48.
    doi: 10.1294/jes.26.43pmc: PMC4496421pubmed: 26170760google scholar: lookup
  36. Ohshige K. Reduction in ambulance transports during a public awareness campaign for appropriate ambulance use. Acad Emerg Med 2008;15(3):289–293.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2008.00044.xpubmed: 18304062google scholar: lookup
  37. Lee HS, Levine M, Guptill-Yoran C, Johnson AJ, Kamecke P, Moore GE. Regional and temporal variations of Leptospira seropositivity in dogs in the United States, 2000–2010. J Vet Int Med 2014;28(3):779–788.
    doi: 10.1111/jvim.12335pmc: PMC4895461pubmed: 24597659google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 1 times.
  1. Arango-Sabogal JC, Mouncey R, de Mestre AM, Verheyen K. Date of birth and purchase price as foals or yearlings are associated with Thoroughbred flat race performance in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Vet Rec Open 2022 Dec;9(1):e43.
    doi: 10.1002/vro2.43pubmed: 36185419google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,344 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.