The objective of the study was to determine the incidence of veterinary events that resulted in a horse failing to finish a race and identify risk factors for musculoskeletal injury (MSI) during a race. Data were obtained on Thoroughbred flat race starts in New Zealand between 1 August 2005 and 31 July 2011 (six racing seasons). Stipendiary Steward's reports were key-word searched to identify v...

Recent studies have cast doubt on the effectiveness of whipping horses during races and this has led to questions concerning its continuing justification. Furthermore, it has been argued that whipping tired horses in racing is the most televised form of violence to animals. The present study used de-identified data from a recent independent Australian poll (n = 1,533) to characterise the 26% of...

BACKGROUND A "high-sensitivity" cardiac troponin-T (hscTnT) assay recently has been validated for use in horses and is a specific biomarker of myocardial damage. Postexercise release kinetics of cTnT utilizing the hscTnT assay have yet to be established in horses. OBJECTIVES To determine: (1) cTnT release kinetics in racing Thoroughbreds after a high-intensity 5/8th mile Chuckwagon race; (2) ...

OBJECTIVE During the last two decades, Borna disease virus (BDV) has received much attention as a possible zoonotic agent, particularly as a cause of psychiatric disease. Although several studies have shown that BDV is present in Asia, BDV has not been detected in Korea. This study was designed to further investigate the presence of BDV infection in Korea. METHODS Blood samples were taken fro...

REASON FOR PERFORMING STUDY High-energy forage might be an alternative to concentrates for performance horses and such forage can be produced by an early cut. However, early cut forage is high in crude protein (CP), which may result in an excessive CP intake. OBJECTIVES To investigate how CP intake affects nitrogen (N), fluid and acid-base balance, and exercise response in horses fed high-ene...

Gastric mucosal disease is frequently recognised in equine practice, especially, but not exclusively, in actively performing race and competition horses. Although true ulceration is commonly seen in squamous mucosal disease (Figure 1), its subjacent glandular mucosal neighbour is affected more frequently by inflammatory and erosive lesions (Figure 2). Research efforts have helped provide us wit...

Upon intensive, exhaustive exercise, exercise-induced reactive oxygen species may exceed the antioxidant defence threshold, consequently resulting in muscular damage or late-onset chronic inflammation. Recently, the therapeutic antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of molecular hydrogen (H2) for human rheumatoid arthritis have been demonstrated. However, it is also important to clarify the ...

Essential oils as natural plant extracts have received significant attention in recent time. The of thyme play vital roles the metabolic and regulatory functions body. objective this study was to evaluate effect essential oil on endurance horses determine dose for optimal levels major biochemical parameters. Thyme were administered orally at doses 150 mg/kg 600 body weight by mixing with their ...

To compare effects of a dietary supplement containing vitamin E alone or vitamin E plus vitamin C on antioxidant status, oxidative stress and membrane leakage during endurance exercise. A nutritional pre-competition survey allowed horses to be paired and randomly assigned to two groups. Three weeks prior to the competition, one group (E) was orally supplemented with 5,000 IU vitamin E/d, the ot...

Oxidative stress and muscle membrane leakage were compared in horses finishing (F; 24) or not finishing (NF; 16) in Research Ride 2002 (R2). These data were also compared to previous rides—Old Dominion (OD; more competitive) and Research Ride 2001 (R1; less competitive). For R2, blood samples were taken before (PRE), 27, 48 and 80 km, and 170 to 190 min during recovery. Blood was analyzed for p...