Thoroughbred horses have been selected for exceptional racing performance resulting in system-wide structural and functional adaptations contributing to elite athletic phenotypes. Because selection has been recent and intense in a closed population that stems from a small number of founder animals Thoroughbreds represent a unique population within which to identify genomic contributions to exer...

On some days, “how to maintain pregnancy” seems an elusive goal. In some cases, by the time practitioners recognize that a mare is demonstrating signs of preterm birth, any assistance we can provide is insufficient to allow delivery of a vigorous and healthy foal. Thus, a large component of how to maintain pregnancy is determining when to intervene. Bosh et al (2009) described reproductive perf...

With the advent of next-generation sequencing technology, genome-wide maps of DNA methylation are now available. The Thoroughbred horse is bred for racing, while the Jeju horse is a traditional Korean horse bred for racing or food. The methylation profiles of equine organs may provide genomic clues underlying their athletic traits. We have developed a database to elucidate genome-wide DNA methy...

We sought to determine the prevalence and severity of exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) in South African Thoroughbred racehorses in a racing jurisdiction that did not allow furosemide and nasal dilator strips, racing at different altitudes and to determine the relationship between EIPH and racing performance. The study was an observational cross-sectional study conducted in 1,005 Th...

To investigate the maternal plane of nutrition and role of Se yeast on muscle Se concentration, plasma glutathione peroxidase (Gsh-Px) activity, and colostrum Se concentration in mares and their foals, 28 Quarter Horse mares (465 to 612 kg of BW, and 6 to 19 yr of age) were used in a study with a randomized complete block design. Mares were blocked by expected foaling date and randomly assigned...

the aim of the present study was the conducting of comparative analysis of allele pool of ukrainian population of thoroughbred horses and the populations from england, usa, russia and south korea using microsatellite loci of dna on the basis of our own researches and literary sources. comparative analysis of allele pool of thoroughbred populations from different countries was conducted using 6 ...

The paternal origins of Thoroughbred racehorses trace back to a handful of Middle Eastern stallions, imported to the British Isles during the seventeenth century. Yet, few details of the foundation mares were recorded, in many cases not even their names (several different maternal lineages trace back to 'A Royal Mare'). This has fuelled intense speculation over their origins. We examined mitoch...

A 1996 Kentucky Equine Research (KER) study monitored the incidence of developmental orthopedic disease (Pagan and Jackson, 1996). The results of this study provided early evidence of the importance of nutrition of the mare to the proper growth and development of the foal. The farm in this study produced 271 foals. Ten percent of the foals showed signs of developmental orthopedic disease by rad...