Breeding

Scientists in Canada are working to interpret the hormonal signals involved in maternal recognition of pregnancy in horses.

Changes in the way many stallions are kept is likely to bring about welfare improvements, according to researchers.

Canadian researchers are investigating whether excessively long umbilical cords or cords with more twists than usual affect the health outcomes of foals.

Findings reveal the ubiquitous nature of the two viruses among horses.

Lipid profiling will likely provide valuable insights into the pathways and mechanisms surrounding fertilisation, say researchers.

Fescue is often infected with an endophyte that can produce compounds toxic to horses and other livestock. The most common of these is ergovaline.

Study examines associations between the presence of bacterial families in horse semen with five sperm quality parameters.

The rule limiting stallions born from 2020 onwards from breeding more than 140 mares was adopted in May 2020 amid concerns around the narrowing of the diversity of the Thoroughbred gene pool in the US.

“The Foal Composite Pain Scale seems clinically applicable to quantify pain and improve the judgment of the quality of life in foals.”

“Antimicrobial resistance and multidrug resistant bacteria are not rare in our study,” the researchers reported.

“She couldn’t walk so I had to stand her up and bend over in front of her, put my head against her chest and then run my hands down both of her legs and hold her ankles to move her so she could nurse.”

In the future, Y chromosome lineage determination can substantiate horse breeding in a way that contributes to the understanding of the historic development of breeds.

Further studies will be required to establish whether the viruses are involved with the disease, the researchers said.

“Results suggest that the amount of variation found among Thoroughbreds is not exceptionally depleted when compared to . . . other horse breeds.”

The gene responsible for fragile foal syndrome can lift performance traits in carriers, but is lethal to foals who inherit it from both parents.

Their careful breeding selection over the years is responsible for the smooth four-beat paso gait seen in the Paso Fino.

Currently, about 500 Lusitano horses are reared by 15 breeders in Italy.