Genetic basis for the athleticism of horses explored by researchers
More than 3000 genes with a role in equine athleticism identified by study team in Ireland.
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Breeding
NZ’s Thoroughbred breeding industry becoming concentrated among the big studs, review finds
An export focus and the contraction in the domestic market has seen an increasing similarity in the production processes across commercial operators.
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Season of birth affects foal size, researchers find
Foals born in the winter months are shorter than their spring counterparts, and take at least 12 weeks to catch up.
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Significant commercial pressures identified within NZ’s racehorse breeding industry
Review identified a fall in the number of private Thoroughbred stud farms and an increase in the size of the remaining operations over the last decade.
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Disease risk warning follows use of uncertified equine semen
Horse vets are being asked to break law and risk UK equine disease status.
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Chromosomal makeup of a donkey-zebra hybrid analysed by scientists
Its chromosome tally “split the difference” between its mother and father.
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The perils of breeding horses for color
All else being equal, a buyer is often willing to pay more for a horse with an attractive color pattern.
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Discovery will be a boon in fine-tuning vaccination schedules for foals
Vaccination is an important strategy to protect these youngsters against diseases. However, giving them too early in life may have negative effects.
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Most modern horse breeds have strong input from Oriental stallions, research shows
Breeds with the greatest influence in the male lines of horse breeds in recent centuries are the Arabian horse and Turkoman horse.
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Young foals show similar learning abilities to their older counterparts, study reveals
“To our knowledge, this is the first report of systematic study of operant conditioning in foals this young.”
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Selenium soil deficiency in parts of the Netherlands can endanger newborn foals – study
Study team delves into white muscle disease in eight newborn foals.
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Doppler ultrasound proves worth in identifying testicular problems in stallions
“This study provides a firm basis for the introduction of Doppler ultrasound into stallion breeding soundness evaluations.”
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Bacterial richness is decreased in foals with diarrhea, study finds
Findings point to potential preventative and therapeutic measures to deal with the common problem.
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The cost of breeding a foal: Is it really worth it?
It takes a great financial commitment to breed a horse – probably more than most buyers realise.
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Ready or not: Induced birth in horses
The best ways to minimize the complications of an induced foaling is to be sure the foal is mature and the mare ready.
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Researchers announce reproductive breakthrough in horses
A test-tube foal is born in Belgium from a vitrified immature oocyte.
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Early-season foals may not be ideal, study findings suggest
Season-dependent size differences persisted until at least 12 weeks of age, the researchers found.
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Ancient stallion DNA highlights worrying loss of diversity in today’s horses
Researchers successfully sequence the genome of stallions that lived around 2500 years ago.
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New extender keeps horse sperm viable for at least five days at room temperature
Australian development opens up new possibilities in horse breeding worldwide.
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Circulating microRNAs evaluated in pregnant mares, could prove to be valuable biomarkers
Their diagnostic value is still being evaluated.
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