Conversations in Equine Science

The science and benefits of training young horses.

This episode we are joined by Nikki, a listener with a research request. Nikki owns a 2 year old filly that she wants to work with now, in lieu, of waiting until her 4th/5th year. Nancy and Kate found some evidence based research that hopefully will help Nikki in her training decisions.
Research Reference/Link:
Logan, Alyssa A., and Brian D. Nielsen. 2021. "Training Young Horses: The Science behind the Benefits" Animals 11, no. 2: 463.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/2/463

Women and Horses

This week Nancy talks about Lis Hartel's equestrian challenges and accomplishments. Lis was the first woman to earn a medal in the Equestrian Olympics.
Link to the schedule for the 2024 Equestrian Olympic events:
https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/schedule/equestrian

Sleep and it’s role in peak performance.

This week Kate and Nancy discuss how important sleep is in equestrian performance and safety.
References:
Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, MD (2024). Sleep can give athletes an edge over competitors − but few recognize how fundamental sleep is to performance. The Conversation, University of Pittsburgh.
Link: https://theconversation.com/sleep-can-give-athletes-an-edge-over-competitors-but-few-recognize-how-fundamental-sleep-is-to-performance-221403
Dr. David Marlin Stable Science Podcast Link:
https://drdavidmarlin.com/podcast-dr-david-marlin-interviews-emma-davies-on-rider-sleeppodcast/

Fitness and Nutrition for Equestrians.

This week Nancy and Kate respond to a listener's email about limiting rider injuries and accidents by staying physically fit through diet and exercise protocols.
Research References:
Best, Russ, Jane M. Williams, and Jeni Pearce. (2023). "The Physiological Requirements of and Nutritional Recommendations for Equestrian Riders" Nutrients 15, no. 23: 4977.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15234977

Is Kinesiology Tape Effective?

This week Nancy and Kate discuss the results of a 2024 study on the effectiveness of Kinesiology tape on horses to reduce pain.
Research reference:
Melissa R. King, Hope Pavsek, Katherine L. Ellis, Jodie Daglish (2024). Effects of elastic therapeutic tape on thoracolumbar epaxial muscle pain in horses, Journal of Equine Rehabilitation,, Volume 2, 100007, ISSN 2949-9054.
Here is the link to "Effects of elastic therapeutic tape on thoracolumbar epaxial muscle pain in horses": https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949905424000021

Lexington; Sire of Sires (Part 2)

This week Nancy continues with the story of Lexington and his stallion career, the effects of the civil war and how his skeleton made the journey back to his birthplace of Kentucky 160 years after his birth.
Reference:
Wickens, Kim (2023). Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America's Legendary Racehorse. Ballantine Books, New York, USA. (416 pages.)

Lexington...Sires of Sires

This week Nancy goes back in history to talk about the antebellum era of racing and the impact the horse Lexington had on the nation during the turbulent pre-civil war days.
Research References/Links:
Wickens, Kim (2023). Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America's Legendary Racehorse. Ballantine Books, New York, USA. (416 pages.)

Highlighting relevant genes for equine behavior.

In this episode Nancy and Kate discuss a 2023 paper on equine genomics and behavior traits.
Research reference/link:
Holtby, A.R., Hall, T.J., McGivney, B.A., Han, H., Murphy, K.J., MacHugh, D.E. et al. (2023) Integrative genomics analysis highlights functionally relevant genes for equine behaviour. Animal Genetics, 54, 457–469.
Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/age.13320#:~:text=t%20p%20s%3A%20//d%20o%20i.or%20g%20/10.1111/a%20g%20e.1332%200

Interview with Christine Sanchez on the Equine Gut Biome

Today's episode is about the variability of the Equine Gut Biome. Christine Sanchez has been researching the importance of biome health in all horses.
For more information contact Christine at chrisiesanchez@gmail.com
or
Dr. Tom Schell @ secondvet.com

Donkey Hide Legislation Update

This week Kate and Nancy revisit the Donkey Skin Trade (ejiao) crisis and the African Union Ban of February 2024.
Research Reference/Link:
Shan Su, Ewan A. Macdonald, Nico Arcilla, Maurice Beseng, Felipe Thomaz, David W. Macdonald (2023). Characterising the links between the trade in donkey skins for traditional Chinese medicine and timber of conservation concern, Global Ecology and Conservation, Volume 46.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423002330
Link to 2021 Donkey hide episode: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/dj6qsbfiIIb
Link to The Brooke: https://www.thebrooke.org/