Conversations in Equine Science

This week Kate and Nancy discuss a paper that proposes owners and riders can measure and categorize bit lesions to assist them in the management of bitted horses. These measurements can also assist in research across the board by offering measurable comparisons.
Research Reference (Open Access):
Tuomola K, Mäki-Kihniä N, Kujala-Wirth M, Mykkänen A and Valros A (2019) Oral Lesions in the Bit Area in Finnish Trotters After a Race: Lesion Evaluation, Scoring, and Occurrence. Front. Vet. Sci. 6:206.
Link: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2019.00206/full

This episode Nancy and Kate discuss 2 papers; the first is a paper that gives an update on the current understanding of Equine Asthma and also gives the future direction of research goals for this devastating disease.
The 2nd paper tracks a molecule, IL-8, which has been found to signal equine allergic immune responses. This may be a component as to how horses and humans develop allergic responses.
Both papers are referenced below.
Couetil, L., Cardwell, J. M., Leguillette, R., Mazan, M., Richard, E., Bienzle, D., Bullone, M., Gerber, V., Ivester, K., Lavoie, J. P., Martin, J., Moran, G., Niedźwiedź, A., Pusterla, N., & Swiderski, C. (2020). Equine Asthma: Current Understanding and Future Directions. Frontiers in veterinary science, 7, 450.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00450
Elisabeth M. Larson, Susanna Babasyan, Bettina Wagner; IgE-Binding Monocytes Have an Enhanced Ability to Produce IL-8 (CXCL8) in Animals with Naturally Occurring Allergy. J Immunol 15 May 2021; 206 (10): 2312–2321. 
https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.2001354

This week Kate and Nancy discuss the equine vertebral column and how this research discovered breed differences in the anatomy of the vertebral column.
Research Reference:
Spoormakers, T.J.P., Veraa, S., Graat, E.A.M., van Weeren, P.R. and Brommer, H. (2021), A comparative study of breed differences in the anatomical configuration of the equine vertebral column. J Anat, 239: 829-838. 
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/joa.13456

This episode Nancy and Kate discuss medical students gaining insight and empathy skills by working with horses. These medical students were also able to lessen their own stress levels by being around horses and learning about them.
Research Reference and Link (Open Access):
Chakales P A, Locklear J, Wharton T (2020). Medicine and Horsemanship: The Effects of Equine-assisted Activities and Therapies on Stress and Depression in Medical Students. Cureus 12(2): e6896.
https://www.cureus.com/articles/23219-medicine-and-horsemanship-the-effects-of-equine-assisted-activities-and-therapies-on-stress-and-depression-in-medical-students#!/

This week Kate and Nancy discuss a paper detailing the negative effects that adiposity fat can have on the health and welfare of our horses.
Research reference/link (open access):
Pratt-Phillips, Shannon, and Ahmad Munjizun, (2023). "Impacts of Adiposity on Exercise Performance in Horses" Animals 13, no. 4
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13040666

This week Nancy and Kate discuss the findings of a research paper comparing the electrocardiograms of the Televet ECG device with the Equimetre fitness tracker.
Research Reference:
Ter Woort, F., Dubois, G., Tansley, G., Didier, M., Verdegaal, E.L., Franklin, S. and Van Erck‐Westergren, E., 2023. Validation of an equine fitness tracker: ECG quality and arrhythmia detection. Equine Veterinary Journal, 55(2), pp.336-343.
Link: https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/evj.13565
Thanks everyone for listening in so regularly! Please let us know if you have any research inquiries.

This episode Kate and Nancy discuss Equine Cervical Pain, clinical signs and treatment.
Research Reference/Link (open access):
Story, Melinda R., Kevin K. Haussler, Yvette S. Nout-Lomas, Tawfik A. Aboellail, Christopher E. Kawcak, Myra F. Barrett, David D. Frisbie, and C. Wayne McIlwraith. (2021). "Equine Cervical Pain and Dysfunction: Pathology, Diagnosis and Treatment" Animals 11, no. 2: 422.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/2/422#app1-animals-11-00422

This week Nancy and Kate discuss a study involving harness trotters and the rein tension that occurred in different gaits.
Research Reference/Link (open access):
Egenvall A, Byström A, Pökelmann M, Connysson M, Kienapfel-Henseleit K, Karlsteen M, McGreevy P and Hartmann E (2022) Rein tension in harness trotters during on-track exercise. Frontier Veterinary Science. 9:987852.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.987852/full

This week Kate and Nancy discuss the theory of "Flow" and is it possible to achieve/measure it in horses and other animals.
Research Reference and Link (open access):
Hintze, S. and Yee, J.R. (2023), Animals in flow – towards the scientific study of intrinsic reward in animals. Biological Reviews. 
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/brv.12930

In this episode Nancy and Kate discuss a paper on the effects of inactivity, moderate exercise and uncontrolled stress on the learning capability of horses.
Research Reference and Link (Open Access):
Henshall, C., Randle, H., Francis, N. et al (2022). The effect of stress and exercise on the learning performance of horses. Scientific Reports, 12, 1918.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-03582-4