The association between the age of a horse and their capacity for learning is understudied despite the large age range of horses used for both competition and leisure purposes in the UK and the considerable number of horses that swap over between different disciplines; for instance 4000 racehorse retire from racing each year and many go on to other careers including 900 each year going on to be polo ponies. A negative correlation between age and learning performance has been reported in test species to-date (Yagi et al., 1988); however relatively few studies have addressed this issue in equines (Madder & Price, 1980; Williams et al., 2004). The aim of the present study therefore was to investigate the association between a horse’s age and gender and the time taken to reach a pre-determined criterion during an operant learning task.

Equine massage therapy is becoming increasingly popular, particularly the use of electronic pads which eliminate the need for a masseur and make the treatment more accessible. Domestic horses live in conditions that are different to which they are naturally adapted. Horses are free roaming, social trickle feeders but modern management houses them in isolation and confinement with little or no social interaction and highly concentrated feeding regimes (Harewood and McGowan, 2005). The inability to carry out these behaviours may lead to stress. Stress may alter the biochemistry of the body and could affect reproduction, growth, metabolism and immune function, which in turn may reduce the performance potential of an individual. Stress can have a negative effect on welfare so it is the responsibility of horse owners to reduce stress. Massage may help in stress reduction due to a similarity to mutual grooming, believed to be a goal directed behaviour and have a reward of stress reduction (McBride et al., 2004). The effect of massage on horses, particularly with an electronic massage pad is not established. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of an electronic pad on the stress perception of domestic horses.

Many Northern European countries – including France, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, The Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark – perform genetic evaluations of sport horses (competing in dressage, show jumping or eventing). Publication of estimated breeding values (EBVs) aids selection of animals for breeding to produce progeny with high performance ability. At least 9 of the 10 top ranked horses in the 2008 Olympics individual grand prix freestyle dressage competition were from studbooks that perform genetic evaluations (5 Hanoverian, 2 each of Dutch and Swedish Warmblood). In the UK however, little genetic evaluation of our sports horses has been performed, and EBVs are not currently predicted. The aim of this study was to perform genetic evaluations of horses competing in dressage competitions in the UK.

Dressage competitions consist of the subjective scoring of a number of set movements performed in a specific order within an arena. Hinnemann and van Baalen (2003) suggested that the ‘collective’ marks awarded are a good judgement of the relative behaviour of a horse performing a dressage test. Those animals that are observed to be more relaxed, calm and appear comfortable in their work are generally awarded higher collective marks. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between collective marks and overall score (i.e. level of performance) within a dressage competition.

The conformation of horses can have a large effect on their movement and performance as working animals. This is particularly important for racehorses, as various aspects of body shape can increase or decrease racing performance. For example, steep shoulders are usually a hindrance for jumping, as well as more likely to be connected to lameness problems (Holstrom, 2003). Confirmation will have different effects depending on the type of race the horse is expected to run. A horse which is smaller and more compact will not perform as well in the same races as a larger horse, and the two animals are likely to do well over different styles of jump. For example, a horse with a lower, flatter jump is more likely to do well over hurdles than steeplechase fences, as the latter are larger and more likely to throw the horse off balance (Smith Thomas, 1974). Shoulder angle may prove to be a reliable indicator of success in performance horses, as sloping shoulders enables complete flexibility of the humerus, leading to longer strides and greater speed (Smith Thomas, 1974). Horses with shorter strides have been found to be more prone to lameness in the front legs as the shorter stride length causes the legs to be under more pressure from hitting the ground more frequently (Peham et al., 2001). It has been suggested that the length of the shoulder is also important (Schafer, 1981) and as it is linked to lung capacity -allowing for a deeper ribcage. The aim of this study was to compare conformation and performance in a number of racehorses.

Obesity in horses and ponies, is according to many equine related charities (Blue Cross, BHS) becoming an increasing welfare problem. Recent studies have linked equine obesity and insulin resistance with development of debilitating laminitis (Vick et al., 2007). Poor nutritional management and sedentary lifestyles are to blame for the growing proportion of obese horses (Buff et al., 2005). The horse carer is responsible for the health and welfare of the horse and as such should monitor the weight, condition and exercise regime to ensure appropriate fitness levels to maintain health and performance. Indeed, Johnson (2002) reports that certain management practices tend to promote the development of obesity in mature horses as they enter their teenage years. Horse owners must therefore consider management practices throughout the horse’s life, as the provision of starch-rich and fat-supplemented rations to healthy horses that are relatively inactive may promote the development of obesity increasing the risk of laminitis (Johnson, 2002). The aims of this research were to ascertain the condition score and fitness levels of horses and ponies when diagnosed with laminitis, as reported by the horse carer and to gain insight into how these factors may influence the health and welfare of the domestic horse.

Weaning occurs during the development of the young horse, involving maternal deprivation, abrupt nutritional challenges and social changes (Nicol, 1999) in both the free-living and domestic horse. Both psychological and physical aspects of well being can be impacted on if weaning is received with a negative response by the individual (Hoffman et al., 1995). Weaning can therefore evoke both short term and long term responses. Short term includes depressed immunity, inappetance and increased cortisol and adrenal responses. Long term changes include locomotory or oral stereotypies development (Waters et al., 2002), reduced ability to interact with other equines (Weeks et al., 2000), and affects on the human-horse bond and trainability (Sondergaard and Ladewig, 2004). There is an abundance of research discussing the advantages and disadvantages of different foal weaning practices and which is best (Waran et al., 2008). Parker et al., (2008) examined horse breeding management in Europe, North America and Australia. The USA sample population were weaned at a much earlier age with a greater percentage displaying abnormal behaviours. However there is little research to suggest which weaning methods, such as gradual or abrupt, are actively used or favoured within the horse breeding industry. The current study therefore sets out to investigate which method of weaning is most common within the UK equine breeding industry.

Although ethograms of social play behaviour have been formulated (McDonnell & Poulin, 2002; Zharkikh, 2003) few studies focus on equine social play (Christensen et al., 2002). Social play studies have largely focussed on the time budgets and generalised interactions between herds (for example Boyd, 1988) rather than specific social behaviour sequences between limited numbers of horses. However, by observing pairs or small groups of animals, much may be learned about the dynamics of social communication in a particular species (Kalmus, 1969; Poole, 1972). Although play appears to be considered as either functionless or as serving different roles depending on species, age and even sex of individuals Burghardt (2006) speculated that 5 selected advantages in the performance of play within the behavioural repertoire of an animal existed, control, adaptive function, development, evolution and private experience. Further knowledge of equine social play may be of benefit to equine welfare and performance. The aim of the current study was to describe and quantify the involvement in social play and its initiation within an established group of young horses.

There is increased interest in out-wintering systems which have the potential to reduce costs and hence increase farm profitability. Out-wintering also offers the potential to increase herd size, within the constraints of Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) restrictions without the substantial capital costs associated with waste storage. The majority of out-wintering research has focused on kale and its utilisation by dry dairy and suckler cows where relatively modest performance levels are required. In a comprehensive review on forage brassica for out-wintering stock (MDC 2007) it was stated that “despite the developments in New Zealand in the use of brassica based out-wintering systems for dry dairy cows, there seems to be no detailed studies on the use of these systems for growing (0.7-0.85kg daily live weight gain [DLWG]) dairy heifers”. The objective of this experiment was therefore to evaluate the performance of replacement dairy heifers either housed or out-wintered on forage brassicas (stubble turnips).

Declining reproductive performance is a major problem for the global dairy industry (Lucy 2001) whereas magnitude and duration of postpartum negative energy balance of dairy cows are considered as the main reasons (de Vries and Veerkamp 2000). Moreover, various energy balance indicators, such as body condition score (BCS) and plasma βhydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentration, have been correlated with reduced reproductive performance (Pryce et al 2001, Taylor et al 2003, Patton et al 2007, Walsh et al 2007). Such information has been already used to adjust herd management practices in order to prevent negative effects on reproduction. Furthermore, the ability to predict reproductive performance of cows with reasonable accuracy would also be very useful to dairy farmers. In such case, important management decisions (e.g. length of voluntary waiting period, starting dates of synchronisation programs and price of semen used), could be made for each individual cow. The aim of this study was to investigate whether combining certain energy balance indicators would yield useful predictions of cow reproductive performance at 1st artificial insemination (AI).

The increase in milk production potential of the modern high yielding dairy cow has resulted in excessive and prolonged negative energy balance (NEB) during early lactation. This predisposes the cow to an increased risk of metabolic disorders, poor fertility and subsequently increased culling rates. Historically, much emphasis has been placed on post partum nutrition in an attempt to suppress these ill effects. However, contemporary theories advocate improved dry cow nutrition to properly prepare the cow for energy demands of early lactation. Friggens et al. (2004) stated that priming the liver during the dry period would allow the cow to better deal with metabolic processes in the post partum period. In this experiment, dairy cows were offered different dietary energy levels pre-and post-calving in an attempt to quantify the effects on energy parameters during the same time periods.

Poor fertility is a major problem on dairy farms. On-farm studies indicate than pregnancy rates to first service have declined from approximately 55% between 1975 and 1982 to 39% between 1995 and 1998 (Royal et al., 2000), illustrating a decline of approximately 1% per year during this period. The cause is multifactorial and influenced by many factors including genetics, management and nutrition. Previous studies have reported improved fertility through nutritional modification in early lactation (Gong et al., 2002). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of nutritional strategy in early lactation on reproductive performance.

Rearing heifer replacements that reach first calving at an age and body weight (BW) to achieve their full lifetime potential, in terms of both yield and profitability, is a key factor in dairy enterprises. Rate of growth during the rearing period has a direct effect on age at first calving (AFC) (Heinrichs, 1993). It is widely accepted that the average daily gain (ADG) of Holstein-Friesian heifers should be approximately 0.7 kg/d before puberty, and 0.8 kg/d after. However, we have previously found extreme variability in the ADG of calves both within and between commercial dairy farms; this may in part be due to the very limited use of weight or height measurements on most farms. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of growth rate during the first six months of life on AFC, and subsequent fertility and milk production during first lactation of Holstein-Friesian heifers on UK dairy farms.

Reproduction performances in cattle regularly decreased with time. For example, the number of inseminations per pregnancy increased in dairy herds from 1.43 to 1.75 and the calving interval (CI) from 385 to 412 days in 10 years (Leroy et al., 2006). Such a reduction is responsible for rising income losses for breeders. In Belgium, an increase of the age at first calving (AFC) by 3 months and of the CI by 20 days induced a gross margin reduction of about 500 € /cow/year.

Buffaloes are the major production animals in most of the South Asian countries including Nepal. The buffalo, however, is a sluggish breeder and is beset with various constraints which adversely influence its fertility; such as, problems of silent heat coupled with poor expression of oestrus, irregular oestrus cycles, anoestrus, prolonged days open and low conception rates (Madan and Prakash, 2006). Among them, anoestrus is the most commonly encountered condition leading to reproductive failure and culling in buffaloes. However, the ovarian status of such buffaloes is poorly understood. The present study aims to investigate the ovarian status, uterine pathology and physical condition of anoestrus and culled buffaloes in Chitwan, Nepal. The buffaloes in Nepal are generally culled if they fail to conceive for long time or the production is seized.

Laminitis in the horse is associated with the over consumption of rapidly fermentable carbohydrate, in the form of simple sugars, fructans and/or starch. The fermentation of excessive carbohydrate in the hind-gut can result in the production of lactic acid and other toxins which in turn may act as “laminitis trigger factors.” (Crawford et al., 2007). However, whilst it is known that susceptibility to laminitis varies within the equine population, little is known about the factors governing this variation. We have previously shown that 16S rRNA t-RFLP profile from bacteria extracted from equine faeces clustered weakly into two clades representing normal versus laminitis-prone ponies suggesting a difference in gut microflora between the two groups (Newbold et al., 2008). Here we have extended this observation using real time PCR to investigate changes in the number of streptococci and lactobacilli in the faeces of normal and laminitis-prone ponies following fructan administration.

Certain commercial horse feed supplements based on active yeast and its derivatives, and have been shown to improve digestion of feed (Medina et al, 2002), although this data is very limited and is mostly derived from studies in other species, such as pigs or cattle. Yeast-derived compounds are known to improve digestibility via different mechanisms, depending on their composition. Live yeasts interact at a gut level by removing any oxygen present, which can unbalance the fermentative microflora by promoting aerobic bacterial populations. This can lead to an increase in nonfermentative or pathogenic species, which increases the potential for diarrhoea or other digestive upsets. Yeast cell wall material (mannan-oligosaccharides) have been shown to bind pathogenic bacteria in the digestive tract, inhibiting their ability to reproduce, thereby stabilising the microflora and optimising fermentative capacity for fibre digestion, promoting animal growth and efficiency (Rosen, 2005). As horses rely on anaerobic fermentation to liberate energy from their natural high fibre diets, a stable and appropriate microflora is essential. The aim of the experiment was to investigate the benefits of feeding commercial digestive enhancers in horses with a history of gastric problems.

Sport horses tend to be offered diets high in concentrate during trainings and races. These concentrates are mainly made of cereals, which are high in starch. Owing to this high level of starch, associated disturbances, such as gastrointestinal disorders or laminitis can be observed. Fat has been suggested as an alternative compound to starch. Oil can increase the energy content of the diet and also supplies essential fatty acids. Linseed oil, incorporated into equine diets has been shown to reduce the extent of the plasma insulin profile and the arachidonic acid (C20:4 n-6) content in the plasma, while it increased the alpha linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3) content (Istasse et al, 2007). The aim of the present trial was to compare linseed oil high in C18:3 n-3 with sunflower oil high in linoleic acid (C18:2 n-6), when incorporated in a compound feedstuff.

Wound healing in horses is particularly problematic compared to other species and limb wounds often exhibit complications such as exuberant granulation tissue, poor wound contraction and unsightly scars. In comparison, oral wounds heal without scar formation. Therefore, in vitro experiments were conducted to investigate the differences between equine oral and limb fibroblasts in terms of proliferation and their ability to contract a collagen matrix, a commonly used in vitro model of wound contraction.