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Foal Cloned From 40-Year-Old Genetic Material Offers Hope For Endangered Species

On Aug. 6, the world's first cloned Przewalski horse was born, giving hope to conservationists of the endangered breed. To create the colt, scientists used genetic material that had been cryopreserved 40 years ago at the San Diego Zoo Global (SDZG) Frozen Zoo.

“Kurt” was born to a domestic surrogate mother. His birth revives genetic diversity that was believed to have been lost decades ago. Dr. Bob Wiese, chief life sciences officer at San Diego Zoo Global, is hopeful that the colt will bring back genetic variation imperative for the future survival of the Przewalski breed.

The Przewalski horse is a wild horse breed from the steppes of central Asia; native populations declined dramatically after World War II because of hunting, severe winters and competition with livestock. The last sighting of a wild Przewalski horse was in 1969.

A captive breeding program was begun in 1899 and included 12 horses; these 12 animals were the foundation for the nearly 2,000 Przewalski horses alive today. However, with such low genetic diversity, these 2,000 individuals are less able to adapt to environmental changes or stressors, and are at risk of inbreeding, which can result in a plethora of unwanted traits.

“Kuporovic” was a captive bred Przewalski horse with a genome that had ancestry to two wild horse founders. Because he had so much genetic variation, scientists preserved his genome in the San Diego Zoo's Frozen Zoo in 1980.

The Zoo partnered with wildlife conservation group Revive & Restore and pet cloning company ViaGen Equine to produce Kurt, who is Kuporovic's exact genetic replica. The tiny foal represents long-term viability of preserved genetic material, offering hope for the survival of all endangered species.

For The Love Of The Horse: Utilizing Technology To Increase Owner Education

For the Love of the Horse will host a webinar on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. called “The Role of Respiratory Health on Equine Performance.” It will be presented by Dr. Cristobal Navas de Solis, an assistant professor of Cardiology/Ultrasound and Internal Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

The webinar will look at both cardiac and respiratory-related health issues, which are the second leading cause of poor performance in sport horses. Dr. Nava de Solis will discuss how the respiratory system works and how training and exercise factor into equine airway function and overall performance.

Created by The Competitive Equestrian, For the Love of the Horse seeks to provide “current, professional, non-promotional and unbiased equine health information.” Recognizing that there was a significant education gap between horse owners and veterinarians, the founders seek to bridge that gap through information dissemination, believing that connecting the two increases owner confidence, as well as benefits horse health and supports veterinarians' work.

Past webinars include “The Value of the Ridden Exam,” “Hay: What's In it and What Else Does Your Horse Need,” “Hoof Lameness,” “Understanding Colic” and more. View their on-demand library here.

Learn more and sign up for the webinar here.

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‘He Grew On Me’: This OTTB Went From Difficult Rescue Case To Sherpa For New Retirees

When you run an aftercare adoption program, you try your hardest not to get attached to the horses that use your facility as a stop over into their new homes. But that plan doesn't always work out as Kelley Stobie understands.

Strike N Win made all 90 of his starts in Puerto Rico at Camarero, mostly in the claiming ranks. The Illinois-bred son of Tenpins made his last start in May of 2016, retiring with 10 wins and $72,854 in earnings. Then he came to TAA-accredited Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare for a new life.

“I try to not let myself get attached to any of the horses,” said Stobie, Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare's co-founder. “But 'Strike' grew on me more and more. After being with him for about six months, I decided to adopt him.”

Since coming into the program and being adopted by Stobie, Strike N Win has developed mentally and even helps Stobie with acclimating some of the organization's new arrivals.

“In the beginning, 'Strike' was a real loner,” she said. “Aggressive toward other horses and always had to be turned out alone. Over the three years that I have had him, he has really blossomed and is a completely different horse.

“His job now is to have free rein at CTA, welcome new arrivals, and teach them the ropes of life after racing. He is kind of the babysitter and security guard of the farm.”

While Stobie doesn't always have time to ride Strike N Win with a barn full of horses that need to be retrained to find their new homes, the horsewoman and the bay gelding have progressed in their relationship and trusting of one another.

“He has come a long way considering he was terrified of cement floor and did not like loading in a trailer,” she said. “He would also pull back and flip over when tied. Now he does none of these things and is much more trusting. Now you can turn him out with whoever and he will be their friend.”

As the duo continue their lifelong partnership together, Stobie's next plan involves a bit of fun.

“Next step is taking him to the beach!”

This article was reprinted with permission from the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. Find more success stories like this one here.

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Just Like Humans: Chubby Horses Require Reduced-Calorie Diets

Though many horses thrive on unlimited access to pasture or hay, an obese horse cannot participate in the free-for-all food buffet and remain healthy. Obesity comes from overeating and not expending enough energy. Of additional concern is horses that suffer from glucose sensitivities like Cushing's disease. These horses must have both their sugar and starch intake controlled to remain healthy.

There are multiple claims in the equine world about how to best manage horses, but overweight equines are the exception. Some of these claims include:

Restricting forage makes a horse lose muscle, as well as increase hormone reactions and oxidative stress—it can even cause Cushing's disease or pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID).
This has been no proof that any of the issues above are brought on or exacerbated by restricting forage intake. Restricting calories does not lead to an increase in any hormones or cause any oxidative stress. Additionally, horses won't begin to lose muscle because of restricted calorie intake unless all body fat has been burned.

Horses bodies are designed to ingest pasture or hay 24/7.
The only reason horses spend so much time ingesting grass is that it is nearly 80 percent water. Additionally, wild horses travel tens of miles each day to find food; a paddock or pasture cannot offer an obese horse exercise of that level.

Though drastic limitation of food isn't necessary to control weight, some reduction is required. The Equine Cushing's and Insulin Resistance Group (ECIR) and the National Research Council (NRC) recommends using the starting point of 1.5 percent of actual weight or 2 percent of ideal weight (whichever is larger) as the target daily hay intake. This target may have to be adjusted if the hay is high in calories.

To keep horses at an ideal weight, they should be exercised as much as possible, whether this includes turnout (possibly with a muzzle), hand walking or riding. Feeding horses in a slow-feed hay net can lengthen intake time and prevent boredom.

Keeping a chubby horse at a reasonable weight isn't fun, but it is imperative to keeping him healthy.