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Baby Talk May Be Annoying, But Study Shows It’s Beneficial For Horses

A new study has shown that using an upbeat tone of voice, similar to that often employed by adults when speaking to children, helps communication with horses.

Drs. Léa Lansade, Miléna Trösch, Céline Parias, Alice Blanchard, Elodie Gorosurreta and Ludovic Calandreau have found that the high-pitched tones foster relationships and stimulate certain learning processes. Dubbed “pet-directed speech” (PDS), this way of talking is characterized by repetition of words, a high-pitched voice and a wide pitch range.

To test the benefits of PDS, the research team created a social media survey for riders and horse owners, and found that 93 percent of the 845 people surveyed used this type of language. However, only 44 percent of those who used it thought the horses were sensitive to this manner of speaking.

To assess the impact of voice, the researchers conducted two tests on 20 horses that had never heard PDS. An experimenter spoke to the horses individually, using PDS or a neutral tone (like that used when adults speak to other adults) when grooming. The horses responded more favorably to the PDS: they were calmer, looked at the experimenter more and tried to groom them. None of these actions were shown in horses that were addressed in a neutral manner.

The second test involved an experimenter trying to tell a horse where food was located. She stood with a covered bucket in each hand, one of them containing food. The experimenter repeatedly moved her arm to point at the bucket the horse had to “choose” to get the food reward while speaking in PDS or neutrally

The horse chose a bucket at random when spoken to neutrally. When listening to PDS, the animals chose the bucket indicated to them.

The team determined that PDS captures the attention of animals and helps them better understand the experimenters' intentions. It also facilitates communication with horses during everyday interactions. The scientists report that using PDS could improve equine welfare as horses are sensitive to human emotions.

Read the paper here.

UK Gluck Center And Industry Leaders Responding To An Uptick Of Foal Diarrhea Cases

The first several months of the year make up the bulk of the busy foaling season in Central Kentucky, so when the region's farms and equine practitioners began noticing increases of diarrhea in foals ages two to seven days old, there was concern.

In response, the University of Kentucky Gluck Equine Research Center is using a portion of its existing Koller Emergency Funds, and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Foundation, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and Coolmore America are leading an effort to help provide additional funding, allowing research to begin immediately.

“Anytime we recognize an increased incidence in equine health cases, such as foal diarrhea, we prepare and mobilize to further our understanding of the health issue,” said David Horohov, chair of the Department of Veterinary Science and director of the Gluck Equine Research Center. “Early detection and rapid diagnostics are at the cornerstone of what drives our research approach.”

Foals commonly develop diarrhea a week to 10 days after foaling, and veterinarians and farm owners typically have the experience and tools to respond. According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners, it is important for a veterinarian to evaluate foals under a month old when they experience diarrhea because they can develop life-threatening dehydration in as few as six to eight hours. Neonatal or young foals have a digestive tract, similar to humans, where small intestines are responsible for much of their nutrition absorption. Dealing with this type of attack on the small digestive system heavily impacts foals, which is a big reason why the Gluck center will focus its research efforts on this issue.

A significant increase in the illness has affected some farms, while other farms have had few to no cases. In spite of these incidences, UK has not recognized a rise in reported mortality associated with these cases and continue to monitor the situation.

UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment researchers have developed a multipronged research plan to help further the understanding of the problem.

One focus of this research plan is to expand scientists' knowledge of the foal gut environment. This will add to their understanding of neonatal gut bacteria and the effect of antibiotic treatment.

A second part of the research plan is to study the differences in mares and their foals on farms both with and without early neonatal diarrhea cases and the effect of antimicrobial drug treatment. Researchers will conduct this analysis through gene sequencing to determine an overview of type and diversity of gut microflora.

They will also use the data in this part of the study to gain insight into the effect of antimicrobial use in foals on the development of their gut microflora.

The third prong of the research will investigate a biotherapeutic approach on one farm. That farm is supplementing foals with home-fermented live yogurt instead of a commercial pre/probiotic. Research has shown that Lactobacillus spp. bacteria are among the first colonizers in the neonatal gut. Data from other species supports Lactobacillus spp. as promoting gut health and outcompeting pathogens in gut colonization.

In addition to the three studies, the UK Gluck Center and Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory team has identified further potentially useful tests, including gene sequencing targeting identification of novel viruses and bacteria that may be present.

With limited Koller Emergency Funds available, the UK Gluck Equine Research Center is thankful for the additional dollars provided by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Foundation, The Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and Coolmore America.

“The foundation members met March 15 and felt this research and timing was consistent with the sole mission of immediately responding to threats to the breeding industry in Central Kentucky. We are grateful to Gluck for accessing their emergency funds and everyone for responding so quickly.” said Jimmy Bell, chairman of the KTOB Foundation.

“Situations such as these highlight the relevance for a coordinated effort that can be led by our scientists at the Gluck Equine Research Center,” said Stuart Brown, veterinarian, Keeneland equine safety director and chair of the Gluck Research Foundation. “Our team mobilizes to work with equine practitioners and farms throughout the area, allowing us to further our understanding and develop our approach to work on these types of issues. We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with other partners to enhance our abilities when issues like this arise.”

“We at Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation believe in supporting timely equine health for all horses at every stage of their lives, and foal diarrhea is proving to be a concern this year on Central Kentucky farms,” said Dell Hancock, chair of the foundation. “We are happy to help facilitate research to address this condition and thank the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center for their commitment to the well-being of horses.”

Grayson-Jockey Club Approves Record Funding for Equine Research

The board of directors of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation announced today that it has authorized expenditure of $1,638,434, the most that the foundation has ever allocated in a year, to fund 12 new projects at 12 universities, 12 continuing projects, and two career development awards worth $20,000 each. This marks the seventh straight year that more than $1 million has been approved. The 2021 slate of research brings Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation's totals since 1983 to more than $30.6 million to underwrite 396 projects at 45 universities.

“We are heartened by the continued commitment of universities to supporting equine veterinary research throughout these difficult times and that we are able to distribute more funding than ever before, enabling us to help horses of all breeds and disciplines,” said Dell Hancock, chair of Grayson.

“Despite a challenging year, Grayson-Jockey Club was excited to receive 51 grant applications from a variety of veterinary institutions in North America as well as five other countries,” said Dr. Stephen M. Reed, chair of Grayson's research advisory committee. “The subject matter is diverse and ranges from identifying new methods to treat and prevent infectious disease to development of computational models using big data to investigation of novel imaging techniques to prevent orthopedic injuries.”

Below is an alphabetical list by school of the new projects:

Passive Immunization of Foals with RNA-AB against R Equi

Jeroen Pollet, Baylor College of Medicine

By inhalation therapy, we intend to deliver the genetic code for a protective antibody against Rhodococcus equi into the lung cells of newborn foals, to rapidly protect them against infection.

Hyperthermia and Acidosis in Exertional Muscle Damage

Michael Davis, Oklahoma State University

This project will identify an underlying cause of exercise-associated muscle fatigue and soreness and allow trainers to more precisely condition horses with fewer training days lost to muscle soreness.

Developing an Improved Serological Test for Strangles

Noah Cohen, Texas A&M

We propose to develop a more accurate blood test to identify horses infected with the bacterium that causes strangles to improve control and prevention of strangles.

Mitigation of Equine Recurrent Uveitis through SOCS

Joseph Larkin, University of Florida

We seek to design a topical eye drop, using a natural protein, which helps to prevent pain and blindness associated with equine recurrent uveitis.

Environmental Origins of Equine Antimicrobial Resistance

Brandy Burgess, University of Georgia

This study will elucidate how antimicrobial resistance and virulence determinants are shared among horses and hospital environment, as well as the role antimicrobial exposure plays at this interface.

Treatment of Joint Injury with Mesenchymal Stromal Cells

Thomas Koch, University of Guelph

Evaluation of equine umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stromal cells to treat joint injuries in horses.

Optimizing Bone Growth to Reduce Equine Fracture

Mariana Kersh, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Reduction in distal limb fractures through exercise in young horses would have a significant positive impact on horse welfare and the economics and public perception of the horse industry.

New Generation Equine Influenza Bivalent VLP Vaccine

Thomas Chambers, University of Kentucky

We propose to create a novel, safe and effective vaccine for equine influenza based on the 21st-century technology of noninfectious virus-like particles produced in plants.

Injury Prediction from Stride Derived Racing Load

Chris Whitton, University of Melbourne

By studying patterns in bone fatigue accrual over time in racehorses, we will better, and earlier, identify horses at risk of limb injury, facilitating timely evidence based preventative strategies.

Predicting Exercising Arrhythmias with Resting ECGs

Molly McCue, University of Minnesota

We will use at rest ECGs to identify horses with irregular heart rhythms at exercise that can cause sudden cardiac death (SCD), allowing for increased monitoring and improved understanding of SCD.

Understanding and Preventing Supporting Limb Laminitis

Andrew Van Eps, University of Pennsylvania

We aim to make supporting limb laminitis preventable through analysis of archived model tissues, a multi-center limb motion study of horses at risk, and development of a prototype therapeutic device.

Diagnosis of Incipient Condylar Stress Fracture

Peter Muir, University of Wisconsin-Madison

This study will save the lives of racehorses by establishing screening using fetlock CT for diagnosis of horses with a high risk of imminent serious injury for personalized clinical care.

The Storm Cat Career Development Award, inaugurated in 2006, grants $20,000 to an individual considering a career in equine research. This year's recipient is Dr. Callum G. Donelly of the University of California, Davis. Dr. Donelly has completed his residency program and is in a research training position under the mentorship of Dr. Carrie Fino. His project, “Proteomic Investigation of Equine Spinal Ataxia,” is expected to identify novel protein biomarkers that differentiate normal horses from those with spinal ataxia, with high sensitivity and specificity.

The Elaine and Bertram Klein Career Development Award was first awarded in 2015 and grants $20,000 to a prospective equine researcher. This year's recipient is Dr. Aileen Rowland of Texas A&M University. Dr. Rowland's research focuses on the efficacy of xenogeny-free mesenchymal stem cells for osteoarthritis.

“We are pleased to continue our funding of two career development awards to support individuals passionate about equine research,” said Dr. Johnny Mac Smith, consultant to the research advisory committee. “Dr. Donelly and Dr. Rowland are worthy recipients of these grants, and I look forward to seeing how their current and future projects contribute to improving equine health in the future.”

Details on the new projects are available at the following link: grayson-jockeyclub.org/default.asp?section=2&area=Research&menu=2.

Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation is traditionally the nation's leading source of equine research funding. The projects it supports enhance the health and safety of horses of all breeds. Additional information about the foundation is available at grayson.jockeyclub.org.

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Research Update: The Effect Of A Half Pad On Pressure Distribution

Half pads are used in many English riding disciplines to correct saddle fit, help distribute rider weight and absorb impact. Most half pads are constructed using wool, gel, or foam, and can be of varying thicknesses. The objective of a recent study, conducted in the United Kingdom, was to determine how half pad type affected the distribution of pressure under a well-fitting saddle.

Twelve high-level dressage horses tacked with properly fitting dressage saddles were ridden in a seated trot and canter on both the left and right rein. Horses were ridden with four half pad treatments, which included a control (only a cotton saddle cloth was placed under the saddle), gel half pad (viscoelastic gel pad not shaped to the horse's back), wool half pad (1-inch thick, natural wool pad shaped to the horse's back with a mesh spine channel connecting the two wool side panels), and foam half pad (1 inch thick, foam pad shaped to the horse's back with a mesh spine connecting the two foam side panels). All half pads were placed on top of a cotton saddle cloth and were “tented” into the saddle gullet to provide wither clearance.

At the trot and canter, pressure under the front of the saddle was greatest when using gel half pads, but remained similar between the wool and foam half pads compared to the control. Pressure was reduced in the back half of the saddle when fitted with a wool half pad at the trot, and when fitted with either a wool or foam half pad at the canter compared to the control. Researchers observed that the gel half pads tended to shift and flatten over the withers during riding compared to the wool and foam half pads, which remained “tented” into the saddle gullet. They hypothesized that the change in position may have led to the increased pressure at the front of the saddle. The researchers concluded that wool and foam half pads could help reduce pressure towards the back of well-fitting saddles at the canter, however, riders should consult with a professional saddle fitter to discuss if different half pads are suitable on an individual horse and rider basis.

Read more at the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science.

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