travel | Horse Racing Free Tips

Study Finds That Trailering Is A Full-Body Workout For Horses

Many studies have been done on a horse's preferred position while traveling in a horse trailer, but not much is known on how the horse's body reacts while the trailer is in motion.

A research team led by Dr. Robert Colborne created a horse trailer that allowed them to study how a horse's body moves to compensate for trailer movement. They found that a horse's legs play a key role in dampening road vibrations from the trailer floor and helping a horse maintain his balance.

The study trailer had fitted force plates that allowed researchers to measure precisely how a horse moves in response to braking, turning, acceleration, and constant speed horses experience on a typical trailer trip. Two study horses were taken on a 56-mile trip that took 58 minutes to complete; it covered both city and country roads.

They discovered that in total, the horse's bodies moved over 228 and 320 feet vertically during the trip. Though these values seem large, the horse's movement was still less than the vertical movement of the trailer floor. This indicates that horse's use their legs as springs to dampen trailer vibrations.

The horses also adjusted their bodies horizontally to deal with braking. The team found that the horses moved 745 and 797 feet horizontally over the course of the trip. The horses swayed over 11 inches back and forth and side to side during the trip.

It is expected that as horses become more seasoned travelers that their energy expenditure to stay upright and maintain balance would decrease.

Equine Piroplasmosis Spreading To More-Temperate Regions

A recent study shows that equine piroplasmosis (EP) is spreading to more-temperate areas of the world where it has not yet been found. A parasitic infection, EP can be spread by ticks and through contaminated needles, syringes, surgical equipment and products through blood contact.

Horses that have piroplasmosis have a high fever, go off their feed and are lethargic. Their legs may swell, as does their spleen; they have a rapid heart rate and urine discoloration. Affected horses may die; if the horse recovers, he will be recessive carrier of the disease for the rest of his life.

EP is common in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. An outbreak of piroplasmosis has economic consequences as it can halt international equine movement between endemic and non-endemic regions.

Drs. Sharon Tirosh-Levy, Yuval Gottlieb, Lindsay Fry, Donald Knowles and Amir Steinman analyzed the serological, epidemiological, and molecular diagnostic data on EP published in the last 20 years to better understand how prevalent the parasites that cause the disease are.

The team concluded that EP is endemic in most parts of the world and that it is spreading into more-temperate climates that had previously been considered free from the parasite. It's estimated that 90 percent of the horses in the world live in areas where EP is endemic.

There is no vaccine for EP; control of the disease includes a combination of medications, vector control and limited transport of infected horses. Treatment and control strategies differ between endemic and non-endemic regions. The United States, Australia, and Japan are non-endemic countries that deny EP-positive horses entrance to their countries; these countries quarantine, export or euthanize infected horses.

Read the review here.

North American Breeders’ Cup Winners Offered Free Travel To Pegasus World Cup

Gulfstream Park announced Tuesday that North American-based winners of this weekend's Breeders' Cup World Championships will be offered complimentary equine travel to Gulfstream to compete in the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series.

The $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) for 4-year-olds and up and the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) for 4-year-olds and up will be contested on Saturday, Jan. 23.

Winners of the Pegasus World Cup and Pegasus World Cup Turf will also have guaranteed spots in the starting gate of the Saudi Cup Feb 20.

Entering its fifth year, the Pegasus World Cup Championship Series has continued to attract the sport's biggest stars including champions Gun Runner, Arrogato and California Chrome as well as 2019 winner City of Light and international sensations Aerolithe, Kukulkan and Magic Wand. The race has also brought out stars from film, music and fashion including Jennifer Lopez, Post Malone, Snoop Dogg, Olivia Culpo, Usher, Vanessa Hudgens, Lenny Kravitz, Pharrell and Bella Thorne.

Pegasus World Cup Day will feature a total of seven stakes, all graded, worth $4.8 million.

The post North American Breeders’ Cup Winners Offered Free Travel To Pegasus World Cup appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Flying High: New Study To Develop Guidelines For Horses Traveling By Air

Horses are one of the most frequently transported domestic species in the world; they are frequently moved by vans, ships and planes. Horses that travel between locations are at risk for disease, injury and welfare issues. Many studies have been done on how to alleviate the stresses caused by traveling by road, but little is known on how horses handle traveling by air.

A new study funded by Morris Animal Foundation and spearheaded by Dr. Barbara Padalino, an associate professor of animal science at Italy's Università di Bologna, will investigate what factors increase or decrease the risk of health and behavior issues.

The findings of the study, which involves both stakeholders and researchers, will be used to develop protocols for flight associations like the International Air Transportation Association (IATA). Currently, protocols focus on air safety and cargo requirements, not on equine welfare issues; they are based on experience, with little scientific backing.

It is estimated that nearly 30,000 horses are flown each year. A recent study used 81 flights to Hong Kong and found that for every 100 horses flown, about 11 percent got pneumonia from the flight and 60 percent of flights had at least one horse affected; horses flown in the spring were particularly at risk. That study concluded that flight duration and time of year were risk factors for horses getting sick.

Padalino and her research team hope to use 2,000 horses in their study; these horses will be flying between the United States, Europe, Japan, South Africa, Hong Kong, Australia and New. The study will involve asking questions regarding horse's welfare before, during and up to five days after the flight. This will include questions about heart rate, alertness and body condition scores, among others.

Padalino hypothesizes that horses with less transport experience and training will be more at risk of transport-related problems, as will those horses who have different temperaments. She is hopeful that the study will assist in the creation of protocol to increase the welfare of horses shipping by air, as well as provide an economic benefit to horse owners by reducing health complications.