OBJECTIVES: To examine the age, bodyweight and date of onset of puberty in Thoroughbreds born in spring and autumn.

To determine the responsiveness of the pituitary–gonadal axis of peri-pubertal colts to GnRH, buserelin (0.5, 1, 5, 10 and 40 μg) was given to 13 male Thoroughbred yearlings (n=3–8 colts per dose).

he metabolic responses to low and high intensity exercise were compared in 5
Arabian (AR) and 5 Thoroughbred (Tb) horses. The higher aerobic and anaerobic capacity of the Tb horses likely contributed to their superior high intensity exercise performance. Conversely, the AR may be better adapted for
endurance exercise as evidenced by the greater use of fat. These metabolic differences may reflect breed variation in muscle fiber types.

To determine whether plasma, urine, and fecal electrolyte and mineral concentrations differ between clinically normal horses and Thoroughbreds with recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (RER) after consumption of diets varying in cation-anion balance.

Hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia have been implicated in the pathogenesis of osteochondrosis (Glade et al., 1984; Ralston, 1995). More specifically, foals that experience an exaggerated and sustained increase in circulating glucose or insulin in response to a carbohydrate (grain) meal may be predisposed to development of osteochondrosis.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an external nasal strip (NS), frusemide (FR) and a combination of the 2 treatments (NS + FR) on exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) in Thoroughbred horses. It was hypothesized that both the NS and FR would attenuate EIPH as assessed by red blood cell count in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.

Greiwe-Crandell KM, SD Kronfeld, LS Gay, D Sklan, PA Harris. 1997. Vitamin A repletion in Thoroughbred mares with retinyl palmitate or ß-carotene. J. Anim. Sci. 75:2684-2690. Reproductive efficiency in the mare is lowest among domestic livestock. Researchers set out to determine if this may be partly dependent on vitamin A status of mares. To test […]

The effect of aluminum supplementation on nutrient digestibility and macro- and micromineral balance was studied in balance trials in mature Thoroughbred horses. It is concluded that short-term consumption of a diet containing 930 ppm aluminum has negligible effect on nutrient digestibility and mineral metabolism in horses.

Previous studies in our laboratory demonstrated a marked glycemic response when
horses were fed a fiber mix consisting of equal parts rice bran, soy hulls, wheat bran, and
soaked beet pulp (Pagan et al. 1999). We speculated that, in part, the beet pulp portion of
this fiber mix was responsible for the increase in plasma glucose concentrations after
meal ingestion. We further hypothesized that the magnitude of the glycemic response to
beet pulp would depend on how the beet pulp was prepared.

Growth and protein status were examined in Thoroughbred foals and yearlings offered pasture supplements with different crude protein contents and amino acid compositions.