• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.88-92
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• 2018

Osteochondroma (OC) is a cartilage-capped exostosis. In horses, OC commonly develops on the caudal distal metaphysis of the radius (CDMR). The purpose of study was to describe the outcomes of arthroscopy for the treatment of OC on CDMR. Diagnosis was based on clinical signs (lameness and distention of carpal sheath), radiography (location and size of OC), and ultrasonography (location of OC, torn deep digital flexor tendon, fibrin, and effusion of carpal sheath). Arthroscopy was performed on 68 Thoroughbred horses with OC on CDMR. Sixty of the 68 cases showed deep digital flexor tendinitis as a result of sharp protuberances of the OC. All horses survived, and 62 of the 68 cases returned to athletic function (racing) after arthroscopy. The present study demonstrated that arthroscopy is useful for treating OC of CDMR in horses.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.449-452
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• 2013

The present study was conducted to measure the cardiorespiratory endurance of Jeju crossbred horses according to hill tests and exercise intensity, thereby providing foundational data for evaluation of running capability of horses. The nine Jeju crossbred horses were subjected to the hill test with an inclination of around $30^{\circ}$ and six out of nine horses were used to measure the cardiorespiratory endurance according to three different exercise intensities (moderate, heavy, and very heavy). The running time for the hill test was 205 sec on average, while high deviation was observed between horses from 167 to 258 sec. In addition, the running time for the hill test was highly correlated with moderate exercise. While no significant difference in average heart rate was found between exercise intensities, a trend of large variation was found in the average heart rate between horses. The heart rate recovery was highly correlated with heavy exercise and very heavy exercise. The results showed that no significant difference in average heart rate was found among three exercise intensities, but there are large individual variations among horses.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.36-39
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• 2014

Many bacteria colonized in the horse semen affect quality of the sperm and some may cause infection in the mare reproductive tract and infertility of susceptible mare. This study was initiated to determine the prevalence of bacteria in testes of Jeju horses by determining rRNA sequence. The samples were swabed from the testes of nine Jeju horses (aged from 8 to 12 months after birth). Bacteria isolated from testes were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing. 1.6-kbp PCR products for 16S rRNA coding region were obtained using the universal primers. The PCR products were further purified and sequenced. Maximum similar species were found by BLAST search in the GenBank DNA database. BLAST results showed that the sequences were similar to those of Acinetobacter sp (A. schindleri, A. ursingii)., Bacillus cereus, Corynebacterium glutamicum, Escherichia coli, Gamma proteobacterium, Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas mendocina, Shigella sonnei, Sphingomonas sp., Staphylococcus sp (S. cohnii, S. saprophyticus, S. xylosus)., and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. DNA sequences for 16S rRNA is provided useful informations for species identification of pathogenic microorganisms for the reproductive organs in horses.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1088-1093
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• 2021

Jeju horse (Equus ferus caballus) is a Korean horse breed that has been native to Jeju Island for a long time. Jeju horses are used as racehorses, and their racing ability is a major economic trait. The role of the myostatin (MSTN) gene in skeletal muscle mass has been studied in various mammals, and mutations in the MSTN gene are known to affect the racing ability and stamina of thoroughbreds. In this study, we compared the frequency of mutations in the MSTN gene in several horse breeds, including 1,433 Jeju horses. Among the mutations (ECA18 g.66493737C>T) in the MSTN gene, the long-distance aptitude genotype (TT) was found to have a frequency of 0.826 in Jeju horses, which was higher than that in Halla horses (0.285) and thoroughbreds (0.252). The genotypes and arrival records of Jeju horses were compared according to various distances (400 m, 800 m, 900 m, 1,000 m, 1,110 m, and 1,200 m). According to the results, the CT type showed a faster-reaching record than the TT type in races of less than 1,000 m. However, almost identical results were confirmed in races over 1,110 m. This study suggests that the MSTN mutation in Jeju horses may be related to race distance aptitude. In future research, the data in this study can be used for developing markers related to race distance aptitude and racing abilities in Jeju horses.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.600-608
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• 2024

Objective: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the usability single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for parentage testing of horse breeds in Korea. Methods: The genotypes of 93 horse samples (38 Thoroughbred horses, 17 Jeju horses, 20 Quarter horses, and 18 American miniature horses) were determined using 15 microsatellite (Ms) markers (AHT4, AHT5, ASB2, ASB17, ASB23, CA425, HMS1, HMS2, HMS3, HMS6, HMS7, HTG4, HTG10, LEX3, and VHL20) and 101 SNP markers. Results: Paternity tests were performed using 15 Ms markers and 101 SNP markers in Thoroughbred horses and Quarter horses. AHT5, ASB2, ASB17, ASB23, CA425, HMS7, HTG10, and LEX3 did not follow Mendelian inheritance in Thoroughbred horses, whereas in Quarter horses, only AHT4, ASB2, and HMS2 showed Mendelian inheritance, consequently, paternity was not established. Meanwhile, 31 markers, including MNEc_2_2_2_98568918_BIEC2_502451, in Thoroughbred horses, and 30 markers, including MNEc_2_30_7430735_BIEC2_816793, in Quarter horses did not conform with Mendelian inheritance and therefore, could not be used for establishing parentage. Conclusion: The possibility of replacing Ms markers with SNP markers for paternity testing in horses was confirmed. However, further research using more samples is necessary.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.800-811
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• 2022

The integration of metabolomics and transcriptomics may elucidate the correlation between the genotypic and phenotypic patterns in organisms. In equine physiology, various metabolite levels vary during exercise, which may be correlated with a modified gene expression pattern of related genes. Integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic studies in horses have not been conducted to date. The objective of this study was to detect the effect of moderate exercise on the metabolomic and transcriptomic levels in horses. In this study, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, we analyzed the concentrations of metabolites in muscle and plasma; we also determined the gene expression patterns of branched chain (alpha) keto acid dehydrogenase kinase complex (BCKDK), which encodes the key regulatory enzymes in branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolism, in two breeds of horses, Thoroughbred and Jeju, at different time intervals. The concentrations of metabolites in muscle and plasma were measured by ¹H NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy, and the relative metabolite levels before and after exercise in the two samples were compared. Subsequently, multivariate data analysis based on the metabolic profiles was performed using orthogonal partial least square discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and variable important plots and t-test were used for basic statistical analysis. The stress-induced expression patterns of BCKDK genes in horse muscle-derived cells were examined using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to gain insight into the role of transcript in response to exercise stress. In this study, we found higher concentrations of aspartate, leucine, isoleucine, and lysine in the skeletal muscle of Jeju horses than in Thoroughbred horses. In plasma, compared with Jeju horses, Thoroughbred horses had higher levels of alanine and methionine before exercise; whereas post-exercise, lysine levels were increased. Gene expression analysis revealed a decreased expression level of BCKDK in the post-exercise period in Thoroughbred horses.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.895-900
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• 2016

The present study aims to confirm the influence of a horse-riding lesson program (HRLP) on the stress level of horses and riders by respectively analyzing their salivary cortisol concentration. Twenty-four healthy horses and 23 riders participated in this study. The horses were randomly classified into two groups for the horse riding lesson program: Class 1 (for the beginner lesson) and Class 2 (for the intermediate lesson). The Class 1 group consisted of 12 horses and 12 riders, while the Class 2 group consisted of 12 horses and 11 riders. Salivettes cotton wool swabs were used for saliva collection and the saliva analyses were conducted using a two-way analysis of variance for repeated measures with SAS version 8. As for the results, the average salivary cortisol concentration of all horses before HRLP significantly increased compared to the baseline (p<0.001) while it decreased after the HRLP. The results of the salivary cortisol concentration of the riders were similar to the horses' results. However, there was no difference during the HRLP between Class 1 and Class 2 in the horse or rider groups. The results suggest that the HRLP did not influence the stress level of the horses or riders. Thus, this study provides the necessary information and guidelines for future studies on stress in horses during riding and gives insight into better horse welfare and management options.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.177-182
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• 2017

This study was conducted to investigate the ovarian cycle changes of the mare according to the season. Twenty four Jeju crossbred horses(Thoroughbred ${\times}$ Jeju horse) raised in Subtropical Livestock Research Institute, National Institute of Animal Science, RDA were used to identify follicles and corpus luteum with ultrasonography once a week(May 2016~June 2017). Blood samples of experimental horses were collected twice a week for analysis of P4 hormone levels. The mares were considered to have resumed ovarian cyclicity on the day of ovulation if they followed by regular ovarian cycles. Only 13 cases(61.9%) of the total 21cases showed normal ovarian cycle, and 8 cases (38.1%) showed delayed ovarian cycle. Three cases(16.7%) in October, 5 cases(27.8%) in November and 5 cases(27.8%) in December(27.8%) ceased the heat and the remaining 5 cases(27.8%) showed that the estrus was maintained in winter. Horses that stopped estrus ceased the heat until March of next year, and 27.8% were continued the heat during non-breeding season. Eleven cases(61.1%) of 18 cases in April and 2 cases(11.1%) of 18 cases in May returned the estrus.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.209-216
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• 2011

This study carried out to investigate the pathogenic Streptococcus spp. isolated from respiratory tract of Thoroughbred in Jeju province. The specimens were collected from nasal mucosa using a culture swab from 113 Thoroughbred horses. Suspected colonies were selected onto blood and MacConkey agar plate, and identified by standard biochemical properties using Vitek 2 system and PCR method. In this study, we isolated S. equi (n=6), S. zooepidemicus (n=31), S. equisimilis (n=5), S. dysgalactiae (n=2), S. agalctiae (n=1), non identified ${\beta}$-hemolytic Streptococcus spp. (n=1) from Thoroughbred horses. In antimicrobial susceptibility test, it showed a high sensibility in the most of antimicrobial except for neomycin, streptomycin, spectinomycin, erythromycin and clindamycin. These results will provide the basic information to establish control measures for the treatment and prevention of respiratory disease by pathogenic Streptococcus spp. in Thoroughbred horses in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.601-606
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• 2005

The disease causing colic is the greatest cause of death in the domestic horse population today and accidental deaths as a result of colic leads to decreased productivity and economic losses in the horse breeding industry. Large colon impaction is the most common cause of colic in horses. Horses may ingest sand either by eating from the ground in sandy locations, or because of its inclusion in hay. In certain areas sand impaction is relatively common. The horse (4 year, female) presented with abdominal pain, which was charactered by willing to lie down, pawing, and looking at flank. A month later, the horse died suddenly at sand paddock. Post-mortem examination revealed the sand impaction as a lot of feces, sand and gravels in the right dorsal colon. In addition, there was necrosis and debilitation in mucosal lining of the large colon and rupture site on the right dorsal colon. The purpose of this article is to review sand impaction and emergencies in Thoroughbred horses.