Journal Articles
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915
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Item Relationship between experience and head kinematics in race riding jockeys(Springer Nature Limited, London, 2025-04-26) Legg KA; Cochrane DJ; Gee EK; Chin Y-Y; Rogers CWThoroughbred race-riding requires jockeys to attenuate horse movement and maintain postural stability whilst galloping at high speeds. This study aimed to investigate the head movement of jockeys in relation to race-riding experience. Accelerometer and heart rate data were collected from twelve apprentice and two senior jockeys during 85 exercise rides and 82 trial rides. Mean head displacements were determined for each jockey by double integrating the filtered acceleration data. A mixed effect multivariable linear regression model was used to investigate the relationship between jockey experience, physiological variables and head kinematics. The median (IQR) head displacement was higher for exercise riding (0.12 m, 0.09–0.14 m) than trial riding (0.06 m, 0.05–0.09 m). Jockey head displacement decreased with increasing speed of the horse (p < 0.001) and greater jockey experience (p = 0.007). Higher exercise load had a greater effect on head displacement with less experienced jockey’s (p = 0.02). The effect of speed was lower for trial riding than exercise riding (p < 0.001). More experienced jockeys had a greater ability to attenuate horse oscillation than inexperienced jockeys. This ability became more pronounced at higher exercise loads, reflecting a higher level of physical fitness and riding skill level. Measurement of jockey head displacement may provide a simple measure of assessing jockey race-riding ability or fitness.Item Applying equineRSU and seasonal livestock correction to wider equine stud farm types(Taylor and Francis Group, 2024-09-12) Chin YY; Airey H; Horne DJ; Gee EK; Back PJ; Sclater J; Rogers CW; Sneddon NTo adjust for potential overestimations in the nitrogen excretion by horses within Overseer®, a revised stock unit system has been proposed (equineRSU). These equineRSU were generated and validated using a medium-sized equine farm as a model farm. The aim of this study was to test the application of the equineRSU and seasonal stock number adjustment on a more complex farming model. Livestock numbers and management data were captured prospectively for the base property (128.8 ha) of a large multi-property commercial breeding stud (3 support properties, 556 ha total area) between June 2022 and May 2023. The monthly on-farm metabolisable energy (ME) requirement and pasture demand were deterministically modelled with both a customised feed budget using livestock class and weight or using the equineRSU and monthly adjusted stock numbers. There were multiple complex movements of horses on and off the property in the different stock classes across the year, with stock management reflecting seasonal periods of high stocking density. There was good agreement (6% variance) between actual ME demand (complex feed budget) and estimated feed demand (simplistic equineRSU model) of 4,387,187 MJ vs 4,102,770 MJ. This suggests that the equineRSU could be used on complex equine farm systems within Overseer®.Item Equus caballus papillomavirus Type 7 is a rare cause of equine penile squamous cell carcinomas.(Elsevier B.V., 2024-08-01) Munday JS; Knight CG; Bodaan CJ; Codaccioni C; Hardcastle MRPenile squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are common, potentially life-threatening neoplasms of horses. They are well-recognized to be caused by Equus caballus papillomavirus (EcPV) type 2, although EcPV2 cannot be detected in all cases. A 23-year-old standardbred gelding developed multiple penile in situ and invasive SCCs that contained histological evidence of PV infection. By using both consensus and specific PCR primers, these lesions were found to contain EcPV7 DNA, but not DNA from EcPV2 or any other PV type. To determine how frequently EcPV7 is present in equine penile SCCs, specific primers were used to detect EcPV2 and EcPV7 in a series of 20 archived samples. EcPV7 was the only PV detected in one, both EcPV2 and 7 were detected in five, and only EcPV2 was detected in 14 SCCs. EcPV7 DNA was also detected in three of 10 archived oropharyngeal SCCs, although only as a co- infection with EcPV2. This is the first report of EcPV7 causing disease in horses. These results suggest EcPV7 could cause a subset of equine penile SCCs, and this is the first evidence that PV types other than EcPV2 can cause these neoplasms. The detection of EcPV7 in the oropharyngeal SCCs suggests a potential role of this PV type in the development of these SCCs. There were no clinical or histological features that differentiated lesions containing EcPV7 DNA from those containing EcPV2 DNA. If EcPV7 causes a proportion of equine penile SCCs, vaccines to prevent EcPV2 infection may not prevent all equine penile SCCs.Item Sarcoid within the oral cavity of a horse.(Elsevier B.V., 2024-02-01) Munday JS; Lewis MC; Leyland MHEquine sarcoids are common skin tumors that are thought to be caused by cross-species infection by bovine papillomaviruses (BPV). A 16-year-old horse developed a 1cm diameter mandibular gingival mass opposite the right second premolar tooth (406) and a 2cm diameter mass close to the commissure of the lips on the same side of the mouth. The right cheek was diffusely thickened. Histology of the smaller mass revealed a proliferation of mesenchymal cells covered by hyperplastic epithelium that formed thick rete pegs. BPV2 DNA was amplified from the mass. Although the mass had been incompletely excised, there was no recurrence after 5 months. The histological features and detection of BPV2 DNA is consistent with a diagnosis of equine sarcoid. Sarcoids have not previously been reported in the oral cavity of horses. It is hypothesized that trauma to the mouth may have been important for sarcoid development. Additionally, different BPV types may have variable ability to infect the gingiva. While rare, sarcoids are a differential for an oral mass in a horse.Item A novel load cell-supported research platform to measure vertical and horizontal motion of a horse’s centre of mass during trailer transport(Elsevier, 4/02/2021) Colborne G; Tang L; Adams B; Gordon BI; McCabe BE; Riley CBDuring transport, horses are subjected to acceleration in three dimensions, rapid braking, turning, noise, and other stressors. The animal's ability to make postural corrections may be insufficient to prevent injury or distress, and so knowledge of the compensatory motion patterns of the horse in the trailer is a necessary precondition for smart design of transport systems. A custom two-horse trailer was built for this project. It had a horse compartment 1.85 m wide by 3.95 m long, with adjustable bulkheads and a centre divider separating the horses. The floor was instrumented with 24 shearbeam load cells to measure the vertical load imposed by each horse and its horizontal motion. Two horses were driven on a 56 km trip on both rural and urban roads. Load data were collected at 100 Hz for the 58-minute trip and were filtered with a cut-off frequency of 5 Hz using a Butterworth low-pass filter and then vertical acceleration computed. A pivot table counted sign reversals in the vertical acceleration signal, and vertical displacement was calculated using the fundamental frequency of the resulting acceleration data. Total vertical motion was calculated by making the negative displacements absolute and summing these with the positive displacements, and vertical work done was calculated by multiplying the force by the displacement measures. Horizontal motion was calculated by averaging the transverse and cranio-caudal position of the centre of pressure every second and adding the resultant displacements. Absolute vertical displacement of the two horses was 69.55 m and 97.56 m. In addition to the work done by standing, vertical work done in response to vibration was 322.4 kJ and 443.2 kJ. Horizontal excursion was 227.1 m and 243.0 m. This is a first effort to quantify the additional workload imposed on animals during transport, which will aid in the design of smart transport vehicles that will minimize the stress to horses.