• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.253-260
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• 2001

This study was carried out to investigate the characteristics of 335 injured racehorses that had rested over 6 months or were retired in Seoul racecourse from 1994 to 1998. We surveyed 62,117 racing horses and incidence rate of injured horses was 0.54%. Of 335 horses, 322 horses(96.1 %) were associated with musculoskeletal disorders. The musculoskeletal disorders observed with high incidence were fracture and luxation(53.1%), tendinitis and desmitis(17.7%) in category, forelimb(92.5%) in location, below metacarpus/metatarsus(73.0%) in lesion. The prevalence rate of male, 5 years old or Ireland origin was higher than any other individual. These data would be useful standard reference for control of injuries in racing horses.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.483-488
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• 2015

Objective : The purposes of this study was to analyze the locomotive movement of forelimbs according to changes in velocities in the quadruped cadence of horses. Methods : Horses selected as subjects consisted of Jeju pony horses (heights of withers: $1.23{\pm}0.51$). Two camcorders (HDR-HC7/HDV 1080i, Sony Corp, Japan) were used to capture the movement of the horses' forelimbs at a rate of 60 frames/sec. Additionally, raw data was collected from Kwon3D XP motion analysis package ver 4.0 program (Visol, Korea) with DARTFISH (DFKREA., Korea) video software solution. The variables analyzed consisted of 1 step lengths, 1 stride lengths, stance time, swing time, 1 stride time, velocity while walking, and trot of the horses. A two-way ANOVA and paired t-test of the variables by velocity and phase were treated at .05 level of significant difference, statistically. Results : The time elapsed of walk(stance: 0.63 sec[63.86%], swing: 0.35 sec[36.14%], 1 stride time: 0.99 sec respectively) showed significant difference with more delay than that of trot(stance: 0.29 sec[45.73%], swing: 0.34 sec[54.27% ], 1 stride time: 0.63 sec respectively), and also showed significant difference at trot in interaction (stance time>tort swing>walk swing>walk stance). The 1 step lengths and stride lengths in trot showed significant difference with longer than that of walk. Velocity of Trot showed significant difference statistically with higher than that of walk Conclusion : The horses' velocity during 1 step lengths and 1 stride lengths showed a proportional relationship, but the correlation between the horses' velocity and stance time showed a negative relationship during the quadruped cadence.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.9
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• pp.1460-1465
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• 2021

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the diversity of donkey populations by comparing with the diversity of Thoroughbred and Jeju Halla horses; identified breeding backgrounds can contribute to management and conservation of donkeys in South Korea. Methods: A total of 100 horse (50 Thoroughbreds and 50 Jeju Halla horses) and 79 donkeys samples were genotyped with 15 microsatellite markers (AHT4, AHT5, ASB2, ASB17, ASB23, CA425, HMS1, HMS2, HMS3, HMS6, HMS7, HTG4, HTG10, LEX3, and VHL20), to identify genetic diversity and relationships among horses and donkeys. Results: The observed number of alleles per locus ranged from 1 (ASB17, HMS1) to 14 (AHT5), with a mean value of 4.87, 8.00, and 5.87 in Thoroughbreds, Jeju Halla horses, and donkeys, respectively. Of the 15 markers, AHT4, AHT5, ASB23, CA425, HMS2, HMS3, HTG4, HTG10, and LEX3 loci had relatively high polymorphism information content (PIC) values (PIC>0.5) in these three populations. Mean levels of genetic variation were H_E = 0.6721 and H_O = 0.6600 in Thoroughbreds, H_E = 0.7898 and H_O = 0.7100 in Jeju Halla horses, and H_E = 0.5635 and H_O = 0.4861 in donkeys. Of the 15 loci in donkeys, three loci had negative inbreeding coefficients (FIS), with a moderate mean FIS (0.138). The FIS estimate for the HTG4 marker was highest (0.531) and HMS6 marker was lowest (-0.001). The total probability of exclusion value of 15 microsatellite loci was 0.9996 in donkeys. Conclusion: Genetic cluster analysis showed that the genetic relationship among 79 donkeys was generally consistent with pedigree records. Among the three breeds, donkeys and Thoroughbred horses formed clearly different groups, but the group of Jeju Halla horses overlapped with that of Thoroughbred horses, suggesting that the loci would be suitable for donkey parentage testing. Therefore, the results of this study are a valid tool for genetic study and conservation of donkeys.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.792-799
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• 2022

Dopamine (DA) is known to be a key modulator of animal behaviors. Thus, the plasma concentration of DA might be used as a biomarker for the behavioral characteristics of horses. The behavioral characteristics of horses vary depending on the breed, age, and sex. Moreover, the DA receptor genotypes are also related to horse behaviors. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the DA concentration variations of horse plasma by breed, age, sex, or genotype of its receptor. The horses were divided by breed into Thoroughbred (n = 13), Pony (n = 9), Warmblood (n = 4), and Haflinger (n = 5). The age variable was divided into three different groups: post-pubertal (2-5 years, n = 6), adult (6-13 years, n = 19), and aged horses (15-24 years, n = 6). The sex variable was divided into geldings (n = 8) and mares (n = 23). Approximately 10 mL of blood was collected, and an ELISA kit was used to measure the plasma concentration of DA. Polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed to identify the genetic variation in the DA D4 receptor gene (DRD4). SPSS statistical software was used for statistical analysis. The DA concentrations in geldings were significantly lower than those in mares. There was no significant difference in DA concentrations among breed and age groups. Horses with the GG and GA genotypes had significantly higher plasma concentrations of DA compared to horses with the AA genotype for the G292A gene. Briefly, the plasma concentration of DA varied depending on the sex and genotype of G292A. These factors should be considered when the concentration of DA is used as a biomarker for the behavioral characteristics of horses. In conclusion, the DA concentration or DRD4 genotype of horse plasma has the potential to be used as a biomarker that can predict the behavioral characteristics of horses.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2007

The capability of microsatellite markers for individual identification and their potential for breed assignment of individuals was evaluated in two Indian horse breeds. The strength of these individual assignment methods was also evaluated by increasing the number of loci in increments of five. The probability of identity of two random horses from the two breeds at all twenty five studied loci was as low as $1.08{\times}10^{-32}$ showing their suitability to distinguish between individual horses and their products. In the phylogenetic approach for individual assignment using Nei's genetic distances, 10.81% of horses associated with breed other than the major cluster of the source breed horses when all twenty five microsatellite loci were implemented. Similar results were obtained when the maximum likelihood approach for individual assignment was used. Based on these results it is proposed that, although microsatellite markers may prove very useful for individual identification, their utility for breed assignment of horses needs further evaluation.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.417-426
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• 1998

During the 5 years period(93-197) of Seoul racecourse Thoroughbred racing, 2i963 holies took an active part in Seoul Racecourse and 61,181 horses entered the racing.400 horses(305 : 1 time, 76 :2 times, 19 :3 times, total : 514 cases) had bled(EIPH) from their nostils after their races. Incidence of bleeding horses from the 21963 racehorses was 13.5%, and incidence of bleeding cases from the 61,181 horses was 0.84%. The average racing frequence (1.05 times/1 month) of bleeders was more than that(0.8 times/1 month) of total race-horses. There was tendency to higher incidence of bleeding at older in age, female in sex, England/ Ireland horses in origin, higher grade in performances heavier in body weight increased, larger in weight to be carried, mid or longer in racing distance, handicap race, spring in season. Relationship did not exist between bleeding and respiratory disease. These results suggested that frequent entering into the race should be controlled. And body weight regulation with conditioning is recommended far reducing incidence of EIPH. It is supposed to prevent bleeding that decrescent performance horses should not be entering long distance or handicap race.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.1066-1072
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• 1999

The present study was carried out to investigate the blood markers of Cheju horses. The red cell types (blood groups) were tested from 73 Cheju native horses and 118 Cheju racehorses by serological procedures with 23 reagents. The blood group phenotypes observed with high frequency were Pb(34.3%), Qc(56.2%), Qb(15.1%) and genotypes Dbcm/dghm(12.3%), Dde/dghm(9.6%), Dad/bcm(6.8%), Dcgm/de(6.8%) in Cheju native horses, while Aa(63.6%), Pa(44.9%), P-(28.8%), Qabc(36.4%), Dbcm/cgm(14.4%), Dbcm/bcm(10.2%), Dbcm/de(7.6%), Dbcm/dghm(5.1%), Dde/dk(5.1%) in Cheju racehorses. Alleles observed with high frequency were Ab(0.128), Ac(0.169), Dad(0.103), Dadn(0.075), Ddghm(0.226), Pb(0.316), Qc(0.494) in Cheju native horses and Aa(0.529), Dbcm(0.306), P-(0.531), Qabc(0.197), Q-(0.504) in Cheju racehorses. No specific variation of blood groups and allele frequencies of C,K,U system were observed in Cheju native horses and Cheju racehorses. The mean heterozygosity in Cheju native horses and Cheju racehorses was observed 0.5344 and 0.5102, respectively.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.66 no.2
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• pp.425-437
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• 2024

Exercise plays an important role in regulating energy homeostasis, which affects the diversity of the intestinal microbial community in humans and animals. To the best of the authors' knowledge, few studies have reported the associations between horse gut microbiota along with their predicted metabolic activities and the athletic ability of Jeju horses and Thoroughbreds living in Korea. This study was conducted to investigate the association between the gut microbiota and athletic performance in horses. This study sequenced the V3 and V4 hypervariable regions of the partial 16S rRNA genes obtained from racehorse fecal samples and compared the fecal microbiota between high- and low-performance Jeju horses and Thoroughbreds. Forty-nine fecal samples were divided into four groups: high-performance Jeju horses (HJ, n = 13), low-performance Jeju horses (LJ, n = 17), high-performance Thoroughbreds (HT, n = 9), and low-performance Thoroughbreds (LT, n = 10). The high-performance horse groups had a higher diversity of the bacterial community than the low-performance horse groups. Two common functional metabolic activities of the hindgut microbiota (i.e., tryptophan and succinate syntheses) were observed between the low-performance horse groups, indicating dysbiosis of gut microbiota and fatigue from exercise. On the other hand, high-performance horse groups showed enriched production of polyamines, butyrate, and vitamin K. The racing performance may be associated with the composition of the intestinal microbiota of Jeju horses and Thoroughbreds in Korea.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.58 no.11
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• pp.40.1-40.5
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• 2016

Background: Currently about 26,000 horses are breeding in Korea and 57.2% (14,776 horses) of them are breeding in Jeju island. According to the statistics published in 2010, the horses breeding in Jeju island are subdivided into Jeju horse (6.1%), Thoroughbred (18.8%) and Halla horse (75.1%). Halla horses are defined as a crossbreed between Jeju and Thoroughbred horses and are used for horse racing, horse riding and horse meat production. However, little research has been conducted on Halla horses because of the perception of crossbreed and people's weighted interest toward Jeju horses. Method: Using 17 Microsatellite (MS) Markers recommended by International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG), genomic DNAs were extracted from the hair roots of 3,880 Halla horses breeding in Korea and genetic diversity was identified by genotyping after PCR was performed. Results and conclusion: In average, 10.41 alleles (from 6 alleles in HTG7 to 17 alleles in ASB17) were identified after the analysis using 17 MS Markers. The mean value of $H_{obs}$ was 0.749 with a range from 0.612(HMS1) to 0. 857(ASB2). Also, it was found that $H_{\exp}$ and PIC values were lowest in HMS1 (0.607 and 0.548, respectively), and highest in LEX3(0.859 and 0.843, respectively), and the mean value of $H_{\exp}$ was 0.760 and that of PIC was 0.728. 17 MS markers used in this studies were considered as appropriate markers for the polymorphism analysis of Halla horses. The frequency for the appearance of identical individuals was $5.90{\times}10^{-20}$ when assumed as random mating population and when assumed as half-sib and full-sib population, frequencies were $4.08{\times}10^{-15}$ and $3.56{\times}10^{-8}$, respectively. Based on these results, the 17 MS markers can be used adequately for the Individual Identification and Parentage Verification of Halla horses. Remarkably, allele M and Q of ASB23 marker, G of HMS2 marker, H and L of HTG6 marker, L of HTG7 marker, E of LEX3 marker were the specific alleles unique to Halla horses.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.963-971
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• 2022

Production of high-quality horses is important to make the horse industry grow. Grazing during the growing period can be an important factor affecting the production of high-quality horses. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of grazing on growing horses by analyzing their blood components and intestinal microbiota. Twelve growing horses for evaluating blood components and ten growing horses for evaluating intestinal microbiota were raised for about seven months and separated by two treatments: grazing vs. stable. Complete blood count, blood chemistry, and creatine kinase levels were analyzed as blood components and a 16s rRNA gene sequence analysis was performed to analyze intestinal microbiota. Calcium ions tended to be lower in the group with grazing treatment. Alkaline phosphatase and creatine kinase tended to be higher in the group with grazing treatment. These results indicate that grazing can provide horses with more exercise than staying in stables. At the phylum level, Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratios in grazing and stable groups were 4.2 and 6.5, respectively. Because various studies have reported that a. high Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio indicates obesity, the method of raising horses might affect their physical ability. At the species level, rates of Clostridium butyricum in grazing and stable groups were 3.2% and 13.1%, respectively. Some strains of C. butyricum can cause several diseases such as botulism. These results indicate that grazing can positively affect growing horses in terms of blood components and intestinal microbiota. Moreover, grazing can be helpful to make growing horses healthy through proper exercise.