Academic literature on the topic 'Friesian horse'

The spectrum of modern horse populations encompasses populations with a long history of development in isolation and relatively recently formed types. To increase our understanding of the evolutionary history and provide information on how to optimally conserve or improve these populations with varying development and background for the future, we analyzed genotype data of 184 horses from 9 Dutch or common horse populations in the Netherlands: The Belgian draft horse, Friesian horse, Shetland pony, Icelandic horse, Gelder horse, Groninger horse, harness horse, KWPN sport horse and the Lipizzaner horse population. Various parameters were estimated (e.g., runs of homozygosity and FST values) to gain insight into genetic diversity and relationships within and among these populations. The identified genomic makeup and quantified relationships did mostly conform to the development of these populations as well as past and current breeding practices. In general, populations that allow gene-flow showed less inbreeding and homozygosity. Also, recent bottlenecks (e.g., related to high selective pressure) caused a larger contribution of long ROHs to inbreeding. Maintaining genetic diversity through tailor-made breeding practices is crucial for a healthy continuation of the investigated, mostly inbred and (effectively) small sized horse populations, of which several already experience inbreeding related issues.

A 13-year-old Friesian stallion was referred for evaluation of acute coughing and bilateral nasal discharge. Thoracic radiographs revealed dilation of the terminal portion of the oesophagus, forming a thin-walled outpouching containing soft tissue opaque material and gas. A diagnosis of oesophageal obstruction with an impacted diverticulum was made. Caudal oesophageal muscularis hypertrophy and an impacted oesophageal diverticulum were found on postmortem examination. Histological abnormalities included a thick caudal oesophageal tunica muscularis and an oesophageal diverticulum composed of mucosa, submucosa and adventitia. Muscular hypertrophy of the oesophagus with diverticulum formation should be considered in Friesian horses presenting with clinical signs of oesophageal obstruction. In this case, thoracic radiographs contributed to a premortem diagnosis, guided medical management and provided information on prognosis. Thoracic radiography can be used as a complementary test in the diagnosis of oesophageal obstruction when endoscopy is available and is a useful diagnostic alternative when endoscopy is not an option.

In this report, a ten-year-old gelding with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia associated with chronic fibrosing mediastinitis of unknown origin is described. The patient suffered from chronic weight loss and intermittent diarrhea for already several months. He was presented with severe anemia, anorexia and fever of a 24-hour onset. A direct Coombs test was highly positive for IgG auto-agglutination. No evidence of an underlying process was found on clinical examination. Post-mortem examination revealed green liquid material containing food particles in the cranial mediastinum and histology suggested chronic fibrosing mediastinitis. Even though perforation of the esophagus is a plausible cause, no signs of esophageal rupture were noted on macroscopic examination. This case shows that non-responsive, immune-mediated hemolytic anemia can be due to an undetected underlying disease, such as chronic mediastinitis.

Based on a data set comprising 2879 animals and 17 nuclear microsatellite DNA markers, we propose the most comprehensive in-depth study mapping the genetic structure and specifying the assignment success rates in horse breeds at the Czech population scale. The STRUCTURE program was used to perform systematic Bayesian clustering via the Markov chain Monte Carlo estimation, enabling us to explain the population stratification and to identify genetic structure patterns within breeds worldwide. In total, 182 different alleles were found over all the populations and markers, with the mean number of 10.7 alleles per locus. The expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.459 (Friesian) to 0.775 (Welsh Part Bred), and the average level reached 0.721. The average observed heterozygosity corresponded to 0.709, with the highest value detected in the Czech Sport Pony (0.775). The largest number of private alleles was found in Equus przewalskii. The population inbreeding coefficient F_IS ranged from –0.08 in the Merens to 0.14 in the Belgian Warmblood. The total within-population inbreeding coefficient was estimated to be moderate. As expected, very large genetic differentiation and small gene flow were established between the Friesian and Equus przewalskii (F_ST= 0.37, Nm = 0.43). Zero F_ST values indicated no differences between the Czech Warmblood–Slovak Warmblood and the Czech Warmblood–Bavarian Warmblood. A high level of breeding and connectivity was revealed between the Slovak Warmblood–Bavarian Warmblood, Dutch Warmblood–Oldenburg Horse, Bavarian Warmblood–Dutch Warmblood, and Bavarian Warmblood–Oldenburg Horse. The breeds’ contribution equalled about 6% of the total genetic variability. The overall proportion of individuals correctly assigned to a population corresponded to 82.4%. The posterior Bayesian approach revealed a hierarchical dynamic genetic structure in four clusters (hot-blooded, warm-blooded, cold-blooded, and pony). While most of the populations were genetically distinct from each other and well-arranged with solid breed structures, some of the entire sets showed signs of admixture and/or fragmentation.

In this study, the selection and breeding of Friesian horses in Southern Africa were evaluated. Literature was reviewed for sUbjective and objective selection criteria in horse breeding with special reference to the Friesian. 852 Pedigree records from Friesian horses registered at the FPSSA and SAFBA, were included for pedigree analyses and 232 horses were measured for eight different linear body measurements. Only 25,7% of the population was found to be inbred. A regression of average inbreeding on year of the whole population, indicated a relatively slow increase in the rate of inbreeding. It is, however, suspected that this could be a conservative estimation, because of the limited pedigree information. The results indicated that the Friesian horse is normally of rectangular (height at withers: body length) shape. A large average difference between wither height and back height was observed. The cannon length measurements were proportional to overall size, no obvious deviations were observed. Pearson correlation estimates between the eight body measurements were mostly in accordance with other studies on horses reported in the literature. A sire model was fitted for the estimation of heritability for wither-, back- and croup height, body length, cannon circumference and cannon length. Estimates ranged from 0.30 for wither height to 0.57 for cannon circumference. The results indicate that South African breeders can apply body measurements in their selection programs for Friesians. From the results, guidelines were provided for establishing a database for Friesian horses in Southern Africa to ensure a scientific approach to selection and breeding.
Dissertation (MSc (Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2003.
Animal and Wildlife Sciences
unrestricted

Feeding behaviour is controlled by the integration of both perceived cues from the plant and postingestive signals received by the animal. In general practice, dairy cattle are presented with a variety of feedstuffs throughout each day, in addition to changing feedstuffs over time. In the Australian context, the feeds generally include fodder (usually hay) and pasture whilst grazing, as well as various concentrates. For horses that are stabled for prolonged periods, their diet consists of fodder (again usually hay or chaff) and concentrates, in addition to the pasture consumed whilst allowed access to graze. In such situations, where animals are presented with a range of feedstuffs, some of them novel and for discrete periods of time, it is important that they readily accept the feeds when they are first presented to them. For both lactating dairy cows and performance horses, for example, it is important to avoid periods of low intake, as this can have immediate and sometimes longer-term consequences to animal performance. The daily rate of food intake is the single most important factor affecting animal performance and productivity (Illius et al. 2000) and an animal‟s responses to a feedstuff can be considered the ultimate measure of its quality. The animal‟s first response to the presentation of a new feed, which in this particular study was oaten or lucerne hay, is its level of voluntary intake, which depends in part on palatability. Palatability is an integrative term (Provenza 1995); to provide a quantitative measure of the acceptability of a feedstuff, a „preference value’ can be obtained by describing the preference of one hay relative to an alternate hay also on offer. The Australian fodder industry is increasingly adopting more objective measures of hay quality to improve marketing opportunities, especially in the export industry, and to meet the demands and expectations of local and overseas purchasers of hay. Being able to efficiently and reliably predict the preference value of any particular hay would be beneficial to processors, exporters, users (purchasers) of hay, and possibly plant breeders, to make more informed decisions. This thesis describes a comprehensive analysis of the chemical and physical characteristics of a selected number of oaten and lucerne hays and their relationship to the acceptability or „preference value‟ of the hays for lactating Holstein Friesian cows and Thoroughbred horses. The project aimed to (i) quantify preference values for a large number of oaten hays with dairy cows and horses and a similarly large number of lucerne hays with horses only, and (ii) develop predictive equations for animal preferences based on the chemical and physical properties of the hays and the animal‟s short-term rate of consuming the hays. A total of approximately 8,500 preference tests were conducted with 85 oaten hays offered to lactating Holstein Friesian cows and Thoroughbred horses, and 70 lucerne hays offered to Thoroughbred horses. The hays were selected to cover a range of nutritive values. The intake rate and preferences for all the hays were quantified in a series of tests replicated over time and with different animals. Each „trial‟ hay was offered with four „standard‟ hays (in separate tests). A suite of chemical (nutritive value) traits and physical traits were quantified for the hays. An assessment of the „odour profile‟ was also included in the characterisation of the hays. The nutritive, physical and volatile traits were then related to hay preference values in multiple and simple linear regression models and equations generated to predict hay preference values. A prediction of hay preference made directly from the spectra obtained by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) was also developed. Overall, the average preference value of an oaten hay (i.e., that obtained using the comparisons with all four standard hays) could be predicted from a range of nutritive value traits, typically the contents of acid detergent fibre (ADF), hemicellulose, crude protein (CP) and water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) - with a correlation co-efficient of about 79% with cows and 61% for horses. Acid detergent fibre and CP contents tended to have the biggest influence on preference value for both cows and horses, followed by WSC and hemicellulose content. Examination of lucerne hays offered to horses increased the correlation co-efficient to 74%, with ADF, hemicellulose and CP each having a similar magnitude of effect. This means that these traits, with an appropriate weighting for each, could account for up to about three-quarters of the variation in hay preference values for cows and horses. The in vitro digestibility of dry matter (IVD) of oaten and lucerne hay was nearly as accurate in predicting preference values as using the four nutritive value traits of ADF, hemicellulose, CP and WSC, which was anticipated as digestibility is a function of these chemical traits. Hay physical traits could also be used to predict preference values, although not as accurately as the nutritive value traits or IVD. Of the physical traits, shear energy had the largest effect (co-efficient approximately -1.15 compared to an average of -0.35 for the other traits in the equation). The use of NIRS to directly predict preference values was also encouraging, with the best calibration model yielding a correlation co-efficient of 61 to 81%, depending on the hay (oaten or lucerne) and the animal (cows or horses). Of the total 120 volatile compounds isolated from the oaten hays, six had some relationship with cow preferences and there were also six oaten hay volatiles related to horse preferences. Of the oaten hay volatiles significantly related to preference, four were positively related to cow preference whilst two were negatively related to cow preference. Similarly there were four volatiles positively related to horse preference and two consistently negatively related. Of the six oaten hay volatiles found to influence the preferences of dairy cows and horses, four were common to both species. Of the total of 147 volatile compounds isolated from the lucerne hays, 15 had some relationship with horse preference, with nine positively related to horse preference and six negatively related. The data reported here suggest that a predicted preference value for a hay can be generated using commonly measured quality traits, which would improve a buyer‟s confidence of animals responding favourably when first offered the hay. More specifically, for an average preference value, the most reliable prediction equation was based on nutritive value traits: ADF, hemicellulose, crude protein and water soluble carbohydrates solely. Alternatively a combination of nutritive and physical traits can be used to predict preference: in vitro digestibility, crude protein, water soluble carbohydrates and shear energy. The visible and near infrared spectra obtained by NIRS was also a promising method of prediction, and given the speed and affordability of NIRS, this technology could be further refined and used for routine measurement of predicted hay preference values. The volatile compounds shown to influence preference value of the hay should be identified and further research undertaken to investigate novel approaches to manipulate the preference of hays. Caution should be taken when attempting to use these prediction equations on a single specific hay in a single specific situation. The predictions and relationships investigated in this thesis are based on populations of hays and preferences of a group of animals and therefore some care should be taken when applying them to a particular situation with difference circumstances. Other factors that can influence feed preferences include an animal‟s feeding experiences, basal diet and diet history and various environmental factors unaccounted for here.
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Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, 2008