The Welfare of Horses Competing in Three-Barrel Race Events Is Shown to Be Not Inhibited by Short Intervals between Starts
Equestrian sports require precise animal welfare and health evaluations. To test the hypothesis that horses maintain their welfare when subjected to two three-barrel (3TB) races with 2 min intervals, an experiment was designed to evaluate their surface temperature using infrared thermography (IRT) i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/4/583 |
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| author | Helio C. Manso Filho Keity L. G. Trindade Carolina J. F. L. Silva Raissa K. S. Cruz César F. Vilela Clarisse S. Coelho José D. Ribeiro Filho Helena E. C. C. C. Manso |
| author_facet | Helio C. Manso Filho Keity L. G. Trindade Carolina J. F. L. Silva Raissa K. S. Cruz César F. Vilela Clarisse S. Coelho José D. Ribeiro Filho Helena E. C. C. C. Manso |
| author_sort | Helio C. Manso Filho |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Equestrian sports require precise animal welfare and health evaluations. To test the hypothesis that horses maintain their welfare when subjected to two three-barrel (3TB) races with 2 min intervals, an experiment was designed to evaluate their surface temperature using infrared thermography (IRT) in regions of interest (barrel, flank, neck, jaw, corner of the mouth, and ocular caruncle) and also measure blood biomarkers (hemogram, total plasma protein, fibrinogen, urea, creatinine, GGT, CK, cortisol, IL-6, and IL-1β). Ten Quarter Horses were monitored through thermography (pre-race, +1, +4, and +24 h post-race) and blood sampling (pre-race, +1, +4, and +24 h post-race). ANOVA and Tukey test at 5% were used. IRT in six regions of interest (Left/Right—barrel, flank, neck muscles) increased at +, with no differences between values recorded at +1 and +4 when compared to those measured pre-race (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Plasma protein, RBC count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, WBC count, neutrophils, and lymphocytes (<i>p</i> < 0.05) increased immediately after the races, with recovery at +1 h. Other biomarkers did not change, including cortisol, IL-6, and IL-1β (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Results indicate that well-conditioned 3TB horses subjected to two races at short intervals do not show changes that could be related to impaired health or welfare. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:45:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-346d3f271cdc4ec6bebc9930fb55ac2c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:45:20Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-346d3f271cdc4ec6bebc9930fb55ac2c2024-02-23T15:04:44ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152024-02-0114458310.3390/ani14040583The Welfare of Horses Competing in Three-Barrel Race Events Is Shown to Be Not Inhibited by Short Intervals between StartsHelio C. Manso Filho0Keity L. G. Trindade1Carolina J. F. L. Silva2Raissa K. S. Cruz3César F. Vilela4Clarisse S. Coelho5José D. Ribeiro Filho6Helena E. C. C. C. Manso7Núcleo de Pesquisa Equina, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, PE, BrazilNúcleo de Pesquisa Equina, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, PE, BrazilNúcleo de Pesquisa Equina, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, PE, BrazilFaculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Centro Universitário Cesmac, Maceió 57051-160, AL, BrazilIndependent Researcher, Americana 13474-470, SP, BrazilMediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Universidade de Évora, 7006-554 Évora, PortugalDepartamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, MG, BrazilNúcleo de Pesquisa Equina, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE), Recife 52171-900, PE, BrazilEquestrian sports require precise animal welfare and health evaluations. To test the hypothesis that horses maintain their welfare when subjected to two three-barrel (3TB) races with 2 min intervals, an experiment was designed to evaluate their surface temperature using infrared thermography (IRT) in regions of interest (barrel, flank, neck, jaw, corner of the mouth, and ocular caruncle) and also measure blood biomarkers (hemogram, total plasma protein, fibrinogen, urea, creatinine, GGT, CK, cortisol, IL-6, and IL-1β). Ten Quarter Horses were monitored through thermography (pre-race, +1, +4, and +24 h post-race) and blood sampling (pre-race, +1, +4, and +24 h post-race). ANOVA and Tukey test at 5% were used. IRT in six regions of interest (Left/Right—barrel, flank, neck muscles) increased at +, with no differences between values recorded at +1 and +4 when compared to those measured pre-race (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Plasma protein, RBC count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, WBC count, neutrophils, and lymphocytes (<i>p</i> < 0.05) increased immediately after the races, with recovery at +1 h. Other biomarkers did not change, including cortisol, IL-6, and IL-1β (<i>p</i> > 0.05). Results indicate that well-conditioned 3TB horses subjected to two races at short intervals do not show changes that could be related to impaired health or welfare.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/4/583exercisewelfarehormonesbloodcytokinesthermography |
| spellingShingle | Helio C. Manso Filho Keity L. G. Trindade Carolina J. F. L. Silva Raissa K. S. Cruz César F. Vilela Clarisse S. Coelho José D. Ribeiro Filho Helena E. C. C. C. Manso The Welfare of Horses Competing in Three-Barrel Race Events Is Shown to Be Not Inhibited by Short Intervals between Starts Animals exercise welfare hormones blood cytokines thermography |
| title | The Welfare of Horses Competing in Three-Barrel Race Events Is Shown to Be Not Inhibited by Short Intervals between Starts |
| title_full | The Welfare of Horses Competing in Three-Barrel Race Events Is Shown to Be Not Inhibited by Short Intervals between Starts |
| title_fullStr | The Welfare of Horses Competing in Three-Barrel Race Events Is Shown to Be Not Inhibited by Short Intervals between Starts |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Welfare of Horses Competing in Three-Barrel Race Events Is Shown to Be Not Inhibited by Short Intervals between Starts |
| title_short | The Welfare of Horses Competing in Three-Barrel Race Events Is Shown to Be Not Inhibited by Short Intervals between Starts |
| title_sort | welfare of horses competing in three barrel race events is shown to be not inhibited by short intervals between starts |
| topic | exercise welfare hormones blood cytokines thermography |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/4/583 |
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