Research at CSU Equine Centre

Dr Glenys Noble BAppSci PhD

Equine research has been gaining momentum at the Equine Centre since 1997, with a wide variety of projects completed. Many form the basis of students??? honours, Masters or PhD studies, while others are instigated by industry, whether it be product testing and efficacy or through projects funded by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC).

Areas of research include the detection of prohibited substances for the racing industry, stallion infertility and freezing of semen, calculation of digestibility in the horse, factors affecting rate of intake of rations, efficacy of calmatives, anthelmintic efficacy and resistance, interaction between diet and behaviour in normal and stereotypic horses, development of objective behaviour testing, measurement of metabolic and reproductive hormones, mechanisms that trigger laminitis, performance inheritability in horses and retention times of therapeutic drugs. CSU maintains a herd of horses to support our research activities.

Much of our research has been presented at conferences both in Australia and overseas, the most recent being the Australian Equine Science Symposium, held in June 2006 at the Gold Coast. Students and staff from CSU contributed to six presentations, a comparable presence to that of the long-established east coast universities. Current and planned research projects are described below.

Investigating the role of impaired glucose uptake in laminitis

Our aim in this study is to understand the mechanisms that control glucose uptake in the hoof, then identify the factors associated with endocrine and metabolic abnormalities that lead to impaired glucose uptake, tissue starvation and laminitis.

This RIRDC-funded research has already made some ground-breaking discoveries into the causes of laminitis. It has shown that laminitis can be induced in healthy young ponies with no prior history of laminitis, by maintaining prolonged high insulin levels while still maintaining normal glucose levels. A role for insulin in the pathogenesis of laminitis has been discovered. Detection and control of clinical hyperinsulinaemia may facilitate management of endocrinopathic laminitis.

The synchronisation of oestrus and ovulation in the mare (Dr Scott Norman)
Currently there are no practically useful techniques to synchronise oestrus and ovulation in the mare. Ovulation synchronisation is essential if artificial breeding technologies such as frozen semen AI, embryo transfer, and oocyte transfer are to become efficient and reliably successful procedures. The overall aim of this project, funded by RIRDC in the 2007-2008 round, is to develop a novel and practical protocol for the synchronisation of oestrus and ovulation in the mare.

Determining reliable excretion rates for therapeutic drugs in horses

The Australian horse industry is among the largest in the world, with thousands of horses competing each year in flat racing, harness racing and equestrian events. Illness and training injuries are common, but there is uncertainty about excretion and detection times for many therapeutic drugs. This can place in peril the horse???s welfare, the reputation of the owner or trainer and the integrity of the sport. This situation is unnecessary, and the 21st century stakeholders in such a valuable industry deserve access to the highest quality information. This project, also funded by RIRDC in 2007-2008, aims to examine up to 18 therapeutic drugs selected from those identified as the most important from a health, welfare and integrity standpoint to determine much more reliable drug excretion times and for the first time demonstrate the variability among horses

Publications from research at the CSU Equine Centre

Theses

  • Blackshaw K. (2006) Development of an objective test for reactivity in horses. HonoursThesis School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University.
  • Campbell T.(2005) Factors affecting the rate of intake of a concentrate meal in horses, Honours Thesis, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University,
  • Bevan B.(2005) ?-Adrenoceptors and the control of glucose uptake in the equine hoof, Honours Thesis, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University,
  • Asplin K. (2004), Seminal IGF-1 and testicular function in the stallion. Honours Thesis, School of Agriculture, Charles Sturt University.
  • Clegg, H. (2004) The interaction between diet and behaviour in normal and stereotypic horses. Masters Thesis, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.
  • Noble, G.K. (2001) An investigation of the relationship between growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and IGF-1 binding proteins in the horse. PhD Thesis, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW.
  • Petersen K. (2001) Effects of testosterone, clenbuterol, trenbolone and growth hormone on exercise performance and muscle function using female rats as a model for young racehorses. Honours Thesis. School of Agriculture, Charles Sturt University.
  • Scully C. (1997) The Feasibility of Determining the Relationship between Bloodline and Performance in The Australian Sport Horse Population. Honours Thesis, School of Agriculture, Charles Sturt University.

In refereed journals

  • Noble G.K., Houghton E., Roberts J., Faustino-Kemp J., de Kock S.S., Swanepoel B.C. and Sillence M.N. (2007). Effect of exercise, training, diurnal rhythm, age and gender on insulin-like growth factor-1 in the horse. Journal of Animal Science, 85, 163-171.
  • Clegg, H.A., Buckley, P., Friend, M.A. & McGreevy, P.D. (in press). The ethological characteristics of cribbing and weaving horses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
  • Clegg, H.A., Buckley, P., Friend, M.A. & McGreevy, P.D. (submitted) The behavioural and physiological effects of virginiamycin in the diets of stereotypic horses. The Veterinary Record.
  • Grimmett A. and M.N. Sillence (2005). Calmatives for the excitable horse: A review of L-Tryptophan. The Veterinary Journal, 170: 24-32.

Editorials

  • Sillence M.N., Noble G.K. and McGowan C. (2005). Fast food and fat fillies: The ills of western civilisation. The Veterinary Journal, 172, 3, 396-7.

Refereed Conference Papers

  • Noble, G.K. and Sillence, M.N. (2000) The potential of mediator hormones as markers for growth hormone abuse in racehorses. The 13th International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians, Cambridge U.K.
  • Noble, G.K. and Sillence, M.N. (2000) Technical aspects of measuring IGF-1 in horses. The 13th International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians, Cambridge U.K.
  • DeKock, S.S., Rodgers, J.P., Swanepoel, B.C., Price, J.S., Noble, G.K. and Sillence, M.N. (2000) Potential markers of bone formation and growth hormone treatment in the horse. The 13th International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians, Cambridge U.K.
  • DeKock, S.S., Rodgers, J.P., Houghton, E., Noble, G.K. and Sillence M.N. (2000) Growth hormone abuse: an investigation of IGF-1 levels in the horse. The 13th International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians, Cambridge U.K.

Abstracts

  • Asplin, K.E., McGowan, C.M., Pollitt, C.C., Curlewis, J. and M.N. Sillence (2006) Glucose uptake in the equine hoof. Proceedings of the Australian Equine Science Symposium, 1, 26.
  • Campbell, T.E., Harris, P.A., Doughty, H.C. and Sillence M.N. (2006) Factors that affect the rate of intake when horses are fed a concentrate diet. Proceedings of the Australian Equine Science Symposium, 1, 34.
  • Noble G.K., Y.M. Brockwell, K.J. Munn, P.A. Harris, H.P.B. Davidson, X. Li, D. Zhang, M. Cao, W.L. Bryden and M.N. Sillence (2006) Effect of oral tryptophan on the reaction of horses to a novel person or object. Proceedings of the Australian Equine Science Symposium, 1, 17.
  • Asplin, K.E., Bevan B. A., McGowan, C.M., Pollitt, C.C., and M.N. Sillence (2005) Glucose uptake in the equine hoof. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 14 (Suppl): S62
  • Harris P., M. Sillence, R. Inglis, C. Siever-Kelly, M. Friend, K. Munn and H. Davidson (2005). Effect of short (<2cm) lucerne chaff addition on the intake rate and glycaemic response of a sweet feed. Equine Nutrition Conference (ENUCO), Sept-Oct 2005, Hanover, Germany.
  • Harris P., M. Sillence, R. Inglis, C. Siever-Kelly, M. Friend, K. Munn and H. Davidson (2005). Effect of short lucerne chaff on the rate of intake and glycaemic response to an oat meal. Equine Science Society, June 2005, Tuscon Arizona.
  • Noble G.K., K.J. Munn, Y.M. Brockwell, H.E. Austin, P.A. Harris, H.P.B. Davidson, D. Zhang, X. Li, M. Cao, W.L. Bryden, and M.N. Sillence (2005) Do commercial tryptophan pastes elevate plasma tryptophan concentrations in horses? Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 14 (Suppl): S62
  • Noble G.K., Houghton, E., Price J.S., DeKock, S.S., Swanepoel, B.C., Rodgers, J.P. and Sillence M.N. (2001) Detecting the growth hormone-treated horse using mediator hormones. RIRDC International Horse Industry Symposium, Sydney, N.S.W.
  • Noble, G.K., Price, J and Sillence, M.N. (2000) Detecting the growth hormone-treated horse. The 19th Joint Meeting of the British Endocrine Society Meeting, Birmingham U.K.
  • Price, J.S., Jackson, B., Noble, G.K., Horner, C., Houghton, E. And Sillence M.N. (2000) Growth hormone administration increases bone turnover in horses. The 19th Joint Meeting of the British Endocrine Society Meeting, Birmingham U.K.
  • Treverton, B. Friend, M. A. (2000) Development of an In vitro Technique for Estimating the Digestibility of Horse Feeds. Asian Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences 13; Supp/A, 62.

Technical Bulletin

  • Sillence, M.N., Noble G.K., DeKock, S.S., Rodgers, J.P., Swanepoel, B.C., Houghton, E., Faustino-Kemp, J. and Jackson, L.S. (2000). Measuring insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in horses. DSL Technical Release.