the use of equid milk in human nutrition is a very interesting research topic in relation to the specific characteristics of this drink. Mare's milk has a composition similar to human milk and is well digested, so it is a perfect alternative to cow's milk in the feeding of children who are allergic to cow's milk. Equid milk's low content of α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin makes it appropriate for such children. Its high concentration of lactose allows for a better growth of intestinal microflora. Mare's milk is characterised by a high content of lysozyme, lactoferrin and lactadherin and has an inhibiting effect on the development of pathogenic bacteria. Research done so far indicates that it may be helpful in treating atopic dermatitis as well as in improving skin appearance. The high content of vitamin C in mare's milk influences its antioxidant value. Due to its lower content of fat and cholesterol it can be used to lower cholesterol intake as well as to control cardiovascular diseases. Mare's milk has been proved to play a role in curing Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, as well as hepatitis and chronic gastric ulcers. The qualities of mare's milk make it appropriate for use in children's and elderly people's nutrition in prophylaxis and as an aid to the process of curing various diseases.

No abstract

The horse’s welfare and, consequently, the emotional arousal may be connected with stressful environmental conditions. This study aimed to determine whether horses show behavioural or physiological symptoms of thermal discomfort and if their behaviour and cardiac parameters are related to freely chosen insolated (IS), shaded (SH), or water sprayed (with a mist curtain (MC)) areas in a paddock under heat conditions (29–32 °C, 42.0 ± 1.5% humidity). Twelve adult horses freely moving in the paddock were studied during a 45 min solitary turnout. Six cardiac variables, locomotor, and non-locomotor activities as well as rectal temperature before and after the test were monitored with regard to the area of staying. Horses did not show clear preferences regarding the time spent in IS, SH, and MC, although preferences of particular horses differed considerably. When staying under IS and MC conditions, the horses showed a higher level of relaxation compared to SH. Horses did not exhibit symptoms of thermal discomfort while staying in the sun. Free choice between the three areas differing in environmental conditions could be a crucial factor in maintaining body temperature as well as emotional arousal at similar levels. Thus, the provision of a shade and mist curtain in paddocks seems to be reasonable.

Usefulness of Selected Incisor Characteristics for Determining the Age of Hucul HorsesThe aim of this study was to assess the suitability of selected characteristics of incisors for age determination in Hucul horses. The study included 173 Hucul horses (137 mares, 28 stallions and 8 geldings) from one day to 27 years of age. Breeding documentation was used to determine the actual age of the horses, which were then divided into age groups. Each group of horses was assigned a specific incisor characteristic to help identify their age. Selected incisor characteristics were used to evaluate the age of the horses according to the method reported by Pruski (2007) and the results were compared with the actual age, indicating the percentage of errors made. It was found that most errors were made in the case of horses over 11 years old, when assessing the changing shape of the occlusal surface of incisors (Table 1). In this group the percentage of errors was significantly higher (P≤0.01) than that found for horses from the first three youngest age groups, in which the eruption time of deciduous incisors, the disappearance of cups on deciduous incisors and the eruption time of permanent incisors were taken into account. Compared to the above traits, errors were made significantly more often (P≤0.01) when age was determined based on the disappearance of permanent incisors, in a group of horses aged between 6 and 11 years. The eruption time of deciduous incisors and permanent incisors were the traits which enabled the most accurate determination of the horses' age. The results obtained suggest that age determination based on dentition is not accurate enough and can only play a subsidiary role, for example when no breeding records are available.

The aim of the study was to verify existing methods for determining the weight of adult Hucul horses on the basis of biometric dimensions associated with changes in the conformation of horses of this breed resulting from breeding work. The experiment was performed on 159 adult Hucul horses ≥ 3 years old (25 stallions, 23 geldings and 111 mares, including 44 barren, 23 in early pregnancy (up to the 7th month) and 43 in late pregnancy (> 7 months). Actual body weight, determined using a platform scale, was compared with the weight estimated using selected formulas and with a special measuring tape. The estimation error (%) was calculated, and it was determined whether the estimated body weight was on average over- or underestimated. The most reliable means of estimating body weight proved to be the use of the formulas of Carroll and Huntington (1988) and Sendel (1999), which non-significantly underestimated actual body weight, by an average of 7 and 8 kg, respectively, so that the error resulting from this method was 4.5%. The measuring tape was also found to be a good tool, resulting in an error not exceeding 6%, with a non-significant underestimation of actual body weight. The tendency of various methods to over - or underestimate body weight was similar irrespectively of sex and physiological state, which may indicate that the body weight of Hucul horses changes proportionally with changes in biometric dimensions. Therefore, it can be assumed that the sex and physiological state of the mare, despite their effect on body weight, need not be taken into account when developing new formulas for estimating it.

Introduction The first diarrhea in foals is very often called 'heat' diarrhea because it coincides with the first postfoaling heat in the dam, i.e. at 7-9 days after foaling (1), and it is most often treated as a physiological phenomenon, though it is onerous for hygienic reasons. In spite of many studies (2-4), the etiology of this ailment has not been unequivocally explained. Until recently, a majority of gastrointestinal disturbances were treated with different antibiotics. Once the use of antibiotics as feed supplements for domestic animals was limited, there was a need for the search for substitutes, like prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, and nutraceuticals (5). Kaolinite (Al 4 [Si 4 O 10 ][OH] 8) is one of these as an excellent absorbent. Owning to its adsorptive properties, kaolin clay finds applications as anticaking supplement E559 (EFSA, European Food Safety Authority) mixed with feed (6). It can also be an additional source of minerals, mostly iron, in feed. It would be useful both for breeders and veterinarians to establish whether reduction of fluid level in the intestines with kaolin clay given orally as a feed additive would be helpful to alleviate heat diarrhea, especially underlain by osmotic disturbances. Therefore, the main aim of the present study was to determine the effect of kaolin clay on the duration and severity of 'heat' diarrhea in foals. 2. Materials and methods The experiment was conducted in Poland at two stud farms of purebred Arabian horses (oo) designated as A and C and two stud farms of Thoroughbred horses (xx) designated as B and D. The examined horses were housed in a housingpasture system on straw bedding. Dams were fed oats and barley grain, wheat bran, and meadow hay, according to 1997 Polish Requirements of Horse Nutrition. All studied foals were born from January to March, with a total of 76 foals, and were evaluated for incidence of diarrhea. Sixty foals that showed symptoms of diarrhea up to 30 days postfoaling were included in the study. The studied suckling foals were assigned to two groups: control (Con.) and experimental (Exp.). Each experimental foal was given orally once a day (at 0700 hours), using a special syringe, 15 mL of kaolin clay paste (75% dry matter) beginning on the first day of diarrhea for 3 subsequent days. Throughout the study, the health of all animals was thoroughly evaluated by experienced workers, especially on the first day of 'heat' diarrhea, and its duration and severity were recorded. In all suckling foals, diarrhea severity was scored on a 3-point scale: 1-mild diarrhea, i.e. when perianal area, croup, and tail were only damp; 2-moderate diarrhea, i.e. when perianal area, croup, and tail were wet, with fecal staining Abstract: 'Heat' diarrhea in foals is an onerous but not life-threatening ailment, which indicates that it may be of osmotic origin. This was confirmed by a successful attempt, presented in this paper, to alleviate the severity and duration of foal heat diarrhea with the use of a typical absorbent, kaolin clay, as a feed add...

in horses, multiple ovulation resulting in implantation of multiple embryos is adverse. however, understanding the mechanisms underlying initiation of multiple ovulation (mo) is advantageous and is related to an increase in efficiency of embryo transfer techniques. It has been postulated that mo may have a genetic background. two major genes: bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) and growth and differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) are considered to play a crucial role in folliculogenesis and controlling the ovulation rate. thus, the aim of the presented study was to identify the variation within equine BMP15 and GDF9 genes to verify their potential role on spontaneous, repetitive multiple ovulations in mares. in addition, variation screening of investigated genes in population of thoroughbred and arabian breeds was performed together with establishment of transcript abundance of BMP15 and GDF9 genes in equine ovarian tissue. Sanger sequencing of arabian and thoroughbred mares divided according to ovulation rate, revealed occurrence of 3 snPs in BMP15 and sts in GDF9 genes. the Pcr-rlFP and statistical analysis indicated that none of the genotype frequencies were significant in any breeds and none of them were claimed as functional according to ovulation rate. Furthermore, evaluation of transcript abundance by rt-Pcr of both genes in ovarian tissues showed that expression of both genes was similar but GDF9 was significantly expressed in growing follicles with 21-30 mm diameter and in ovarian parenchyma, which suggest their potential role in folliculogenesis.

nema