Body Weight, Wither Height and Growth Rates in Thoroughbreds Raised in America, England, Australia, New Zealand and India

Brown-Douglas, Clarissa G.; Pagan, Joe D.

doi:10.7313/upo9781908062130.023

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The seasonal compensatory growth is clearly found in the change of body weight or average daily gain of yearling Thoroughbreds especially in northern areas or countries [ 1 ]. Until now, there have been many studies investigating the seasonal change of horses’ growth rate [ 2 , 6 , 13 , 14 ] or determining the appropriate growth curve for the surveyed horses [ 8 , 11 ].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Empirical Growth Curve Estimation Using Sigmoid Sub-functions that Adjust Seasonal Compensatory Growth for Male Body Weight of Thoroughbred Horses

Onoda

Yamamoto

Sawamura³

et al. 2011

JES

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Thoroughbred horses are seasonal mating animals, raised in northern regions or countries. Foals born yearly in spring generally show a typical seasonal compensatory growth pattern, in which their growth rate declines in the first winter and increases in the next spring. In this study, a new empirical adjustment approach is proposed to adjust for this compensatory growth when growth curve equations are estimated, by using 1,633 male body weights of Thoroughbreds as an illustrating example. Based on general Richards growth curve equation, a new growth curve equation was developed and fit to the weight-age data. The new growth curve equation had a sigmoid sub-function that can adjust the compensatory growth, combined with the Richards biological parameter responsible for the maturity of animals. The unknown parameters included in the equations were estimated by SAS NLMIXED procedure. The goodness of fit was examined by using Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC). The AIC values decreased from 13,053 (general Richards equation) to 12,794 (the newly developed equation), indicating the better fit of the new equation to the weight-age data. The shape of the growth curve was improved during the period of compensatory growth. The proposed method is one of the useful approaches for adjusting seasonal compensatory growth in growth curve estimations for Thoroughbreds, and for their management during the compensatory period. Based on this approach, the optimal growth curve equations can be estimated also for female body weight of Thoroughbreds or other growth traits affected by seasonal compensatory growth.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Empirical Growth Curve Estimation Using Sigmoid Sub-functions that Adjust Seasonal Compensatory Growth for Male Body Weight of Thoroughbred Horses

Onoda

Yamamoto

Sawamura³

et al. 2011

JES

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…On the other hand, for Hanoverian horses, VERVUERT et al (2003) observed that foals at seven months of age reached 83% of the withers height when adults and the average height was of 1.67m. Finally, BROWN-DOUGLAS & PAGAN (2006), assessing Thoroughbred horses from five different locations (Australia, England, India, New Zealand and Kentucky) reported a gradual increase in withers height of approximately 1.60m and in weight of about 500kg, up to the evaluated age (560 days).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heritability estimates for body weight and height at withers in Brazilian army horses

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Thoroughbred horses are well-known animals in horseracing worldwide, and they are seasonal breeding animals. The young foals are born in spring and generally show seasonal compensatory growth (CG) patterns in which their growth rates decline in the winter and dramatically increase in the following spring, due to the coldness of the winter season especially in northern regions or countries [ 3 ].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

An Approach of Estimating Individual Growth Curves for Young Thoroughbred Horses Based on Their Birthdays

Onoda

Yamamoto

Sawamura³

et al. 2014

JES

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We propose an approach of estimating individual growth curves based on the birthday information of Japanese Thoroughbred horses, with considerations of the seasonal compensatory growth that is a typical characteristic of seasonal breeding animals. The compensatory growth patterns appear during only the winter and spring seasons in the life of growing horses, and the meeting point between winter and spring depends on the birthday of each horse. We previously developed new growth curve equations for Japanese Thoroughbreds adjusting for compensatory growth. Based on the equations, a parameter denoting the birthday information was added for the modeling of the individual growth curves for each horse by shifting the meeting points in the compensatory growth periods. A total of 5,594 and 5,680 body weight and age measurements of Thoroughbred colts and fillies, respectively, and 3,770 withers height and age measurements of both sexes were used in the analyses. The results of predicted error difference and Akaike Information Criterion showed that the individual growth curves using birthday information better fit to the body weight and withers height data than not using them. The individual growth curve for each horse would be a useful tool for the feeding managements of young Japanese Thoroughbreds in compensatory growth periods.

show abstract

Body Weight, Wither Height and Growth Rates in Thoroughbreds Raised in America, England, Australia, New Zealand and India

Cited by 11 publications

References 8 publications

Empirical Growth Curve Estimation Using Sigmoid Sub-functions that Adjust Seasonal Compensatory Growth for Male Body Weight of Thoroughbred Horses

Empirical Growth Curve Estimation Using Sigmoid Sub-functions that Adjust Seasonal Compensatory Growth for Male Body Weight of Thoroughbred Horses

Heritability estimates for body weight and height at withers in Brazilian army horses

An Approach of Estimating Individual Growth Curves for Young Thoroughbred Horses Based on Their Birthdays

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About