The Equine Science Society Symposium 2023
The bi-annual Equine Science Society (ESS) Symposium was recently hosted by Texas A&M in Dallas, Texas. A highlight on the calendar for many leading equine professionals and researchers, the symposium is hosted by a university in the United States with an active equine program and is attended by about 350 equine professionals from around the globe. It features the presentation of over 200 research abstracts. This year, multi-national attendees travelled from France, Scotland, Italy, Canada, Norway, and Australia, with Milne Feeds equine specialist, Michelle Meylan, among them.
With a focus on promoting and communicating quality research on equine-related topics, the ESS strives to establish connections and interactions among researchers, teachers and industry professionals on all topics relating to equine science. Now established as one of the most distinguished, internationally recognised equine science organisations, it aims to facilitate research that improves the care and management of horses. This year’s symposium began with an interesting look at the past, the present and the future of equine science. It is fair to say that coming from such a strong history of industry-leading research, the future of ESS is bright, with a growing commitment to professional development and collaboration, sharing of research-based information, and involvement in the many factors affecting the equine industry in today’s world.
The days, starting at 8am and finishing at 6pm, consisted of a morning presentation from various university professors followed by abstract presentations from graduates and researchers. There were five rooms running simultaneously with different streams: nutrition, genetics, exercise physiology, production management, and teaching and extension. Attendees could choose the presentations that interested them and move from room to room. This meant careful studying of the program to ensure you knew at what time and in which room your sought-after presentations were being held!
Lunch sessions included another presentation. Dr Marcus Clauss, from the University of Zurich, delivered a very interesting and engaging presentation on ‘Equid nutrition physiology and behaviour: an evolutionary perspective’. Dr Cathy McGowan, from the University of Liverpool, gave an insightful presentation on Equine endocrine disease, whilst Dr James Flucky, from Texas A&M, spoke on ‘The influence of mTOR-regulated anabolic pathways on equine skeletal muscle health’.
On Thursday, ‘break out’ sessions were held where workshops on various industry topics were conducted. This gave the opportunity for some interactive debate. Michelle attended the Equine Microbiome Research session and the Integrating Physiology and Nutrition to Optimize Biomechanics of the Equine Foot session. An Equine Microbiome interest group has been established to allow collaborative research on this growing area of interest.
The afternoon consisted of two tours: one to a performance horse stud and the other to a professional reining stable. This was a great opportunity for attendees to interact with local breeders and professional trainers to gain their industry perspective. High Point Performance Horses stands over 30 Quarter Horse stallions that perform in a variety of disciplines including reining, jumping, trail and barrel racing, whilst Tom McCutcheon Reining Horses houses many reining champions (Tom McCutcheon has earned over $2 million in National Reining Horse Association lifetime earnings) and has extensive training and rehabilitation facilities on farm, along with a breeding operation. No trip to Texas would be complete without a trip to the Fort Worth Stockyards. The horse farm tours were followed by a visit to the “Stockyards in Fort Worth”, where attendees were treated to a function at a traditional ‘Honky Tonk’ bar, complete with line dancing and mechanical bull riding.
Friday’s session was a full day of research presentations. Among the presenters, Milne Feeds brand partner, Kentucky Equine Research (KER), who have contributed research information to nearly every ESS symposium since its inception 35 years ago, presented several items of the latest research. President and founder of KER, Dr Joe Pagan, Ph.D., presented this research, including:
• Titration of GLA Supplementation Is Linearly Related to Incorporation of DGLA into Equine Red Blood Cells – a study that set out to determine how varied levels of supplemental gamma-linolenic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, influence the equine blood fatty acid profile.
• The Equine Blood Fatty Acid Profile and Clearance Rate of Supplemented Fatty Acids – a study designed to evaluate baseline fatty acid profile in horses fed varied diets without fatty acid supplementation for six months.
• Type of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation Affects Red Blood Cell Fatty Acid Composition in Exercised Thoroughbreds – study conducted to determine the effect of feeding different chain length omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids on red blood cell fatty acid composition in exercised horses.
• Factors Affecting Birth Weight in Thoroughbred Foals Born in Kentucky, and United Kingdom – a study conducted to evaluate how foal body weight is affected by gender, mare age, parity, month of birth, and geographic location. Parity refers to the number of times a mare has given birth.
• Relationship Between Age, Gender, Height, Body Condition Score, and Body Weight in Thoroughbred Yearlings Raised in Kentucky – a study that evaluated the relationship between age, gender, wither height, body condition score, and body weight in a large group of yearlings raised in central Kentucky over a 17-year period (2002–2018).
Director of research at KER, Dr Ashley Fowler, Ph.D., also gave a presentation on:
• Digestibility and Glycemic Response of Timothy-Based Haylage and Timothy Grass Hay – a study designed to determine if there were differences in digestibility and glycemic response between hay and haylage of similar quality.
The symposium was a great place to interact with equine scientists from different backgrounds and we had some valuable discussions about different feeding practices and different feed ingredients.
After completing the symposium, Michelle visited the KER research farm. This included visits to the Keenland yearling complex, training stables and racetrack, a tour of the new KER Metabolic lab with the director of research, where a research project was running, and visit to the Kentucky Horse Park where an equestrian competition was being held. Several KER team members had also travelled to the farm, which presented the opportunity to discuss nutrition tools, upcoming projects, and brand partnerships.
This trip was a thoroughly enjoyable and invaluable experience for continuing education, industry connection and gaining insight into other equine nutrition and exercise physiology practices around the world.
To read more on the research presented by KER visit https://ker.com/equinews/equine-science-society-kentucky-equine-research-presents-latest-research/
Source: https://ker.com/equinews/equine-science-society-kentucky-equine-research-presents-latest-research/