Development of a weight-estimation model to use in pregnant criollo-type mares

Vieira, Patrícia Soares; Nogueira, Carlos Eduardo Wayne; Santos, Alice Correa; Borba, Luciana de Araujo; Scalco, Rebeca; Brasil, Carolina Litchina; Barros, Willian Silva; Curcio, Bruna da Rosa

doi:10.1590/0103-8478cr20160590

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Especially for young or pregnant horses, regular measurement and recording of BW is extremely important. Weight scales are the most reliable method of measurement, but a scale is often not available at horse farms [ 3 , 16 ]. According to the results of an online survey of horse owners, although more than half (60%) regularly monitored their horses’ weights, only 5% actually used weight scales [ 13 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D imaging and body measurement of riding horses using four scanners simultaneously

MATSUURA,

TORII,

OJIMA

et al. 2024

JES

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Although there have been advances in the technology for measuring horse body size with stereoscopic three-dimensional (3D) scanners, previously reported methods with a single scanner still face a significant challenge: the time necessary for scanning is too long for the horses to remain stationary. This study attempted to scan the horse simultaneously from four directions using four scanners in order to complete the scans in a short amount of time and then combine the images from the four scans on a computer into one whole image of each horse. This study also compared body measurements from the combined 3D images with those taken from conventional manual measurements. Nine riding horses were used to construct stereoscopic composite images, and the following 10 measurements were taken: height at the withers, back, and croup; chest depth; width of the chest (WCh), croup, and waist; girth circumference, cannon circumference (CaC), and body length. The same 10 measurements were taken by conventional manual methods. Relative errors ranged from −1.89% to 7.05%. The correlation coefficient between manual and 3D measurements was significant for all body measurements (P<0.01) except for WCh and CaC. A simple regression analysis of all body measurements revealed a strong correlation (P<0.001, R 2 =0.9994, root-mean-square error=1.612). Simultaneous scanning with four devices from four directions reduced the scanning time from 60 sec with one device to 15 sec. This made it possible to perform non-contact body measurements even on incompletely trained horses who could not remain stationary for long periods of time.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D imaging and body measurement of riding horses using four scanners simultaneously

MATSUURA,

TORII,

OJIMA

et al. 2024

JES

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“…In the present study, body weight was not considered, which might also be considered a limitation of the investigation. Unfortunately, there was no availability of any scale on the farms where the experiment was performed, and indirect methods for body weight evaluation have not been applied since they are considered unreliable in pregnant mares 48 . Another important limitation was the absence of a control group of nonpregnant mares; the study was conducted on Italian Standardbred horse farms, in which most of the animals were pregnant, and there were not enough nonpregnant mares to enroll in the control group.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unfortunately, there was no availability of any scale on the farms where the experiment was performed, and indirect methods for body weight evaluation have not been applied since they are considered unreliable in pregnant mares. 48 Another important limitation was the absence of a control group of nonpregnant mares; the study was conducted on Italian Standardbred horse farms, in which most of the animals were pregnant, and there were not enough nonpregnant mares to enroll in the control group. Nonetheless, the placenta reaches full maturity only around day 150 of gestation, and cardiovascular alterations are not described in the first trimester of pregnancy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Doppler ultrasonographic measurements of the lateral digital palmar artery in pregnant mares

de Chiara,

Montano,

Costanza

et al. 2024

Vet Radiology Ultrasound

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Cardiovascular changes have been reported in late pregnancy in mares. However, there are no data on changes in peripheral blood flow. Doppler ultrasound represents a sensitive method for assessing the blood flow directed to the hoof. The aims of this study were to evaluate the blood flow parameters of the lateral palmar digital artery (LPDA) in pregnant mares and to assess intra‐ and interrater agreement between two observers with different levels of experience. The LPDAs of pregnant Italian Standardbred mares were examined. The vessels were located with B‐mode ultrasound and analyzed with color and pulsed wave Doppler. The following parameters were recorded by the operators: heart rate (HR), peak systolic velocity (PSV), end‐diastolic velocity (EDV), and resistive index (RI). Measurements were performed between 2 and 3 months of gestation (T1), in the last month of pregnancy (T2) and a week after delivery (T3). Seventeen mares aged 3–18 years met the inclusion criteria. Ultrasound examinations of the LPDA were subjectively easy to perform and well tolerated by the mares. Interrater and intrarater agreement were good and moderate, respectively. The HR was higher at T2 than at T1 and T3. The PSV and RI changed significantly during pregnancy, with higher values at T2 and T3, whereas the EDV remained unchanged throughout the examination. Doppler examination showed that peripheral flow changes were present in mares in late pregnancy. However, the persistence of higher values after delivery invites further investigation to assess the correlation between metabolic/endocrine changes related to pregnancy and Doppler parameters.

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“…A previous study in 2017 using the same brand of weigh tape found that it overestimated female horses by an average of 7.4 kg and underestimated the weights of male horses by an average of 7.5 kg [ 27 ]. However, 40% of the mares studied were pregnant at the time of measuring, and stage of pregnancy can also affect weigh tape readings [ 28 ]. Furthermore, of the non-pregnant subjects (male and female) in the 2017 study, 68% were under the age of five years (minimum of six months), so age-related conformational changes may not have been considered [ 25 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Affecting Weigh Tape Reading in the Measurement of Equine Body Weight

Grimwood¹,

Lancaster

Handel

2023

Animals

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Accurate measurement of equine body weight is important for evaluating medication dosages and feed quantities. Different methods exist for measuring body weight, including weigh tapes (WT), though accuracy varies. Measurements could be affected by external variables, such as time of day, human error, or uneven surfaces, and also horse-based variables, such as height and body condition score (BCS). The aim of this study was to investigate how different horse-based variables affect WT reading. A retrospective analysis was performed using anonymised data from feed company nutrition consultations (Baileys Horse Feeds). Data included a range of horse-based variables, a WT reading, and true body weight measured on a weighbridge. All horses were over two years of age. Likelihood ratio tests were used to assess whether adding different horse-based variables significantly improved the fit of the quadratic regression model. The variables included were height, BCS, breed, muscle top-line score, and bone type. Exploratory analysis showed that the WT generally underestimated body weight, particularly for horses with higher body weight. Adding height and muscle top-line scores did not significantly improve the fit of the model, suggesting no influence on WT reading over and above actual body weight. Adding breed groupings, BCS, and bone density did improve the fit. Each 0.5 unit increase in BCS increased the WT estimate by 1.24 kg (p < 0.001). These results confirm that a WT does not provide accurate body weight measurements, and generally underestimates body weight, though more so for heavier horses, being more accurate in pony breeds.

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Development of a weight-estimation model to use in pregnant criollo-type mares

Cited by 3 publications

References 6 publications

3D imaging and body measurement of riding horses using four scanners simultaneously

3D imaging and body measurement of riding horses using four scanners simultaneously

Doppler ultrasonographic measurements of the lateral digital palmar artery in pregnant mares

Factors Affecting Weigh Tape Reading in the Measurement of Equine Body Weight

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