Projects
Horse Rider Kinematics, Physical Fitness and Physiotherapeutical Coaching: A Comparative Study Between the Equestrian Simulator and the Real Horse KU Leuven
Measuring biomechanics of horse and rider in a controlled environment is challenging. This might explain why the effect of asymmetry on equestrian performance has only received scant attention, whereas its effect in athletic performance has received widespread attention. To objectify whether horse-rider symmetry predisposes to better performance and welfare, the use of a controlled equestrian simulator may be advantageous. Indeed, ...
Equine arrhythmias: innovations that improve diagnosis, horse welfare and rider’s safety Ghent University
Sudden death during exercise occurs at a 10 times higher ratio in horses compared to human
athletes and is in 68% of the cases caused by fatal cardiac arrhythmias. Sudden death does not
only affect riders’ safety, but also the public opinion on the horse industry in general. Horses are
known to show benign arrhythmias, but the differentiation between benign and dangerous
arrhythmias is often difficult, though very ...
Genome-based sport horse breeding KU Leuven
Horses have been raised by man as multi-purpose companion animals for centuries. The sector of sport horses is economically important in Flanders and a large number of top quality horses are bred and trained every year. Genetic improvement of horses differs from other livestock mainly because of a long generation interval (typically 10 years) and because many “traits” of interest are difficult to measure, e.g. scores given by assessors or ...
Right ventricular and atrial function in nature’s ultimate athlete: the horse Ghent University
Regular exercise improves health and leads to cardiac remodeling known as the athlete’s heart.
However, emerging data suggest that exercise-related pressure and volume overload may result in
detrimental remodeling of the right ventricle (RV) or atria. This has been linked to arrhythmias and
sudden death in athletes.
In this project, the horse will be used as an animal model for exercise-induced cardiac remodeling as ...
Right ventricular and atrial function in nature’s ultimate athlete: the horse Ghent University
The horse is used as an animal model for exercise-induced right ventricular and atrial remodeling, which has been linked to arrhythmias and sudden death in human athletes. The effect of induced pulmonary hypertension and exercise training on right ventricular and atrial function and structure is investigated using echocardiography, electrocardiography, cardiac biomarkers and myocardial biopsies.
Unraveling the role of the immune system in the development of exuberant granulation tissue in horse wounds Ghent University
Wounds on the distal limbs of horses pose a major risk of complicated wound healing as these wounds need to heal by second intention. An often observed complication is the excessive, tumour-like growth of granulation tissue well beyond the wound margins. This exuberant granulation tissue (EGT) hampers wound closure and therefore healing. This wound healing disorder is considered a serious burden in equine veterinary care and is one of the ...
Embryo-maternal interaction in the horse studied via an in vitro model Ghent University
The dialogue of the horse embryo with the maternal genital tract is of the utmost importance for the recognition of pregnancy. By culturing horse embryos with oviduct or endometrium cells in vitro, it may be possible to mimic this dialogue in vitro. This will lead to the establishment of a validated model for oviduct and uterus which provides many possibilities for future research.
Genetic evaluation of the horse sector 2019 KU Leuven
The agreement concerns 1) ensuring the continuity of the existing breeding value estimates for the participating studbooks for sport horses and 2) conducting investigations to improve the existing breeding value estimation procedures.
Research on the morphological and functional correlation between fragmentation of the distal aspect of the navicular bone en podotrochleïtis in the Belgian warmblood horse using medical imaging. Ghent University
Podotrochelitis is the most frequent cause of lameness in the begian warmblood horse and distal navicular bone fragmentation is suspected to be associated with this disorder.
The aim of the present study is to determine the origin of distal navicular bone fragments and to describe there imaging features on cadavers, and to apply these findings on the living horse.