Breeding season and transport interactions on the pituitary-adrenocortical and biochemical responses of horses

The aim of this study was to investigate the circulating ACTH and cortisol changes in breeding stallions in response to road transport before and after the breeding season. Creatinine, creatine kinase (CK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), urea and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) changes were also considered. Twenty-seven healthy stallions were studied before and after transport over a distance of 200 km, before and after the breeding season. On the basis of the number of mares covered per stallion during the breeding season, each stallion was assigned to two groups: 17 stallions with a poor score:mean: 7.71 ± 4.67 mares per horse (group A); 10 stallions with a good score, mean: 35.50 ± 10.66 mares per horse (group B).
Source: Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research - Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Source Type: research