Royal Veterinary College

New research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), in collaboration with Cornell University, has found that inbreeding is a contributing factor to mid- and late-term pregnancy loss (MLPL), but not early pregnancy loss (EPL) in thoroughbreds. This is the first study which explores the effect of genomic inbreeding levels on late-term pregnancy loss in the horse and will help inform mating choices to minimise the risk of miscarriages in thoroughbreds. Inbreeding is a common practice in the livestock industry because individuals with desirable traits are highly prized for breeding. However,...

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has published new research that shows that Thoroughbreds with lower levels of collagen type III have a higher risk of fracture. The study will help to provide a greater understanding of how best to diagnose and manage horses at high risk of fractures, which is a leading cause of euthanasia within the breed. Currently in the UK, approximately 60 horses each year are put down on racecourses after sustaining such an injury. The research team leader Dr Debbie Guest, Senior Research Fellow at the RVC,...

Edited Press Release Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) have been awarded funding to build on their studies into umbilical cord torsion (UCT) in Thoroughbreds. This research, funded by the Alborada Trust, continues the first-ever comprehensive study of UCT in the world and will explore causation, as well as develop novel diagnostic tools to enable veterinary surgeons to detect and monitor the condition. Sadly, one in 25 Thoroughbred pregnancies in the UK result in pregnancy loss during mid- to late gestation, a figure that has shown no significant improvement...