High Performance Horses 2013/2014 by TWYDIL

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Suisse/Switzerland, 2013/2014

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SUMMARY THE PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT

THE CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM OF THE HORSE FUNCTION AND DYSFUNCTION

COMPARISON OF GLYCAEMIA AND INSULIN PRODUCTION IN HORSES AFTER PALATINOSE AND GLUCOSE ORAL INTAKE

THE COLD-BLOODED FINN PRIMITIVE NORDIC HORSE POWER

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36 16

THE PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT

espite a stable Swiss Franc, TWYDIL® realised in 2013 a substantial sales increase in the world. If some countries showed a stagnant activity, others benefited from a strong economical environment. Furthermore our strategy of opening new markets gained success in countries like Finland, India, Libya, Argentina, Norway, Mauritius.

TWYDIL®’s policy has never been to hurriedly launch a new product every 6 months on the market, just to stick to a new scientific enthusiasm or to please the latest fad. All major indications are already covered by the TWYDIL® range and we think it is far more important to improve the existing products in parallel with the scientific discoveries. Nevertheless our company regularly introduces new and original formulas after proving their real effectiveness through a high level research in horses. For example, at the beginning of 2014, the composition of our TWYDIL® PMC was considerably enriched, and its metabolic activity highly enhanced. As far as ELECTROLYTES are concerned, the usual sugars have been replaced by an isomer, palatinose, to decrease the deleterious effects coming from the insulin peaks. The strength and originality of TWYDIL® is not only based on the quality of the products, but also on a solid, enthusiastic and highly scientific team. Valère Henry President

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METABOLISM

THE CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM OF THE HORSE FUNCTION AND DYSFUNCTION CATHERINE DELGUSTE DVM, MSC, PHD, DIPL. ECEIM

6 _ HPH 2013/2014

n horses like in other mammals, glycaemia (which is the concentration of glucose in plasma) is mainly regulated by two “antagonistic” and reciprocallysecreted pancreatic hormones: insulin and glucagon. These two hormones are the keystones of the regulation of the uptake, disposal and utilisation of fuel substrates by the body. In particular, they aim at maintaining glycaemia within a narrow, life-compatible range, throughout time.

For the horse, this normal range is approximately from 4.1 to 6.4 mmol/L (0.74 – 1.15 g/L). Insulin is secreted by the beta-cells of the pancreatic Islets of Langerhans and has a hypoglycaemic effect. Its secretion is triggered by the ingestion and digestion of food, followed by the absorption of glucose and other metabolites. Its main effects are to inhibit glucose formation in the liver, and to allow

mones such as catecholamines and cortisol, growth hormone, leptin, progestagens, …) (Geor, 2013). The rate and extent a particular food induces changes in glycaemia can be expressed by the glycaemic index. It is a classification of feeds relative to their capacity to raise blood glucose, generally expressed as a percentage of the area under the curve response of glycaemia to a standard quantity of a test feed, compared to that of a standardised reference (whole oats in many studies concerning horses) (Hoffman, The glycaemic and 2013). The same index insulin responses are can be built for insumuch smaller when lin production, and research suggest that horses are fed insulin response could roughage. be more relevant to consider than glycaemic response in the context of insulin resistance (Hoffman, 2013). After a meal, these patterns depend on several factors including the effects of meals consumed in the prior few hours (responses to grain-based meals in the afternoon are lower than in the morning, Gordon and McKeever, 2005), the size of the meal, the proportion of nutrients in the meal and in particular the starch and sugar content, the pre-caecal starch digestibility and the rate of ingestion (Harris & Geor, 2009).

glucose to enter muscles and adipose tissue to be stored. In skeletal muscles, it promotes the synthesis of glycogen, a storage form of glucose, which is an important source of energy during exercise. From a general point of view, insulin has an anabolic action on the metabolism, of carbohydrates, but also of lipids and proteins. On the contrary, glucagon has a hyperglycaemic effect. In the post-absorptive state, insulin secretion is reduced and glucagon secretion is enhanced, which results in stimulation of catabolic processes including mobilisation of glucose and fatty acids (Moore et al, 2003). The same metabolic adaptations also occur during exercise. Glucagon is secreted by the alpha-cells of the pancreatic islets. In addition to glycaemia, the release and effects of these hormones can be modulated by many other factors, including age, breed, pregnancy, lactation, nutrition score, diet, exercise, and other hormones ( “stress” hor-

The glycaemic and insulin responses are much smaller when horses are fed roughage (e.g. preserved forage) when compared to grain-based feeds, although moderate increases in insulin production have been observed after ingestion of hay with relatively high content of non-structural carbohydrates (Borgia et al, 2011). However, the addition of fibres to a grain-based meal does not substantially alter postprandial glycaemic and insulin responses (Vervuert et al, 2009b ; Vervuert et al, 2009c).

GRAIN-BASED MEALS, WITH HIGH GLYCAEMIC INDEXES, HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH:

• colic (Hudson et al. 2001) • laminitis (Pass et al. 1998) • gastric ulcers (Murray 1994) • developmental orthopedic disease (Kronfeld et al. 1990, Ralston 1996), • insulin resistance (Hoffman et al. 2003, Treiber et al. 2005) and • polysaccharide storage myopathy (Valentine et al. 2001, Ribeiro et al. 2004).

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METABOLISM The adverse effects of such meals are thought to be due to their high starch content (Hoffman, 2013). An excess in starch, sugars and/ or fructans may promote or exacerbate these disorders, and still other metabolic disorders in the pathogenesis of which insulin resistance is thought to be involved: obesity, equine metabolic syndrome, EMS, and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, PPID, (also called Cushingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease (Hoffman, 2013). Primary disorders of pancreatic endocrine function, like type I diabetes, are rare in horses. But abnormal sensitivity of peripheral tissues to insulin has been well documented in the last few years.

Insulin resistance represents a state in which the normal concentration of insulin fails to orchestrate a normal biological response, usually with reference to insulin-mediated glucose disposal (Kahn, 1978). In other words, normal concentrations of insulin fail to adequately increase the disappearance of glucose from plasma. However, excess insulin production usually occurs in response to insulin resistance, and allows glycaemia to be maintained within normal limits in most of the cases. Different conditions are to be associated However, excess insulin thought with insulin resistance in production usually occurs in horses, among which oberesponse to insulin resistance, sity, hyperlipaemia, EMS, PPID, and osteoand allows glycaemia to be laminitis, chondrosis (Firshman and maintained within normal Valberg, 2007; Hoffman, limits in most of the cases. 2013). On the contrary, other diseases like Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM) or Equine Motor Neuron Disease (EMND) are thought to be associated with an increased sensitivity to insulin (Firshman and Valberg, 2007). This association between insulin sensitivity and major pathological equine conditions has generated considerable interest in the study of factors influencing insulin sensitivity in horses. Unfortunately, these studies are impaired by the fact that the objective measurement of insulin sensitivity is very challenging (Firshman & Valberg, 2007). It has been shown that training increases whole-body insulin sensitivity (Stewart-Hunt et al, 2006). The extent of this improvement depends on the duration and intensity of training. The role of diet composition on insulin sensitivity is controversial. Some studies reported that feeding a high starch and sugar complementary feed (along with forage) decreased sensitivity in horses (Hoffman et al, 2003; Treiber et al, 2005) except if they were trained (Pratt et al, 8 _ HPH 2013/2014

2006). Treiber and collaborators (2006) suggested: Insulin resistance develops with chronic adaptation to meals of grain and molasses, probably from the cumulative effects of repeated large fluctuations in glycaemia and insulin production after such meals. Results of this study also suggested that insulin resistance may develop as a chronic adaptation to gradually increasing starch content in spring pasture. On the contrary, more recent studies found no effect or even an improvement of glucose disposal after adaptation to higher starch and sugar diets (Pagan

et al, 2011; Gordon et al, 2011). Conflicting results also exist for the effect of dietary oil on insulin sensitivity (Hoffman et al, 2003; Pagan et al, 2011). Age, breed and obesity also alter insulin sensitivity (Geor, 2013). Harris and collaborators (2006) suggested that daily physical activity, reduction of body condition score, avoidance of large meals of grain-molasses feeds, administration of antioxidants, and administration of (omega-6) and (omega-3) fatty acids favour insulin sensitivity, at least in healthy horses. Due to the potential adverse effects of high responses in insulin, actual recommendations for healthy horses feeding are to limit starch

intake by 2 g/kg bodyweight (BW)/meal (Hoffman, 2013). Other authors suggest even more restricted intake, (1,1 g/kg BW/meal), based on the moderate glycaemic (increase from ~5 to ~7 mmol/l) and insulinemic (increase from ~5 ÂľU to ~50 ÂľU/ml) responses observed below this threshold (Vervuert et al, 2009a). Borgia et al (2011) recommend that laminitis-prone horses and ponies should be fed hay with non -structural carbohydrates content <10â&#x20AC;&#x201C;12 % to avoid post-feeding increases in circulating insulin concentrations that may increase risk of laminitis episodes. Similarly, it is sug-

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METABOLISM gested that starch intake should be limited to 0.3 g/kg BW/meal in horses and ponies suffering from metabolic disorder (Hoffman, 2013). However, more research is needed for definite feeding recommendations, in particular for sport horses, since their needs in non-structural carbohydrates are higher than sedentary horses, depending on their physical activity. Since the restoration of muscle glycogen content after exercise-induced depletion is particularly slow in horses the specific needs for performance, as well as for posteffort recovery, are to be further studied.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Borgia, L., Valberg, S., McCue, M., et al. 2011. Glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to feeding hay with different non-structural carbohydrate content in control and polysaccharide myopathy-affected horses. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition (Berlin) 95, 798–807. Firshman, A.M., Valberg, S.J., 2007. Factors affecting clinical assessment of insulin sensitivity in horses. Equine Veterinary Journal 39, 567–575. Geor, R.J., 2013. Endocrine and metabolic physiology. In : Geor RJ, Harris PA and Coenen M, Equine Applied and Clinical Nutrition, 1st ed. Saunders, 33-63. Gordon, M.E., McKeever, K.H., 2005. Diurnal variation of ghrelin, leptin, and adiponectin in Standardbred mares. Journal of Animal Science 83, 2365–2371. Gordon, M.E., Jerina, M.L., Raub, R.H., et al. 2011. Insulin sensitivity in growing horses fed a higher starch versus a higher fat diet for two years. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 31, 277–278. Harris PA, Bailey SR, Elliott J, Longland A. Countermeasures for pasture-associated laminitis in ponies and horses. J Nutr. 2006; 136:2114S–21S Harris, P.A., Geor, R.J., 2009. Primer on dietary carbohydrates and utility of the glycemic index in equine nutrition. Veterinary Clinics of North America Equine Practice 25, 39–50. Hoffman, R.M., 2013. Carbohydrates. In: Geor RJ, Harris PA and Coenen M, Equine Applied and Clinical Nutrition, 1st ed. Saunders, 156167. Hoffman, R.M., Boston, R.C., Stefanovski, D., et al. 2003. Obesity and diet affect glucose dynamics and insulin sensitivity in Thoroughbred geldings. Journal of Animal Science 81, 2333–2342. Hudson, J.M., Cohen, N.D., Gibbs, P.G., et al. 2001. Feeding practices associated with colic in horses. J Amer Vet Med Assoc 219, 1419–1425.

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Kahn, C.R., 1978. Insulin resistance, insulin sensitivity, and insulin unresponsiveness: a necessary distinction. Metabolism 27, 1893–1902. Kronfeld, D.S., Meachem, T.N., Donoghue, S., 1990. Dietary aspects of developmental orthopedic disease in young horses. Vet Clin N Amer Equine Pract 6, 451–466. Moore, M.C., Cherrington, A.D., Wasserman, D.H., 2003. Regulation of hepatic and peripheral glucose disposal. Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 17, 343–364. Murray, M.J., 1994. Gastric ulcers in adult horses. Compend Contin Ed Pract 16, 792–797. Pagan, J.D., Waldridge, B.M., Lange, J., 2011. Moderate dietary carbohydrate improves glucose tolerance and high dietary fat impairs glucose tolerance in aged Thoroughbred geldings. Proceedings of the American Association of Equine Practitioners 57, 192 (abstract). Pass, M.A., Pollitt, S., Pollitt, C.C., 1998. Decreased glucose metabolism causes separation of hoof lamellae in vitro: a trigger for laminitis? Equine Vet J 26, 133–138. Pratt, S.E., Geor, R.J., McCutcheon, L.J., 2006. Effects of dietary energy source and physical conditioning on insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in Standardbred horses. Equine Veterinary Journal 36 (Suppl.), 579–584. Ralston, S.L., 1996. Hyperglycemia/ hyperinsulinemia after feeding a meal of grain to young horses with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesions. Pferdeheilkunde 12, 320–322. Ribeiro, W., Valbery, S.J., Pagan, J.D., et al. 2004. The effect of varying dietary starch and fat content on creatine kinase activity and substrate availability in equine polysaccharide storage myopathy. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 18 (6), 887–94. Stewart-Hunt, L., Geor, R.J., McCutcheon, L.J., 2006. Effects of short-term training on insulin sensitivity and skeletal muscle glucose metabolism in standardbred horses. Equine Veterinary Journal 36 (Suppl.), 226–232.

Treiber, K.H., Boston, R.C., Kronfeld, D.S., et al. 2005. Insulin resistance and compensation in Thoroughbred weanlings adapted to highglycemic diets. Journal of Animal Science 83, 2357–2364. Treiber, K. H.; Kronfeld, D. S.; Hess, T. M., et al. 2006. Evaluation of genetic and metabolic predispositions and nutritional risk factors for pasture-associated laminitis in ponies. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 228 (10), 1538-1545. Valentine, B.A., Van Saun, R.J., Thompson, K.N., et al. 2001. Role of dietary carbohydrate and fat in horses with equine polysaccharide storage myopathy. J Amer Vet Med Assoc 219, 1537–1544. Vervuert, I., Voigt, K., Hollands, T., et al. 2009a. Effect of feeding increasing quantities of starch on glycaemic and insulinaemic responses in healthy horses. Veterinary Journal 182, 67–72. Vervuert, I., Klein, S., Coenen, M., 2009b. Effect of mixing dietary fibre (purified lignocelluloses or purified pectin) and a corn meal on glucose and insulin responses in healthy horses. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition (Berlin) 93, 331–338. Vervuert, I., Voigt, K., Hollands, T., et al. 2009c. The effect of mixing and changing the order of feeding oats and chopped alfalfa to horses on: glycaemic and insulinaemic responses, and breath hydrogen

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INSULIN

COMPARISON OF GLYCAEMIA AND INSULIN PRODUCTION IN HORSES AFTER PALATINOSE AND GLUCOSE ORAL INTAKE TATIANA ART PROFESSOR, DVM, PHD, DIPL. ECEIM

THIS STUDY WAS SUPPORTED BY PAVESCO - TWYDILÂŽ

ood supplements are generally given by oral administration, mixed with a carrier. This carrier is often a sugar, which has the advantage of being appetising for the horse. However, the carrier must be as neutral as possible in the horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s metabolism, and especially it should not interfere with its carbohydrate metabolism. Palatinose is a pure and sweet white carbohydrate obtained from a natural source of sucrose. It is produced by an enzymatic rearrangement involving the conversion of the connection alpha 1.2 between glucose and the fructose into a connection alpha 1.6. The result of this rearrangement is an extremely slow-reacting sugar which ensures a better distribution of the energy contribution in the horse. Thanks to its slow assimilation, palatinose appears much more slowly in blood and therefore produces only a limited increase in blood glucose. The energy released by palatinose is consequently present

12 _ HPH 2013/2014

much longer and ensures a constant contribution for periods longer than, for example, glucose (see graphic). The two characteristics below make palatinose a good candidate as a food carrier for horses: 1) Its low glycaemic index The glycaemic index of food determines its influence on the level of blood glucose. In humans palatinose has a low glycaemic index of 32 (high GI is around 70; while weak GI is below 40). 2) Its low insulin index Palatinose is also characterised by a weak insulin index. This weak insulin index (value of 30) thus helps to maintain a normal insulin level in the horse. Consequently, palatinose could be a useful food carrier, but it has nevertheless never been used in horses.

350 300 5

Insulinaemia (pmol/L)

Glycaemia (mmol/L)

250

Sucrose Palatinoseâ&#x201E;˘

3 2 1 0 -1 -2

120

200 150 100 50 0 -50

120

Time (min)

The aim of this work was to compare the effects of the oral administration of palatinose on glycaemia and insulin blood levels with the effects of an equivalent dose of glucose in the horse. The results would determine whether palatinose is a useful substrate that could be used as a carrier for the administration of food supplements: selection criteria would be firstly its palatability and secondly a lack of significant interference with carbohydrate metabolism.

MATERIAL AND METHOD Animals Six adult horses (description in appendix), in good health at the clinical examination, were used. The horses were kept in the same stable and were fed in the same way: litter of straw, 1 litre of concentrate every morning and hay silage ad libitum.

The principal test was conducted as follows. 6 horses were used to compare the effects of an amount of 200 g of either palatinose or glucose on glycaemia and insulin production. The horses were fed for the last time, the day before at 4.00 pm with silage (6 kilos). They were then randomly divided into 2 groups. The following morning at 8.00 (t0) the first blood samples were obtained. After this the horses received 100 g of concentrates, with either 200 g of palatinose (in one group), or an equivalent dose of glucose (in the other group). Further blood samples were taken at t90 and t180, during which period the horses did not receive any feed. After 48 hours of wash-out, the same protocol was followed by reversing the tested sugars.

SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS

For the glycaemia analysis, blood was taken in vacuum tubes coated with fluoro-acetate.

Protocol Firstly, two horses were used to determine the minimum amount of palatinose necessary to induce a rise in glycaemia as well as a variation in insulin production. Two doses were tested: 50 g and 200 g. Then divided into 2 groups, glucose and palatinose, the horses were fed for the last time the day before the test at 4.00 pm with silage (6 kilos). The next morning at 8.00 (t0), the first blood samples were obtained. After this the horses received 100 g of concentrates, together with one of the two amounts of palatinose to be tested. The next blood samples were obtained 90 minutes (t90) and 3 hours (t180) after the oral administration of the sugar, during which period the horses did not receive any feed. The test was repeated after 24 hours by reversing for each horse the dose to be tested. The dose of 200 g was selected for the protocol, according to the results of this preliminary test (very weak changes observed with the 50 g dose). 13

INSULIN

Time (min)

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Practical and technical considerations. For ethical reasons and in order to respect the welfare of the horses, sugars were not administrated with a naso-gastric tube but were given mixed with concentrates (100 g), which, even in small quantity, may have partly influenced the results. The palatinose was spon-

Horse Breed Gadjo BWP Qorrida standardbred Babette Lola pinto Springy Alix* arab *Supplementary horse

Sex m f f f m f

Age 9 9 16 14 20 23

Weight 635 465 569 555 527 414

glucose Palatinose™

glucose

Palatinose™

7 6 5

4 0

180 0

90 180 Time (min)

Time (min)

Insulinaemia ( IU/mL)

Statistical analysis 4 The data are given as mean + standard error. They were analysed by reference0to a general 0 90 linear model in SAS, with the horse, the time and the type of sugar as variables. The threshold of 0.05 was considered as significant.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HORSES

taneously consumed by all the horses. The palatability of the glucose was much lower. There was even one horse that totally refused to take it. This horse had to be replaced by another horse.

Insulinaemia ( IU/mL)

Glycaemia (mmol/L)

After centrifuging, the plasma samples were cooled, and analysed within 3 hours. Glucose levels were analysed at the medical laboratory of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Liège, Belgium.. The samples intended for the insulin analysis were taken in dry tubes, centrifuged and frozen. They were analysed later at the8 Laboratory 7 Frank Duncombe (in Caen-France), by chemi6 luminescence (Immulite 2000, Siemens).

Glycaemia (mmol/L)

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180

90 Time (min)

Glycaemia. A significant glycaemia peak was observed at 90 minutes with both carbohydrates, followed by a progressive decrease and return to the initial value, which was complete 180 minutes after administration in the case of the palatinose, but not in the case of glucose (the difference was nevertheless not significant). These observations differ from those reported in man, in which the glycaemia peak with palatinose is also weaker but lasts longer than with sucrose. Insulin levels. Insulin production reached a peak at 90 minutes, more marked in the case of glucose (non-significant difference). This increase in insulin production with glucose was prolonged without return to normal 180 minutes after administration. Consequently, insulin production in the horses that received glucose remained significantly higher than in the horses that received palatinose. The differences of the peaks of glycaemia and insulin production between the 2 carbohydrates were non-significant which could be due to the small number of individuals used for the investigation, as well as the relatively important variations between individuals, in particular with insulin production.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the number of horses was low and although the fact that the sugars were administrated with concentrates, the results of this study suggest that the administration of glucose interferes more with carbohydrate metabolism than the administration of palatinose. Moreover, this latter sugar was obviously more palatable for the horses. Consequently and for these two reasons, palatinose is an excellent candidate as a carrier for the administration of food supplements. 14 _ HPH 2013/2014

180

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XXXXX FINLAND

NORDIC HORSE POWER

THE COLD-BLOODED

FINN PRIMITIVE NORDIC HORSE POWER LEENA ALERINI

16 _ HPH 2013/2014

he Finnhorse is almost sacred to Finns. At one of the year’s major race meetings, which attracted 50,000 spectators to the Coronation Trot (Kuninkuusravit) during a late summer weekend, only the cold-blooded Finnhorses were allowed to participate. Cold-blooded? For decades, Finns have wondered whether the Finnhorse is the world’s fastest cold-blooded or slowest warm-blooded horse. From time to time, there has been discussion amongst Finnish horse aficionados about whether the cold-bloods from neighbouring countries should also be invited to the annual Coronation Trot, but to date no such decision has been made. In the opinion of many, it’s like trying to compare the Finnish and Swedish sauna traditions.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF BREEDING HISTORY The Finnhorse is a cross between the original Nordic forest horse and breeds from neighbouring countries. A recent find from an ancient grave indicated that there were already horses in Finland in the Iron Age, 500 years BC, a period that is considered prehistoric in Finland. Horses are also mentioned in the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, a collection of folklore from the era, in which ‘foaming chins’ and the Horse of Hiisi play significant roles.

Genetic technology is developing at an incredible pace and has yielded a recent surprise for lovers of Finnhorses. Just as we were burying an old assertion that the origin of Finns lies somewhere in the Far East, a study by the Estonian Agricultural University in Tartu suggests that the nearest relative of the Finnhorse comes from Yakutia in Siberia. The stud book for the Finnhorse was closed in 1907, after which all foreign blood has been excluded. In the initial stages of breeding, official bodies considered chestnut to be the The 1.20 mark was not purest colour. All other shades beaten until 2002, by a were thought to hint at an imred-chestnut stallion named pure bloodline.

Viesker who made more on

Other colours were considered than one million euros anomalous and dappled horses the tracks. were entirely excluded, and were not allowed into the official breeding programme. Splashed white Finnhorses did, however, survive the early colour crazes, and this year the splashed white gene, which is quite rare in the world, has been proven by DNA tests to belong to the Finnhorse. A splashed white horse looks as if it has been placed bellyfirst into white paint, and they are very often wall-eyed. In this respect, Finnhorses are reminiscent of the indigenous breeds of neighbouring countries, Icelandic horses and Norwegian and Swedish cold-bloods. The issue of colour has been disputed by scholars since the 1930s, when Finnish geneticist,

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NORDIC HORSE POWER

Valto Klemola, concluded that this splashed white gene originated from a single stud stallion named Eversti from the late 19th century. Klemola’s theory was not confirmed until 80 years after it had first been advanced. Finnhorses have only been bred as trotting horses in the last 50 years or so. Prior to 1965, there was much discussion concerning what the Finnhorse was meant for and what it should look like. If, in addition to its sturdy frame, the horse was quick on its feet that of course was never considered a bad thing amongst its owners. But not everyone agreed that running speed should be the main issue. The same horses that brought logs from the forest also raced. This lent the Finnhorse the special characteristic of tenacity and toughness. Any kind of nobility is openly shunned. In the same way, people also wanted to steer clear of colours indicating foreign blood. Taste was accounted for 100 years ago, but officially horse breeders liked a reddishbrown, sturdy-framed horse that was not too big and not too small − and certainly not too fine. 18 _ HPH 2013/2014

TRACTORS TO THE RESCUE There were two parallel yet opposing trends in Finnhorse breeding in the first half of the 20th century: lighter all-round horses and heavy draft horses. The stallion Murto broke the 1 minute 30 second barrier for a kilometre in 1929. Another stallion, Ero-Lohko, ran 1.25 in 1959. The 1.20 mark was not beaten until 2002, by a red-chestnut stallion named Viesker who made more than one million euros on the tracks. The fastest of all time is arguably the stallion Sipori who in 2003 was timed at around 1.19.4. This was not however an officially documented winning time, so the record was not approved. In 1950, the breed was at its most numerous, with more than 400,000 horses in Finland, of which practically speaking all were domestically bred, as an interest in warm-bloods had not yet begun. Some ‘Finnhorse men’ were of the opinion that the main job of a horse was in heavy agriculture and as a result of breeding the live weight of the largest stallions began to approach 800 kg. As far as the proportions of

horses frames were concerned, dreams of super-sized came to an end with the advent of tractors. Many old aficionados of Finnhorses also say that the mechanisation of agriculture, which began at the end of the 1950s, was the most effective breeder of Finnish runners and also therefore the saviour of the Finnhorse. The old horsemen may be right as heavy breeds of giant horses are currently in major difficulty and on the edge of extinction all over the world. The Finnish passion for trotting saved the Finnhorse. The breed’s all-time low in terms of numbers was in the 1980s when there were fewer than 15,000 Finnhorses left in the world. In 1971, a long-term rescue plan was launched by the recently established official breeding organisation, Suomen Hippos ry. The breed was divided into four classifications according to use: riding, trotting, draft and pony-size (under 148 cm). Riding enthusiasts aspired to become new owners. The Finnhorse’s low point had been passed and the breed began to rise again, albeit somewhat slowly. The greatest numbers in the last 50 years have been and continue to be in the sport of trotting and there are nowadays around 20,000 Finnhorses. Although the numbers are relatively small, the rate of in-breeding is not threatening, and continues to stand at less than 5%. With the exception of a few rare instances of export, all the world’s Finnhorses are in Finland. The situation with regard to in-breeding is likely to change and new solutions are under consideration.

in the northernmost parts of the country can last almost six months. The winter job of the ‘log horses’ was so hard that they needed the following short summer to regain their condition. This was the reality until the 1960s. As trotters, only two Finnhorses, the stallions Viesker and Sipori have broken the 1 minute 20 second barrier in competition. As riding horses, the Finnhorse is an exponent of the easy classes in dressage and showjumping in the 120cm class. Compared to the heavy draft breeds that usually pull only what they can easily move with their own body weight, the Finnhorse throws itself into its collar and really exerts itself. It will move the load, even if it’s a little too heavy. A Finnhorse can move twice its own weight. This characteristic is seen as part of its nature, and Finnhorse stallions have been tested in pulling for stud book purposes since 1936. For mares, the pulling test did not begin until 1948.

Nonetheless, although lightness has been established and to a certain extent also nobility, the breeding history of the Finnhorse is still today characterised by an agriculturally broad build, incorporating a frame that is large at the front and smaller at the rear, a short neck and legs and a large head. On the minus side is a tendency to be calf-kneed and straight-shouldered – obstinate remnants from its history as a draft animal. The ability to trot, which even today not all horses are born with, must often be instilled into the horse by its trainer. For this reason, the Finnhorse has aids to help it balance when wearing its racing harness.

WHAT CAN A FINNHORSE DO? One theory is that breeds of animals always resemble the people who developed them in terms of appearance and temperament. A Finnhorse has to cope with and earn its oats in extreme conditions. In the Finnish winter, temperatures in timber forests may plummet to -40 °C and the period of winter darkness 19

XXXXX FINLAND

NORDIC HORSE POWER The unwaveringly tough nature of the Finnhorse is evident in everything it does. If two stallions are put opposite each other in a pasture, the Finnhorse will always crush the warm-blood by brute force – mental as well as physical. The appetite of the Finnhorse is legendary. They are always hungry and their efficiency of feed utilisation is comparable with ponies. Trotters still remain slim but for pleasure horses this primitive boundless hunger can cause the same kind of diseases of affluence that afflict a large proportion of the human Finnish population.

LEENA ALERINI The author works as a journalist for the Hevosurheilu magazine, which was founded in 1925 and is published twice a week covering all equine sports from trotting to riding.

DNA REVEALS ALL

According to a study published in the spring by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences at Uppsala, the speed of a trotter is dependent on the DMRT3 gene mutation, which gives the animal a rhythmic, diagonally maintained pace, or racing trot. If the horse does not have this mutation, it cannot trot at full speed without stumbling regularly into a gallop. In the American trotter, this mutation is prevalent in almost all individuals and, in French trotters, in more than 70%. The situation of the Finnhorse in relation to this gene mutation is currently being studied at the University of Helsinki. Material has already been collected, but the results are not yet clear. –LA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special thanks to Dr Vet. Erkki Luikko and Mr Heikki Kemppi for proofreading this article, and also for their very active role in the promotion of the TWYDIL® products in Finland.

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STAFF

TWYDIL TEAM ®

Elisabeth

Elisabeth Beley joined our company in September 2012, as a helpline receptionist and management assistant. Born in Germany she benefits from a dual German-French nationality. She studied and had her first professional experience in France. She is fluent in German and French languages, and speaks a good English.

Certainly her best quality is to combine strictness, good mood and exactness, making herself a highly reliable colleague. Our clients say they were very pleased with her professionalism, but let us keep it secret.

She is married, mother of 2 young boys, and lives in Alsace.

Marie-Capucine endoscopy of the respiratory tract in horses. After that she trained at the Montreal University Equine Clinic (Canada), and « Université de Liège » (Belgium) where she obtained a Master in Specialised Veterinary Medicine at the end of her internship. As from October 2007 she worked with Pr Denoix at the CIRALE, department of Sport Medicine, in Normandy, France.

Since the beginning of 2014, TWYDIL® works in collaboration with Dr Marie-Capucine DupuisTricaud, veterinary surgeon. She is now your representative on the French market and will bring you all scientific information regarding our range of products. Professional experience Dr Marie-Capucine Dupuis-Tricaud has graduated from « Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Lyon » in 2005, then quickly decided to specialise in equine medicine and defended her Doctorate Thesis in 2006 on the

Besides consulting horses for counter-performance or sport follow-up, she was coordinating research programmes in sport medicine, genetics and immunology. She collaborated with many professionals in the equine sector, vets, breeders, trainers, research laboratories, public institutes, and passed her PhD in 2011 with Pr Lekeux and Pr Georges (Université de Liège) on the genetics of roaring in horses. She also participated in many international congresses and wrote or co-wrote quite a few articles in well-known journals such as Mammalian Genetics, Animal Genetics, Journal of Animal Science, Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology.

Private life Originating from Beaujolais, MarieCapucine finally settled in Normandy with her husband who is an equine practitioner. They now have 2 young children. As a hobby they started horse breeding on a small scale to raise eventing horses. They both ride and enjoy attending international equestrian competitions. Marie-Capucine will be pleased to inform and advise you on our range of products, making her scientific expertise available. Publications: Dr Marie-Capucine Dupuis-Tricaud participated in approximately 40 publications. Bibliographic references are available on our TWYDIL® website.

TWYDIL

Australia

Prize presentation by TWYDIL® at a national dressage competition in Adelaïde, Australia.

Switzerland

Finland

Annual Veterinary Congress in Helsinki. Our distributor Heikki Kemppi, Dr Roger Crozet, Dr Erkki Luikko.

France

27th Exhibition for Trotting Stallions in Vincennes, France.

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The 6th TWYDIL® Equine Days 2014 in Berne, was a great success with more than 50 Swiss equine veterinarians attending high level presentations.

Lecturing on the TWYDIL® range of products for a team of young English colleagues at Lambourn Clinic.

IN THE WORLD

India

Some members of OSSUM Healthcare, the company that distributes TWYDIL® products in India, during a visit from Dr Roger Crozet, CEO, TWYDIL®.

Ireland

TWYDIL® visit in Ireland. After work, a dinner with semper ﬁdelis customers. Mr and Mrs Arthur Moore, Valère Henry, president.

Dubai

Our distributor with two veterinarians from Abu Dhabi presenting a hospitalised horse.

Libya

TWYDIL® seminar in Tripoli, Libya, showing our distributor Mr Hisham Abushkiwat, veterinarians, trainers and owners.

Macau

Dr Brieuc de Moffarts, Dr Roger Crozet, Mrs Violetta Lok (Purchasing Manager of Macau Horse Racing Co. Ltd.) 23

TWYDIL XXXXX

RESEARCH

THE BACKSTAGE OF RESEARCH OR THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR DR. BRIEUC DE MOFFARTS, SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR TWYDIL ® DR. MARIE-CAPUCINE DUPUIS-TRICAUD, DVM, MCMVS, PHD

t is true that every researcher would enjoy presenting studies that always come to a positive and significant conclusion. Despite a full bibliographic survey and a moderate risk-taking during the preparation of scientific essays, it is not unusual to end up with an impossibility to highlight an interesting and practical effect. This assessment shows how difficult it is for TWYDIL® to maintain its strategy of only launching products onto the market that have been scientifically tested on horses, and with a proven efficacy. Simple comparison with human medicine, subjective impressions and other easy shortcuts are potential sources of errors. When reading international publications, some molecules look very attractive, and one may think that their properties are transmittable to sport horses. Theoretically yes, but reality is much different. Here are some examples.

CO-ENZYME Q10 The compilation of available data on coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinol) suggests that this molecule is an ideal candidate to become a feed additive for athlete horses. About 1500 articles praise the action of ubiquinol as an enhancer of cellular energy performance and as antioxidant. Even during this year, Dietmar, et al., 2013, proved its efficacy by oral administration to sportsmen to aid muscular effort and strength. Ubiquinol has a marked effect on energy production. It participates in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, and it is believed that 96% of the ATP produced under aerobic condition involves ubiquinol. Additionally, after vitamin E, this coenzyme is probably the major fat-soluble antioxidant in human physiology. Studies in human medicine show that a dose 24 _ HPH 2013/2014

of 300 mg of coenzyme Q10 is enough to increase plasma levels. This dose corresponds to 1200 mg for a horse. During a test conducted in Chantilly by TWYDIL®, 2 groups (8/8) of thoroughbreds were selected with the same proportion of male and female, and with the same age and performance levels. The first group received a placebo and the second a daily supply of 2000 mg of ubiquinol. Blood samples were collected before and after 3 and 6 weeks of administration. The average coQ10 plasma level was 0.295 µg/ml, and no significant difference was found between the groups. In addition no significant correlation with oxidative markers was observed. Up to now there is no article in the international scientific literature showing a positive effect in horses by using a realistic dose of ubiquinol. This does not mean that the action of coenzyme Q10 is not essential in the horse. It simply emphasizes the fact that, most probably, the horse has a sufficient reserve to supply its needs during effort, and that any additional administration is unnecessary. That is why this molecule, foreseen as revolutionary, did not induce significant effects in horses, using the tested doses.

CREATINE Many feed supplement manufacturers use creatine in their preparations, in order to increase muscle mass, energy metabolism and resistance during effort. In humans, certain studies tend to show that this additive produces the expected effects. Nevertheless, more recent research in human sport medicine indicates that well-balanced and adequate nutrition is more important than creatine on its own for the athlete to maximise muscular strength and efficiency.

CONCLUSION

In horses, no scientific data could determine a daily dosage able to significantly influence the muscular mass or metabolism (Schuback et al., 2000 and D’Angelis et al., 2005). Researchers tested daily doses from 5 to 50g per horse, without effect.

laboratory purpose) bacterial attack (Cook et al., 2011 et Jacobs et al., 2012).

Let us listen to reason as far as the use of some expensive but inefficient products is concerned.

Furthermore, ethyl pyruvate is officially listed as an authorised feed additive. This is what led us to assess the possibility of its addition at the right and effective dose.

ETHYL PYRUVATE This molecule, very recently tested by TWYDIL®, was very promising because its effects are already proven in horses. Both in vitro, and in vivo by injection, it reduces the inflammatory genes expression as well as the inflammatory response via the equine white blood cells, during a (mimed for

Its use in order to manage endurance effort, and in case of endotoxic shock, is then perfectly valid.

Unfortunately, after the administration of the product, most of the horses presented oral, ocular and nasal irritations. So, for the simple reason that the product cannot be orally administered without risk, TWYDIL® had to give up the idea of this new feed supplement to enlarge its range.

The only way to guarantee the efficacy of a product is to conduct a scientific study with a placebo group, in controlled conditions. New formulas based on studies carried out on other species do not guarantee the efficiency on horses, because mechanisms of absorption, distribution and cellular action are different. Then, even with the correctly selected ingredients, the appropriate daily supply still has to be established for efficiency, as long as this amount happens to be absorbable. This is another story… TWYDIL® bears all the costs of its research, and does not benefit from any financial support or subsidies.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Abbasalipour M., Hashemi A. Effect of creatine and glutamine supplements in comparison with proper nutrition on wrestlers. Br J Sports Med 2013 Apr 47:e3 Alf D, Schmidt ME, Siebrecht SC. Ubiquinol supplementation enhances peak power production in trained athletes: a double-blind, placebo

controlled study. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013 Apr 29;10(1):24 Cook VL, Holcombe SJ, Gandy JC, Corl CM, Sordillo LM. Ethyl pyruvate decreases proinflammatory gene expression in lipopolysaccharidestimulated equine monocytes. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2011 May 15;141(1-2):92-9

D’Angelis FH, Ferraz GC, Boleli IC, Lacerda-Neto JC, Queiroz-Neto A Aerobic training, but not creatine supplementation, alters the gluteus medius muscle. J Anim Sci. 2005 Mar;83(3):579-85. Jacobs CC(1), Holcombe SJ, Cook VL, Gandy JC, Hauptman JG, Sordillo LM Ethyl pyruvate diminishes the inflammatory response to

lipopolysaccharide infusion in horses. Equine Vet J. 2013 May;45(3):333-9. Schuback K, Essén-Gustavsson B, Persson SG. Effect of creatine supplementation on muscle metabolic response to a maximal treadmill exercise test in Standardbred horses. Equine Vet J. 2000 Nov;32(6):533-40

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http://www.twydil.com

SOLID AS A ROCK !

ED » H C I R « EN RMULA FO

ALSO AVAILABLE THROUGH YOUR VETERINARY SURGEON

TWYDIL® PMC

Assists the healthy development of osteoblasts which form the bones, chondrocytes which form the cartilage and fibroblasts which influence tendons, ligaments and synovial fluid. Combined action on the synovial tissue. - Officially certified by LCH (after analysis on final product, urine and blood) can be used without risk. - Declared content guaranteed until expiry date.

TWYDIL® is used by many successful trainers and breeders in the world. HEAD OFFICE PAVESCO AG

CH-4010 Basel, Switzerland Tel. (41)(61)272 23 72 Fax (41)(61)272 23 88

PAVESCO U.K. LTD.

116, High Road Needham, Harleston, Norfolk IP20 9LG Tel. (01379) 85 28 85 Fax (01379) 85 41 78

e-mail: info@twydil.com

XXXXX LIBYA

EQUITATION

HORSES IN LIBYA

HISHAM ABUSHKIWAT

28 _ HPH 2013/2014

orse riding is one of the oldest sports practiced by the Libyans and horses are a traditional passion of Libyans. They were used in transportation and agriculture and became a symbol of power, courage and competition among people. Libyans love horses and they are attached to them. They do not give them up for any price or reason, to the extent that some breeds bear the name of certain families for their retention of this breed since ancient times. Nowadays this sport is being given great attention and people are urged to practice horse racing sport to become the second largest sport after football.

After the revolution of February 17 there have been some positive developments in the sport where the genealogical record was created for the thoroughbred horses under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Libyan genealogical record was approved by the international genealogical record in Europe and was linked to the international system of the thoroughbred horses.

There are three main horse riding categories:

Flat racing is expected to become the most expensive races in the world and the Libyan authority for horse racing will develop the existing tracks and create other ones with modern designs, also will work on the development of the trainers, breeders and jockeys.

1- Practicing Libyan folklore by giving horse shows in social events and celebrations and is practiced by a large segment of people where these types of shows require strong and high horses to place the traditional silver saddle on them. 2- Showjumping sport which is an Olympic sport under the supervision of the International Olympic Committee. Libyans were very distinguished worldwide in these kinds of competitions in the mid-eighties. 3- Flat racing is considered one of the most powerful horse sports in Libya, and the Libyans managed to develop themselves in record time to be able to participate in international races and import good breeds.

A special body called “The Libyan Horse Racing Authority” was created under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and allocated an independent budget granted from the Prime Ministry.

The stability of the political scene and security in Libya plays an important role in the implementation of this ambitious step to raise the level of this noble sport that is loved by the Libyans as much as their children and their property. The TWYDIL® range of products has been supplying the Libyan market with all products for more than a year where unexpected quantities had been exported to the Libyan market through the exclusive agent for TWYDIL® Mr. Hisham Abushkiwat who is considered one of the most important breeders in Libya.

SCIENCE XXXXX

BREED

SCIENCE CONFIRMATION

OF THE PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS OF EARLIER BREEDERS DR. BRIEUC DE MOFFARTS,

SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR, TWYDIL 速 DR. ROGER CROZET, CEO, TWYDIL 速

30 _ HPH 2013/2014

WYDIL速 has always listened to the experience of the professionals in the field. The practicality of their requests, their experiences and empirical minds have been part of the everyday life of the TWYDIL速 team. For many years breeders trusted their intuition in order to make their selection; now science has confirmed the correctness of their choices.

For example, with thoroughbreds, 95% of lineages result from a single stallion (Darley Arabian) and 72% of lineages come from 10 founding mares. The ancestral Arabian blood-stock was established by the selection of mares because those in charge said that mares brought the breath. This assertion was able to be verified and is simple to understand. One of the major factors

Chez le pur-sang, 95% des lignĂŠes proviennent dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;un seul ĂŠtalon. (Darley Arabian)

Before scientific studies were developed, thoroughbred selection was empirical and based on observation of criteria such as conformation, precocity, speed and class. Research proved that performance (ranking, prize money, and to a lesser extent speed) could be explained by genetic inheritance in approximately 35% of cases. This heritability (part of phenotype explained by genetics) is more reliable with sprinters (Mota et al. 2005). One of the most heritable factors is precocity which reached 70% in certain studies. Research proved Breeding from early horses inthat performance evitably produces early horses. Once more, breeders did not could be explained by wait for research data to be pub- genetic inheritance in lished before using this strategy, approximately 35% especially as with early horses return on investment is quicker, of cases. thanks to a shorter turnover. For performance parameters the major factors are environmental such as breeding period, training, feeding management, ground, shoeing, sportive and medical survey, rather than genetics. Other new data (Hill et al. 2010) validate results of the empirical selection. Indeed the existence of exercise-relevant genes plays a role in overall performance. These genes seem distance related, as breeders had noticed for very many years.

in performance transmission is the mitochondria. Mitochondria are the only agents able to effectively produce ATP as an energy source and they are only transmitted by females. Indeed mitochondria are located in oocytes and on spermatozoids flagella. When genetic material is transmitted, flagella (and male mitochondria) are left out; only the female mitochondria, genetically designable, are present in fertilized oocytes.

Studies have shown that a particular myostatin gene is found in many of our current thoroughbreds and influences their speed, this mutation can be traced to Nearctic, father of the famous Northern Dancer (Bower et al. 2012).

Considering the major importance of power production coming from glucose and oxygen metabolism to form ATP as cellular fuel, for muscular contraction for example, again it is the maternal lineage that is important (Harrison and Turrion-Gomez, 2006). Cloning is not currently practiced in thoroughbreds but we can ask ourselves about mitochondrial genetic transmission in this case. 31

SCIENCE XXXXX

BREED Certain pathologies could also be inherited by horses in general and racehorses in particular. So selection of the best parents is complex because it has to be made on a wide range of criteria â&#x20AC;&#x201C; some positive and some negative. Various conditions have been considered as inherited (expression in percentage of explicable part of phenotype by genetics):

- Osteo-articular troubles = 9 to 52 % depending on locality - Tendon lesions = 18 % - Monogenic myopathy = 100 % - Other myopathies = 12 % to 30 % - Bleeders = 30 % - Upper respiratory tract troubles = from 8 % to 20 % - Comportment = 23 %

CONCLUSION

Selection depends on the choice of a quality mare and a performer stallion with particular attention being paid to the absence of inheritable troubles. Earlier breeders knew the necessity of a multifactorial selection and did not limit themselves to performance only for successful foal production.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Bower MA, Campana MG, Whitten M, Edwards CJ, Jones H, Barrett E, Cassidy R,Nisbet RE, Hill EW, Howe CJ, Binns M. The cosmopolitan maternal heritage of the thoroughbred racehorse breed shows a significant contribution from British and Irish native mares. Biol Lett. 2011 Apr 23;7(2):316-20 John F. Wall, Famous Running Horses: Their Forebears and Descendants, Washington, DC, Infantry Journal Press, 1949Cunningham EP, Dooley JJ, Splan RK, Bradley DG. Microsatellite diversity, pedigree

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relatedness and the contributions of founder lineages to thoroughbred horses. Anim Genet. 2001 Dec; 32(6):360-4

Dec; 41 Suppl 2:56-63

Mota MD, AbrahĂŁo AR, Oliveira HN. Genetic and environmental parameters for racing time at different distances in Brazilian thoroughbreds. J Anim Breed Genet. 2005 Dec;122 (6):393-9

S, Stock F, Voronkova V, Bradley DG, Fahey AG, Lindgren G, Machugh DE, Sulimova

Hill EW, Gu J, McGivney BA, MacHugh DE. Targets of selection in the thoroughbred genome contain exercise-relevant gene SNPs associated with elite racecourse performance. Anim Genet. 2010

Bower MA, McGivney BA, Campana MG, Gu J, Andersson LS, Barrett E, Davis CR, Mikko

G, Hill EW. Nat Commun. 2012 Jan 24; 3:643. The genetic origin and history of speed in the thoroughbred racehorse Harrison SP, Turrion-Gomez JL. Mitochondrial DNA: an important female contribution to thoroughbred racehorse performance. Mitochondrion. 2006 Apr; 6(2):53-63

THE FULL STUD PROGRAMME BROODMARES, STALLIONS TWYDIL® STUD Supplies the needs and supports the intestinal flora of broodmares and stallions. Favours milk production and colostrum quality. Aids the nutritional balance of the developing foal.

AND

FOALS, YEARLINGS TWYDIL® GROWING Contributes to optimal development and to the diversification of the intestinal flora of growing horses. TWYDIL® PMC For an optimal bone formation and for a good structural development of the horse. TWYDIL® MINERAL COMPLEX Mineral complement, highly concentrated in 3 sources of calcium.

ALSO AVAILABLE THROUGH YOUR VETERINARY SURGEON

TWYDIL® is used by most of the successful breeders in the world. HEAD OFFICE PAVESCO AG

CH-4010 Basel, Switzerland Tel. (41)(61)272 23 72 Fax (41)(61)272 23 88

PAVESCO U.K. LTD.

116, High Road Needham, Harleston, Norfolk IP20 9LG Tel. (01379) 85 28 85 Fax (01379) 85 41 78

e-mail: info@twydil.com

XXXXX STUD

RÖTTGEN

INTERNATIONAL THOROUGHBRED

GESTÜT RÖTTGEN JOCELYN DE MOUBRAY

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f breeding tends to go in cycles for the last year or so Gestüt Röttgen has been on an upswing. Wild Coco carried the stud’s colours to success in Group races at Goodwood and Doncaster under the care of Sir Henry Cecil before being sold for 985.000 guineas at last year’s Newmarket December sales. For her new owner KI Farm Wild Coco went on to win another Group at Goodwood and finish second in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille, and only 1 ¾ length behind Trêve, far closer than any other horse has managed to get to Quesnay’s champion this year. At mid October Röttgen was the leading owner in Germany by wins with 18 and the stud’s young trainer Markus Klug was standing in second place in the trainer’s table with 49 wins. “A lot of German owners and trainers are mainly trying to win races

in France,” Frank Dorff the stud’s farm manager explains with characteristic modesty, although he is quick to agree that 18 wins is a lot better than the total of seven the stud won only five years ago. If the stud is enjoying success on the racecourse and in the sales ring in both Germany and England it is also planning for the future and has announced that the Prix du Jockey Club winner and leading Australian older horse Reliable Man will stand at Röttgen from 2014. “We were looking for an opportunity to have a stallion with international appeal,” Dorff explains after a trip to New Zealand to see Reliable Man at Westbury Stud, “and we are very excited by Reliable Man. He comes from a fantastic female family with champions in every generation, which is

races, which puts it in the top fifteen of active owners, not far behind the Niarchos family, Gestüt Fährhof and the Wertheimer family.

important for German breeders, and he was one of the best of the outstanding ‘Frankel’ generation of European three year olds. Anyone who has their doubts should watch the way he beats the champion It’s A Dundeel in the 10 furlong Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes. He is also an impressive, athletic individual.” Gestüt Röttgen is one of Europe’s oldest established and most successful racing and breeding operations. The first Group winner to carry the stud’s distinguish turquoise, gold sleeves and red cap came in 1931 and the stud won the German Derby in 1932 with Palastpage, and the latest was Wild Coco, the winner of the 2012 Group 2 Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster. The stud has won 113 Group races and a total of 212 black type

Few thoroughbred studs succeed in competing in the best international races for eighty years from the same land and pastures, but then Röttgen has several other most unusual The stud was founded features. The stud was foundby Peter Paul Mülhens ed by Peter Paul Mülhens in in 1924. His family had 1924. His family had owned the 4711 Eau de Cologne owned the 4711 Eau de brand since the beginning of Cologne brand since the the 19th Century, a time when beginning of the 19th Cologne was part of France having been occupied by NaCentury poleon’s army in 1794. While Napoleon’s army waited outside the city it was decided that each house should be given a number, and rather than dividing the city into streets the houses were given numbers starting from one and going on. The house on Glockengasse where Wilhelm Mülhens made his ‘original’ Eau de Cologne was given the number 4711, which he took as the name of his brand. Peter Paul Mülhens returned to Cologne at the end of the Second World War, when it was in the words of the architect of its reconstruction, “the greatest heap of debris in the world,” The sight of his devastated city was, according to legend, more than Mülhens could bear and he is said to have died on his way to Röttgen murmuring; “Nobody can pay us.” The reconstruction and revival of Röttgen, its stud and racing stable was left in the hands 35

XXXXX STUD

RÖTTGEN of his daughter Maria, who was to become Maria Mehl-Mülhens. Mehl-Mülhens died in 1985 leaving the stud and her estate to a foundation, “The Röttgen agricultural and forestry Holding” which has managed the stud, the racing stable, the numerous buildings and 750 acres of pasture, and forest ever since. The foundation was established to maintain Röttgen and to promote and encourage racing, breeding and veterinary science. Dr Günter Paul, a prominent constitutional judge when not at Röttgen, has been the foundation’s President from the beginning.

➜ Stallion «Sternkönig»

This would be unusual enough but Röttgen and its stud are next door to one of Europe’s largest and most successful cities. It is only ten miles from the stud to Cologne’s cathedral, and only two or three to the Cologne/ Bonn airport. Drive from the airport towards Röttgen and the view is more or less unchanged. There may be shopping malls, logistics warehouses and car concessions behind and alongside but in front of you there is a grey, stone wall which stretches as far as you can see in both directions, and behind the wall nothing but trees, grass and glimpses of the immaculate and beautiful stud buildings. Röttgen was built on a grand scale. The main house or castle was already there when Peter Paul Mülhens purchased the place and it took years for him to buy up the land around it which was still in the 1920’s mainly small farms. At the time Cologne and the surrounding area was administered by the British army which was in occupation from the end of the First World War up until 1926, only to return and take over both Cologne and Röttgen itself in 1945. The indoor school where the horses from the racing stable warm up before setting out to Röttgen’ private gallops has a vaulted wooden roof which must be 100 foot high, together with stained glass windows. The racing stables have a complicated, mechanical and functioning mucking out system which dates from before the War, and then among the additions to the castle is a clock which chimes every hour while a horse in Röttgen’s colours races past to win, again. The foaling barn is another building with an absurdly high ceiling which combines a modern efficiency with beauty, in this case built with wood and plaster rather than stone, reflecting the vernacular of the few rural houses left in the surrounding area. Peter Paul Mülhens and his daughter Maria clearly cared a great deal about horses, but they also had a passion for the place and the people who worked and still work there. Ma-

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ria Mehl-Mülhens’ domestic staff was employed for life, and still maintains the house and cut flowers for the drawing room daily, despite the fact that their mistress has been dead for nearly thirty years. After the War, the British administration made Röttgen its headquarters, mainly because it was considered to be a safe place, a large house surrounded by pastures and a big wall. However the army restored and looked after the buildings when so much of the surrounding area was just rubble which made Maria MehlMülhens’ task easier when she finally took over the place herself. By all accounts, and there are still plenty of people who live and work at the stud who remember Maria Mehl-Mülhens, the stud was her passion, and she not only succeeded in restoring his father’s project but also she took the stud to success at the highest level. In 1959 the stud won its second German Derby when its fourth string Uomo managed to beat the favourite Waldcanter, completing a one two for Röttgen. There has not been another Derby win since despite as many as eight or nine second places. In the early 1970’s Prince Ippi was a multiple Group 1 winner and Derby placed horse who became a successful sire producing among others Anna Paola who was champion filly in Germany at two and three in 1980 and 1981. Sold to Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum, Anna Paola founded a family whose latest stars are the Australian Group 1 winners Helmet and Epaulette. Also in the 1970’s Röttgen won the Eclipse and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Star Appeal, a horse bred at Röttgen who had

begun his career in Röttgen’s colours trained by John Oxx senior, but who had been sold by the time of his greatest triumphs when he was trained by Theo Grieper at Röttgen. Under the Foundation the success continued. Well Known was a champion two-yearold who produced the Group 1 winner Well Made. Sternkönig was third to Lando and Monsun in one of the best of all German Derby’s and went on to win a Group 1 and become a useful stallion. His The stud has won 113 best son Kallisto stands Group races and a total at Röttgen today and is of 212 black type races. enjoying a particularly successful year for a Few thoroughbred studs horse who covers by insucceed in competing in the ternational standards a best international races for tiny book. Kallisto won the Italian Derby by 6 eighty years from the same lengths before meeting land and pastures. a career ending injury when fourth to Samum in the German Derby. Other success included the Group 2 winning fillies Wild Side and Diacada, both dam’s of Röttgen’s stars today. Röttgen’s latest revival began in 2009 when the stud tried to sell a Shirocco filly out of the Group 2 winner Wild Side at the Newmarket October sale. There was no interest at all and she was bought back at 60.000 guineas. “I had always admired Henry Cecil from a distance and he had trained a good horse called Tempelstern who had been bred at Röttgen so I asked him to have a look at the filly,” 37

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RÖTTGEN Dorff recalls. “He took a few minutes to walk around her and then said that he would love to.” Cecil took his time with Wild Coco but at three she won a Listed race at Newmarket brilliantly and he was already thinking about going for Group 1 races. Wild Coco didn’t get the opportunity to run in a Group 1 with conditions in her favour until this year when under the care of Lady Jane Cecil she ran such a great race to be second in the Prix Vermeille. “We decided to sell Wild Coco as a four year old partly to capitalise on her success but also because we want to make sure

➜ Victory of Enora, ridden by Terence Hellier, Preis der Diana, Düsseldorf GR1, 2010

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that Röttgen’s best families are represented around the world and are shared with leading breeders. We have sold fillies out of training to the Wertheimers and Northern Farm as well as Wild Coco to K I Farm recently and although we want to stay in the families ourselves it also makes sense to sell from time to time.” Röttgen keeps between 25 and 30 mares and about the same number of horses in training, primarily with Klug at its own training centre. “I am sure we will have the odd horse in training in England,”Dorff says, “in order to give an international perspective to our pedigrees but we have to adapt to the loss of Sir Henry (Cecil) with whom it was a privilege to work.” There is no rigid commercial policy but Röttgen usually offers all of its colts for sale as yearlings as well as some fillies. “We are primarily breeders,” Dorff explains, “and we race horses in order to test our mares and select future broodmares but we offer all the colts and those fillies with a commercial value when it seems appropriate. If we like a yearling with little commercial value we are happy to put it into training, and at the same time we were thrilled to sell a Dansili colt for 200.000 euros in September and a full brother to the Group 1 placed Kassiano to Darley for 120.000 euros.” Wild Coco’s yearling half sister by Motivator was due to go to the sale as well but was injured in her paddock only days before the sale. “We will keep her now and she will always be an attractive mare,” Dorff reasons, “her dam is producing so well as Wild Coco’s two younger half sisters Wilddrossel and Wild Silva are Group class and Markus (Klug) likes her two year old half sister by Mount Nelson very much.” The majority of Röttgen’s mares are descended from those who were on the farm while Maria Mehl-Mülhens was alive. Wild Side is an exception as her dam Wild Romance was boarded at Röttgen and the stud ended up owning half of her progeny as a deal for keep fees. The stud most recent Group 1 winner, the 2010 Preis der Diana winner Enora, as does Animal Kingdom and all of the Röttgen ‘D’ family descended from a mare imported from Hungary in the 1960’s.

This year’s promising two-year-olds Wild Step and Weltklasse are both out of mares recently purchased from old Röttgen families. Dorff is a young man but has already been at Röttgen long enough to observe several generations of Röttgen families. “My family had nothing to do with horses but I started coming to work at Röttgen when I was 16. It started as work experience but when I was soon fascinated and would come on my bicycle whenever I could. I worked on other studs for experience but was happy to come back to Röttgen when the opportunity arose.” Breeding goes in cycles and the upswing cannot last forever but there are reasons to be positive about the immediate future. Stallions are an important part of Röttgen’s outlook and few horses as good or as international as Reliable Man have retired directly to stud in Germany in recent years. “The owners of Reliable Man are impressed by the successes of German breeding,” Dorff explains, “and they feel that in Germany he will have the best opportunity of becoming a long term success. I think he is a great match physically and on pedigree with many of our mares, and with German mares in general. On pedigree and performance he is in some ways similar to Soldier Hollow, who we stood at the beginning of his career, but then Reliable Man was

a top horse in France, England and Australia. We shall be supporting Reliable Man with our best mares and will be looking to buy some new ones to help make sure he gets the chance he deserves.” Röttgen is an unusual stud in a strange setting but in many ways its structure allows it free rein to plan for the future and breed for the long term, the epitome of what has allowed German breeding to succeed on the international scene way beyond where it should be on numbers alone. German breeders have been rigorous in their selection of stallions and mares and with a small commercial market they are, on the whole, looking for success on the racecourse at three or four and over ten or twelve furlongs. Not the same calculation as many breeders in England and Ireland but then Danedream, Novellist, Wild Coco and others have shown that it is a formula which can lead to international success at the highest level.

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40 _ HPH 2013/2014

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