Specific Research Areas

Specific Research Areas

Fertility & Reproduction

Staff at the centre are interested in many aspects of fertility in equine and farm animal species. Current research is focused on the consequences of accelerated calf growth on lifetime performance and on the links between fertility and lameness in dairy cattle. Research is also being conducted on the many factors influencing semen quality of rams and boars.

The college has recently invested in state of the art Computer Assisted Sperm Analysis (CASA) equipment to support its work in this field. Initial work was focused on evaluation of horse semen quality but has since been expanded to include farm animal and companion animal species.

On-going research:
Influence of nutritional factors on semen quality of rams:Many factors affect the fertility of rams and semen quality is an important contributor to overall fertility. PhD student Naser Estuty is focusing on nutritional factors affecting semen quality, and in particular the influence of dietary fatty acids on the properties of fresh spermatozoa, their freezing characteristics and quality after thawing.

Health & Nutrition

Animal health and nutrition research is aimed at optimising animal health and well-being and therby supporting the sustainability of the agricultural community and protecting human health. Research is focused on the importance of macro and micro nutrients in maintaining animal health and performance as well as in vitro studies of gut microbial function in ruminant and equine species.

On-going research:
Heavy metals and ruminant fermentation: Heavy metals are a source of contamination for farmland, whether through aerial deposition or via sewage sludge application. Once contamination occurs, this can then be transferred to grazing animals through grazing. Many studies have investigated the effects of heavy metal toxicity in relation to animals being used for meat but little work has investigated the effects heavy metals have on the fermentation process of the animal. PhD student Rebecca Gosling is investigating these effects by measuring fermentation parameters and heavy metal uptake and retention within the rumen micro-organisms, in an in-vitro setting.

Lameness in dairy cows: Locomotion disorders are well documented in modern dairy cow production. Such disorders not only have production implications but also affect the welfare of the animal. Nicola Blackie's research is focused on the use of activity monitors and computerised gait analysis for the detection of lameness on a commercial farm. The activity monitors measure the time spent active, standing and lying as well as the number of steps an animal takes. To analyse the animals gait she is using the Simi motion analysis computer programme which is more commonly used in sport and equine science. She has also been working with raw accelerometer data from the activity monitor in conjunction with gait analysis. The aims of her research are to assess the effect of hoof lesions and other locomotion disorders on the gait of dairy cattle and working towards the development of an automatic lameness detection system.

Behaviour & Welfare

Animal welfare is of vital importance in terms of the management of both production systems and captive animal collections. The welfare of animals is now recognised as an important component of all human-animal relationships and behavioural analysis is a primary tool in welfare research. Work with captive animals in zoos can teach us much abut animal perception and the links between imposed captivity, stress and behaviour. Similar welfare assessment of production species is now receiving increased attention and an understanding of behaviour can provide a sound platform for the improvement of welfare for all captive and domesticated animal species.

Students at Writtle College study a wide range of animals including farmed species, horses, zoo animals, companion animals and wildlife. Research at Writtle reflects this breadth of study with recent publications in the health and welfare of horses, pigs, dairy cows and a number of zoo-based species. In addition to research staff at Writtle work with industry in consultation regarding a range of health and welfare issues.

On-going research:
Behaviour of Golden Headed Lion Tamarins: An undergraduate student project presented by Emma King at the 2007 BIAZA conference investigated the effect of visitor presence on the behaviour of Golden Headed Lion Tamarins (Leontopithecus chrysomelas). The aim of the study was to use differences in behaviour between high and low visitor densities to evaluate the welfare of the tamarins in zoo context.

Feeding enrichment for captive yellow-breasted caputchins: An undergraduate student project presented by Laura E. Clark at the 2007 BIAZA conference investigated the effect of feeding enrichment on foraging and abnormal behaviour of captive yellow-breasted capuchins (Cebus xanthosternos). The purpose of the study was to promote the expression of naturalistic foraging behaviour and reduce levels of abnormal behaviours by providing two types of feeding enrichment devices. Providing such devices prooved to increase foraging times and decrease abnormal behaviours such as fur pulling and head weaving.

Equine Industry & Enterprise

Research and consultancy for the equine industry includes areas of staff recruitment, management, training and development, equine market research, customer buying behaviour and market dynamics, participation in equine activities, equine product development, equine business planning and start ups, and evaluation, breeding, production and marketing of sports horses and Thoroughbreds.

Complementary Therapies & Ethnoveterinary Medicine

The growing acceptance of complementary therapies in the equine world ahs opened up new prospects for research and development at CEQAS. Extensive experience in the use of computer assisted gait analysis (SIMI) will help to study the biomechanics of locomotion in horses and other animals as well as the effects of treatments and therapies on joint articulation.

With increasing concern about resistance developing to traditional antibiotics and anthelmintics, ethnoveterinary medicine is rapidly expanding as field of research. Increasing numbers of scientists, veterinary practicioners and livestock owners are becoming interested in medicinal plants. Broadly speaking, ethnoveterinary medicine refers to local or indiginous knowledge and methods for caring for, healing and managing livestock. We are developing strong links with colleagues in Nepal, East Africa and China to record and utilise the untapped knowledge of the use of natural products to treat disease and enhance health

Sports Performance

The Equine Science staff has an excellent reputation and extensive links with the equine industry. It has ongoing research interests in competition analysis and environmental effects on performance. Over the last three or four years collaborative work has been undertaken with the British Equestrian Federation investigating factors affecting performance of the equine in competition. A variety of pieces of work have been undertaken leading to various publications and conference presentations. Research analysing equine performance and its relationship to the true ‘Breeding Value’ of our sport horse is ongoing. It is critical for us to be able to understand the factors that might contribute to both high and low level performances. The work at Writtle is investigating both environmental and genetic contributors. These contributors then need to be carefully considered before we make any ‘breeding judgement’ on our horses. Currently the discipline of eventing is being investigated with various ongoing research projects being undertaken. Recently a study of nearly 1000 pre-novice horses has been published; contributor factors such as the age and sex of the horse, gender of the rider and effect of event location have all been investigated. Other work has demonstrated clear biasing effects in classes that are being subjectively assessed by judges. Location of competition and relative courses toughness has been observed to be a significant factor in comparative performances. Current work is beginning to highlight some interesting and surprising trends relating to rider gender and performance.

Preliminary work related to conformation, soundness and performance in event horses has been undertaken. Assessment of objective measurements has been undertaken at the British Equestrian Federation, Young Horse Evaluation series as well as at affliated competitions at a variety of levels. We have begun to pinpoint and highlight clear linkages between limb dimensions, height and shoulder angulations and level of performance. These will hopefully help in the identification of our stars of the future.

 
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