Australia is the second-largest breeder of Thoroughbred horses in the world (behind the USA), and the horse industry overall is in GDP terms the fourth-largest industry in the Australian economy. The industry in Australia and New Zealand is pivotal to the viability of the international Thoroughbred industry as stallions are shuttled between hemispheres, allowing stallions to stand at stud in both the northern (January–April) and southern (September–December) hemisphere stud seasons in one year (Gee et al. 2020). Moreover, both countries have been very successful in Olympic competition and have thriving sport-horse sectors (Bolwell et al. 2020). Yet, compared with other economically and agriculturally important species, horse research is very poorly funded in both Australia and New Zealand and there has been little opportunity for sharing of equine research findings to broad stakeholder groups in both countries.

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Equine research funding in Australasia

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The past two decades have seen increased equine research in Australasia. Many universities with agriculture and veterinary schools, in addition to equine training for veterinarians, have developed undergraduate programs in equine science. Graduates from these programs have entered industry and some continued into research degrees with the recent increased funding for equine research. In Australia, the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Horse R&D program provided a major boost to equine research when it was established in 1995; it superseded smaller state-based programs. The program was funded by voluntary contributions by industry that were matched by the Commonwealth Government through core- RIRDC funding. The timing of the RIDRC equine fund was fortunate as it assisted Australia tackle the equine influenza outbreak in 2006, both indirectly, through prior development of human capital, and directly through funding research efforts to model control and eradication programs. RIRDC made a similar effort with Hendra virus. The RIRDC horse program ceased in 2015, but with the establishment of AgriFutures, a new horse program commenced in 2018. Funding for the AgriFutures Australia Thoroughbred Horses R&D Program is provided by a levy on Thoroughbred breeding, which is matched by Commonwealth funding. The levy is set at a rate of AU$10/mare covered per season, paid by the stallion owner and AU$10/mare returned per season, paid by the broodmare owner. It is a statutory levy and provides funding security for industry-guided investment in R&D (Chicken and Perkins 2018).

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New Zealand has a similar fund, The New Zealand Equine Trust, which was established in 2014, with government matching industry contributions to develop an equine industry focussed research funding body. This fund, in conjunction with the existing New Zealand Equine Research Foundation, provided opportunities for the expansion of equine industry research. Both these funding bodies have shown significant insight in funding highly applied industry relevant projects that have assisted both the national and international equine industry (Rosanowski et al. 2019; Rogers et al. 2020).

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Origin of the Australasian Equine Science Symposium

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The inaugural Australian Equine Science Symposium (AESS) arose from discussions that Professor Wayne Bryden had at the Magic Millions Yearling Sales in January 2006 with Dr John Freestone. Following initial support from RIRDC, the first AESS was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, in June 2006. The objective of the symposium was to be a forum for the exchange of research information and ideas among equine scientists in Australia, New Zealand and their international colleagues, specifically

• to promote excellence in equine science;

• to focus on science, technology and innovation relevant to the horse industry;

•  to assist young researchers with their careers in equine science; and

• to encourage participation by members of the horse industry.

 

The AESS was held on the Gold Coast at a time to coincide with the Magic Millions winter Thoroughbred sales. The inaugural meeting was highly successful, attracting over 100 registrants, mainly from the eastern seaboard of Australia, with invited researchers from the USA, United Kingdom and New Zealand. Over 2 days, there were 10 invited papers, 48 contributed papers and 18 posters. Presentations were organised into seven themes, including musculoskeletal injury and fitness, reproduction and behaviour, the equine genome, aspects of health and performance, gut microbiology,

nutrition and aspects of disease and infection. Overall, the presentations were of a consistently high quality, both in their delivery and content.

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Participants at that inaugural symposium overwhelmingly supported a biennial scheduling of the AESS and this has been followed by symposia in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018. The 2020 meeting was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its inception, the AESS has been championed by Professor Wayne Bryden and has developed into a successful 3-day meeting, providing a varied mixture of high-quality science and discussion, centred on the horse. Participants at AESS events have supported the value of the symposium in providing a venue for scientists from many different disciplines to gather with a common overarching aim, namely, to present and discuss widely varying science where the common theme is the horse.

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The symposium has also demonstrated that equine research is continuing to be undertaken by committed and dedicated scientists, despite difficulties in funding. Prior to the AESS, equine researchers in Australia and New Zealand had typically presented their findings at conferences with a broader focus where they mingled with larger groups involved in research with beef or dairy cattle, pigs or poultry, or veterinary medicine, for example. AESS provided a venue that fostered interdisciplinary collaboration among equine groups who had often been working in isolation or ignorance of each other’s research.

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Each AESS has included a wide range of topics, plenary papers from world leaders in particular fields and the latest scientific findings from young researchers reporting on current and recently completed projects. Each AESS is accompanied by a conference proceedings providing a hard copy of refereed abstracts and articles that serves as a valuable resource for equine scientists and horse owners; each proceedings has been meticulously prepared by Ms Keryn Eaton, University of Queensland. A wide array of institutions, organisations and companies have provided generous sponsorship for the AESS since its inception. Sponsors are acknowledged in each proceedings and on the AESS website. We would like to gratefully acknowledge the support of all sponsors.

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In 2008, the Australasian Equine Science Society was formed and held its inaugural meeting in conjunction with the symposium in that year. Membership of the Society is open to people engaged in equine research, teaching or industry.

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Post-pandemic

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There will be an ongoing need for equine research to support the horse industry and to meet society’s demands for improvement of the welfare of all domestic animals. Horses have been instrumental in the development of almost all the great civilisations of the world. In this context, the speed and strength of the horse has been used to man’s advantage in war, transport and agriculture (Skinner et al. 2019). The term ‘horsepower’ is still used to calculate the power of an engine (Evans et al. 1977), a tribute to the importance of the horse. The relationship between humans and horses is complex and enduring, and has been aptly described by the late Elwyn Hartley Edwards (1987, p. 15), when he wrote...

At the juncture in his shared history with man when the horse had outlived its usefulness as a partner in human aspirations, he took on another role. In the world’s increasingly affluent societies, he became a powerful factor in the recreational pursuits made possible by greater wealth and more leisure time. He is the central figure in sports, which have a worldwide following. A whole industry still revolves around the horse, giving employment on a large scale. Yet at the end of the Second World War it would not have been unreasonable to suppose that the horse was about to enter a period of real decline. He now flourishes as never before, underlining not only the extraordinary adaptability of the animal but also the peculiar strength of the man–horse relationship.

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The publication of the Equine Science special issue of Animal Production Science reflects a journey that began in 2006 with the first Australian Equine Science Symposium. Since then, the level of interest and support for the AESS concept has not waned. We look forward to a long-term future array of symposia providing a platform for young researchers and senior scientists alike and for people wishing to enjoy a collegial atmosphere dedicated to equine science. However, the cancellation of the 2020 conference did provide a stimulus to ensure a collection of manuscripts were published. To this end, scientists who had participated in AESS were invited to prepare a paper for this special issue and it is hoped that another issue dedicated to equine science will appear in 2021. Together, these papers reflect the strength and diversity of Australasian equine science.

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Professor Wayne L. Bryden

President, AESS University of Queensland

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Professor Chris W. Rogers

Vice-President, AESS Massey University

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