Developmental programming in equine species: relevance for the horse industry

According to statistics collected by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (www.fao.org/faostat/en/), the worldwide population of horses was estimated at 58 million head in 2014, of which 55.2% are located in the Americas (with a third in North America), 24.3% in Asia, 10.3% in Africa, and 9.4% in Europe. This population is heterogeneous depending on continents, but the percentage of horses dedicated to leisure and sport activities is steadily increasing in westernized countries. In Europe, the equine sector provides 400,000 full-time jobs, generating revenue above €100 billion annually, and the number of horse riders increases by 5% per year (http://www.europeanhorsenetwork.eu/the-horse-industry/).