The relationship between the environment and horses encompasses the study of how various environmental factors impact equine health, behavior, and performance. This includes examining the effects of climate, air quality, housing conditions, and pasture management on horses. Environmental factors can influence respiratory health, thermoregulation, and stress levels in horses. Research in this area often focuses on identifying optimal conditions for horse welfare and productivity, as well as the mitigation of adverse environmental impacts. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that investigate the interactions between environmental conditions and equine physiology, behavior, and overall health.
Weir J, Li H, Warren LK, Macon E, Wickens C.Evaluating impact of animal agriculture on air quality has been the focus of recent research. Ammonia (NH) volatilization occurs when undigested protein in feces and urea in urine is broken down by bacteria and enzymes. Information regarding NH emission from equine facilities is limited, and effects of CP intake on NH emissions have not been investigated. Nine mature geldings were used in a 3 × 3 replicated Latin square design study to determine effects of dietary CP on potential NH losses from feces and urine. We hypothesized feeding horses above the CP requirement would result in an increas...
Weiss E, Dolan ED, Mohan-Gibbons H, Gramann S, Slater MR.There are approximately 200,000 unwanted horses annually in the United States. This study aimed to better understand the potential homes for horses that need to be re-homed. Using an independent survey company through an Omnibus telephone (land and cell) survey, we interviewed a nationally projectable sample of 3036 adults (using both landline and cellular phone numbers) to learn of their interest and capacity to adopt a horse. Potential adopters with interest in horses with medical and/or behavioral problems and self-assessed perceived capacity to adopt, constituted 0.92% of the total sample....
Debeffe L, Poissant J, McLoughlin PD.Costs associated with reproduction are widely known to play a role in the evolution of reproductive tactics with consequences to population and eco-evolutionary dynamics. Evaluating these costs as they pertain to species in the wild remains an important goal of evolutionary ecology. Individual heterogeneity, including differences in individual quality (i.e., among-individual differences in traits associated with survival and reproduction) or state, and variation in environmental and social conditions can modulate the costs of reproduction; however, few studies have considered effects of these ...
Elsner J, Hofreiter M, Schibler J, Schlumbaum A.On large geographical scales, changes in animal population distribution and abundance are driven by environmental change due to climatic and anthropogenic processes. However, so far, little is known about population dynamics on a regional scale. We have investigated 92 archaeological horse remains from nine sites mainly adjacent to the Swiss Jura Mountains dating from c. 41,000-5,000 years BP. The time frame includes major environmental turning points such as the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), followed by steppe vegetation, afforestation and initial re-opening of the landscape by human agricultur...
Pérez-Godínez EA, Lagunes-Zarate J, Corona-Hernández J, Barajas-Aceves M.Disposal of animal manure without treatment can be harmful to the environment. In this study, samples of four zoo animal dungs and one horse dung were pre-composted in two ways: (a) traditional composting and (b) bokashi pre-composting for 1month, followed by vermicomposting for 3months. The permanence (PEf) and reproductive potential (RP) of Eisenia foetida as well as the quality of vermicompost were evaluated. The PEf values and RP index of E. foetida were higher for samples pre-composted using the traditional composting method (98.7-88% and 31.85-16.27%, respectively) followed by vermicompo...
Wan X, Zhang Z.Climate change and humans are proposed as the two key drivers of total extinction of many large mammals in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene, but disentangling their relative roles remains challenging owing to a lack of quantitative evaluation of human impact and climate-driven distribution changes on the extinctions of these large mammals in a continuous temporal-spatial dimension. Here, our analyses showed that temperature change had significant effects on mammoth (genus ), rhinoceros (Rhinocerotidae), horse (Equidae) and deer (Cervidae). Rapid global warming was the predominant factor...
Leclere M.Immune suppressive therapies target exaggerated and deleterious responses of the immune system. Triggered by exogenous or endogenous factors, these improper responses can lead to immune or inflammatory manifestations, such as urticaria, equine asthma, or autoimmune and immune-mediated diseases. Glucocorticoids are the most commonly used immune suppressive drugs and the only ones supported by robust evidence of clinical efficacy in equine medicine. In some conditions, combining glucocorticoids with other pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments, such as azathioprine, antihistamine, broncho...
de Winter NJ, Snoeck C, Claeys P.The study of stable isotopes in fossil bioapatite has yielded useful results and has shown that bioapatites are able to faithfully record paleo-environmental and paleo-climatic parameters from archeological to geological timescales. In an effort to establish new proxies for the study of bioapatites, intra-tooth records of enamel carbonate stable isotope ratios from a modern horse are compared with trace element profiles measured using laboratory micro X-Ray Fluorescence scanning. Using known patterns of tooth eruption and the relationship between stable oxygen isotopes and local temperature se...
Kern-Godal A, Brenna IH, Arnevik EA, Ravndal E.Inclusion of horse-assisted therapy (HAT) in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment is rarely reported. Our previous studies show improved treatment retention and the importance of the patient-horse relationship. This qualitative study used thematic analysis, within a social constructionist framework, to explore how eight patients experienced contextual aspects of HAT's contribution to their SUD treatment. Participants described HAT as a "break from usual treatment". However, four interrelated aspects of this experience, namely "change of focus", "activity", "identity", and "motivation," sugge...
Moinardeau C, Mesléard F, Dutoit T.Extensive grazing by domestic herbivores is a widespread management practice used since the 80s in many European agro-ecosystems such as semi-natural grasslands to maintain open habitats and to enhance biodiversity. Such grazing systems have principally been tested in cultural ecosystems of high nature value threatened by grazing abandonment. However, there have been few case studies of grazing management in very anthropized ecosystems, such as the new ecosystems created by urban or industrial conversions. In Southern France, the Rhône channeling for navigation and electricity production gene...
Hanc A, Boucek J, Svehla P, Dreslova M, Tlustos P.The aim of this work was to determine the influence of aeration and time of extraction on the agrochemical properties of aqueous extracts from vermicomposts made from horse manure (M) and apple pomace (P) waste. There were two extract treatments: stirring without aeration (S), and stirring with aeration (A) for 48 h. Aeration significantly increased the levels of electrical conductivity (EC) and the concentration of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and macro-elements in the extracts. In the (A) treatment, the extraction efficiency of K and Mg increased twofold, and the extraction ef...
Hadin S, Eriksson O.Horse keeping is of great economic, social and environmental benefit for society, but causes environmental impacts throughout the whole chain from feed production to manure treatment. According to national statistics, the number of horses in Sweden is continually increasing and is currently approximately 360,000. This in turn leads to increasing amounts of horse manure that have to be managed and treated. Current practices could cause local and global environmental impacts due to poor performance or lack of proper management. Horse manure with its content of nutrients and organic material can ...
Catania KC.In March 1800, Alexander von Humboldt observed the extraordinary spectacle of native fisherman collecting electric eels (Electrophorus electricus) by "fishing with horses" [von Humboldt A (1807) Ann Phys 25:34-43]. The strategy was to herd horses into a pool containing electric eels, provoking the eels to attack by pressing themselves against the horses while discharging. Once the eels were exhausted, they could be safely collected. This legendary tale of South American adventures helped propel Humboldt to fame and has been recounted and illustrated in many publications, but subsequent investi...
Piva S, Caffara M, Pasquali F, Castagnetti C, Iacono E, Massella E, Zanoni RG, Galuppi R.The presence of Cryptosporidium in institutions such as veterinary teaching hospitals, where students and staff are in frequent contact with animals, could represent a serious public health risk. In this study the detection and quantification of the Cryptosporidium oocysts present on the environmental surfaces of an Equine Perinatology Unit (EPU) were investigated. During 3 foaling seasons 175 samples obtained by swabbing an area of the floor and walls of boxes and utility rooms of EPU with sterile gauze, in 3 different moments. Samples were collected at the end of foaling season (July), after...
Walencik-Łata A, Kozłowska B, Mietelski JW, Szufa K, Freire FD, Souza SO.This study aimed at assessing the incorporation of radionuclides in animals in the proximity of the uranium mine in Caetité, Brazil. In 2014, samples of bovine and equine teeth and skull bones were collected and their contents of natural and artificial isotopes were assessed using nuclear spectrometry techniques. Gamma ray emission from Ra and K isotopes was determined using high-purity germanium (HPGe) spectrometry, Sr radioactivity was measured with liquid scintillation, and U, Th, Po and Pu radioactivity was assessed with alpha-spectrometry. Prior to the measurements, sample dissolutions a...
Kalmykov NP.The first data on polymorphism and preadaptation of the Pleistocene horses in the mountains surrounding Lake Baikal are presented. It has been shown that disregard of intraspecific polymorphism leads to unreasonable ignoring of their diversity, phylogenetically false constructions, and incorrect interpretation of natural environment.
Carfora V, Caprioli A, Grossi I, Pepe M, Alba P, Lorenzetti S, Amoruso R, Sorbara L, Franco A, Battisti A.A Methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) was isolated in Italy from a pathological sample of a mare presenting chronic purulent sinusitis and that had undergone frontal-sinus surgery three months before. Humans, horses, dogs and environmental samples were subsequently collected at the mare's stable and at the Veterinary Hospital, where the mare was operated/hospitalized, and screened for the presence of MRSA that was detected from other horses and from the environment at both sites. All the MRSA isolates belonged to clonal complex (CC)8, ST8-t11469-SCCmec-IVa, and showed similar phen...
Mochizuki M, Hayakawa N, Minowa F, Saito A, Ishioka K, Ueda F, Okubo K, Tazaki H.In this study, iodine and thyroxin (T4) concentrations in the serum of 69 horses were investigated. Higher iodine concentrations were obtained from the horses housed in Chiba Prefecture. In contrast, T4 concentrations of horses at Shizuoka Prefecture were higher than those of horses at Chiba Prefecture. There was a significant correlation (r = 0.643, P < 0.001) between the iodine and T4 concentrations of horses at Saitama and Shizuoka prefectures. Although a significant correlation (r = 0.794, P < 0.001) was also observed in the investigation of all horses at Chiba Prefec...
Lühe T, Mielenz N, Schulz J, Dreyer-Rendelsmann C, Kemper N.Environmental factors contribute to respiratory diseases in horses and man. During exercise, equine ventilation is increased, potentially increasing exposure of the airways to inhaled particulates. Currently, there is very little information on the quality of air in riding arenas. Objective: To evaluate air quality and dust particle concentrations in indoor riding arenas before and after use for riding. Methods: Longitudinal study. Methods: Air quality was assessed in 4 indoor riding arenas in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany on a monthly basis for 1 year. Concentrations of particles in 6 particle fract...
Sitkowska J, Sitkowski W, Sitkowski Ł, Lutnicki K, Adamek Ł, Wilkołek P.Numerous studies focused on the bioaerosols in the areas of industry, agriculture and animal husbandry, concerning both residential and public buildings, have been conducted continuously for many years. The aim of the present work was to determine the concentration and composition of mesophilic bacterial flora in the air of selected medical and veterinary clinics located in the cities and in the countryside. Air sampling was carried out in 2011-2013 in 44 veterinary practices in autumn-winter and spring-summer seasons. The concentration of bacteria ranged from 39 - 5,034 cfu/m(3) , with higher...
Jørgensen GH, Aanensen L, Mejdell CM, Bøe KE.Horses may adapt to a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions. Owners often interfere with this natural thermoregulation ability by clipping and use of blankets. Objective: To investigate the effects of different winter weather conditions on shelter seeking behaviour of horses and their preference for additional heat. Methods: Observational study in various environments. Methods: Mature horses (n = 22) were given a free choice test between staying outdoors, going into a heated shelter compartment or into a nonheated shelter compartment. Horse location and behaviour was scored using i...
Bartoš L, Bartošová J, Pluháček J.In a previous study, we suggested that the common practice of transporting a mare for mating and then bringing her back to an environment that also contains males that did not sire the fetus may be a major cause of high percentages of pregnancy disruption in domestic horses. In this study, we tested whether disruption of pregnancies induced by AI occurs as frequently as after mating with a strange stallion away from home and is affected by the same factors in the home social environment. Based on 77 records, the probability of pregnancy disruption after AI depended on the social environment in...
Zhao Y, Li B, Bai D, Huang J, Shiraigo W, Yang L, Zhao Q, Ren X, Wu J, Bao W, Dugarjaviin M.The hindgut of horses is an anaerobic fermentative chamber for a complex and dynamic microbial population, which plays a critical role in health and energy requirements. Research on the gut microbiota of Mongolian horses has not been reported until now as far as we know. Mongolian horse is a major local breed in China. We performed high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes V4 hypervariable regions from gut fecal material to characterize the gut microbiota of Mongolian horses and compare them to the microbiota in Thoroughbred horses. Fourteen Mongolian and 19 Thoroughbred horses were use...
Burger D, Dolivo G, Wedekind C.Sperm competition theory predicts semen characteristics to be affected by the social environment. We used the polygamous horse (Equus caballus) to experimentally study within-subject plasticity in response to different social environments. Stallions were sequentially exposed, over a period of 8 weeks each, to other stallions and then singly to mares, or vice versa (in adjacent boxes separated by grills). Ejaculates were collected to determine semen characteristics. Highest sperm numbers were found in stallions that were first exposed to other stallions and then to mares, while lowest sperm num...
Edwards S, Clode AB, Gilger BC.This retrospective case series evaluates husbandry and environmental conditions in relation to eosinophilic keratitis in horses. While no associations were found between disease and husbandry practices or specific environmental factors such as humidity or temperature, an increased prevalence of presentation in summer months was identified in this population of horses.
Naundrup PJ, Svenning JC.Megafaunas worldwide have been decimated during the late Quaternary. Many extirpated species were keystone species, and their loss likely has had large effects on ecosystems. Therefore, it is increasingly considered how megafaunas can be restored. The horse (Equus ferus) is highly relevant in this context as it was once extremely widespread and, despite severe range contraction, survives in the form of domestic, feral, and originally wild horses. Further, it is a functionally important species, notably due to its ability to graze coarse, abrasive grasses. Here, we used species distribution mod...
Payne J, Farris R, Parker G, Bonhotal J, Schwarz M.Sodium pentobarbital, a euthanasia drug, can persist in animal carcasses following euthanasia and can cause secondary toxicosis to animals that consume the remains. This experiment was conducted to observe the effects of composting on euthanized horse carcass degradation and sodium pentobarbital residues in compost material up to 367 d. Six separate compost bins were constructed on pastureland. Three bins served as the control while 3 served as the treatment. The carbonaceous material, or bulking agent, consisted of hardwood chips mixed with yard waste wetted to approximately 50% moisture cont...
Tarko A, Fabová Z, Kotwica J, Valocký I, Alrezaki A, Alwasel S, Harrath AH, Sirotkin AV.The influence of environmental contaminant toluene and of plant fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) on reproduction are reported, but the mechanisms of their action and the protective effect of fennel on contaminant influence remain to be elucidated. In this study, we hypothesized that toluene and fennel directly affects basic ovarian cell functions, and that fennel can be used as an appropriate natural protective agent against the potential adverse effects of toluene. This study aimed to examine the action of toluene (20 μg/mL) and fennel extract (0, 1, 10, 100 μg/mL), and assess their comb...
Hadin S, Eriksson O.Horse keeping is of great economic, social and environmental benefit for society, but causes environmental impacts throughout the whole chain from feed production to manure treatment. According to national statistics, the number of horses in Sweden is continually increasing and is currently approximately 360,000. This in turn leads to increasing amounts of horse manure that have to be managed and treated. Current practices could cause local and global environmental impacts due to poor performance or lack of proper management. Horse manure with its content of nutrients and organic material can ...
Prado JL, Alberdi MT.The contemporary South American mammalian communities were determined by the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama and by the profound climatic oscillations during the Pleistocene. Horses and gomphotheres were 2 very conspicuous groups of immigrant mammals from North America that arrived in South America during the Pleistocene. The present study compiles updated data on the phylogeny, systematics and ecology of both groups in South America. The horses in South America are represented by 2 genera, Hippidion and Equus, as are the gomphotheres, represented by Cuvieronius and Stegomastodon. Both gene...
Tang L, Gao Y, Yan L, Jia H, Chu H, Ma X, He L, Wang X, Li K, Hu D, Zhang D.The gut microbiome offers important ecological benefits to the host; however, our understanding of the functional microbiome in relation to wildlife adaptation, especially for translocated endangered species, is lagging. In this study, we adopted a comparative metagenomics approach to test whether the microbiome diverges for translocated and resident species with different adaptive potentials. The composition and function of the microbiome of sympatric Przewalski's horses and Asiatic wild asses in desert steppe were compared for the first time using the metagenomic shotgun sequencing approach....
Debey MC, Bailie WE.Horse farms in Kansas were surveyed for the incidence of Rhodococcus equi. Fecal specimens and soil or cobweb samples were collected from each farm and cultured on selective media. One control farm (with no history of R. equi infection), one farm which had an outbreak 3 and 4 years previously and 2 farms which had R. equi-infected foals that season were surveyed. In addition, fecal samples from 21 horses hospitalized in the Kansas State University Veterinary Hospital were cultured. There was no significant difference in the incidence of R. equi in fecal samples from the 2 farms with recent dis...
Leonardi M, Boschin F, Giampoudakis K, Beyer RM, Krapp M, Bendrey R, Sommer R, Boscato P, Manica A, Nogues-Bravo D, Orlando L.Wild horses thrived across Eurasia until the Last Glacial Maximum to collapse after the beginning of the Holocene. The interplay of climate change, species adaptability to different environments, and human domestication in horse history is still lacking coherent continental-scale analysis integrating different lines of evidence. We assembled temporal and geographical information on 3070 horse occurrences across Eurasia, frequency data for 1120 archeological layers in Europe, and matched them to paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental simulations for the Late Quaternary. Climate controlled the dis...
Piva S, Caffara M, Pasquali F, Castagnetti C, Iacono E, Massella E, Zanoni RG, Galuppi R.The presence of Cryptosporidium in institutions such as veterinary teaching hospitals, where students and staff are in frequent contact with animals, could represent a serious public health risk. In this study the detection and quantification of the Cryptosporidium oocysts present on the environmental surfaces of an Equine Perinatology Unit (EPU) were investigated. During 3 foaling seasons 175 samples obtained by swabbing an area of the floor and walls of boxes and utility rooms of EPU with sterile gauze, in 3 different moments. Samples were collected at the end of foaling season (July), after...
de Villalobos AE, Zalba SM, Peláez DV.We evaluated the mechanisms that determine the increasing abundance of Pinus halepensis in mountain pampean grasslands in Argentina that is associated with the continuous presence of feral horses. We hypothesized that direct and indirect effects of feral horse grazing on grassland may affect the establishment of P. halepensis. We conducted a field experiment to evaluate this hypothesis, studying the response of seedling emergence, survival and growth to herbaceous vegetation defoliation and soil disturbance in sites with contrasting grazing histories. We also evaluated the composition and stru...
Weiss E, Dolan ED, Mohan-Gibbons H, Gramann S, Slater MR.There are approximately 200,000 unwanted horses annually in the United States. This study aimed to better understand the potential homes for horses that need to be re-homed. Using an independent survey company through an Omnibus telephone (land and cell) survey, we interviewed a nationally projectable sample of 3036 adults (using both landline and cellular phone numbers) to learn of their interest and capacity to adopt a horse. Potential adopters with interest in horses with medical and/or behavioral problems and self-assessed perceived capacity to adopt, constituted 0.92% of the total sample....
Hudak PF.Ratios of conservative chemicals have been used to identify sources of groundwater contamination. While chloride/bromide ratios have been reported for several common sources of groundwater contamination, little work has been done on leachate derived from farm-animal waste. In this study, chloride/bromide ratios were measured in leachate derived from longhorn-cattle, quarterhorse, and pygme-goat waste at a farm in Abilene, Texas, USA. (Minimum, median, and maximum) chloride/bromide ratios of (66.5, 85.6, and 167), (119, 146, and 156), and (35.4, 57.8, and 165) were observed for cattle, horses, ...
Webster A, Pezzanite L, Hendrickson D, Griffenhagen G.Equine practitioners frequently inject local anaesthetics (LA) intra-articularly in both diagnosis of lameness and for pain management intra- or post-operatively with synovial endoscopy. Recent reviews of the human and veterinary literature support the concept that chondrotoxicity of LA on joint tissues depends on the type of drug, dose administered, and duration of exposure. The purpose of this review is to summarise the current literature describing intra-articular local anaesthetic use, including both in vitro and in vivo studies, and to draw some comparisons to literature from other specie...
Martineau M, Kokabi E, Taiebi A, Lefebvre S, Pradier S, Jaÿ M, Tardy F, Leon A.Mycoplasmas are pathogens involved in respiratory disorders of various animal hosts. In horses, Mycoplasma (M.) equirhinis is the species most frequently detected in clinical respiratory specimens, with a prevalence of 12-16%, but its clinical implication in equine respiratory disorders remains unclear. Here we screened 1948 clinical specimens for the presence of M. equirhinis. The samples were both tracheal washes (TW) and bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) collected by veterinarians in France in day-to-day work between 2020 and 2022. The samples were associated with a standardized form that serve...
Díaz EA, Arroyo G, Sáenz C, Mena L, Barragán V.Leptospirosis is considered a neglected tropical zoonosis in low-income countries due to surveillance system limitations and non-specificity of symptoms. Humans become infected through direct contact with carrier animals or indirectly through Leptospira-contaminated environments. Conventionally, equines have been considered an uncommon source of leptospirosis, but recent publications in Latin America suggest that their role in the maintenance and dispersion of the bacteria could be more relevant than expected, as horses are susceptible to a wide variety of zoonotic Leptospira spp. from domesti...
Helmerich P, Bachmann I, Gygax L.Horses must lie down to go into vital rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep. If they are not lying down for sufficiently long periods they can become so sleep-deprived that they collapse uncontrollably, which results in a risk of injuries. Objective: To investigate how recumbency as a prerequisite to REM sleep on the experimental days and the following nights was influenced by changes in social and spatial environment throughout the day. Methods: Cross-over design in which subjects experienced each experimental condition twice. Methods: Observations were conducted on a horse farm. Ten young horses in...
Weckman MJ, Karikoski NP, Raekallio MR, Box JR, Kvist L.Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is a common welfare problem in horses worldwide. It is characterized by insulin dysregulation (ID), predisposition to laminitis and often obesity. EMS is multifactorial by nature, with both the environment and genetics contributing to the phenotype. Environmental factors, such as feeding and exercise, can be controlled, thus forming the basis for treatment and prevention. Genetic factors, by contrast, are less well-known and not easily controllable. The aim of this study was to identify potential genetic loci influencing ID/EMS in Finnhorses. A single-breed (Fin...
Yano R, Moriyama T, Fujimori M, Nishida T, Hanada M, Fukuma N.In racehorses, feeding a high-concentrate diet could cause abnormal fermentation in the hindgut. This feeding management regime is not suitable for the nutritional physiology of horses. However, studies on the hindgut environment have yet to be reported in Japanese draft horses, so feeding management needs to be investigated in these horses. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a high-concentrate diet on hindgut fermentation in Japanese draft horses. Feces were collected from 20 male Japanese draft horses managed by two stables with different feeding designs...
Sadowska A, Molcan T, Wójtowicz A, Lukasik K, Pawlina-Tyszko K, Gurgul A, Ferreira-Dias G, Skarzynski DJ, Szóstek-Mioduchowska A.The establishment of the fetomaternal interface depends on precisely regulated communication between the conceptus and the uterine environment. Recent evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) may play an important role in embryo-maternal dialogue. This study aimed to determine the expression profile of endometrial miRNAs during days 26-28 of equine pregnancy. Additionally, the study aimed to predict target genes for differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRs) and their potential role in embryo attachment, adhesion, and implantation. Using next-generation sequencing, we identified 81 DEmiRs betwe...
Mańkowska A, Witkowska D.Equine asthma is a popular subject of research. Many factors influencing the methods used to improve the welfare of asthmatic horses remain unclear. This study reviews scientific articles published after 2000 to collect the most important information on the terminology, symptoms, and potential environmental factors influencing the development and course of equine asthma. Our work highlights the impact of environmental factors on the severity of equine asthma and why these factors should be controlled to improve treatment outcomes. The present article provides horse owners and veterinarians wit...
Poochipakorn C, Wonghanchao T, Sanigavatee K, Chanda M.Single-confinement housing can pose welfare risks to domestic horses. This study investigated horses' stress responses when confined to single stalls in different stable designs in a tropical savanna region to address a gap in the literature. In total, 23 horses were assigned to a stable with a central corridor and solid external walls (A) (N = 8), a stable with one side corridor and solid external walls (B) (N = 6), or a stable with a central corridor and no solid external walls (C) (N = 9). Air velocity, relative humidity, air temperature, and noxious gases were measured inside the stables, ...
Ivester KM, Ni JQ, Couetil LL, Peters TM, Tatum M, Willems L, Park JH.Affordable particulate matter (PM) monitors suitable for use on horses will facilitate the evaluation of PM mitigation methods and improve the management of equine asthma. Objective: Calibrate a real-time wearable PM monitor (Black Beauty [BB]) and compare the PM exposures of horses fed dry or soaked hay. Methods: Laboratory calibration; complete cross-over feed trial. Methods: Side-by-side sampling with BB monitors and tapered element oscillating microbalances (TEOMs) was performed under varying concentrations of PM from alfalfa hay. Linear regression was used to derive a calibration formula ...
Oddsdóttir C, Sigurðardóttir ÓG, Friðriksdóttir V, Svansson V, Bragason BÞ, Björnsdóttir S.Cellulitis due to infection with clostridia has not been documented in horses in Iceland. However, clostridia are well-known pathogens in Icelandic sheep, which have traditionally shared grazing land with horses. Clostridial infections of equine muscle or subcutis following injection with medicinal products have been described in other countries but have never been reported in Iceland. In this case report, we present the first documented outbreak of subcutaneous clostridial infection in horses in Iceland following subcutaneous injection. Methods: In November 2022, 16 out of 32 horses, that som...
do Carmo TA, Fonseca JDS, Braga FR, Paz-Silva A, de Soutello RVG, de Araújo JV.Equine farming faces growing challenges with helminthoses, aggravated by the indiscriminate use of anthelmintics without technical criteria. This practice favors resistance to these drugs, generates residues in animal products, compromises food safety and human health, and, when excreted in large quantities, negatively impacts environmental health by affecting invertebrates and fecal microorganisms. This highlights the importance of the One Health approach. A promising alternative is biological control with nematophagous or helminthophagous fungi such as , , , , and . Due to their different m...
Faghihzadeh Gorji F, Sadr S, Sharifiyazdi H, Borji H.Parasitic infections pose significant threats to humans' and animals' well-being worldwide. Among these parasites, Halicephalobus spp., a genus of nematodes, has gained attention due to its ability to cause severe infections in various animal species, including horses. Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Halicephalobus spp., specifically focusing on Halicephalobus gingivalis in horses. Methods: In July 2022, a cross-sectional study was conducted in northern Iran to determine the prevalence of Halicephalobus spp. Using standard coprological techniques, 141 fecal samples f...
Medica P, Fazio E, Cravana C, Ferlazzo A.The aim of this study was to investigate thyroid hormone levels in horses stabled in two different locations on the island of Sicily. The study was carried out on a total of 72 clinically healthy Sanfratellano horses ranging in age from 5 to 9 years and weighing 585 ± 40 kg. The results showed higher thyroxine values (P < 0.02) in horses stabled in an endemic goitre area (group II) than those observed in horses in a non-endemic area (group I). Unexpectedly, the T(4)/T(3) and the fT(4)/fT(3) rations were both lower in group I than in group II. The percentages of fT(4) to T(4) and of fT(3) to T...
Edwards S, Clode AB, Gilger BC.This retrospective case series evaluates husbandry and environmental conditions in relation to eosinophilic keratitis in horses. While no associations were found between disease and husbandry practices or specific environmental factors such as humidity or temperature, an increased prevalence of presentation in summer months was identified in this population of horses.
Francqueville M, Sabbah A.The responsibility of the artificial environment in the development of respiratory allergy in horses is well known as the most important factor for the development of asthma, chronic dry cough and pulmonary emphysema. One case of allergy to the natural environment could be observed. One allergic rhinitis with asthma could be explored. Pathology, cause, tests and specific immuno-therapy are presented.
Traub-Dargatz JL, Schultheiss PC, Kiper ML, Stashak TS, Wrigley R, Schlipf J, Applehans FM.Fibrosis of the small intestine led to recurrent colic and weight loss in 2 ponies and 5 horses. There was a reduction in the length of the small intestine to one-half normal in horses 4 to 7. Histologic examination revealed substantial small intestinal submucosal fibrosis and arteriole sclerosis. The cause was not determined, but an environmental factor was suspected because 3 horses were from the same farm and the other animals were from within a 10-mile radius of the farm. The submucosal fibrosis appeared to be secondary to sclerosis of arterioles in the submucosa and mesentery, with low bl...
Holý O, Matousková I, Holý V, Koukalová D, Chmelar D.Cronobacter spp. belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae. It is a motile (peritricha) Gram-negative non-spore forming bacterium. At present, Enterobacter sakazakii is reported as a Cronobacter spp. species with 16 biogroups. It is a ubiquitous organism whose isolation used to be associated with a contaminated powdered infant formula and feed for neonates and infants. Information about the Cronobacter spp. species incidence in the environment, its potential dissemination and its vectors, is very limited. The authors have documented incidence of Cronobacter spp. in the nostril mucous membrane o...
