Equine health encompasses the study and management of diseases, disorders, and overall well-being of horses. It involves understanding various physiological systems, preventive care, and treatment strategies to maintain optimal health in equine populations. Common areas of focus include nutrition, infectious diseases, orthopedic conditions, and reproductive health. Research in equine health aims to advance knowledge on diagnostic methods, therapeutic interventions, and management practices that improve horse welfare and performance. This page collects peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the diverse aspects of equine health, offering insights into current findings and advancements in the field.
Williams JW, Meagher DM, Pascoe JR, Hornof WJ.Upper airway pressure was measured during maximal exercise in 10 Thoroughbred racehorses with naturally occurring upper airway obstruction. Left laryngeal hemiplegia and arytenoid chondropathy resulted in substantial increases (30-40 cm H2O) in inspiratory upper airway pressure (Pl), whereas complicated aryepiglottic entrapment and subepiglottic cysts produced only modest increases (15 cm H2O) in Pl. Uncomplicated aryepiglottic entrapment and grade IV pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia produced only slight increases (3-5 cm H2O). In general, surgical procedures restored airway pressures to within...
Egberink HF, Ederveen J, Montelaro RC, Pedersen NC, Horzinek MC, Koolen MJ.Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) grown in cat lymphocyte and thymocyte cultures was labelled with L-[35S]methionine or [3H]glucosamine and virus-coded proteins were identified using immunoprecipitation. Polypeptides with apparent Mr values of 15K, 24K, 43K, 50K, 120K and 160K were detected. An additional polypeptide of 10K was detected by Western blot analysis. The two highest Mr species sometimes appeared as one band, of which only the 120K polypeptide was glycosylated. In the presence of tunicamycin gp120 was no longer detectable and a non-glycosylated precursor of 75K was found instead. ...
Art T, Desmecht D, Amory H, Lekeux P.The aim of the present experiment was to investigate the hypothesis that there is a respiration-locomotion coupling in trotting equines. Therefore the respiratory airflow (V), the gastric pressure (Pga) and pleural pressure (Ppl) changes and the step frequency (SF) were simultaneously recorded in 5 trotting ponies (body weight: 255 +/- 15 kg; age: 3.5 +/- 0.4 years). Airflow was measured using a Fleisch pneumotachograph fixed on a face mask. Esophageal and gastric balloon catheters coupled to pressure transducers allowed the recording of Ppl and Pga. The exercise was performed on a treadmill a...
Fayer R, Mayhew IG, Baird JD, Dill SG, Foreman JH, Fox JC, Higgins RJ, Reed SM, Ruoff WW, Sweeney RW.Following a workshop on equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) convened at the Veterinary Medical Forum of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 1988, this survey of EPM in North America was developed. It is based upon 364 histologically confirmed case records from California, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Pennsylvania, and Texas up to 1988. The highest rate of infection was found in young Thoroughbred, Standardbred, and quarter horses. Differences in geographic location, sex, and month (season) of infection were not discernible. This repor...
Williams JW, Pascoe JR, Meagher DM, Hornof WJ.Upper airway pressure was measured with a nasotracheal catheter system and a portable pressure transducer in 10 normal horses during maximal exercise before and after left recurrent laryngeal neurectomy. Measurements were repeated 16 weeks after prosthetic laryngoplasty (5 horses) or subtotal arytenoidectomy (5 horses). During maximal exertion, prosthetic laryngoplasty was more effective than subtotal arytenoidectomy in reversing the increases in upper airway pressure that followed left recurrent laryngeal neurectomy.
Kotzé SH, Soley JT.The ileocaecal junction mucosal surface morphology of 5 horses and 1 donkey was examined using scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. Based on differences in surface morphology, the junction could be divided into 4 distinct regions. The distal extremity of the ileum was characterized by the presence of typical finger-like villi followed by a narrow zone displaying short, stubby villi which gradually merged into a 3rd region representing the true transitional zone between the small and large intestine. In this region the villi fused, forming low ridges arranged in circular, semi-cir...
De Waal DT.Babesia caballi, isolated from a horse that originated from South West Africa/Namibia, was transmitted transovarially by adult Hyalomma truncatum. B. caballi proved to be highly infective for adult H. truncatum. Forty-five per cent of ticks feeding on a reacting animal with an extremely low parasitaemia became infected. In spite of a low parasitaemia, the ticks were severely affected by the parasite. Seventy per cent of the infected ticks either died during oviposition or after laying only a few eggs. The features of the infection in horses were: a prepatent period of 10 days, very low parasit...
Papa FO, Alvarenga MA, Lopes MD, Campos Filho EP.THE immunogenicity of mammalian sperm has been recognised since the beginning of this century. In 1909, Adler induced autoantibodies in the serum of guinea pigs by injecting them with their own spermatozoa. Nowadays, the concept of
immunologically privileged sites is well understood and any disruption which allows antigenic contact with the immune system may give rise to an immune response. For example, failure
of the blood/testes barrier following infection, trauma or surgery can lead to the production of antisperm antibodies as a result of spermatozoa coming in contact with the immune syst...
Hunt DA, Snyder JR, Morgan JP, Stover SM, Pool RR, Pascoe JR.Femoral neck and proximal epiphyseal lengths were measured in 37 femurs from 19 cadaver foals that were 1 day to 12 months old to determine the applicability of a human interfragmentary compression system to equine femoral capital physeal fractures. Because components of the implant system are available only in fixed sizes, its use was possible in foals older than 5 weeks of age, but not in younger foals. The 135 degree angle plate conformed best to the equine femur. Femoral capital physeal fractures were created surgically and repaired with the implant system in three foals. Fracture stabilit...
Morris DD, Moore JN, Fischer K, Tarleton RL.A study was performed to determine whether equine macrophages produce tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activity in vitro in response to endotoxin and to study the effects of endotoxin concentration and incubation time on the amount of TNF produced. Equine peritoneal macrophages were isolated and cultured in vitro for 2, 6, 12, or 24 hr in tissue culture media containing 1) no additive (nonstimulated control), 2) endotoxin (0.5 ng/ml, 5 ng/ml, or 5 micrograms/ml), or 3) the calcium ionophore A23187 (0.95 microM). The supernatant media concentrations of TNF activity were determined by an in vitro cyt...
Nixon AJ, Spencer CP.Techniques and normal radiographic anatomy for positive and double contrast shoulder arthrography in horses were evaluated. General anaesthesia was used for most radiographic projections of the shoulder. The mediolateral projection provided the most information during arthrography, although the supinated mediolateral view occasionally allowed better definition of the cartilage surfaces on the medial aspects of the humeral head. The craniocaudal mediolateral oblique and caudocranial projections provided limited additional information. Water soluble non-ionic contrast agents, such as metrizamide...
Edington N, Bridges CG.Two groups each of six sibling ponies were exposed to sequential infections with equid herpesvirus 1 or 4 (EHV-1 or EHV-4) at four or five month intervals. Two exposures to EHV-4 did not significantly reduce virus shedding or pyrexia when the ponies were subsequently exposed to EHV-1. However, two sequential infections with EHV-1 completely protected against challenge with EHV-4. Virus neutralising antibody in each group did not increase until 21 days after primary exposure and was subtype specific. However, complement fixing antibody rose within seven days after inoculation with EHV-1, and 14...
Pollitt CC, Molyneux GS.The microcirculation of the dermal laminae and papillae of the equine foot from seven clinically normal Australian ponies was studied using an improved microvascular casting corrosion technique and scanning electron microscopy. Casts of veins, arteries, capillaries and arteriovenous anastomoses (AVAs) were readily identified by their characteristic surface morphology. Arteries entered the laminar circulation axially, between pairs of axial veins, and were connected to each other by smaller calibre interconnecting arteries. Short abaxial branches of the axial interconnecting arteries gave rise ...
Katila T, Lock TF, Hoffmann WE, Smith AR.A study was conducted to 1) determine differences in the inflammatory response following bacterial challenge between normal mares and mares with chronic endometritis and 2) to determine if enzyme activity in uterine fluid can be used to evaluate degree of inflammation in the equine uterus. Six normal mares (Group 1) and four mares with chronic endometritis (Group 2) received an intrauterine infusion of beta-hemolytic streptococci on the second day of estrus. Neutrophil concentration as well as lysozyme and alkaline phosphatase activity were determined in uterine secretions obtained by placing ...
Stevenson AJ, Weber MP, Todi F, Mendonca M, Fenwick JD, Kwong E, Young L, Leavitt R, Nespolo R, Beaumier P.A study of the effects of intravenous administration of either 150 mg or 250 mg of furosemide to standardbred mares pre-treated with other drugs was undertaken to determine whether a unique pattern of drug elimination into urine and from plasma for each compound occurred. Furosemide significantly reduced the plasma concentrations of codeine compared to control 2-6 h after furosemide administration. In contrast, the plasma concentrations of theophylline, phenylbutazone, pentazocine, guaifenesin and flunixin were not markedly altered by furosemide. In the case of acepromazine, clenbuterol and fe...
Kotze SH, Van Aswegen G.The ileocaecal junctions of 5 horses and 2 donkeys were examined by using antisera to the following peptides: somatostatin, glucagon, gastrin, neurotensin, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), peptide histidine isoleucine (PHI), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY). Antisera to somatostatin, neurotensin and NPY demonstrated endocrine cells in the ileal- and caecal parts of the ileocaecal junction, while immunoreactivity for glucagon was demonstrated in endocrine cells of the ileal part only. Nerve cell bodies showing immunoreactivity to SP, VIP, CGR...
Milne EM, Doxey DL, Gilmour JS.Serum total lipids, lipoprotein fractions, triglycerides, cholesterol, phospholipids and free fatty acids were measured in horses with acute, subacute and chronic grass sickness (equine dysautonomia) and in colic cases. The values were compared with those of normal grazing and stabled horses. A marked individual variation occurred, but total lipids, triglycerides and free fatty acids were significantly higher than normal in grass sickness and colic cases with cholesterol was significantly higher than normal in grass sickness cases only. Pre-beta lipoprotein was significantly increased in colic...
Campbell GL, Reeves WC, Hardy JL, Eldridge BF.Neutralization tests were done on sera from 141 horses from high elevation regions of California. Antibody prevalences to Jamestown Canyon, snowshoe hare, and California encephalitis viruses in the California serogroup and Northway virus in the Bunyamwera serogroup were 55%, 43%, 18%, and 46%, respectively. In 51 horses from rural low elevation regions, seroprevalences were 31%, 35%, 35%, and 37%, respectively. Twenty-four horses from a suburban lowland area were seronegative, except for a single horse with a low titer to snowshoe hare virus. Seroprevalence to Jamestown Canyon and snowshoe har...
Mumford JA, Hannant D, Jessett DM.Infection of seronegative Welsh mountain ponies was established by intranasal instillation or exposure to nebulised aerosol of egg grown H3N8 viruses. Pyrexia and coughing were noted following intranasal instillation and high titres of virus were recovered from the nasopharynx. Exposure to aerosol resulted in more severe clinical signs characterised by high temperatures, dyspnoea, anorexia and coughing; lower levels of virus were recovered from the nasopharynx. The severity of clinical signs and the kinetics of virus shedding were dose-related with the minimal infectious dose being 10(2)EID50/...
Hinrichs K, Riera FL.Ten mares were used to investigate the effect of administration of prostaglandin F2 alpha on uterine tubal motility, as reflected by embryo recovery from the uterus 5 days after ovulation (day 0). Mares were assigned to 3 groups: group A, uterine flush for embryo recovery on day 7; group B, uterine flush for embryo recovery on day 5; and group C, uterine flush for embryo recovery on day 5, after treatment with prostaglandin F2 alpha (10 mg, IM) on day 3. Each mare was assigned to each group once. Embryo recovery rates for the 3 groups were: A, 6 of 10; B, 2 of 8; and C, 0 of 10. The embryo rec...
Attenburrow DP, Flack FC, Portergill MJ.The technique of impedance plethysmography is described and its application to observation of lung volume changes in the horse at exercise is discussed. The results from horse at rest show that there is a close relationship between rate of lung volume change (flow rate) and the associated impedance changes during both inspiration and expiration. Impedance changes during exercise were related to inspiration and expiration by observation of associated respiratory sounds. Artefacts related to technical difficulties are also indicated.
Reeves MJ, Vansteenhouse J, Stashak TS, Yovich JV, Cockerell G.A study was undertaken to evaluate the significance and mechanism of reperfusion injury in the equine large colon following 1 h of haemorrhagic strangulation obstruction (HSO) or ischaemic strangulation obstruction (ISO) and to assess the effect of treatment with dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO). ISO or HSO were created 40 cm from the pelvic flexure and maintained for 60 mins under general anaesthesia. Normal saline or 20 per cent DMSO (1 g/kg bodyweight) was administered intravenously 10 mins prior to the end of the ischaemic period. Four groups of four horses in a 2 x 2 factorial design were used....
Irvine CH, Sutton P, Turner JE, Mennick PE.Plasma progesterone concentrations were measured in 179 mares bled on alternate days commencing with a positive pregnancy diagnosis on Days 17 to 18 after ovulation and concluding on Days 42 to 45. During this period 17 mares (10 per cent) lost their pregnancies, 11 before Day 25. In 15 mares the timing of the pregnancy loss could be determined with adequate accuracy; in only one did a decline in progesterone precede the loss. Thus pregnancy loss between Days 17 and 42 was rarely caused by a fall in plasma progesterone.
Pyörälä S, Kotilainen T, Silvennoinen P, Hänninen U, Mero M, Kaartinen L.Serum tinidazole concentrations were monitored in five clinically healthy adult horses after intravenous (i.v.) and oral administration of the drug (15 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg, respectively). After i.v. administration, the mean residence time was 7.0 h, the elimination half-life 5.2 h and the body clearance rate 1.6 ml/min/kg. The distribution volume was found to be 660 ml/kg. After oral administration, the mean residence time was 8.5 h, the absorption half-life 1.1 h and the bioavailability essentially 100%. In view of the in-vitro sensitivities of various anaerobic bacteria, a dosage of 10-15 mg/...
Rooney JR.An hypothesis on the pathogenesis of curb in horses is considered in the light of conformation, work and the appropriate mechanics. Prevention consists of graded work until the planter tarsal ligament has strengthened sufficiently to withstand maximum normal forces.
Mc Nally TP, Slone DE, Lynch TM, Hughes FE.To validate the safety of a suprapatellar pouch (SPP), approach to the femoropatellar joint (FPJ), and describe use of a laparoscopic cannula to remove debris or loose bodies. Methods: Retrospective case series Methods: Horses (n = 168) with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the FPJ. Methods: Arthroscopy was performed on 245 FPJ with OCD. Two subpatellar portals were created, 1 axial and 1 abaxial to the lateral patellar ligament. Additionally, a SPP egress portal for lavage, was created 2 cm proximal to the most palpable dorsolateral eminence of the patellar base. A 10-mm laparoscopic cannul...
Sonmez K, Gurel A, Takai S.The aim of the present study was to develop an immunocytochemical procedure for the early detection and demonstration of Rhodococcus equi in smears of tracheal aspirates taken from live foals in field conditions. Tracheal wash samples were collected from thoroughbred foals, aged 1-5 months and located in studs around Bursa and Istanbul, Turkey. Some foals were suspected of having R. equi infection on the basis of clinical examination (n=56) and others were unaffected control animals (n=54). Serum samples were also collected from each foal for testing for the presence of R. equi-specific antibo...
Meehan LJ, Taylor SE, Labens R, Cillán-García E.Assessment of the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in treatment planning in suspected cases of quittor in the horse. Methods: Five horses with chronic discharging tracts at the level of the foot underwent MRI for treatment planning. Results: The MRI examination revealed variable involvement of soft tissue and osseous structures of the foot in addition to abnormalities of the ungular cartilages in all cases. In two cases, follow-up MRI examination was performed. Four of five horses had a successful outcome, with three of these undergoing only one surgical procedure and one being m...
Lindner A, Wahdati A, Sommer H.GSH-Px activity in blood and plasma of 269 horses was determined and interrelated to age, sex, and type of use or breed. Furthermore values in blood were related to hematocrit and hemoglobin contents. Trotters and riding horses had higher GSH-Px activities in plasma as well as in blood (0.83 +/- 0.22 and 0.79 +/- 0.23 U/ml plasma or 27.2 +/- 4.3 and 24.0 +/- 7.0 U/ml blood) than Thoroughbreds in training and yearlings (0.61 +/- 0.,14 and 0.56 +/- 0.16 U/ml plasma or 20.6 2 +/- 6.9 and 24.6 +/- 4.3 U/ml blood). 3 to 6 years old Thoroughbreds had higher GSH-Px-activities than 1 to 2 years old on...
Malalana F, Ireland JL, Pinchbeck GL, McGowan CM.Risk factors for a first episode of primary uveitis in horses have not been determined. In addition, disease progression and the proportion of horses that develop recurrence following the original episode are not known. Objective: To determine the risk factors for the development of a first episode of primary uveitis in horses in the UK and to document the proportion of cases that experience recurrence following this first episode. Methods: Prospective case-control longitudinal study. Methods: Horses with a first episode of primary uveitis between July 2014 and August 2018 were recruited to th...
Furr MO, Quance J, Kennedy T.Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a serious disorder of the nervous system of horses caused by Sarcocystis neurona. Recently, toltrazuril has begun to be used for treatment of EPM. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential toxicity of toltrazuril in horses when administered at a dose of 50 mg/kg for 10 days. Five horses were given 50 mg/kg of toltrazuril once daily for 10 days by nasogastric tube. Complete blood cell counts, serum chemistry values, and coagulation panels were evaluated before and after treatment; then a full postmortem examination was completed on day 1...
Schwesig R, Sannemüller K, Kolditz R, Hottenrott K, Becker S, Esperer HD.The assessment of body posture control can be time consuming and cumbersome due to the complexity and the multimodal influence of a multiply influenced system. Various types of equine paces, such as stepping, trotting or galloping, result in acceleration and deceleration forces of different magnitude. These forces induce, in the horseman, reflexes that mediate motor activity to sustain posture balance and counterbalance the gravitational pull. However, there is a paucity of real life data regarding the extent of the various postural subsystems that are recruited to control postural balance in ...
Diaz OS, Zarucco L, Dolente B, Reef VB.A 14-year-old thoroughbred gelding was presented for the evaluation of acute abdominal pain. Rectally, there was a soft fluctuant painful swelling dorsal to the bladder and to the right of the midline. The creatinine concentration of the peritoneal fluid was 15 mg/dl. Transrectal ultrasonographic examination of the urinary tract revealed a large collection of fluid dissecting from the pelvic portion of the right ureter ventrally through the right side of the bladder wall and into the retroperitoneal space, and a thickened right ureter and bladder wall at the level of the trigone. Cystoscopical...
Weidenhöfer V, Martin H, Peters J.Since the late 9th century, scientific literature in Arabian language, based on the translation and compilation of works of the Classical, Persian and Indian culture considerably increased. This also applies to the field of veterinary medicine, as is illustrated by a number of hippological and hippiatric treatises. Affinities between texts on horse medicine in Antiquity and in Arabian literature have been mentioned by philologists, but the degree of dependence on classical texts could not be verified due to the lack of translations of the Arabian texts. In this respect, the oldest available te...
Amaniti EM, Diakakis N, Patsikas M, Savvas I.Epiphyseal fracture, also known as epiphysiolysis, is the loosening or separation, either partial or complete, of an epiphysis from the shaft of a long bone. Distal epiphyseal fractures in foals pose a substantial challenge due to their guarded prognosis. This report describes the clinical signs, diagnosis, successful conservative treatment of an 1-month-old, male Skyros pony with an epiphyseal fracture of the right third metacarpal bone (type II Salter-Harris). The owner declined surgical treatment because of financial considerations along with the unfavorable prognosis. Conservative fracture...
White SD, Affolter VK, Dewey J, Kass PH, Outerbridge C, Ihrke PJ.Cutaneous vasculitis was identified by histopathological findings in 72 equines. The most frequent clinical findings were crusts/scales and oedema of the legs with the most common underlying disease being photo-aggravated dermatitis. Common laboratory findings were anaemia, neutrophilia, hyperglycaemia and hyperglobulinaemia. Histopathological patterns were most commonly cell-poor and lymphocytic/histiocytic. While statistically supported treatment recommendations could not be made due to the large numbers of confounding factors, trimethoprim-sulfa antibiotics, corticosteroids, and/or resoluti...
Fintl C, Pearson GT, Mayhew IG, Hudson NP.The generation and maintenance of intestinal motility patterns involve the complex interactions of several components including the gastrointestinal pacemaker cells (interstitial cells of Cajal, ICC). Central to ICC function is the generation of rhythmic pacemaker currents, namely slow waves, which represent the rate limiting step for intestinal smooth muscle contractions. Currently, intracellular slow wave activity has not been demonstrated in the equine colon. Objective: To characterise the in vitro myoelectrical activity of the equine pelvic flexure using intracellular recording techniques....
King MR.Physiotherapeutic exercises aimed at stimulating motor control, flexibility, and stability are regularly employed in human physical therapy programs. Specifically, the use of such exercises has been shown to reduce both pain and reinjury. Pursuant to the equine patient, several core strengthening exercises and their role in activating deep epaxial musculature to subsequently improve postural motor control and alter thoracolumbar kinematics have been investigated. Both baited and passive exercises offer opportunities to facilitate stretching during dynamic phases and strengthening during static...
Gray SN, Dechant JE, LeJeune SS, Nieto JE.To investigate postoperative hemoperitoneum in a population of horses that had surgery for colic. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: Horses (n = 23). Methods: Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative information was obtained from medical records (1985-2012) of horses with postoperative hemoperitoneum after emergency exploratory celiotomy. Pre-existing hemoperitoneum during surgery and nonsurgical hemoperitoneum were excluded. Results: Of 4520 horses that had emergency exploratory celiotomy for gastrointestinal disease, 23 horses met inclusion criteria; an incidence of 0.5%. Ho...
HABEEB AF, SMITH DB.Horse globill and its conlponent polypeptide chains obtained by fractional
precipitation and column chroinatography have been ailalyzed for their con- stituent amino acids. The principal difference between the two chains is that
the valyl-leucyl chain is rich in serine and threonine and poor in glutamic acid
and tryptophan compared to the \-alyl-glutaininyl chain.
Cavalli M, Carcano R, Beretta C.Despite assays on ring preparations in vitro confirmed that the vasoconstrictor sympathetic control in the horse common digital artery mainly depends on alpha(1)-adrenoceptors stimulation, selective alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonists were investigated under the same experimental conditions. Both detomidine (DET) and UK 14304 differed from noradrenaline (NA) and phenylephrine (PHE) in provoking contractile effects which were slowly onsetting, concentrations-unrelated and unremovable by repeated washings. While prazosin (PRA) clearly antagonized the effects of NA and PHE, neither pre- nor post-treat...
Venugopalan CS, Beadle RE, Seahorn TL, Holmes EP.The response of parenchymal strips from guinea-pig lungs to tracheobronchial lavage fluid (TBLF) collected from 8 normal horses and from 8 affected with summer pasture-associated obstructive pulmonary disease (SPAOPD) was determined. TBLF was collected during the summer (July) and winter (February) seasons. The serum/TBLF urea nitrogen ratio was used to standardize the mediator concentration in the TBLF. Four strips were used from each guinea-pig. The first strip did not receive any antagonist and served as the control. The second, third and fourth strips received antagonists of PGE2, LTD4 and...