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.
Vernon MW, Strauss S, Simonelli M, Zavy MT, Sharp DC.The binding of prostaglandin (PG) F-2 alpha to corpora lutea (CL) from pregnant and non-pregnant Pony mares was examined. Studies of the rates of association and dissociation indicated that [3H]PGF was bound specifically and reversibly to a luteal cell membrane preparation (MP) that was isolated by high speed (100,000 g) ultracentrifugation. Various PGs and PG metabolites displaced [3H]PGF from the receptors in the following decreasing order: PGF-2 alpha greater than 13, 14-dihydro-PGF-2 alpha = 13,14-dihydro-15-keto PGF-2 alpha greater than PGD-2 greater than PGF-1 alpha = PGE-2 greater than ...
Thompson DL, Pickett BW, Squires EL, Amann RP.Factors affecting testicular measurements in situ and the relationships among the measurements and various reproductive characteristics were studied using data from 48 stallions. Mean values during the breeding season are provided for scrotal width, widths and lengths of individual testes, combined weight of testicular parenchyma, daily sperm production and daily sperm output. Testicular measurements were highly repeatable from day to day and for repeated measurements on a given day; technician provided the largest source of variation in the measurements of a given stallion. Age significantly ...
Holtan DW, Squires EL, Lapin DR, Ginther OJ.Pony mares were bilaterally ovariectomized at different stages of pregnancy between Days 25 and 210. Abortion or fetal resorption occurred within 2 to 6 days after operations in all 14 mares ovariectomized between Days 25 and 45 and after an interval of 10 to 15 days in 9 of 20 other ovariectomized between 50 and 70 days. All 12 mares ovariectomized on either 140 or 210 days carried their foals to normal term. The termination of early pregnancy was preceded by a loss of uterine tone and of a palpable uterine bulge. The mean length of gestation in all mares in which pregnancy was not interrupte...
Vogelsang SG, Sorensen AM, Potter GD, Burns SJ, Kraemer DC.Embryos were collected nonsurgically on Day 7 or 8 after ovulation from 7 Quarter horse mares using a modified 30-ml Foley catheter to flush the uterine horn ipsilateral to the recent ovulation with 500 ml TCM-199 containing Hepes buffer. After collection, the uteri were infused with nitrofurazone to reduce the chances of infection due to the procedure. Eleven collections from 7 mares resulted in recovery of 9 embryos and nonsurgical transfer of 4 of these resulted in the birth of one foal. After collections, 8 oestrous cycles averages 22.75 days and 2 extended oestrous cycles were 43 and 59 d...
Monath TP.The arthropod-borne encephalitides are an important cause of equine and human morbidity in the Americas. Between 1975 and 1978, 6970 human cases of arboviral encephalitis were reported in the United States of America; however, this represents only a fraction of the true incidence. St Louis encephalitis (4824 cases), California encephalitis (1035 cases), and western equine encephalitis (WEE, 947 cases) accounted for 98.5% of all reported infections. Approximately 1000-4000 cases of equine encephalitis occur annually in the United States, the majority due to WEE. In tropical America, important o...
Steven DH, Jeffcott LB, Mallon KA, Ricketts SW, Rossdale PD, Samuel CA.Post-partum placentae and uterine biopsy samples from mares after normal and abnormal foalings are described. After normal delivery there is little damage to fetal or maternal tissues. The villous epitheliochorial palcenta separates cleanly at the maternal-fetal interface and the afterbirth consists almost exclusively of fetal tissue. Uterine involution is well advanced by the 3rd and 4th days post partum and the changes are usually complete by the oestrus 7--10 days after parturition. Placental separation and involution of the uterus appear to proceed normally in malpresented foals and in oth...
Wyn-Jones G.The literature is briefly reviewed concerning the clinical features of equine cutaneous tumours. The data from 19 horses with periocular skin tumours are reported together with the results of their treatment by implantation with radioactive gold198. The principles governing the implantation of radioactive sources are explained and a method for computing the initial activity of the sources is outlined. Five histologically different tumour types were treated in this series of 19 horses, 2 horses were bilaterally affected. The techniques of implantation using a simple needle/stillette combination...
Vandeplassche M, Henry M, Coryn M.Oestrogen and progesterone concentrations in blood and follicular fluid and blood levels of LH were determined in 426 mares at different stages of the oestrous cycle. Mature follicles occur at all stages of the cycle; they ovulate readily in early metoestrus, occasionally in late metoestrus and very rarely in dioestrus. Maturation of a mid-cycle follicle is associated with intermediate levels of LH, which are less than those found during oestrus. This lower level of LH together with a high level of progesterone are probably responsible for the failure of ovulation and regression of most of the...
Dixon JB, Allan D, West CR.The purpose of these investigations was to assemble and compare data which might illustrate a functional relationship between phytohaemagglutinin-induced transformation of equine lymphocytes in vitro and the haematological profiles of the lymphocyte donors. Statistically significant correlation between transformation and a haematological parameter was taken as evidence that both may be part of a common regulatory system. There was no evidence that transformation in vitro was affected by artefactual variation in the cellular composition of the cultures. Transformational behaviour of lymphocytes...
Porcelli G, Marini-Bettolo GB, Croxatto HR, Di Jorio M.Kallikrein was purified from horse kidney by several steps of chromatographic procedure and by affinity chromatography on Sepharose-Concanavaline. Horse urinary kallikrein was previously purified by DE-32 hydroxylapatite and by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration. On the purified final sample of renal and urinary kallikrein the aminoacid composition and the gel electrophoretic molecular weight were determined. The ratio in micronMoles between each aminoacid residue of both hydrolyzed renal and urinary kallikrein of horse is about 1,00 +/- 0,30. Except for Pro, 1/2 Cys and basic aminoacid residues a ...
Stewart F, Allen WR.Gonadotrophin-receptor binding studies involving the use of 125I-labelled highly purified FSH and LH have shown that equine gonadal tissues possess similar numbers of specific FSH and LH receptors per cell as the gonadal tissues of other mammals. However, while rat, cow and pig gonadal tissues were shown to bind as much 125I-labelled PMSG as 125I-labelled LH on a molar basis, the equivalent equine tissues bound only less than or equal to 4% as much of the labelled PMSG as LH. Competitive binding studies involving the use of radioreceptor assay techniques have further demonstrated that the smal...
Palmer E.The use of photoperiod, progestagen, prostaglandin and hCG treatments was investigated to obtain mating of mares at predetermined times. The objectives were: (1) synchronization of oestrus at an early time of the year, (2) simplification of treatment schedules by use of vaginal sponges, and (3) use of several controlled cycles by successive synchronization. The following conclusions were reached. First, after a 16 h photoperiod was applied beginning on 25 November, hormonal synchronization of oestrus and ovulation followed by cyclicity were obtained on 1 February; i.e. 2 months of light are es...
Eyre P, Elmes PJ, Strickland S.Spirally cut digital arteries and veins were mounted isotonically in organ baths containing oxygenated Krebs' Q-Henseleit solution. Twelve arterial and 12 venous preparations all contracted dose dependently when epinephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin, or histamine were added to the bathing fluid. Addition of hydrocortisone or betamethasone alone did not cause contractions in any of the tissues tested. However, when hydrocortisone or betamethasone was added to vessel strips that were partially contracted (40% to 60% maximal) by epinephrine, norepinephrine, or serotonin, each vessel strip invari...
Amann RP, Thompson DL, Squires EL, Pickett BW.Extragonadal reserves totalled 89 X 10(9) spermatozoa for 5--16-year-old sexually rested stallions and 60 X 10(9) for 2--4-year-olds. Regardless of age, the cauda epididymidis contained 62% of the total reserves and the vas deferens, including the ampulla, contained 7% of the total reserves of spermatozoa. The caput plus corpus epididymidis from 5--16-year-old stallions (N = 41) contained 14.9 X 10(9) spermatozoa per side as compared (P less than 0.01) to 8.5 X 10(9) for 2--4-year olds (N = 30). Frequency of ejaculation did not influence the number of spermatozoa found in caput plus corpus epi...
Terqui M, Palmer E.Plasma total (conjugated + unconjugated) oestrogens were measured from Day 0 to 100 of pregnancy and compared with the levels found during the oestrous cycle. From Day 0 to 35 of gestation, the concentrations were similar to those during dioestrus. An increase in total oestrogens between Days 35 and 40 was followed by a plateau of 3 ng/ml between Days 40 and 60 which was slightly higher than preovulatory concentrations. This first increase in total oestrogen level was produced by the ovaries since values were suppressed after ovariectomy; stimulation may be due indirectly to PMSG causing folli...
Barendsz AW.The enzyme butyrylcholinesterase from horse serum catalyses the hydrolysis of certain esters. The orange-red 2,6-dichloroindophenyl acetate will be converted by the enzyme into a deep blue alcohol. The colour transformation does not occur when the enzyme is inactivated. By making use of this biochemical reaction a cheap and simple, but very sensitive and specific detection tube could bedeveloped. The tube comprises a breakable ampoule with an aqueous buffer solution, a freeze-dried preparation of the chromogenic ester with a filler promoting its dissolution, a freeze-dried preparation of butyr...
Pope AM, Campbell DL, Davidson JP.Foal heat was significantly delayed in 15 Thoroughbred and Quarter-horse mares by 200 mg progesterone in oil from Days 5--14 post partum. Nine of these mares subsequently received daily i.v. injections of 2 mg of a synthetic GnRH preparation (AY-24,031) from Day 2 of the progesterone-delayed oestrus but this treatment did not significantly shorten oestrus or hasten ovulation. Uterine biopsies taken on Day 15 post partum from all the mares showed a mixed endometrial morphology having both oestrous and dioestrous characteristics. There was an increased proliferation of endometrial glands in thes...
Swerczek TW.Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) was initially reported during the 1977 breeding season in England (Crowhurst, 1977) and Ireland (Timoney, Ward & Kelly, 1977. The disease has also been diagnosed in France and Australia (Huges, Bryden & MacDonald, 1978). The first occurrence of CEM in the United States followed the importation or 2 stallions from France late in 1977 which resulted in an outbreak early in the 1978 breeding season (Swerczek, 1978). Mares usually develop clinical signs of CEM 8--10 days after being covered by an infected stallion, when a copious, greyish discharge is seen. Other m...
Voss JL, Wallace RA, Squires EL, Pickett BW, Shideler RK.Fifty-four normally cycling, non-lactating mares were given 2 injections (i.m.) of PGF-2 alpha (10 mg) 14 days apart without regard to stage of the oestrous cycle. At 19 days after the first PGF-2 alpha treatment, a single i.m. injection of either hCG (3300 i.u.) or a GnRH-analogue (500 micrograms) was administered. Each mare was inseminated with 100 X 10(6) motile spermatozoa at one of the following frequencies: once only on Day 20; every other day during oestrus or at least on Days 19 and 21; or daily during oestrus or at least on Days 19, 20, 21 and 22. Eighteen control mares received salin...
Mason TA.Two cases of bilateral atresia of the nasolacrimal orifice are described. The presenting sign was a persistent ocular discharge, clear in the one case and purulent in the other. Treatment by the creation of a fistula between the distal extremity of the blind ending duct and the nasal cavity was successful in both cases.
Bethune JL, Budreau AJ, Kägi JH, Vallee BL.Traditionally, the charge of a protein molecule as determined by electrophoresis has been compared to that revealed by pH titration, and any lack of coincidence has been ascribed to ion binding, and the two results have been brought into agreement by adjustment of binding parameters (1). Metallo-thionein allows a unique opportunity to examine the validity of the electrophoretic approach, since the amino acid sequence and metal atom binding studies allow the absolute charge of the molecule to be computed (2). This then can be compared to the charge determined from electrophoretic mobility measu...
Hurley DJ, Berghaus LJ, Hurley KA, Moore JN.To evaluate effects of black walnut extract (BWE) on equine mononuclear cells and determine whether BWE has direct proinflammatory effects. Methods: Mononuclear cells separated from blood samples from 8 horses. Methods: Aqueous BWE was prepared and processed to eliminate contamination with particulates and microbes. A Limulus amoebocyte lysate assay was used to detect lipopolysaccharide (LPS) contamination in the BWE. Mononuclear cells were incubated in minimal essential medium with or without the addition of 0.6% to 10% (vol/vol) BWE. These mononuclear cells were assessed for viability, activ...
Haynes PF.The intent and extent of the respiratory tract examination relevant to purchase are dictated by numerous factors, including historical information, signs suggestive of respiratory tract abnormalities, intended use of the horse, and economic considerations. Following a thorough and systematic examination of the horse at rest, evaluation during and following exercise may be warranted. The physical examination should include evaluation of regional symmetry of the head, neck, and thorax; evaluation of nasal airflow and patency; palpation of the nasal septum, larynx, and trachea; examination for su...
Hermans H, van den Berg EMH, Slenter IJM, Vendrig DJC, de Nijs-Tjon LJL, Vernooij JCM, Brommer H, Boevé MH, Gehring R.Topical dexamethasone and prednisolone are currently the mainstay treatment for equine ophthalmic inflammatory diseases, such as equine recurrent uveitis. Comparative pharmacokinetic studies in horses are lacking and current guidelines are mainly based on empirical data and extrapolation from other species. Objective: To investigate the penetration and local concentrations of topically applied dexamethasone and prednisolone in normal equine ocular fluids and serum. Methods: Prospective randomised experimental pharmacokinetic study. Methods: Twenty-one Shetland ponies without ophthalmic disease...
Craig AM, Blythe LL, Appell LH, Slizeski ML.Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) had been postulated to be a 'masking agent' when used concurrently with therapeutic or prohibited drugs in racing animals. Eight drugs (flunixin, furosemide, caffeine, apomorphine, phenylbutazone, lidocaine, cocaine, and acepromazine maleate) were administered to six horses singly and with concurrent intravenous DMSO. Urine samples were analyzed for the presence of the drugs and/or their metabolites by thin layer chromatography. Direct comparison of thin layer chromatograms of extracts of positive urine samples with and without DMSO verified that DMSO did not interfer...
Carmalt JL, Johansson BC, Zetterström SM, McOnie RC.OBJECTIVE To determine factors affecting race speed in Swedish Standardbred horses undergoing surgery of the carpal flexor sheath (CFS), to investigate whether preoperative racing speed was associated with specific intraoperative findings and whether horses returned to racing, and to compare the performance of horses undergoing surgery of the CFS with that of age- and sex-matched control horses. ANIMALS 149 Swedish Standardbred trotters undergoing surgery of the CFS and 274 age- and sex-matched control horses. PROCEDURES Medical records of CFS horses were examined. Racing data for CFS and cont...
Bladon BM, Hillyer MH.Extensive resection of the ileum of the horse, using automated stapling equipment followed by a stapled jejunocaecostomy, without closure of the mesenteric defect, was evaluated prospectively as a surgical treatment for lesions involving the distal small intestine. Of 153 horses treated surgically for colic, 10 horses with strangulating lesions involving the distal ileum were treated by extensive resection and jejunocaecal anastomosis leaving a residual mesenteric defect. These were compared with 12 horses with jejunoileal lesions treated by jejunocaecal anastomosis with closure of the mesente...
van Haeringen H.Investigations for the presence of antibodies to red blood cell antigens were carried out in equine colostrum and serum. Material from 181 mares without clinical disease was tested. The object was to obtain information on the number of mares producing antibodies capable of inducing haemolytic disease in newborn foals. Of the mares 2.8% was positive for haemolysins. These mares are expected to be a risk for haemolytic disease. In addition agglutinating antibodies were identified in 39.2 per cent of the mares examined. It is not known whether or not these antibodies constitute a hazard for the f...
Duyn RJ, van Haeringen H.Hyperkalaemic periodic paralysis is a genetic disease that affects the American Quarter Horse population and is caused by a mutation. As a result of this mutation in a gene which codes for the sodium channel in muscle cells, severe muscle weakness can appear. Reliable DNA-tests can establish whether a horse is homozygous negative, heterozygous, or homozygous positive for this mutation. Therapy and prevention are discussed.
Rush BR.Pharmacologic manipulation of pulmonary immunity plays an important role in primary and adjunct therapy for equine respiratory disease. Frequent exposure to respiratory viral pathogens, strenuous exercise, long distance transport, and inhalation of harmful substances destroy various aspects of the pulmonary defense system and predispose performance horses to development of infectious and noninfectious respiratory disease. Pulmonary immunity may be bolstered by nonspecific immunostimulants to combat primary or secondary immunodeficiency. State of the art technology improves active and passive-s...
Clarke PN.Application of nursing theory in daily life by applying elements of Parse's paradigm allowed for a more expansive view of the dressage experience by focusing on the paradox of visible-invisible in the unique rhythmic-patterns of the horse-rider team. The study of classical nursing theory has diminished in a similar pattern as classical dressage. The importance of studying the classics in any field is emphasized along with concerns about the future of nursing and healthcare.
Nitschelm D, van der Horst CJ.The effect of orally administered chlormadinone acetate (CAP), 10 mg daily for a period of 16 days, was investigated in the case of four mares with an irregular oestrous pattern accompanied by low ovarian activity (group 1), four mares which did not show oestrous symptoms at all and which had also low ovarian activity (group 2), and two ovariectomized and two ovario-hysterectomized mares (group 3). In all mares of group 1 and in the two ovariectomized mares of group 3 oestrus symptoms became apparent during treatment. Two mares of group 2 came into heat 8 and 11 days after the cessation of tre...