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.
Hernández-Jáuregui P, Sosa A, González-Angulo A.Equine spermatozoa were obtained from ejaculates of young stallions. The seminal plasma was removed and the sperm pellets washed three times with 0-15 M-NaCl solution before final centrifugation at 4500 g for 15 min. The pellets were fixed in a mixture of 2-5% glutaraldehyde in 0-1 M-cacodylate buffer, pH 7-4, with 0-5% Alcian blue and post-fixed in 1% osmium tetroxide with 1% lanthanum nitrate; other samples were treated with ruthenium red. All samples were dehydrated in ascending concentrations of ethanol, embedded in araldite and thin sections examined in an electron microscope. Electron de...
Noden PA, Oxender WD, Hafs HD.The duration of the oestrous cycle and day of ovulation were recorded in six mares which were used for concurrent assay of plasma levels of sex steroids and pituitary LH concentration. Peak of progesterone were reached during dioestrus and those of oestradiol and androstenedione occurred 2 days before ovulation and were in decline on the day of ovulation. Plasma oestrone remained constant (between 9 and 12 pg/ml) throughout the cycle. Plasma LH rose to a maximum near to the time of ovulation, and thereafter decreased gradually until mid-dioestrus. The pattern of secretion is compared with that...
Yamauchi S.The luminal and cut surface of endometrial cups were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The distribution of PAS-positive and lipid materials in cup tissue was studied and most of the lipid material was localized in the large polyhedral cup cells. The lipid droplets gave positive reactions for DNPH in the cholesterol test of Schultz. They also exhibited autofluorescence and were therefore considered to be steroidal in nature. The significance of this possibility, particularly with regard to maintenance of early pregnancy in the mare, is discussed.
MacDougall DF.The proteins IgG and IgG(T) are the predominant immunoglobulins in equine colostrum. Their distribution and catabolism were studied in the newborn foal using an isotopic tracer technique. More precise quantitation of the absorption of these immunoglobulins from colostrum is now possible.
Nishikawa Y.Retention of high motility of horse spermatozoa preserved at 4 degrees C was improved by a semen extender. Raw semen preserved for 2 to 8 hr at 4 degrees C gave an average conception rate of 67-3% but preservation for 1 to 2 days gave an extremely low conception rate. The conception rate from deep-frozen semen during 8 years was 56-3%.
Mitchell D, Allen WR.Reproductive performance was studied in 137 yearling mares run with stallions in small groups for 3 months between June and August in 1968 to 1971 (four breeding seasons). Pregnancy diagnosis by repeated rectal palpation and qualitative tests for PMSG, showed that ninety-five mares conceived of which forty-four aborted spontaneously between Days 30 and 160 of gestation. Laboratory examination of twenty-one aborted fetuses failed to show any infectious agents. Serial quantitative and qualitative tests for PMSG in aborting animals gave results similar to those observed in mares with normal pregn...
Varadin M.Infertility, resulting from failure to conceive during the preceding breeding season, was caused by various forms of endometritis in forty-four mares of Highland and Arabian breeds in Yugoslavia. Chronic mucopurulent and latent catarrhal endometritis occurred most frequently. Douching of the uterus on alternate days for 9 days with warm and cold sterile salt solutions (ranging from 7% to 1% w/v) in the early autumn resulted in conception in 47-7% of mares at an average of 15-2 days after the onset of treatment, and another 36-7% becoming pregnant in the following spring. Mating at the wrong st...
Oxender WD, Noden PA, Hafs HD.The luteolytic effect of PGF2alpha, administered by intrauterine infusion or subcutaneous injection during early dioestrus, was observed in mares of mixed breeds. An infusion of 10 mg on Days 7 to 9 after ovulation caused a sharp fall in plasma progesterone levels and induced oestrus and ovulation. Oestrus was significantly longer than in the natural cycle but the time of ovulation in relation to the end of oestrus was normal. The time of return to oestrus following luteolysis was not dependent on the amount of PGF2alpha within the range of doses given. Luteolysis could be induced as early as ...
Witherspoon MD.Serial photography of the ovary of a mare by periodic surgical exteriorization of the ovary and peritonescopy in situ revealed that the ovulatory fossa is the site of ovulation in this species.
McCashin FB, Gabel AA.Xylazine administered intramuscularly (IM) to horses at the dose level of 2 mg/kg was an effective sedative and preanesthetic for thiamylal sodium narcosis or thiamylal sodium and halothane anesthesia. Evaluation of response of cardiovascular, respiratory, and hepatic function did not indicate serious untoward effects, although cardiac and respiratory rate decreased, calculated vigor of left ventricular contraction decreased, calculated peripheral vascular resistance increased, and transient innocuous cardiac arrhythmias occurred. Effects of the anesthetics used on respiratory function (blood ...
Evans JW, Faria DA, Hughes JP, Stabenfeldt GH, Cupps PT.The functional activity of the equine CL was measured by its ability to convert [4-14C]3beta-hydroxy-5-en-20-one to [4-14C]pregn-4-en-3,20-dione. The capacity of homogenates of CL of different ages followed the temporal pattern of plasma progestagen concentrations. In ten mares which ovulated twice at intervals of 0 to 9 days in the same cycle, the conversion capacity of the CL from the second ovulation was similar to that from the first ovulation. After adjusting for age, the CL from the first of two ovulations had a similar conversion capacity as that resulting from a single ovulation. Plasm...
Malmquist WA, Becvar CS.Equine infectious anemia (EIA) cell antigens prepared from infected equine spleen, equine leukocyte cultures or a persistently infected equine dermis cell line contained at least two serologically reacting components. For convenience one component was designated as soluble antigen (SA) and the other as cell-associated antigen (CAA). The SA appeared as a single component when it was prepared from EIA virus precipitated from infectious tissue culture fluid with polyethylene glycol and ether treated but it was mixed with CAA when the source was infected cells. Cytolytic or mechanical disruption o...
Feist JD, McCullough DR.A behavioural study of feral horses was conducted on the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range in the western United States. All 270 horses on the Range were identified individually. The sex ratio was nearly balanced. Foal to adult female ratio was 43-2:100. Morality was concentrated among foals and old horses. Horses were organized as forty-four harem groups each with a dominant stallion, one to two immature stallions, one to three immature mares, one to three adult mares and their yearling and foal offspring, and 23 bachelor groups of one to eight stallions. Harem groups were quite stable year-rou...
Palmer AC, Rossdale PD.Brains from eighteen Thoroughbred foals suffering from the convulsive foal syndrome were examined neuropathologically and compared with brains from nine foals dying from different causes. In the brains of nine convulsive foals there was necrosis of the cerebral cortex, accompanied in three by severe necrosis of the diencephalon and brain stem; haemorrhage into the cerebral cortex was also present in most of this group. In the other nine brains from convulsive foals there was haemorrhage, often severe, especially in the white and grey matter of the cerebral cortex and in the cerebellum. Minimal...
Kenney RM, Ganjam VK, Cooper WL, Lauderdale JW.Seventy-three Standardbred and Thoroughbred mares in clinical anoestrus during the breeding season were treated with PGF2alpha. The mares were divided into four categories; foaling, barren, maiden and unknown. The response was consistent in all groups. Mares at Days 2 to 4 of dioestrus showed no decrease in plasma progesterone levels, and those at Days 6 to 8 showed a return of progesterone to baseline levels (less than 1 ng/ml) in 24 to 48 hr after treatment. Plasma progesterone levels returned to basal levels in 24 to 48 hr in 93% of mares; progesterone levels had not changed by 96 hr in 7% ...
Nett TM, Holtan DW, Estergreen VL.The levels of LH, prolactin and oestrogen were measured by radioimmunoassay in serum obtained from six mares during the post-partum period, and LH was also assayed in blood samples collected at 6-hr intervals from four normal cyclic mares during oestrus and at daily intervals during dioestrus. The concentrations of oestrogen and LH suggested that the mares were having ovulatory cycles during the post-partum period irrespective of behavioural oestrus, and the levels of prolactin seemed to rise in association with probable ovulatory LH peaks. In these mares levels of LH had increased significant...
Harvey JW, Kaneko JJ.Glutathione reductase (GR) was studied in erythrocytes of horses, cats, dogs, and man. Glutathione reductase activity was measured in hemolysates with and without preincubation of hemolysates with flavinadenine dinucleotide. The percentage saturation of GR apoenzyme with cofactor (flavin-adenine dinucleotide) was lower in cats and dogs than in horses or man. The greatest amount of inactive apoenzyme was in feline erythrocytes. Total GR activity listed in order by species is cat greater than man greater than dog greater than horse. Kinetic constants for oxidized glutathione and reduced nicotina...
Kooistra LH, Ginther OJ.The effects of photoperiod on reproductive activity and hair changes in pony mares were studied in 2 experiments. In experiment I, the effect of a fixed daily photoperiod on the onset of the breeding season was studied in 36 mares from Nov 13, 1973, to June 13, 1974. The 4 treatment groups were as follows: daily photoperiod equivalent to the normal day length (control group); constant light 24 hours a day with no dark (L24:D0 group); 16-hour daily photoperiod with 8 hours of dark (L16:D8 group); and 9-hour daily photoperiod with 15 hours of dark (L9:D15 group). The intervals from beginning of ...
Platt H.Many infections of the equine placenta and fetus result from ascending spread along the cervical canal. Most abortions due to infection occur during the later stages of pregnancy and the possible effects of intrauterine infection on the developing fetus and young foal are discussed.
Moffatt RE, Kramer LL, Lerner D, Jones R.Concentrations of dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DSS) ranging from three to five times the recommended dosage produced severe diarrhea, rapid dehydration and death in seven horses and 66 guinea pigs when administered experimentally per os. Clinicopathological findings indicated hemoconcentration in both horses and guinea pigs. There was a leucocytosis in the guinea pigs given the highest dosages. In all cases the principal finding at necropsy was extreme fluid distention of the intestinal tract. There was histopathological evidence of epithelial denudation and vascular stasis. The LD50 in the ...
Greatorex JC.The clinical manifestations of a diarrhoeic syndrome of horses with ulceration of the mucosae of the colon and caecum are described. Patients could be divided into three groups according to their presenting symptoms and the disease is probably caused by the thrombo-embolism associated with migrating larvae of Strongylus vulgaris. The differential diagnosis, prognosis and treatment are outlined with particular reference to the use of antithrombotic agents.
Rott R, Becht H, Orlich .Influenza virus Equine 1 (A/equine/Prague/56) has a hemagglutinin which is antigenically related to the hemagglutinin of fowl plague virus strain Rostock (FPV) and a neuraminidase which cross-reacts with the enzyme of virus N (A/chick/Germany/49). After a single injection of chickens with Equine 1 virus no hemagglutination inhibiting (HI) and neutralizing antibodies against FPV can be demonstrated, although the birds are fully protected against a lethal dose of FPV. HI and neutralizing antibodies against FPV appear after a second injection of Equine 1 virus several weeks after the first one. L...
Neauport MC, Emmerich E, Sepehri H, Vivier-Bellec A.Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotrophin enhanced potassium level in immature rat ovaries in comparison with controls, three hours after intravenous injection. In vivo 42K uptake was also 36% higher (p less than or equal to 0,01) in PMSG primed rat ovaries. This response was specific to the ovary. Experiments are carried out to determine correlation between K+ level and macromolecule biosynthesis.
Radcliffe RM, Messiaen Y, Irby NL, Divers TJ, Dewey CW, Mitchell KJ, Schnabel LV, Bezuidenhout AJ, Scrivani PV, Ducharme NG.To report a transnasal, endoscopically guided ventral surgical approach for accessing the cranial and caudal segments of the sphenopalatine sinus for mass removal in a horse. Methods: Case report. Methods: Adult horse with acute onset blindness referable to a soft tissue mass within the sphenopalatine sinus. Methods: A 7-year-old Warmblood gelding presented with a history of running into a fence and falling. No neurologic signs were identified at initial examination but acute blindness was noted 3 weeks later. On computed tomography (CT) the sphenopalatine sinus was filled with a large homogen...
Gracia-Calvo LA, Martín-Cuervo M, Jiménez J, Vieítez V, Argüelles D, Durán ME, Ezquerra J.To develop an experimental standing hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy (HALS) technique, report the associated peri-operative complications and document the short-term surgical outcomes. Results: Five healthy 300-470 kg horses that underwent standing HALS. Spleens of different weights (2.25-7.0 kg) were removed using this technique. The main complication during surgery was difficulty sectioning the gastrosplenic ligament. The postoperative complications included adhesions of the colon to the nephrosplenic ligament stump and incisional discharge in two horses. Conclusions: Standing HALS...
Wormstrand A.An immunological gel-diffusion test for the diagnosis of pregnancy in the mare is described. 56 blood samples from 50 different mares were tested. Control tests were made both by the Ashheim-Zondek method and by clinical examination. The accuracy of the immunological method was 96.4 %. No false positive reactions were observed. It is recommended to draw the blood sample at approximately 45 days or more after the last service. The immunological method is simple, cheap and accurate and is recommended as a routine test for the diagnosis of pregnancy in mares.
Kyles KW, McGorum BC, Fintl C, Hahn CN, Mauchline S, Mayhew IG.Electromyography was used as an aid to the diagnosis of equine motor neuron disease in a conscious horse while it was under caudal epidural anaesthesia. A muscle biopsy was taken to confirm the diagnosis which was then supported by a postmortem examination.
Vos JH, Deleu SA, Heling W, de Vries AR, Zeeuwen AA.The most relevant results of a written questionnaire among veterinarians in the Netherlands are presented and discussed. The inquiry was performed by MarketResponse Nederland BV. The objective was to get an overview of the current perception and the future view of the profession. The response was 37%. Most respondents (66%) were practitioners, 7% were active in research or teaching institutions, 5% were governmental employees, 5% were employed in industry, and 17% did not belong to any of these categories (retired, unemployed etc.). Forty-seven per cent of the veterinarians practised mainly sm...
Cohen ND, Carey VJ, Donahue JG, Seahorn JL, Brown SE, Riddle TW.To characterize the temporality of dates of breeding and abortion classified as mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS) among mares with abortions during early gestation. Methods: 2,314 mares confirmed pregnant at approximately 28 days after breeding from 36 farms in central Kentucky, including 515 mares that had early-term abortions. Methods: Farm veterinarians and managers were interviewed to obtain data for each mare that was known to be pregnant to determine pregnancy status, breeding date, last date known to be pregnant, and date of abortion. Results: Mares bred prior to April 1, 2001, app...
Daly AE, Deible CG, Lamb CE, Santacaterina SM, Marzolf NL, Page AE, Horohov DW, Wood PL, Werre SR, Chapman SE, Christmann U.To evaluate surfactant protein D (SP-D) concentrations in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from young healthy horses on pasture or housed in a typical barn. Methods: 20 young healthy horses. Methods: Horses were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups (pasture, n = 10; barn, 10), and serum and BALF samples were collected for SP-D determination at baseline (all horses on pasture) and 2 weeks and 4 weeks after the barn group of horses was relocated from the pasture to the barn. Other evaluations included physical and tracheoscopic examinations. Findings were compared within and between g...
Gethmann D.In the early twentieth century, counting and speaking horses, like the famous Clever Hans or the "Horses of Elberfeld," became widely debated subjects in experimental psychology. The idea was to determine whether their learning success was only a fraud, or if it might open up a new chapter in "animal psychology" - or even belong to the realm of parapsychology and telepathy. When their tricks were discovered, the teachers of the animals were marked as charlatans. Both the attempts to detect charlatans and the efforts to avoid this accusation during the talking horse experiments proceeded using ...
Chiapetta JR, Baker JC, Feeney DA.An Arabian foal, which was recumbent for 4 days, had signs of extensor rigidity of the thoracic limbs and hypotonic paralysis of the pelvic limbs. Survey radiography revealed a lesion at T15, with radiographic impression of a compression fracture or a hemivertebra. Postmortem examination revealed a fracture at T15. Clinical and pathologic findings in this case were compatible with the Schiff-Sherrington syndrome, which is characterized by thoracic limb extensor hypertonia associated with paraplegia from acute thoracolumbar trauma.
Collatos C, Reef VB, Richardson DW.An abscess of the external umbilical remnant and umbilical vein remnant was diagnosed in a 16-month-old colt, using ultrasonography. Because of the colt's size, primary closure of the surgical incision after umbilical cord resection was not complete. Vertical mattress stainless steel sutures and stents were used, and healing was by second intention. Intervening gas-filled viscera made it impossible to visualize ultrasonographically the bladder of umbilical artery remnants in a colt of this age.
Carmalt JL, Bell CD, Panizzi L, Wolker RR, Lanovaz JL, Bracamonte JL, Wilson DG.To assess the safety and efficacy of alcohol-facilitated ankylosis of the distal intertarsal (DIT) and tarsometatarsal (TMT) joints in horses with osteoarthritis (bone spavin). Methods: Prospective clinical trial. Methods: 21 horses with DIT or TMT joint-associated hind limb lameness and 5 nonlame horses. Methods: 11 horses (group 1) underwent lameness, force-plate, and radiographic examinations; following intra-articular analgesia, lameness and force-plate examinations were repeated. Nonlame horses were used for force-plate data acquisition only. Following localization of lameness to the DIT ...
Thomas AL, Schramme MC, Lepage OM, Segard EM.An awareness of magnetic susceptibility artifacts is important for interpreting prepurchase and postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in horses. These artifacts occur when a metallic or a paramagnetic substance creates a local magnetic field deformity. Aims of the current experimental study were to determine prevalence of these artifacts after arthroscopy in a sample of nonlame horses, and to describe effects of time and type of pulse sequence on low-field MRI signal intensity and detection of the artifacts. Ten, nonlame Standardbred horses were prospectively recruited. All ho...
Modesto RB, Rodgerson DH, Masciarelli AE, Spirito M.This retrospective study describes placement of distal radial transphyseal screws in Thoroughbred yearlings with carpal varus deformities while standing, and identifes short- and long-term complications following the procedure. Data gathered from 2009 to 2013 identified 8 yearlings that met the inclusion criteria. Horses were sedated intravenously and a single 4.5-mm cortical screw was placed in the distal lateral radial physis following application of local anesthetic and surgical preparation of a pre-placed hole. All horses were evaluated weekly after surgery and screw removal was performed ...
Hallebeek JM, Beynen AC.In a Latin square design, six horses were fed hay and concentrates with isoenergetic amounts of either starch, cellulose or medium chain triacylglycerols (MCT). The dietary variables provided on average 22% of total dietary net energy. Plasma triacylglycerols and other variables of lipid metabolism were determined. The experimental periods lasted 21 days. Blood samples were taken just before the morning meal and three and six hours later. The diet rich in MCT significantly raised the plasma level of triacylglycerols when compared to either the starch- or cellulose-rich diet. The plasma concent...
Ingarden J, Dubiel A, Rauluszkiewicz S.This study investigated the effect of a beta blocker on parturition, fetal membrane retention and subsequent fertility in mares. The animals were divided into an experimental group (150 mares treated during second stage labour with propranolol [50 mg i.v.]) and a control group (180 mares with no treatment). Administration of propranolol was associated with a significant decrease in time of expulsion of fetal membranes, and an increase in both exhibition of foal heat and pregnancy rates at this heat.