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.
Wensvoort P, Steenbergen-Botterweg WA.When adipose tissues of horses and ponies affected with generalized steatitis were extracted by acetone, methanol and chloroform, non-extractable lipids were found to be present, which had become insoluble as a result of peroxidation and polymerization and had acquired autofluorescent characteristics. The origin of these lipids varies. Peroxidation occurs in three different lipid compartments, namely in the cytoplasm of the necrotized adipose cells, in the macrophagess and in the fat globules present in stroma.
Rose RJ, Taylor BJ, Bellenger CR.The technique of internal fixation of intra-articular fractures of the third phalanx using lag screw interfragmentary compression is described. Three cases are discussed and the successful treatment of infection and osteomyelitis described in one of them. Despite this potential complication internal fixation offers a better prognosis and also a more rapid return to work than non-operative treatments.
Ahmed JS, Schmid G, Hörchner F.Pony peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were stimulated with a soluble fraction of Trypanosoma (T.) evansi (SF). As determined by 3H-thymidine incorporation, the cells underwent a proliferative response and were able to: a) produce a factor having the biological activities of interleukin 2 (IL-2) since their supernatants could support the in vitro growth of pony PBL stimulated with concanavalin A (Con A-blasts); b) undergo a further proliferative response when incubated in short term cultures with SF, human recombinant IL-2 (hrIL-2), or both c) bind specifically radiolabelled hrIL-2 (125I-hrIL...
Foth PW, Scott VH, Mudge MC, Hurcombe SD.To determine an abdominal pressure cutoff value for intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) in the horse and characterize IAH in horses with acute colic. Methods: Prospective clinical cohort. Methods: University teaching hospital. Methods: Nine healthy adult horses and 56 horses with acute colic. Methods: Ventral intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) was measured in triplicate at end expiration and averaged. Each colic case was classified as medical or surgical and large intestine (LI) or small intestine (SI). Management and final outcome (alive, euthanized, or died) were recorded. IAH was defined as ≥3...
Monin T.Physeal fractures of the tuber olecranon of 4 horses were treated, using the tension band method of compression fracture repair. A cortical bone screw and Steinmann pin were placed through the proximal fragment into the distal parent bone parallel to the palmar border of the olecranon. The tension band was placed dorsal to the Steinmann pin and anchored in a hole through the shaft of the ulna 10 cm distal to the tuber olecranon. Of the 4 foals, 2 became pasture sound, 1 is now being worked under saddle, and the 4th showed no signs of lameness 5 months after surgery.
Chesworth M, Brandenberger O, Cheetham J, Windley Z, Schumacher J, Cochran K, Piercy RJ, Perkins JD. To investigate the effect of the transverse arytenoid ligament (TAL) on abduction of the arytenoid cartilage when performing laryngoplasty. Modified prosthetic laryngoplasty was performed on right and left sides of 13 cadaver larynges. Increasing force was sequentially applied to the left arytenoid cartilage at 3 N intervals from 0-24 N, when the force on the right arytenoid cartilage was either 0 or 24 N, before and after TAL transection. Digital photographs of the rostral aspect of the larynx were used to determine the left arytenoid abduction angles for these given force combinations and ...
Kurz JP, Schoenhals KE, Hullinger GA, Van Wettere AJ.Syringomyelia is a form of myelodysplasia defined by the formation of one or more fluid-filled cavities within the spinal cord that do not communicate with the central canal. The defect may be congenital or acquired. Clinical signs correlate to the segment of spinal cord affected and include pain, paresis, proprioceptive deficits, alterations in sensation, scoliosis, and autonomic dysfunction. This report describes the clinical and pathologic changes in a case of acquired syringomyelia in a 10-year-old American Paint Horse mare. The horse had a six-week history of progressive proprioceptive de...
Zebarth BJ, Sheard RW.The 2 dominant processes involved in the horse hoof-to-racing surface interaction are the shock loading of the horse's leg upon impact with the racing surface and rotation of the horse's hoof into the racing surface. These processes were measured as impact resistance (ie, the peak deceleration of a moving body upon impact with the test surface) and as resistance to shear. The objective of the present study was to measure physically (under a variety of conditions) those soil and turf factors related to the 2 processes. It was concluded that thatch accumulation and mowing height of the turf did ...
Deaton CM, Marlin DJ, Smith NC, Roberts CA, Harris PA, Kelly FJ, Schroter RC.Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a non-enzymatic antioxidant important in protecting the lung against oxidative damage and is decreased in lung lining fluid of horses with airway inflammation. To examine possible therapeutic regimens in a species with ascorbate-synthesising capacity, we studied the effects of oral supplementation of two forms of ascorbic acid, (each equivalent to 20 mg ascorbic acid per kg body weight) on the pulmonary and systemic antioxidant status of six healthy ponies in a 3 x 3 Latin square design. Two weeks supplementation with ascorbyl palmitate significantly increased mean...
Friesen KM, Johnson GD.Reproductive potential was assessed for stable fly cohorts fed cattle, chicken, or horse blood. Flies provided chicken blood oviposited 20% more eggs per day than did those fed cattle or horse blood. However, flies provided cattle or horse blood were fecund 50% longer. When both egg viability and number of eggs produced were considered, lifetime reproductive potential was almost twice as high for flies fed cattle or chicken blood than for flies fed horse blood. Maternal investment, which took egg production and volume into account, was higher in cohorts fed cattle blood (70 mm3) when compared ...
Gillen SS.The scope of medical problems encountered by the equine ambulatory practitioner is immense; there is a wealth of information available to ambulatory practitioners pertaining to specific medical topics. It is certainly possible to practice high-quality equine medicine in a field setting. However, hospital referral should be offered to clients for conditions not conducive to successful treatment in the field. Prompt referral of difficult cases is a sign that the practitioner wants the best treatment for the patient and is often gladly accepted by the client. When surgical or hospital referral is...
Schröter C, Bielefeld M, Bielefeld D, Macke C, Winkelmann C, Mommsen P, Krettek C, Zeckey C.The upper limb is one of the most frequently injured body regions in equestrian sports, but it is unclear which injuries are involved, and there are no data on the associated accident mechanism. The present study is aimed at evaluating the accident mechanisms, injuries of the upper limbs, and the circumstances of the accident in equestrian sports. We included 218 patients who were all treated between 2006 and 2014 at the level I trauma center at the Medical University in Hannover because of equestrian-related accidents. The most frequent injuries were fractures and bruising in the shoulder ...
Ordakowski-Burk AL, Kronfeld DS, Williams CA, Gay LS, Sklan DJ.To identify changes in folate status of mares and foals during lactation and growth, respectively. Methods: 20 Thoroughbred mares and foals. Methods: Pregnant mares, and following foaling the same mares with their foals, were maintained on mixed grass-legume pasture and fed either a traditional dietary supplement rich in sugar and starch (SS) or a dietary supplement high in fat and fiber (FF). Blood samples were collected monthly from mares and foals up to 6 months after foaling. Total folate concentration in feed and forage was determined. Analyses of plasma folate, RBC folate, plasma homocys...
Floris B, Bini PP, Nuvole P, Di Meglio FG.The changes of some parameters in the blood serum of six Giara horses (3 males and 3 females) were checked weekly, in relation to the environmental temperature throughout a one winter and summer. T3, total lipids, triglycerides, urea nitrogen, creatinine, total protein, albumin, beta and gamma globulin showed significant difference between winter and summer and, with the exception of triglycerides, urea nitrogen and total protein were correlated to the environmental temperature. T4, glucose, uric acid and alpha globulin showed no difference between the two seasons and no correlation with the t...
Cogley TP, Cogley MC.A synthetic alpha-2 adrenergic agonist, detomidine hydrochloride, was used in the study of in vivo activity of Gasterophilus intestinalis (Diptera: Gasterophilidae) during migration in the tongue of the horse. Use of the drug allowed the investigator to manipulate the tongue and closely observe the movement patterns and tissue disturbance caused by burrowing first-stage larvae. Detomidine hydrochloride should be utilized in studies of drug efficacy and larval biology, whenever possible, to avoid the need to sacrifice the horse.
De Jonge B, Dufourni A, Oosterlinck M, Chiers K.We report a 9-year-old Thoroughbred gelding that had sudden onset lameness of the right forelimb with episodes of lateral decubitus and generalized pain after completion of a normal training session. The clinical signs subsequently became less pronounced with only mild right forelimb lameness. However, after further orthopaedic examination, it developed severe, acute ataxia and paraplegia, the Schiff-Sherrington phenomenon and risus sardonicus. At necropsy, a partial duplication of the cervical spinal cord was identified, consistent with split spinal cord malformation type II or diplomyelia. H...
Charman RE, Vasey JR.Carpal flexural deformities (CFD) are frequently encountered in the horse, with both congenital and acquired forms described. The success of surgical correction of CFD, both in terms of the ability to achieve a straight palmar carpal angle and the impact on future athletic performance, requires further investigation. Objective: To report the surgical management and outcome of treatment of flexural deformity of the carpus in 72 horses up to 12 months of age. Methods: Information was obtained from the medical records of horses surgically treated for CFD and through follow-up contact with owners....
Giri DK, Quist EM, Ambrus A, Gold J, Porter BF, Bratton GR, Storts RW.A 5-day-old quarter horse colt with a history of hypothermia, agonal breathing, and diarrhea was euthanized. At necropsy, numerous slightly raised, discrete, closely approximated submucosal nodules were observed in the colon and small intestine. Histologically, these nodules were composed of expanded submucosal mesenchyme that contained numerous neurons either individually or in ganglia. Thirty-two percent of these ganglia included 8 or more neurons, in contrast to 6% in an age-matched foal. Some nodules had necrosuppurative inflammation with vasculitis, thrombosis, and bacterial colonization....
