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.
Amoss HL, Marsh P.Experiments were made for the purpose of testing the reaction of protection against infection as a measure of potency of antimeningococcic serum. The results of the experiments were extremely variable and bore no relation to the quality of the sera as determined by the period of immunization of the horses from which they were obtained, or the indications of efficiency based upon their employment in human cases of epidemic meningitis. The results also failed entirely to conform to the agglutination titer of the sera tested and to be affected by the different type forms of the meningococci. We r...
Wadsworth AB, Kirkbride MB.Horses immunized to Type I pneumococci developed serum, 0.1 cc. of which protected against 0.5 cc. of a virulent culture, 0.000001 cc. of which killed mice in less than 40 hours. Protective tests of serum from horses immunized to Type II organisms varied, 0.1 cc. protecting, however, in certain instances against 0.1 and 0.01 cc. of virulent homologous culture. Types I and II sera obtained in our experiments with culture sediment and whole culture did not vary markedly for a given type and corresponded closely in their protective titer with samples of sera received from The Rockefeller Institut...
Inada R, Ido Y, Hoki R, Ito H, Wani H.Horses immunized with cultures of Spirochaeta icterohaemorrhagiae yield an immune serum having therapeutic properties. With rare exceptions the serum destroys completely the spirochetes contained in the circulating blood. The development of antibodies is promoted by the serum injections. The number of spirochetes in the organs is reduced by the treatment. Secondary manifestations due to the serum are slight and disappear promptly. The ultimate effects of the serum treatment on the symptoms and final outcome of the disease have still to be determined.
Wollstein M.The parameningococci of Dopter are culturally indistinguishable from true or normal meningococci, but serologically they exhibit differences as regards agglutination, opsonization, and complement deviation. Because of the variations and irregularities of serum reactions existing among otherwise normal strains of meningococci it does not seem either possible or desirable to separate the parameningococci into a strictly definite class. It appears desirable to consider them as constituting a special strain among meningococci not, however, wholly consistent in itself. The distinctions in serum rea...
Lintz W.This research article focuses on the study of distemper, also known as influenza or shipping fever, in horses, specifically focusing on its bacteriology and potential vaccine therapies. The research was […]
Gibson RB, Banzhaf EJ.Gravimetric determinations were recorded for the total and several individual proteins (in the sodium oxalate plasma) fractioned with ammonium sulphate and sodium chloride. At precipitation, the plasma salt mixture had been diluted to a final volume of ten times the amount of plasma employed. Coagulations were on aliquot portions of filtrates, and the individual protein constituents (except serumalbumin) were calculated by difference. The eleven horses had been subjected to simultaneous immunization against diphtheria and tetanus toxins, each horse being subsequently continued on the toxin to ...
Smith T.The foregoing and earlier data taken together demonstrate that an active immunity lasting several years can be produced in guinea-pigs, by the injection of toxin-antitoxin mixtures which have no recognizable harmful effect either immediate or remote. They also show, what might have been anticipated, that under the same conditions mixtures which produce local lesions and which, therefore, contain an excess of toxin produce a much higher degree of immunity than the neutral mixtures, and that an excess of antitoxin reduces the possibility of producing an active immunity, and may extinguish it alt...
Hubbert WR.1. Better results in the production of diphtheria antitoxin can be obtained with greater experience in the selection of the most suitable type of horses to be used. Young animals are usually to be preferred. Over one-half of all such horses can be made to yield 300-unit serum, while a third will yield (5)oo-unit serum. 2. High-test horses require a shorter time to immunize and will yield a potent serum for a longer period than will low-test horses. 3. The period of usefulness of an antitoxin horse is short, and on an average endures only a few months. 4. A horse having attained a maximal antit...
Hiss PH, Atkinson JP.THE RESULTS OF THE FOREGOING EXPERIMENTS MAY BE BRIEFLY SUMMARIZED AS FOLLOWS: The amount of antitoxic substance obtained by precipitation with magnesium sulphate from the blood-serum of the horse corresponds, as nearly as can be determined by the use of test guinea-pigs, in full to the protective power of the serum from which it is obtained, i. e. the precipitate from 1 cc. of serum will protect against the same amount of toxin as 1 cc. of the serum itself. Equal amounts of the precipitates by magnesium sulphate from immunized and non-immunized horses act differently toward toxin; i. e. the p...
Atkinson JP.1. The globulins of both normal and diphtheria antitoxic serum exhibit chemically toward reagents the same reactions, being precipitated by magnesium sulphate and split up into fractions in precisely the same way. 2. All of the diphtheric antitoxic power of both normal and immunized serum is always carried by the globulin and its fractional precipitates. 3. During the fractional precipitation of the serum globulin of horses immunized from diphtheria toxin and horses not immunized from diphtheria toxin, some of the globulin is lost, likewise at the same time some of the antitoxic power of the g...
Barber C, McGlennon A, Whitlock F, Grewar J, Spalding S, Newton R, Dewé T.Charlotte Barber, Abigail McGlennon, Fleur Whitlock, John Grewar, Sophie Spalding, Richard Newton and Tamsin Dewé introduce a new government-funded initiative to strengthen the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in the equine sector.
West Nile Virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne zoonosis with recurrent equine and human cases in Romania. Horses, although dead-end hosts, act as sentinels for local viral circulation. Farm-level risk conditions remain under-characterized. This pilot, exploratory cross-sectional study assessed 42 equine facilities in western Romania (2024). A standardized 10-item checklist was applied and a Composite Environmental Risk Score (CERS) (0-10, unweighted) was computed per facility. Spatial analysis in QGIS included distances to nearby water bodies. No serological or entomological data were collected; th...
Teysen S, Demey W, Menzies R, Staszyk C, Birkhed D, Lundström T.The injection of a local anaesthetic into the periodontal ligament (PDL) to achieve desensitisation of the pulp, periodontium, and adjacent tissues is a well-established technique in human dentistry, particularly in paediatric patients. This approach, commonly referred to as intraligamental or intraligamentary anaesthesia (ILA), has been widely adopted due to its effectiveness and relative simplicity. The aims of the present publication were: (1) to provide a review of the literature, (2) to describe an ILA technique adapted by the authors for use in equine dentistry, and (3) to evaluate this ...
Jula CA, Davis JL, McKenzie HC, Council-Troche M.To describe the pharmacokinetics of a single dose of pimobendan (Vetmedin) in healthy adult horses and provide preliminary evidence of the absorption of 2 compounded pimobendan formulations. Unassigned: From August 2022 through November 2022, 6 healthy adult horses were administered a single dose of 0.5 mg/kg pimobendan orally. A subset of 2 horses was also administered pimobendan, compounded as an oil-based suspension and a capsule formulation. Plasma was collected at times 0, 15, 30, and 45 minutes and 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours after administration. The plasma concentrations of pimobendan...
Journal of biomechanicsNovember 16, 2025
Volume 194 113078 doi: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2025.113078
Opolz MD, Sipes GC, Moshage SG, McCoy AM, Kersh ME.Equine models are useful in biomechanics research due to their similarity in musculoskeletal tissue to humans, their athletic nature, and rapid skeletal development which permits ontogenetic studies. However, a continuing challenge in musculoskeletal models for large animal biomechanics is measuring the ground reaction force (GRF) during locomotion and therefore few reports of biomechanical measures such as joint torques. Here we evaluate two statistical approaches for estimating forelimb ground reaction forces in foals (n = 3). Longitudinal motion capture, GRF, and subject mass data during ...
Barvelink M, Brok B, Djajadiningrat-Laanen SC, Vernooij JCM, Broens EM, Slenter IJM.To assess the antibacterial activity of manuka honey against bacterial isolates commonly associated with infected corneal ulcerations in horses, and to investigate possible combined effects of manuka honey and commonly prescribed topical antibiotics. Methods: Four Staphylococcus aureus, including three methicillin-resistant (MRSA), two methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (S. sciuri and S. haemolyticus), and two Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus isolates from horses with stromal ulcerative keratitis were selected. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimu...
Parker JL, Berghaus LJ, Gordon J, Mathews L, Akinde MA, Hall DB, Peroni JF.Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) support wound healing through immunomodulation and by promoting tissue organization. Cell tracking studies demonstrate that MSCs must 'home' to injuries in order to participate in reparative processes. It has been reported that in vivo cell tracking labels, including superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (SPIOs), can alter MSC homing. Homing is thought to occur in coordinated steps including tethering, activation, arrest, diapedesis, and migration, guided by chemotactic stimuli. Equine distal limb injuries, which are commonly treated with MSCs, possess a disti...
Woods T, Dixon J, Melvaine C, Fraser B.To determine the ideal location of a medial tenoscopic portal in the equine carpal flexor tendon sheath (CFTS) using contrast computed tomography (CT). Methods: Experimental cadaver study. Methods: A total of 20 entire forelimbs from adult Standardbred horses. Methods: Contrast media diluted in saline was injected into the CFTS from a lateral approach before manually flexing and extending the limb 20 times to disperse the contrast solution. The limbs were placed in lateral recumbency and a capped 21-gauge 1.5 inch needle was placed approximately 5 mm proximal and 32 mm caudal to the palpab...
Beaumont RE, Flood C, Guest DJ.Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) is upregulated following a tendon injury and in vitro studies have shown that it leads to numerous negative effects on tendon cell function and gene expression. IL-1β activates nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and we hypothesised that inhibiting NF-κB activation would mediate the negative effects of IL-1β on equine tendon cells in 3-dimensional (3D) cultures. Results: Here, we tested three inhibitors of NF-κB signalling (Bortezomib, BAY11-7082 and Wedelolactone) along withTJ-M2010-5, an inhibitor of MyD88, which is a critic...
Gamage C, Graves A, Li G, Thieulent CJ, Balasuriya UBR, Morrow J, Vissani A, Parreño V, Matthijnssens J, Carossino M.Equine rotavirus B (ERVB) has caused foal diarrhea in central Kentucky since 2021. Coding-complete genome sequences from 14 strains circulating in 2024 revealed >99% nucleotide identity to the 2021 prototype ERVB strain RVB/Horse-wt/USA/KY1518/2021, with a conserved genomic constellation (G3-P[3]-I3-R3-C3-M3-A4-N3-T3-E3-H3).
El-Ghaly W, El Kamli T, Zaari Lambarki L, El Hamdani M, Lahkak FE, Benmoussa A, Balouch L, Bakkali F, Saffaj T, Jhilal F.The quality of quantitative results in bioanalysis requires not only a validated analytical method but also a rigorous estimation of measurement uncertainty. This study examines the challenges associated with the implementation of two distinct approaches in equine anti-doping control for the assessment of uncertainty associated with an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry quantitative method for caffeine and lidocaine in horse urine. The bottom-up approach, based on the ISO Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (ISO GUM), was compared t...
Machado RZ, André MR, Pereira JG, Oliveira MDSC, Ribeiro LSDS, Toledo CZP, Gonçalves LR.Equine Piroplasmosis (EP) is a tick-borne disease caused by the protozoan parasites Babesia caballi, Theileria equi, and Theileria haneyi, characterized by intravascular hemolysis and associated systemic illness. Although T. equi and B. caballi have been widely reported in some regions of Brazil, data from other states are limited. Additionally, despite reports of T. equi genotype C, currently recognized as T. haneyi, has been identified in Brazil, there are no investigations using T. haneyi-specific molecular tools. This study assessed the presence of these three agents in horses from Baixada...
Rodero E, González-Martínez A, Diz A, Rodero J.One of a veterinarian's routine tasks is animal identification, with age being a crucial factor in the identification and evaluation of individuals. Knowledge of the morphological changes in animal dentition used to determine their age is essential in veterinary education. Today's students increasingly prefer innovative learning tools that incorporate 3D anatomical models over traditional 2D resources. As part of a teaching innovation project at the University of Córdoba, Spain, new educational materials were developed to aid students in identifying the age of animals using 3D images of equin...
Dindo S, Tovar-Pascual L, Baldassarro VA, Bucci D, Mislei B, Spinaci M, Ortiz-Rodriguez JM.Nanoplastics (NP) accumulation in biological tissues and their adverse effects on fertility through inflammatory and oxidative stress responses have recently been described as consequences of global plastic pollution. However, little is known about the impact of NP on gametes. This study aimed to assess the internalization of NP and their effects on mature equine spermatozoa. Frozen-thawed ejaculates from five stallions were divided into untreated control (CTR) and samples supplemented with different concentrations (10, 50, 100 and 200 μg/mL) of 30 nm polystyrene NP. At baseline (T0), and a...
Wasiński B, Złotnicka J, Kubajka M, Olejarczyk M, Szulowski K.Contagious equine metritis (CEM) is a cosmopolitan infectious, venereal disease of equids caused by the bacterium . Its frequently asymptomatic course leads to its prevalence sometimes being underestimated, and knowledge of the spread of infections with its causative agent is insufficient. The aim of this study is to summarise and present data on the incidence of infections in horses in Poland. Unassigned: In the years 2018-2023, routine laboratory tests of horses for CEM were carried out. Between 52 and 99 horses were examined annually. Swabs from the external parts of the urogenital system ...
Kal AKK, Subhahar MB, Philip M, Graiban FM, Karatt TK, Mathew B, George RM, Maruthasalam B.Voxelotor, a therapeutic drug for sickle cell disease, has been reported to elevate serum erythropoietin and hemoglobin levels in healthy individuals. Because of its potential to alter blood parameters, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) classified voxelotor under category M1 of the 2023 Prohibited List. Despite this classification, little is known about its metabolic behavior in either humans or animals. In this study, the metabolism of voxelotor was investigated in Thoroughbred horses after oral administration. Using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), 35 meta...
Newcombe JR, Claes AN, Cuervo-Arango J.Early embryonic loss (EEL), particularly between Days 14 and 42 of pregnancy, remains a key concern in equine reproduction. This study investigates the incidence of spontaneous luteolysis-used here as a marker of maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP) failure-in both pregnant Thoroughbred (TB) broodmares and recipient mares carrying either in vivo-derived (IVD) or in vitro-produced (IVP) embryos. Retrospective reproductive data from 2078 pregnancies in TB and 532 pregnancies in recipients were analysed to determine the incidence and characteristics of clinical luteolysis during pregnancy. Ove...
Woodman MJ, Thomas MA, Colville MJ, Durgam S, McDonough SP, Reesink HL.To describe proteoglycan 4 (PRG4) expression, lubricin tissue distribution, and lubricin synovial fluid concentrations in healthy and injured equine flexor tendons and tenosynovial structures. Unassigned: Synovial fluid and tissues were collected over the span of 1 year. Proteoglycan 4 expression was quantified using quantitative real-time PCR, lubricin synovial fluid concentrations were measured using ELISAs, and lubricin tissue distribution was evaluated with immunohistochemistry. Histology and quantitative real-time PCR data for healthy samples were analyzed using paired t tests, repeated-m...
Morales Yñiguez FJ, Leise BS.Over 25% of all emergencies are classified as wounds, making them the most common health conditions treated by veterinarians. While equine wounds may heal with minimal intervention, many complications associated with wound management can occur, thereby delaying wound healing and leading to chronic non-healing wounds. Wounds should be closed primarily when possible; however, numerous factors influence the risk of complications. Infection and biofilm production are common causes of delayed wound healing. Other causes of non-healing wounds include the presence of foreign material, sequestrum form...
Fain H, Hendrickson DA, Buesing MT, Griffenhagen G.Cryptorchidism is a common congenital disorder in male horses characterized by the failure of one or both testes to descend into the scrotum. This developmental anomaly has important clinical, surgical, and economic implications, particularly in breeding animals. This retrospective study investigates the prevalence and laterality of cryptorchidism in a large equine population presented to two veterinary referral hospitals-Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital (CSU VTH, 1984-2014) and Oakridge Equine Hospital (OEH, 2008-2023). Medical records were reviewed to identify affected ...
Larson MK, Gaffney C, Hoagland C, Jayawickrama J, Kamm JL.To determine the xenogen-free serum source that provides the greatest number of live equine mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) while maintaining the MSC phenotype. Unassigned: Equine bone marrow-derived MSCs from 8 horses were cultured for 7 days in media containing one of the following serum treatments: 10% xenogeneic serum, 10% or 20% commercial allogeneic equine serum, 10% autologous serum, 10% equine pooled platelet lysate (PPL), or a staged media reduction of xenogeneic media. Live cell numbers, MSC viability, and MSC immunophenotype were compared. Unassigned: The use of 10% commercial allo...
Vidal-Cardos R, Fàbrega E, Dalmau A.The sustainability of extensive livestock systems is compromised. It is necessary to enhance our understanding of the activity and grazing behavior of different livestock species (cows, horses, and sheep) sharing the same mountainous areas. Nowadays, the observation and analysis of animal activity is greatly facilitated by remote tracking technology, especially in zones with difficult access. In this article, we proved that commercial geolocation collars can provide meaningful data on animal activity, behavior, and distribution, which can be used to model daily distances, activity patterns, gr...
Kapusniak A, Lara NM, Hitchens PL, Bailey S, Nath L, Franklin S.Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used to enhance electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation in human medicine. In equine athletes, exercise-associated arrhythmias are common and linked to sudden cardiac death at rates higher than in humans. However, ECG interpretation in horses remains time-consuming and subjective, with the clinical relevance of mild rhythm disturbances often unclear. Objective: Evaluate the application of AI to ECG interpretation for arrhythmia detection, with emphasis on current and potential use in athletic species, particularly horses. Methods: About 17 studies we...
de Fátima Coccia V, Rodacki ALF, Pavão SL.Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder affecting sensorimotor systems, potentially disturbing postural control and stability. Considering the treatment options for these children, hippotherapy (HPOT) is based on horse movements to provide sensory stimuli and motor challenges, potentially contributing to improvements in postural control. Objective: To investigate the immediate effects of a 30-min HPOT session on the center of pressure (CoP) displacement of children with ASD (ASDG) and children with typical development (TDG). Methods: 120 children (60 ASDG; 60 TD...
Ajeebsanu MM, Koshy SA, Karakka Kal AK, Subhahar MB, Karatt TK, Philip M.Suzetrigine, a recently approved Na1.8 sodium channel blocker, shows strong potential in the treatment of neurological, psychiatric, and pain-related conditions. Its peripheral selectivity enables effective pain management while avoiding central nervous system complications and addiction risks linked to opioid use. Following FDA approval in January 2025, concerns have emerged regarding its possible misuse for performance enhancement in sports, highlighting the need for reliable detection tools in doping control. Methods: An analytical procedure was designed and validated to detect suzetrigine ...
Accorroni L, Dini F, Pilati N, Marchegiani A, Bazzano M, Spaterna A, Laus F.Wound management is a fundamental skill for veterinarians, requiring a systematic approach to wound care and a deep understanding of the biological principles underlying healing. Sucralfate, widely known as a mucoprotective agent for gastroduodenal ulcers, has recently shown promising topical effects in human skin lesions by binding and protecting growth factors from proteolytic degradation, thereby enhancing their local availability. This action promotes angiogenesis, chemotaxis and cell proliferation, while reducing oxidative stress and exerting bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects agains...
Nyberg L, Blokhuis MZ, McLean A, Hartmann E.Previous research has highlighted a gap between scientific evidence and its application in equestrian practice, leading to concerns about horse welfare and human safety. Riding schools present an important platform for promoting science-based practices, as they bring together riders of all ages and levels and serve as sites for equestrian education and for shaping attitudes toward horse welfare. Yet, the teaching in riding schools is often rooted in traditional practices. Therefore, mapping current educational methods and exploring how teaching and learning are perceived by both riding school ...
Wood AD, Parker RA.To describe a tenoscopically guided technique for desmotomy of the proximal digital annular ligament (PDAL). Methods: Ex vivo study and clinical case series. Methods: A total of 10 normal cadaver equine hindlimbs and five clinical cases of PDAL desmitis. Methods: The digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS) was approached via a lateral basisesamoid portal and a palmar/plantar annular ligament (PAL) desmotomy was performed to improve maneuverability in the DFTS. Additional proximolateral and distal midline instrument portals were created to facilitate transection of the proximolateral attachment, th...
Krcal C, Licka T.Besides oral temperature, meteorological parameters are expected to be relevant for mouthpiece temperature, potentially influenced by the material, surface area and weight of the bit. This study measured the temperature of the mouthpieces at the corner of the mouth while they were in use on 58 carriage horses during the four 2024 seasons. Stainless steel, copper, and copper-steel bits were tested in three shapes: Butterfly Liverpool, Liverpool, and Loose Ring Snaffle with four rings. Additionally, surface temperatures of inner thighs, the ground, and buildings were measured using infrared ther...
