Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
Topic:Field Study
Field studies involving horses are research investigations conducted in natural or semi-natural environments outside of laboratory settings. These studies aim to observe and analyze equine behavior, ecology, and physiology in real-world conditions. Field studies can encompass a wide range of topics, including grazing patterns, social interactions, habitat use, and the impact of environmental factors on horse health and welfare. Researchers employ various methodologies such as direct observation, GPS tracking, and non-invasive sampling to collect data. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methodologies, findings, and implications of field studies in understanding equine behavior and ecology.
Assessing permethrin resistance in the stable fly (Diptera: Muscidae) in Florida by using laboratory selections and field evaluations. Insecticide resistance in the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae),has been demonstrated previously, but mostly with insecticides that are no longer used, such as the organochlorines. Resistance to commonly used pyrethroids has been evaluated twice, but only in the midwestern United States. Stable fly susceptibility to a commonly used pyrethroid, permethrin, was determined in Florida to assess the possibility of resistance development. Diagnostic concentration evaluations of three stable fly field strains demonstrated a maximum of 57 and 21% survival to permethrin residues ...
Seroepidemiological survey of trypanozoon infection in horses in the suspected dourine-infected Bale highlands of the Oromia region, Ethiopia. This paper presents the results of a seroepidemiological survey of trypanozoon infection in horses carried out between September 2007 and June 2008. The survey was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of anti-trypanozoon antibodies in 880 serum samples collected randomly from selected horse-breeding districts of the Bale highlands of Ethiopia. The seroprevalence of trypanozoon infection was found to be 173 (19.66%) and 140 (15.91%) for the CATT/T. evansi and LATEX/T. evansi tests, respectively. The high seroprevalence of trypanozoon infection strongly indicates that the infection is endem...
Efficacy of a 2-dose regimen of a sustained release ceftiofur suspension in horses with Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus bronchopneumonia. The efficacy and safety of sustained release ceftiofur administered twice, 4 days apart, for treatment of horses with naturally acquired Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (Strep. zoo.) pneumonia was evaluated in a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized clinical trial. The study included 373 horses (278 treated and 95 placebos) with naturally acquired pneumonia. Inclusion in the statistical analyses for treatment efficacy for Strep. zoo. required recovery of ≥10(4) CFU/mL of Strep. zoo. on the primary isolation plate which resulted in 201 cases (145 treated and 56 p...
Genetic analysis of ‘breeding field test status’ in Icelandic horses. Genetic evaluation of Icelandic horses is currently based on results from breeding field tests where riding ability and conformation of the horses are evaluated over the course of 1-2 days. Only a small part of registered horses attend these field tests, and it can be assumed that these are not a random sample of the population. In this study, the trait test status was introduced, describing whether a horse was assessed in a breeding field test. This trait was analysed to find out whether it has a genetic variation and how it correlates genetically to other traits in the breeding goal. Breedin...
Low prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in horses in Ohio, USA. Manure from draft animals deposited in fields during vegetable and fruit production may serve as a potential source of preharvest pathogen contamination of foods. To better quantify this risk, we determined the prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in horses. Between June and September 2009, freshly voided fecal samples were collected from horses stabled on 242 separate premises in Ohio, USA. Overall, the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 was 1 of 242 (0.4% prevalence, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.01 to 2.28). E. coli O157:H7 was recovered from none of the 107 equine fecal samples (0% prevale...
Reduced activity of moxidectin and ivermectin on small strongyles in young horses on a farm (BC) in Central Kentucky in two field tests with notes on variable counts of eggs per gram of feces (EPGs). Two field tests (A and B) were conducted in Thoroughbred weanlings born in 2008 and 2009 on a farm (BC) in Central Kentucky. The purpose was to determine the current efficacy of moxidectin (MOX) and ivermectin (IVM) on small strongyles by pre- and posttreatment counts of eggs per gram of feces (EPGs) in this geographical area. In previous parasite studies in horses on this farm and in horses on numerous other farms in this area, cultures of feces indicated the strongyle larvae were all small strongyles. Therefore, the strongyle eggs in the EPG counts are considered small strongyles. Designatio...
A randomized triple blind trial to assess the effect of an anthelmintic programme for working equids in Morocco. Gastro-intestinal parasitism has been identified as a significant cause of disease in working equids in many countries. This randomized triple-blind trial was designed to assess the impact of an anthelmintic treatment programme (using oral ivermectin and fenbendazole) comparing treated and placebo control populations of working donkeys, mules and horses in field conditions in Morocco. In particular, we assessed animal body weight and condition score, together with a questionnaire-based owner evaluation of number of subjective animal health parameters. Faecal worm egg count was also measured. R...
Reliability of an injury scoring system for horses. The risk of injuries is of major concern when keeping horses in groups and there is a need for a system to record external injuries in a standardised and simple way. The objective of this study, therefore, was to develop and validate a system for injury recording in horses and to test its reliability and feasibility under field conditions. Methods: Injuries were classified into five categories according to severity. The scoring system was tested for intra- and inter-observer agreement as well as agreement with a 'golden standard' (diagnosis established by a veterinarian). The scoring was done ...
Ticks on birds in a forest fragment of Brazilian cerrado (savanna) in the municipality of Uberlândia, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. This is a report of tick species, parasite prevalence and infestation intensity of birds in a forest fragment (18° 56' 57'' S and 48° 12' 14'' W) within the Brazilian cerrado (savanna), in the municipality of Uberlândia, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. A total of 162 birds from 26 species were captured. One adult tick, 296 larvae and 67 nymphs were found on passerine birds. Of these, it was identified 31 larvae and 27 nymphs of Amblyomma longirostre, 17 nymphs of A. nodosum, one A. cajennense larvae and one male of Rhipicephalus sanguineus. All other ticks were identified as Amblyomma sp. la...
Efficacy of sublingual administration of detomidine gel for sedation of horses undergoing veterinary and husbandry procedures under field conditions. To determine whether sublingual detomidine gel administration to horses would be effective in providing an appropriate degree of sedation and restraint to facilitate completion of veterinary and husbandry procedures under field conditions. Methods: Multicenter, prospective, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled clinical study. Methods: 270 client-owned horses known to require sedation or strong restraint to enable veterinary and husbandry procedures to be performed. Methods: Horses randomly received a single dose of detomidine gel (0.04 mg/kg [0.018 mg/lb]) or placebo gel administered sublin...
Heart rate variability after horse trekking in leading and following horses. Horse trekking (HT) is having a stroll on a horse along a walking trail in a forest, field, and/or sandy beach. Generally in HT, horses exercise in tandem line outside the riding facilities. Because the leading horse will be confronted with stressors in the forefront, we hypothesized that the leading horse shows higher stress responses than the following one. In order to verify the hypothesis, we compared short-term stress responses between each position in six horses. Exercise consisted of 15 min of ground riding and 45 min of HT with walking and trotting. Heart rate variability was analyzed ...
Field tests demonstrating reduced activity of ivermectin and moxidectin against small strongyles in horses on 14 farms in Central Kentucky in 2007-2009. Efficacy of ivermectin (IVM) and moxidectin (MOX) against small strongyles was evaluated in horses (n=363) in field tests on 14 farms in Central Kentucky between 2007 and 2009. Most of the horses were yearlings but a few were weanlings and mares. The number of horses treated with IVM was 255 and those treated with MOX was 108. Horses on six farms were allotted into two groups. One group was treated with each of the two drugs, whereas horses on the other eight farms were treated with only one of the two drugs--IVM on six farms and MOX on two farms. Strongyle eggs per gram of feces (EPGs) compar...
Prediction of early race starts in Norwegian-Swedish Coldblooded Trotters. Less than a third of Norwegian-Swedish Coldblooded Trotters (NSCTs) have started racing as three year olds since the year 2000 despite the fact that large sums are paid out as price-money in the three year season. Recruitment races are arranged by the Norwegian Trotting Association (NTA) to stimulate early training. The management of young horses varies considerably and a large majority is reared by amateurs. The aim of the present study was to identify predictors of early race starts in young NSCT horses under field conditions. Methods: Of the 801 registered NSCT horses born in 2005, 144 were...
High speed field kinematics of foot contact in elite galloping horses in training. Mechanical characterisation of the high speed gallop has significant importance for animal welfare and basic biology. Kinematic parameters such as the velocity of each foot at contact can inform theories of why animals gallop, and supplant epidemiological investigation into the mechanisms of musculoskeletal injury. Objective: To determine the velocity at which the fore and hind hooves of elite galloping horses impact the surface. Methods: High speed videography was used to measure the horizontal and vertical velocity of the hoof immediately prior to impact, and the subsequent sink (vertical) a...
Critical tests evaluating efficacy of moxidectin against small strongyles in horses from a herd for which reduced activity had been found in field tests in Central Kentucky. Critical tests were performed in 2009 and 2010 in four 2-year-old horses naturally infected with internal parasites. The horses were from a herd (Farm MC) where reduced activity of ivermectin and moxidectin on small strongyles was demonstrated previously from EPG (eggs/gram of feces) data in field tests. Also, in critical tests in horses from the same herd, ivermectin was less effective on immature small strongyles in the lumen of the large intestine than when the drug was first marketed. The main interest in the present critical tests was to determine the efficacy of moxidectin (400 μg/kg) o...
Field treatment and management of endocrinopathic laminitis in horses and ponies. Endocrinopathic laminitis in horses and ponies has the potential to cause extensive damage to the feet before clinical signs of laminitis are apparent. Early diagnosis and intervention based on the detection and control of hyperinsulinemia are critical if the crippling changes that are seen in the disease are to be avoided. Preventing endocrinopathic laminitis, rather than treating it, is good practice management benefiting not only equine patients but also their owners.
Shortened strongyle-type egg reappearance periods in naturally infected horses treated with moxidectin and failure of a larvicidal dose of fenbendazole to reduce fecal egg counts. Deworming horses with anthelmintics that have activity against encysted small strongyle larvae (L(3) and L(4)) is a common practice in parasite control programs. The two drugs currently available for this use are moxidectin (MOX) administered in a single dose of 0.4 mg/kg and fenbendazole (FBZ) given at the larvicidal dose (10mg/kg for 5 days). Here, we report the efficacy of MOX and the larvicidal dose of FBZ for reducing counts of strongyle-type eggs per gram of feces in naturally infected horses. Fecal egg counts (FECs) of 15 yearlings were observed following deworming. On day 0, 6 of the 1...
In vivo cross-protection to African horse sickness Serotypes 5 and 9 after vaccination with Serotypes 8 and 6. The polyvalent African horsesickness (AHS) attenuated live virus (AHS-ALV) vaccine produced at Onderstepoort Biological Products incorporates 7 of the 9 known serotypes circulating in southern Africa. Serological cross-reaction has been shown in vitro to Serotypes 5 and 9 by Serotypes 8 and 6 respectively, but the degree of in vivo cross-protection between these serotypes in vaccinated horses has not previously been reported. Due to the increasing incidence of AHS Serotypes 5 and 9 in the field, over the last 3-4 seasons of AHS in South Africa, and the absence of Serotypes 5 and 9 in the AHS-A...
Coprological prevalence and intensity of helminth infection in working horses in Lesotho. This study aimed to (1) estimate infection prevalence of strongyle, Oxyuris equi and Parascaris equorum species and the intensity of infection with strongyles in working horses in lowland Lesotho and (2) investigate associations between infection and horse age, sex and owner-reported use of anthelmintics. In a cross-sectional survey, fresh faecal samples were obtained from 305 randomly selected horses and worm egg counts performed using a validated field laboratory kit. Details of anthelmintic use were collected using a standardised face-to-face owner questionnaire. Infection prevalence estima...
Monitoring distances travelled by horses using GPS tracking collars. The aims of this work were to (1) develop a low-cost equine movement tracking collar based on readily available components, (2) conduct preliminary studies assessing the effects of both paddock size and internal fence design on the movements of domestic horses, with and without foals at foot, and (3) describe distances moved by mares and their foals. Additional monitoring of free-ranging feral horses was conducted to allow preliminary comparisons with the movement of confined domestic horses. Methods: A lightweight global positioning system (GPS) data logger modified from a personal/vehicle tr...
Ethnoveterinary knowledge in Navarra (Iberian Peninsula). To collect, analyze and evaluate the ethnoveterinary knowledge about medicinal plants in a northern Iberian region (Navarra, 10,421 km(2), 620,377 inhabitants). Methods: Field work was conducted between 2003 and 2007, using semi-structured questionnaire and participant observation as well as transects walks in wild herbal plant collection areas. We performed semi-structured interviews with 667 informants (mean age 72; 55.47% women, 44.53% men) in 265 locations, identified the plant reported and analyzed the results, comparing them with those from other territories. Results: Out of 287 species ...
Evaluation of the Limulus amebocyte lysate and recombinant factor C assays for assessment of airborne endotoxin. As a potent inflammatory agent, endotoxin is a key analyte of interest for studies of lung ailments in domestic environments and occupational settings with organic dust. A relatively unexplored advance in endotoxin exposure assessment is the use of recombinant factor C (rFC) from the Limulus pathway in a fluorometric assay. In this study, we compared airborne endotoxin concentrations in laboratory- and field-collected parallel air samples using the kinetic Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay and the rFC assay. Air sampling was performed using paired Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) sa...
Subclinical infection and periodic shedding of equid herpesvirus 3. The temporary disruption of reproductive activities due to equine coital exanthema (ECE), caused by equid herpesvirus 3 (EHV-3), at thoroughbred breeding facilities and embryo transfer centres, has an appreciable economic impact. The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of excretion of EHV-3 in mares without clinical symptoms under field conditions and the re-excretion patterns of the virus in two seropositive (presumably latently infected) mares maintained in isolation for 11 mo. The EHV-3 virus was detected in perineal-vaginal swabs by real time PCR in 14 (6%) of 220 thoro...
Comparisons of overground endoscopy and treadmill endoscopy in UK Thoroughbred racehorses. To date there is no information on the comparison of the more recently documented technique of performing endoscopy during ridden exercise in the field, with the more traditional method of endoscopy during high-speed treadmill exercise. Objective: To compare the results of upper respiratory tract endoscopy in UK Thoroughbred racehorses performed during ridden exercise in the field with those obtained during exercise on the treadmill. Methods: A direct comparison was undertaken in 4 horses whereby both procedures were performed in the same horse within 10 days of each other. An indirect compari...
Evaluation of neutralization patterns of the five unique Argentine equine arteritis virus field strains reported. Equine viral arteritis (EVA) is a contagious viral disease that frequently causes mild or subclinical infections in adult horses. Only one EAV serotype has been described. However, there are differences in antigenicity, pathogenicity and neutralization characteristics of virus field strains. The interaction of two viral proteins, GP5 and M, is critical for infectivity and amino acid changes in the GP5 sequences have an effect on the neutralizing phenotype, regardless the effects of other viral proteins. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the neutralization phenotypes of the 5 u...
Are macrocyclic lactones useful drugs for the treatment of Parascaris equorum infections in foals? A study was carried out to assess the field efficacy of moxidectin (MOX) against Parascaris equorum in foals. A total of 70 foals from 2 Italian thoroughbred (Farms 1 and 2) stud farms and one trotter stud farm (Farm 3), aged 3-5 months and with faecal egg counts (FEC) f>or=300 eggs per gram (EPG) were included in the study. On each farm, foals were divided into 2 groups (of 10, 8 and 10 foals, respectively) and treated with either moxidectin (MOX, 400 mcg/kg b.w.) or ivermectin (IVM, 200 mcg/kg b.w.) on day 0 and examined for faecal count reduction (FECR) on day 14. Five, 4 and 5 foals, re...
An investigation into the suitability of a commercial real-time PCR assay to screen for Taylorella equigenitalis in routine prebreeding equine genital swabs. Standard bacteriological methods for identifying Taylorella equigenitalis in cervical smears are time consuming. Therefore, a more rapid real-time PCR assay was evaluated for its suitability in screening swabs. Objective: To compare the results of a commercially available real-time PCR assay with routine microbiological culture for the identification of T. equigenitalis, the causative organism of contagious equine metritis, in equine genital swab samples, under 'field trial' conditions. Methods: Routine prebreeding genital swabs (n=2072) collected from Thoroughbred mares and stallions during 2...
Pharmacokinetics and effects of cetirizine in horses with insect bite hypersensitivity. Horses with insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) have difficulty in completely avoiding allergens, so effective treatment options are required. A randomised, placebo controlled and double blinded field study was conducted to determine the pharmacokinetics and efficacy in reducing dermatitis of the antihistamine cetirizine given orally at 0.4 mg/kg twice daily for 3 weeks. The influence of protection blankets and stabling were also investigated. The estimated maximum plasma concentration (C(max)) and trough plasma concentration of cetirizine were 135 ng/mL and 18 ng/mL, respectively. There was no...
Nucleotide sequence heterogeneity in the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene within Theileria equi from horses in Sudan. This is a molecular epidemiological investigation on Theileria equi, a causative agent of equine piroplasmosis. Blood samples were collected from 127 horses from different geographical locations in Sudan. The small subunit of rRNA gene (18S; ~1,600 bp) was amplified from 20 positive field samples and subsequently subjected to direct sequencing and analysis to reveal possible strain differences and the presence of a novel species or genotypes. Sequences were compared with published sequences mainly from South African and Spanish isolates. Eleven distinct T. equi sequences within 18S rRNA gene w...
A comparison between the 2N and 4N HCl acid-insoluble ash methods for digestibility trials in horses. The digestibility of horse feeds and rations can be determined using different techniques such as calculations based on the chemical composition, in vivo or in vitro methods. The marker methods overcome difficulties like discomfort for the animals and longer experimental times encountered using the ingesta/egesta method. In field conditions, a natural indigestible marker like acid-insoluble ash (AIA), with no changes in the normal ration, could be a very useful tool for digestibility trials. A group of six standardbred horses was used in a set of seven apparent digestibility trials. The diets ...
