Horse management encompasses the practices and techniques used to care for and maintain horses in various settings, including stables, pastures, and performance environments. This area of study covers a range of activities such as feeding, grooming, housing, exercise, and health monitoring to ensure the well-being and optimal performance of horses. Effective horse management requires an understanding of equine behavior, nutrition, and physiology, as well as the ability to implement routine care practices and respond to health issues. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the methods, strategies, and outcomes associated with different horse management practices.
Ennsmann LH, Licka TF.Most horses are used with horseshoes additionally supported by either dorsoabaxial or dorsal clips. The effects of such clips on bone density and shape of the distal phalanx are currently unclear. The aim of this study was to identify correlations between density and shape of the distal phalanx, comparing front hooves unshod or shod with standard shoes either with two dorsoabaxial clips or with a single dorsal clip. Researchers analyzed Oxspring radiographs of either the left or right front hoof from warmblood horses ( = 137) and ponies ( = 43) aged 3-28 years. The evaluation focused...
Suomala H, Brotherus I, Hänninen L, Ternman E, Mykkänen AK.Very little is known about sleep disturbances in horses, although several management or animal-based factors may contribute to an increased risk of disturbances. Objective: To investigate factors related to rest and sleep behaviour of horses kept in stalls as perceived by Nordic horse owners or caretakers and their association with suspected sleep disturbances (SSD). Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: The 40 question online international survey included a convenience sample of horse owners or caretakers with horses over 4 years old kept in the same individual stalls for at least the l...
Cheung E, Mills D, Ventura BA.There is concern amongst the public, equestrians, animal welfare organisations, and horse-sport governing bodies regarding the welfare of performance horses, but equestrian culture appears slow to change. The present study seeks to increase our understanding of human factors underlying the persistence of welfare-compromising management and training practices within the performance horse world. Individual, semi-structured interviews focused on equestrians' attitudes were conducted with 22 equestrians from classical equestrian disciplines in the US, Canada, and the UK. Interview transcripts were...
Fiedler JM, Rosanowski S, Ayre ML, Slater JD.Participation in horse-related activities frequently involves relocating horses from the home stable to an activity venue, which might require local, regional, or international travel. In these circumstances, horses are exposed to unfamiliar surroundings and experience changes to their daily routines, which could have negative welfare impacts. An online survey was conducted in 2021 to ask experienced horse sector participants about the horse management practices that they perceived worked well and provided for positive horse welfare when undertaken at venues. Qualitative analysis identified fo...
Douglas M, Williams J, Randle H.Recent research has highlighted the detrimental impact of an ill-fitting saddle on equine health, welfare and performance. A correctly fitting saddle may not fit if positioned incorrectly. Objective: This study assessed riders' ability to visually evaluate saddle position and examine factors that influenced accuracy of assessment. Methods: Survey participants were provided with photographs of a series of saddles on horses obtained from the lateral aspect of the left side of the horse. Saddles were either correctly positioned (n = 5), too far forward (n = 5) or too far back (n = 2). This was in...
Share ER, Mastellar SL, Rumble JN, Eastridge ML.Equine industry housing and feeding management strategies vary widely. Management choices are important as horses spend most of their time in housing environments and demonstrating ingestive/foraging behavior. As of 2023, over 1.4 million Ohioans identified as horse owners and/or enthusiasts. The objectives of this survey were to determine demographics of the Ohio horse industry, commonly used sources of information, knowledge gaps regarding equine management practices, and to explore what may influence equine management choices. Using Qualtrics (Provo, UT), a 52-question online, anonymous sur...
Knox AL, Fenner K, Zsoldos RR, Wilson B, McGreevy P.The off-the-track Thoroughbred's (OTTTB's) suitability for equestrian retraining and rehoming should always be subject to behavioral considerations. Certain attributes may be advantageous to a horse's racing performance but unfavorable to their prospects off the track. It is important to gain a non-biased understanding of how Thoroughbreds (TBs) in equestrian disciplines compare with other horses behaviorally, to minimize risks of poor welfare and safety outcomes. The current study used owner-reported information ( = 1633) from the Equine Behavior Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ)...
Main SC, Ivey JLZ, Strickland LG, Rhinehart JD, Sun X.Land-Grant Institutions and Cooperative Extension Services seek to disseminate information to the public; however, Extension agents differ in areas of expertise, leaving some counties with minimal ability to provide 4-H horse project members with sufficient content knowledge while agents in other counties are more well versed in equine-specific areas. Results from the 2021 and 2023 Tennessee regional and 2022 Eastern National 4-H Hippology contests were used to determine areas of knowledge deficiency. Nutrition, tack, selection, health, and breeds were categories identified as areas in which 4...
Kroschel L, Pilger F, Aurich J, Nagel C, Aurich C.Horses in training are often stabled individually, but this is increasingly questioned. We have investigated the effects of different stabling systems in Warmblood stallions during a 12-week pretraining programme. Stallions were 24 months old and housed either in a group stable (Group 24, n = 9) or in individual boxes (Box 24, n = 10), or they were 30 months of age and housed in individual boxes (Box 30, n = 10). Cortisol, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), body development, injuries and selected behaviour patterns were analysed (1) at transfer from pasture to stable and (2) the...
Cserhalmi D, Wermer K.Our paper presents a case study of a Welsh pony mare with grazing-induced severe urticaria. The main clinical signs were eye swelling, depression and extensive urticaria. Physical examination revealed no other abnormalities. Botanical sampling revealed horseweed (Conyza canadensis) as the most abundant species and a potential allergen plant due to sesquiterpene lactones (SQL). Differential diagnosis strongly suggested that the clinical signs were the result of a hypersensitivity reaction to this plant. Former studies brought controversial data about the toxic or allergic potential of horsewee...
Cravana C, Medica P, Fazio E, Satué K, Brancato G, La Fauci D, Bruschetta G.The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a neuroendocrine system involved in the coping response to stressful challenges during exercise stimuli. Exercise represents a significant disruptor of homeostasis, inducing an ACTH-cortisol co-secretion, based on different characteristics of exercise in sport horses. Based on this statement, the aim of this study is to evaluate the circulating adrenocorticotropin and cortisol changes in Standardbred trotters, after training and racing sessions, considering the different age and sex. In particular, the aim is to determine to what extent the leve...
Taylor WTT.Many of the most important equine health problems - and their solutions - relate to the role of horses as a domestic animal, especially in riding and other kinds of transport. Recently, new discoveries from the archaeological sciences have rewritten our understanding of early horse domestication, suggesting that the first ancestors of domestic horses emerged in the Black Sea Steppes of western Eurasia at the turn of the second millennium BCE. This new chronology places horse domestication within a wider trajectory of early animal transport, including cattle and donkey, across western Asia and ...
Annan R, Trigg L, Allen K, Hockenhull J, Valenchon M, Mullan S.Racehorse welfare continues to be a focus of stakeholders both within and outside of the industry, and there is a need for evidence-based animal welfare data. Objective: To gather data on racehorse welfare through a combination of animal-based observations and information about management practices, and to ascertain the feasibility of trained industry assessors carrying out a racehorse welfare assessment. Methods: Cross-sectional. Methods: Sixteen trained industry assessors conducted individual observations of 737 racehorses in 21 Flat racing (F), 27 National Hunt (NH) and 26 Dual-purpose (D) ...
Gueguen L, Palme R, Jego P, Henry S, Hausberger M.Many studies focus on animal welfare in terms of specific, either behavioural or physiological, indicators or on the impact of a particular management factor. However, an animal's welfare state results from the individual's perception of its general environment, which has consequences at both behavioural and physiological levels. Previous research on horses has shown that different riding schools could be characterised by different emotional/cognitive profiles of horses, in relation sometimes with one single management factor. In the present study, we aimed at determining if such facility-spec...
Hall-Bromley A, Dixon L.Horse welfare is a subject of ongoing discussion and scientific investigation. Several solutions to combat poor horse welfare have been suggested by existing research; however, each of these has its limitations. In 2022, it was announced that France was introducing new legislation requiring all horse owners to be licensed on completion of particular horse-care education. This development raises an interesting discussion about whether such a framework could be applied in the UK. This systemised literature review analysed the prevalence of horse welfare concerns in the developed world and the UK...
Curadi MC, Vallone F, Tenuzzo M, Gazzano A, Gazzano V, Macchioni F, Vannini C.The gut microbiota plays a basic role in maintaining the psychophysical health and well-being of horses. Understanding the complex interactions among microbial communities in relation to age, management, and health is a topic of growing interest. The equine microbiota, given its complexity, is subject to variations caused by internal or external stressors that can lead to metabolic problems and pathologies, i.e., obesity and laminitis. The aim of this study was to characterize the fecal microbiota of 12 purebred Arabian horses and to compare the microbial communities in two distinct management...
Rykala M, Jasiak M, Niedzwiedz A.Preventing the spread of infectious diseases in horses requires breaking the chain of infection through appropriate prophylaxis. In Poland, where the horse population reached 273,006 in 2023, vaccinations are voluntary and primarily the responsibility of horse owners, with mandatory influenza vaccinations limited to sport horses. This study aimed to evaluate the vaccination status of Polish horses against infectious diseases through a survey of 980 horse owners and an analysis of 123 horse passports from slaughterhouses. Survey participants represented all provinces, predominantly owning warmb...
Roccaro M, Rinnovati R, Stucchi L, La Rocca F, Cascio G, Peli A.Doping in racehorses is a threat to horse welfare and the integrity of the sport. Despite its relevance, the literature on the prevalence of anti-doping violations worldwide is limited. Objective: To analyse anti-doping violations in racehorses in Italy. Methods: Retrospective observational study. Methods: Data on horse races, anti-doping testing, and confirmed violations between 2014 and 2022 were collected and analysed. Positivity rates, most common drug classes and parent drugs, and differences between trotting and galloping horses were investigated. Results: During the considered 9-year ti...
Germann JA, O'Sullivan TL, Greer AL, Spence KL.This study aimed to describe implementation of biosecurity practices by Ontario horse owners and investigate whether biosecurity implementation was associated with horse-owner demographic characteristics and personality traits. Unassigned: A cross-sectional questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of horse owners in Ontario to collect data on demographics, personality traits, risk comprehension, and biosecurity practices. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify clusters of participants with shared personality traits, and univariable associations between clusters and de...
Wells A, Hiney KM, Brady CM, Anderson KP.The horse industry's growing focus on improving horse welfare stems from stakeholders' desires, increasing public scrutiny, and potential threats to its Social License to Operate. Correctly assessing equine affective states is crucial for enhancing horse welfare. However, horse owners often struggle with this assessment, especially those with limited consistent access to horses. To address this gap, RAiSE (Recognizing Affective State in Equine) was developed as an educational tool aimed at improving horse industry participants' ability to recognize these states. After development of the educat...
Masebo NT, Benedetti B, Mountricha M, Lee L, Padalino B.Bedding is an important component of equine accommodation management. Choosing the right bedding is important for stable management and its selection may include considerations such as the sourcing of the material, the capital investment and ongoing costs, delivery, storage, installation, ongoing labour and maintenance, removal and disposal. Furthermore, it is crucial that the consequences for the health and welfare of horses and humans and the impact on the environment should also be considered. This review aimed to outline the advantages and disadvantages of different horse bedding types, fo...
Naydani CJ, Coombs T.Obesity and its comorbidities (e.g. laminitis) are identified as major welfare issues among domestic equids in the United Kingdom (UK) and abroad. Weight-management typically focuses on restricting consumption (e.g. limiting pasture grazing), often facilitated through stabling. This leads to social isolation, prompting other welfare issues. Increased exercise may be a preferable solution for equine obesity, if viable. The aims of this study were to explore horse (Equus caballus) owner perceptions regarding the importance of exercise, and to investigate how exercise provision related to welfare...
Li X, Wang Z, Zhu M, Wang B, Teng S, Yan J, Wang H, Yuan P, Cao S, Qu X, Wang Z, Zhan K, Choudhury MP, Yang X, Bao Q, He S, Liu L, Zhao P, Jiang J....Horse domestication revolutionizes human civilization by transforming transportation, agriculture, and warfare patterns. Despite extensive studies on modern domestic horse origins, the intricate demographic history and genetic signatures underlying pony size remain unexplored. Here, a high-quality genome assembly of the Chinese Debao pony is presented, and 452 qualified individuals from 64 horse breeds worldwide are extensively analyzed. The authors' results reveal the conservation of ancient components in East Asian horses and close relationships between Asian horses and Western pony lineages...
Giannetto C, Aragona F, Fazio F, Piccione G, Giudice E, Arfuso F, Zumbo A.This study aimed to examine the impact of climatic conditions on feed intake, body weight, and rectal temperature in horses residing in the hot Summer Mediterranean climate zone. Eight gelding Italian Saddle horses, with an average body weight of 427.78 ± 54.55 kg and aged between 10 and 13 years, participated in the research. All horses were individually housed in a paddock (800 m/horse), and fed ad libitum. Food intake, body weight, and rectal temperature were recorded every 10 days at four 30-day collection periods in the year: January, April, July, and October. The formula adapted fr...
Visser EK, Jens AL, Nieuwe Weme LE, Spaapen AA, Maarleveld KN, Enzerink KH, Tromp PN, Haven-Pross SC.Equine-Assisted Services (EAS) offer significant benefits for individuals with intellectual and/or physical disabilities. However, ensuring the welfare of the horses involved remains a key ethical concern. The objective of this study was to assess the affective states of horses involved in EAS while also establishing behavioural thresholds for indicators of positive or negative affective states. A total of 98 horses were observed over a two-month period, accumulating data about horse behaviour and session characteristics from 830 EAS sessions. Horses participating in coaching programs averaged...
Steklis NG, Peñaherrera-Aguirre M, Steklis HD.This paper challenges the prevalent characterization of domesticated horses as prey species that inherently view humans as predators. Drawing on evolutionary, ethological, and cognitive evidence, we propose the "mutualistic coevolution hypothesis", which posits that horses and humans have evolved a partnership marked by cooperation rather than fear. We critically assess the "prey hypothesis", emphasizing a predator-prey model, which dominates equine training and the literature, and we argue that it inadequately explains horses' morphology, behaviors, and cognitive capacities. Comparative studi...
Khan IU, Khairullah AR, Khan AY, Rehman AU, Mustofa I.This review explores advanced strategies for enhancing fertility and optimizing reproductive outcomes in equine breeding programs. Horses, being seasonal breeders, present unique reproductive challenges influenced by environmental and physiological factors such as photoperiods, hormone cycles, and aging. Key approaches discussed include hormonal therapies, artificial light manipulation, and nutritional supplementation to improve ovulation and conception rates during the breeding season. Specific hormones such as gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs, equine follicle-stimulating hormone, and p...
Ross M, Proudfoot K, Merkies K, Lundgren C, Ritter C.Competitive dressage's social licence to operate is in jeopardy due to ethical concerns surrounding the use of horses for dressage. There is limited research that contributes to our understanding of Canadian equestrian perspectives on the use of horses in dressage. The objectives of this study were to: (1) explore the cultural context of the Canadian dressage industry, including how horse well-being is integrated within the culture; and (2) investigate coaches' and riders' perceptions and experiences with the use of horses for dressage. An ethnographic case study approach was employed, where M...
McGorum BC, Ellison J, Cullen RT.The concentrations of total and respirable airborne endotoxin in the breathing zone of a pony in 3 different management systems, on 8 occasions, are reported. Airborne endotoxin concentrations in all 3 systems were lower than those reported for many other agricultural environments. However, total airborne endotoxin concentrations in many of the conventional stables exceeded those which can induce pulmonary inflammation and bronchial hyper-responsiveness in normal human subjects, and exceeded those which can induce bronchoconstriction in humans with pre-existing pulmonary inflammation. Therefor...
Relf VE, Morgan ER, Hodgkinson JE, Matthews JB.Few studies have described the combined effect of age, gender, management and control programmes on helminth prevalence and egg shedding in grazing equines. Here, fecal samples collected from 1221 Thoroughbred horses, residing at 22 studs in the UK, were analysed. The distribution of strongyle eggs amongst individuals in relation to age, gender and management practices was investigated. Fecal worm egg counts (FWECs), described as the number of eggs per gramme (epg) of feces, were determined using a modification of the salt flotation method. The FWEC prevalence (mean%) of strongyles, Parascaris...
Camacho AT, Guitian FJ, Pallas E, Gestal JJ, Olmeda AS, Habela MA, Telford SR, Spielman A.The control of equine piroplasmosis is becoming increasingly important to maintain the international market open to the horse industry. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the occurrence of equine piroplasmosis (Theileria equi and Babesia caballi) in Galicia, north-west Spain, and to compare haematological and serum biochemistry parameters between non-parasitaemic horses and horses parasitaemic with T. equi and B. caballi. Sixty serum samples (control group) were taken from healthy horses pastured on two farms, and examined for evidence of equine T. equi and B. caballi infection by in...
Le Moyec L, Robert C, Triba MN, Billat VL, Mata X, Schibler L, Barrey E.During long distance endurance races, horses undergo high physiological and metabolic stresses. The adaptation processes involve the modulation of the energetic pathways in order to meet the energy demand. The aims were to evaluate the effects of long endurance exercise on the plasma metabolomic profiles and to investigate the relationships with the individual horse performances. The metabolomic profiles of the horses were analyzed using the non-dedicated methodology, NMR spectroscopy and statistical multivariate analysis. The advantage of this method is to investigate several metabolomic path...
Bochnia M, Ziegler J, Sander J, Uhlig A, Schaefer S, Vollstedt S, Glatter M, Abel S, Recknagel S, Schusser GF, Wensch-Dorendorf M, Zeyner A.Hypoglycin A (HGA) in seeds of Acer spp. is suspected to cause seasonal pasture myopathy in North America and equine atypical myopathy (AM) in Europe, fatal diseases in horses on pasture. In previous studies, this suspicion was substantiated by the correlation of seed HGA content with the concentrations of toxic metabolites in urine and serum (MCPA-conjugates) of affected horses. However, seed sampling was conducted after rather than during an outbreak of the disease. The aim of this study was to further confirm the causality between HGA occurrence and disease outbreak by seed sampling during ...
Hampson BA, Morton JM, Mills PC, Trotter MG, Lamb DW, Pollitt CC.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...
Hausberger M, Stomp M, Sankey C, Brajon S, Lunel C, Henry S.Research in cognitive psychology has repeatedly shown how much cognition and emotions are mutually related to one another. Psychological disorders are associated with cognitive (attention, memory and judgment) biases and chronic pain may affect attention, learning or memory. Laboratory studies have provided useful insights about the processes involved but observations about spontaneous animal models, living in different stress/welfare conditions may help understand further how cognition and welfare are interrelated in the « real world ». Domestic horses constitute such a model as they live i...
Murphy BA.Biological rhythms evolved to provide temporal coordination across all tissues and organs and allow synchronization of physiology with predictable environmental cycles. Most important of these are circadian and circannual rhythms, primarily regulated via photoperiod signals from the retina. Understanding the nature of physiological rhythms in horses is crucially important for equine management. Predominantly, they have been removed from exposure to their natural environmental stimuli; the seasonally changing photoperiod, continuous foraging and feeding activity, social herd interactions, and t...
Hansen NC, Avershina E, Mydland LT, Næsset JA, Austbø D, Moen B, Måge I, Rudi K.It is well known that nutrient availability can alter the gut microbiota composition, while the effect on diversity and temporal stability remains largely unknown. Methods: Here we address the equine caecal microbiota temporal stability, diversity, and functionality in response to diets with different levels of nutrient availability. Hay (low and slower nutrient availability) versus a mixture of hay and whole oats (high and more rapid nutrient availability) were used as experimental diets. Results: We found major effects on the microbiota despite that the caecal pH was far from sub-clinical ac...
Del Prete C, Tafuri S, Ciani F, Pasolini MP, Ciotola F, Albarella S, Carotenuto D, Peretti V, Cocchia N.Stallion semen is damaged by oxidative stress during cooling and transport. Semen processing and extenders have been tested to improve the fertilizing capacity of semen and to preserve semen during transport. Dietary supplementation with natural antioxidants has been proposed to prevent oxidative damages. In this study, for the first time, the effect of dietary supplementation with Lepidium meyenii (Maca) on the characteristics of fresh and chilled stallion semen was evaluated. Maca is a traditional Andean crop used as a nutraceutical for the fertility-enhancing properties that are linked with...
Abu-Zidan FM, Rao S.Horse riding and handling are uniquely dangerous. Knowledge of the risk factors of horse-related injuries is essential to prevent them. We aimed to define the factors that affect the severity of horse-related injuries and the length of hospital stay. A number of 231 patients (136 females and 95 males) with horse-related injuries were studied. A generalized linear model was used to test the effect of age, sex, cause of injury, complexity of the mechanism of injury, year, place of injury and profession of the injured, on the injury severity score (ISS) and the hospital stay. Fall from a horse wa...
Raspa F, Tarantola M, Muca E, Bergero D, Soglia D, Cavallini D, Vervuert I, Bordin C, De Palo P, Valle E.Horses reared for meat production are generally fed a diet rich in starch with the aim of maximizing production performances. This study evaluated the effects of two feeding management systems on horse welfare by analysing the relative time spent engaged in different behavioural activities. Nineteen Bardigiano horses aged 14.3 ± 0.7 months were randomly assigned to one of two group pens: one group was fed high amounts of starch-rich concentrates (HCG; = 10), the other was fed a fibre-based diet (HFG; = 9). Behavioural activities performed by each horse were video-recorded over a 96-h period...
Tzelos T, Barbeito JS, Nielsen MK, Morgan ER, Hodgkinson JE, Matthews JB.Parasitic nematodes, particularly cyathostomins, are ubiquitous in grazing horses world-wide. Considerable burdens of cyathostomin larvae can encyst in the large intestinal wall. The most recommended treatment against these pathogenic stages is moxidectin. Information is required on how effective moxidectin is against cyathostomin populations in different regions. The objectives here were to determine the efficacy of moxidectin treatment and estimate the strongyle egg reappearance period (ERP) after treatment in several equine populations, to confirm the type of strongyle nematodes present and...
Gu J, MacHugh DE, McGivney BA, Park SD, Katz LM, Hill EW.The wild progenitors of the domestic horse were subject to natural selection for speed and stamina for millennia. Uniquely, this process has been augmented in Thoroughbreds, which have undergone at least 3 centuries of intense artificial selection for athletic phenotypes. While the phenotypic adaptations to exercise are well described, only a small number of the underlying genetic variants contributing to these phenotypes have been reported. Objective: A panel of candidate performance-related genes was examined for DNA sequence variation in Thoroughbreds and the association with racecourse per...
Guyton K, Houchen-Wise E, Peck E, Mayberry J.Horse-related injury can be severe and disabling. We investigated the causes, severity, and costs of equestrian injury with the goal of injury prevention. A retrospective review of horse-related injuries from 2001 to 2008 identified 231 patients with a mean age of 38 years and a mean Injury Severity Score of 11 (range, 1 to 45). Mean length of stay was 5.5 days. Fifty-nine patients (25%) required 84 surgeries. Helmet use was 20 per cent and of the 172 patients not wearing a helmet while mounted, 38 per cent received potentially preventable head injuries. There were three deaths of which two we...
Meregillano G.Hippotherapy refers to the use of the movement of the horse asa treatment tool by physical therapists, occupational therapists,and speech-language therapists to address impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities in clients with neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction, such as cerebral palsy. Hippotherapy is used as part of an integrated treatment program to achieve functional outcomes. Hippotherapy engages the client in activities on the horse that are enjoyable and challenging. In the controlled hippotherapyenvironment, the therapist modifies the horse's movement and carefully grades sens...
Robinson NE, Karmaus W, Holcombe SJ, Carr EA, Derksen FJ.Although subclinical airway inflammation is thought to be common in horses, there is little information on its prevalence and none on risk factors. Objective: To determine the prevalence and risk factors for an increased number of inflammatory cells and for mucus accumulation in the trachea of pleasure horses. Methods: Horses (n = 266) in stables (n = 21) in Michigan were examined endoscopically, once in winter and once in summer 2004. Visible tracheal mucoid secretions were graded 0-5 and inflammatory cell numbers counted in a tracheal lavage sample. Information collected about each horse inc...
Souris AC, Kaczensky P, Julliard R, Walzer C.The Przewalski's horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) became extinct in the wild in the 1960s, but survived as a species due to captive breeding. There have been several initiatives to re-introduce the species in central Asia, but until now only two projects in Mongolia establish free-ranging populations. Data on basic ecology and behavior of the species prior to extinction is largely lacking and a good documentation of the re-introduction process is essential. Between 13 May and 2 September 2003 we documented the time budget-, group synchrony and body score development of a newly released Przewals...
Potter SJ, Bamford NJ, Harris PA, Bailey SR.To determine the prevalence of obesity within a population of pleasure horses and ponies in Victoria, Australia, and to compare owners' perceptions of their animals' body condition with researchers' assessments. Methods: An observational study plus owner questionnaire. Methods: Ten Pony Club rallies in different regions of Victoria were attended. Information regarding 229 horses and ponies were obtained from owner questionnaires, and owners' perceptions of the current body condition of their animals were assessed using a visual analogue scale. Body condition score (BCS) was assessed by the res...
Cooper JJ, Mason GJ.Many behaviours in domestic animals, such as the 'stable vices' of horses, are treated because they are considered undesirable for economic or cultural reasons, and not because the activity affects the horse's quality of life. The impact of a behaviour on the human reporter is not a function of its impact on the animal performer, and an understanding of the causes and effects of the particular activity is necessary to assess the costs and benefits of treatment. Where the behaviour is a sign of poor welfare, such as an inadequate environment, treatment can best be achieved by removing these und...
Dougal K, Harris PA, Girdwood SE, Creevey CJ, Curtis GC, Barfoot CF, Argo CM, Newbold CJ.Twelve mature (aged 5-16 years) horses and ponies of mixed breed and type were fed restricted (1.25% BM Dry matter) quantities of one of two fiber based diets formulated to be iso-caloric. Diet 1 comprised of 0.8% body mass (BM) of chaff based complete feed plus 0.45% BM low energy grass hay (the same hay used for both diets). Diet 2 comprised 0.1% BM of a nutrient balancer plus 1.15% BM grass hay. Fecal samples were collected at week 10 and week 16. DNA was extracted and the V1-V2 regions of 16SrDNA were 454-pyrosequenced to investigate the bacterial microbiome of the horse. The two most abun...
Sigurjónsdóttir H, Haraldsson H.We explore how herd composition and management factors correlate with frequencies of social interactions in horse groups. Since the welfare of horses correlates with low aggression levels and social contact opportunities, information of this kind is important. The data are a collection of records of social interactions of 426 Icelandic horses in 20 groups of at least eight horses. The complexities and limitations of the data prohibit useful statistical modelling so the results are presented descriptively. Interesting and informative patterns emerge which can be of use both in management and in...
Lira J, Linderholm A, Olaria C, Brandström Durling M, Gilbert MT, Ellegren H, Willerslev E, Lidén K, Arsuaga JL, Götherström A.Multiple geographical regions have been proposed for the domestication of Equus caballus. It has been suggested, based on zooarchaeological and genetic analyses that wild horses from the Iberian Peninsula were involved in the process, and the overrepresentation of mitochondrial D1 cluster in modern Iberian horses supports this suggestion. To test this hypothesis, we analysed mitochondrial DNA from 22 ancient Iberian horse remains belonging to the Neolithic, the Bronze Age and the Middle Ages, against previously published sequences. Only the medieval Iberian sequence appeared in the D1 group. N...
Mota-Rojas D, Braghieri A, Álvarez-Macías A, Serrapica F, Ramírez-Bribiesca E, Cruz-Monterrosa R, Masucci F, Mora-Medina P, Napolitano F.This study discusses scientific findings on the use of draught animals such as equids (i.e., horses, mules, and donkeys) and bovids (i.e., cattle and water buffaloes) in rural labours. Relevant peer-reviewed literature published between 1980 and 2021 was retrieved from CAB Abstracts, PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Scopus databases. Although animals were used to produce draught power since their domestication and are still being used for this purpose, mechanisation has markedly reduced animal labour demand in agriculture. However, the process was uneven across continents according to economi...
Ireland JL, Clegg PD, McGowan CM, McKane SA, Pinchbeck GL.With growing numbers of aged horses, geriatric medicine is becoming increasingly important in equine veterinary practice; however, there is a paucity of information on the UK equine geriatric population. Objective: To describe the demographic characteristics of the equine geriatric population and to assess management practices undertaken by owners of geriatric horses (aged≥15 years). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, surveying a randomly selected sample of veterinary registered owners with horses aged≥15 years, using a self-administered postal questionnaire. Results: Horses a...
Holmes TQ, Brown AF.Equestrian sports, including racing (e.g., flat, steeple-chasing, harness or donkey derby); show-jumping; cross-country; dressage; polo; polocrosse; endurance; carriage driving; vaulting and hunting; are hugely popular in the UK, and they involve a significant number of people, both as participants and spectators, and tens of thousands of equids. In this paper, we discuss animal welfare as a complex and disputed issue, clarifying what the term means and how it can be measured. We review many aspects of welfare risk to equids used for sport, addressing issues encountered throughout their lives,...
Cohen ND, Gibbs PG, Woods AM.To determine whether dietary and other management factors were associated with development of colic in horses. Methods: Prospective matched case-control study. Methods: 2,060 horses examined by veterinarians in private practice in Texas for colic and noncolic emergencies. Methods: Each month for 12 months, participating veterinarians were sent forms to collect information on 1 horse with colic and 1 horse that received emergency treatment for a condition other than colic, information collected included signalment, farm management and characteristics, diet, medical and preventive medical factor...
Popescu S, Diugan EA, Spinu M.This paper presents a different approach to the welfare of working horses through the indicators of good welfare, their interrelations and their relationships with the type of work performed by the horses. 697 working horses were assessed by using observation, behavioural tests, clinical exams and questionnaires. The correlated results highlight the complex and multiple interrelations between the good welfare indicators, showing once again that animal welfare is under the influence of all its three dimensions (physical and emotional wellbeing and naturalness). In working horses, the heavier th...
Fenner K, Hyde M, Crean A, McGreevy P.Owner-reported behavioural observations form an essential part of the veterinarians' diagnosis and treatment plan. The way we train and manage horses affects their behaviour and, in turn, their health and welfare. Current horse training and management practices are largely driven by traditional techniques and longstanding methodologies. These approaches generally lack an evidence base for evaluation purposes. The absence of evidence and evaluation contributes to the persistent use of risky practices and this, in turn, increases risk of potential harms for both horse and rider, and fuels questi...
Brownlow MA, Dart AJ, Jeffcott LB.Metabolic heat produced by Thoroughbred racehorses during racing can rapidly elevate core body temperature (1°C/min). When environmental conditions are hot and humid, the normal physiological cooling mechanisms become ineffective. The heat accumulated may exceed a critical thermal maximum (estimated to be 42°C), which may trigger a complex pathophysiological cascade with potentially lethal consequences. This syndrome has been labelled exertional heat illness (EHI). EHI is described in humans, but has not been well documented in Thoroughbred racehorses. The clinical signs described in racehor...
