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.
Kummer M, Gygax D, Lischer C, Auer J.Hoof preparation and shoe fit are integral to the long term soundness and athletic ability of horses. The farrier influences the balance of the hoof by both the trimming and the shoeing procedure. The goal of this study was to investigate and quantify the influence of the farrier on hoof parameters by trimming. Forty Warmblood horses ranging in age from 6-12 years and withers height 162-172cm were included. They were divided into six groups consisting of six or seven horses each, shod by one of six different farriers. The hoofs of the horses were radiographed twice using a standardised method ...
Miraglia N, Costantini M, Polidori M, Meineri G, Peiretti PG.In the Molise region (Italy), some autochthonous populations are still bred and, between them, some wild horses named 'Pentro horses.' The breeding area is a natural pasture. It is 2200 ha extended including a broad plane surrounded by wooden hills. The aim of this research was to determine the nutritional characteristics of this area over a 2-year period to improve the management of the herd and to define the stocking rate in relation to the forage production in terms of production and quality. The forage samples were collected over two successive years during the grazing period (May to Octob...
Husted L, Sanchez LC, Olsen SN, Baptiste KE, Merritt AM.Stall housing has been suggested as a risk factor for ulcer development in the equine stomach; however, the exact pathogenesis for this has not been established. Objective: To investigate the effect of 3 environmental situations (grass paddock, stall alone or stall with adjacent companion) on pH in the proximal and the ventral stomach. Methods: Six horses with permanently implanted gastric cannulae were used in a randomised, cross-over, block design. Each horse rotated through each of three 24 h environmental situations. Horses remained on their normal diet (grass hay ad libitum and grain b.i....
Wichert B, Nater S, Wittenbrink MM, Wolf P, Meyer K, Wanner M.In 46 horse farms all over Switzerland, the hygienic quality of the roughage (including silages) was investigated. Therefore, a macroscopic examination as well as the microbial counts (bacteria, yeasts and moulds) was carried out. Further, the contents of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and the contamination with deoxynivalenol (DON) were determined. In all roughages, the dry matter (DM) content was measured and in silages additionally the pH was measured. Predominantly, the straw showed a lower hygienic quality than hay and silages. The LPS contents were significantly higher in straw than those in ...
Stull CL.The transportation conditions of slaughter horses for human consumption have become a public and regulatory issue in the United States in the last two decades. Federal regulations were developed partially using the results of funded research projects that examined the types of vehicles, characteristics of slaughter horse candidates, types of injuries during transport, duration of transit, stocking densities and other behavioural and physiological indices during long-distance road transport. Additionally, the physiological responses of horses travelling long distances in vans while cross-tied b...
Blancou J, Parsonson I.Since Roman Antiquity, domestic and wild animals have been transported over long distances for purposes as different as improvement of livestock production, food supply, scientific interest, public entertainment, war and numerous other purposes. This long distance transportation was originally limited to the Mediterranean area but, during the Middle Ages extended to the rest of Europe. The conquest of the New World was the first major occasion to transport large numbers of horses and other livestock across the oceans. Domestic animals were necessary for the new colonies and their armies. Europ...
Wilson AJ, Rambaut A.Horse racing is a multi-million pound industry, in which genetic information is increasingly used to optimize breeding programmes. To maximize the probability of producing a successful offspring, the owner of a mare should mate her with a high-quality stallion. However, stallions with big reputations command higher stud fees and paying these is only a sensible strategy if, (i) there is a genetic variation for success on the racecourse and (ii) stud fees are an honest signal of a stallion's genetic quality. Using data on thoroughbred racehorses, and lifetime earnings from prize money (LE) as a ...
Noble GK, Brockwell YM, Munn KJ, Harris PA, Davidson HP, Li X, Zhang D, Sillence MN.L-tryptophan is a common ingredient in equine calmative products, but its effectiveness has not been demonstrated in horses. Objective: To determine whether a commercial dose of L-tryptophan increases plasma tryptophan and alters behaviour in horses fed a roughage or concentrate meal. Methods: L-tryptophan (6.3 g) or placebo (water) was administered per os in a cross-over design, to 12 Thoroughbred horses (503 +/- 12.1 kg bwt), just before a meal of lucerne hay or oats. Plasma tryptophan was measured by gas chromatography. Horse behaviour was observed in an empty enclosure, then in the presenc...
Schott HC.Chronic renal failure is a syndrome of progressive loss of renal function that results in loss of urinary concentrating ability, retention of nitrogenous and other metabolic end products, alterations in electrolyte and acid-base status, and dysfunction of several hormone systems. This article describes the prevalence, causes, clinical signs, diagnostic evaluation, and management of horses afflicted with chronic renal failure. It is hoped that this article illustrates that chronic renal failure, when detected in the earlier stages of disease, can be managed successfully in the short-term allowi...
Delguste C, de Moffarts B, Kirschvink N, Art T, Pincemail J, Defraigne JO, Amory H, Lekeux P.The antioxidant status of 10 horses living in stable 1 where 2 cases of equine motor neuron disease had previously been diagnosed was assessed before and 9 weeks after moving to another stable. Duration of residence in stable 1, subsequent moving, or both, significantly affected several parameters of the antioxidant status. Le statut antioxydatif de 10 chevaux logés dans l’écurie 1, où 2 cas de maladie du neurone moteur avaient été précédemment diagnostiqués, a été vérifié avant et 9 semaines après leur transfert dans une autre écurie. La durée de l’hébergement dans l’é...
Williamson A, Rogers CW, Firth EC.To identify feeding and management variables associated with variation in faecal pH within a population of intensively managed Thoroughbred racehorses in New Zealand. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted of 16 racehorse trainers in the North Island of New Zealand. Interviews were conducted at the trainers' stables to obtain information on feeding and management of horses, and faecal samples were collected and faecal pH measured. Results: Ninety-seven percent of the horses surveyed were confined in an area or=12 h/day. Trainer's age, number of years they had trained horses, age and g...
Morel PC, Bokor A, Rogers CW, Firth EC.To mathematically describe the growth of a population of Thoroughbred foals reared on pasture in New Zealand from birth to weaning. Methods: Twice-monthly liveweight data (including birthweight; BW) from 218 foals (98 colts and 120 fillies) born over a 6-year period, and reared on four different pasture types, were available for analysis. Data truncated to the time of weaning (107-217 days old) provided 3,200 data points. After testing for non-linearity of the relationship of age and liveweight (LW), five non-linear regression equations were tested for goodness of fit. Results: Colts and filli...
Rogers CW, Gee EK, Firth EC.To obtain initial baseline data on the management of Thoroughbred stud farms in the North Island of New Zealand. Methods: Data on the management of Thoroughbred stud farms were collected from a sample of 22 stud farms located in the south Auckland/Waikato region (n=15) and lower North Island (n=7) of New Zealand, using a face-to-face survey. The studmaster provided information on the size, scope and management of the farms during the 2004/2005 breeding season. Analysis was based on the location of the farm and size of the breeding operation (number of resident mares). Results: Effective farm s...
Hülsemann F, Flenker U, Machnik M, Schänzer W.Sodium bicarbonate administration to horses prior to competition in order to enhance the buffer capacity of the organism is considered as a doping offence. The analysis of the isotopic composition of urinary bicarbonate/CO(2) (TCO(2)) may help to identify an exogenous bicarbonate source, as technical sodium bicarbonate exhibits elevated delta(13)C values compared with urinary total carbon. The isolation of TCO(2) from 60 equine urine samples as BaCO(3) followed by an isotopic analysis shows a significant variability of delta(13)C for TCO(2) of more than 10 per thousand. The delta(13)C of total...
Elfman L, Brannstrom J, Smedje G.Integrating horse stables with built-up areas may lead to conflicts. Dispersion of horse allergen may become a health risk for allergic people. The aim was to measure the dispersion of horse allergen around a stable, considering wind speed and direction and vegetation. The disturbance of staff at a workplace nearby a stable was investigated. Methods: Air sampling was performed around a stable (32 horses) at distances of 50-500 m in all directions. Sampling was done with a pump and an IOM sampler. Samples were collected at 50 points during all seasons. Horse allergen levels were determined usin...
You Y, Uboh CE, Soma LR, Guan F, Li X, Rudy JA, Chen J.A rapid and sensitive method was developed for the screening, quantification and confirmation of ethyl glucuronide (EG) and ethyl sulfate (ES) as biomarkers for alcohol administration to racehorses using liquid chromatography coupled on-line with triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry. Urine sample aliquots (0.1 mL) were pre-treated by protein precipitation. Separation of EG and ES was achieved on an Ultra PFP column. Isocratic elution with a flush step was performed using 0.1% formic acid in water (A) and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile (B). Analysis was performed by negative electrospra...
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...
Henderson AJ.This article posits that stereotypical behavior patterns and the overall psychological well being of today's performance horse could be substantially enhanced with care that acknowledges the relationship between domesticated horses and their forerunners. Feral horses typically roam in stable, social groups over large grazing territories, spending 16-20 hr per day foraging on mid- to poor-quality roughage. In contrast, today's elite show horses live in relatively small stalls, eat a limited-but rich-diet at specific feedings, and typically live in social isolation. Although the horse has been d...
Eysker M, Bakker J, van den Berg M, van Doorn DC, Ploeger HW.A study was performed on two horse farms to evaluate the use of age-clustered pooled faecal samples for monitoring worm control in horses. In total 109 horses, 57 on farm A and 52 on farm B, were monitored at weekly intervals between 6 and 14 weeks after ivermectin treatment. This was performed through pooled faecal samples of pools of up to 10 horses of the groups 'yearlings' (both farms), '2-year-old' (two pools in farm A), '3-year-old' (farm A) and adult horses (four pools on farm A and five pools on farm B), which were compared with the mean individual faecal egg counts of the same pools. ...
Luckie C, Whitney C, Benoit M, Taddei L, Sukta A, Peterson J, Schwope D, Gaensslen RE, Negrusz A.Cocaine (COC) is a highly addictive plant alkaloid expressing strong psychostimulatory effect. It has no medical use in equine veterinary practice. The contamination of the environment with cocaine such as its presence on the US paper currency has been reported few times. There are anecdotal reports of low benzoylecgonine (BE) concentrations (usually much less than 100 ng/mL) being found in urine of race horses. In order to protect horsemen against harsh penalties associated with the presence of trace amounts of BE in horse urine as a result of environmental contamination, in February 2005 the...
Lind EO, Rautalinko E, Uggla A, Waller PJ, Morrison DA, Höglund J.Virtually all horses are infected with helminth parasites. For some decades, the control of parasites of Swedish horses has been based on routine treatments with anthelmintics, often several times per year. Since anthelmintic resistance is becoming an increasing problem it is essential to develop more sustainable control strategies, which are adapted to different types of horse management. The aim of this study was to obtain information on practices used by Swedish horse owners for the control of endoparasites. Methods: A questionnaire with 26 questions about management practices and parasite ...
Davis JL, Posner LP, Elce Y.A 24-year-old 732-kg (1,610-lb) pregnant Belgian draft horse mare developed neuropathy and signs of intractable pain following colic surgery. Results: Following recovery from colic surgery to treat compression of the small and large intestines because of a large fetus, the mare was noticed to have signs of femoral neuropathy involving the left hind limb. Within 36 hours after recovery, the mare developed signs of severe pain that were unresponsive to conventional treatment. No gastrointestinal tract or muscular abnormalities were found, and the discomfort was attributed to neuropathic pain. Re...
Hotchkiss JW, Reid SW, Christley RM.Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is a commonly encountered respiratory condition of horses. Despite this, the epidemiology of this predominately manageable and reversible disease in Great Britain has been largely ignored. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of RAO in the general horse population of Great Britain and to investigate possible risk factors for RAO associated with management or early life. Methods: Horse owners were surveyed using a self-administered postal questionnaire that contained a risk-screening questionnaire (RSQ) designed to identify horses with RAO. These owners were ...
Hotchkiss JW, Reid SW, Christley RM.Information is scarce as to how horses are kept and managed in the general horse population of Great Britain. Objective: To characterise the demographics of horses in Great Britain and assess their care (with particular reference to the respiratory system). Methods: Horse owners were surveyed using a self-administered postal questionnaire. These owners were selected randomly, following geographical stratification, using 2-stage cluster sampling of veterinary practices and their clients. Results: The overall response proportion to the survey was 68.2%. An investigation of nonresponse bias detec...
Pearson RA, Krecek RC.Problems have been identified in the delivery of extension messages about the maintenance of healthy and well-fed working animals. The different factors that need to be considered in developing effective disease control and prevention programmes for working oxen and equids including vector-borne diseases, helminth disease, and vaccination programmes have been reported and discussed and experiences in improving husbandry including footcare, harness, and worm management reported. Most draught animals are owned by people who lack the financial means to pay for or to access the information needed ...
Ott EA, Asquith RL, Feaster JP.Forty-six Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse yearlings were used in two experiments designed to determine the amount of lysine in the concentrate necessary to promote maximum growth when fed the Coastal bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) hay provided at 1% body weight (BW)/day. In the first experiment, a 196-day trial, supplemental protein sources and analyses of the concentrates compared were: (1) soybean meal (SBM; 15.4% crude protein, .70% lysine); (2) SBM + .2% lysine (15.7% crude protein, .81% lysine), and (3) brewers dried grains + .2% lysine (15.9% crude protein, .59% lysine). Concentrate inta...
Dixon PM, Andrew R, Brannon H, Burgess R, Gibson A, Little JC, Orange B, Ross L, Rudolph T, Shaw DJ.A survey of 854 horse owners, trainers and equestrian managers in 10 regions of Great Britain and Ireland showed that 83 per cent provided their horses with routine prophylactic dental care at fixed intervals, including 49 per cent at intervals of 12 months and 30 per cent at intervals of six months; a further 10 per cent provided it only when they felt it was required and 7 per cent did not provide it at all. Overall, 44 per cent of the owners had their horse's wolf teeth (first premolar) extracted routinely; when prophylactic dentistry was provided, it was carried out solely by equine dental...
Chanda M, Puangthong C, Pathomsakulwong W, Apichaimongkonkun T, Leklub J.Two horses diagnosed with underrun heels leading to navicular syndrome were fitted with Z-bar shoes. They occasionally showed moderate lameness on the affected legs after the sixth and tenth consecutive farrier adjustments. The affected hooves were sensitive to compression of the frog and sole in their palmar regions. Modified Z-bar shoes were created and shod on the lame legs based on previous with regional anaesthesia and recent clinical examination. The lameness scores were slightly improved at the first shoeing with the modified Z-bar shoes but were markedly improved at four and eight week...
Kirby AT, Traub-Dargatz JL, Hill AE, Kogan LR, Morley PS, Heird JC.To develop a questionnaire for self-assessment of biosecurity practices at equine boarding facilities and to evaluate infectious disease control practices in these facilities in Colorado. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: 64 equine boarding facilities in Colorado. Methods: Survey questions were rated according to importance for prevention and containment of equine infectious diseases. Point values (range, 0 to 20) were assigned for possible responses, with greater values given for optimal infection control methods. Questionnaires were mailed to equine boarding facilities in Colorado adv...
Soma LR, Gallis DE, Davis WL, Cochran TA, Woodward CB.Phenylbutazone (PBZ) was administered (8.8 mg/kg of body weight) every 24 hours for 5 consecutive days, orally for the first 4 days and IV on day 5. The half-life (t 1/2) after this daily administration was 6.2 hours and the volume of distribution was 0.152 +/- 0.014 L/kg; the bioavailability after oral administration was 91.8 +/- 2.5%. The plasma concentration of PBZ at experimental hour (EH) 24 (24 hours after the 1st oral dose) was 1.7 +/- 0.39 micrograms/ml and increased to 4.2 +/- 0.29 micrograms/ml at EH 48 (24 hours after the 2nd oral dose). Values at EH 72, 96, and 120 (24 hours after ...
Ojima Y, Torii S, Maeda Y, Matsuura A.Heat stress is serious problem for livestock. While riding horses and racehorses spend the majority of their days in stalls, there are few reports on effective methods for reducing stall heat stress. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an ice horse blanket in hot and humid environments. Twenty healthy horses were measured first without the blanket (C) and then measured with the blanket (IB), or vice versa, in a cross-over trial. The blanket was designed to keep cooling the front back, the rear back, and the loin. Skin surface temperature, respiratory rate, rectal ...
Gray B, Viljanto M, Menzies E, Vanhaecke L.The detection of drugs in human hair samples has been performed by laboratories around the world for many years and the matrix is popular in disciplines, such as workplace drug testing. To date, however, hair has not become a routinely utilised matrix in sports drug detection. The analysis of hair samples offers several potential advantages to doping control laboratories, not least of which are the greatly extended detection window and the ease of sample collection and storage. This article describes the development, validation, and utilisation of a sensitive ultra-high performance liquid chro...
Auyyuenyong R, Henze A, Ungru J, Schweigert FJ, Raila J, Vervuert I.Obesity is a key component of equine metabolic syndrome, which is highly associated with laminitis. Feed restriction and/or exercise are known to alleviate the detrimental effects of insulin resistance in obese ponies. However, little is known about changes in the serum lipid patterns due to weight reduction and its association with disease outcomes. Therefore, the lipid patterns in the serum of 14 mature ponies before and after a 14-week body weight reduction program (BWRP) were investigated by multi-one-dimensional thin-layer chromatography (MOD-TLC). Additionally, sensitivity to insulin (SI...
Kwok WH, Leung DK, Leung GN, Wan TS, Wong CH, Wong JK.A rapid liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) method was developed for the simultaneous screening of 19 drugs of different classes in equine plasma using automated on-line solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Plasma samples were first protein precipitated using acetonitrile. After centrifugation, the supernatant was directly injected into the on-line SPE system and analysed by a triple quadrupole LC-MS-MS in positive electrospray ionisation (+ESI) mode with selected reaction monitoring (SRM) scan function. On-line extraction and c...
Millican L, Vanderstichel R, McClure J, MacMillan K.The objectives of this study were to determine the proportion of owners of horse farms in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada that were aware of the (CODE) and determine demographic factors associated with awareness. A questionnaire was completed by owners at fifty horse farms. In total, 38% of the farm owners were unaware of the CODE, 48% were aware, but were not familiar with its content and only 14% used the CODE when making decisions on caring for their horses. Owners of private stables were more aware of the CODE than owners of boarding stables. The CODE awareness varied between the three...
Treiber KH, Geor RJ, Boston RC, Hess TM, Harris PA, Kronfeld DS.Advances in modeling and tracer techniques provide new perspective into glucose utilization and potential consequences to health or exercise performance. This study used stable isotope and compartmental modeling to evaluate how adaptation to a feed high in sugar and starch (SS) compared with a feed high in fat and fiber (FF) affects glucose kinetics at rest and during exercise in horses. Six trained Arabians adapted to each feed underwent similar tests at rest and while running approximately 4 m/s on a treadmill. For both tests, horses received 100 micromol/kg body weight [6,6-(2)H]glucose thr...
Naylor JM, Bell R.Orphan foals are best reared by fostering them onto a brood mare of appropriate size. If no foster mother is available, they can be reared on 2 per cent fat skimmed cow's milk fortified with dextrose at the rate of 20 gm per L. This should be slowly increased from 10 per cent of body weight at 1 day of age to 25 per cent of body weight at 10 days of age. The amount should then be held constant until weaning. Alternatively, foals can be reared on milk replacers. Manufacturers' feeding instructions rarely mimic the milk intake obtained by a foal nursing her dam, and problems have been observed i...
Johnson E, van Heemst J, Benavides J, Gray B.Etizolam is a benzodiazepine analogue that is approved for use in Japan, Italy and India but has recently appeared as a nonapproved product on the illicit drug market in Europe and North America. Etizolam was identified in a crystalline material seized at a Kentucky racetrack, raising concerns that this drug may have been used in racing. The aim of this study was to characterize the metabolism and excretion of etizolam in horses to generate information on its disposition and to incorporate the correct urinary and serum target analytes into anti-doping screening procedures. Etizolam was adminis...
Traub-Dargatz J, Kopral C, Wagner B.This study is the first report estimating, on a national basis, the use of various biosecurity practices, singly and in combination, on U.S. equine operations. Use of biosecurity practices is described for operations by risk level, based on reported exposure of resident horses to outside horses during the previous 12 months. In addition, the association between use of various biosecurity practices and use of antibiotics to treat infectious disease in both adult equids and foals is reported. The comparison of these study findings with previously reported data in the literature is limited by the...
Haezebrouck P, Noppe W, Van Dael H, Hanssens I.From fluorescence measurements on mixtures of bis-ANS and equine lysozyme and from Ca(2+)-dependent hydrophobic interaction chromatography of equine lysozyme, it is demonstrated that Ca2+ binding induces a conformational change upon which hydrophobic regions in the protein become less accessible. Bis-ANS fluorescence titrations in the absence of Ca2+ and in 2 mM Ca2+ are also performed with equine alpha-lactalbumin variants B and C. These variants differ by an amino-acid exchange Asp----Ile at residue 95. The fluorescence titration curves indicate that the accessibility of the probe to the Ca2...
Ríha J, Minár J, Skaloud J, Janes K, Králík O.Dipterous blood-sucking insects (horseflies, black flies, gnats, midges) have negative impacts on the performance of draught horses in forest enterprises. For the protection of these animals, the following preparations were applied at the interval of 24 hours: diethyltoluamide, Oxamat (N,N-diethyloxamine acid, USSR) and Stomoxin (synthetic pyrethroid, product of the firm Wellcome, England). In the course of 66 working days, the performance of test animals treated with 10% water emulsion of diethyltoluamide increased by 49.25 cu. m. of skidded wood, i.e. by 0.74 cu. m. wood per horse/day (21.65...
Houpt KA.In summary, horses spend 60% or more of their time eating when grazing or when feed is available free choice. Grasses are their preferred food, but they supplement the grass with herbs and woody plants. Sweetened mixtures of oats and corn are the most preferred concentrate. Horses can increase or decrease the time spent eating and amount eaten to maintain caloric intake. Their intake is stimulated by drugs such as diazepam and by the presence of other horses. Horses stop eating when gastric osmolality increases; increases in plasma osmolality, protein, and glucose accompany digestion. Foals ea...
Wilson RT.Equines are minor species in Tanzania's array of domestic livestock. Attempts to use them for transport by early explorers from the mid-nineteenth century usually failed. Donkeys were used extensively as pack animals to complement human porters by both British and German forces in the First World War, but their advantages were often outweighed by slow progress and competition with troops and porters for water, and they died in huge numbers. The British had regular cavalry troops in their campaign and mules found limited use as individual mounts for officers. In modern times, there are very few...
Liu Y, Uboh CE, Soma LR, Li X, Guan F, You Y, Rudy JA, Chen JW.In 2008, Pennsylvania (PA) became the first State in the USA to ban and enforce the ban on the use of anabolic and androgenic steroids (AAS) in equine athletes by using plasma for analysis. To enforce the ban, a rapid and high-throughput method for analysis of 60 AAS in equine plasma was developed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Analytes were recovered from plasma by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) using methyl tert-butyl ether, separated on a reversed-phase C₁₈ column and analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM)...
Possessing high meat and dairy productivity and good reproductive and adaptive qualities to year-round grazing, the Kushum breed plays an exceptional role in the improvement of productive qualities in horse herding in Kazakhstan and the former Soviet republics. The aim of the study was to develop breeding methods for creating new highly productive breeding lines for the Kushum breed horses. The leading method was linebreeding, which is based on the systematic use of remarkable animals, the offspring of which will accumulate and develop all the desired qualities and traits. The practical signif...
Delbeke FT, Debackere M.The prototype of a commercial ELISA test kit designed for fentanyl determination in human urine has been evaluated for screening fentanyl in horse urine and plasma. The measurement of fentanyl after intravenous (2 mg) and intramuscular (0.25 mg) administration in undiluted plasma was not reproducible while accurate quantification of fentanyl in urine greatly depends on the composition of the horse urine. The ELISA assay, however, is simple and could be successfully used for quantitative measurements in diluted urine and for rapid qualitative screening for fentanyl in large numbers of urine sam...
Arias KD, Cervantes I, Gutiérrez JP.In genetic evaluation of horses, the genetic trend does not correspond into a phenotypic trend when using ranking as a phenotype due to its uniform distribution, and some other effects might be absorbing that trend. From a founder population, a further four discrete generations of 100 individuals were simulated under random mating. Then, ten additional discrete generations were simulated by selecting the best 10% of the animals. Likewise, an underlying variable with heritability 0.1 or 0.2, affected by an event environmental influence, generation and permanent environment, was simulated to est...
Jastrzębska E, Sadowska J, Wnuk-Pawlak E, Różańska-Boczula M, Janczarek I.This study aimed at assessing the behaviour of Konik geldings and mares, kept in a stable and in a free-range system, during behavioural tests regarded as a determinant of the exploration urge. A total of 19 Konik horses kept in individual stables and in a free-range system were included in the study. The experiment was conducted in five phases separated by five-day breaks. A one-stage passive human test was performed during the first phase, a three-stage active human test-2nd phase, a three-stage unknown object test-3rd phase, a two-stage unknown surface test-4th phase, and a one-stage test o...
Keen B, Cawley A, Reedy B, Noble G, Loy J, Fu S.The use of catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors may mask doping agents, primarily levodopa, administered to racehorses and prolong the stimulating effects of dopaminergic compounds such as dopamine. It is known that 3-methoxytyramine is a metabolite of dopamine and 3-methoxytyrosine is a metabolite of levodopa thus these compounds are proposed to be potential biomarkers of interest. Previous research established a urinary threshold of 4,000 ng/mL for 3-methoxytyramine to monitor misuse of dopaminergic agents. However, there is no equivalent biomarker in plasma. To address this deficiency a...
Barber SM.The horse, a flight animal that is used extensively by man, frequently receives injuries to its neck or head that result mostly from its management and handling. Better facilities, training of the horse, and horsemanship skills of the handler could prevent many of these injuries. Because many body systems can be involved, with potentially major consequences regarding health, performance, and appearance, early recognition of trauma and competent treatment are crucial. Progress has been made in the treatment of some tracheal and esophageal injuries. Severe tracheal trauma and rupture of the esop...
Wooden GR, Crane CS, Beisel CG.The objective of this study was to determine the effect of Hesperidin Complex and Lemon Bioflavonoid Complex (HC/LBC) on the growth and development of thoroughbred horses. The trial involved twenty-four foals (12 colts, 12 fillies) allotted to treatment shortly after weaning. The study was conducted for a 342-d growing phase and a 153-d training phase, or a total of 495-d. The HC/LBC was included in the test diet at a level calculated to supply the compound at 55 mg X kg body weight-1 X d-1. During the growing phase, average daily gain of colts that received HC/LBC was higher (P less than .05)...
Catalano DN, Heins BJ, Missaghi S, Hathaway MR, Martinson KL.Goldfish (Carassius auratus) have been reported as a method to keep water tanks clean; however, little information exists on this approach. The objectives were to evaluate the efficacy of goldfish on maintaining water quality in tanks and to evaluate the frequency that this method is used. The first objective was completed during June through October 2017 in St. Paul, MN, using plastic and metal 379 L stock tanks, each with and without goldfish in a drylot that housed six adult horses. The stocking rate was 5 goldfish per tank. Daily readings of total dissolved solids (TDS) and water turbidit...
Guinnefollau L, Gee EK, Norman EJ, Rogers CW, Bolwell CF.Horses are used in practical teaching classes in many equine and veterinary science degree programmes to develop and refine the handling and clinical skills of students. In this study, the activities of 24 teaching horses grouped in three herds were investigated over an entire calendar year. Although also used for research and general husbandry, teaching-related activities were the predominant use of the horses. Herd B was used for a greater number of teaching sessions (median = 28, IQR = 27-29.5 per year) than herds M (median = 21, IQR = 20-21 per year) and T (median = 19.5, IQR = 13.75-25.5 ...
Lees P, Taylor JB, Maitho TE, Millar JD, Higgins AJ.The pharmacokinetics, metabolism, excretion and tissue residues of phenylbutazone (PBZ) in the horse were studied following both intravenous and oral administration of the drug at a dose rate of 4.4 mg/kg. A 72-hour blood sampling schedule failed to demonstrate a third exponential phase; the plasma disposition following intravenous injection being described by a two compartment open model, with the following elimination phase parameters: beta = 0.13h-1, t1/2 beta = 5.46h, Vdarea = 0.141 1/kg and C1B = 17.9 ml/kg/h. The hydroxylated metabolites oxyphenbutazone (OPBZ) and gamma-hydroxyphenylbuta...
Stolz I, Tillmann V, Anneken V, Froboese I.Scientific investigation and documentation of equine-assisted therapy has increased over the past several years. Yet there are no standardized and validated tools for evidence-based measurement of processes and outcomes to assess equine-assisted interventions. Objective: The objective of this cross-sectional survey study was to develop a standardized assessment tool for the effective measurement of equine-assisted therapy based on the common language of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework of the World Health Organization (WHO). Methods: Cross-...
