Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
Topic:Horse Management
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.
Factors influencing the development of stereotypic and redirected behaviours in young horses: findings of a four year prospective epidemiological study. Stereotypies are invariant and repetitive behaviour patterns that seemingly have no function, which tend to develop in captive animals faced with insoluble problems and may be indicative of reduced welfare. A 4 year prospective study of the factors influencing the development of stereotypic and redirected behaviours (abnormal behaviour) in a population of 225 young Thoroughbred and part-Thoroughbred horses was conducted between 1995 and 1999. Abnormal behaviour affected 34.7% of the population. Multivariable analysis showed that foals of low- or middle-ranking mares were less likely to develop...
Effects of cross-tying horses during 24 h of road transport. Transportation stress has been implicated as a predisposing factor to respiratory disease in horses. Cross-tying horses individually in stalls is common practice for transporting show and racehorses, but horses also travel in small groups or individually without being restricted by tying. The objective of this study was to compare physiological responses of horses travelling cross-tied or loose during 24 h of road transport. Ten horses were used in a cross-over design consisting of two 4 day trials. In the first trial, 6 horses were cross-tied, while 2 pairs of horses were loose in enclosed co...
Reversibility of action and safety during pregnancy of immunization against porcine zona pellucida in wild mares (Equus caballus). Contraceptive management of publicly valued wildlife species requires safeguards to ensure that these populations are preserved in a healthy state. In addition, reversibility of contraceptive effects and safety in pregnant animals are major concerns. A population of wild horses has been immunized against porcine zona pellucida (PZP) over a 12 year period on Assateague Island National Seashore, MD (ASIS). Mares initially received one or two 65 microg inoculations and once a year 65 microg booster inoculations, all delivered by dart. All young mares aged > 2 years were treated with PZP for 3 ...
Congruence of Actual and Retrospective Reports of Precompetition Emotions in Equestrians. A study was carried out to examine the ability of equestrians to accurately report precompetition emotions and thoughts across varying time delays (3,7, and 14 days) after competition. Forty male and female dressage riders were randomly divided into two equal groups: participants who watched their videotaped precompetition routine before responding to the items, and participants who visualized the precompetition routine without any external aid. Each rider completed several questionnaires which measured emotions, items related to horses, and an open-ended question on thoughts and emotions at t...
Quantification of clenbuterol in equine plasma, urine and tissue by liquid chromatography coupled on-line with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Clenbuterol (CBL) is a potent beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonist used for the management of respiratory disorders in the horse. The detection and quantification of CBL can pose a problem due to its potency, the relatively low dose administered to the horse, its slow clearance and low plasma concentrations. Thus, a sensitive method for the quantification and confirmation of CBL in racehorses is required to study its distribution and elimination. A sensitive and fast method was developed for quantification and confirmation of the presence of CBL in equine plasma, urine and tissue samples. The method i...
Sustainable use of anthelmintics in grazing animals. It is suggested that the major factor in avoiding the development of anthelmintic resistance is the percentage of worms that do not encounter the anthelmintics (worms in refugia). This in turn is determined by the numbers of larvae on pasture, the percentage of animals treated and whether any stages in the host can avoid the action of anthelmintic. To maintain anthelmintic efficacy the percentage of worms in refugia must be sufficiently large. In cattle, this should involve treating only first-year animals and using a different pasture each year for calves. For sheep, only animals that have to...
[From wild horse to riding horse]. Over 45 million years of evolution the horse developed to a highly specialized animal in anatomy, physiology and behavior. No other animal had influenced the economic and cultural history of men to such extent. Hunting prey since the ice age, domesticated 4000 B.C. and used for thousands of years as unique animal all over the world has attained a new role today as partner in sport, as companion animal and even as cotherapeutic. The well known behavioral demands in use and keeping are still often not fulfilled.
Quantitative and qualitative assessment of milk production after pharmaceutical induction of lactation in the mare. The induction of lactation is performed in ruminants by steroidogenic impregnation, followed by drugs intended to increase prolactin secretion. The aim of this study was to induce lactation in barren mares and to evaluate milk production. Five treated and 5 control mares were used in June and September in year 1, and 12 mares were used in year 2. Mares were administered a vaginal pessary (500 mg altrenogest and 50 mg estradiol benzoate) for 1 week. The 2nd week, another sponge with 100 mg estradiol benzoate was administered, together with 50 mg/100 kg body weight (BW) sulpiride in oil (IM q12h...
Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic approach to assess irrelevant plasma or urine drug concentrations in postcompetition samples for drug control in the horse. The current performance of analytical techniques used for drug control in horses lead the Regulatory Authorities to decide whether trace levels of drugs legitimately used for therapeutic medication should or should not be reported. Here, we propose a well-ordered and nonexperimental pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic approach for the determination of irrelevant drug plasma (IPC) and urine concentrations (IUC). The published plasma clearance is used to transform an effective (marketed) dose into an effective concentration (EPC). EPC is transformed into an IPC by applying a safety factor (SF). This...
The use of cardboard bedding material as part of an environmental control regime for heaves-affected horses: in vitro assessment of airborne dust and aeroallergen concentration and in vivo effects on lung function. This study aimed to test whether shredded cardboard is an appropriate minimum-dust bedding material for heaves-affected horses. Results of standardized in vitro measurement of airborne dust and aeroallergen concentrations of cardboard bedding were significantly lower than those of common bedding materials. Six heaves-affected horses in clinical remission after pasturing were stabled for two months on cardboard bedding and fed grass silage. Pulmonary function tests (PFT: ventilatory mechanics, arterial blood gases, airway inflammation scoring, bronchoalveolar cytology) were performed before, du...
Herding and snaking by the harem stallion in domestic herds. Four herds of pony mares, each consisting of a stallion and six mares, were used to characterize the nature of herding by the stallion and the factors that induced the herding behavior. Herding behaviors were compared among four successive treatments (six mares alone, stallion added, two new mares added, and entire herd moved to a new pasture). A new treatment was initiated every 7 days and behavior was studied for 5 consecutive days (Days 1-5) for each treatment. Observations were made every 10 min during a 2-h period for each day. The extent of herding was quantitated by the mean distances b...
The isomeric metabolites of doxepin in equine serum and urine. Due to its tranquilizing properties, the tricyclic antidepressant doxepin may be misused as a doping agent in competition horses. Therefore, efficient analytical procedures are required to detect this drug in samples submitted for doping control. To screen for parent doxepin in equine blood and urine, a less specific method has been accepted employing gas chromatography (GC) combined with electron impact (EI) mass spectrometry (MS). The aim of this study was identification of doxepin metabolites providing more specific MS data to verify positives resulting from screening. Thus, after a horse w...
Use of height-specific weigh tapes to estimate the bodyweight of horses. Two thousand horses of different ages, heights and breeds were divided into two height groups of up to 14.2 hands high (hh) and more than 14.2 hh, and weighed on a weighbridge; each horse then had its weight estimated by three weigh tapes, one height specific (tape 1 or 2, depending on the animal's height) and two for general use (tapes 3 and 4). For horses up to 14.2 hh, weigh tape 1 provided the most accurate estimate of mean (sd) bodyweight (100.5 [6.2] per cent), and weigh tapes 3 and 4 were 112 (6.8) and 97-0 (6.1) per cent accurate, respectively. For horses more than 14.2 hh, weigh tape ...
Helminth control used by trainers of thoroughbreds in England. A telephone survey was conducted of the methods used to control parasitic worms at 106 thoroughbred training yards. Most of the horses were allowed access to grass and were therefore at risk of infection. The control methods relied primarily on the use of anthelmintics and appeared reasonably successful because only 44 per cent of trainers reported observing clinical signs of nematode infections. They dosed their horses frequently, 40 per cent treating every four to six weeks and 25 per cent treating every seven to eight weeks. New arrivals on yards were usually treated with anthelmintic but t...
Evaluation of a forage allocation model for Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We developed a forage allocation model using a deterministic, linear optimization module in a commercially available spreadsheet package to help resource managers in Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP), North Dakota determine optimum numbers of four ungulate species, bison (Bison bison), elk (Cervus elaphus), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and feral horses, in the Park. TRNP staff actively managed bison, elk, and feral horse numbers within bounds suggested by our model from 1983 to 1996. During this period, we measured vegetation at 8 grassland and 12 wooded sites at 1-3 year intervals t...
Common vetch (Vicia sativa) for improving the nutrition of working equids in Campesino systems on hill slopes in Central Mexico. Campesino systems on hill slopes in Central Mexico rely on equids for multiple activities and have a problem in adequately feeding them. A participatory trial was conducted to evaluate the inclusion of common vetch in the traditional forage oat crop to improve its feeding value. An agronomic evaluation was undertaken by intersowing common vetch at 40 kg seed/ha with oats at 80-100 kg/ha in small plots, recording the yield and the chemical composition of the fresh forage in ten plots at harvest. The data were analysed as a completely random design, taking each farmer/plot as a treatment. A feed...
[Keeping of horses in circus and show businesses]. The conditions under which horses are kept and the performance of acts in the circus ring may give rise to animal protection-relevant aspects for circus and show horses. A number of intolerable conditions under which horses are kept and procedures adopted for the work with circus and show horses are described. In addition, attention is drawn to monitoring methods capable of exposing the deplorable shortcomings of these businesses.
Detection of fenspiride and identification of in vivo metabolites in horse body fluids by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry: administration, biotransformation and urinary excretion after a single oral dose. Studies related to the in vivo biotransforrmation and urinary excretion of fenspiride hydrochloride in the horse are described. After oral administration, the drug is metabolised by both phase I functionalisation and phase II conjugation pathways. Following enzymatic deconjugation, fenspiride and its phase I metabolites were isolated from post-administration biofluids using bonded co-polymeric mixed mode solid-phase extraction cartridges to isolate the basic compounds. Following trimethylsilylation (TMS), the parent drug and metabolites were identified by capillary gas chromatography-mass spec...
[The origin and function of the enamel cup, infundibulum dentis, on the incisors of the horse]. The enamel cups of equids originated phylogenetically through several phases in Oligocene and Miocene horses, which readjusted from hard to soft leaf food and from double nutrition (leaves and grass) to a pure grass intake. This has been proved experimentally. The resulting construction of the incisor is continually changed on its occlusal surface by erosion according to the pattern of the enamel crests. Referring to the whole incisor tooth, this results in an equid life cycle in which the good grip of the occlusal surface and the efficiency of ingestion favours the young, sexually mature hors...
Horse-related injuries in children. To identify the frequency, spectrum and outcome of horse-related injuries in children. Methods: Retrospective case series of horse-related injuries in children admitted to the Children's Hospital at Westmead (CHW) from January 1988 to December 1999, the John Hunter Children's Hospital (JHCH) from January 1991 to December 1997 and deaths reported to the New South Wales Paediatric Trauma Death (NPTD) Registry from January 1988 to December 1999. Methods: Circumstances of injury; helmet use; adult supervision; type and number of injuries identified. Results: 232 children were admitted with horse-r...
Conditioning taste aversions to locoweed (Oxytropis sericea) in horses. Locoweed (Oxytropis sericea) is a serious poisoning problem for horses grazing on infested rangelands in the western United States. Our objectives were to determine 1) whether lithium chloride or apomorphine would condition aversions to palatable foods, and at what doses, and 2) whether horses could be averted to fresh locoweed in a pen and grazing situation. Apomorphine was not an acceptable aversive agent because at the dose required to condition an aversion (> or = 0.17 mg/kg BW), apomorphine induced unacceptable behavioral effects. Lithium chloride given via stomach tube at 190 mg/kg BW...
