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.
Zeeb K.Ethological reflections concerning animal management and handling because of efficiency have to consider different factors of influence as for example animal/man-relationship, economy of labor and working conditions for men. Definitions of ethological methods were given, and the complexity between animal behavior and animal management were described. The quantification of men's ability to handle animals is treated. The evaluation of a cattle-keeping facility by the ethological concept of 'meeting of requirements and avoiding of damage' is reviewed.
Holmström M, Magnusson LE, Philipsson J.The variation in conformation of 356 Swedish Warmblood horses is described, using a quantitative method of measuring horses. Thirty-three of the horses were élite dressage horses, 28 were élite showjumpers, 100 were riding school horses and 195 were unselected four-year-olds. Most horses had a long body form. The average height at the withers was 163.4 cm. Sixty per cent of the horses had a bench knee conformation, 50 per cent had a toe-in conformation of the forelimbs and 80 per cent had outwardly rotated hind limbs. The majority of these deviations were mild or moderate. Conformation was i...
Cí·¯ord D, Woodhead A, Muirhead R.The potential of short-cutting cycle, high temperature-dried alfalfa as a source of calcium for horses was determined by means of a 4 x 4 Latin square digestibility trial using four thoroughbred horses (mean liveweight 531 kg). The four dietary treatments were timothy hay alone, 33 per cent alfalfa and 67 per cent timothy hay, 67 per cent alfalfa and 33 per cent timothy hay, and alfalfa alone. Significantly more calcium and magnesium were absorbed from the alfalfa than from the hay. Phosphorus absorption appeared to be unaffected by treatment. Alfalfa calcium was more available than timothy ha...
Reinemeyer CR, Rohrbach BW.A weighted, random sample of 130 horse owners in Tennessee was selected from subscribers to an equine newsletter published by the Agricultural Extension Service. Data about the participants' farms, horses, parasite control practices, and sources of information regarding equine parasite control were obtained through a telephone survey. The response rate was 98%. The typical respondent kept 4 horses on 2 pastures totaling 15 acres, and did not rotate pastures as a parasite control measure. The majority (83%) of horse owners indicated that they administered anthelmintics according to a regular sc...
McMiken DF.Archaeological evidence of horse domestication dates from 4000 BC in the Eurasian Steppes of the Ukraine. There, Indo-Europeans rode horses and herded them for meat. This had profound social and economic consequences which led to the development of nomadic equestrian cultures. The earliest direct evidence of riding is from Mesopotamian plaques, and correspondence of the Kings of Mari (2000 BC). Indo-Europeans brought the horse to the Near East and there, outside its natural habitat, used specialised knowledge to raise and train horses on a large scale for military use. Hittite instructions on ...
Wood T, Weckman TJ, Henry PA, Chang SL, Blake JW, Tobin T.Our investigation of the urine of grazing horses at the University of Kentucky shows that the mean pH level is about 7.9, and if their diet is supplemented with grain, it is about 7.4. There appears to be no significant effect of time of day or year on urine pH levels in horses. However, horses taken from pasture and supplemented with grain in a stalled environment show a slight decrease in urine pH. Additionally, we investigated the effects of storage on pH levels. Equine urine samples appear to be quite stable with regard to pH for 48h, but then show a marked increase. Urine pH can have a gr...
Bertone AL.Exuberant granulation tissue is common in large, lower limb wounds of horses, particularly horses of large body size. Methods of control include chemical cautery, cryogenic surgery, and surgical resection. Surgical resection is preferred because it is easy to perform, provides tissue for histologic evaluation, and preserves the epithelial margin. Effective treatments to prevent the formation of granulation tissue include leaving granulating wounds open to the air or, possibly, bandaging with topical steroids. Bandaging or casting may promote exuberant granulation tissue in wounds in which it h...
Jones RS, Lawrence TL, Veevers A, Cleave N, Hall J.Fifty-three horses, all but two of them over two years of age and varying in type, sex and liveweight (230 to 707 kg) were weighed and seven different body measurements were recorded in duplicate by a single operator. The best overall prediction of liveweight using an equation with two variables was found to be: liveweight (kg) = (umbilical girth [cm])1.78 X (length of body from tuber ischii to elbow [cm]0.97/3011). This equation had an adjusted R2 value of 94.9 per cent and was derived from the pooled data, because differences of sex, type and weight did not significantly affect the relations...
Merkt H, Klug E.In the Federal Republic of Germany a lethal accident occurred recently during the semen collection from a stallion and it would be advisable to observe the safety rules of which there are three sections: hobbeling and if necessary twitching of the mare, security in the manner in which the stallion is led, precautions to be observed by the operator.
Singh AK, Gordon B, Hewetson D, Granley K, Ashraf M, Mishra U, Dombrovskis D.Gas chromatography with chemical ionization mass spectrometry and selected-ion monitoring provided a sensitive method for the screening and confirmation of steroids in horse urine and plasma. Chemical ionization mass spectrometry was more sensitive than the electron impact ionization mass spectrometry for most of the steroids except for testosterone, prednisone-metabolite-2 and prednisolone-metabolite-2. The chromatographic conditions used in this study provided clean separation of different natural and synthetic steroids. Approximately 75-85% of the steroids added to plasma and approximately ...
Hutchinson GW, Abba SA, Mfitilodze MW.Longevity in faeces, migration to and survival on herbage of mixed strongyle infective larvae (approximately 70% cyathostomes: 30% large strongyles) from experimentally deposited horse faeces was studied in the dry tropical region of North Queensland for up to 2 years. Larvae were recovered from faeces deposited during hot dry weather for a maximum of 12 weeks, up to 32 weeks in cool conditions, but less than 8 weeks in hot wet summer. Translation to herbage was mainly limited to the hot wet season (December-March), except when unseasonal winter rainfall of 40-50 mm per month in July and Augus...
Aiken GE, Potter GD, Conrad BE, Evans JW.Body weight gains and height at the withers were measured in yearling geldings grazing bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon [L.] Pers.) pastures with neither energy nor protein feed supplementation at stocking rates of 6.7, 8.0, 9.5 and 12.4 yearlings per hectare. Weekly forage samples were taken to estimate the quantity and quality of available forage. These samples were clipped and separated into three equal lengths to characterize upper, middle and lower thirds of the canopy and to determine relationships between available forage and yearling growth rate. Average daily gain was influenced by stoc...
Boland CJ, Morris RS.A survey by means of a postal questionnaire was undertaken to investigate the patterns of work and the need for information of veterinary practitioners in New Zealand. Of the 670 eligible veterinarians, 399 practitioners (60 per cent) participated in the survey. Of these, 38 per cent were in large animal practice (less than 20 per cent of work devoted to cats and dogs) and 31 per cent were in small animal practice (more than 80 per cent of work with cats and dogs). The remaining 31 per cent were in mixed practice, with a workload intermediate between the other two groups. Across the entire sam...
Bertone AL.With large colon resection and anastomosis, up to 95 per cent of the length of the large colon has been successfully removed. A hand-sewn end-to-end anastomosis is effective for lesions in the left dorsal colon and pelvic flexure. Transection and a side-to-side anastomosis with stapling equipment is most effective for extensive resections (greater than 50 per cent). Horses with extensive colon resection (95 per cent) have permanent deficiencies of water absorption and digestion of cellulose and protein. Fermentative capacity is reduced, owing to decreased particulate matter retention time in t...
Clayton HM.High-speed cinematography was used to record the movements of 12 cutting horses performing a standard test with a mechanical flag. Based on their previous competitive performances, horses were classified into 2 groups: group 1, composed of 5 moderately successful or average performers that had won less than $35,000 in purse money; and group 2, composed of 7 highly successful or elite performances that had amassed greater than $35,000 in competition earnings. Analysis of the results indicated that, compared with horses of the average group, the elite horses had faster reaction times in response...
Kośla T, Anke M, Grün M.The breed of horses took a significant effect on the Pb content of animals with a normal Pb supply. Warm-blooded horses stored more Pb in skeleton, kidneys, liver and cerebrum than heavy horses. The sex only had the trend of influencing the Pb status. Mares with a normal Pb supply incorporated more Pb than geldings. Age only took a slight effect on the skeleton. Older horses stored more Pb in the metatarsal bone than younger ones. The Pb content of horse meat was not influenced by Pb exposure. Pb was not additionally deposited in the musculature. The Pb offer of the living area took a signific...
Singh AK, Ashraf M, Granley K, Mishra U, Rao MM, Gordon B.A simple and reproducible column (Clean Screen-DAU, copolymeric bonded-phase silica column) extraction procedure has been described for the screening and confirmation of drugs in horse urine. The recovery of drugs by the column extraction was better than or comparable to the recovery by the liquid-liquid extraction, which is commonly used in the equine analytical laboratories. The column extraction provided broad coverage of drugs, separated extracts into three fractions (acidic/neutral, steroids, basic), produced a cleaner extract, and eliminated the need for special liquid-liquid extraction ...
Sainsbury DW.The physiological requirements of the horse appear to be reasonably well established and should be adequately provided by ventilation based on straightforward principles, relying largely on natural air flow. On the other hand, there are few objective values for ventilation required to promote good health or alleviate equine respiratory disease. In the absence of such knowledge it is only possible to rely on a logical application of sound principles and experience. Both indicate the satisfactory nature of ventilation by stack effect, aspiration and perflation. Buildings should be well insulated...
Reinemeyer CR, Rohrbach BW.A weighted, random sample of 130 horse owners in Tennessee was selected from subscribers to an equine newsletter published by the Agricultural Extension Service. Data about the participants' farms, horses, parasite control practices, and sources of information regarding equine parasite control were obtained through a telephone survey. The response rate was 98%. The typical respondent kept 4 horses on 2 pastures totaling 15 acres, and did not rotate pastures as a parasite control measure. The majority (83%) of horse owners indicated that they administered anthelmintics according to a regular sc...
McCarthy PH.The subcutaneous part of the masseteric ramus of the external carotid artery can be used as a proposed site of pulse-taking in most Thoroughbreds. It is located on the lateral surface of the masseter muscle, and its contour may be visible in association with a summer coat.
Clutton RE, Chase-Topping M, Squires R, Lawson H, Minard H, Rose S.The dimensions of anaesthetised hobbled horses during suspension and transfer onto the operating table are unknown. These data are required for the cost-effective construction of equine surgical facilities. Objective: To measure the distance from the toe to dependent back margin (Bsusp) and poll (Psusp) of anaesthetised suspended horses and correlate them with readily obtained measures from standing animals. Methods: Digital photographs of suspended horses were taken in the anaesthesia induction box at a fixed position that allowed trigonometric determination of Bsusp and Psusp. These values w...
Kotsiubenko AA.The indexes of standardized deviations by the measured characters (probits) are expedient to be used for distribution of horses according to classes M-, M0 and M+, under these conditions one can select individuals M0 for to rise their capacity for work and expressivity of the type of breed.
Jahnke HD.Driving a harnessed horse team requires conformity of horses, driver and vehicle, if one of the three components is in disorder, animal welfare as well as the safety of man and animals are at the - stake. This paper deals with a first testing of a graduated draft power device in order to obtain detached performance readings of the horses.
de Seve CW, Griffin SL.In recent years, the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Management program costs have increased dramatically due to a rise in the number of animals removed from public lands coupled with significantly decreased adoption rates. To assist with development and implementation of effective, cost-containing management programs, a robust economic model to project the costs and optimize outcomes of various management scenarios was created. For example, preliminary demonstration model runs show that by gradually replacing "removal-only" programs with contraception-and-removal progra...
van den Berg IS.An apparatus for collection of free-flow urine from female horses is described. This apparatus is a modification of a similar device described previously. It allows the collection of voided urine from adult female horses without confining them to metabolic stables or resorting to invasive procedures like bladder catheterisation. It is relatively easy to use after a short adaptation period.