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.
Bristol F.Oestrus was synchronized in 220, 300 and 272 mares in 1983, 1984 and 1985 respectively. Mares were given two injections of 250 micrograms fenprostalene 15 days apart except in 1983 and 1984 when 56 and 53 of the synchronized mares were given 1-10 daily injections of 150 mg progesterone and 10 mg oestradiol-17 beta to delay and synchronize post-partum oestrus. At 2 days after the second PG injection or 7 days after the last progesterone + oestradiol treatment, mares were divided into groups of 15-21, and each group was placed in a separate pasture with a stallion for 7 weeks. Pregnancy rates we...
Magistrini M, Chanteloube P, Palmer E.In an attempt to define optimal season and ejaculation frequency for frozen semen, semen was collected from 6 stallions (3 horses and 3 ponies) 3 times per week or every day, alternating every week, for 1 year. The semen was evaluated and frozen. All the samples were thawed at the end of the experiment. At collection, fresh semen evaluations showed that winter (as opposed to spring and summer) was associated with low sexual behaviour, small volumes of spermatozoa and gel, high sperm concentration and lower motility. The high ejaculation frequency yielded a decreased volume, concentration of sp...
Miller SK.1. Results of laboratory experiments which compared horse and human serum butyrylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8) with respect to their acid inactivation and ammonium sulfate protection show: 2. Horse serum butyrylcholinesterase is more resistant to inactivation at pH 3.0 than human serum butyrylcholinesterase. 3. The loss of activity at pH 3.0 for both horse and human butyrylcholinesterase does not follow first order kinetics. 4. Both human and horse serum butyrylcholinesterase are protected from pH 3.0 inactivation by ammonium sulfate concentrations up to 33% saturation (1.37 M).
Moore JN, Mahaffey EA, Zboran M.Heparin was administered subcutaneously 2 times a day for 4 days to 5 horses. An additional group of 5 horses was used as time-matched controls. Significant decreases in PCV, erythrocyte count, and hemoglobin concentration were observed during heparin therapy. The mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of the heparin-treated horses increased to a peak value of 66.1 fl on the last day of treatment. Erythrocyte creatine concentration and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity increased moderately during the treatment. These data indicated that the rapid, profound increase in MCV during heparin therap...
Crowell-Davis SL, Houpt KA.Parturition in mares is rapid and is followed by a brief period of sensitivity to imprinting on a foal. There is large individual variation in normal maternal style, but normal mothers actively defend their foal, remain near the foal when it is sleeping, tolerate or assist nursing, and do not injure their own foal. Disturbance of a mare and foal during the early imprinting period can predispose a mare to rejection of her foal; therefore, it should be avoided. There are a variety of forms of foal rejection and numerous etiologies. Therefore, each case should be evaluated individually.
Keiper RR.Socially feral horses live in stable social groups characterized by one adult male, a number of adult females, and their offspring up to 2 years of age. Extra males either live by themselves or with other males in bachelor groups. The bands occupy nondefended home ranges that often overlap. Many abnormal behaviors seen in domestic horses occur because some aspect of their normal social behavior cannot be carried out in captivity.
Crowell-Davis SL.Examination of the developmental changes that occur in the behavior of foals reveals three major periods that can be characterized by certain types of behavior. Although the beginnings and endings of these periods are not definitive, these periods may be conceptually useful in evaluating a foal's behavior. Period of Dependence. During the first 4 weeks of life, a foal is maximally dependent on its mother for sustenance, remains near her, and has little contact with other horses or ponies of any age. Period of Socialization. During the second and third months of life, foals have rapidly increas...
Houpt KA.Stable vices include oral vices such as cribbing, wood chewing, and coprophagia, as well as stall walking, weaving, pawing, and stall kicking. Some of these behaviors are escape behaviors; others are forms of self-stimulation. Most can be eliminated by pasturing rather than stall confinement. Trailering problems include failure to load, scrambling in the moving trailer, struggling in the stationary trailer, and refusal to unload. Gradual habituation to entering the trailer, the presence of another horse, or a change in trailer type can be used to treat these problems.
Pagan JD, Hintz HF.Energy expenditure was measured in four geldings (433 to 520 kg) during submaximal exercise on a racetrack using a mobile open-circuit indirect respiration calorimeter. A total of 304 5-min measurements of O2 consumed and CO2 produced were taken. Measurements were made with and without riders. The amount of energy expended by the horses was exponentially related to speed and was proportional to the body weight of the riderless horse or the combined weight of the horse plus rider and tack. Total energy expended by the four horses walking, trotting, cantering was best described by the equation: ...
Turner TA.Navicular disease was diagnosed in 36 horses. Each horse was treated, using shoeing as the only major means of treatment. Phenylbutazone was used initially for 10 days after shoeing. Shoeing was designed to correct preexisting problems, enhance physiologic function of the foot, and ease breakover of the foot. The horses were evaluated over a period ranging from 12 to 54 months. The lameness improved in all horses. Thirty-one of the 36 horses treated were not lame when last evaluated. Shoeing was most effective when performed within 8 months of the first signs of lameness. Also, horses used for...
Polley L.Each month for a 1-year period (October through September), equine fecal masses containing eggs of strongylid nematodes were placed outdoors on small grass plots in Saskatchewan, Canada. Thereafter, feces and grass from the plots were sampled after intervals of 1 week or longer, and the strongylid eggs and larvae recovered were counted. These observations were made over a 2-year period. Development of eggs to infective larvae occurred in all experiments, except those established in October, December, and January. Infective larvae from experiments set up in April through September survived that...
Takai S, Narita K, Ando K, Tsubaki S.The ecology of Rhodococcus (Corynebacterium) equi in soil was studied on a horse-breeding farm. R. equi was cultured from soil at a depth of 0, 10, and 20 cm on the six sites of the farm at monthly intervals for 10 months from March to December of 1983. The highest numbers of R. equi were found in the surface soil. The mean number of bacteria in soil samples at every depth increased remarkably from 0 or 10(2) to 10(4) colony-forming units (CFU) g-1 of soil in the middle of April, and later decreased gradually. R. equi inoculated into six soil exudate broths prepared from surface soils at separ...
Cymbaluk NF, Christensen DA.Five groups of horses were fed different diets of known trace mineral concentration for a minimum of six months. Copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) concentrations were measured in livers of 125 yearling horses and kidneys of 81 yearling horses as an assessment of trace mineral status. Plasma Cu and Zn determinations were made for all horses.Mean hepatic Cu concentrations of horses fed diets containing 6.9 to 15.2 mg Cu/kg dry matter (DM) feed were 0.27 to 0.33 mumol/g DM tissue. Plasma Cu concentrations ranged between 22.8 to 28.3 mumol/L. There was no simple mathematical relationship b...
Dinger JE, Noiles EE.Eight sexually inexperienced, 2-yr-old Morgan stallions were used in a consecutive two-phase design with two groups of four stallions each. Each phase lasted 16 wk, with semen collections every 14 d. Libido scores were assigned to stallions during each semen collection. Scores ranged from zero to four, with zero indicating minimum and four representing maximum libido. In Phase 1, four stallions received daily forced exercise for 16 wk, and the remaining four stallions were confined to box stalls. In Phase 2, the previously exercised stallions were confined to box stalls, and the non-exercised ...
Dumasia MC, Houghton E, Sinkins S.A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) method using three analytes to detect and confirm the administration to equine male castrates of veterinary pro-drugs based upon esters of testosterone is described. The method involves extraction of steroid conjugates from horse urine by C18-bonded cartridges and fractionation into glucuronic acid and sulpho-conjugates by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. After deconjugation, the free neutral steroids were partially purified by thin-layer chromatography and following derivatization (methyloxime-trimethylsilyl ether) were analysed by capilla...
Bondesson U, Johansson IM.This study demonstrates the development of a method using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for determining nefopam, a non-narcotic pain reliever that is sometimes abused in horse doping, in equine plasma. Background […]
Evans DR.In reporting the results of the medical examination for purchase, the veterinarian should not make an evaluation as to the animal's suitability for the purpose intended but should rather reveal all of the abnormal and undesirable findings and give his or her opinion as to the effect these findings will have on the performance of the horse for the purpose intended. A written report should be provided, and any factors that have had an influence on the opinion rendered should be a part of the report. A record of all procedures performed, the results of these procedures, the names and addresses of...
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.
Lund RJ, Guthrie AJ, Killeen VM.Stables housing more than 20 horses in training were surveyed in the Pretoria, Witwatersrand, Vereeniging area of South Africa. Most racehorses were kept in loose boxes, bedded on straw or sawdust and remained indoors while the stables were cleaned. The average floor area was 13 m2 and airspace was 55 m3 per animal. The average predicted minimum air change rate by natural convection in calm winds was 7.0 air changes per hour, which was reduced to 2.2 when the doors and shutters were closed. The survey showed that many of the stables had been built without due consideration to factors that migh...
Simoneit C, McKay-Demeler J, Merle R.Deworming management is important for a good herd health status in horses. The aim of this study was to present differences between farms using a regular deworming management and a selective anthelmintic therapy approach (SAT), respectively. Methods: An online survey was conducted to identify deworming practices on horse farms. The questionnaire included questions on the number of animals kept on the farm, housing, hygiene, and deworming practices. Results: In total, 283 questionnaires were analyzed. A total of 155 farms used a regular deworming management (RD) and 77 farms used a SAT approach...
Kobluk CN, Gross GM.This article deals with the presenting histories, clinical examinations, and therapies of the causes of poor performance and exercise intolerance in the western performance horse and the sprint racehorse. The veterinarian's ability to diagnose and treat various pathophysiologic conditions that affect these horses is crucial to the major goals of a return to optimal performance and a long athletic career. Although these horses are a significant portion of most veterinary practices, there exists a minimal amount of information on their clinical evaluation and treatment. This article intends to f...
Witherington DH.The post-race heart rates have been recorded in 1,000 Thoroughbreds following Flat, Hurdle and Steeplechase races in varying climatic conditions and on 54 different British racecourses. The post-race deceleration of the heart rate, under racecourse conditions, was marked by an apparent three-phase recovery period. Reference is made to the normal heart sounds and to the relationship between the heart and respiratory rates.
Zakopal J, Kubícek K, Koprivová M, Kepková K.A study was performed to examine microclimate in 14 stables belonging to 10 horsemen's teams and clubs; five of these houses were new-built. In five race-horse stables housing 16 horses each, on an average, where the optimum air temperature ranged from 10 degrees C to 12 degrees C, measurements and examinations were performed in the winter period and the following results were obtained: space per 1 horse housed 42.9 plus or minus 8.7 m-3, relative air humidity 74.3 plus or minus 3.8%, CO2 concentration 0.175 plus or minus 0.027%, NH3 concentration 0.00135 plus or minus 0.00044%. A large majori...
French DA.Equine practitioners are frequently called to attend to soft tissue injuries. The majority of these cases are routine and straightforward; however, a certain percentage may present as a life-threatening situation with potentially serious complications. Client communication, adequate preparation, patient stabilization, accurate injury assessment and appropriate wound preparation are key factors to expedite recovery and achieve a favorable outcome. Understanding the limitations of field therapy and deciding when to transport the case to a clinic or referral center plays an important role in the ...