"Horses" is a broad topic that encompasses various aspects of equine biology, behavior, and management. This category includes studies on the anatomy, physiology, and genetics of horses, as well as their behavior, nutrition, and care. Research in this area may also cover the historical and cultural significance of horses, their roles in agriculture, sport, and therapy, and the challenges associated with their conservation and welfare. The page aggregates peer-reviewed research articles and scholarly studies that explore the multifaceted relationships between humans and horses, examining both scientific and socio-economic perspectives.
Ratzlaff MH, Shindell RM, DeBowes RM.Blood pressures from the catheterized lateral digital vein of the fore-limbs of 6 clinically normal horses were measured at rest, at the walk, and at the trot. Digital venous pressures were compared with the phases of the stride and weight-bearing forces, using electrogoniometry and a force platform. Rapid increases in digital venous pressures to maximal values were observed immediately before maximal forces during the support period of the stride. At the trot, increases in peak vertical forces were paralleled by increases in peak digital venous pressures. Seemingly, the hydrodynamics of the d...
Bertone AL, Sullins KE, Stashak TS, Norrdin RW.Preformed collagen gel was topically applied to cutaneous wounds of the equine dorsal fetlock (thoracic limb) and metatarsal regions to evaluate the effect on exuberant granulation tissue production and wound healing. In 6 horses and 3 ponies (less than 140 cm high at the withers and less than 365 kg), 36 standardized cutaneous limb wounds were surgically induced (4 wounds/animal); 18 wounds were treated topically with collagen gel, and 18 wounds were not treated (controls). Collagen gel was initially applied to the wound at 0, 2, or 7 days after wound formation (groups 1, 2, and 3, respective...
Bruce V, Turek RJ.The gluteus medius of two killed Thoroughbred horses were sampled along the muscle and across the muscle at four different depths. The distribution of fibre types in these two horses was assessed by staining cross sections of the muscle sample for ATPase. A non-uniform distribution of fibre types was found within the gluteus medius in both horses and there was a significant increase in percentage of slow twitch (ST) fibres from the surface to the deeper regions of the muscle. The rate of increase, however, depended on the individual site along the muscle. Averages ranges from a low of 2.4 per ...
Timoney JF, Eggers D.An indirect test based on horse blood was used to study bactericidal responses of the horse to Streptococcus equi following infection or vaccination. Bactericidal antibody appeared in convalescent sera between two and four weeks and high titres were usually attained by eight weeks. Infection without clinical evidence of abscessation was also effective in eliciting strong bactericidal responses. Serum bactericidal activity of horses either recovered from strangles or immunised with commercial bacterin had declined eight months after vaccination. However, horses that developed strangles eight to...
Yovich JV, Aanes WA.A fracture of the caudal portion of the greater tubercle of the humerus was diagnosed in a 16-month-old Thoroughbred filly. Initially the fracture caused severe lameness. Radiography of the affected shoulder revealed the fracture fragment to be extra-articular, with a surrounding bony callus and no evidence of joint disease. After 5 weeks rest in a stall and 11 months at pasture, the filly was trained and raced without lameness.
Garza F, Thompson DL, St George RL, Reville-Moroz SI.Eight long-term ovariectomized pony mares were treated with either dihydrotestosterone (DHT) benzoate (400 micrograms/kg body weight) in safflower oil or an equivalent amount of oil every other day for 21 d to determine the effects of DHT on follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations in blood samples drawn once daily and after administration of three successive injections of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). The GnRH injections were given at 4-h intervals on the day following the last DHT or oil injection. Treatment with DHT benzoate did not alter (P gr...
Davies ME, Bingham RW.Two morphological types of spirochaete were found in the horse caecum measuring 4 to 6 micron by 0.3 to 0.4 micron and 6 to 8 micron by 0.1 to 0.2 micron. Attempts were made to culture the organisms but none survived subculture beyond the primary isolate. Electron microscopy revealed that many of the organisms were infected by bacteriophages.
Patterson PH, Coon CN, Hughes IM.Eighteen mature horses were used to study proteins requirements of working horses. Treatments included intense exercise, medium exercise and maintenance in a 3 X 3 factorial arrangement with three levels of calculated dietary crude protein (CP; 8.5, 7.0 and 5.5%). The horses were on the various exercise-protein treatments for 60 d, then fasted 4 d to evaluate their N status after the treatment period. Exercise had no significant effect on body weight over the feeding and fasting periods. No one exercise or protein treatment expressed the classical low plasma albumin or total protein concentrat...
Gabal MA, Mohammed KA.An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was evaluated for the detection of antibody in sera of equine naturally infected with Histoplasma farciminosum 'epizootic lymphangitis'. Ten sera from naturally infected horses were tested. A hydrogen peroxide ABTS mixture constituted the substrate. The reactions were read as the absorbance values measured at 405 nm using a spectrophotometer. The standard deviation and the average percentage of the absorbance values of the different serum samples were considered in the interpretation of the results. All sera were proved positive with variations in the diffe...
Wimberly HC, Slauson DO, Neilsen NR.Antigen-specific challenge of equine leukocytes induced the non-lytic release of a platelet-activating factor in vitro. The equine platelet-activating factor stimulated the release of serotonin from equine platelets in a dose-responsive manner, independent of the presence of cyclo-oxygenase pathway inhibitors such as indomethacin. Rabbit platelets were also responsive to equine platelet-activating factor. The release of equine platelet-activating factor was a rapid reaction with near maximal secretion taking place in 30 seconds. Addition of equine platelet-activating factor to washed equine pl...
Bergfelt DR, Ginther OJ.In two experiments, PGF(2alpha) was given to all mares on Day 10 (ovulation = Day 0). In experiment 1, mares received either whole follicular fluid or saline i.v. every 12 hours on Days 10 to 14. Experiment 2 was similar to experiment 1, except the follicular fluid was extracted with charcoal to remove steroids. Analysis of the FSH data for Days 10 to 21 indicated an effect of treatment (P<0.08) with whole follicular fluid, but not with charcoal-extracted follicular fluid. However, there was an effect of day (P<0.05) and an interaction (P<0.01) of treatment with day for both experimen...
Nimmo Wilkie JS, Yager JA, Nation PN, Clark EG, Townsend HG, Baird JD.A generalized, chronic, progressive, exfoliative dermatitis in five horses is described. Histologically, the lesion is characterized by a superficial and deep perivascular dermatitis which is eosinophil-rich with a marked lymphocytic and plasmacytic component, accompanied by marked acanthosis and hyperkeratosis. More severe cases progress to a lichenoid pattern with the same cellular composition with focal eosinophilic spongiosis and eosinophilic subcorneal pustules. Clinically, the disease is associated with chronic, severe weight loss and is fulminating. The skin lesions are accompanied by l...
Wilson WD, Hughes SJ, Ghoshal NG, McNeel SV.Occipitoatlantoaxial malformation was diagnosed in a 19-month-old mare of Appaloosa breeding and in a 3-year-old Quarter Horse gelding. Both horses had abnormal head and neck carriage since birth, but neurologic deficits did not become evident clinically until the horses reached 2 and 3 years of age, respectively. Palpation and manipulation of the base of the skull and cervical area proved to be useful diagnostically. Movement could not be elicited at the atlantooccipital joint but, in comparison with clinically normal horses, the range of dorsoventral motion at the atlantoaxial joint was incr...
Ginther OJ, Bergfelt DR, Leith GS, Scraba ST.Pregnancy was determined by ultrasound on Days 11, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 in 154 ponies and 27 horses. In ponies, the embryonic loss rate for Days 11 to 15 (28 154 , 18.2%) was greater (P<0.01) than for any of the subsequent five-day intervals (0% to 3.3%). There were no losses during Days 11 to 15 in horses (0 27 ), and the difference between ponies and horses was significant. The loss rates for the seven periods encompassing Days 15 to 50 were not significantly different among periods. Pseudopregnancy occurred more frequently (P<0.01) following embryonic loss after Day 20 (...
Hodgson DR, Rose RJ, DiMauro J, Allen JR.The effects of training on skeletal muscle composition were studied in four Standardbred geldings given a seven week submaximal treadmill training programme. Before the start of training, muscle biopsies were collected from the left middle gluteal muscle for the determination of muscle fibre types, oxidative capacity and capillary numbers using histochemical techniques. The concentrations of citrate synthase, 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HAD), lactate dehydrogenase and total muscle glycogen were measured using fluorometric methods. Muscle biopsy samples were repeated after one, three, five...
Cahill JI, Goulden BE, Pearce HG.A review of the literature on stringhalt in horses is presented, including the aetiology, clinical signs, pathology and treatment of this disease. Three New Zealand outbreaks of stringhalt are reported and discussed. The occurrence of these (and most previously reported outbreaks) in the late summer and autumn, and the association of the disease with various weeds, indicates a likely toxic aetiology.
Ainsworth DM, Dodds WJ, Brown CM.A 16-year-old gelding was examined because of weight loss, inappetence, and intermittent fever of 2 months' duration. Preliminary laboratory findings revealed anemia, hypoproteinemia, thrombocytopenia, and prolongation of the activated partial thromboplastin time. A deficiency or inhibition of coagulation factor XI, factor XII, or high molecular weight kininogen was diagnosed. This defect was not associated with a bleeding diathesis, but should be considered as a cause of prolongation of the activated partial thromboplastin time.
Huskamp B.Gastroduodenojejunitis is a catarrhal inflammation of the stomach and proximal portion of the small intestine. Secondary overloading of the stomach occurs so that affected horses rapidly enter a state of hypovolaemic shock which is further complicated by the presence of toxins. The condition can occur in a mild or severe form. In mild cases, conservative treatment comprising intravenous electrolyte therapy and repeated gastric decompression is indicated and is usually successful. In severe cases surgical treatment creating duodenocaecal anastomosis has given good results. This should be carrie...
Buergelt CD, Cooley AJ, Hines SA, Pipers FS.Six horses (five males) aged three months to fourteen years had endocarditis at necropsy. Two of the horses had a clinical diagnosis of valvular endocarditis with negative blood cultures. Single or complex valvular involvement was present in five horses. One horse had non-infectious thrombi associated only with the chordae tendineae. Mitral valves were affected in four horses, and aortic semilunar valves were affected in two. Infarcts had occurred in the kidneys and the myocardium of four horses. Bacteria were isolated postmortem from the valvular vegetations of two horses; Candida parapsilosi...
Lazary S, Gerber H, Glatt PA, Straub R.The distribution of equine leucocyte antigens (ELA) in horses affected by equine sarcoid tumours was determined and compared with unaffected controls. ELA-haplotype W3,B1 occurred more frequently in affected riding horses of Irish, Swiss and French background. The combined data for the three breeds resulted in a chi 2 value of 20.35 (P less than 0.0005 after correction). Simultaneously, ELA-specificity W11 was more frequently found in horses of Irish background, while W5 was found in Swiss and French horses with sarcoids. The combined data for haplotype W3,B1 and/or W5 specificity demonstrated...
Marshall AE.The brain stem auditory-evoked response (BAER) was measured in 10 horses and 7 ponies under conditions suitable for clinical diagnostic testing. Latencies of 5 vertex-positive peaks and interpeak latency and amplitude ratio on the 1st and 4th peaks were determined. Data from horses and ponies were analyzed separately and were compared. The stimulus was a click (n = 3,000) ranging from 10- to 90-dB hearing level (HL). Neither horses nor ponies responded with a BAER at 10 dB nor did they give reliable responses at less than 50 dB. The 2nd of the BAER waves appeared in the record at lower stimulu...
Blythe LL, Mattson DE, Lassen ED, Craig AM.Neutralizing antibodies against equine herpesvirus 1 were measured in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of 16 horses and ponies from a closed herd both before and after vaccination with modified live equine herpesvirus 1. These titers were also measured in 22 neurologically normal and 15 neurologically abnormal horses at a teaching hospital. Animals from the closed herd had prevaccination serum titers up to 1:8 and postvaccination serum titers up to 1:128. Horses from the teaching hospital had serum titers up to 1:64. Cerebrospinal fluid titers were not detected in the vaccinated horses or the neu...
Journée HL, Journée SL.Depending on the localization of the lesion, spinal cord ataxia is the most common type of ataxia in horses. Most prevalent diagnoses include cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy (CVSM), equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), trauma and equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM). Other causes of ataxia and weakness are associated with infectious causes, trauma and neoplasia. A neurologic examination is indispensable to identify the type of ataxia. In addition, clinical neurophysiology offers tools to locate functional abnormalities in the central and peripheral nervous system. Clinical...
Smith RL, Perkins NR, Firth EC, Anderson BH.To determine whether trauma to the larynx caused by nasotracheal intubation induced mucosal ulceration of the arytenoid cartilages of adult horses, and to determine the incidence of such ulceration in yearling Thoroughbred horses and its effect on athletic performance. Methods: Laryngeal trauma was induced in a group of 21 adult horses by introduction of a nasogastric tube into the trachea three times within 5 min. Injury to the arytenoid cartilages or vocal cords was subjectively assessed immediately after intubation, and thereafter at weekly intervals for 10 weeks. The outcome and athletic p...
Steward SKT, Hassel DM, Martin H, Doddman C, Stewart A, Elzer EJ, Southwood LL.Duodenitis-proximal jejunitis (DPJ) is an idiopathic and potentially fatal disease of horses characterized by abdominal pain, proximal intestinal inflammation, and subsequent gastric and small intestinal fluid accumulation. Although this disease is known to be costly and life threatening in the equine industry, the severity of clinical signs can vary widely, and an exact etiology has yet to be elucidated. This study looked to identify differences in clinical parameters of horses with DPJ between geographic regions in an effort to corroborate anecdotal reports and support theories of differing ...
Egerton JR.Until the latter part of the nineteenth century, there were no domestic animals other than pigs, dogs and poultry in the island of New Guinea. From 1889 onwards, occupying authorities, missionaries and settlers from Germany, the UK, Japan and Australia imported ruminants, pigs and horses. Some of these importations were from Asia. This paper describes some outcomes of those importations and the potential hazards for Australia entailed in them.
Onishi JC, Park JW, Prado J, Eades SC, Mirza MH, Fugaro MN, Häggblom MM, Reinemeyer CR.Carbohydrate overload models of equine acute laminitis are used to study the development of lameness. It is hypothesized that a diet-induced shift in cecal bacterial communities contributes to the development of the pro-inflammatory state that progresses to laminar failure. It is proposed that vasoactive amines, protease activators and endotoxin, all bacterial derived bioactive metabolites, play a role in disease development. Questions regarding the oral bioavailability of many of the bacterial derived bioactive metabolites remain. This study evaluates the possibility that a carbohydrate-induc...
Velloso Álvarez A, Sandow CB, Rodgerson DH, Spirito MA.To evaluate the short and long-term outcomes of foals treated surgically for fractured ribs and variables that may affect outcome. Methods: Retrospective. Methods: Seventy-three equine neonates with surgically repaired fractured ribs. Methods: Medical records were reviewed to include sex, breed, the side of thorax affected, number of ribs fractured, co-morbidities directly associated with rib fracture, and surgical technique used. Short-term outcome was defined as survival to discharge. Long-term outcome was whether or not they started a race. Race records of maternal siblings were obtained fo...
D○ NE, Stang BE, Schaeffer DJ.To evaluate the effect of foal age on the pharmacokinetics of cefadroxil, five foals were administered cefadroxil in a single intravenous dose (5 mg/kg) and a single oral dose (10 or 20 mg/kg) at ages of 0.5, 1, 2, 3 and 5 months. Pharmacokinetic parameters of terminal elimination rate constant (beta(po)), oral mean residence time (MRTpo), mean absorption time (MAT), rate constant for oral absorption (Ka), bioavailability F, peak serum concentrations (Cmax) and time of peak concentration (tmax), were evaluated in a repeated measures analysis over dose. Across animal ages, parameters for the in...
Mitten LA, Hinchcliff KW, Pate JL.The effect of inhibition of cyclooxygenase activity on the hemodynamic response to exertion was examined in 6 horses. Rates of O2 consumption and CO2 production and carotid, pulmonary arterial, and right atrial pressures were measured while the horses performed a standardized exercise test on a treadmill after treatment with phenylbutazone or a placebo. Phenylbutazone (8.8 mg/kg p.o. for 2 days and 4.4 mg/kg i.v. 60 min before exertion) abolished the exertion-induced increases in plasma 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha and thromboxane B2 concentrations, confirming inhibition of cyclooxygenase acti...
Geddes LA, Bourland JD, Tacker WA.The threshold energy and current required for ventricular defibrillation was determined in dogs ranging in weight from 6.4 to 38 kg and in ponies ranging in weight from 40 to 101 kg. Trapezoidal waves, 10 ms in duration, with 10%, 50%, 70%, and 90% tilt were applied to transchest electrodes. For all values of tilt, the energy and current required increased with body weight. The energy dose (joules per kilogram of body weight) was higher for the heavier animals, whereas the current dose (peak amperes per kilogram of body weight) was essentially the same for dogs and ponies. In both species and ...
Bull K, Davies G, Jenkins TP, Peachey L.Horses can suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) disease in domestic environments, often precipitated by human-led changes in management. Understanding the consequences of these changes on equine gut microbiota is key to the prevention of such disease episodes. Objective: Profile the faecal microbiota of adult female Exmoor ponies under three management conditions, representing increasing levels of management by humans, encompassing different diets; whilst controlling for age, breed and sex. Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive. Methods: Faecal samples were collected from three populations of Exmo...
Hagedorn HW, Zuck S, Schulz R.An enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect the beta 2-agonist clenbuterol in equine blood and urine. The antiserum was raised in rabbits, employing clenbuterol-diazo-BSA as antigen. Clenbuterol-diazo-horseradish peroxidase served as enzyme conjugate. The concentration of clenbuterol to decrease tracer binding by 50% (IC50 value) was found to be 27.50 +/- 4.20 pg/well (1.37 ng/ml). The antibody cross-reacted with salbutamol (30%), terbutaline (14%) and cimaterol (1%). Horse serum was used directly to screen for clenbuterol, while urine was employed diluted. Positive sc...
Hashimoto Y, Reese S, Bragulla H, Budras KD.Carbohydrate moieties of cell membranes in the epidermis of equine skin and hoof were investigated using lectin-histochemistry. The loss of desmosomes during keratinization leads to a reduced lectin affinity. Lectin binding capacity of the intercellular matrix in the stratum corneum of the epidermis is weak compared to that of the intercellular kitt of the hoof. Qualitative differences in lectin binding of the intercellular kitt of different hoof segments correlate with the quality of the horn in the respective areas.
Noschka E, Moore JN, Peroni JF, Lewis TH, Lewis SJ, Robertson TP.To provide insights into the role of prostaglandin F(2 alpha) (PGF(2 alpha)) in the developmental stages of laminitis induced in horses by ingestion of black walnut heartwood extract (BWHE). Methods: 10 adult mixed-breed horses. Methods: Horses were separated into 2 groups and were euthanatized at 12 hours after placebo (water) administration (control horses) or after BWHE administration and development of Obel grade 1 laminitis. Blood samples were obtained to determine plasma PGF(2 alpha) concentrations hourly for the first 4 hours and subsequently every 2 hours after substance administration...
Squires EL, Garcia RH, Ginther OJ, Voss JL, Seidel GE.Sixty light-horse, nonlactating mares were used to compare the efficacy of equine pituitary extract versus follicle stimulating hormone (FSH-P) for inducing multiple ovulations. On Day 12 of diestrus, mares were assigned to receive 1) no treatment, controls; 2) subcutaneous injections of 750 Fevold rat units of equine pituitary extract once daily; or 3) intramuscular injection of 150 mg of FSH-P twice daily. Ultrasound was used twice daily to visualize follicular changes and ovulation. For mares in Groups 2 and 3, treatment was initiated when two or more follicles > 20 mm were detected, and...