"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.
Burns SJ, Irvine CH, Amoss MS.This study was undertaken to determine if fertility could be improved by increasing the interval from foaling to breeding. Forty-two mares, not bred during normal post-partum oestrus, were injected with a prostaglandin analogue on Day 6 or 7 following ovulation. Mares were mated artifically with antibiotic-treated semen during the resulting oestrus and, if necessary, for the following 4 cycles. Their fertility was compared, by cycles/pregnancy and rate of fetal loss, to mares bred by the same methods on 86 normal post-partum oestrous periods. The interval from foaling to the onset of breeding ...
Klevjer-Anderson P, Cheevers WP, Crawford TB.Equine dermal fibroblasts persistently infected with equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) show no alterations in cell morphology or growth kinetics when compared to uninfected cells. The percentage of cells immunofluorescent positive for viral proteins fluctuated, depending upon the stage of the cell cycle, while production of extracellular virus was uniform throughout the cell cycle, increasing only as the cell number increased. This was shown in log versus stationary phase cultures as well as in cultures synchronized by sterum starvation. The establishment of productive infection did not re...
Snyder DA, Turner DD, Miller KF, Garcia MC, Ginther OJ.Observations of follicular and gonadotrophic changes were conducted on 14 Pony mares for 31-day periods beginning at the penultimate (second last) ovulation and at the last ovulation of the season. There were no main effects or interaction of day or period on the numbers of small follicles (less than 20 mm). Concentrations of FSH, numbers of large follicles (greater than 20 mm), and oestrous behaviour each showed an effect of day (P less than 0.01), but no effect of period. Concentrations of LH and diameter of the largest follicle each showed an interaction (P less than 0.01) between day and p...
Munro CD, Renton JP, Butcher R.Using a range of positive and negative sexual behaviour components, proceptivity of cycling, non-lactating mares and postpartum, lactating Pony mares was quantified around ovulation. Behavioural observations were compared to plasms concentrations of progesterone, total oestrogens and androstenedione. In addition, in cycling mares, comparison with plasma testosterone concentrations was carried out. Overall rejection behaviour by the mare was apparent both during dioestrus and during periods of basal plasma progesterone concentrations. Within cycling, non-lactating mares, and between postpartum ...
Mather EC, Refsal KR, Gustafsson BK, Seguin BE, Whitmore HL.Intrauterine fibroscopy was used in the clinical evaluation of 40 mares with established histories of subfertility. The average age of the mares was 12.2 years with a 2.8-year interval from last foaling in multiparous mares. Transluminal adhesions, endometrial cysts, diffuse fibrosis, fluid accumulation or myometrial tumours were found in 26 mares. When compared to other techniques, fibroscopy did not seem to be superior to uterine biopsy but had some advantage over rectal palpation as a single diagnostic technique. Only 3 mares failed to exhibit pathological findings when all 3 techniques wer...
Seamans KW, Harms PG, Atkins DT, Fleeger JL.Blood samples were collected from eight mares for ten days before and two days following parturition. Progesterone, 5 alpha-dihydroprogesterone and hydroxy-5 alpha-pregnanones were extracted from serum, separated by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and quantitated by radioimmunoassay. Progesterone levels ranged from 8.5 to 4.1 ng/ml among mares with normal parturition and decreased to 1.2 ng/ml after parturition. One mare with a retained placenta maintained the prepartal levels of progesterone into the postpartum period. 5 alpha-dihydroprogesterone increased to a level of 133 ng/ml at 80 h...
Crandell RA, Drysdale S, Stein TL.The clinical and immunological response of ponies exposed to a bovine herpesvirus isolate and equine herpesvirus 1 were compared. Each virus was inoculated into two ponies by the intranasal route. One uninoculated pony was used with each group as a contact control. The four inoculated ponies developed a mild rhinitis with an increase in rectal temperature. Virus was recovered from nasal secretions collected from the four inoculated and one contact pony. All ponies developed a serum neutralizing antibody to each virus. The data show that the two viruses are similar.
Kendrick JW, Stevenson W.A band of 23 pregnant mares on a Thoroughbred breeding farm all had serum virus-neutralizing antibody titres to equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1). Antibody was not transferred to their foals in utero. All foals received antibody from colostrum and developed antibody titres similar to their dams. The serum virus-neutralizing antibody titres were observed in 10 of these foals for 1 year. Decay of passive immunity occurred at the rate of 3.25 two-fold dilutions in 100 days and reached zero at the mean time of 180 days. The foals were exposed to EHV-1 twice. Foals with a geometric mean titre of 1 : 25 ...
Hurtgen JP, Ganjam VK.Endometrial biopsy or endometrial biopsy and uterine culture taken on Day 4 after oestrus induced lysis of the corpus luteum (CL), resulting in a sharp decline in serum progesterone concentration and shortened the interoestrous interval in 8/12 and 32/33 oestrous cycles, respectively, during 2 experiments. Cervical dilatation 4 days after oestrus shortened the interoestrus interval in 5/10 and 0/5 oestrous cycles. Endometrial biopsy and culture on Days 1 and 3 after oestrus also induced CL lysis during 4 of 7 cycles. Total oestrogen (oestrone plus oestradiol) concentrations increased at the on...
Thomson GW, McCready R, Sanford E, Gagnon A.In the foaling season of 1977, five vaccinated horses in a Standardbred breeding stable were affected with herpesvirus myeloencephalitis. Respiratory and abortigenic forms also occurred in other individuals on the premises. Equine herpesvirus type 1 was isolated from the brain of one case of myeloencephalitis and from lungs of two aborted fetuses. Twelve of 16 horses demonstrated fourfold or greater increases in titres to equine herpesvirus type 1.
Holtan DW, Squires EL, Lapin DR, Ginther OJ.Pony mares were bilaterally ovariectomized at different stages of pregnancy between Days 25 and 210. Abortion or fetal resorption occurred within 2 to 6 days after operations in all 14 mares ovariectomized between Days 25 and 45 and after an interval of 10 to 15 days in 9 of 20 other ovariectomized between 50 and 70 days. All 12 mares ovariectomized on either 140 or 210 days carried their foals to normal term. The termination of early pregnancy was preceded by a loss of uterine tone and of a palpable uterine bulge. The mean length of gestation in all mares in which pregnancy was not interrupte...
Vogelsang SG, Sorensen AM, Potter GD, Burns SJ, Kraemer DC.Embryos were collected nonsurgically on Day 7 or 8 after ovulation from 7 Quarter horse mares using a modified 30-ml Foley catheter to flush the uterine horn ipsilateral to the recent ovulation with 500 ml TCM-199 containing Hepes buffer. After collection, the uteri were infused with nitrofurazone to reduce the chances of infection due to the procedure. Eleven collections from 7 mares resulted in recovery of 9 embryos and nonsurgical transfer of 4 of these resulted in the birth of one foal. After collections, 8 oestrous cycles averages 22.75 days and 2 extended oestrous cycles were 43 and 59 d...
Monath TP.The arthropod-borne encephalitides are an important cause of equine and human morbidity in the Americas. Between 1975 and 1978, 6970 human cases of arboviral encephalitis were reported in the United States of America; however, this represents only a fraction of the true incidence. St Louis encephalitis (4824 cases), California encephalitis (1035 cases), and western equine encephalitis (WEE, 947 cases) accounted for 98.5% of all reported infections. Approximately 1000-4000 cases of equine encephalitis occur annually in the United States, the majority due to WEE. In tropical America, important o...
Steven DH, Jeffcott LB, Mallon KA, Ricketts SW, Rossdale PD, Samuel CA.Post-partum placentae and uterine biopsy samples from mares after normal and abnormal foalings are described. After normal delivery there is little damage to fetal or maternal tissues. The villous epitheliochorial palcenta separates cleanly at the maternal-fetal interface and the afterbirth consists almost exclusively of fetal tissue. Uterine involution is well advanced by the 3rd and 4th days post partum and the changes are usually complete by the oestrus 7--10 days after parturition. Placental separation and involution of the uterus appear to proceed normally in malpresented foals and in oth...
Wyn-Jones G.The literature is briefly reviewed concerning the clinical features of equine cutaneous tumours. The data from 19 horses with periocular skin tumours are reported together with the results of their treatment by implantation with radioactive gold198. The principles governing the implantation of radioactive sources are explained and a method for computing the initial activity of the sources is outlined. Five histologically different tumour types were treated in this series of 19 horses, 2 horses were bilaterally affected. The techniques of implantation using a simple needle/stillette combination...
Vandeplassche M, Henry M, Coryn M.Oestrogen and progesterone concentrations in blood and follicular fluid and blood levels of LH were determined in 426 mares at different stages of the oestrous cycle. Mature follicles occur at all stages of the cycle; they ovulate readily in early metoestrus, occasionally in late metoestrus and very rarely in dioestrus. Maturation of a mid-cycle follicle is associated with intermediate levels of LH, which are less than those found during oestrus. This lower level of LH together with a high level of progesterone are probably responsible for the failure of ovulation and regression of most of the...
Dixon JB, Allan D, West CR.The purpose of these investigations was to assemble and compare data which might illustrate a functional relationship between phytohaemagglutinin-induced transformation of equine lymphocytes in vitro and the haematological profiles of the lymphocyte donors. Statistically significant correlation between transformation and a haematological parameter was taken as evidence that both may be part of a common regulatory system. There was no evidence that transformation in vitro was affected by artefactual variation in the cellular composition of the cultures. Transformational behaviour of lymphocytes...
Porcelli G, Marini-Bettolo GB, Croxatto HR, Di Jorio M.Kallikrein was purified from horse kidney by several steps of chromatographic procedure and by affinity chromatography on Sepharose-Concanavaline. Horse urinary kallikrein was previously purified by DE-32 hydroxylapatite and by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration. On the purified final sample of renal and urinary kallikrein the aminoacid composition and the gel electrophoretic molecular weight were determined. The ratio in micronMoles between each aminoacid residue of both hydrolyzed renal and urinary kallikrein of horse is about 1,00 +/- 0,30. Except for Pro, 1/2 Cys and basic aminoacid residues a ...
Stewart F, Allen WR.Gonadotrophin-receptor binding studies involving the use of 125I-labelled highly purified FSH and LH have shown that equine gonadal tissues possess similar numbers of specific FSH and LH receptors per cell as the gonadal tissues of other mammals. However, while rat, cow and pig gonadal tissues were shown to bind as much 125I-labelled PMSG as 125I-labelled LH on a molar basis, the equivalent equine tissues bound only less than or equal to 4% as much of the labelled PMSG as LH. Competitive binding studies involving the use of radioreceptor assay techniques have further demonstrated that the smal...
Palmer E.The use of photoperiod, progestagen, prostaglandin and hCG treatments was investigated to obtain mating of mares at predetermined times. The objectives were: (1) synchronization of oestrus at an early time of the year, (2) simplification of treatment schedules by use of vaginal sponges, and (3) use of several controlled cycles by successive synchronization. The following conclusions were reached. First, after a 16 h photoperiod was applied beginning on 25 November, hormonal synchronization of oestrus and ovulation followed by cyclicity were obtained on 1 February; i.e. 2 months of light are es...
Eyre P, Elmes PJ, Strickland S.Spirally cut digital arteries and veins were mounted isotonically in organ baths containing oxygenated Krebs' Q-Henseleit solution. Twelve arterial and 12 venous preparations all contracted dose dependently when epinephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin, or histamine were added to the bathing fluid. Addition of hydrocortisone or betamethasone alone did not cause contractions in any of the tissues tested. However, when hydrocortisone or betamethasone was added to vessel strips that were partially contracted (40% to 60% maximal) by epinephrine, norepinephrine, or serotonin, each vessel strip invari...
Pope AM, Campbell DL, Davidson JP.Foal heat was significantly delayed in 15 Thoroughbred and Quarter-horse mares by 200 mg progesterone in oil from Days 5--14 post partum. Nine of these mares subsequently received daily i.v. injections of 2 mg of a synthetic GnRH preparation (AY-24,031) from Day 2 of the progesterone-delayed oestrus but this treatment did not significantly shorten oestrus or hasten ovulation. Uterine biopsies taken on Day 15 post partum from all the mares showed a mixed endometrial morphology having both oestrous and dioestrous characteristics. There was an increased proliferation of endometrial glands in thes...
Swerczek TW.Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM) was initially reported during the 1977 breeding season in England (Crowhurst, 1977) and Ireland (Timoney, Ward & Kelly, 1977. The disease has also been diagnosed in France and Australia (Huges, Bryden & MacDonald, 1978). The first occurrence of CEM in the United States followed the importation or 2 stallions from France late in 1977 which resulted in an outbreak early in the 1978 breeding season (Swerczek, 1978). Mares usually develop clinical signs of CEM 8--10 days after being covered by an infected stallion, when a copious, greyish discharge is seen. Other m...
Hinckley KA, Fearn S, Howard BR, Henderson IW.Laminitis, a microvascular disease of the equine hoof leads to severe lameness. Exogenous iv 1-arginine and transdermal nitric oxide donors, such as GTN, applied to the pasterns improve lameness during acute laminitis. Near Infrared spectroscopy in an earlier study showed haemostasis and ischaemia in the hoof during acute laminitis, both were alleviated by 1-arginine. Quantitative NIRS in the present study shows that transdermal GTN increases blood flow in the equine hoof. It is concluded that glyceryl trinitrate enhances nitric oxide mediated perfusion within the equine hoof in normal and chr...
ter Braake F.The medical records of 71 horses with sepic arthritis, bursitis, or tenosynovitis, treated between 1996 and 2001 at Dierenkliniek Enmeloord, were reviewed. A total number of 81 joints, tendon sheaths and bursae were treated (21 tarsi, 17 digital tendon sheaths, 14 metacarpo/metatarso-phalangeal joints, 12 stifles, 6 carpi, 4 coffin joints, 2 navicular bursae, 1 elbow joint, 1 proximal-interphalangeal joint, 1 tarsal sheath, 1 bursa calcanei subtendineum). The aetiology in 42 cases was a penetrating wound (group 1), in 4 cases an intra-articular injection, and in 2 cases arthroscopic surgery (g...
Reubel GH, Studdert MJ.We report the first nucleotide sequence data on equine adenovirus 2 (EAdV2) which corroborate on the molecular level that EAdV2 is distinct from equine adenovirus 1 (EAdV1). Based on sequence homology with Eadv1 the hexon gene of Eadv2 was identified. HindIII restriction fragments containing the hexon and eight other viral genes were cloned into the plasmid pUC19 and the nucleotide sequence of the hexon and the 23K proteinase genes completely determined. Amino acid (aa) comparison of sequence fragments with published adenovirus (AdV) proteins identified the genes for the E1B/19K, IVa2, DNA pol...
Mason DK, Collins EA, Watkins KL.An investigation into the incidence of exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) in thoroughbreds in Hong Kong was carried out between the 1981 and 1983 racing seasons. A total of 1039 post race endoscopic examinations were performed in 1982-1983 and the results indicated that 46.8 per cent of runners had EIPH. This was not statistically different from the percentage of horses showing EIPH during 1981-82 (46.9 per cent). As it had been postulated that dust, especially from straw, could be implicated in lung haemorrhage a proportion of horses were bedded on paper in the 1982-83 season. No s...
Hawkins JF, Ross MW.Medical records of 40 racing Standardbreds with superficial digital flexor tendinitis that underwent transection of the accessory ligament of the superficial digital flexor (SDF) muscle (superior check desmotomy) were reviewed. Surgery was performed bilaterally in 32 horses and unilaterally in 8. Concurrent palmar annular desmotomy was performed in 8 horses in which tendinitis involved the distal metacarpal region and confinement of the deep and SDF tendons by the annular ligament was suspected. Follow-up information was obtained for 32 horses, by telephone, and racing results were available f...
Engiles JB, Uzal FA, Navarro MA, Reef VB, Bender SJ.Phlegmonous gastritis was diagnosed in 2 yearling fillies that were presented with a 1-wk history of fever, lethargy, and hypoproteinemia, associated with a previous diagnosis of equine proliferative enteropathy based on clinical signs and PCR assay detection of Lawsonia intracellularis in fecal samples. Abdominal ultrasound revealed enlargement of the stomach and expansion of its submucosal layer with hypoechoic fluid, as well as thickened hypomotile small intestinal segments. Given the poor prognosis and poor response to treatment, both horses were euthanized, one on the day of presentation ...
Bedford SJ, McDonnell SM, Tulleners E, King D, Habecker P.A 14-year-old Arabian stallion was examined because of acute hemospermia. The stallion was used in an artificial breeding program and had a 6-year history of low-grade hemospermia and a 4-year history of self-mutilation behavior. During previous examinations, minor irritation of the urethral process was identified as the source of the bleeding. Physical examination revealed a mucosal ulceration in the distal portion of the urethra. Histologic examination of a biopsy specimen from this area revealed low-grade squamous cell carcinoma. The urethral process was excised, and the hemospermia resolve...
Robinson NE, Jones GA, Scott JB, Dabney JM.We measured the flow rate and protein concentration of lymph collected from a digital lymphatic in eight anesthetized ponies. Additionally, we recorded systemic arterial pressure (Part), and small vein pressure (Psv). Control lymph flow averaged 0.068 ml/min, and contained 3.11 g/100 ml of protein with albumin/globulin ratio of 0.75. Twenty-minute local intra-arterial infusion of acetylcholine (10 mug/min.) elevated Psv but did not increase lymph flow rate or protein concentration. A 60-min local intra-arterial infusion of histamine (10 mug/min) produced a marked sustained increase in Psv and ...
Rhim JS, Ro HS, Kim EB, Gilden RV, Huebner RJ.A horse skin cell line (E. Derm, NBL-6, CCL-57) was susceptible to focus formation by the Kirsten mouse sarcoma virus, feline sarcoma virus (ST stain) and the MSV pseudotypes with woolly monkey, gibbon monkey, RD-114, AT-124, baboon placenta and murine xenotropic (BALB/c 3T3 and C57L/JD) type-C viruses. Foci were detected within 5 days after infection and the transformed cells continued to produce infectious virus and group-specific antigen of their respective type-C leukemia viruses. The transformation efficiency of various type-C sarcoma viruses in horse cells was also very high.
Klei TR, French DD, Chapman MR, McClure JR, Dennis VA, Taylor HW, Hutchinson GW.The long-term efficacy of an irradiation attenuated larval (L3) vaccine against Strongylus vulgaris was tested in ponies which were reared on pasture. Prior to foaling, mares were divided into two groups. One group of mares and foals received regular (eight weekly) treatment with ivermectin and the second group remained untreated. Half the foals in each pasture group were vaccinated at eight to ten weeks of age. Foals were weaned at three to four months of age and maintained on separate pastures. At eight to ten months of age, ponies were placed in box stalls and half of each treatment group w...
Lim CK, Hawkins JF, Vanderpool AL, Heng HG, Gillespie Harmon CC, Lenz SD.Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a sequela to osteochondrosis, whereby the cartilage superficial to the site of osteochondrosis fractures and gives rise to osteochondral fragments in the affected joint. In this case, both the radiological and computed tomography findings were supportive of classical severe OCD but the histologic findings were not supportive of the diagnosis of OCD. Methods: A 1 year and 6 months old, Saddlebred, colt was presented for evaluation of chronic cervical pain. Standing laterolateral radiographs revealed an osteochondral fragment with corresponding irregular subc...
Chapman DI, Whiteside J.A radioimmunoassay method has been developed that enables the administration of therapeutic doses of synthetic corticosteroids to be detected in horse urine. Fourteen proprietary preparations of these steroids have been given by intramuscular injection to ponies and thoroughbreds. The administration of some preperations could still be detected six days after a single intramuscular injection of a therapeutic dose. The route of injection of dexamethasone-21-sodium phosphate, whether intramuscular, intravenous or intra-articular, did not appear to alter the length of time over which the steroid o...
Suarez-Fuentes DG, Tatarniuk DM, Caston SS, Kersh KD, Gillen AM, Hays AM.To compare outcomes after semitendinosus tenotomy performed under standing sedation versus general anesthesia. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 20 horses with fibrotic myopathy of the semitendinosus muscle. Methods: Medical records (2002-2015) of horses undergoing tenotomy of the semitendinosus muscle for the treatment of fibrotic myopathy were reviewed. Signalment, history, affected muscles, restrain method, surgical procedures, and short-term outcome as well as complications were retrieved from records. Long-term outcome (gait and athletic function) was assessed at least 6 months...
Paryani MR, Gilanpour H.The Caspian miniature horse is one of the rare small breeds in the north of Iran. In the present study, the position of the heart and its valves were determined topographically in 4 miniature horses. We found that Caspian miniature horses have general similarities, with certain topographical variability, with other horses.
Skarda RT, Muir WW, Ibrahim AI.The CSF concentrations of mepivacaine in 10 Standardbred horses and of procaine in 10 Holstein cows given the drugs by thoracolumbar subarachnoid injection were determined. Mepivacaine hydrochloride was injected into the horses (502 +/- 60.5 kg) at an average dosage of 30 mg (1.5 ml of 20 mg/ml solution). Analgesia was produced 7.5 +/- 4.3 minutes after injection, extended between spinal cord segments T13 and L3 on both sides of the spinal column, and lasted 47 +/- 18.7 minutes at the T18 dermatome. Procaine hydrochloride was injected into cows (614 +/- 51.5 kg) at a dosage ranging between 75 ...
Pikuła R, Zaborski D, Grzesiak W, Smugała M.The aim of the present study was to analyse the mobility of Polish Konik horses in their natural environment. The study was conducted on a herd of 15 Polish Konik horses in 2018. The Global Positioning System (GPS) transmitter was used to track the horses' movements. Two habitats (forest and meadows), four seasons (autumn, winter, spring, and summer), and four times of the day (morning, midday, evening, and night) were distinguished. Season, habitat, and time of the day as well as the interaction among them significantly ( p < 0.0001 ) affected the mobility of Polish Konik horses. The use of ...