"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.
Gorelkin L, Jahrling PB.Pancreatic tissue from hamsters inoculated with a virulent strain of Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis virus (VEE) was studied sequentially with fluorescent antibody, light and electron microscopic technics. Progressive viral growth and cellular necrosis in the pancreas were demonstrated. Pancreatic infection resulted from both viremia and direct extension from the spleen across contaminated serosal planes. Mature viruses traversed the endothelium within endothelial vesicles and were associated with acinar as well as islet cells.
Joncas JH, Gilker JC, Chagnon A.The relative value of heterophil agglutinins (HA) and of specific EBV antibodies in the diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis (IM) was assessed in 108 cases of the disease and in 280 controls. Among the 108 cases 93 were HA-positive by sheep cells in at least one of their sera, while 15 were HA-negative by the same test. Among the 280 controls false-positive HA tests were not encountered except in eight cases with the horse cell microtitre tests. With one of the two slide tests at least two false-positive tests and 12 false-negative tests were also found but these sera had low titres in microt...
Watson RE, Larson KA.Indirect immunofluorescence and lymphocyte cytotoxicity experiments demonstrated the presence of a tumor-specific antigen(s) on the surface of cells from an equine sarcoid cell line (Mc1). Autologous serum (taken from the horse from which the Mc1 cells were derived) and sera from three other sarcoid-bearing horses revealed a similar membrane immunofluorescence when reacted with Mc1 cells, indicating the existence of cross-reacting antibodies. Results of serum colony inhibition experiments indicate that these antibodies are not cytotoxic. Incubation of Mc1 cells with autologous lymphocytes resu...
Vos JH, Deleu SA, Heling W, de Vries AR, Zeeuwen AA.The most relevant results of a written questionnaire among veterinarians in the Netherlands are presented and discussed. The inquiry was performed by MarketResponse Nederland BV. The objective was to get an overview of the current perception and the future view of the profession. The response was 37%. Most respondents (66%) were practitioners, 7% were active in research or teaching institutions, 5% were governmental employees, 5% were employed in industry, and 17% did not belong to any of these categories (retired, unemployed etc.). Forty-seven per cent of the veterinarians practised mainly sm...
Cohen ND, Carey VJ, Donahue JG, Seahorn JL, Brown SE, Riddle TW.To characterize the temporality of dates of breeding and abortion classified as mare reproductive loss syndrome (MRLS) among mares with abortions during early gestation. Methods: 2,314 mares confirmed pregnant at approximately 28 days after breeding from 36 farms in central Kentucky, including 515 mares that had early-term abortions. Methods: Farm veterinarians and managers were interviewed to obtain data for each mare that was known to be pregnant to determine pregnancy status, breeding date, last date known to be pregnant, and date of abortion. Results: Mares bred prior to April 1, 2001, app...
Daly AE, Deible CG, Lamb CE, Santacaterina SM, Marzolf NL, Page AE, Horohov DW, Wood PL, Werre SR, Chapman SE, Christmann U.To evaluate surfactant protein D (SP-D) concentrations in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from young healthy horses on pasture or housed in a typical barn. Methods: 20 young healthy horses. Methods: Horses were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups (pasture, n = 10; barn, 10), and serum and BALF samples were collected for SP-D determination at baseline (all horses on pasture) and 2 weeks and 4 weeks after the barn group of horses was relocated from the pasture to the barn. Other evaluations included physical and tracheoscopic examinations. Findings were compared within and between g...
Gethmann D.In the early twentieth century, counting and speaking horses, like the famous Clever Hans or the "Horses of Elberfeld," became widely debated subjects in experimental psychology. The idea was to determine whether their learning success was only a fraud, or if it might open up a new chapter in "animal psychology" - or even belong to the realm of parapsychology and telepathy. When their tricks were discovered, the teachers of the animals were marked as charlatans. Both the attempts to detect charlatans and the efforts to avoid this accusation during the talking horse experiments proceeded using ...
Chiapetta JR, Baker JC, Feeney DA.An Arabian foal, which was recumbent for 4 days, had signs of extensor rigidity of the thoracic limbs and hypotonic paralysis of the pelvic limbs. Survey radiography revealed a lesion at T15, with radiographic impression of a compression fracture or a hemivertebra. Postmortem examination revealed a fracture at T15. Clinical and pathologic findings in this case were compatible with the Schiff-Sherrington syndrome, which is characterized by thoracic limb extensor hypertonia associated with paraplegia from acute thoracolumbar trauma.
Collatos C, Reef VB, Richardson DW.An abscess of the external umbilical remnant and umbilical vein remnant was diagnosed in a 16-month-old colt, using ultrasonography. Because of the colt's size, primary closure of the surgical incision after umbilical cord resection was not complete. Vertical mattress stainless steel sutures and stents were used, and healing was by second intention. Intervening gas-filled viscera made it impossible to visualize ultrasonographically the bladder of umbilical artery remnants in a colt of this age.
Carmalt JL, Bell CD, Panizzi L, Wolker RR, Lanovaz JL, Bracamonte JL, Wilson DG.To assess the safety and efficacy of alcohol-facilitated ankylosis of the distal intertarsal (DIT) and tarsometatarsal (TMT) joints in horses with osteoarthritis (bone spavin). Methods: Prospective clinical trial. Methods: 21 horses with DIT or TMT joint-associated hind limb lameness and 5 nonlame horses. Methods: 11 horses (group 1) underwent lameness, force-plate, and radiographic examinations; following intra-articular analgesia, lameness and force-plate examinations were repeated. Nonlame horses were used for force-plate data acquisition only. Following localization of lameness to the DIT ...
Thomas AL, Schramme MC, Lepage OM, Segard EM.An awareness of magnetic susceptibility artifacts is important for interpreting prepurchase and postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in horses. These artifacts occur when a metallic or a paramagnetic substance creates a local magnetic field deformity. Aims of the current experimental study were to determine prevalence of these artifacts after arthroscopy in a sample of nonlame horses, and to describe effects of time and type of pulse sequence on low-field MRI signal intensity and detection of the artifacts. Ten, nonlame Standardbred horses were prospectively recruited. All ho...
Modesto RB, Rodgerson DH, Masciarelli AE, Spirito M.This retrospective study describes placement of distal radial transphyseal screws in Thoroughbred yearlings with carpal varus deformities while standing, and identifes short- and long-term complications following the procedure. Data gathered from 2009 to 2013 identified 8 yearlings that met the inclusion criteria. Horses were sedated intravenously and a single 4.5-mm cortical screw was placed in the distal lateral radial physis following application of local anesthetic and surgical preparation of a pre-placed hole. All horses were evaluated weekly after surgery and screw removal was performed ...
Hallebeek JM, Beynen AC.In a Latin square design, six horses were fed hay and concentrates with isoenergetic amounts of either starch, cellulose or medium chain triacylglycerols (MCT). The dietary variables provided on average 22% of total dietary net energy. Plasma triacylglycerols and other variables of lipid metabolism were determined. The experimental periods lasted 21 days. Blood samples were taken just before the morning meal and three and six hours later. The diet rich in MCT significantly raised the plasma level of triacylglycerols when compared to either the starch- or cellulose-rich diet. The plasma concent...
Ingarden J, Dubiel A, Rauluszkiewicz S.This study investigated the effect of a beta blocker on parturition, fetal membrane retention and subsequent fertility in mares. The animals were divided into an experimental group (150 mares treated during second stage labour with propranolol [50 mg i.v.]) and a control group (180 mares with no treatment). Administration of propranolol was associated with a significant decrease in time of expulsion of fetal membranes, and an increase in both exhibition of foal heat and pregnancy rates at this heat.
Don-van't Slot HP, van der Kolk JH.Severe-Combined-Immunodeficiency-Disease (SCID) is discussed with special reference to its pathogenesis, clinical symptoms, pathology, and diagnosis. The disorder has been observed in the USA, Canada, Great Britain, and Australia and is characterized by an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. The clinical features of the disease seen in Arab foals under 46 days of age are intermittent fever, (adenoviral) pneumonia, and weight loss sometimes associated with diarrhoea. From 1998 on, the SCID gene can be detected in the Netherlands by means of DNA analysis.
Baba SS, Akinyele HA, Olaleye OD.The occurrence of antibodies against the African horse sickness virus was investigated in 246 domestic animals (horses, donkeys, camels, dogs) in various regions of Nigeria by means of the complement-fixing rate. 34% of the sera tested were positive: 75% in donkeys, 68% in horses, 19% in camels, and 9% in dogs. Among the horses, those of 6 to 15 years of age had higher than average prevalence rates than the other age groups. Stallions from the northern regions had higher prevalence rates than mares generally and stallions from other regions. These findings are important for the epidemiology of...
Krüger B, Siesenop U, Böhm KH.In 1993 and 1994 a highly increased occurrence of equine dermatophilosis was observed, and a study was initiated to determine phenotypic heterogeneity among 120 clinical isolates using biochemistry, antibiotic resistance profiles, membrane protein profiles and Western blotting. The biochemical examinations contained 1% equine serum in medium. Moreover, the API ZYM-test from bioMérieux was used. The biochemical reactions were suited to identify Dermatophilus congolensis but did not allow a differentiation among the various isolates. Antibiotic resistance in one or more isolates was observed ag...
Seibert BP, Newcomb KM, Michael BF.Critical tests were done on 24 naturally parasitized horses to compare the antiparasitic activity of an oral paste preparation of mebendazole and trichlorfon with that of the marketed powder formulation. Each formulation was administered at the recommended dosages of 8.8 mg of mebendazole and 40 mg of trichlorfon/kg of body weight. Efficacy of the paste formulation ranged from 97.7% to 100% against 2nd- and 3rd-stage Gasterophilus spp, adult Strongylus vulgaris, S edentatus, Parascaris equorum, small strongyles; and larval and adult forms of Oxyuris equi. Adverse effects were generally limited...
Bowman KF, Sweeney CL, Tate LP.A medial condylar fracture of the third metatarsal bone in a 2-year-old Thoroughbred filly was repaired successfully by use of compression bone plating. At discharge from the hospital, thickening of the metatarsus was evident, and proliferative changes were associated with the site of bone plate application. It was expected that these changes would limit the filly's use as a racehorse, and a return to training was not recommended. Especially in horses that may return to racing, use of compression bone plating initially should not replace stall rest or lag screw fixation treatment of this type ...
