"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.
HAMMON WM, REEVES WC.In three cases of encephalitis in humans that occurred in the area where the newly described California virus was isolated from mosquitoes, serological evidence seemed to indict the California virus as the etiological agent. In the case of an infant with very severe disease, the serological evidence was convincing; the evidence was almost as strong in the case of a seven-year-old boy; the results in an adult were equivocal. Inapparent infection in man is quite common as indicated by neutralization tests on the sera of nearly 600 residents of California, but encephalitic manifestations of infec...
Kvigstad EF, Øverland IK, Skedsmo FS, Jäderlund KH, Gröndahl G, Hanche-Olsen S, Gunnes G.Over the past 25 years, acquired equine polyneuropathy (AEP) has emerged as a neurological disease in Scandinavian horses. This condition is characterized by histopathological features including the presence of Schwann cell (SC) inclusions. Cultivated equine SCs would serve as a valuable resource for investigations of factors triggering this Schwannopathy. Ideally, cells should be sampled for cultivation from fresh nerves immediately after death of the animal, however the availability of fresh material is limited, due to the inconsistent case load and the inherent technical and practical chall...
Ruff JH, Tufts S, Robertson J, Horne C, Schnabel LV, Jacobs C.To compare palpation and ultrasound scores of effusion of the medial femorotibial and femoropatellar joints of horses. Methods: 40 horses (80 stifles) were evaluated over a 12-week period. Methods: Horses > 1 year of age without history of stifle disease were enrolled from September to December 2022. Palpation of right and left medial femorotibial and femoropatellar joint compartments was performed. Amount of effusion was scored by a board-certified large animal surgeon, a third-year large animal surgery resident, and an equine sports medicine intern. Effusion of right and left medial femoroti...
Stegelmeier BL, Davis TZ.Range and pasture toxic plants can poison horses. Many of these plants are noxious weeds that can dominate plant populations and replace healthy forages. Poisoning is often difficult to diagnose as the resulting plant-induced disease is similar to other infectious, toxic, and nutritional diseases. Identifying potentially problem plants, and observing what plants horses are eating, is essential in determining the risk of poisoning. If the risk is significant, it can drive management to invest in strategies to avoid exposure, animal disease, and suffering.
Sauer FJ, Hellige M, Beineke A, Geburek F.Few case reports describe equine coxofemoral joint osteoarthritis (CFJOA). Objective: To evaluate diagnostic findings and outcome of horses with CFJOA and to provide a score facilitating radiographic assessment. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: History, clinical signs, ultrasonographic, radiographic and intra-articular anaesthesia findings, treatments, outcome, and necropsy results of horses with CFJOA presented between 2002 and 2023 were collated. Radiographic findings were categorised to develop a radiographic score which was applied by two masked examiners. Intra- and inter-obse...
Ferlini Agne G, Kapusniak AE, Wooldridge AA, Jung SW.In this case report, a high dose of torsemide (6mg/kg, every 12 hours for 3 days followed by 12mg/kg, every 12 hours for 4 days) was administered orally to a horse with congestive heart failure (CHF) and atrial fibrillation. Blood samples for measurement of plasma torsemide concentrations were obtained one hour after each drug administration. Pharmacodynamic effects of oral torsemide were evaluated by daily physical examination, electrocardiography, and serum biochemistry. The horse tolerated administration of torsemide. A decrease in ventral oedema and venous congestion was subjectively noted...
Wilcox CV, Knych HK, Katzman SA, Arthur RM, Rodriguez V, Finno CJ.There are two FDA-approved bisphosphonate products, clodronate (Osphos®) and tiludronate (Tildren®), for use in horses. It is hypothesized that bisphosphonates can produce analgesic effects and prevent proper healing of microcracks in bone. Therefore, bisphosphonate use is banned in racehorses. However, bisphosphonates have a short detection window in the blood before sequestration in the skeleton, making the reliability of current drug tests questionable. Seven exercising Thoroughbred horses were administered clodronate (1.8 mg/kg i.m.), and four were administered saline. RNA was isolated...
Ribikauskas V, Kreizaitė J, Morkūnaitė J, Arney DR, Kučinskienė J.Hippotherapy is considered as a beneficial field of activity for Žemaitukas, a Lithuanian native horse breed. The aim of this study is to analyze the suitability of Žemaitukas breed horses for hippotherapy by using a set of tests based on the temperament, behavioral reactions, and zoometric measurements. Results of these tests inform whether the future use of Lithuanian native horses in hippotherapy can ensure their welfare. In total, 32 horses were evaluated. Twenty-nine of the evaluated horses were horses of the Žemaitukas breed that had never been used for hippotherapy, the others were h...
Seidler A, Aßmann A, Torgerson PR, Sánchez-Andrade JS, Bischofberger A.The objective of this study was to compare articular cartilage thickness observed in the different 2D and 3D sequences to the cartilage thickness of the equine stifle in cadavers to determine the accuracy of each sequence. The study was conducted as a blinded laboratory study using seven equine stifle specimens. The 2D (T2W TSE) and 3D (3D VIEW T2W HR, T2 3D mFFE, T1W VISTA SPAIR, 3D PDW SPAIR) 3-tesla MRI sequences of each stifle were obtained. Cartilage thickness was measured at 30 locations on MRI and on gross pathology. Thickness measurements were compared using a Bland-Altman plot and pos...
Turn JT, Mayer J, Nagata K, Banovic F, Meichner K, Hurley DJ, Koslowski E, Gogal RM.Apitherapy is a form of alternative medicine that utilizes products from the western honeybee (Apis mellifera), including honey, propolis, and honeybee venom, to improve the health status of human patients by altering host immunity. An added benefit of these products is that they are nutraceuticals and relatively inexpensive to aquire. Currently, little is known about the use of honeybee products in veterinary species, as well as their impact on host immunity. In the present in vitro study, honey, propolis, and honeybee venom were co-cultured with enriched canine, equine, and chicken periphera...
Cattaneo A, Guandalini A, Peruccio C.This retrospective study evaluated tear film (TF) interferometry on horses examined in Northern Italy in 2019-2021. The objectives were to evaluate horses affected by keratitis, and to describe TF values in horses with no evidence of ocular disease. All horses received a complete ophthalmic examination and were examined with the Ocular Surface Analyser, Veterinary-setting, prior to eye manipulation, staining and sample collection. Eighteen horses with no evidence of ocular disease were included in the comparison group. Additionally, 46 horses displaying signs of keratitis (neovascularization, ...
Recchi L, Cribb N, Côté N, Dubois MS, Koenig J, Valverde A, Monteith G.Antimicrobial stewardship has shown significant development in recent years. Perioperative prophylaxis accounts for a substantial volume of antimicrobial use and is a field in which improvements can likely be made. The objective of this study was to evaluate practices associated with perioperative antimicrobial use in equine elective laparoscopy at a single institution over a 21-year period and to determine whether antimicrobial therapy influenced the occurrence of postoperative complications. Medical records of horses that underwent elective laparoscopy at a teaching hospital from January 200...
Sturbaum AM, Kaiser KJ, Riesberg JS.To describe the clinical application and outcome of MicroPulse™ transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (MP-TSCPC) treatment in horses with glaucoma. Methods: Four client-owned horses with primary (n = 2) or secondary (n = 2) glaucoma. Methods: Horses were treated with MP-TSCPC under standing sedation with a minimum of 30 days of follow-up (range 30-1241 days). Affected eyes were treated with a 31.3% duty cycle and 3000 mW laser power for a total of 180 s. Data collected included signalment, pre- and post-procedure intraocular pressures (IOPs), laser settings, medications, complic...
Asgari P, Amniattalab A.The equine stomach consists of two separate non-glandular and glandular sections. Despite the incidence of most lesions in the non-glandular region, both stomach parts are prone to lesions. In this study, 41 hybrid-native horses, including 24 stallions and 17 mares, were examined over five years. In total, 27 horses (65.85%) that were sampled had lesions, including erosion, granuloma, or both on the glandular region of the stomach. Occurrence of gastric erosive and granulomatous lesions had no significant relationship with the age and gender of horses or the sampling season (>0.05). Moreove...
Shelton AV, Tupper J, Bolt DM.Pre-purchase examinations (PPEs) are performed for prospective purchasers of horses to identify prejudicial findings that could make animals unsuitable for an intended use. Although this examination process is often standardised, PPEs remain, in large parts, a subjective procedure. In the United Kingdom, PPEs generally consist of either a two stage (two stage vetting [2SV], i.e., general physical examination at rest and basic trot in-hand) or a five stage-examination (five stage vetting [5SV], i.e., general physical exam at rest and after exercise, lameness evaluation including strenuous exerc...
Viljanto M, Love C, White D, Habershon-Butcher J, Hincks P, Gray B, Scarth J.Methandienone is an anabolic-androgenic steroid that is prohibited in equine sports due to its potential performance enhancing properties. Metabolism and detection of methandienone in equine urine have been investigated comprehensively in literature; however, there is a limited knowledge about its metabolites in equine plasma and no information about its detection in equine hair. Following a multi-dose oral administration of methandienone to two Thoroughbred horses, 17-epimethandienone, methyltestosterone, two mono-hydroxylated, two di-hydroxylated and three 17α-methylandrostanetriol metaboli...
Gmel AI, Haraldsdóttir EH, Bragança FMS, Cruz AM, Weishaupt MA.Speed alterations affect many gait analysis parameters. How horses adapt to speed is relevant in many equestrian disciplines and may differ between breeds. This study described changes in gait parameters in 38 Warmblood (WB) and 24 Franches-Montagnes (FM) horses subjected to an incremental speed test at walk (1.35-2.05 m/s) and trot (3.25-5.5 m/s). Time, force and spatial parameters of each limb were measured with an instrumented treadmill and analysed with regression analysis using speed as the independent variable. With higher speeds, stride rate, length, over-tracking distance and vertica...
Haardt H, Romero AE, Boysen SR, Tan JY.Abdominal ultrasonography is valuable in the diagnosis of equine colic. Fast localized abdominal sonography of horses (FLASH) enables practitioners with limited experience to perform ultrasonography in emergency settings. However, many practitioners only possess rectal format linear array transducers (RFLT). The hypotheses are: (a) A low frequency curvilinear transducer (LFCT) and RFLT will detect free abdominal fluid and abnormal small intestinal loops with similar frequency during FLASH, and (b) there will be a difference between the transducers for detection of gastric abnormalities and nep...
Vives-Vilarroig J, Ruiz-Bernardo P, García-Gómez A.The aim of this research was to study the effect of a horseback-riding programme on postural control in a group of autistic children (ASD). Nine children aged 9 to 12 years participated in this study through a multiple baseline across subjects design. The whole programme took place over nine months. Participants followed a previously developed specific horseback-riding programme, consisting of 45-minute sessions held twice a week for at least three months. To evaluate postural control, the average velocity of the centre of pressure displacement was measured by means of a posturographic platfor...
Fuss FK.The horse's navicular bone is located inside the hoof between the deep flexor tendon (DDFT) and the middle and end phalanges. The aim of this study was to calculate the stress distribution across the articular surface of the navicular bone and to investigate how morphological variations of the navicular bone affect the joint forces and stress distribution. Joint forces normalised to the DDFT force were calculated from force and moment equilibria from morphological parameters determined on mediolateral radiographs. The stress distribution on the articular surface was determined from the moment ...
Biau S, Leblanc M, Pycik E, Pasquiet B, Huet B.Equitation in the French tradition is a school of riding that emphasizes harmonious relations between humans and horses. The best-known community is the Cadre Noir of Saumur, whose specialty is the air above the ground (AAG). No study has yet looked at the horse-rider interaction in this specific context. The purpose of this study was to identify and quantify indicators of AAGs based on the empirical perception of the écuyers expressed by a method of self-confrontation interviews. Fourteen training sessions were the subject of phenomenological and biomechanical approaches. Contact, balance, a...
Vincent A, Morrissey M, Acri M, Guo F, Hoagwood K.This study examines the effect of volunteering within a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl) premiere accredited center by exploring the experiences of volunteers leading horses in adaptive riding lessons. Adaptive Riding lessons are horseback riding lessons for individuals ages four through the lifespan, with special needs, varying from cognitive, physical, social-emotional, or other challenges. Volunteers directly impact the rider-horse bond by increasing accessibility to horseback riding for individuals with disabilities, fostering a meaningful bond...
Scilimati N, Cerullo A, Nannarone S, Gialletti R, Giusto G, Bertoletti A.Small colon impaction can result in accumulation of ingesta, gas, and fluid orally to the impaction site in horses. Large colon tympany, which is caused by ingesta fermentation, can be a predisposing factor for intestinal displacement. The aim of this study is to report the history, clinical, and surgical findings of horses and ponies referred for abdominal pain not responsive to drugs where a right dorsal displacement (RDD) or large colon volvulus (LCV), together with a small colon faecalith (SCF), were diagnosed during surgery. This study included a total of five horses and five ponies. Base...
Brown C, Stefaniuk-Szmukier M, Decloedt A, Beijerink N, Hamilton NA, Velie BD.Congenital heart defects (CHDs) can have profound and potentially life-threatening consequences on horses' health and performance capability. While CHDs are rare in the general horse population, the Arabian breed is disproportionately overrepresented and thus is widely suspected to be genetically predisposed. This review discusses the most common CHDs in Arabian horses, including ventricular septal defect (VSD), tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), patent duct arteriosus (PDA), tricuspid valve atresia (TVA) and atrial septal defect (ASD). This review also explores how future research into the genetic fa...
Kuroda T, Minamijima Y, Niwa H, Mita H, Tamura N, Fukuda K, Ohta M.A pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) approach was used to determine a dosage regimen of cephalothin (CET) after intramuscular (IM) administration in horses. CET plasma concentrations were measured in eight horses after a single IM administration of 11 mg/kg bwt of CET. The data were modeled using a nonlinear mixed-effect model, and the probability of target attainment (PTA) of the PK/PD target was calculated for 5,000 horses generated by Monte Carlo simulations. IM administrations of CET at 11 mg/kg bwt q 8 hr and q 6 hr achieved a PTA of 90% against the MIC90 of S. zooepidemicus and S. a...
Piotrowski IL, Junge HK, Schwarzwald CC.Mitral and aortic valve insufficiencies have been commonly reported in horses. The objective of this study was to establish the use of acoustic cardiography (Audicor®) in horses with aortic (AI) or mitral valve insufficiency (MI). A total of 17 healthy horses, 18 horses with AI, and 28 horses with MI were prospectively included. None of the horses was in heart failure. Echocardiography and Audicor® analyses were conducted. Electromechanical activating time (EMAT), rate-corrected EMATc, left ventricular systolic time (LVST), rate-corrected LVSTc, and intensity and persistence of the third and...
Aitken MR, Floriano DA, Hopster K.The study's objective was to evaluate the feasibility and dispersion of an open approach to the transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block in eight adult equine cadavers. A ventral midline incision was made, starting 2 cm cranial to the umbilicus and extending 25 cm cranially. In total, 0.5 mL/kg of new methylene blue (NMB) was injected per horse, divided into six injections. Using an 18 g, 8 cm Tuohy needle, three injections were made per side. The needle was guided blindly into the TAP using palpation. A 60 mL syringe was attached directly to the needle, depositing ~0.08 mL/kg at each site. The...
Menzies-Gow NJ, Shurlock T.Feedstuffs are often recommended to mitigate potential damage from acid associated with equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD). In acidic conditions, pectin alters its structure to one like mucus and binds the stomach mucosa, whilst alfalfa has a strong intrinsic acid buffering capacity. The study aimed to determine whether feeding a commercial beet pulp/alfalfa/oat fibre mix aids ESGD healing and/or prevention of recurrence. Ten adult horses with naturally occurring ESGD were included. All animals were treated with omeprazole as per the attending veterinarian's recommendation and randomly all...
Fröhlich DE, Wallner B, Juras R, Cothran EG, Velie BD.Timor ponies (TP) were first shipped to Australia in the early 1800s and were highly valued as transport and pack animals, which resulted in TPs contributing to the development of Australian horse breeds. Today, while the exact number of TPs in Australia is currently unknown, there has been recent interest in establishing a domestic breeding program for Australian TPs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relatedness of a sample of TPs, as well as provide estimates of genomic inbreeding levels to better inform the feasibility of using these animals as founders for a domestic breeding prog...
Siede C, Komainda M, Tonn B, Wolter SMC, Schmitz A, Isselstein J.Horses can contribute to the maintenance of grassland. To determine the potential contribution of grassland to horse nutrition, we investigated the seasonal variation of herbage on offer and its nutritional quality in an inventory on six practical horse farms in Central Germany during 2019. On all horse-grazed pastures compressed sward height (CSH) was measured monthly and converted into aboveground herbage (AGH) to allocated short and tall grass sward areas (area-specific) via calibration cuts. In addition, four focus pastures were selected for monthly obtained area-specific herbage quality s...
