Icelandic Horses are a distinct breed known for their unique characteristics and adaptability to harsh environments. Originating from Iceland, these horses are typically small yet sturdy, with a thick coat that provides insulation against cold climates. They are renowned for their five gaits, which include the traditional walk, trot, and canter, as well as two additional gaits: the tölt and the flying pace. These gaits contribute to their smooth ride and versatility. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the genetic traits, physiology, and behavioral aspects of Icelandic Horses, as well as their role in equine culture and management practices.
Stark G, Schneider B, Gemeiner M.Zinc concentration has been shown to have a potent immunomodulatory capacity, particularly influencing T helper cell organisation and cytokine secretion. Culicoides hypersensitivity (CHS) in horses resembles the early and late phase of type I hypersensitive reactions in man, characterised by a shift from T helper cell subtype 1 to T helper cell subtype 2 cytokine profile. In this pilot study, zinc and copper levels were measured in the plasma of 48 CHS-affected and 56 healthy Icelandic horses age 4-25 years (mean approximately 11 years) kept on 7 farms. Affected horses were divided into 3 grou...
Bjørnstad G, Røed KH.Population demarcation of eight horse breeds was investigated using genotype information of 306 horses from 26 microsatellite loci. The breeds include the indigenous Norwegian breeds Fjord Horse, Nordland/Lyngen Horse, Døle Horse and Coldblooded Trotter together with Icelandic Horse, Shetland Pony, Standardbred and Thoroughbred. Both phylogenetic analysis and a maximum likelihood method were applied to examine the potential for breed allocation of individual animals. The phylogenetic analysis utilizing simple allele sharing statistics revealed clear demarcation among the breeds; 95% of the in...
Axelsson M, Björnsdottir S, Eksell P, Häggström J, Sigurdsson H, Carlsten J.The aim of this study was to evaluate potential risk factors associated with hindlimb lameness and radiographic signs of degenerative joint disease (DJD) in the distal tarsus in Icelandic horses. The material consisted of riding horses (n = 420) age 6-12 years sired by 17 selected sires representing all major breeding lines, and of riding horses (n = 194) in the same age range sired by other sires. The examination protocol included the following: interview with owners/trainers, assessment of conformation, motion evaluation and radiographic examination. At the interview, data related to factors...
Davies Morel MC, Gunnarsson V.Very limited information is available on the breeding performance of Icelandic stallions, let alone the effect that management practices may have had on such performance. As an extensively kept, largely genetically isolated breed of horse it provides a good model for the study of factors that affect reproductive performance without the additional complication of selective breeding, infectious infertility and breed effect. A survey was conducted using 27 Icelandic stallions covering 1590 mares within the normal Icelandic breeding system (May to September). During the season, stallions cover mar...
Swinburne J, Gerstenberg C, Breen M, Aldridge V, Lockhart L, Marti E, Antczak D, Eggleston-Stott M, Bailey E, Mickelson J, Røed K, Lindgren G....Two 3-generation full-sibling reference families have been produced and form a unique resource for genetic linkage mapping studies in the horse. The F(2) generations, now comprising 61 individuals, consist of 28- to 32-day-old embryos removed nonsurgically from two pairs of identical twin mares. The same stallion sired all F(2)s such that the two full-sibling families are half-sibling with respect to each other. The families are crossbred to maximize levels of heterozygosity and include Arabian, Thoroughbred, Welsh Cob, and Icelandic Horse breeds. Milligram quantities of DNA have been isolated...
Björnsdóttir S, Axelsson M, Eksell P, Sigurdsson H, Carlsten J.The prevalence of degenerative joint disease (DJD) in the distal tarsal joints and the relation between radiographic and clinical signs compatible with the disease were estimated in a population of Icelandic horses used for riding. The material consisted of 614 horses age 6-12 years (mean age = 7.9 years). Radiographs with 3 projections of each tarsus were made and a clinical examination, including palpation of the medial aspect of the distal tarsus and motion evaluation of the hindlimbs before and after a flexion test of the tarsus, was performed. Radiographic signs of DJD in the distal tarsa...
Eksell P, Uhlhorn H, Carlsten J.Radiographs from 196 tarsi in 98 Icelandic horses were evaluated to compare the accuracy of four different projections in detecting radiographic signs of degenerative joint disease in the distal tarsus. The extent and localization of tarsal degenerative joint disease found in one projection when reading all four projections of the same tarsus together was compared with the combined findings from all four projections. The results of reading individual radiographic projections without knowledge of the other three projections was also evaluated. Degenerative joint disease was detected most freque...
Axelsson M, Eksell P, Ronéus B, Broström H, Häggström J, Carlsten J.A field study was designed to estimate the prevalence of hind limb lameness in a population of Icelandic horses in Sweden. All available Icelandic horses at 11 different farms within 150 km from Uppsala were examined once during a study period of 13 months. The relationship between hind limb lameness and radiographic signs of bone spavin (RSBS) was investigated. The rate of agreement between the outcome after palpation, motion evaluation and flexion test and radiographic examination was established. A total of 379 horses including 238 geldings, 125 mares and 16 stallions, with mean age 8.1 yea...
Eksell P, Axelsson M, Broström H, Ronéus B, Häggström J, Carlsten J.The present field study was performed to estimate the prevalence of radiographic signs of bone spavin (RSBS) and to evaluate some possible risk factors for RSBS in the Icelandic horse in Sweden. The survey included horses from 11 farms involving 379 horses, comprising 238 geldings, 125 mares and 16 stallions. Age ranged from 0 to 19 years with a mean age of 8.1 years. Horses were radiographed with a dorsolateral-plantaromedial-oblique projection of both tarsi. Information about age, gender, origin, working intensity, number of gaits and age when saddle broken were obtained by interviewing the ...
Lindgren G, Sandberg K, Persson H, Marklund S, Breen M, Sandgren B, Carlstén J, Ellegren H.A primary male autosomal linkage map of the domestic horse (Equus caballus) has been developed by segregation analysis of 140 genetic markers within eight half-sib families. The family material comprised four Standardbred trotters and four Icelandic horses, with a total of 263 offspring. The marker set included 121 microsatellite markers, eight protein polymorphisms, five RFLPs, three blood group polymorphisms, two PCR-RFLPs, and one single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). One hundred markers were arranged into 25 linkage groups, 22 of which could be assigned physically to 18 different...
Breen M, Lindgren G, Binns MM, Norman J, Irvin Z, Bell K, Sandberg K, Ellegren H.Twenty equine microsatellites were isolated from a genomic phage library, and their genetical and physical localization was sought by linkage mapping and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). Nineteen of the markers were found to be polymorphic with, in most cases, heterozygosities exceeding 50%. The markers were mapped in a Swedish reference family for gene mapping, comprising eight half-sib families from Standardbred and Icelandic horse sires. Segregation was analyzed against a set of 35 other markers typed in the pedigree. Thirteen of the microsatellites showed linkage to at least one o...
Kristinsson J, Thordarson TH, Johannesson T.The pharmacokinetics of lignocaine was studied in four Icelandic horses after infiltration anaesthesia. A total of 240 mg of the drug was injected on either side of the left foreleg, over the medial and lateral branches of the palmar nerve. Blood samples were collected up to seven hours after injection and the concentrations of the drug in plasma were determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The results showed that lignocaine was rapidly absorbed. A mean maximum concentration of 232 ng/ml was observed after 20 minutes. In three of the horses the decline in the plasma concentration o...
Nowotny N, Bürki F.Three cases of abortions were diagnosed as caused by Equine Arteritis Virus (EAV) by isolation and typing of this virus from the respective fetuses. All 3 abortions were single cases, one occurring on a stud with Iceland Ponies, one with Warmbloods, one with Lipizzaner horses. On each stud horses of the respective breed were kept exclusively, therefore there existed no epidemiologic link. By means of seroneutralization tests performed on in contact horses it could be shown, that EAV had only been introduced recently into the stud with the Iceland Ponies. An extraneous mare stabled temporarily ...
Halldórdsóttir S, Larsen HJ.A survey of summer eczema was conducted on 391 Icelandic horses in Norway. The study showed a prevalence of summer eczema of 17.6 per cent in the horses investigated. Icelandic horses born in Norway where shown to be less affected with summer eczema than imported horses, 8.2 per cent and 26.9 per cent respectively (P less than 0.001). There was no difference in the prevalence of summer eczema relative to gender or colour of the horse. The number of horses affected with summer eczema rose with increasing age and the number of years which had elapsed since importation. On average, Icelandic hors...
Halldórsdóttir S, Lazary S, Gunnarsson E, Larsen HJ.Three hundred and three horses, exported from Iceland to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland or Germany were tested for their distribution of leucocyte antigens. One hundred and thirty-six horses were affected with summer eczema. The panel of sera recognised the internationally accepted ELA-specificities A 1 to A10, and the nine work shop specificities W 11 to W 15 and W 18 to W 21. Also, some local specificities, characterised in Switzerland (Be I, Be III, Be 8, Be 25, Be 26, Be 27), and two non major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-linked antigens (Ely 1:1, Ely 2) were included. Only one a...
Halldorsdottir S, Larsen HJ, Mehl R.Twenty-three Icelandic horses were challenged with extracts of four species of biting midges: Culicoides pulicaris, C chiopterus, C obsoletus and C impunctatus. Fourteen of the tested horses were affected with summer eczema. The horses were challenged intradermally with 0.1 ml of whole-body extracts of midges at a concentration of 0.01 or 0.005 per cent weight/volume. The skin reactions were measured after 30 minutes, 60 or 180 minutes and four, 24 and 48 hours after injection. Antigen titration showed that the reaction was dependent on the antigen concentration. Eight of nine unaffected horse...
Larsen HJ, Bakke SH, Mehl R.A skin test survey was carried out in Icelandic horses in Norway and Iceland using extracts of Culicoides spp. as antigen. Eleven horses with recurrent seasonal dermatitis reacted with an immediate hypersensitivity response to intradermal challenge with antigen. All except one of thirty-three clinically normal horses in Norway showed a negative response in skin tests. These findings indicate that Culicoides spp. may be the major cause of the disease in Norway. Only one of the 110 horses tested in Iceland showed any skin test reaction (weak), demonstrating that the horses were not sensitized to...
Broström H, Larsson A, Troedsson M.A survey of allergic dermatitis (sweet itch) in Sweden contained information on 441 Icelandic horses. Results of a questionnaire indicated that approximately 15 per cent of the country's Icelandic horses suffered from the disease. The prevalence of allergic dermatitis was significantly higher among horses imported from Iceland (26.2 per cent) compared to that of Swedish-born animals (6.7 per cent). In addition, horses born in Iceland were significantly more severely affected than horses born in Sweden. The risk of allergic dermatitis in Sweden appeared to be more than six times higher for hors...
Juneja RK, Andersson L, Sandberg K, Gahne B, Adalsteinsson S, Gunnarsson E.Two-dimensional agarose gel (pH 8.6)-horizontal polyacrylamide gel (pH 9.0) electrophoresis of horse serum proteins revealed genetic polymorphism of ceruloplasmin (Cp) and two unidentified serum proteins tentatively designated serum protein 1 (SP1) and serum protein 2 (SP2). Family data were consistent with the hypothesis that the observed Cp and SP1 phenotypes were each controlled by two codominant, autosomal alleles. The three common SP2 phenotypes were shown to be controlled by two codominant, autosomal alleles. Population data and limited family data indicated the occurrence of two additio...
Asmundsson T, Gunnarsson E, Johannesson T.Blood samples were taken from 18 healthy horses (Group A), 15 horses clinically diagnosed to have "haysickness" ("farmer's lung") (Group B), 10 closely related horses (Group C) and 14 inbred horses (Group D). Precipitins in sera were measured by double gel diffusion test against Micropolyspora faeni, Thermoactinomyces vulgaris, Aspergillus fumigatus, Alternaria, Penicillium and Rhizopus species. In Group A, all the horses were precipitin negative except one with a faint reaction to Rhizopus species. In Group B all had precipitin against M faeni. One horse also had precipitins against Rhizopus ...
Putt W, Fisher RA.In this paper we describe seven enzymes, NP, GOTM, PGM2, alpha FUC, PEP A, ADA and MPI which are found in the white cells of horses, including 39 British crossbred ponies and 16 crossbred horses, 30 Mongolian ponies and 10 Icelandic ponies. Two of these enzymes--alpha FUC and MPI--were polymorphic in all the populations of horses studied and could prove useful as additional markers in the paternity testing of horses. PEP A and GOTM were also polymorphic in two of the populations studied and could be used as further markers in these populations.
The Journal of heredityMay 1, 1978
Volume 69, Issue 3 146-148 doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a108913
Adalsteinsson S.The coat colors of 161 progeny from matings between 10 yellow dun and 6 blue dun stallions and mares of 8 different colors are described. The results confirm the previous hypothesis that a dominant dilution gene, D, converts bay to yellow dun with dark mane and tail, chestnut to yellow dun and dun mane and tail, and black to blue dun (mouse, grullo). The palomino gene, c cr, on the other hand, is hypostatic to black and blue dun. In heterozygous form, c cr converts bay to buckskin, and chestnut and sorrel to palomino, and results in blue-eyed white when homozygous. No particular effect of D is...
Hesselholt M.By means of isoimmunizations and heteroimmunizations 10 equine blood typing reagents were isolated. The specific antibodies were complete agglutinins, which were used in the direct agglutination test in saline medium. The reagents were designated A2, C, D, E, G, H, I, K, Da1, and Da2 reagent. Da1 and Da2 are preliminary designations. The data obtained from blood typing of a family material and a population material of Icelandic horses showed that the occurrence of each blood type factor is controlled by a single, dominant gene. The family data tended to show that the blood factors under invest...
Hain AM, Þórisdóttir SL, Tretow M, Bienert-Zeit A.In the context of a study of Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH), elderly Icelandic horses were examined in their originating country. The subject of this survey was the impact of dental treatment and keeping and feeding management on the health of the rostral oral cavity. A total of 170 horses (aged ≥ 15) located in different areas of Northwest, West, and South Iceland. The horse owners completed a questionnaire about keeping, feeding, and preventative dental care. The horses were clinically examined with particular attention to gingival and dental disorders of...
Oddsdóttir C, Jónsdóttir HK, Sturludóttir E.Few studies have been conducted on haematological reference intervals (RIs) in Icelandic horses. Reference intervals have been published for Icelandic horses in Austria and a preliminary study in Iceland compared haematological values in riding horses to published RIs for other breeds as well as Icelandic horses abroad. Haematological parameters can vary greatly due to factors such as breed, gender, age, reproductive status, and training, as well as feeding, prior exercise and management method. Icelandic broodmares are kept on pasture under supervision throughout the year, with haylage provid...
Rhodin M, Serra Bragança FM, Persson-Sjodin E, Björnsdóttir S, Gunnarsdottir H, Gunnarsson V, Hernlund E, Smit IH.Icelandic horses are valued for their additional gaits, but assessing lameness in this breed can be challenging. Pelvic (P) vertical movement asymmetries, differences (D) in minimum (min)/maximum (max) position, are used to quantify impact (PDmin) and push-off (PDmax) hindlimb lameness during the trot, but no established parameters exist for detecting hindlimb lameness in other gaits. Objective: To evaluate temporal stride parameters and upper-body movement asymmetry after transient hindlimb lameness induction in walk, trot and tölt. Methods: In vivo experiment. Methods: Eleven Icelandic hors...
Grabatin M, Fux R, Zablotski Y, Goehring LS, Witte TS.Contagious equine metritis (CEM) is caused by Taylorella equigenitalis. It is a venereal disease that is detected in some breeds more than others and can cause temporary infertility with substantial costs for regular testing, sanitation and retesting. There was a perceived increase in T. equigenitalis-positive cases in Icelandic intact males where natural cover is common. Objective: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of T. equigenitalis in Icelandic intact males and compare to draught horse and Haflinger intact males. We hypothesised that prevalence of T. equigenitalis is higher in Iceland...
Vasoya D, Tzelos T, Benedictus L, Karagianni AE, Pirie S, Marr C, Oddsdóttir C, Fintl C, Connelley T.The Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes play a key role in a number of biological processes, most notably in immunological responses. The MHCI and MHCII genes incorporate a complex set of highly polymorphic and polygenic series of genes, which, due to the technical limitations of previously available technologies, have only been partially characterized in non-model but economically important species such as the horse. The advent of high-throughput sequencing platforms has provided new opportunities to develop methods to generate high-resolution sequencing data on a large scale and app...
Axelsson M, Eksell P, Ronéus B, Broström H, Häggström J, Carlsten J.A field study was designed to estimate the prevalence of hind limb lameness in a population of Icelandic horses in Sweden. All available Icelandic horses at 11 different farms within 150 km from Uppsala were examined once during a study period of 13 months. The relationship between hind limb lameness and radiographic signs of bone spavin (RSBS) was investigated. The rate of agreement between the outcome after palpation, motion evaluation and flexion test and radiographic examination was established. A total of 379 horses including 238 geldings, 125 mares and 16 stallions, with mean age 8.1 yea...
Frers F, Delarocque J, Huber K, Feige K, Warnken T.Both, oral and intravenous (IV) testing protocols, are recommended and still used to detect insulin dysregulation (ID) in equids. However, IV tests mainly focus on peripheral insulin resistance (IR), while oral tests assess hyperinsulinemia (HI), which are different aspects of ID. The objective of this study was to describe if horses with HI also demonstrate IR and consequently can be detected by a modified 2-step insulin response test (2-step IRT) performed with a veterinary approved porcine zinc insulin (PZI). Twelve Icelandic horses were subjected to an OGT and 2-step IRT in a crossover stu...
Luthersson N, Harris PA, Parkin T, Þorgrímsdóttir ÚÝ, Bennet ED.It is unknown whether the high prevalence of Equine Squamous (ESGD) and Equine Glandular (EGGD) Gastric Disease in extensively grazed Icelandic horses in the autumn/winter is seasonally driven. Objective: To determine the prevalence of, and risk factors for, gastroscopically significant ESGD (ESGD:score of ≥2/4); gastroscopically severe ESGD (ESGD:score of ≥3/4) and gastroscopically significant EGGD (EGGD:score of ≥1/2) in extensively pasture-managed Icelandic horses at four timepoints. Methods: Prospective longitudinal cohort. Methods: Gastroscopy was undertaken in 80 Icelandic horses (...
François L, Hoskens H, Velie BD, Stinckens A, Tinel S, Lamberigts C, Peeters L, Savelkoul HFJ, Tijhaar E, Lindgren G, Janssens S, Ducro BJ, Buys N....Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH), which is a cutaneous allergic reaction to antigens from Culicoides spp., is the most prevalent skin disorder in horses. Misdiagnosis is possible, as IBH is usually diagnosed based on clinical signs. Our study is the first to employ IgE levels against several recombinant Culicoides spp. allergens as an objective, independent, and quantitative phenotype to improve the power to detect genetic variants that underlie IBH. Genotypes of 200 Shetland ponies, 127 Icelandic horses, and 223 Belgian Warmblood horses were analyzed while using a mixed model approach. No s...
Davies MR.Despite tight biosecurity measures, an outbreak of respiratory disease rapidly spread across the Icelandic equine population in 2010. Horse transportation was brought to a halt in order to contain the spread of the infectious agent. In a recent article, Björnsdóttir and colleagues (S. Björnsdóttir et al., mBio 8:e00826-17, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00826-17) employ the power and resolution of "genomic epidemiology," the combination of whole genomic sequencing and epidemiological approaches, to examine the source and spread of the outbreak. Intriguingly, the outbreak was not viral ...
Gehlen H, Haubold A, Rohn K, Stadler P.In the present study we examined, if in Icelandic horses an increase in heart and/ or breathing rate is physiological and breed dependend or a sign of a pulmonary or cardiac disease. Therefore we examined 37 Icelandic horses with the prereport of being healthy. During clinical lung examination four horses showed symptoms of a pulmonary disease like increased breathing rate and enforced breathing at rest. These horses were excluded from the study. The other 33 horses were clinically normal. 17 of these horses were unridden (untrained) and 16 horses were regularly worked (trained). After clinica...
Hampe M.Torsteinsdottir S, Scheidegger S, Baselgia S et al. A prospective study on insect bite hypersensitivity in horses exported from Iceland into Switzerland. Acta Vet Scand 2018; 60: 69 BEIM SOMMEREKZEM HANDELT ES SICH UM EINE IGE-VERMITTELTE DERMATITIS INFOLGE EINER ALLERGISCHEN REAKTION AUF DEN SPEICHEL STECHENDER INSEKTEN (Z. B. CULICOIDES SPP.). BIS ZU 50 % DER AUS ISLAND NACH KONTINENTALEUROPA IMPORTIERTEN TIERE ERKRANKEN, DAGEGEN NUR 3–10 % DER AUF DEM FESTLAND GEBORENEN ISLäNDER. IN ISLAND GIBT ES DIE ERKRANKUNG NICHT, DA DIE VERURSACHENDEN GNITZEN DORT NICHT VORKOMMEN. HAT EINE SENSIBIL...
Asmundsson T, Gunnarsson E, Johannesson T.Blood samples were taken from 18 healthy horses (Group A), 15 horses clinically diagnosed to have "haysickness" ("farmer's lung") (Group B), 10 closely related horses (Group C) and 14 inbred horses (Group D). Precipitins in sera were measured by double gel diffusion test against Micropolyspora faeni, Thermoactinomyces vulgaris, Aspergillus fumigatus, Alternaria, Penicillium and Rhizopus species. In Group A, all the horses were precipitin negative except one with a faint reaction to Rhizopus species. In Group B all had precipitin against M faeni. One horse also had precipitins against Rhizopus ...
Waldern NM, Kubli V, Dittmann MT, Amport C, Krieg C, Weishaupt MA.In Icelandic horses (ICE), high, long hooves with added weights are often used to improve gait quality in competitions. From a biomechanical point of view, excessively long hooves can be problematic as they increase forces acting on the distal limb. The study aimed to determine if hoof capsule size and angle of ICE at competitions are comparable to those of Warmblood horses (WB) requiring shoeing. Hoof dimensions and balance were quantified in 13 horses of each breed at the beginning of a shoeing period (BSP), allowing a baseline comparison between breeds, as well as for WB at the end of a sho...
Nowotny N, Bürki F.Three cases of abortions were diagnosed as caused by Equine Arteritis Virus (EAV) by isolation and typing of this virus from the respective fetuses. All 3 abortions were single cases, one occurring on a stud with Iceland Ponies, one with Warmbloods, one with Lipizzaner horses. On each stud horses of the respective breed were kept exclusively, therefore there existed no epidemiologic link. By means of seroneutralization tests performed on in contact horses it could be shown, that EAV had only been introduced recently into the stud with the Iceland Ponies. An extraneous mare stabled temporarily ...
Davíðsson HB, Rees T, Ólafsdóttir MR, Einarsson H.Automated gait classification has traditionally been studied using horse-mounted sensors. However, smartphone-based sensors are more accessible, but the performance of gait classification models using data from such sensors has not been widely known or accessible. In this study, we performed horse gait classification using deep learning models and data from mobile phone sensors located in the rider's pocket. We gathered data from 17 horses and 14 riders. The data were gathered simultaneously from movement sensors in a mobile phone located in the rider's pocket and a gait classification system ...
Kristinsson J, Thordarson TH, Johannesson T.The pharmacokinetics of lignocaine was studied in four Icelandic horses after infiltration anaesthesia. A total of 240 mg of the drug was injected on either side of the left foreleg, over the medial and lateral branches of the palmar nerve. Blood samples were collected up to seven hours after injection and the concentrations of the drug in plasma were determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The results showed that lignocaine was rapidly absorbed. A mean maximum concentration of 232 ng/ml was observed after 20 minutes. In three of the horses the decline in the plasma concentration o...
Oddsdóttir C, Jónsdóttir HK, Sturludóttir E, Vilanova XM.Studies have been carried out on the effect of large-volume blood harvesting from horses, but they were performed on nonpregnant horses of various breeds other than Icelandic horses. This study aimed to investigate the effect on the haematological variables indicating erythropoiesis of repeated blood harvesting from pregnant mares. To account for regional variation, two herds of mares were chosen, both kept under free-range conditions. Sequential EDTA blood samples were collected weekly from 160 mares and analysed for haematological variables in an automated analyser. Serum samples from 115 ma...
Ragnarsson S, Víkingsdóttir SV, Stefánsdóttir GJ.The natural behaviour of horses is to spend the majority of their time on feed intake The feeding of stabled horses is, however, often far from that, as their feed intake is limited to their nutritional requirements. In order to approach their natural foraging time, it is important to extend the feed intake time of stabled horses. The aim of this study was to estimate if the feed intake time differs when feeding haylage in a haynet, hayball, metal corner manger, or from the box floor. The experimental design consisted of a Latin square, occurred across four days with four adult Icelandic horse...
Frers F, Delarocque J, Feige K, Huber K, Warnken T.The underlying molecular mechanisms leading to insulin dysregulation are poorly understood in horses. Therefore, this study aimed to determine if insulin dysregulation is associated with an altered basal expression and extent of phosphorylation of key proteins of the insulin signaling cascade in liver (LT), muscle (MT), and subcutaneous adipose tissue (AT) under basal and stimulated conditions. Twelve Icelandic horses were subjected (1) to an oral glucose (Gluc PO) challenge and (2) to an intravenous (Ins IV) insulin challenge in a crossover study. Biopsies of LT, MT, and AT were taken in vivo...
Hain AM, Tretow M, Bienert-Zeit A.Outside of Iceland, the Icelandic horse is prone to the development of Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH). The aim of this study was to determine the radiographic prevalence and clinical signs of EOTRH in elderly horses (≥15 years) in Iceland. The rostral oral cavity of 170 horses (aged 15-30 years) was examined clinically. In addition, husbandry and nutritional management history was recorded by use of a questionnaire. Radiographs (2-4 views) of 188 horses were evaluated, findings were categorized by numerical staging of the condition and collated with clinica...
Taylor DEF, Lancaster BE, Ellis AD.There are few 24 h time budgets for horses, especially for domesticated horses kept at pasture. Most time budgets utilise short-term scan sampling, which can miss behaviours. This study aimed to assess the seasonal variation in continuous behaviour of domesticated Icelandic horses at pasture during winter and spring in fair weather. Eight Icelandic horses (11.25 ± 9.19 years; 7 geldings, 1 stallion) were observed in a 26 acre field. Herd location and individual behaviour were continuously observed during 3 h periods amounting to 3 × 24 h in winter and late spring, compiled over 43 days (~21 ...
Rönnow E, Roth LSV.Compared to other companion animals, our understanding of the human-horse relationship is limited, particularly from the horse's perspective. This pilot study examined whether horses (N = 30) show a bias towards their owner in a reunion in the presence of both the owner and a stranger. Afterwards, the horses were also presented with the odor of the owner and a stranger. Both tests were video recorded for behavioral analyzation. No significant owner-directed bias was observed at the group level in either the reunion test or the odor test. Nonetheless, in the reunion test, owner bias in physical...
