Miniature Horses primarily differ from horses in size, conformation, and certain physiological traits. Miniature Horses are bred to retain the characteristics of full-sized horses on a smaller scale, typically measuring less than 34–38 inches in height at the withers, depending on the registry. In contrast, horses encompass a wide range of breeds and sizes, generally standing over 14.2 hands (58 inches) tall. While both Miniature Horses and horses share similar anatomical and physiological features, their size differences can influence aspects such as metabolism, health care needs, and management practices. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the genetics, health considerations, and management practices associated with Miniature Horses and horses, highlighting both their similarities and distinctions.
Smith JE, Mohandas N, Shohet SB.Deformability is an important aspect of erythrocyte physiology and has been extensively studied using human red cells. We have studied erythrocytes from 25 different animals using a viscometric technique. Erythrocyte diameters ranged from 3.3 microns in the goat to 11.4 microns for the elephant seal. Erythrocytes from most species deformed readily when a fluid shear stress was applied. A deformability index of the stressed cell defined as (length - width)/(length + width) correlated with cell size. The erythrocytes of four animals (pygmy goat, goat, Batanga horse, and miniature horse) deformed...
Bergan T, Versland I.To be active, antimicrobials must reach the bacteria in the infectious foci in adequate concentrations. Direct measurements of levels in the various foci are difficult to perform, but a number of animal models with artificial extravascular foci have been developed. In many ways, the physiology of pigs resemble that of humans. Consequently, it was thought that pigs might also parallel humans in the handling of penicillins. General pharmacokinetics of ampicillin and flucloxacillin and the penetration of the substances to subcutaneously implanted teflon tistisue chambers were investigated. Ampici...
de Laat MA, Sillence MN.Blood glucose concentration is often measured during an oral glucose test (OGT), but is not thought to aid in diagnosing insulin dysregulation (ID) or pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate whether the change in blood glucose concentration during an OGT aligned with indicators of equine metabolic syndrome or PPID, including serum insulin and plasma ACTH concentrations, clinical observations, age, sex, breed type and the test dose. The cohort included 149 horses, miniature horses, and ponies that had undergone an in-feed OGT and clin...
Tinsley T, Fogle C, Means E, Robertston J.Dental disease is a common condition affecting horses. Its prevalence and characteristics among most of the common breeds of horses and donkeys have been investigated and described in the literature, but information about the prevalence and etiology of dental disease of miniature horses is sparse. Unassigned: To determine the prevalence and characteristics of dental disease of miniature horses, we performed oral and dental radiographic examinations on 100 miniature horses. The findings of these examinations were analyzed to determine the prevalence of dental disease and its correlation to age,...
Tani T.Immortalized cells serve as a crucial research tool that capitalizes on their robust proliferative properties for functional investigations of an organism. Establishing an immortalized American miniature horse cell line could yield valuable insights into these animals' genetic and physiological characteristics and susceptibility to health issues. To date, immortalized small horse cells with normal karyotypes have not been established. In this study, we successfully established primary and immortalized fibroblast cell lines through the combined expression of human-derived mutant cyclin-dependen...
Miklavcic M, Dechant JE, Kilcoyne I.To determine breed, age, and sex predispositions for fecalith obstruction and to evaluate short-term survival and prognostic factors following surgical treatment of fecalith intestinal obstruction in equids. Methods: 151 equids. Methods: Medical records of equids undergoing surgery for fecalith obstruction from 2000 to 2020 were reviewed. Signalment, history, presenting clinicopathological data, surgical findings, complications, and short-term survival were recorded and compared between survivors and nonsurvivors. Signalment of the fecalith population was compared to a contemporaneous colic po...
