Observational studies in horses involve systematically assessing and recording behaviors, conditions, or other characteristics without manipulating the study environment. These studies provide insights into natural equine behaviors, health conditions, and interactions with their environment. Researchers often focus on aspects such as herd dynamics, feeding patterns, or responses to environmental changes. The data collected can help identify trends, correlations, and potential risk factors for certain conditions. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various observational methodologies and their applications in understanding equine behavior and health.
Pelyva IZ, Kresák R, Szovák E, Tóth ÁL.Multiple studies have investigated the positive effects of human-animal interactions and showed that animal-assisted activities can be successfully used to better human physical and mental health. Equine-assisted activities have also raised considerable attention within the field. Our research focuses on healthy students (aged 14-18) without deviations or special educational needs. We analyze the occurrence of behavior problems and prosocial behavior among adolescents who regularly have interactions with horses, and those who have no connection to horses at all. The subjects of our investigati...
Jimenez Rihuete P, Villarino N, Pelisiak A, Rubio-Martinez LM.Refractometric determination of total protein (TP) in synovial fluid (SF) is commonly used for diagnosis and monitoring of synovial sepsis in horses. Previous studies have shown that elevated concentrations of certain anticoagulants may overestimate refractometric determination of TP concentration. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of dipotassium EDTA (KEDTA) and lithium heparin (LH) on TP determination by using a hand-held refractometer in equine synovial fluid. Methods: Cross-section observational study. Methods: Thirty samples of synovial...
Vasilieva NA, Tchabovsky AV.Fitness consequences of early-life conditions remain unclear and poorly studied in mammals. Based on long-term observations of yellow ground squirrels (Spermophilus fulvus), we identified early determinants of female fitness by analyzing the effects of early-life individual and environmental characteristics (weaning weight, weight gain rate, date of natal emergence, natal litter size, location of the natal burrow, local density of juveniles, population density and precipitation in the post-weaning period) on lifetime reproductive success (LRS). We found high variation and right-skewed distribu...
Nuñez CMV, Rubenstein DI.Acoustic signaling plays an important role in mother-offspring recognition and subsequent bond-formation. It remains unclear, however, if mothers and offspring use acoustic signaling in the same ways and for the same reasons throughout the juvenile stage, particularly after mutual recognition has been adequately established. Moreover, despite its critical role in mother-offspring bond formation, research explicitly linking mother-infant communication strategies to offspring survival are lacking. We examined the communicative patterns of mothers and offspring in the feral horse (Equus caballus)...
Ramzan PHL, Wylie CE.Arthroscopy has been advocated as the treatment of choice for dorsal osteochondral chip fracture of the metacarpo/metatarsophalangeal (MCP/MTP) joint. However, there is no published research on racing performance outcomes of horses with this pathology managed nonsurgically. Objective: To compare racing career outcomes of Thoroughbred racehorses with nonsurgically (non-SX) or surgically (SX) managed MCP/MTP dorsal osteochondral chip fracture alongside a cohort of horses with no dorsal osteochondral chip fracture (unexposed). Methods: Retrospective cohort study conducted between 2006 and 2014. M...
Sanmartí J, Armengou L, Viu J, Alguacil E, Civit S, Ríos J, Jose-Cunilleras E.Sparse information regarding plasma iron concentration in neonatal foals and its utility as an inflammatory marker in this population has been published. Objective: To determine the physiologic plasma iron concentration in neonatal foals. To assess its utility as an inflammatory marker to predict systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and as a prognostic marker. Methods: Forty-seven ill neonatal foals admitted to a referral equine hospital were divided in 2 groups based on the SIRS criteria (24 SIRS and 23 non-SIRS). Two control groups of 43 hospital and 135 stud farm healthy neonatal ...
Lansade L, Colson V, Parias C, Trösch M, Reigner F, Calandreau L.Horses are capable of identifying individual conspecifics based on olfactory, auditory or visual cues. However, this raises the questions of their ability to recognize human beings and on the basis of what cues. This study investigated whether horses could differentiate between a familiar and unfamiliar human from photographs of faces. Eleven horses were trained on a discrimination task using a computer-controlled screen, on which two photographs were presented simultaneously (32 trials/session): touching one was rewarded (S+) and the other not (S-). In the training phase, the S+ faces were of...
Bradley C, Grundon R, Sansom PG.Uveitis is reported to be a leading cause of blindness in horses. Little work has been undertaken to date to investigate whether donkeys are affected by a similar disease prevalence. Objective: To investigate the disease prevalence of uveitis in a population of donkeys in the UK. Methods: Descriptive observational study. Methods: An ophthalmic examination was performed on each donkey, in a darkened stable. Each donkey underwent slit lamp biomicroscopy, and direct and/or indirect ophthalmoscopy. Fluorescein staining, STT1 and IOPs were measured when deemed clinically necessary. Pharmacologica...
Gardela J, Carbajal A, Tallo-Parra O, Olvera-Maneu S, Álvarez-Rodríguez M, Jose-Cunilleras E, López-Béjar M.Horse transportation for temporary relocation during rest periods is a common and widespread practice among horse owners, either from sport competition or working tasks. This study aimed to determine the effect of a relocation period and the multiple factors associated with a rest period on hair cortisol concentrations (HCCs) in horses. Additionally, this study reports the seasonal effect on HCCs and hair growth over a year. Thirteen police horses, Pure Spanish stallions of various ages (5-13 y), were selected to participate in this study. Hair sample collection was carried out approximately e...
The study evaluated the intra- and inter-observer measurement variability of an osteophytosis metacarpophalangeal joint scoring system. Ten () dorso/palmar, latero/medial, and oblique views of equine metacarpophalangeal joints affected by osteoarthritis were examined. Nine assessment points were graded (scale: 0-3) twice by five veterinary students (inexperienced group, I) and four equine veterinary surgeons (expert group, E). The grades for each of the nine factors were summed to obtain the osteophytosis score. The variability between the two measurements was -2.04 ± 3.5, 95% CI -3.04 to -1....
Bragança FMS, Brommer H, van den Belt AJM, Maree JTM, van Weeren PR, van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MMS.At Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) competitions, horses undergo veterinary inspection for judgement of 'fit-to-compete'. However, FEI Veterinary Delegates (VDs) often differ in opinion. The aim of the present study was to evaluate intra- and inter-observer agreements of fit-to-compete judgement and compare these with objective gait analysis measurements. Twelve horses were evaluated by three experienced VDs and one veterinary specialist and video-recorded for re-evaluation later. Simultaneously, quantitative gait analysis measurements were acquired. Inter-observer agreement during l...
Day P, Collins L, Horan K, Weller R, Pfau T.Tungsten road nails are commonly used by farriers to increase grip between the hoof and the ground surface. There is limited evidence relating the use of road nails to the fundamental mechanics of movement. Grip is important for efficient deceleration on landing and subsequent propulsion, but this must be balanced against an amount of slip to divide the landing force into horizontal as well as vertical subcomponents. Here, we conducted an intervention study to quantify the effect of lateral heel road nail placement on weight bearing and propulsion in 10 horses trotting on tarmac. Wireless iner...
Jaworska J, Jaworski Z, McDonnell SM, Górecka-Bruzda A.Infanticide, related to a stallion's aggression toward a foal sired by another stallion, and feticide related to a new stallion's aggression and/or pheromonal influence (the Bruce effect) inducing loss of a fetus sired by another stallion, a female's counteraction to infanticide, have been proposed for domestic horses (Equus caballus) in human-managed conditions. The aim of the present study was, in conditions close to natural, to investigate the influence of the natural succession of a harem stallion on the mares' subsequent reproductive performance. In a population of semi-feral Konik polski...
Ballou ME, Mueller MK, Dowling-Guyer S.This study evaluated the experience of 1,448 people in the United States who currently care for or had previously cared for a geriatric horse and how that experience was qualified by the presence or absence of a chronic condition in the horse. An anonymous, online questionnaire was distributed to a cross-country sample to investigate the burden of caregivers from the perspective of owners of geriatric horses. Traumatic events and veterinary care decisions were also explored. Findings from the study supported the hypothesis that owners of geriatric horses with a chronic condition experienced hi...
Gy C, Leclere M, Bélanger MC, Allano M, Beauchamp G, Lavoie JP.Monensin is highly toxic to horses and inadvertent ingestion can result in cardiac injury and death. Objective: To describe sequelae of monensin ingestion and to determine clinical predictors of outcome. Methods: Observational clinical study. Methods: Physical examination, electrocardiogram and echocardiography were performed on 76 horses accidentally exposed to monensin-contaminated feed. Four horses were examined within 14 days of exposure (acute period), 29 horses were examined between 15 and 45 days post-exposure (subacute period) and 70 horses were examined 4-10 months after exposure ...
Frandsen SK, Gehl J, Tramm T, Thoefner MS.Sarcoids are common equine skin tumors where the risk of recurrence after treatment is high, and better treatment options are warranted. Calcium electroporation is a novel anti-cancer treatment where lethally high calcium concentrations are introduced into the cells by electroporation, a method where short high-voltage pulses induce transient permeabilization of the cell membrane. This study investigated the safety and long-term response of calcium electroporation on sarcoids. Thirty-two sarcoids in eight horses were included. The study suggested that calcium electroporation is a safe and feas...
Trösch M, Pellon S, Cuzol F, Parias C, Nowak R, Calandreau L, Lansade L.Animals can indirectly gather meaningful information about other individuals by eavesdropping on their third-party interactions. In particular, eavesdropping can be used to indirectly attribute a negative or positive valence to an individual and to adjust one's future behavior towards that individual. Few studies have focused on this ability in nonhuman animals, especially in nonprimate species. Here, we investigated this ability for the first time in domestic horses (Equus caballus) by projecting videos of positive and negative interactions between an unknown human experimenter (a "positive" ...
McKinney CA, Oliveira BCM, Bedenice D, Paradis MR, Mazan M, Sage S, Sanchez A, Widmer G.Fecal microbial transplantation (FMT), a treatment for certain gastrointestinal conditions associated with dysbiosis in people, is also empirically employed in horses with colitis. This study used microbiota high-throughput sequencing to compare the fecal microbial profile of healthy horses to that of geriatric microbial transplant recipients experiencing diarrhea and tested whether FMT restores microbiota diversity. To evaluate the effect of environment and donor characteristics on the intestinal microbiota, fecal samples were collected per rectum from 15 healthy young-adult (2-12 years) and ...
Zak A, Siwinska N, Elzinga S, Barker VD, Stefaniak T, Schanbacher BJ, Place NJ, Niedzwiedz A, Adams AA.Age, neurodegenerative disorders, and dysfunction of insulin secretion may be correlated with increased systemic concentrations of acute phase markers. Thus, the study aimed to determine the effect of age, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), and insulin dysregulation (ID) associated with PPID, on markers of the acute phase reaction. Twenty-nine mix-breed horses of both sexes were classified into groups: (1) healthy adult controls, (2) healthy non-PPID geriatric horses, (3) PPID ID+ horses, and (4) PPID ID- horses. Whole blood proinflammatory cytokine gene expression and serum concent...
Maglieri V, Bigozzi F, Riccobono MG, Palagi E.Social play is a window on cognitive and communicative abilities of species. Inter-specific play, in particular, is a fertile venue to explore the capacity to correctly perceive and interpret signals emitted by partners. Up to now, most studies have focussed on dog-human play due to the important implications such studies have in understanding the peculiar relationship we establish with our pets. Here, we focussed on social play between dogs and horses. By using a set of specific keywords (dog, horse, play, friend) we selected 20 videos of dog-horse social play (with each session lasting >3...
Leclere M, Costa MC.Gastrointestinal microbiota can be influenced by several factors, including diet and systemic inflammation, and in turn could act as a modulator of the allergic response. Fecal microbiota of horses with asthma has not been described. Objective: Analyze the bacterial fecal microbiota of horses with and without asthma under different environment and diet conditions, during both remission and exacerbation. Methods: Prospective observational study. Feces from 6 asthmatic and 6 healthy horses were collected under 3 different conditions: on pasture, housed indoors receiving good quality hay ("good h...
Svonni E, Andreasson M, Fernström LL, Rydén A, Pringle J, Riihimäki M.Endoscopic examinations are essential for diagnosis and treatment of strangles (S equi infection) in horses. However, even after disinfection, endoscopes may retain viable bacteria or bacterial DNA. Twitches are commonly used during endoscopic examinations and can thus also potentially transmit the organism to other horses. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of different disinfectant methods to eliminate S equi from experimentally contaminated endoscopes and twitches and the effectiveness of field disinfection of endoscopes used in sampling carriers of S equi. Methods: Experimental contami...
Weinert JR, Werner J, Williams CA.Field studies characterizing equine grazing activity primarily rely on observational protocols, limiting the quantity and accuracy of collected data. The objectives of this study were to validate an automated chew sensor technology, the EquiWatch System (EWS), for detecting grazing behaviors and to demonstrate potential applications of the EWS in equine grazing research. Eight mature standardbred mares were used in this study. EquiWatch System validation was completed in two phases: grazing time was evaluated in experiment 1 and chew counts in experiment 2. The correlation between visual obser...
Fröhlich N, Sells PD, Sommerville R, Bolwell CF, Cantley C, Martin JE, Gordon SJG, Coombs T. Fiji; working horse; welfare, intervention; husbandry; healthcare.
Hardeman AM, Byström A, Roepstorff L, Swagemakers JH, van Weeren PR, Serra Bragança FM.Clinical assessment of spinal motion in horses is part of many routine clinical exams but remains highly subjective. A prerequisite for the quantification of spinal motion is the assessment of the expected normal range of motion and variability of back kinematics. The aim of this study was to objectively quantify spinal kinematics and between -measurement, -surface and -day variation in owner-sound horses. In an observational study, twelve owner-sound horses were trotted 12 times on four different paths (hard/soft straight line, soft lunge left and right). Measurements were divided over three ...
Hausberger M, Lerch N, Guilbaud E, Stomp M, Grandgeorge M, Henry S, Lesimple C.Although the question of animal welfare has been an important source of concern in the scientific community for several decades, many aspects are still under debate. On-farm assessments have to be rapid, acceptable to farmers and safe for both the assessors and animals. They are thus very demanding, with multiple decisions to make, such as the choice of appropriate indicators, sampling methods and scoring. Research has moved from resource-based to animal-based criteria, which reflects the subjective welfare state of an animal rather than relying upon external indices. In the present review, we...
van Dierendonck MC, Burden FA, Rickards K, van Loon JPAM.Objective pain assessment in donkeys is of vital importance for improving welfare in a species that is considered stoic. This study presents the construction and testing of two pain scales, the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Donkey Composite Pain Assessment (EQUUS-DONKEY-COMPASS) and the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Donkey Facial Assessment of Pain (EQUUS-DONKEY-FAP), in donkeys with acute pain. A cohort follow-up study using 264 adult donkeys ( = 12 acute colic, = 25 acute orthopaedic pain, = 18 acute head-related pain, = 24 postoperative pain, and = 185 controls) was performe...
Navarrete-Calvo R, Morgaz J, Gómez-Villamandos RJ, Quirós-Carmona S, Domínguez JM, Ruiz-López P, Granados MM.The bispectral index (BIS) has been evaluated as an indicator of central nervous system (CNS) depression in horses during general anaesthesia. The spectral entropy is another electroencephalographic device and it has not been evaluated yet in horses. Objective: To determine if spectral entropy can assess anaesthetic depth during the different phases of anaesthesia, define the value of state and response entropy during surgical plane of anaesthesia and compare them with BIS. Methods: Clinical, prospective, non-blinded observational study. Methods: Thirty-five horses ASA I or II undergoing sched...
de Jesús Tello-Pasos A, González-Pech PG, Blanco-Molina JM.The aim of this observational study was to describe the characteristics of circuits performed by horses used in carriage tourism in a tropical city and discuss their implications as a challenge for animal welfare. The tourism circuit of 33 Criollo horses (400 ± 50 kg) was followed by using the GPS from August 31 to December 2nd, 2018, in the rainfall summer season. The environmental temperature, humidity, and accumulated rainfall were obtained from a local meteorological station. The distance and number of trips, the number of people transported, and the time taken for working and resting ac...
Morel MC, Newcombe JR, Swindlehurst JC.Numerous and conflicting reports exist regarding factors that may effect mare reproductive performance, in particular multiple ovulation (MO) and its consequences. Sequential ultrasonic examination was used to monitor 3075 ovulations in 1581 mainly Thoroughbred mares to ascertain: whether increasing age is associated with an increase in MO; whether this is counteracted by an increase in embryo mortality (EM) prior to Day 13; and whether this embryonic loss may be associated with small-for-age embryonic vesicles (Days 13/14). Overall ovulation rate was 1.31, MO occurring in 29.3% of cycles. MO ...
Zak A, Siwinska N, Elzinga S, Barker VD, Stefaniak T, Schanbacher BJ, Place NJ, Niedzwiedz A, Adams AA.Age, neurodegenerative disorders, and dysfunction of insulin secretion may be correlated with increased systemic concentrations of acute phase markers. Thus, the study aimed to determine the effect of age, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), and insulin dysregulation (ID) associated with PPID, on markers of the acute phase reaction. Twenty-nine mix-breed horses of both sexes were classified into groups: (1) healthy adult controls, (2) healthy non-PPID geriatric horses, (3) PPID ID+ horses, and (4) PPID ID- horses. Whole blood proinflammatory cytokine gene expression and serum concent...
Santamaría S, Bobbert MF, Back W, Barneveld A, van Weeren PR.To investigate the effects of early training for jumping by comparing the jumping technique of horses that had received early training with that of horses raised conventionally. Methods: 40 Dutch Warmblood horses. Methods: The horses were analyzed kinematically during free jumping at 6 months of age. Subsequently, they were allocated into a control group that was raised conventionally and an experimental group that received 30 months of early training starting at 6 months of age. At 4 years of age, after a period of rest in pasture and a short period of training with a rider, both groups were ...
de Camp NV, Ladwig-Wiegard M, Geitner CIE, Bergeler J, Thöne-Reineke C.As has been hypothesized more than 20 years ago, data derived from Electroencephalography (EEG) measurements can be used to distinguish between behavioral states associated with animal welfare. In our current study we found a high degree of correlation between the modulation index of phase related amplitude changes in the EEG of horses ( = 6 measurements with three different horses, mare and gelding) and their facial expression, measured by the use of the horse grimace scale. Furthermore, the pattern of phase amplitude coupling (PAC) was significantly different between a rest condition and a s...
Schoster A, Amsler M, Kirchgaessner C, Saleh L, Schwarzwald C, Schmitt S.The optimal dosage regimen of gentamicin in horses is still under investigation. The objectives of this study were to determine gentamicin plasma concentrations in hospitalized horses treated with 10 mg/kg gentamicin (IV, q 24 h) and to determine whether a plasma concentration to minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ratio of 10:1 is reached for equine pathogens using this dose. Methods: Prospective clinical observational study; retrospective study on MICs of 131 gram-negative bacteria isolated from horses (2012-2015). Methods: University teaching hospital. Methods: Ninety-eight horses >...
Ramalho Sousa S, Anastácio S, Nóvoa M, Paz-Silva A, Madeira de Carvalho LM.In Portugal, equine parasitism in pasture animals is characterized by high parasitic burden and high helminthic biodiversity; both factors are potentially pathogenic for their hosts. The decrease in the number of donkeys over the last years in Portugal, their importance in rural lowland and mountain ecosystems and pastures and the scarce information regarding their parasitism led to this research, which aimed to evaluate the parasitological status of a Miranda donkey breed population, a native breed mainly located in the northeast of Portugal. This study provides better knowledge of their gast...
Rosselot P, Mendonça T, González I, Tadich T.Non-invasive measures are preferred when assessing animal welfare. Differences in behavioral and physiological responses toward a stressor could be the result of the selection of horses for specific uses. Behavioral and physiological responses of working and Chilean rodeo horses subjected to a handling test were assessed. Five behaviors, number of attempts, and the time to cross a bridge were video recorded and analyzed with the Observer XT software. Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV), to assess the physiological response to the novel stimulus, were registered with a Polar Equine...
Quiney L, Stewart J, Routh J, Dyson S.There is a lack of understanding of the pathological and/or physiological nature of lumbosacral region pain. Objective: To describe the gross variations of the osseous and soft tissues of the lumbosacral region and report the histological findings of sections of nerve tissue in affected and control horses. Methods: Descriptive post-mortem case series. Methods: All horses had undergone full clinical and gait assessment, including ridden exercise. Horses with a substantial response to infiltration of local anaesthetic solution around the sacroiliac joint regions were included in the affected gro...
Lansade L, Lévy F, Parias C, Reigner F, Górecka-Bruzda A.Under natural conditions, foals stop nursing from their dam at approximately-9 months old, but their bond persists until 1.5-2.5 years of age. In contrast, in horse breeding, foals are generally artificially weaned and totally separated from their dam at 5-7 months. However, it is not known whether the bond between the dam and her foal is maintained after artificial weaning. The aim of this study was (1) to assess whether foals still recognise and prefer their dam over other familiar mares several months after weaning and (2) to evaluate whether the preference for the dam is more pronounce...
Muntwyler N, Dubois MS, Weese JS.To describe perioperative antimicrobial use in horses undergoing elective arthroscopy. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Horses that underwent elective arthroscopy at one institution between July 2016 and May 2018, excluding those with a suspected infectious orthopedic disease or with a comorbidity that may have impacted prophylactic antimicrobial use decisions. Methods: Medical records were reviewed to evaluate preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative antimicrobial drug selection, dose, and timing. Associations between body weight and underdosing were evaluated by using analysis o...
Horseman SV, Hockenhull J, Buller H, Mullan S, Barr AR, Whay HR.The equine industry in Great Britain has not been subject to the same pressures as the farming industry to engage with welfare assessment, but this may change as concern about equine welfare increases. Stakeholder attitudes toward welfare assessment may impact the implementation of welfare assessment practices. Focus-group discussions regarding welfare assessment were conducted with 6 equine stakeholder groups: leisure horse owners (caregivers; n = 4), grooms (n = 5), veterinary surgeons (n = 3), welfare scientists (n = 4), welfare charity workers (n = 5), and professional riders (n = 4). Thre...
Hampson BA, de Laat MA, Mills PC, Pollitt CC.To better understand the morphology of, and the effect of different travel patterns and varying substrate environments on, the feral horse foot to better manage the feet of domestic horses. Methods: The left forefeet of 20 adult feral horses from each of five geographically separated populations in Australia (n = 100) were investigated. Populations were selected on the basis of substrate hardness under foot and the amount of travel typical for the population. Feet were radiographed and photographed and 40 morphometric measurements of each foot were obtained. Results: Of the 40 parameters, 37 d...
Reid SW, Gettinby G, Fowler JN, Ikin P.An epidemiological study of equine sarcoid in a population of 4126 donkeys showed that the peak incidence of the disease was 15.2 cases per 100 animal-years and occurred in animals in their fourth year of life. The crude incidence of the disease was 0.6 cases per 100 animal-years. The disease occurred most frequently in younger, male animals during their first five years in the population. The lesions were observed most commonly in the paragenital region. Pre-entry quarantine procedures did not appear to play a significant role in the spread of the disease but there was an indication that clos...
Boorman S, Stefanovski D, Southwood LL.To determine risk factors, especially age, associated with postoperative reflux (POR; >2 L of reflux present upon intubation), high-volume POR (≥20 L in 24 hours), and short-term outcome after small intestinal (SI) surgery. Methods: Retrospective case-control study. Methods: Horses aged ≥16 years (geriatric; range, 16-30; n = 44) and <16 years (mature; range, 2-15; n = 39) with an SI surgical lesion that survived general anesthesia and did not have a second exploratory celiotomy during the same visit. Methods: Medical records (2009-2015) were reviewed; perioperative var...
Farmer E, Chase-Topping M, Lawson H, Clutton RE.A significant effect of gender, experience and background, i.e. an evaluator's relationship with horses as equine anaesthetists, orthopaedic surgeons, practitioners or owners, on perceptions of recovery quality after anaesthesia would reduce the validity of recovery quality scoring systems. Objective: To determine the effects of evaluator background, experience and gender on their perceptions of recovery quality; and questionnaire response rate as a function of background. Methods: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: A total of 440 potential evaluators were invited to evaluate the video-recorded ...
Hessler C, Eckert V, Vettorazzi E, Meenen N, Jürgens C, Schult M, Flamme C, Herberhold HJ, Madert J, Ekkernkamp A, Lockemann U, Püschel K, Pohlenz P.Despite the benefit of safety vests to the reduction of torso injuries in children and adolescents is unclear, its' use is recommended. The aim of the present study is to determine the effectiveness of safety vests actually used in pediatric equestrian activities. Methods: In this case-control-study, we analyzed the accidents of 92 riders aged 18 or younger who fell off a horse onto his/her torso during a period of 18 months. Data were gathered from the clinical records. Additionally, a questionnaire was administered on the day of trauma by the patients and/or their parents. Results: The cases...
Spargo KE, Rubio-Martinez LM, Wheeler DP, Fletcher L, Carstens A.The incidence and types of catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries in Thoroughbreds that resulted in euthanasia on selected racetracks in South Africa between 1998 and 2012 were investigated by an observational retrospective investigation. Data from the National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa for these racetracks were used to calculate incidence rates in Thoroughbreds (n = 114) that sustained catastrophic musculoskeletal injuries during racing that required immediate euthanasia, based on the diagnosis made by the on-site veterinarian as well as on fetlock radiographs and dissections o...
Deng L, Shi S, Li J, Tang C, Liao Q, Xie P.It is important to assess the reproductive efficiency and improve the reproductive management to promote the donkey population development. The overall foaling-related parameters of jennies under smallholder farm conditions in China were hardly under investigation. A cross-sectional survey of randomly selected 694 smallholder farms was conducted in 40 villages in the north, east, and south areas of Western Liaoning Province and Eastern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region between March and July, 2017. Foaling-related parameters were assessed such as the mean age at first foaling, foaling rate and ...
Peham C, Frey A, Licka T, Scheidl M.In this study we investigated the activity of the main back muscle (Musculus longissimus) by surface electromyography (EMG) during induced extension and lateral flexion at stance. Measurements were taken of 15 horses (age 5-20 years, 450-700 kg bwt) without signs of back pain. Reflecting markers were placed on the head, spinous processes of T5, T12, T16, L3 and on 2 of the sacral bones. The surface EMG electrodes were situated on the Musculus longissimus on both sides of the dorsal spinous processes of T12, T16 and L3. In all horses and all movements (extension, lateral flexion to the left and...
Trachsel DS, Bitschnau C, Waldern N, Weishaupt MA, Schwarzwald CC.Frequent supraventricular or ventricular arrhythmias during and after exercise are considered pathological in horses. Prevalence of arrhythmias seen in apparently healthy horses is still a matter of debate and may depend on breed, athletic condition and exercise intensity. Objective: To determine intra- and interobserver agreement for detection of arrhythmias at rest, during and after exercise using a telemetric electrocardiography device. Methods: The electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings of 10 healthy Warmblood horses (5 of which had an intracardiac catheter in place) undergoing a standardised ...
Welch-Huston B, Durward-Akhurst S, Norton E, Ellingson L, Rendahl A, McCue M.Cardiac arrhythmias are commonly auscultated during routine physical examinations in horses and determining the underlying electrical abnormality using an ECG is important. The most commonly used device is a three-lead base apex system (Televet), however few practitioners carry this for routine visits. With recognition of the utility of smartphone-based ECGs in humans, dogs and ruminants, the AliveCor single-lead bipolar smartphone-based ECG has gained popularity. The objective of this study was to determine if AliveCor and Televet ECG measurements were comparable in healthy horses using multi...
Raphel CF.A flexible fiberoptic endoscope was used to examine the upper respiratory tract of 479 horses and 41 (8.6%) had abnormalities. Pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia (PLH) was found in 141 horses (29.5%). Statistical analysis showed a relationship between the age of the horse and the prevalence of PLH. Sixteen (3.3%), 10 (2.1%), and 6 (1.3%), of the horses had laryngeal hemiplegia, epiglottic entrapment, and dorsal displacement of the soft palate, respectively. There was no association between the age of the horse and the prevalence of any of these abnormalities; nor was there a positive correlation ...
Choubisa SL.Relative susceptibility to fluoride (F) toxicosis in the form of osteo-dental fluorosis was observed in an observational survey of 2,747 mature and 887 immature domestic animals of diverse species living in areas with naturally fluoridated (>1.5 ppm F) drinking water. These animals included buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), cattle (Bos taurus), camels (Camelus dromedarius), donkeys (Equus asinus), horses (Equus caballus), goats (Capra hircus), and sheep (Ovis aries). Of these mature and immature animals, 899 (32.7 %) and 322 (36.3 %) showed evidence of dental fluorosis with varying grades, r...
Brownlow MA, Brotherhood JR.Exertional heat illness (EHI) is a syndrome that occurs when metabolic heat production from muscular contraction exceeds the rate at which it can be dissipated. Core body temperature rises to critical levels, causing hyperthermia and central nervous system dysfunction. Best practice for the prevention of EHI centres around early detection, rapid response and aggressive cooling. Advance planning enables risk mitigation measures. The more that is known about EHI in horses, the better prepared those in the positions of responsibility can be to anticipate events in which the risk of EHI may be ele...
Love EJ, Taylor PM, Murrell J, Whay HR, Waterman-Pearson AE.The aim of this randomised, observer-blinded, crossover study was to compare the effects of six treatments, administered intravenously to six horses: saline and saline (S/S); detomidine and saline (D/S); detomidine and 5 µg/kg buprenorphine (D/B5); detomidine and 7.5 µg/kg buprenorphine (D/B7.5); detomidine and 10 µg/kg buprenorphine (D/B10); and detomidine and 25 µg/kg butorphanol (D/BUT). The detomidine dose was 10 µg/kg for all treatments in which it was included. Sedation was subjectively assessed and recorded on a visual analogue scale. Peak sedation, duration of sedation and the are...
The study evaluated the intra- and inter-observer measurement variability of an osteophytosis metacarpophalangeal joint scoring system. Ten () dorso/palmar, latero/medial, and oblique views of equine metacarpophalangeal joints affected by osteoarthritis were examined. Nine assessment points were graded (scale: 0-3) twice by five veterinary students (inexperienced group, I) and four equine veterinary surgeons (expert group, E). The grades for each of the nine factors were summed to obtain the osteophytosis score. The variability between the two measurements was -2.04 ± 3.5, 95% CI -3.04 to -1....
Kil N, Ertelt K, Auer U.Changes in behaviour are often caused by painful conditions. Therefore, the assessment of behaviour is important for the recognition of pain, but also for the assessment of quality of life. Automated detection of movement and the behaviour of a horse in the box stall should represent a significant advancement. In this study, videos of horses in an animal hospital were recorded using an action camera and a time-lapse mode. These videos were processed using the convolutional neural network Loopy for automated prediction of body parts. Development of the model was carried out in several steps, in...
DuBois C, Hambly-Odame H, Haley DB, Merkies K.As part of a larger Delphi survey project, equine professionals ( = 14) were presented with twelve short scenarios in which a horse's welfare could be compromised. They were asked to rank each scenario (with 0 indicating no welfare concerns and 5 indicating a situation where immediate intervention was necessary), provide justification for their ranking, and give examples of what might have been the motivation behind the scenario. The wide range within vignette scores demonstrated the diversity of opinion even among a relatively small group of equine professionals. Qualitative analysis of respo...
Jansen MO, van Raaij JA, van den Bogert AJ, Schamhardt HC, Hartman W.The function of several intrinsic muscles of the fore-and hind limbs of 5 ponies walking normally was evaluated via surface electromyography. Electromyographic signals were band-pass filtered, rectified, linear enveloped, and standardized to the stride duration. Mean data from the muscles of the left and right limbs that were obtained from at least 30 strides in 2 recording sessions were recorded as electromyographic signals-time curves. The timing of muscle activity was determined from these graphs. On the basis of the major peaks in the electromyographic signal, muscle functions were identif...
Zebisch A, May A, Reese S, Gehlen H.Hyperflexion, that is the strong deflection of the horse's head, poll and neck, is a prevalent training technique in equitation. Hyperflexion has come under criticism in recent years for being suspected of affecting the horses' well-being contrary to animal welfare. The goal of the present study is a comparison between the impacts of different poll-neck positions on findings in the upper respiratory tract of ridden horses. For this purpose, video recordings of the larynges of 14 horses were taken using an overground endoscope. The videos were recorded at rest and during three different riding ...
