Ponies are members of the Equus genus, distinguished primarily by differences in size, build, and certain physiological traits. Horses are typically larger, with a height at the withers exceeding 14.2 hands (58 inches), while ponies measure 14.2 hands or shorter. These distinctions are not solely based on size; ponies often exhibit thicker manes, tails, and overall sturdier builds. Despite these differences, both ponies and horses share similar dietary needs, social behaviors, and reproductive processes. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the anatomical, genetic, and behavioral aspects of ponies and horses, as well as their roles in various human activities and environments.
Reitnour CM.The influence of administering caecal corn starch (0.0, 0.2, 0.4 or 0.6 g/kg body weight/day) on protein utilisation in 4 ponies was analysed with a latin square experimental design. The basal diet was dehydrated alfalfa pellets. Determinations were made of nitrogen retention, protein and dry matter digestions, total plasma protein, plasma urea nitrogen, plasma ammonia and plasma-free amino acids. Twice daily administration of corn starch into the caecum resulted in an increased nitrogen retention (P less than 0.01). Maximum nitrogen retention was observed with the caecal administration of 0.4...
Alexander F.Phenylbutazone administered in therapeutic doses to ponies decreased urinary sodium and chloride excretion. The volume and osmolality of the urine was unaffected as was potassium excretion. Faecal excretion of chloride decreased and that of potassium increased, while faecal sodium excretion was unaffected. Plasma pH, bicarbonate and total carbon dioxide decreased after phenylbutazone administration. Packed cell volume, plasma sodium, potassium, carbon dioxide tension and chloride were unchanged.
Snow DH, Douglas TA, Thompson H, Parkins JJ, Holmes PH.Toxic effects of phenylbutazone (PBZ) in ponies and horses were studied, using a variety of biochemical, pathophysiologic, and pathologic methods. At dosage levels of 10 to 12 mg/kg of body weight/day for 8 to 10 days, ponies frequently developed clinical signs of toxicosis characterized by hypoproteinemia. Studies using 51CrCl3 demonstrated that PBZ caused a protein-losing gastroenteropathy. The plasma loss was usually associated with gastrointestinal ulceration, but sometimes occurred without obvious lesions in mildly affected animals. Similar studies (8.2 mg/kg/day for 13 days) in Thoroughb...
Craig TM, Kunde JM.Ivermectin was injected IM into 12 yearling Shetland ponies. The following reactions in percentages of parasites recovered from ponies given 200 microgram/kg or 300 microgram/kg, as compared with the parasitic population in those given the vehicle at 1 week after injection, were as follows: Otobius megnini nymphs--no reduction; Gasterophilus intestinalis--100% and 99.9%; G nasalis--100% and 99.9%; Parascaris equorum adults--100% and 96%; Strongylus vulgaris adults--100% and 100%; S edentatus adults--100% and 100%; cyathostome adults of the genera Gyalocephalus, Cylicocyclus, Cyathostomum, Cyli...
Robinson NE, Scott JB.The effects of a 60-minute IV infusion of histamine (0.5 mg of histamine base/minute) on the systemic, pulmonary, and digital vasculature were investigated in mature ponies. Immediately after the start of histamine infusion, there were a transient decrease in systemic pressure lasting less than 1 minute and then a brief period of systemic hypertension. Systemic pressure then returned to preinfusion levels for the remainder of the infusion period. Pulmonary arterial pressure increased transiently coincident with systemic hypotension. Histamine increased cardiac output and decreased both total p...
Pecheur M.A number of good anthelmintic drugs are currently available which eliminate gastrointestinal nematodes of equids with over 90% success. This is shown by comparing results of critical tests conducted with 9 anthelmintic agents on ponies using the following dosages: 19 mg/kg for Pyrantel embonate, 10 mg/kg for Oxfendazole, 10 mg/kg for Mebendazole, 5 mg/kg for Albendazole, 40 mg/kg for Dichlorvos, 44 mg/kg for Thiabendazole, 7.5 mg/kg, for Fenbendazole, 20 mg/kg for Cambendazole and 7 mg/kg for Parbendazole. From 6 to 9 ponies were treated with each of these anthelmintic agents. Based on total a...
Burrows GE.Phenylbutazone (PBZ), a classic anti-inflammatory and prostaglandin-synthesis inhibitor drug, was used to determine the role of prostaglandins and other mediators on the development and perpetuation of the response to intraperitoneal Escherichia coli endotoxin administration. The PBZ (15 mg/kg of body weight) was administered IV 30 minutes after endotoxin administration and was repeated later at 6 and 12 hours at a dose of 10 mg/kg. A variety of evaluation measurements (hematologic, blood glucose, pyruvate, lactate and fibrinogen, serum beta-glucuronidase, prothrombin time, blood gases, hepati...
Klei TR, Torbert BJ.The controlled test method was used to evaluate the antiparasitic efficacy of IM inoculated 22,23-dihydroavermectin B1 (ivermectin) against gastrointestinal parasites of horses (ponies). Parasite infections were naturally acquired in southern Louisiana. Dose levels of the drug tested were 0.2 mg/kg, 0.3 mg/kg, and 0.5 mg/kg. Ivermectin at all dose levels tested had an efficacy greater than 97% (P less than 0.05) against Gasterophilus intestinalis larvae, Trichostrongylus axei, Oxyuris equi larvae, Strongylus vulgaris, S edentatus, 15 species of small strongyles, and small strongyle larvae. Pon...
Updike SJ, Diesem CD.The vascular supply of the equine stifle joint was investigated, using latex vascular injections of pelvic limbs from 3 adult horses and 6 ponies. Vessels were grossly dissected to the small arteriole level. The primary source of blood supply was the femoral artery and its branches which entered the joint on the caudal and medial surfaces. The superficial vasculature arose from the caudal branch of the deep circumflex iliac artery cranially and laterally, and from the saphenous and descending genicular arteries medially. The deep vasculature arose from the popliteal artery and its branches on ...
Schryver HF, Hintz HF, Lowe JE.Absorption excretion and tissue distribution of stable Zn and 65Zn in mature ponies were studied in three experiments. In the first experiment, the metabolism of stable, dietary Zn and intravenously administered 65Zn was studied in three ponies in a 3 X 3 Latin square design. The ponies were fed a corn and beet pulp diet containing 35 mg Zn/kg or the same diet with 250 or 520 mg of supplemental Zn as ZnO. The ponies absorbed and retained more stable Zn when fed 250 mg of supplemental Zn that when fed the basal diet alone or the basal diet plus 520 mg of supplemental Zn. The ponies retained mor...
Littlejohn A, Bowles F.Pressure curves obtained by cardiac catheterization of the pulmonary artery, right ventricle and right atrium of 9 horses and ponies with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were compared with those similarly recorded from 6 clinically normal control subjects. The mean pulmonary peak systolic, pulmonary minimum diastolic and ventricular peak systolic pressures of the COPD subjects were significantly higher (P less than 0,01) than the corresponding mean pressures of the clinically normal control subjects. The mean pressure calculated from pressure curves obtained from 8 Thoroughbreds i...
Perryman LE, McGuire TC.Between January 1973 and September 1979, 2,092 horses and ponies were evaluated for immunologic disorders. A total of 418 abnormalities were detected in 416 (20%) of the animals tested. Disorders encountered were failure or partial failure of colostral immunoglobulin transfer from mare to foal (228 cases), combined immunodeficiency (159 cases), selective immunoglobulin M deficiency (19 cases), agammaglobulinemia (3 cases), transient hypogammaglobulinemia (2 cases), and lymphosarcoma (7 cases). Four conclusions were drawn from the study. (1) Immunologic abnormalities occur commonly in horses an...
Duncan JL, McBeath DG, Preston NK.The efficacy of a fenbendazole divided dose regime against immature stages of Trichonema spp, Strongylus vulgaris and Strongylus edentatus was evaluated. A group of 8 naturally infected 30 to 36-month-old ponies was divided into 2 equal groups on the basis of previous treatment and faecal egg counts, one group being treated with 7.5 mg/kg bwt of fenbendazole daily for 5 days. This treatment regime removed 80 per cent of migrating S vulgaris larvae, 100 per cent of migrating S edentatus larvae and 95 per cent of the mucosal stages of Trichonema spp. In addition, a virtual 100 per cent eliminati...
Georgi JR, Rendano VT, King JM, Bianchi DG, Theodorides VJ.Albendazole was effective in destroying Strongylus vulgaris larvae in verminous lesions of the cranial mesenteric artery when administered as a 20% suspension by stomach tube to ponies. Fifty mg/kg body weight administered twice a day for 2 days caused death and gradual disintegration of larvae over a period of 3 to 6 weeks with mild toxic signs appearing in 3 of 11 ponies. Higher total doses of albendazole (50 mg/kg twice a day for 4 days and 25 mg/kg three times a day for 5 days) lead to more rapid disintegration of the larvae but fatal toxicity was observed in 3 of 6 ponies so treated. In a...
Ralston SL, Van den Broek G, Baile CA.The feeding patterns of five pony geldings fed pelleted diets ad libitum were quantified for five 24-hr periods. Eighty percent of a given pony's total daily intake (6.3 ± .81 kg or 2.9 ± .41% BW) was eaten in 10 ± .9 separate meals. Each meal averaged .49 ±.13 kg of pellets and lasted 44 ± 10 minutes. The mean intermeal interval was 84 ± 10 min, with a maximum of 3 hour. The animals spent 38 ± 7.2% of a 24-hr period engaged in eating activities, 84 ± 3.7% of which was devoted to meals, the other 16% spent in nibbling activities. Forty-nine percent of the total daily intake was consume...
Steffey EP, Johnson BH, Eger EI, Howland D.Breathing 79% nitrous oxide (N2O) in oxygen increased the rate of accumulation of bowel gas during intraluminal bowel segment infusions of hydrogen, methane (CH4), air, or carbon dioxide (CO2) in four pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs more than did breathing 100% oxygen. A N2O-associated increase in the volume of naturally produced intestinal gas in five halothane-anesthetized ponies corroborated the findings in the dog studies. In a second group of four dogs a bolus of CH4 or CO2 was injected into the bowel lumen. When the dogs breathed O2 the bowel gas volume decreased. Gas was virtually absen...
Snow DH, Bogan JA, Douglas TA, Thompson H.The oral administration of phenylbutazone at a dose rate of approximately 10 mg per kg per day for seven to 14 days resulted in the development of signs of toxicity in seven of eight ponies treated. Clinical signs included anorexia, depression and abdominal oedema. Blood biochemical determinations showed a decrease in total plasma protein and calcium concentrations with an increase in urea concentration. These changes were considered indicative of water retention. Three of the ponies died during treatment following the development of shock. Shock was considered to arise from the submucosal oed...
Cox JE, Edwards GB, Neal PA.The authors analyse data collected over 23 years from 500 cryptorchid horses. They show that left- and right-sided abdominal cases occur with approximately equal frequency in ponies. Approximately half the right-sided unilateral abdominal cases have the epididymal tail descended while only 20 per cent of the left-sided cases do. These findings are briefly discussed. From their analysis of inguinal cryptorchidism the authors conclude that it is a relatively more complex phenomenon with incidence changing with age as well as breed. Right-sided retention predominates in young ponies, probably bei...
Grieve RB, Moore BG, Bradley RE.A critical test was performed to evaluate the anthelmintic properties of an injectable butamisole formulation and to compare the efficiency with that of a commercially available piperazine-thiabendazole anthelmintic. The test was done in 10 horses and 15 ponies with naturally acquired parasitic infections. Butamisole was administered at the dose level of 2.5 or 3.75 mg/kg of body weight by either subcutaneous or deep intramuscular injection. Given at the dose level of 2.5 mg/kg, butamisole was highly effective (99%) against Strongylus vulgaris and moderately effective (49%) against Parascaris ...
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.
Mirck MH.In 3,791 horses and ponies submitted to the Department of Internal Disease of Farm Animals of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht, the faeces were studied for the presence of parasites. The results were classified by age groups and months of arrival. Eggs of the Strongylus type were found to be present in 57.3 per cent of the faecal samples, eggs of Parascaris equorum were present in 6.1 per cent, eggs of Oxyuris equi in 1.2 per cent, eggs or larvae of Dictyocaulus arnfieldi in 0.2 per cent, eggs of Anoplocephala in 2.5 per cent and oocysts of Eimeria leuckarti in 0.3 per cent. Eggs of...
Barnes RJ, Comline RS, Jeffcott LB, Mitchell MD, Rossdale PD, Silver M.The concentrations of 13, 14-dihydro-15-oxo-prostaglandin F(PGFM), the stable metabolite of prostaglandin F, were measured in the plasma of catheterized mares and foetuses and non-catheterized thoroughbred mares and ponies during the last months of gestation. The plasma concentration of PGFM increased gradually towards term in all groups of animals. During the operation for insertion of catheters, maternal and foetal concentrations of PGFM were high, but the values fell to basal levels 24--48 h after the operation. It was found the preoperative starvation (24 h) led to a rise in the concentrat...
Shively JA, Van Sickle DC.The scanning electron microscopy of synovial membrane from the radiocarpal and intercarpal joints near the lateral and medial borders of the tendon of the extensor carpi radialis muscle was studied in 5 ponies. Three different morphologic types of synovial membrane were observed. Type 1 synovial membrane was folded and had a surface mat of fibers separated by 1- to 5-micron-diameter holes. The 2nd and 3rd types of synovial membrane were both villous. The surface of type 2 synovial membrane was fibrillar but the surface of type 3 synovial membrane was cellular. The type of synovial membrane pre...
Panitz E.Ethyl-6-ethoxybenzothiazole-2-carbamate (Sch 18099) was evaluated for efficacy against natural helminth infections in ponies, pigs, lambs and chickens. Sixteen critical trials were conducted in ponies at dosages of 15 to 150 mg/kg. At 15 mg/kg, efficacy against adult and larval Oxyuris equi was 100% and 91% and against small strongyles it was 98%. Efficacy levels were 95% against Strongylus vulgaris and S. edentatus at the 20 mg/kg dosage. In two trials at 100 mg/kg efficacy against Parascaris equorum was 77%. No efficacy was observed against Gastrophilus spp. or Anoplocephala spp. In swine si...
Wagnerová P, Sak B, McEvoy J, Rost M, Sherwood D, Holcomb K, Kváč M.The prevalence of Cryptosporidium and microsporidia in feral horses, which have minimal contact with livestock and humans, is not currently known. We report the findings of a study on Cryptosporidium and microsporidia in 34 Mustangs and 50 Chincoteague ponies in the USA. Fecal samples were screened for presence of Cryptosporidium spp. by analysis of the small-subunit rRNA (SSU) and 60-kDa glycoprotein (gp60) genes, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalitozoon spp. by analysis of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (ITS). Cryptosporidium spp. and E. bieneusi were detected in 28/...
Frank N, Tadros EM.Abnormalities of insulin metabolism include hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance, and these problems are collectively referred to as insulin dysregulation in this review. Insulin dysregulation is a key component of equine metabolic syndrome: a collection of endocrine and metabolic abnormalities associated with the development of laminitis in horses, ponies and donkeys. Insulin dysregulation can also accompany prematurity and systemic illness in foals. Causes of insulin resistance are discussed, including pathological conditions of obesity, systemic inflammation and pituitary pars intermedi...
Pearson RA, Archibald RF, Muirhead RH.Four donkeys and four ponies were fed molassed dehydrated alfalfa or oat straw, either ad libitum or restricted to about 70% ad libitum intake in a Latin-square design for four periods of 21 d. Measurements of apparent digestibility and gastrointestinal transit time were made on the last 7 d of each period. When the forages were provided ad libitum, all animals ate significantly more of the alfalfa than of the oat straw. Ponies consumed significantly more of both diets per unit live weight than donkeys. Higher apparent digestibilities of dietary DM, energy and fibre fractions were seen in donk...
Langner K, Blaue D, Schedlbauer C, Starzonek J, Julliand V, Vervuert I.Obesity is a major health concern in many domesticated equids animals since it is related to metabolic abnormalities such as insulin dysregulation, hyperlipidaemia or laminitis. Ponies especially are known as "easy keepers" and are often affected by obesity and its related metabolic disorders. Research in the last decade indicated that the intestinal microbiota may play an important role in the development of obesity, at least in humans. Therefore, the objective of our study was to characterize changes in the faecal microbiota during a two-year weight gain programme which compared ponies and w...
Sweeney CR, McDonnell S, Russell GE, Terzich M.To evaluate the effectiveness of altering the pH of manure with sodium bisulfate, thereby decreasing ammonia concentration and fly population in a horse barn environment. Methods: 4 mixed-breed pony stallions. Methods: The 4-week study was scheduled with 2 weeks of treatment (with 2 application rates) and 2 weeks with no treatment (control weeks). During treatment weeks, sodium bisulfate was applied daily to the top of the bedding and straw, then spread on top. Ponies were kept in the stalls 24 hours a day during the 7-day test period and stall cleaning was not done. On day 7 of each week, amm...
Wylie CE, Newton JR, Bathe AP, Payne RJ.The electronic patient records of all equine patients of Rossdales Equine Practice between January 1, 2005 and November 1, 2013 were reviewed to determine the number of cases of supporting limb laminitis (SLL) in a large equine practice and referral hospital setting in the UK and to discuss the implications for future epidemiological studies. The clinical notes were searched electronically for a combination of 'laminitis AND (contralateral OR supporting OR overload OR weight bearing)'. The prevalence of SLL within each identified denominator population and the corresponding 95% CI were calcu...
Georgi JR, Rendano VT, King JM, Bianchi DG, Theodorides VJ.Albendazole was effective in destroying Strongylus vulgaris larvae in verminous lesions of the cranial mesenteric artery when administered as a 20% suspension by stomach tube to ponies. Fifty mg/kg body weight administered twice a day for 2 days caused death and gradual disintegration of larvae over a period of 3 to 6 weeks with mild toxic signs appearing in 3 of 11 ponies. Higher total doses of albendazole (50 mg/kg twice a day for 4 days and 25 mg/kg three times a day for 5 days) lead to more rapid disintegration of the larvae but fatal toxicity was observed in 3 of 6 ponies so treated. In a...
Auckburally A, Nyman G, Wiklund MK, Straube AK, Perchiazzi G, Beda A, Ley CJ, Lord PF.To develop a method based on CT angiography and the maximum slope model (MSM) to measure regional lung perfusion in anesthetized ponies. Methods: 6 ponies. Methods: Anesthetized ponies were positioned in dorsal recumbency in the CT gantry. Contrast was injected, and the lungs were imaged while ponies were breathing spontaneously and while they were mechanically ventilated. Two observers delineated regions of interest in aerated and atelectatic lung, and perfusion in those regions was calculated with the MSM. Measurements obtained with a computerized method were compared with manual measurement...
Meier A, de Laat M, Reiche D, Fitzgerald D, Sillence M.A previous six-week (wk) study demonstrated the potential of the sodium-glucose linked transport inhibitor velagliflozin as a novel treatment for equine insulin dysregulation. The present study examined the safety and efficacy of velagliflozin over 16 wk. of treatment, and over 4 wk. of withdrawal. Twenty-four insulin dysregulated ponies were selected, based on their hyper-responsiveness to a diet challenge meal containing 3.8 g non-structural carbohydrates (NSC)/kg bodyweight (BW). Ponies with serum insulin > 90 μIU/mL either 2 or 4 h after feeding were enrolled, and randomly allocated...
Wohlsein P, Pohlenz JF, Salt JS, Hamblin C.African horse sickness virus (AHSV) antigen was demonstrated immunohistochemically in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of tissues collected from three ponies suffering from the peracute form of the disease and from one pony affected by the fever form. The pattern of the antigen distribution indicated a particular organ tropism characterised by an accumulation of AHSV antigen in cardio-pulmonary tissues of the animals with the peracute disease and in the spleen of the pony with the fever form. AHSV antigen was identified in endothelial cells of small blood vessels, particularly capill...
Rijkenhuizen AB, Nèmeth F, Dik KJ, Goedegebuure SA, Van den Brom WE.Clinical, radiographical, scintigraphical and histological effects on the navicular bone after resection of the medial and lateral palmar digital arteries in the pastern of one forelimb in ponies are evaluated. The acute disruption of the main blood supply of the distal extremity causes lameness due to the suddenness of the resection in which the collateral circulation is insufficiently developed. Because of the compensatory collateral circulation, no permanent symptoms of ischaemia occur despite the partial resection of both palmar digital arteries. Histologically the percentage of relative o...
Sibthorpe PEM, Fitzgerald DM, Sillence MN, de Laat MA.Gastrointestinal peptides, such as glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2), could play a direct role in the development of equine hyperinsulinaemia. Objective: To describe the secretory pattern of endogenous GLP-2 over 24 h in healthy ponies and determine whether oral administration of a synthetic GLP-2 peptide increases blood glucose or insulin responses to feeding. Methods: A cohort study followed by a randomised, controlled, cross-over study. Methods: In the cohort study, blood samples were collected every 2 h for 24 h in seven healthy ponies and plasma [GLP-2] was measured. In the cross-over...
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...
Barnabé MA, Elliott J, Harris PA, Menzies-Gow NJ.Hypoadiponectinaemia is a risk factor for endocrinopathic laminitis, but the directionality and nature of its association with insulin dysregulation is unclear. Objective: To investigate the effects of short-term induced hyperinsulinaemia and dexamethasone challenge on circulating [total adiponectin] and whole blood expression of adiponectin (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2), insulin, and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) receptors in insulin-sensitive ponies. Methods: In vivo experiment. Methods: Six never-laminitic, insulin-sensitive, native-breed UK ponies first underwent a dexamethasone challenge (...
Barnabé MA, Elliott J, Harris PA, Menzies-Gow NJ.Equine metabolic syndrome is a collection of risk factors associated with an increased risk of endocrinopathic laminitis. All affected animals display insulin dysregulation and some may show adiponectin dysregulation and/or excessive adiposity. However, the relationship between obesity and hypoadiponectinaemia in equids remains unclear. Objective: To investigate the relationship between obesity and circulating plasma total adiponectin (TA) concentrations in native-breed ponies in England. Methods: Secondary data analysis. Methods: Data collected for three previous studies were retrospectively ...
Potier JFN, Durham AE, Modi R, Rosenberg W, Dash SA.Liver disease is common in equine practice, and treatment and prognosis are dependent on histopathologic examination of biopsies. Liver biopsy is invasive and expensive which restricts its use. Serum markers are used to predict hepatic fibrosis in humans. This study aimed to investigate the enhanced liver fibrosis (ELF) test, based on serum Hyaluronic Acid (HA), procollagen III N-terminal peptide (PIIINP), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) to detect hepatic fibrosis in equids. Four groups were included; two with increased serum concentrations of liver-derived enzymes and a l...
Ward AB, Harris PA, Argo CM, Watson CA, Burns NM, Neacsu M, Russell WR, Grove-White D, Morrison PK.Native ponies are at increased risk of obesity and metabolic perturbations, such as insulin dysregulation (ID), a key risk factor for endocrinopathic laminitis. Management and feeding practices can be adapted to maintain healthy body condition and support metabolic health, but owners may inadvertently provide their ponies with inappropriate management leading to obesity and exacerbating risk of metabolic disease. Adoption of preventative weight management approaches (WMAs), including regular monitoring of body condition, providing appropriate preserved forage, promoting seasonal weight loss, a...
Barnabé MA, Elliott J, Harris PA, Menzies-Gow NJ.The hormones insulin and adiponectin are commonly measured in equids because of their involvement in endocrinopathic laminitis. These are currently measured in serum/plasma, although jugular venipuncture can cause stress in some animals and may be impossible in needle-shy individuals. However, both hormones can be measured in saliva in other species. Objective: To determine whether [insulin] and [total adiponectin] are detectable in equine saliva using automated assays and whether saliva collection is associated with changes in stress indicators. Additionally, the correlation between serum and...
Longland AC, Barfoot C, Harris PA.The digestibility and nutritive values of pastures that were either freely or strip-grazed for 28 days were compared. Twelve ponies were individually grazed in adjacent, 10 m wide, rectangular paddocks. On day -1, each paddock length was adjusted to contain a 28-day supply of herbage DM at 1.5 % of pony BW/d. Ponies, (4/treatment) either accessed the entire 28-day supply from day 1 (TA), or gradually via strip-grazing treatments, SG1 and SG2. SG1 had a 'lead' fence spanning the paddock width that from day 3 was moved forward 1/26th of the paddock length daily, whereas SG2 had an additional 'b...
Christoffersen M, Nielsen SB, Madvig CB, Agerholm JS.Equine pregnancy failure can occur throughout gestation with etiologies varying by region. In Europe, umbilical cord torsion (UCT) has been reported to account for up to 52% of abortions and stillbirths. Little is known about what causes excessive twisting of the umbilical cord (UC), and up till now, only the length of the UC has been identified as a risk factor for UCT. The aim of the present study was to determine the association of potential maternal and fetal risk factors with UCT and umbilical cord length (UCL). A retrospective cohort study was performed on aborted or prematurely delivere...
Al-Ansari AS, Golding E, Walshe N, Mooney CT, Duggan V.Equine obesity combined with insulin dysregulation (ID) is a major risk factor associated with laminitis. Some pony breeds appear to be at increased risk. However, little is known regarding the prevalence of obesity or hyperinsulinaemia as evidence of ID in Irish ponies. Objective: To investigate the prevalence of obesity and associated endocrine/metabolic disease conditions in Connemara ponies and to determine if hyperinsulinaemia in these ponies could be predicted by morphometric or metabolic markers. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The study population included registered Connemara...
de Laat MA, Fitzgerald DM, Harris PA, Bailey SR.High plasma concentrations of insulin can cause acute laminitis. Ponies and horses with insulin dysregulation (ID) exhibit marked hyperinsulinemia in response to dietary hydrolyzable carbohydrates. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), an incretin hormone released from the gastrointestinal tract, enhances insulin release, and is increased postprandially in ponies with ID. The aim of this study was to determine whether blocking the GLP-1 receptor reduces the insulin response to a high glycemic meal. Five adult ponies were adapted to a cereal meal and then given two feed challenges 24 h apart of a me...
Drozdzewska K, Winter J, Barton AK, Merle R, Gehlen H.The basal (bACTH) and post-thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation concentration of adrenocorticotropin (pACTH) are recommended for diagnosis of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Many factors influence bACTH (e.g., disease, age, month) and some affect the results only in autumn (e.g., breed, colour, sex). There are discrepancies about the impact of feeding on b/pACTH. Objective: To determine whether feeding, month, age, breed, colour, sex and body condition score affect b/pACTH. Methods: Prospective crossover. Methods: Sixty-one animals were divided into groups: healthy, PPID, tr...
Vernemmen I, Van Steenkiste G, Hauspie S, De Lange L, Buschmann E, Schauvliege S, Van den Broeck W, Decloedt A, Vanderperren K, van Loon G.Insight into the three-dimensional (3D) anatomy of the equine heart is essential in veterinary education and to develop minimally invasive intracardiac procedures. The aim was to create a 3D computer model simulating the in vivo anatomy of the adult equine heart. Methods: Ten horses and five ponies. Methods: Ten horses, euthanized for non-cardiovascular reasons, were used for in situ cardiac casting with polyurethane foam and subsequent computed tomography (CT) of the excised heart. In five anaesthetized ponies, a contrast-enhanced electrocardiogram-gated CT protocol was optimized to image th...
Spoormakers TJP, Veraa S, Graat EAM, van Weeren PR, Brommer H.Data on equine lumbar pathology hardly exist in breeds other than Thoroughbreds. Objective: To describe pathological changes of the osseous lumbar vertebral column in Warmblood horses, Shetland ponies and Konik horses. Methods: Descriptive post-mortem study. Methods: The lumbar vertebral columns of 34 Warmblood horses, 28 Shetland ponies, and 18 Konik horses were examined by computed tomography (CT). Osteoarthritis (OA) of articular processes (APJs), OA of intertransverse joints (ITJs), intervertebral disc (IVD) mineralisation, impingement of spinous (SPs) and transverse (TPs) processes and sp...
Clark BL, Norton EM, Bamford NJ, Randhawa IAS, Kemp KL, McCue ME, Bertin FR, Stewart AJ.Insulin dysregulation (ID) is central to equine metabolic syndrome. There are limited epidemiological studies investigating dynamic testing of ID in ponies. Objective: To evaluate prevalence and risk factors for ID through dynamic testing of hyperinsulinaemia (DHI) and insulin resistance (IR). Methods: Cross-sectional. Methods: Sex, age, breed, height, cresty neck score (CNS), body condition score (BCS), laminitis, HMGA2:c.83G>A genotype and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) status were documented. Dynamic hyperinsulinaemia was diagnosed with an oral sugar test (OST) and IR with an ...
Górecka-Bruzda A, Siemieniuch M, Lansade L, Stanley CR.Scientifically validated and standardised methods for the evaluation of the welfare of free-living horses are urgently needed by both the owners and managers of these populations and those responsible for implementing national welfare legislation. The aim of the study was to test the feasibility and usefulness of two welfare protocols that could be applied to semi-feral populations: a prototype of welfare assessment template (WAT) for Carneddau semi-feral ponies and the IFCE/INRAE Horse Welfare Protocol. Additionally, the body condition scale designed by Henneke (BCS-H) was employed. The study...
Jacklin BD, Hanousek K, Gillespie S, Liedtke A, Tucker R, Fiske-Jackson A, Smith RK.To validate a novel technique to measure limb stiffness in a clinical setting. Unassigned: Three horses and three ponies owned by the Royal Veterinary College. Unassigned: Limb stiffness indices for both forelimbs were first derived using the gold standard of kinematic analysis. Using the same animals, limb stiffness indices were then calculated using portable floor scales to record weight and an electrogoniometer to record changes in metacarpophalangeal joint angle. The two techniques were then assessed for correlation and repeatability. Unassigned: The repeatability of limb stiffness measure...
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...
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...
