Stress in horses refers to the physiological and behavioral responses of equines to various stressors, including environmental changes, social dynamics, and physical exertion. These responses can manifest through alterations in heart rate, cortisol levels, and behavior, among other indicators. Stress can affect a horse's overall health, performance, and welfare, making it a significant area of study in equine research. This topic encompasses research on identifying stressors, measuring stress responses, and understanding the implications of stress on equine health and behavior. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the mechanisms, effects, and management of stress in horses.
Čebulj-Kadunc N, Frangež R, Kruljc P.The aim of the study was to determine the fluctuations of selected physiological parameters in young Lipizzan stallions ( = 10) during the initial phase of their training as indicators of adaptation to a graded exercise load and stress exposure. For this purpose, four exercise tests (ExT) with lunging were carried out over a period of one year. Physiological parameters (gait speed, heart and respiratory rate (HR and RR), rectal and body surface temperature (RT and BST), and cortisol and lactate concentration (CORT and LAC)) were measured before and after training. In all ExT, gait speeds incre...
Raidal SL, Freccero F, Carstens A, Weaver S, Padalino B.Transportation of horses has been associated with colic and changes to the gastrointestinal microbiome. Percutaneous abdominal ultrasonography using wireless, point-of-care transducers can be used to assess gastrointestinal motility in field settings. Unassigned: Characterization of intestinal motility and salivary cortisol responses of horses completing commercial transportation of 10-12h. Unassigned: Prospective observational study of 30 horses with diverse signalment and transport histories. Clinical parameters, sonographic assessment of intestinal motility and saliva samples, were collecte...
Bergeler J, Liske-Schmitz A, Schmitz T, de Camp NV.The First Night Effect is a phenomenon whereby sleep duration and quality are compromised in unfamiliar environments or situations. Horses are often transported to new locations, such as sporting events. We wanted to know if the First Night Effect is also detectable in horses in two different populations. To investigate this, we compared five horses from a professional sports horse barn that are regularly used in competitions, with six horses from a breeding barn, that are less frequently transferred to unfamiliar places. Despite the significant differences observed in electroencephalography (...
Hildebrand WH, Zaleśny G.Stereotypical behaviours in animals, often linked to stress, are repetitive actions that may lack a clear purpose. This review examines the relationship between cortisol levels, a key stress hormone, and stereotypic behaviour across various animal species, including zoo mammals, horses, and dogs. A total of 99 studies were analysed to understand whether elevated cortisol levels are associated with stereotypies. While many studies report a positive correlation between cortisol and stereotypical behaviour, more detailed research suggests that these behaviours may also serve as coping mechanisms,...
Bombardi C, Salamanca G, Tagliavia C, Grandis A, Zamith Cunha R, Gramenzi A, De Silva M, Zannoni A, Chiocchetti R.The amygdala is composed of several nuclei, including the lateral nucleus which is the main receiving area for the input from cortical and subcortical brain regions. It mediates fear, anxiety, stress, and pain across species. Evidence suggests that the endocannabinoid system may be a promising target for modulating these processes. Cannabinoid and cannabinoid-related receptors have been identified in the amygdala of rodents, carnivores, and humans, but not in horses. This study aimed to investigate the gene expression of cannabinoid receptors 1 (CB1R) and 2 (CB2R), transient receptor potential...
Fiedler JM, Rosanowski S, Ayre ML, Slater JD.Participation in horse-related activities frequently involves relocating horses from the home stable to an activity venue, which might require local, regional, or international travel. In these circumstances, horses are exposed to unfamiliar surroundings and experience changes to their daily routines, which could have negative welfare impacts. An online survey was conducted in 2021 to ask experienced horse sector participants about the horse management practices that they perceived worked well and provided for positive horse welfare when undertaken at venues. Qualitative analysis identified fo...
Hopkins E, Whitrod S, Marlin D, Blake R.Noseband tightness has received increasing attention within equitation science, however, there is little research into how this effects equine behaviour or performance. Objective: 1) determine the peak pressures under noseband in vivo at three different tightness; 2) assess limb and back kinematics at different noseband tightness. Methods: Noseband tightness (n = 8 horses) was set using an International Society for Equine Science (ISES) taper gauge with the three settings being; "two fingers (2F)", "one finger (1F)" and "zero fingers (0F)". Peak pressure under noseband was determined using pre...
Braun TF, Ameli K, Krämer S.Numerous studies have shown the positive effects that horses in equine-assisted interventions can have on a variety of recipients. The importance of animal welfare and implementation of animal welfare practices in equine-assisted interventions has not yet been extensively researched. Objective: The aim of this exploratory study was therefore to investigate the understanding of animal welfare from the perspective of equine-assisted professionals and how it is ensured by them. Methods: 111 equine-assisted professionals in Germany were surveyed about their knowledge of animal welfare and the indi...
Reddington E, Winter S.Elite sporting careers are made up of a succession of transitions and adjustments across multiple layers. Part of the microenvironment is an athlete's romantic partner who moves through the transitions alongside them, being impacted along the way. Though researchers are yet to explore jockeys and their partners experiences within the horse racing context. Framed through the transition environment working model (Henriksen et al., 2024) and supported by the family systems theory (Broderick, 1993), this study aimed to explore the career experiences and retirement transition of a retired Champion ...
Uldahl M, Mellor DJ.This commentary evaluates contemporary equestrian sport governance through the lens of equine welfare science. Drawing on evidence from the FEI Sport Forum 2025 debates, the IFHA Racing Integrity Handbook, media coverage of horse sport, recent scientific presentations, regulatory texts, and published research, we identify systemic shortcomings in how horse welfare is assessed, prioritised, and protected. Key issues include reliance on performance as a proxy for welfare, inadequate "fit-to-compete" protocols, neglect of horses' mental states, coercive tack and equipment practices (e.g., double ...
Wonghanchao T, Sanigavatee K, Petchdee S, Chettaratanont K, Thongyen T, Wanichayanon B, Poochipakorn C, Chanda M.The physiological capabilities of horses begin to decline after they reach 15 years of age. However, some exceptionally talented horses can continue their sports careers beyond this age, raising concerns about their welfare. This study investigated animal welfare by observing resting heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) metrics in geriatric horses participating in similar training or physical activities compared to younger adult horses over 30 min periods. Forty-six horses of varying ages and activity levels were divided into four groups, including horses under 15 years practising ...
Roig-Pons M, Bachmann I, Freymond SB.Finding feeding strategies that meet horses' needs without compromising health is essential for optimising welfare, particularly in group housing, where limited hay availability increases aggression and injury risks. Recently, two strategies have emerged: portioning daily intake into smaller, frequent meals using time-controlled hay racks, or slowing intake with "slow-feeders." However, the effects of such management practices on horse behaviour remain underexplored. We conducted a cross-over study with 18 mares divided into four groups to compare three feeding strategies: "traditional" (3 of ...
Sanigavatee K, Wonghanchao T, Poochipakorn C, Pongnarudech P, Suchairat T, Jitsopin S, Wanichayanon B, Sripiboon S, Chanda M.Long-distance road transport is known to be stressful for horses, with most research conducted in temperate climates. This study investigated horses' stress responses during long-distance transport before and after a jumping competition in a tropical environment. Ten healthy horses (aged 7.9 ± 1.9 years) were studied. Blood cortisol concentrations, haematology, and heart rate variability (HRV) were monitored during outbound (OTJ) and inbound journeys (INJ). Cortisol concentrations increased five minutes after unloading and remained elevated for up to 180 minutes in the OTJ (P < 0.05-0.001)...
Simões J, Santos AM, Santos C, Silva AS, Vintém C, Fonseca J, Coelho C.Show jumping is a popular and complex equestrian modality practiced by a athletes of different levels. However, most studies focus on elite athletes. Objective: The aim of this work was to assess the effect of a show jumping test (SJT), designed for novice athletes, on the physiological biomarkers and energy indexes of a group of horses, bred and trained in Portugal. Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study, thirteen horses and their riders performed a SJT with obstacles set at 80 cm height using a heart rate monitor (M430 with H10 sensor). Physical examination and blood samples, for...
Faithfull R, Lewis K, Drury E, McBride S.Despite welfare concerns, conflict behaviours (indicative of momentary states of acute stress) are common in horses during dressage competitions. Identifying factors that affect conflict behaviours during competition therefore has the potential to improve equine welfare. The aim of this exploratory study was to assess the effect of bridle type (double versus snaffle) in relation to other potential affecting factors (e.g., average head angle, competition level and type, tack variation) on conflict behaviours during dressage competition. An ethogram was created to analyse the conflict behaviour ...
Kroschel L, Pilger F, Aurich J, Nagel C, Aurich C.Horses in training are often stabled individually, but this is increasingly questioned. We have investigated the effects of different stabling systems in Warmblood stallions during a 12-week pretraining programme. Stallions were 24 months old and housed either in a group stable (Group 24, n = 9) or in individual boxes (Box 24, n = 10), or they were 30 months of age and housed in individual boxes (Box 30, n = 10). Cortisol, heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), body development, injuries and selected behaviour patterns were analysed (1) at transfer from pasture to stable and (2) the...
Osorio-Cardona JJ, Usuga-Moreno VM, Martínez-Aranzales JR.The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) has been used in humans for the diagnosis of psychiatric problems such as depression, anxiety and Cushing's syndrome, and in horses for the ante mortem diagnosis of dysfunction of the intermediate part of the pituitary. Objective: This study aimed to examine the functionality of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis through the DST and the cortisol index (CI), to evaluate the rhythmicity of the circadian cycle of cortisol in healthy horses with crib-biting or windsucking. Methods: A total of 20 Colombian Creole horses of both sexes, under similar mana...
Janczarek I, Gazda I, Barłowska J, Kurnik J, Łuszczyński J.It is assumed that horses have a strong herd instinct that cannot be suppressed by any form of social support from humans. The aim of this study was to assess the behaviour and heart rate parameters of horses that received various forms of human support during short-term social isolation. The research material consisted of 12 clinically healthy recreational warmblood mares and geldings. The test was carried out four times. The research test consisted of two parts, which began in the presence of accompanying horses and under conditions of social isolation, with and without support provided by a...
Dai F, Toson M, Bertotto D, Dalla Costa A, Heinzl EUL, Lega F, Minero M, Padalino B, Stefani AL, Trestini S, Maietti F, Zonta G, Di Martino G.The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of self-loading training on the overall stress response during pre-slaughter transportation in slaughter horses. Thirty-two slaughter horses were divided into two groups: the control group (CG) and the Trained Group (TG). For six weeks, the TG horses were trained to self-load using a method based on target training and shaping. Animals from both groups were transported to the same slaughterhouse in small groups on different days using the same truck along the same route. The baseline and post-transportation values of the eye temperature and fecal...
Rigby C, Prutton A.Recruitment and retention of equine veterinarians presents an ongoing challenge for employers. Recent research has highlighted factors that contribute to attrition across the profession, but further understanding of the specific challenges faced in the equine sector is needed. This study builds on existing research by exploring the relative impact of different factors on veterinarians' decisions to leave equine clinical practice. Methods: Veterinarians who had left equine clinical practice in the UK within the previous 10 years were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey. The par...
Death studiesMay 28, 2025
1-11 doi: 10.1080/07481187.2025.2510477
Kaufman SVA, Nieforth LO.For practitioners involved in equine-assisted services (EAS), the death of a horse can be a significant life disruption. This study aims to understand the communicative resilience processes that equine-assisted service practitioners express following the death of an equine in their program. This study analyzed secondary qualitative data from a cross-sectional online survey completed by 84 participants. Analysis revealed practitioners engaged in all five communicative resilience processes following the death of an equine in their program. This research extends current resilience research by exa...
Wienhold S, Bär L, Ringleb Z, Zirpel V, Gomolla A, Denk BF, Volkmer N, Gaertner RJ, Klink ESC, Pruessner JC.In any therapeutic setting, the outcome depends in part on the therapeutic alliance, characterized by mutual understanding, empathy and trust among the participants. This also manifests through physiological synchronization (PS) processes involving breathing, heart and brain. This study examined the dynamics of heart rate variability (HRV) synchronization patterns during horse-assisted therapy. We explored the correlations between the therapist's horse preference, levels of early life adversity (ELA), and PS relationships within and across dyads of participants, therapists, and therapy horses....
Loftus L, Newman A, Leach M, Asher L.There is increasing focus on how to induce and measure positive affective states in animals and the development of social license to operate has brought this to the forefront within equestrianism. This study aimed to utilise a range of methods to induce and measure positive affect in horses in real-world settings. Twenty healthy horses were scored for personality, exposed to four induction methods (wither scratching, high value food provision, positive reinforcement training and the addition of an affiliative conspecific), and data collected on their behaviour (QBA and ethograms) and physiolog...
Taylor K, Harrison A, Capaldo T.One of the most problematic situations for the estimated 60 million working donkeys and mules across the world is within the brick kiln environment. In countries such as Egypt, Nepal, India and Pakistan, donkeys and mules carry dried bricks into small kilns either by pulling carts or carrying loaded packs. The health and welfare problems of this environment are well documented: they may carry excessive loads; work long hours, have difficulties accessing food, water and rest options; and can frequently suffer untreated illnesses including dental problems, lameness and open wounds from poorly fi...
Jardat P, Yamamoto S, Ringhofer M, Tanguy-Guillo N, Parias C, Reigner F, Calandreau L, Lansade L.Emotional contagion, the emotional state-matching of two individuals, has been documented in various species. Recent findings suggest emotional contagion could also take place between humans and domestic mammals. However, the range of targeted animal species and human emotions that have been studied is still limited, and the methodology to investigate emotional contagion in this context is not fully established. This study examined emotional contagion of fear and joy from humans to horses by measuring physiological (heart rate, infrared thermography) and behavioral responses (posture, laterali...
da Fé VCS, Dos Santos VMO, de Lima ACB, Hernandes MSP, Caldara FR, Gomes MNB.This study aimed to evaluate the effect of auditory stimuli on mares and geldings during social isolation and movement restriction, and their ability to promote the reduction of stress responses. The research was conducted with eight Pantaneiro horses, divided into Experiment I (4 mares) and Experiment II (4 geldings), both experiments were executed equally using a 4x4 Latin square design with experimental (classical, country and new age) and control (no music) treatments. Physiological parameters (heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, ocular temperature by infrared thermograph...
Cravana C, Medica P, Fazio E, Satué K, Brancato G, La Fauci D, Bruschetta G.The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a neuroendocrine system involved in the coping response to stressful challenges during exercise stimuli. Exercise represents a significant disruptor of homeostasis, inducing an ACTH-cortisol co-secretion, based on different characteristics of exercise in sport horses. Based on this statement, the aim of this study is to evaluate the circulating adrenocorticotropin and cortisol changes in Standardbred trotters, after training and racing sessions, considering the different age and sex. In particular, the aim is to determine to what extent the leve...
In the present study, the changes in the markers of stress and inflammatory responses of 12 Standardbred horses were investigated before and after exercise during late spring and summer. The environmental temperature, relative humidity, and temperature-humidity index (THI) were assessed during this study. From horses, blood sampling, measurement of heart and respiratory rate (HR and RR), and measurement of rectal temperature (RT) were performed before exercise (Pre) and within 5 min following the end of the exercise (Post). THI values showed mild stress in June and high stress in July. Direct ...
Phelipon R, Bertrand L, Jardat P, Reigner F, Lewis K, Micheletta J, Lansade L.The welfare of an animal is closely linked to their emotional experiences, making it essential to identify reliable indicators of these emotions. This study aimed to identify behaviours and facial movements in horses experiencing contrasting emotional valence, triggered by the anticipation of a positive condition (going to pasture) or a negative condition (going alone to a novel environment). Twenty horses were daily trained to wait in a starting box before being exposed to these two conditions. After one week of positive training or negative training, we analysed horses' behaviours, cortisol ...
Nagel C, Aurich C, Aurich J.This review summarizes current knowledge on stress-like responses in parturient animals and their role for the onset and fine-tuning of parturition. The antepartum maternal cortisol increase is part of the endocrine changes that initiate parturition but a further increase in cortisol release during labor indicates a stress response. During the last minutes of delivery, sinus arrhythmias occur in 80% of foaling mares and 60% of calving cows. Expulsion of the neonate is thus characterized by parasympathetic dominance. In late-pregnant cows transported by road, cortisol concentrations increased b...
Hausberger M, Gautier E, Biquand V, Lunel C, Jégo P.Stress at work, as shown by a number of human studies, may lead to a variety of negative and durable effects, such as impaired psychological functioning (anxiety, depression...). Horses share with humans this characteristic of working on a daily basis and are submitted then to work stressors related to physical constraints and/or more "psychological" conflicts, such as potential controversial orders from the riders or the requirement to suppress emotions. On another hand, horses may perform abnormal repetitive behaviour ("stereotypies") in response to adverse life conditions. In the present st...
Zhen H, Han T, Fennell DE, Mainelis G.We report here that stress experienced by bacteria due to aerosolization and air sampling can result in severe membrane impairment, leading to the release of DNA as free molecules. Escherichia coli and Bacillus atrophaeus bacteria were aerosolized and then either collected directly into liquid or collected using other collection media and then transferred into liquid. The amount of DNA released was quantified as the cell membrane damage index (ID), i.e., the number of 16S rRNA gene copies in the supernatant liquid relative to the total number in the bioaerosol sample. During aerosolization by ...
Capomaccio S, Vitulo N, Verini-Supplizi A, Barcaccia G, Albiero A, D'Angelo M, Campagna D, Valle G, Felicetti M, Silvestrelli M, Cappelli K.The horse is an optimal model organism for studying the genomic response to exercise-induced stress, due to its natural aptitude for athletic performance and the relative homogeneity of its genetic and environmental backgrounds. Here, we applied RNA-sequencing analysis through the use of SOLiD technology in an experimental framework centered on exercise-induced stress during endurance races in equine athletes. We monitored the transcriptional landscape by comparing gene expression levels between animals at rest and after competition. Overall, we observed a shift from coding to non-coding regio...
van der Kraan PM.Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease but an effective pharmacological therapy has not been developed yet. To identify targets for treatment and ways to interfere with OA development and progression both spontaneous and induced OA models are still needed. In this narrative review it is discussed what variables can be identified that lead to variation in OA animal model studies. Literature was screened (Pubmed) with the following terms; OA animal models in combination with species, age, strain, gender/sex, housing, diet, fighting, circadian rhythm, transgenic. Relevant articles ...
Riggs CM, Vaughan LC, Evans GP, Lanyon LE, Boyde A.Mechanical test specimens were prepared from the cranial and caudal cortices of radii from eight horses. These were subjected to destructive tests in either tension or compression. The ultimate stress, elastic modulus and energy absorbed to failure were calculated in either mode of loading. Analysis was performed on the specimens following mechanical testing to determine their density, mineral content, mineral density distribution and histological type. A novel technique was applied to sections from each specimen to quantify the predominant collagen fibre orientation of the bone near the plane...
Schmidt A, Hödl S, Möstl E, Aurich J, Müller J, Aurich C.Domestic animals are often repeatedly exposed to the same anthropogenic stressors. Based on cortisol secretion and heart rate, it has been demonstrated that transport is stressful for horses, but so far, changes in this stress response with repeated road transport have not been reported. We determined salivary cortisol concentrations, fecal cortisol metabolites, cardiac beat-to-beat (RR) interval, and heart rate variability (HRV) in transport-naive horses (N = 8) transported 4 times over a standardized course of 200 km. Immunoreactive salivary cortisol concentrations always increased in respon...
Bartolomé E, Sánchez MJ, Molina A, Schaefer AL, Cervantes I, Valera M.The aims of this study were, first, to evaluate eye temperature (ET) with infrared thermography and heart rate (HR) to measure stress in horses during show jumping competitions and their relationship with competition results, and second, to evaluate the influence of different extrinsic and intrinsic factors of the horse on the stress measurements analysed. One hundred and seventy-three Spanish Sport Horses were analysed for ET and HR, and these measurements were taken 3 h before the competition, just after and 3 h after it. Two interval measurements were also assessed for each parameter. Posit...
Chaucheyras-Durand F, Sacy A, Karges K, Apper E.Horses are large non-ruminant herbivores and rely on microbial fermentation for energy, with more than half of their maintenance energy requirement coming from microbial fermentation occurring in their enlarged caecum and colon. To achieve that, the gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) of horses harbors a broad range of various microorganisms, differing in each GIT segment, which are essential for efficient utilization of feed, especially to use nutrients that are not or little degraded by endogenous enzymes. In addition, like in other animal species, the GIT microbiota is in permanent interplay with...
Mach N, Ruet A, Clark A, Bars-Cortina D, Ramayo-Caldas Y, Crisci E, Pennarun S, Dhorne-Pollet S, Foury A, Moisan MP, Lansade L.We simultaneously measured the fecal microbiota and multiple environmental and host-related variables in a cohort of 185 healthy horses reared in similar conditions during a period of eight months. The pattern of rare bacteria varied from host to host and was largely different between two time points. Among a suite of variables examined, equitation factors were highly associated with the gut microbiota variability, evoking a relationship between gut microbiota and high levels of physical and mental stressors. Behavioral indicators that pointed toward a compromised welfare state (e.g. stereotyp...
Alexander SL, Irvine CH.Plasma cortisol is largely bound to corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG), which regulates its bioavailability by restricting exit from capillaries. Levels of CBG may be altered by several factors including stress and this can influence the amount of cortisol reaching cells. This study investigated the effect of social instability on plasma concentrations of CBG, total and free (not protein bound) cortisol in horses. Horses new to our research herd ('newcomers') were confined in a small yard with four dominant resident horses for 3-4 h daily for 3-4 (n = 5) or 9-14 (n = 3) days. Jugular blood ...
Yarnell K, Hall C, Billett E.Animal management often involves procedures that, while unlikely to cause physical pain, still cause aversive responses. The domestic horse (Equus caballus) regularly has excessive hair clipped off to facilitate its use as a riding/driving animal and this procedure causes adverse behavioral responses in some animals. The aim of this study was to compare behavioral and physiological measures to assess the aversive effect of this procedure. Ten horses were selected on the basis of being either compliant (C: n=5) or non-compliant (NC: n=5) during this procedure. The horses were subjected to a sha...
Johnson RA, Albright DL, Marzolf JR, Bibbo JL, Yaglom HD, Crowder SM, Carlisle GK, Willard A, Russell CL, Grindler K, Osterlind S, Wassman M, Harms N.Large numbers of post-deployment U.S. veterans are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI), leading to an urgent need for effective interventions to reduce symptoms and increase veterans' coping. PTSD includes anxiety, flashbacks, and emotional numbing. The symptoms increase health care costs for stress-related illnesses and can make veterans' civilian life difficult. We used a randomized wait-list controlled design with repeated measures of U.S. military veterans to address our specific aim to test the efficacy of a 6-week therapeutic horseback...
Ruet A, Lemarchand J, Parias C, Mach N, Moisan MP, Foury A, Briant C, Lansade L.Horses are mainly housed in individual boxes. This housing system is reported to be highly detrimental with regard to welfare and could trigger the expression of four behavioural indicators of a compromised welfare state: stereotypies, aggressiveness toward humans, unresponsiveness to the environment, and stress-related behaviours. The aim of this study was to identify housing and management factors that could alleviate the detrimental effects of individual boxes on welfare. A total of 187 horses were observed over 50 days by scan sampling. The impact of 12 factors was investigated on the expr...
Cayado P, Muñoz-Escassi B, Domínguez C, Manley W, Olabarri B, Sánchez de la Muela M, Castejon F, Marañon G, Vara E.It is recognised that the amount of psychological stress that an animal encounters determines the degree of response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In human athletes, the added emotive stress of competition is an important element in the adrenal response. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of show-jumping as well as dressage on stress levels by comparing horses' stress response at a horse show compared to their familiar home. Methods: Fifty-one horses involved in competition were used. EDTA blood samples were collected before exercise, upon arrived to the school...
Sykes BW, Bowen M, Habershon-Butcher JL, Green M, Hallowell GD.To date, risk factors for equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD) have not been described in Thoroughbred racehorses. Objective: To determine management factors associated with EGGD, identify clinical signs in affected horses, and compare these to equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD). Methods: The study was carried out on 109 Thoroughbred racehorses from 8 training yards (3 in the United Kingdom and 5 in Australia). Methods: Gastroscopic examination alongside a questionnaire regarding management, feeding, exercise, and health. Results: Management factors and clinical signs were different for...
Aparicio IM, Martin Muñoz P, Salido GM, Peña FJ, Tapia JA.Use of cooled and frozen semen is becoming increasingly prevalent in the equine industry. However, these procedures cause harmful effects in the sperm cell resulting in reduced cell lifespan and fertility rates. Apoptosis and necrosis-related events are increased during semen cryopreservation. However, a third type of cell death, named autophagy, has not been studied during equine semen storage. Light chain (LC)3 protein is a key component of the autophagy pathway. Under autophagy activation, LC3-I is lipidated and converted to LC3-II. The ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I is widely used as a marker of au...
Hdud IM, Mobasheri A, Loughna PT.The metabolic activity of articular chondrocytes is influenced by osmotic alterations that occur in articular cartilage secondary to mechanical load. The mechanisms that sense and transduce mechanical signals from cell swelling and initiate volume regulation are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the expression of two putative osmolyte channels [transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) and large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BKCa)] in chondrocytes is modulated in different osmotic conditions and to examine a potential role for MAPKs in this process...
Hernández-Avalos I, Mota-Rojas D, Mendoza-Flores JE, Casas-Alvarado A, Flores-Padilla K, Miranda-Cortes AE, Torres-Bernal F, Gómez-Prado J....Pain and anxiety are two of the most important concerns in clinical veterinary medicine because they arise as consequences of multiple factors that can severely affect animal welfare. The aim of the present review was to provide a description and interpretation of the physiological and behavioral alterations associated with pain and anxiety in equines. To this end, we conducted an extensive review of diverse sources on the topic. The article begins by describing the neurophysiological pathway of pain, followed by a discussion of the importance of the limbic system in responses to pain and anxi...
Padalino B, Raidal SL, Knight P, Celi P, Jeffcott L, Muscatello G.This study aimed to document the effects of an eight hour journey on behavioural, clinical, haematological, environmental and respiratory parameters, and to identify possible associations between factors. Twelve horses underwent clinical examination, respiratory endoscopy with tracheal wash (TW) aspiration, and collection of venous and arterial blood before (BJ) and after the journey (AJ). TW were submitted for conventional quantitative bacteriological evaluation and genetic microbiome analyses. Behaviour was assessed in stables prior to transportation and throughout the journey. Transportatio...
Padalino B, Raidal SL, Carter N, Celi P, Muscatello G, Jeffcott L, de Silva K.Horses are transported frequently and often over long distances. Transportation may represent a physiological stressor with consequential health and welfare implications. This study reports the effects of a long distance journey on immunological, clinical, haematological, inflammatory and oxidative parameters in an Experimental Group (EG) of ten horses, comparing them with six horses of similar age and breed used as a non-transported Control Group (CG). Clinical examination and blood sampling were performed twice on all horses: immediately after unloading for the EG, and at rest on the same da...
Malinowski K, Yee C, Tevlin JM, Birks EK, Durando MM, Pournajafi-Nazarloo H, Cavaiola AA, McKeever KH.With the increase in the number of horses being used in Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT) programs and with the increasing concern for animal welfare, it is important to understand the impact of such interventions on the stress level and quality of life for the horses involved. The purpose of the present pilot study was to test the hypothesis that participation in EAAT would acutely alter physiological markers of stress and well-being, including plasma cortisol, plasma oxytocin, and heart rate variability (HRV), in horses and that symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) ...
Munsters CC, Visser KE, van den Broek J, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM.A good horse-rider 'match' is important in the context of equine welfare. To quantify the influence of repetition and horse-rider matching on the stress of horses encountering challenging objects, 16 Warmblood horses were ridden in a test-setting on three occasions. On each occasion the horse was ridden by a different rider and was challenged by three objects (A-C). Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV) of horse and rider, and behaviour score (BS) of the horse were obtained for each object and as a total for each test. The horse-rider interaction was evaluated with each combination and...
Romaniuk M, Evans J, Kidd C.The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes of an equine-assisted therapy program for Defence Force veterans and their partners across the psychological domains of depression, anxiety, stress, posttraumatic stress, happiness, and quality of life, as well as compare the outcomes of an Individual and Couples program. A non-controlled, within-subjects longitudinal design was utilized with assessment at three time points (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and three months follow-up). Between-subjects analysis with two groups was also conducted to compare the outcomes of the Individual and Co...
Respondek F, Goachet AG, Julliand V.Prebiotic compounds, such as short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS), have been shown to improve health, welfare, or both, in several species, but few studies have been conducted in horses, despite the sensitivity of their hindgut microflora. We hypothesized that prebiotic oligosaccharides, known to be able to stabilize the intestinal microflora in other species, would be of importance in horses. Our study was designed to evaluate the effect of scFOS supplementation on the equine intestinal microflora and to assess its effectiveness in reducing hindgut microbial disturbances related to sudd...
Stull CL, Rodiek AV.Fifteen mature horses (mares, n = 6); geldings, n = 9) were used to assess the physiological responses of 24 h of transport in a commercial van under California summer conditions. The study was conducted on four consecutive days, and data were collected on d 1 and d 2 to obtain baseline values and to determine any diurnal variation in the individual measurements. Travel commenced on d 3 at 0800 for 24 h, with a total of 1,622 km traveled. Blood samples were collected at 0800, 1100, 1400, 2000, and 0200 each day. Horses were weighed and rectal temperatures recorded at 0800 each day and at 2000 ...
Kaiser L, Heleski CR, Siegford J, Smith KA.To determine whether therapeutic riding resulted in higher levels of stress or frustration for horses than did recreational riding and whether therapeutic riding with at-risk individuals was more stressful for the horses than was therapeutic riding with individuals with physical or emotional handicaps. Methods: Observational study. Methods: 14 horses in a therapeutic riding program. Methods: An ethogram of equine behaviors was created, and horses were observed while ridden by 5 groups of riders (recreational riders, physically handicapped riders, psychologically handicapped riders, at risk chi...
Dyson PK, Jackson BF, Pfeiffer DU, Price JS.The first major epidemiological study of injury incidence in the UK flat racing Thoroughbred (TB), published in 1985, found lameness to be the single largest reason for days when horses failed to train. It was considered advisable to ascertain if progress has been made in reducing the problem of musculoskeletal injuries in the intervening period. Objective: To quantify injury incidence and days lost from training by 2- and 3-year-old TBs in UK training yards during 2002 and 2003. Methods: One-hundred-and-eighty-two yearling TBs were recruited at the end of 2001 and daily training and injury re...
Edson D, Field H, McMichael L, Jordan D, Kung N, Mayer D, Smith C.Bats of the genus Pteropus (flying-foxes) are the natural host of Hendra virus (HeV) which periodically causes fatal disease in horses and humans in Australia. The increased urban presence of flying-foxes often provokes negative community sentiments because of reduced social amenity and concerns of HeV exposure risk, and has resulted in calls for the dispersal of urban flying-fox roosts. However, it has been hypothesised that disturbance of urban roosts may result in a stress-mediated increase in HeV infection in flying-foxes, and an increased spillover risk. We sought to examine the impact of...
