Veterinary science and horses encompass the study and application of medical, surgical, and therapeutic practices to maintain and improve the health and welfare of equines. This field addresses a wide range of topics, including disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as nutrition, reproduction, and behavior. Research in veterinary science for horses often involves understanding the pathophysiology of equine-specific diseases, developing advanced diagnostic techniques, and improving treatment protocols. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of veterinary science related to horses, providing insights into the latest advancements and methodologies in equine healthcare.
Bolat D, Bahar S, Tipirdamaz S, Selcuk ML.The aims of this study were to determine the total volume of the horse kidney and volume fractions of its functional subcomponents (cortex, medulla, renal pelvis) using stereological methods and investigate any possible difference in the functional subcomponents of the right and left kidneys that may arise from differences in shape. The study was carried out on the kidneys of 5 horses of different breed and sex. The weight of the kidneys was measured by a digital scale, and kidney volume was calculated by Archimedes' principle. Total kidney volume and volume fractions of subcomponents of the r...
Lavin TE, Nielsen BD, Zingsheim JN, O'Connor-Robison CI, Link JE, Hill GM, Shelton J.An experiment was conducted to study P digestibility in mature horses because of the growing environmental concerns regarding P runoff and previous equine research focused mostly on young and growing animals or used ponies as a model. Phytase supplementation of swine and poultry diets can result in greater phytate-P digestibility, leading to a decreased need for inorganic P supplementation and a decrease in P excreted to the environment; this, however, has not been demonstrated in the horse. Six mature Arabian geldings were fed 6 diets consisting of pelleted concentrate and alfalfa hay. The co...
Tafese A, Jibat T, Aklilu N, Zewdu H, Kumsa B.A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence and species composition of lice infesting horses in three agroecological zones in seven different districts in central Oromia from November 2011 to April 2012. For this purpose, a total of 420 horses were thoroughly examined for presence of lice. Collected lice were identified to species level under a microscope. The study showed an overall prevalence of 28.8 % (121/420) lice infestation on horses. We identified two spp. of lice on horses namely, Bovicola (Werneckiella) equi and Haematopinus asini with an overall prevalence of ...
Kinnison T, May SA.The Royal Veterinary College's 'Teaching Quality Survey' was completed by 261 recent graduates (six months after graduation) from 2005 to 2011 (26.8 per cent response rate). The results were used to compare veterinarians' background information with current position and career ambition, and to investigate perceptions of curriculum balance. There was a significant difference between males' and females' current positions and career ambitions with comparatively lower percentages of females in farm animal and farm and equine practices. There was also a significant difference between individuals fr...
Van Erck-Westergren E, Franklin SH, Bayly WM.Given that aerobic metabolism is the predominant energy pathway for most sports, the respiratory system can be a rate-limiting factor in the exercise capacity of fit and healthy horses. Consequently, respiratory diseases, even in mild forms, are potentially deleterious to any athletic performance. The functional impairment associated with a respiratory condition depends on the degree of severity of the disease and the equestrian discipline involved. Respiratory abnormalities generally result in an increase in respiratory impedance and work of breathing and a reduced level of ventilation that c...
Barrett EJ, Munsterman AS, Hanson RR.To determine the effect of an abdominal support wrap and transrectal abdominal palpation on intra-abdominal pressures (IAPs) measured directly from the peritoneal space. Methods: Prospective, experimental study. Methods: A university-based equine research facility. Methods: Ten healthy adult horses, 5 males and 5 females. Methods: IAPs were measured through an intraperitoneal cannula zeroed at a height midway between the height of the tuber ishii and point of the shoulder. Triplicate measurements were obtained at rest, during transrectal palpation, after placement of an abdominal support wrap,...
Petersen JL, Mickelson JR, Cothran EG, Andersson LS, Axelsson J, Bailey E, Bannasch D, Binns MM, Borges AS, Brama P, da Câmara Machado A, Distl O....Horses were domesticated from the Eurasian steppes 5,000-6,000 years ago. Since then, the use of horses for transportation, warfare, and agriculture, as well as selection for desired traits and fitness, has resulted in diverse populations distributed across the world, many of which have become or are in the process of becoming formally organized into closed, breeding populations (breeds). This report describes the use of a genome-wide set of autosomal SNPs and 814 horses from 36 breeds to provide the first detailed description of equine breed diversity. F(ST) calculations, parsimony, and dista...
Rubin CT, Seeherman H, Qin YX, Gross TS.Distributions of normal strain, shear strain, and strain energy density (SED) were determined across the midshaft of the third metacarpal (MCIII, or cannon bone) of 3 adult thoroughbred horses as a function of speed and gait. A complete characterization of the mechanical demands of the bone made through the stride and from mild through the extremes of locomotion was possible by using three 3-element rosette strain gauges bonded at the diaphyseal midshaft of the MCIII and evaluating the strain output with beam theory and finite element analysis. Mean ± sd values of normal strain, shear strain,...
Różański P, Slaska B, Różańska D.The aim of the study was a quantitative and qualitative analysis of microflora, presentation of current data about prevalence of the microflora on the skin and mucous membranes, and determination of its possible effect on reproduction of English full blood horses bred in Poland. The material for analyses was sampled from the skin and mucous membranes (385 samples) of 55 English full blood mares. Taking into account reproduction traits, the mares were classified into three groups. Six yeast-like species, including five species from the genus Candida (C. albicans, C. guiliermondii, C. lusitaniae...
Komosa M, Frackowiak H, Purzyc H, Wojnowska M, Gramacki A, Gramacki J.The study included 249 horses belonging to 3 horse breeds. Konik horses, comprising the first group, is an example of a breed similar to the extinct Tarpan. In our study, these horses were taken to be a primitive anatomical model of the horse body. The other groups comprised the Polish Half-bred horse and Thoroughbred horse. The biometric characteristics of the horses were compared based on 24 indices. The aim of the paper was to find a reduced set of indices that can be used to determine group membership of the horses. To do this, we used statistical methods to find the most important indices...
Van den Eede A, Martens A, Floré K, Denis O, Gasthuys F, Haesebrouck F, Van den Abeele A, Hermans K.Equine methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage entails a risk of both equine and zoonotic transmission and infection. In Europe, CC398, the livestock-associated (LA-)MRSA is highly prevalent in horses and veterinary personnel at equine clinics. The extent of the MRSA reservoir created by healthy horses from the general population and associated health hazard for their daily caretakers is, however, unknown. This study aimed at screening healthy horse-caretaker couples from a broad range of home farms. At five equine gatherings, 166 couples were selected for MRSA screening in...
Labelle AL, Clark-Price SC.Effective delivery of local anesthesia is essential for successful standing surgical procedures in the horse. Local anesthesia can be used to facilitate examination of the eye, diagnostic procedures, therapeutic techniques, and surgical procedures. Understanding the relevant clinical anatomy and techniques for performing local anesthesia is critical to delivering successful local and regional anesthesia and analgesia.
You Y, Uboh CE, Soma LR, Guan F, Taylor D, Li X, Liu Y, Chen J.A method involving ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated for the analysis of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin in equine plasma. The analytes were recovered from plasma by liquid-liquid extraction using methyl tert-butyl ether and separated on a sub-2 micron column. The mobile phase was composed of 2 mM ammonium formate and methanol. A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was used to detect the analytes in positive electrospray ionization mode with selected reaction monitoring. The limits of detection, quantification and confirmation for ...
Fureix C, Benhajali H, Henry S, Bruchet A, Prunier A, Ezzaouia M, Coste C, Hausberger M, Palme R, Jego P.Stereotypic behaviours, i.e. repetitive behaviours induced by frustration, repeated attempts to cope and/or brain dysfunction, are intriguing as they occur in a variety of domestic and captive species without any clear adaptive function. Among the different hypotheses, the coping hypothesis predicts that stereotypic behaviours provide a way for animals in unfavourable environmental conditions to adjust. As such, they are expected to have a lower physiological stress level (glucocorticoids) than non-stereotypic animals. Attempts to link stereotypic behaviours with glucocorticoids however have y...
Robin CA, Lo Iacono G, Gubbins S, Wood JL, Newton JR.The National Equine Database (NED) contains information on the size and distribution of the horse population, but the data quality remains unknown. These data could assist with surveillance, research and contingency planning for equine infectious disease outbreaks. Objective: 1) To assess the extent of obsolete and missing data from NED, 2) evaluate the extent of spatial separation between horse and owner location and 3) identify relationships between spatial separation and land use. Methods: Two questionnaires were used to assess data accuracy in NED utilising local authority passport inspect...
Rey AI, Segura J, Arandilla E, López-Bote CJ.This study tested the effect of micellized vitamin E (D-α-tocopherol; 1,400 IU/d) administered 12 and 1 h orally before training for 1 d (ST-VitE) or 8 d (LT-VitE) compared with an unsupplemented control (CONTROL) on plasma α-tocopherol, thiobarbithuric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), total glutathione (GSHt), and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) in 10 race horses. Different sampling times [immediately before training (BEF) and after intense training (END) or 8 h after recovery (+8h)] were investigated. Plasma α-tocopherol concentration was greater in the ST-VitE group than t...
Kȩdzierski W, Pluta M.Every year a new group of young Polish Konik colts are separated from the forest herds to be trained in the stable breeding system. The aim of this study was to evaluate how the young Polish Konik horses who had been born in a forest reserve adapt to and tolerate draft work. Two groups of 6 horses each were studied: (a) 3- to 4-year-old colts and (b) 7- to 13-year-old stallions. An effort response was estimated by heart rate (HR) registration and biochemical analysis of hematocrit; blood lactic acid (LA) level; and plasma concentration of glucose, triacylglycerols, uric acid, total protein, an...
Caliari SR, Harley BA.Biomolecular environments encountered in vivo are complex and dynamic, with combinations of biomolecules presented in both freely diffusible (liquid-phase) and sequestered (bound to the extracellular matrix) states. Strategies for integrating multiple biomolecular signals into a biomimetic scaffold provide a platform to simultaneously control multiple cell activities, such as motility, proliferation, phenotype, and regenerative potential. Here we describe an investigation elucidating the influence of the dose and mode of presentation (soluble, sequestered) of five biomolecules (stromal cell-de...
Leroy G, Mary-Huard T, Verrier E, Danvy S, Charvolin E, Danchin-Burge C.Effective population sizes of 140 populations (including 60 dog breeds, 40 sheep breeds, 20 cattle breeds and 20 horse breeds) were computed using pedigree information and six different computation methods. Simple demographical information (number of breeding males and females), variance of progeny size, or evolution of identity by descent probabilities based on coancestry or inbreeding were used as well as identity by descent rate between two successive generations or individual identity by descent rate. Results: Depending on breed and method, effective population sizes ranged from 15 to 133 ...
Ragle CA, Yiannikouris S, Tibary AA, Fransson BA.A 4-year-old castrated Arabian horse was evaluated for a history of a right-sided nonstrangulating inguinal hernia that was manually reducable. Results: Physical examination revealed a right-sided hydrocele and bilateral enlargement of the inguinal rings detectable by both external digital and rectal palpation. Results: Biportal laparoscopic internal inguinal ring closure was performed with a continuous suture line of unidirectional barbed suture applied with a mechanical suturing instrument. The barbed suture contributed to a secure closure with the added benefit of not requiring knots to be ...
Szczepanik MP, Wilkolek PM, Pluta M, Adamek LR, Golyński M, Pomorski ZJ, Sitkowski W.The purpose of this study was to evaluate transepidermal water loss, skin hydration and skin pH in normal polish ponies. Twelve ponies of both sexes were examined in the study. Measurements were taken from seven different sites: the neck region, the shoulder, thorax, lumbar, inguinal, lip region and the pinna. In each of the regions transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration and skin pH were measured. For transepidermal water loss, the lowest values were observed in the pinna (10.54 g/hm(2)), while the highest values were observed in the lip region (30.98 g/hm(2)). In the case of skin hy...
Osthaus B, Proops L, Hocking I, Burden F.We investigated perseveration and detour behaviour in 36 equids (Equus caballus, E. asinus, E. caballus × E. asinus) and compared these data to those of a previous study on domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). The animals were required to make a detour through a gap at one end of a straight barrier in order to reach a visible target. After one, two, three or four repeats (A trials), the gap was moved to the opposite end of the barrier (B trials). We recorded initial deviations from the correct solution path and the latency to crossing the barrier. In the A trials, mules crossed the barrier signi...
Schmitt B.Vesicular stomatitis is an infrequent yet important vesicular disease of cattle, horses, and swine. Periodic outbreaks of this disease in the United States have caused economic losses in cattle herds because of decreased production, movement restrictions, and trade embargoes. Vesicular stomatitis causes clinical signs indistinguishable from those of foot-and-mouth disease. It is of utmost importance that appropriate samples are collected from clinical cases of vesicular disease in cattle and swine so a rapid laboratory diagnosis can be made.
Broquist HP, Mason PS, Hagler WM, Harris TM.When infested with the fungus Rhizoctonia leguminicola, certain forages, e.g., red clover hay, can cause a "slobber syndrome" of varying severity when consumed by ruminants. The causative agent has been presumed to be slaframine [(1S,6S,8aS)-1-acetoxy-6-aminooctahydroindolizine], which is produced by R. leguminicola. In one serious outbreak of the slobber syndrome in horses, the red clover forage involved was carefully examined and found to contain R. leguminicola and slaframine. An identical hay sample is shown here by ion-exchange chromatographic and gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric an...
White RA, Gerring EL, Jackson PG, Noakes DE.Persistent bleeding from the vulva was the only presenting clinical sign in five non-pregnant pluriparous mares varying in age from eight to 20 years. These were two hunter types, one shire, one thoroughbred and one Arab pony. The haemorrhage originated from ulcerated varicose veins present on the dorsal wall of the vagina adjacent to the vestibulovaginal junction. All five mares were successfully treated, by submucosal resection (two), ligation of vessels (two) or diathermy (one). In four mares there was evidence of vulval incompetence caused by depression of the perineum. The importance of t...
Muñoz A, Riber C, Trigo P, Castejón F.Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is released in response to depletion of the effective circulating blood volume. Endurance horses might develop exhaustion because loss of water and electrolytes in sweat with hypovolaemia and electrolytes abnormalities. Therefore, AVP should act in the control of volemia in these animals. This research evaluates the differences in AVP, hydration, electrolyte status and serum muscle enzymes in successful endurance horses in comparison with those eliminated from the competition because of exhaustion. Eighteen endurance horses, divided into two groups, successful (n = 1...
Snow DH.Using adrenergic agonists and antagonists this study has demonstrated that adrenaline induced sweating is mediated via beta2-adrenoreceptors in the horse.
Bai DY, Yang LH, Unerhu U, Zhao YP, Zhao QN, Hasigaowa H, Dugarjaviin M.Coat color of horse is an important basis for both species identification and individual recognition and is also one of the important references traits for breeding. Therefore, the research on the mechanism of coat fading has become an important part of horses' coat color study. It has been found that the white phenotype is closely related to the mutation of kit gene, which is located on chromosome 3. Investigated results showed that the formation of the epidermal melanoblast and melanin relies on the expression of kit gene, which determines the presence of white phenotype. Nevertheless, studi...
Barteri M, Gaudiano MC, Santucci R.The influence of glycerol on the structural properties of Fe(III)-horse heart myoglobin has been investigated by absorbance, CD and SR-SAXS spectroscopy. The results obtained indicate that both the tertiary and the secondary (alpha-helix) conformations of the protein are influenced by glycerol; in particular, an increase of approx. 8% in helical content was observed. Further, analysis of both the acid- and guanidine-induced denaturation transitions points to a glycerol-induced decreased stability of the tertiary structure; conversely, the alpha-helix conformation is found to be stabilized by t...
Naval J, Calvo M, Lampreave F, Piñeiro A.1. A high concentration Cibacron Blue-Sepharose derivative has been used to study the affinity chromatography of albumin from eight animal species. 2. The apparent affinity constants for albumin varies between 3.9 x 10(4) M-1 and 0.9 x 10(4) M-1, in the order: Human greater than rabbit greater than horse greater than pig = dog greater than bovine greater than rat greater than chicken. 3. Other serum proteins were also bound to the gel, particularly lipoproteins and alpha 2-macroglobulin.
Thiemann A, Foxcroft A.The UK public and veterinary profession often think of the equine charity sector as dealing with issues directly related to the UK equine population - overproduction, rehoming, shelter and welfare. However, the Donkey Sanctuary, like many UK-based equine charities, also works in Europe and further afield to try to address a much broader range of issues, as Alex Thiemann and Andy Foxcroft explain.
Miller-Graber P, Lawrence L, Fisher M, Bump K, Foreman J, Kurcz E.The relationship between elevated plasma ammonia (NH3) levels, fatigue development and muscle metabolism were examined in horses during a submaximal fatigue test. Eight Quarter Horse mares were intravenously infused prior to exercise with either sodium acetate (control) or ammonium acetate (AMINF), and exercised to fatigue on an 11% grade treadmill, carrying 27 kg of lead. Time to fatigue was not different (P greater than 0.05) between groups. Intramuscular NH3 and lactate increased (P less than 0.001) during exercise; however, the treatment did not (P greater than 0.05) affect either. A treat...
Hodgson DR.This article reviews what are considered the basic concepts of gas transport, blood gases, and acid-base physiology is most mammalian species. Techniques for the appropriate collection of blood samples for blood gas and acid-base determinations in the newborn foal are described. Guidelines for interpretation of these values in the normal foal and those animals undergoing respiratory and metabolic derangements are provided.
Goodrich EL, McLean A, Guarino C.Recent removal and relocation of feral donkeys from vast public lands to more concentrated holding pens, training facilities, and offsite adoption locations raises several health and welfare concerns. Very little is known regarding the common equid pathogens that are circulating within the feral donkey population in and around Death Valley National Park, California, USA. The aim of this study was to utilize serologic assays to assess previous exposure of these donkeys to equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1), equine influenza (EIV), West Nile virus (WNV), and (the causative agent of Lyme disease). The...
Trbolova A, Ghaffari MS.The Schirmer tear test (STT) is widely used in both human and veterinary ophthalmology. Two types of STTs have been developed: STT I and SST II. The STT I measures the basal and reflex tear production and is the most widely used STT. However, several factors influence the STT results such as the person performing the test and the location of the strip placement within the conjunctival sac. The aim of this study was to measure the basal and reflex tear production (STT I) in clinically normal horses with open versus closed eyes. Results: Forty clinically healthy horses without any ocular disease...
The Journal of hereditySeptember 1, 1984
Volume 75, Issue 5 413-414 doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a109968
Sponenberg DP, Harper HT, Harper AL.A bay roan Brabant Belgian stallion (ERn/ ern) was bred to eight chestnut American Belgian mares (ern/ ern), producing 57 foals. Thirty foals were bay roan, 25 were chestnut, one was bay, and one was chestnut roan. The recombination rate was 0.035 +/- 0.024, indicating fairly close linkage between the roan (Rn) and extension (E) loci.
Guinnefollau L, Gee EK, Bolwell CF, Norman EJ, Rogers CW.Horses are one of the most dangerous animals veterinarians have to work with. For many veterinary students, their first exposure to horses occurs during practical classes. To evaluate the level of knowledge students have of equine behaviour and their equine handling competency when entering the programme, 214 veterinary students (1st and 4th year) were recruited to participate in a questionnaire. Participants were asked to choose one out of 12 terms that best represented the affective state of a horse in a picture, and to self-assess their equine handling skills. Half (n = 56/115) of the first...
Tirosh-Levy S, Blum SE, Steward KF, Waller AS, Steinman A.The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the seroprevalence of Streptococcus equi in Israel, to monitor seropositive horses over time and to identify archived strains that were recovered from Israeli horses. A serological survey of 200 healthy horses on 20 farms throughout Israel was performed to detect recent exposure to S equi antigens A and C via indirect ELISA. Seroprevalence was 9.5 per cent (19/200) and positive horses were found in 30 per cent (6/20) of the farms. Sixteen horses that returned a positive serology result were retested three and six months later. Most (12...
Fretz PB, McIlwraith CW.Five young horses with fetlock varus deformities of 8 degrees or greater were treated by means of wedge osteotomy of the distal end of the 3rd metacarpal or metatarsal bone. Three patients were admitted to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and 2 to Colorado State University. Their selection as surgical patients was based on the following criteria: (1) an angular limb deformity of 8 degrees or greater, (2) patient older than 120 days, (3) no evidence of lameness, and (4) no evidence of degenerative joint disease. The surgery was successful in all cases.
Pirhonen A, Linnala-Kankkunen A, Mäenpää PH.Protamine 1 and two protamine 2 variants were isolated from stallion sperm and separated by acetic acid-urea gel electrophoresis. After electroblotting onto polyvinyldifluoride filters, their amino-terminal amino acid sequences were determined by pulse-liquid peptide sequencing. The sequences of the two protamine 2 variants are homologous but slightly different in length and amino acid composition and indicate for the first time the existence of two different genes for this protamine species.
Frank C, Madden DJ, Duncan C.Being able to conduct an equine field necropsy in a safe and proficient manner is a helpful skill for the equine practitioner. Use of a systematic process enables the practitioner to develop a familiarity with normal anatomic positioning and tissue appearance such that abnormalities are quickly identified. This article outlines a systematic necropsy protocol that can be used to investigate mortality events and clinical questions.
Bicout DJ, Carvalho R, Chalvet-Monfray K, Sabatier P.The paper examines the prevalence of equine infectious anemia (EIA) in horse populations in the northern part (comprising 89 cities) of Minas Gerais State, Brazil, from January 2002 to December 2004. Data on 8,981 agar gel immunodiffusion test results from the region were used as input for a statistical and autoregressive analysis model to construct a city-level map of the distribution of EIA prevalence. The following EIA prevalence (P) levels were found: 49 cities with 0 < P < or = 0.5%, 26 with 0.5% < P < or = 1.5%, 10 with 1.5% < P < or = 5%, and 4 with 5% < P < or = 25%.
Orton RK, Hume ID, Leng RA.Rates of growth were measured in two-year-old (Experiment 1) and nine-month-old (Experiment 2) horses fed high (12 or 14 per cent) or low (6 or 8 per cent) crude protein diets with one of two levels of exercise (0 or 12 km trotting per day at 12 km/h). In the non-exercised horses feed intakes and growth rates were greater on the high than on the low protein diets. Exercise increased feed intakes and growth rates of horses on the low but not the high protein diets, so that in the exercised groups there were no significant differences in feed intakes or growth rates between the horses on the two...