Topic:Welfare

Thermoregulation during Field Exercise in Horses Using Skin Temperature Monitoring.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    December 30, 2023   Volume 14, Issue 1 136 doi: 10.3390/ani14010136
Verdegaal EJMM, Howarth GS, McWhorter TJ, Delesalle CJG.Hyperthermia and exertional heat illness (EHI) are performance and welfare issues for all exercising horses. Monitoring the thermoregulatory response allows for early recognition of metabolic heat accumulation during exercise and the possibility of taking prompt and effective preventative measures to avoid a further increase in core body temperature (T) leading to hyperthermia. Skin temperature (T) monitoring is most used as a non-invasive tool to assess the thermoregulatory response pre- and post-exercise, particularly employing infrared thermographic equipment. However, only a few studies ha...
How Useful Are Existing Protocols in the Quick Assessment of the Welfare of Semi-Feral Horses? Pilot Study on Konik Polski Horses Living in the Forest Sanctuary.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    December 19, 2023   Volume 14, Issue 1 8 doi: 10.3390/ani14010008
Gu00f3recka-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...
The Socioeconomic Impact of Diseases of Working Equids in Low and Middle-Income Countries: A Critical Review.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    December 15, 2023   Volume 13, Issue 24 3865 doi: 10.3390/ani13243865
Bonsi M, Anderson NE, Carder G.Working equids provide a crucial contribution to the livelihoods and food security of communities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Nevertheless, they are a neglected category within animal health policies and interventions of governmental and non-governmental institutions. This critical review aims to assess the socioeconomic impact of diseases of working equids in LMICs. By highlighting the implications of diseases on working equid welfare, human wellbeing and livelihoods, this review seeks to sensitise policymakers within governments and international organisations to develop pol...
Lateralised Behavioural Responses in Livestock to Environmental Stressors: Implications for Using Infrared Thermography to Assess Welfare Conditions.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    November 27, 2023   Volume 13, Issue 23 3663 doi: 10.3390/ani13233663
Goma AA, Uddin J, Kieson E.Lateralised behavioural responses to environmental stressors have become more frequently used as indicators of social welfare in animals. These lateralised behavioural responses are under the control of asymmetrical brain functions as part of the primary functions of most vertebrates and assist in primary social and survival functions. Lateralised behavioural responses originating from the left hemisphere are responsible for processing familiar conditions, while the right hemisphere is responsible for responding to novel stimuli in the environment. The forced lateralisation and side preference...
Studying longitudinal neutralising antibody levels against Equid herpesvirus 1 in experimentally infected horses using a novel pseudotype based assay.
Virus research    November 17, 2023   Volume 339 199262 doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2023.199262
Di Genova C, Sutton G, Paillot R, Temperton N, Pronost S, Scott SD.Infection with equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1), a DNA virus of the Herpesviridae family represents a significant welfare issue in horses and a great impact on the equine industry. During EHV-1 infection, entry of the virus into different cell types is complex due to the presence of twelve glycoproteins (GPs) on the viral envelope. To investigate virus entry mechanisms, specific combinations of GPs were pseudotyped onto lentiviral vectors. Pseudotyped virus (PV) particles bearing gB, gD, gH and gL were able to transduce several target cell lines (HEK293T/17, RK13, CHO-K1, FHK-Tcl3, MDCK I & II)...
Cross-Sectional Survey of Horse Owners to Assess Their Knowledge and Use of Biosecurity Practices for Equine Infectious Diseases in the United States.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    November 17, 2023   Volume 13, Issue 22 3550 doi: 10.3390/ani13223550
White N, Pelzel-McCluskey A.Horses are transported in the United States more than any other livestock species and co-mingle at various events; therefore, they are considered to be at an increased risk for infectious disease transmission. The fragmented movement of horses combined with numerous sites of co-mingling makes tracing the potential spread of a disease outbreak a necessary part of an infection control plan, both locally and nationally. The cross-movement of personnel with horses and the persistence of endemic diseases make biosecurity implementation an ongoing challenge. Although many of the risks for infection ...
Equine-assisted interventions for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: a systematic review.
Frontiers in psychiatry    November 3, 2023   Volume 14 1277338 doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1277338
Li J, Su00e1nchez-Garcu00eda R.Equine-assisted intervention therapy has a nearly 60-year history and has been shown to have a significant positive impact on various types of psychotherapy patients. Due to an increase in research on EAT, the number of existing methods of equine-assisted intervention therapy has gradually increased. Based on existing literature on the application of equine-assisted intervention therapy on veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this study examines the characteristics of several types of equine interventions and includes a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature on equine-as...
Visual and morphometric description of feral horse hooves from Sable Island National Park Reserve.
The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne    November 2, 2023   Volume 64, Issue 11 1028-1034 
Mellish MA, Lucas Z, Lancaster L, Stull JW, Floyd A.To visually evaluate and morphometrically describe a sample of abnormal hooves from Sable Island horses that died between 2007 and 2013. Equine. An opportunistic sample of 356 abnormal hooves from horses inhabiting Sable Island National Park Reserve (Canada) was collected postmortem between 2007 and 2013 from 101 Sable Island horses. These hooves were assessed for abnormalities in conformation through visual and morphometric evaluation. On visual and morphometric evaluation, 100% of horses (101/101) had abnormal hoof conformation when compared to a domestic horse hoof model. Specific abnormali...
A Delphi Study to Determine International and National Equestrian Expert Opinions on Domains and Sub-Domains Essential to Managing Sporthorse Health and Welfare in the Olympic Disciplines.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    November 2, 2023   Volume 13, Issue 21 3404 doi: 10.3390/ani13213404
Williams JM, Berg LC, Clayton HM, Kirsch K, Marlin D, Randle H, Roepstroff L, Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MSV, Weishaupt MA, Munsters C.The public is increasingly questioning equestrianism's social license to operate. While the focus historically centered on horseracing, increased scrutiny is now being placed on how dressage, showjumping, and eventing are addressing equine management and welfare concerns. Nominated equestrian federation and equestrian organization experts ( = 104) directly involved in international and/or national-level horse sports took part in a four-stage, iterative Delphi to obtain consensus on what factors should be considered essential to manage sporthorse health and welfare. Five core domains were agree...
Finnish and Swedish riding school pupils’ motivation towards participation in non-riding education.
Frontiers in sports and active living    October 20, 2023   Volume 5 1232428 doi: 10.3389/fspor.2023.1232428
Nyberg L, Linnavalli T, Hartmann E, Kalland M.Many horse enthusiasts have insufficient knowledge about horse behavior and welfare (BW) and learning and human-horse communication (LC), which poses a risk for both horse welfare and human safety. The main objective of this study was to investigate why riding school pupils participate or do not participate in non-riding education in BW and LC, using Self-determination theory (SDT). SDT posits that the quality of motivation is related to the individual's basic psychological needs. A convenience sample of 568 riding school pupils from Finland and Sweden completed an online questionnaire. The re...
A Translational Model for Repeated Episodes of Joint Inflammation: Welfare, Clinical and Synovial Fluid Biomarker Assessment.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    October 12, 2023   Volume 13, Issue 20 3190 doi: 10.3390/ani13203190
Kearney CM, Korthagen NM, Plomp SGM, Labbertu00e9 MC, de Grauw JC, van Weeren PR, Brama PAJ.This study investigates repeated low-dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injections in equine joints as a model for recurrent joint inflammation and its impact on animal welfare. Joint inflammation was induced in eight horses by injecting 0.25 ng of LPS three times at two-week intervals. Welfare scores and clinical parameters were recorded at baseline and over 168 h post-injection. Serial synoviocentesis was performed for the analysis of a panel of synovial fluid biomarkers of inflammation and cartilage turnover. Clinical parameters and a final synoviocentesis were also performed eight weeks after t...
Chemical composition of horse hooves with functional qualities for competing barefoot.
Journal of animal science    October 10, 2023   Volume 101 skad346 doi: 10.1093/jas/skad346
Spu00f6rndly-Nees E, Jansson A, Pu00f6kelmann M, Pickova J, Ringmark S.Barefoot racing is a common practice within the harness racing industry, but not all horses have hooves of sufficient quality to race sustainably without shoes. There is currently no objective approach available to assess whether a horse's hooves are suitable for barefoot racing, raising animal welfare issues if trainers misjudge the functional qualities of hooves. This study compared chemical composition of the hoof wall and fatty acid (FA) composition of the digital cushion in a group of horses that had raced barefoot often (RB) and a group of horses that could not race barefoot and therefor...
Used like Pawns or Treated like Kings? How Narratives around Racehorse Welfare in the 2023 Grand National May Affect Public Acceptance: An Informed Commentary.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    October 8, 2023   Volume 13, Issue 19 3137 doi: 10.3390/ani13193137
Pearson G, Douglas J, Wolframm I, Furtado T.The 2023 Grand National steeplechase race was delayed when protesters from the animal rights group, 'Animal Rising', gained access to the course just prior to the race. The international media spotlight was focused on what is already a high-profile event and the social licence of both this race and racing in general was scrutinised. Both at the time and for several days afterwards, the general public was exposed to two different narratives from pro- and anti-racing communities. This paper discusses these perspectives and the potential impact on the general public's relationship with racing. Wh...
Time-Budget and Welfare Indicators of Stabled Horses in Three Different Stall Architectures: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Journal of equine veterinary science    October 7, 2023   Volume 131 104936 doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104936
Carvalho Seabra J, Martinez do Vale M, Spercoski KM, Hess T, Patricio Viviani de Moura P, Dittrich JR.Keeping horses in single stalls can lead to the development of abnormal and stereotypic behaviors (ASB). Opportunities for social interactions and stall architecture can influence behavior. The current study aimed to identify how three different stall architectures influenced time-budget and physiological parameters in horses. Stall types included: (1) 3.2 × 3.7 m with tactile contact between horses (B1); (2) 2.6 × 3.5 m with visual contact between horses and outside view (B2); (3) 2.3 × 3.4 m with visual contact and outside view (B3). Ten horses from B1 and B3, and nine from B2 were ...
Single-cell transcriptomics delineates the immune cell landscape in equine lower airways and reveals upregulation of FKBP5 in horses with asthma.
Scientific reports    September 27, 2023   Volume 13, Issue 1 16261 doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-43368-4
Riihimu00e4ki M, Fegraeus K, Nordlund J, Waern I, Wernersson S, Akula S, Hellman L, Raine A.Equine asthma (EA) is a heterogenous, complex disease, with a significant negative impact on horse welfare and performance. EA and human asthma share fundamental similarities, making EA a useful model for studying the disease. One relevant sample type for investigating chronic lung inflammation is bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), which provides a snapshot of the immune cells present in the alveolar space. To investigate the immune cell landscape of the respiratory tract in horses with mild-to-moderate equine asthma (mEA) and healthy controls, single-cell RNA sequencing was conducted on equ...
Selected Acoustic Frequencies Have a Positive Impact on Behavioural and Physiological Welfare Indicators in Thoroughbred Racehorses.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    September 20, 2023   Volume 13, Issue 18 2970 doi: 10.3390/ani13182970
Gueguen L, Henry S, Delbos M, Lemasson A, Hausberger M.(1) Background: Since antiquity, it is considered that sounds influence human emotional states and health. Acoustic enrichment has also been proposed for domestic animals. However, in both humans and animals, effects vary according to the type of sound. Human studies suggest that frequencies, more than melodies, play a key role. Low and high frequencies, music tuning frequency and even EEG slow waves used for 'neurofeedback' produce effects. (2) Methods: We tested the possible impact of such pure frequencies on racehorses' behavior and physiology. A commercial non-audible acoustic stimulus, co...
Non-invasive estimation of in vivo optical properties and hemodynamic parameters of domestic animals: a preliminary study on horses, dogs, and sheep.
Frontiers in veterinary science    September 18, 2023   Volume 10 1243325 doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1243325
Frabasile L, Amendola C, Buttafava M, Chincarini M, Contini D, Cozzi B, De Zani D, Guerri G, Lacerenza M, Minero M, Petrizzi L, Qiu L, Rabbogliatti V....Biosensors applied in veterinary medicine serve as a noninvasive method to determine the health status of animals and, indirectly, their level of welfare. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been suggested as a technology with this application. This study presents preliminary time domain NIRS measurements of optical properties (absorption coefficient, reduced scattering coefficient, and differential pathlength factor) and hemodynamic parameters (concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin, deoxygenated hemoglobin, total hemoglobin, and tissue oxygen saturation) of tissue domestic animals, specif...
Detection of adeno-associated viral DNA in equine post-administration frozen blood and plasma samples after long-term storage.
Drug testing and analysis    September 6, 2023   doi: 10.1002/dta.3569
Maniego J, Pesko B, Habershon-Butcher J, Hincks P, Taylor P, Stewart G, Proudman C, Ryder E.Gene doping in horses is a threat to the fairness in sport and has serious implications for animal welfare. To investigate the effect of long-term storage on the detection of AAV in plasma and whole blood, samples from an administration study using an adeno-associated virus serotype 6 expressing green fluorescence protein (AAV6-GFP) were stored at -20°C for 8 months before analysis. The AAV vector was detected in stored plasma samples, following the same detection profile as the fresh plasma samples. The stored blood showed lower overall DNA detection but followed the same detection profile ...
Advances in dental management in the equine geriatric patient: strategies for improved welfare.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association    September 6, 2023   1-7 doi: 10.2460/javma.23.06.0350
du Toit N.Geriatric horses have a high prevalence of dental disease, which is a culmination of age-related dental changes and dental disease throughout the life of the horse that may have long-term consequences. Wear abnormalities, diastemata with periodontal disease, pulpitis and endodontic disease, infundibular caries, and equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis become more prevalent with age. Recognition of age-related dental disease at an early stage can help to treat and possibly preserve teeth for longer. With a natural decrease in masticatory efficiency, it is even more importan...
Let Them Be the Judge of That: Bias Cascade in Elite Dressage Judging.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    September 3, 2023   Volume 13, Issue 17 2797 doi: 10.3390/ani13172797
Wolframm I.Sport performances judged subjectively often suffer from systematic errors due to biases, with the sport of equestrian dressage being no exception. This study examines whether international dressage judges display systematic errors while evaluating elite horse-rider combinations. Data from seven 5* Grand Prix dressage events between May 2022 and April 2023 were analyzed (510 judges' scores) using Multivariable Linear Regression Analysis. Five predictor variables-Home, Same Nationality, Compatriot, FEI Ranking and Starting Order-were studied in relation to Total Dressage Score (TS). The model a...
How equestrians conceptualise horse welfare: Does it facilitate or hinder change?
Animal welfare (South Mimms, England)    September 1, 2023   Volume 32 e59 doi: 10.1017/awf.2023.79
Luke KL, Rawluk A, McAdie T, Smith BP, Warren-Smith AK.More than ever the welfare of horses in equestrian sport is in the spotlight. In response to this scrutiny, one peak body, the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) has created an Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission to protect their sport's longevity. However, for welfare-based strategies to be successful, the conceptualisation of horse welfare must align across various stakeholders, including the general public. The value-laden nature of welfare makes agreement on its definition, even among scientists, difficult. Given little is known about how equestrians conceptualise horse welfare, w...
Relationship between CT-Derived Bone Mineral Density and UTE-MR-Derived Porosity Index in Equine Third Metacarpal and Metatarsal Bones.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    August 31, 2023   Volume 13, Issue 17 2780 doi: 10.3390/ani13172780
Daniel CR, Taylor SE, McPhee S, Wolfram U, Schwarz T, Sommer S, Kershaw LE.Fatigue-related subchondral bone injuries of the third metacarpal/metatarsal (McIII/MtIII) bones are common causes of wastage, and they are welfare concerns in racehorses. A better understanding of bone health and strength would improve animal welfare and be of benefit for the racing industry. The porosity index (PI) is an indirect measure of osseous pore size and number in bones, and it is therefore an interesting indicator of bone strength. MRI of compact bone using traditional methods, even with short echo times, fail to generate enough signal to assess bone architecture as water protons ar...
Effect of pro-inflammatory cytokine priming and storage temperature of the mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) secretome on equine articular chondrocytes.
Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology    August 31, 2023   Volume 11 1204737 doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1204737
Jammes M, Contentin R, Audigiu00e9 F, Cassu00e9 F, Galu00e9ra P. Osteoarthritis (OA) is an invalidating articular disease characterized by cartilage degradation and inflammatory events. In horses, OA is associated with up to 60% of lameness and leads to reduced animal welfare along with extensive economic losses; currently, there are no curative therapies to treat OA. The mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) secretome exhibits anti-inflammatory properties, making it an attractive candidate for improving the management of OA. In this study, we determined the best storage conditions for conditioned media (CMs) and tested whether priming MSCs with cytokines can enh...
Survey of horse transportation in Switzerland: practices and issues.
Schweizer Archiv fur Tierheilkunde    August 30, 2023   Volume 165, Issue 9 573-584 doi: 10.17236/sat00402
Benedetti B, Felici M, Thiu00e9baud G, Freccero F, Padalino B.This study aimed to describe equine transportation practices and transport-related behavioural and health problems in Switzerland and to identify possible associations between them. An online survey was disseminated to Swiss equine industry members and questioned respondents' details, transport practices (before, during, and after journeys), horse transport-related behavioural (TRPBs) and health problems (TRHPs) experienced in the previous 2 years. The survey generated 441 valid responses, analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models (outcomes: TRPBs, TRHPs, injuries, d...
Phenylbutazone concentrations in synovial fluid following administration via intravenous regional limb perfusion in the forelimbs of six adult horses.
Frontiers in veterinary science    August 24, 2023   Volume 10 1236976 doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1236976
O'Brien M, Mochel JP, Kersh K, Wang C, Troy J.Pain management is critical to equine welfare with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) commonly used in horses. However, systemic NSAID use is limited by harmful gastrointestinal and renal side effects. Intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) is a technique used in horses that produces high, local antibiotic concentrations while limiting systemic circulation. NSAID-IVRLP would be a novel method of local pain management while limiting systemic NSAID side effects. To date, NSAID-IVRLP administration has not been reported in horses. This study aimed to identify the pharmacokinetics ...
Effects of different hay feeders, availability of roughage on abnormal behaviors and cortisol circadian rhythm in horses kept in dry lots.
Journal of equine veterinary science    August 23, 2023   104911 doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104911
Seabra JC, Hess T, Martinez do Vale M, Spercoski KM, Brooks R, Dittrich JR.Free choice forage could be the best option regarding horses' welfare but can lead to increased body weight (BW), and waste of hay. Automatic box feeders (BF) and slow feeders (SF) decrease food waste, but it is unknown how these affect the horses' time-budget (TB). This study compared the effects of feeding free choice hay (FC), to a SF and an automated BF on the horses' cortisol circadian rhythm (CCR) and behavior by 24-h continuous behavioral sampling (CBS). The study was designed as a 3 × 3 Latin square design with 15 polo horses divided into 3 groups, for 15 days on each treatment. E...
History, Rest and Exercise Score (HRE-S) for assessment of disease severity in horses with trigeminal-mediated headshaking.
Equine veterinary journal    August 22, 2023   doi: 10.1111/evj.13986
Kloock T, Pickles KJ, Roberts V, Uhlendorf F, Twele L, Wilkens HL, Stehle E, Feige K, Niebuhr T.In horses with trigeminal-mediated headshaking (TMHS), clinical signs are likely to be expression of neuropathic facial pain. Currently, subjective assessment of disease severity is used as measure of compromise of animal's welfare. Objective: To develop and validate a precise scoring system for TMHS: History, Rest and Exercise Score (HRE-S). The HRE-S consists of three subscores: history score (H-S), resting score (R-S) and exercise score (E-S). Methods: Retrospective observational study. Methods: Seven masked observers with different experience used HRE-S to score 40 video recordings taken d...
Assessing the impact of draught load pulling on welfare in equids.
Frontiers in veterinary science    August 17, 2023   Volume 10 1214015 doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1214015
Bukhari SSUH, Parkes RSV.About 112 million working equids are the source of income for 600 million people globally. Many equids are used for pulling loads (up to 15,000 kg per day) to transport goods. Most of them are associated with brick kilns, mining, and agriculture industries in developing countries. They may suffer from welfare issues such as overloading, being beaten, and being forced to work for long periods. These issues may occur due to a poor understanding of load-pulling equids. Understanding their capabilities and the elements that influence them is critical for efficient performance and welfare. The me...
Transcriptomic signature related to poor welfare of sport horses.
Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology    August 17, 2023   Volume 16 100201 doi: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2023.100201
Foury A, Mach N, Ruet A, Lansade L, Moisan MP.The improvement of horse welfare through housing conditions has become a real issue in recent years and have highlighted the detrimental effect of individual housing of horses on their health and behaviour. In this new study, we analysed the blood transcriptome of 45 sport horses housed individually that were previously examined for their behaviour and gut microbiota. We performed differential and regression analyses of gene expression, followed by downstream bioinformatic analyses, to unveil the molecular pathways related to the behavioural changes associated with welfare impairment in these ...
The Triple-E Model: Advancing Equestrian Research with Perspectives from One Health.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    August 16, 2023   Volume 13, Issue 16 2642 doi: 10.3390/ani13162642
Keener MM, Tumlin KI.Equestrian sport has various welfare issues and educational needs. To address these complex interactions, we propose an integrated approach called the Triple-E Model, which focuses on the equine, equestrian, and environmental triad. A literature review of existing models suggests that complexities of these interactions are overlooked, despite the significant impact of equine industries on economics, healthcare, and animal welfare. This paper discusses current models and theories used to evaluate equine-equestrian-environmental interactions and introduces the Triple-E Model to foster multidisci...