Investigation of the effect of pasture and stable management on large intestinal motility in the horse, measured using transcutaneous ultrasonography.

This study investigates how different management practices, specifically stable and pasture management, impact the motility of the large intestine in horses, using non-invasive ultrasonography methods. The findings show that horses kept in stables have significantly lower intestinal motility compared to those kept in pastures, potentially explaining why stabled horses have a higher risk of intestinal issues.

Research Objectives and Methodology

This research targets understanding the impact of two different horse management regimes – stabling and pasturing – on the motility of a horse’s large intestine. The assessment of motility was performed using ultrasonography, a non-invasive technique.

• The study was designed as a within-subject crossover trial involving 16 working horses, divided into two groups (Group A and Group B). Group A was continuously managed under a standardized stabled regime, while Group B spent the first monitoring phase at pasture and was then transferred to the stabled regime for the second phase.
• The researchers used transcutaneous ultrasonography, a non-invasive imaging technique, to measure intestinal motility twice daily over the course of two days. They specifically focused on the motility (expressed in contractions per minute) of three regions of the large intestine: the caecum, the sternal flexure, and the aboral left ventral colon.
• Observations from each management regime were pooled together and analyzed using multilevel statistical modelling.

Results

The results obtained from the modelling identified several significant variables, including the time of day, the region of the intestine studied, the management regime, and the combination of the intestinal region and the management regime.

• The ultrasound-based assessment clearly showed a reduction in the motility for horses in stables compared to those in pastures. The contractions per minute for each part of the intestine were lower for the stabled setup compared to the pastured one.
• After analyzing the contraction rates of different intestinal regions under both management practices, it was found that the reduction in motility was most significant in the aboral left ventral colon.

Conclusions

The primary conclusion drawn from this study is that the management regime of horses significantly affects the motility of their large intestine.

• The initial hypothesis that the management regime would not affect motility was disproven. The results showed a significant decrease in the motility of stabled horses when compared to pastured horses, particularly in the left ventral colon region of the intestine.
• This research has brought forth a potential explanation for the observed increased prevalence of large intestinal impactions in stabled horses, suggesting that the reduced motility associated with being kept in a stable may contribute to those health issues.

The findings underscore the importance of considering management practices in equine health and wellbeing and contribute to the understanding of their impact on gastrointestinal health. They highlight the need for further investigation in this field to maximize the benefits of each management practice and minimize the associated risks.