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The effect of full-limb flexion tests on static and dynamic muscle activity and locomotion asymmetry in owner-sound horses.
Equine veterinary journal    December 2, 2025   doi: 10.1111/evj.70130
Jonkhart M, Serra Bragança FM, Smit IH, Brommer H, Suskens JJM.Flexion tests are commonly used in equine locomotion examinations to identify underlying locomotor issues, yet their neuromuscular effects remain poorly understood. Response variability raises concerns about their clinical value in lameness assessments and pre-purchase evaluations. Objective: Primarily, to investigate the effect of full-limb flexion tests on static (flexed position) and dynamic (subsequent trot-up) muscle activity. Secondarily, to assess their effect on locomotion asymmetry during trotting. Methods: In vivo experiments. Methods: Sixteen warmblood horses were randomly assigned ...
Localisation and outcome of presumed thoracolumbar vertebral stress fracture in 35 UK Thoroughbred racehorses using nuclear scintigraphy.
Equine veterinary journal    December 1, 2025   doi: 10.1111/evj.70113
Chapple AR, Daglish J, Stover SM, Slipchenko N, Phillips KL.Stress fracture is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in racing Thoroughbreds. Nuclear scintigraphy is the imaging modality of choice for investigating unlocalised stress-related bone remodelling in horses. Stress fractures of the caudal lumbar vertebral column have been previously described in both racing Quarter horses and racing Thoroughbreds post-mortem. There is a lack of literature describing the imaging appearance of vertebral stress fractures in racehorses ante-mortem. Objective: To describe: (1) ante-mortem scintigraphic appearance of presumed thoracolumbar vertebral stress...
Dexmedetomidine Prolongs the Duration of Ropivacaine Corneal Anesthesia After Subconjunctival Injection in Healthy Horses.
Veterinary ophthalmology    December 1, 2025   Volume 29, Issue 2 e70124 doi: 10.1111/vop.70124
Lee S, Hector RC, Hess AM, Wotman KL.Objective: To determine whether dexmedetomidine prolongs corneal anesthesia following subconjunctival ropivacaine injection in healthy equine eyes.Methods: Ten horses with normal ophthalmic exams were enrolled in a randomized, blinded, crossover experiment with a minimum 4-week washout between treatments. Baseline corneal touch thresholds (CTT, cm) were measured via esthesiometry and a subconjunctival injection was performed in the treatment eye with ropivacaine (R, 0.3 mL 0.5%) or dexmedetomidine-ropivacaine (DR, 0.1 mL 0.5 mg/mL + 0.2 mL 0.5%) and saline (control, 0.3 mL) in th...
An in vitro investigation into the effects of postbiotic supplementation on stabilising equine hindgut pH.
Journal of equine veterinary science    December 1, 2025   Volume 156 105746 doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2025.105746
Sheridan L, Hutton P, Noble G, Nobari B.Dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiome is a precursor to hindgut acidosis. As microbial diversity and fermentation are influenced by diet, including a postbiotic could help maintain healthy gastrointestinal microbes and reduce acidosis risk. Objective: It was hypothesised that including a postbiotic in batch culture would reduce the degree of pH decline and lactate accumulation during fermentation. Methods: In vitro batch cultures with faecal inoculant were prepared with either low starch (LS) or high glucose (G) substrate to represent normal and acidic fermentation. Saccharomyces cerevisiae d...
Use of a Fogarty balloon catheter for management of distal nasolacrimal duct atresia in a standing sedated horse.
The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne    December 1, 2025   Volume 66, Issue 12 1273-1278 
Bourassi S, Jack H, Florczyk A.A 4-year-old Arabian cross paint mare was referred for evaluation of chronic mucopurulent discharge and epiphora of the left eye. Ophthalmic and radiographic evaluations confirmed distal nasolacrimal duct atresia with absence of the nasolacrimal orifice. Initial minimally invasive treatments, including guidewire-assisted catheterization and diode laser photoablation, were unsuccessful. Definitive treatment was achieved using a Fogarty arterial embolectomy catheter under standing sedation. Controlled balloon inflation and deflation enabled progressive dilation of the obstructed duct, and a surg...
Multi-pathogen lower respiratory tract infection including a fungal agent in a yearling mustang filly.
The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne    December 1, 2025   Volume 66, Issue 12 1279-1285 
Calero IM, McKenzie EC, Johns JL.This report describes the diagnosis and successful management of a yearling filly with Coombs-positive anemia, thrombocytopenia, and fungal pneumonia. Diagnostic procedures, including thoracic ultrasonography and radiography, respiratory pathogen PCR testing, and evaluation of tracheal wash and bronchoalveolar lavage samples established multi-pathogen lower respiratory tract infection including a fungal agent. Orally administered voriconazole was a key component of treatment in this case to successfully eliminate fungal infection, alongside therapies for managing hematologic disease. This case...
Generalized steatitis in a miniature horse filly with laminitis and a positive outcome at 18-month follow-up.
The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne    December 1, 2025   Volume 66, Issue 12 1292-1296 
Johnson A, Karam B, Schroeder O, McKaig L, Loesch K.A 12-month-old miniature horse filly was presented because of laminitis, suspected lymphangitis, and pyrexia. Although the filly's initial physical examination and diagnostic tests suggested an infectious etiology, ultrasonographic findings were suspicious for generalized steatitis. This was confirmed histopathology. The filly experienced full recovery with continued resolution of clinical signs at 18 mo after presentation. This case included aspects similar to those of previously reported clinical presentations, as well as long-term follow-up in a breed that is not overrepresented, providing...
Using culture ‘omics to explore the microbial structure and function in an equid in vitro digestion model.
Scientific reports    December 1, 2025   Volume 16, Issue 1 455 doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-29936-w
Daniels S, Martin S, Harris P, Moore-Colyer M.The in vitro gas production system (GPS), developed to estimate degradation of ruminant feedstuffs, has been adapted for equine use. This study aimed to characterise the bacterial community profile and metabolome of donor faeces and faecal inoculum within the GPS when fermenting the same diet as faecal donors. Six Welsh ponies on identical diets were faecal donors with samples collected for microbiome profiling and system inoculation. Gas production (manual pressure transducer technique) was performed for 156 h with 2 replicate bottles from each donor harvested at 8,20,28 and 36 h. Faecal an...
Differential Energy Metabolism in Skeletal Muscle Tissues of Yili Horses Based on Targeted Metabolomics and Transcriptomics Analysis.
Biology    November 30, 2025   Volume 14, Issue 12 1713 doi: 10.3390/biology14121713
Li X, Meng C, Xue Y, Shen Z, Ren W, Zeng Y, Meng J.Skeletal muscle is the largest organ system in mammals. To investigate the differences in energy metabolism across various skeletal muscles in Yili horses, this study examined muscle fiber type distributions through immunohistochemical staining of muscles, including the splenius, triceps brachii, longissimus dorsi, and gluteus medius. The splenius and gluteus medius muscles, which exhibited the greatest differences in the proportion of slow-twitch fiber area, were selected for further comparison of differential metabolites and transcriptomic expression profiles between slow-twitch and fast-twi...
Introducing an Innovative Pain Scale for Assessing Postpartum Pain in Mares: Preliminary Clinical Evaluation.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    November 30, 2025   Volume 15, Issue 23 3454 doi: 10.3390/ani15233454
Bolesławska-Szubartowska J, Kucharczuk M, Skrabska A, Zbysław A, Adamowicz J, Alszko A, Domagalska-Stomska K, Durska M, Dziekcierów A....Pain after giving birth is commonly observed in horses, yet there has not been a specific tool developed for assessing this pain in postpartum mares. The goal was to adapt existing equine pain scales and to preliminarily validate a practical pain scale for use by veterinarians and caregivers after foaling. Methods: The pain scale was developed by adapting items from other pain scales, including established orthopedic and colic equine pain scales, and incorporating caregiver feedback. The final scale includes eight areas for assessing pain: behavior, facial expressions, vital signs, udder exami...
Emotional contagion in human-horse interactions: A pilot study investigating the role of stress and body language in emotional transfer.
Open veterinary journal    November 30, 2025   Volume 15, Issue 11 6050-6058 doi: 10.5455/OVJ.2025.v15.i11.60
Manolăchescu D, Tripon M, Crecan C, Tătaru M, Papuc I.Emotional contagion in human-horse interactions has been widely studied; however, the role of body language in stress transfer remains insufficiently explored. Unassigned: This study examines whether human emotional states, particularly stress and anxiety, influence horses and whether the transmission occurs primarily through body language. Unassigned: A repeated-measures within-subjects design was used. The order of interaction styles was randomized across subjects during 33 HCIs. Participants were categorized as high-anxiety (HA) or low-anxiety (LA) based on State Anxiety Scale scores and he...
Treatment evaluation using ultrasonographic scanning of the spleen in Arabian horses affected by babesiosis.
Open veterinary journal    November 30, 2025   Volume 15, Issue 11 5799-5805 doi: 10.5455/OVJ.2025.v15.i11.35
Almaqhawi AA, El-Jalii IM, Al-Sabi MNS, Al-Ali A, Khalid AM, Abduljawad M, Shawaf T.Equine babesiosis is a widespread protozoan disease in Saudi Arabia. The most common finding of clinical babesiosis is splenomegaly, which can be detected using non-invasive splenic ultrasonography. Unassigned: This study aimed to investigate changes in the spleen size in horses infected with babesiosis using ultrasonography before and after treatment. Unassigned: This study employed 15 male and female Arabian horses. Each animal was examined clinically for clinical signs, and blood samples were collected in plain tubes to detect antibodies against . The spleens of healthy and affected horses ...
Comparison between SNP array and imputed data to estimate population structure and ROH hotspots in horse breeds.
BMC genomics    November 29, 2025   Volume 26, Issue 1 1086 doi: 10.1186/s12864-025-12256-8
Chessari G, Reich P, Criscione A, Falker-Gieske C, Mastrangelo S, Tumino S, Bordonaro S, Marletta D, Tetens J.Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays are commonly used for studying the genomic structure and diversity of livestock breeds, but whole-genome sequencing (WGS) provides higher-resolution genomic data. Genotype imputation has become a standard practice for increasing the genomic resolution of association studies. This work aimed to extend imputation to biodiversity analyses, comparing SNP array data before and after imputation. A 40 k SNP dataset of 281 horses from 12 breeds (DS) was imputed to sequence-level using a reference panel of 327 sequenced individuals, generating approximately 9...
Metabolic Profiles of Finishing and Nonfinishing Horses in Uruguayan Raid Competitions.
Veterinary medicine international    November 29, 2025   Volume 2025 4217400 doi: 10.1155/vmi/4217400
Brito G, Damián JP, Trigo P, Ruprechter G.The Raid Hípico Uruguayo (RHU) is the oldest equestrian endurance sport in Uruguay. A high percentage of horses fail to complete RHU rides. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether weather conditions (comfort index [CI]), horse experience, and ride distance affect horse performance (finishing ride [FR] or nonfinishing ride [NFR]) in the RHU. An additional objective was to determine whether finishing the ride affects the hematological and biochemical parameters of the horses. This study involved 17 RHU rides over distances of 60-90 km and 284 horses. Blood samples were tak...
Enhanced detection of equine strongyles: Insights from morphological and nemabiome metabarcoding approaches in northern Iran.
Equine veterinary journal    November 29, 2025   Volume 58, Issue 2 508-522 doi: 10.1111/evj.70120
Mohtasebi S, Ahn S, Karimi M, Saberi M, Gilleard JS, Poissant J.Strongyles pose significant health concerns for equids globally. Strongyles, comprising over 60 species, can lead to severe morbidity and mortality, with Strongylus vulgaris posing higher risks due to its migratory behaviour. Routine diagnostic methods, such as faecal egg counts, lack species-level resolution, while traditional morphological techniques require advanced expertise. DNA metabarcoding offers a high-throughput alternative. Objective: To characterise the diversity of strongyles infecting horses in northern Iran and evaluate how age, sex, diagnostic methods and host population influe...
Naloxone supplementation during vitrification of equine in vitro matured oocytes after overnight holding: insights from a comparative study with the bovine model.
Theriogenology    November 29, 2025   Volume 252 117776 doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2025.117776
Gugole PM, Zannoni A, Iacono E, Merlo B.Cryopreservation of equine mature oocytes remains a major challenge in assisted reproduction, mainly due to the limited availability of material and logistical constraints requiring a holding phase. To address these issues, this study evaluated whether naloxone (NX), an opioid receptor antagonist with reported antioxidant properties, could improve vitrification outcomes and whether bovine oocytes could serve as a suitable preliminary and supportive model. Two experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, immature (bGV) and mature (bMII) bovine oocytes were vitrified without (VIT) or with NX (VI...
Maximal Lactate Steady State Prediction Using Two DMAX Methods in Horses Subjected to Treadmill-Graded Exercise Test.
Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition    November 28, 2025   doi: 10.1111/jpn.70033
Littiere TO, da Costa GB, de Sales NAA, de Carvalho JRG, Rodriguez IDM, Ramos GV, de Lacerda-Neto JC, Ferraz GC.Maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) and its predictive thresholds, including the lactate threshold (LT), are widely used to estimate endurance capacity, prescribe training, and assess the effects of training. The human literature identified approximately twenty-five methods to predict the MLSS. This communication compares the concordance between the two D methods and the MLSS. Under laboratory conditions, ten teaching horses underwent a submaximal graded exercise test (GXT) on a treadmill to obtain their lactate-velocity curves (LVC). They performed three to five 30-min continuous running sess...
The Impact of MEI1 Alternative Splicing Events on Spermatogenesis in Mongolian Horses.
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI    November 28, 2025   Volume 15, Issue 23 3435 doi: 10.3390/ani15233435
Song D, Wang G, Baterin T, Weng Y, Dugarjaviin M, Li B.Normal spermatogenesis in Mongolian horses depends on the mitotic division of spermatogonia, two successive meiotic divisions, and the morphological transformation of spermatids into mature spermatozoa. The gene is involved in the meiosis cycle and is required for normal chromosome association during meiosis. Previous studies have shown that alternative splicing of may promote spermatogenesis in Mongolian horses. In this paper, the regulatory effects of different alternative splicing events on Mongolian horse spermatogenesis are investigated. Results: In this study, two overexpressed lentiv...
Cannabinoid and cannabinoid related receptors in fibroblasts, inflammatory and endothelial cells of the equine hoof with and without laminitis: novel pharmacological target.
Frontiers in veterinary science    November 28, 2025   Volume 12 1723160 doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1723160
Zamith Cunha R, Gobbo F, Morini M, Salamanca G, Zanoni A, Bernardini C, Gramenzi A, Chiocchetti R.Evidence suggests that the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is crucial for regulating inflammation, cell proliferation and pain. The ECS is composed of cannabinoid receptors such as type 1 (CBR1), type 2 (CBR2) and GPR55, endocannabinoids and enzymes. Proteins of ECS have previously been localized in the epidermal cells of the horse hooves. Given the physio-pathological role and cellular distribution of the ECS across species, the authors hypothesized that cannabinoid receptors are expressed within the inflammatory cells, fibroblasts and endothelial cells of the equine hoof laminae, going beyond t...
Geographic diversity of the Streptococcus equi subsp. equi accessory genome: implications for vaccines and global surveillance.
Frontiers in veterinary science    November 28, 2025   Volume 12 1721958 doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1721958
He L, Khine NO, Song J, Loubière C, Butaye P.Strangles, caused by the host-adapted subsp. (. ), imposes significant welfare and economic losses on the equine industry worldwide. Understanding its genomic features, virulence-associated genes (VAGs), antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) is essential for disease control and vaccine development. This study aimed to characterize the accessory genome composition, geographic distribution of VAGs and MGEs, and AMR profiles of . by a large-scale genomic analysis of global publicly available . sequences. All publicly available . sequences in the Sequence Read Arch...
A SLC45A2 mutation is strongly associated with the cream dilution in Baroque donkeys.
Tierarztliche Praxis. Ausgabe G, Grosstiere/Nutztiere    November 28, 2025   Volume 53, Issue 6 372-378 doi: 10.1055/a-2712-8607
Ludwig A, Biermann R, Frölich K, Jandowsky A, Langner C, Lieckfeldt D, Tschann K, Reissmann M.Domestic Baroque donkeys are popular animals in many European parks and zoos. Although their cream coat color is very charismatic, the underlying genetics is still undiscovered. Addressing this question, a candidate approach was used to search for the causative mutation.Considering the knowledge from domestic horses, the () was identified as the most promising candidate. Samples from 77 domesticated donkeys, 11 wild equids, 1 mule and 2 domestic horses were included in comparison. All exons and the flanking intron sequences of the were sequenced (2774bp).Sequence comparison revealed that a m...
Tackling equine antimicrobial resistance: introducing REIN In AMR.
The Veterinary record    November 28, 2025   Volume 197, Issue 11 454 doi: 10.1002/vetr.70144
Barber C, McGlennon A, Whitlock F, Grewar J, Spalding S, Newton R, Dewé T.Charlotte Barber, Abigail McGlennon, Fleur Whitlock, John Grewar, Sophie Spalding, Richard Newton and Tamsin Dewé introduce a new government-funded initiative to strengthen the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in the equine sector.
A Pilot Observational Study in Ohio, USA of the Healing of Our Veterans Equine Services Intensive Intervention for Veterans with Trauma Histories.
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)    November 28, 2025   Volume 13, Issue 23 3111 doi: 10.3390/healthcare13233111
Held A, Hubbard K, Nazarenko E, Marchand W.: Equine-assisted services are being increasingly utilized as complementary interventions for military veterans who have experienced trauma. However, rigorous research is lacking, and randomized controlled trials are needed. The H.O.O.V.E.S. Intensive intervention was developed for this population. This intensive program is an equine-assisted learning approach developed for veteran and active-duty military trauma survivors. The program integrates equine-assisted learning, peer mentorship and experiential learning in a residential retreat format. The primary aim of this pilot study was to deter...
Bile acids segregate metabolic syndrome in a cohort of 100 deeply phenotyped horses.
Communications biology    November 27, 2025   Volume 8, Issue 1 1711 doi: 10.1038/s42003-025-09111-7
Donnelly CG, Peng S, Pflieger L, Manfredi J, Coleman M, Rappaport N, Price ND, Finno CJ.Metabolic syndrome (MetS)-encompassing obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension-is prevalent in both humans and horses, offering a unique opportunity to explore shared pathophysiological mechanisms across species in a controlled model organism. In this first report from the Pioneer 100 Horse Health Project (P100HHP), we conducted a longitudinal, multi-omic analysis of 108 deeply phenotyped horses to interrogate individual health trajectories for precision insights into MetS. We identified two primary metabotypes: one characterized by elevated unsaturated triglycerides (TGs) ...
Equine infectious anemia in Brazilian equestrian tourism horses: serological, molecular, and biochemical assessment showing high EIAV seroprevalence and elevated gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) levels.
Veterinary research communications    November 27, 2025   Volume 50, Issue 1 52 doi: 10.1007/s11259-025-10993-5
Costa VMD, de Aguiar Filho RN, Braz GF, Paz CFR, Drumond BP, Teixeira BM, Kroon EG.Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is a chronic disease caused by the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), a member of the Retroviridae family and the Lentivirus genus. Most infected animals are asymptomatic carriers, which makes clinical diagnosis challenging. This study aimed to conduct a clinical and laboratory evaluation of EIA in equids used for equestrian tourism in Jericoacoara National Park, Ceará, Brazil. A total of 112 equids (104 horses and 8 mules) underwent clinical, hematological, biochemical, serological, and molecular assessments. The EIAV seropositivity rates were 11.6% by AGID...
Thyroid Disease in Horses-Retrospective Case Series on Patients Examined for Thyroid Disease in an Equine University Clinic (2009-2024).
Veterinary sciences    November 27, 2025   Volume 12, Issue 12 1127 doi: 10.3390/vetsci12121127
Stoeckle SD, Stage HJ, Gehlen H.Thyroid diseases in horses are rare and pose challenges for veterinarians due to the complexity of clinical and diagnostic approaches. This retrospective case series describes cases of equine thyroid disease in a referral hospital population. Files of horses examined for suspected thyroid disease at an equine university clinic between 2009 and 2024 were reviewed. Data from nine horses examined for suspected thyroid disease, including signalment, clinical presentation, laboratory results, imaging findings, fine needle aspirates, biopsies, diagnoses, and treatments, were summarised. Diagnoses in...
Physiological and behavioural effects of continuous remifentanil-xylazine administration in donkeys.
Equine veterinary journal    November 27, 2025   doi: 10.1111/evj.70131
Damasceno KFA, Mouta AN, Alves LSA, Arcoverde KN, Aragão HR, Cavalcante JM, Veras de Paula V.Remifentanil and xylazine are used as continuous infusions to facilitate standing surgery in horses. Their use for this purpose has not been reported in donkeys. Objective: To evaluate the behavioural, sedative, and cardiorespiratory effects of continuous intravenous infusion of remifentanil and xylazine in donkeys. Methods: Non-blinded in vivo experiments. Methods: Ten donkeys were sedated with an intravenous bolus of xylazine (0.8 mg/kg). After 3 min, continuous infusions of xylazine (0.65 mg/kg/h) and remifentanil (6 μg/kg/h) were administered for 60 min. Cardiorespiratory physio...
Progestagens Monitoring in 147 Mares in Order to Induce Foaling With Oxytocin.
Veterinary medicine and science    November 27, 2025   Volume 12, Issue 1 e70697 doi: 10.1002/vms3.70697
Tainturier D, Tainturier B, Michaud S, Briand-Amirat L, Topie E, Moreno D.A total of 147 mares of different breeds (110 were sport or race horses, often very valuable) have been monitored over 5 years from 2012 to 2016. When at or near term, the mares were monitored in order to induce foaling, by checking the mammary development by palpation, analysing the colour and consistency of the precolostrum, estimating the calcium and antibodies concentrations in the precolostrum and by measuring the plasmatic progestagens concentration every day at 6 p.m. At the end of gestation, it has been observed that the progestagens rate levelled off (the top concentration varies from...
Therapists’ reasons for including horses into psychotherapy, a qualitative study.
BMC complementary medicine and therapies    November 27, 2025   Volume 26, Issue 1 20 doi: 10.1186/s12906-025-05185-2
Kogstad N, Christiansen SE, Ulberg R, Fiskum C.The integration of horses into psychotherapy has gained popularity over recent decades, offering unique therapeutic opportunities that may enhance emotional healing, empathy, and relational trust. This study investigates the perspectives of experienced psychotherapists on why they incorporate horses into their therapeutic practices. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten clinicians (eight female, two male) from diverse theoretical orientations. The data, which were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, revealed four key themes: "Supporting presence and getting to the heart of things...
Factors influencing equestrian helmet use, purchase and safety perceptions: A cross-sectional study.
Injury    November 27, 2025   Volume 57, Issue 5 112907 doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2025.112907
Gosbee H, Hume PA, Theadom A.Helmets play a critical role in preventing and reducing the severity of head injuries in high-risk sports. Understanding the factors influencing equestrian helmet use and safety perceptions is needed to optimise injury prevention strategies. Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 596 equestrian participants aged ≥12 years, we assessed helmet use, factors influencing helmet purchase decisions, and perceptions of helmet safety. Chi square tests and regression models examined differences by age, professional status, jumping versus non-jumping disciplines and concussion history. Results: Helm...