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Home / Equine Research Bank / Acta Vet Scand / Prevalence of clinical findings at examinations of young Swe...
Acta veterinaria Scandinavica2013; 55(1); 34; doi: 10.1186/1751-0147-55-34

Prevalence of clinical findings at examinations of young Swedish warmblood riding horses.

Abstract: Soundness of an individual horse is important for animal welfare and owner economy. However, knowledge of health status in normal horse populations is limited due to lack of systematic health recordings. The aim of the investigation was to study the prevalence of veterinary clinical findings in 4-5-year-old Swedish warmblood riding horses, and their influence on overall health scores, where associations to future longevity has been indicated. Results: The prevalence of clinical findings in 8,281 horses examined during 1983-2005 was studied according to a standardised protocol and related to overall health scores in linear statistical models. Effects of sex, age, examination event and changes over time were included. In total, 49% of the horses had clinical findings of medical health (MED), 42% in hooves (HOOF) and 74% of palpatory orthopaedic health (PALP). However, only 6%, 3% and 24% had moderate or severe findings, of MED, HOOF and PALP, respectively. Flexion test reactions were reported in 21% of the horses (5% moderate/severe), heavily influencing the overall score (H2). One fifth of these horses also had findings of unprovoked lameness while 83% had PALP findings (44% with moderate/severe findings). Acute clinical signs, i.e. heat or soreness, had a large influence on the H2 score but were rare, whereas more common clinical findings had smaller effects on overall health. Large variations in recorded health results were observed among events. A decrease in findings has occurred since 1983, in particular for PALP findings. Conclusions: Results of occurrence and relevance of evaluated clinical findings could be used for advice on preventive actions to keep horses sound, and possibly for benchmarking, and genetic evaluation of health traits. The distinct effect of event on recorded clinical findings emphasises that further harmonisation of veterinary examinations are desirable.
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Publication Date: 2013-04-18 PubMed ID: 23597257PubMed Central: PMC3764978DOI: 10.1186/1751-0147-55-34Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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This study examines the prevalence of clinical findings during health examinations of young Swedish warmblood riding horses and their potential impact on the horses’ overall health scores. The research aims to provide insights that could lead to preventive measures to maintain horses’ health and possibly for benchmarking and genetic health traits evaluation.

Investigation Objective and Methodology

  • The objective of the study was to examine the prevalence of veterinary clinical findings in 4-5 year old Swedish warmblood riding horses and understand their impact on the horses’ overall health scores.
  • The health status of 8,281 horses examined between 1983 and 2005 was studied using a standardized protocol.
  • The impact of different variables like sex, age, examination event, and changes over time was included in the analysis.

Key Findings

  • Almost half of the horses exhibited some form of clinical findings related to their medical health, 42% showed findings in their hooves, and 74% had palpatory orthopaedic health findings.
  • However, only a small percentage of horses displayed moderate or severe findings.
  • The report notes that reactions to flexion tests significantly affected the overall health score.
  • Immediate clinical signs such as heat or soreness did have a large effect on the overall health score, but such symptoms were rare. More common clinical findings had smaller effects on overall health.
  • There were significant variations in recorded health results across examination events.
  • Over time, specifically since 1983, there has been a decrease in clinical findings, especially those related to palpatory orthopaedic health.

Conclusions and Potential Applications of Findings

  • These results could inform preventive measures to keep horses healthy and could potentially be used for benchmarking purposes and for the genetic evaluation of health traits.
  • The significant variation in clinical findings based on examination events emphasizes the need for further harmonization of veterinary examination practices.

Cite This Article

APA
Jönsson L, Roepstorff L, Egenvall A, Näsholm A, Dalin G, Philipsson J. (2013). Prevalence of clinical findings at examinations of young Swedish warmblood riding horses. Acta Vet Scand, 55(1), 34. https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0147-55-34

Publication

Acta veterinaria Scandinavica
ISSN: 1751-0147
NlmUniqueID: 0370400
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 55
Issue: 1
Pages: 34

Researcher Affiliations

Jönsson, Lina
  • Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Uppsala PO Box 7023 Sweden. Lina.Jonsson@slu.se
Roepstorff, Lars
    Egenvall, Agneta
      Näsholm, Anna
        Dalin, Göran
          Philipsson, Jan

            MeSH Terms

            • Animals
            • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
            • Horses
            • Lameness, Animal / diagnosis
            • Musculoskeletal Diseases / diagnosis
            • Musculoskeletal Diseases / veterinary
            • Physical Examination

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            Citations

            This article has been cited 6 times.
            1. Auer U, Kelemen Z, Vogl C, von Ritgen S, Haddad R, Torres Borda L, Gabmaier C, Breteler J, Jenner F. Development, refinement, and validation of an equine musculoskeletal pain scale. Front Pain Res (Lausanne) 2023;4:1292299.
              doi: 10.3389/fpain.2023.1292299pubmed: 38312997google scholar: lookup
            2. Merridale-Punter MS, Wiethoelter AK, El-Hage CM, Hitchens PL. Prevalence and Factors Associated with Working Equid Lameness in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Animals (Basel) 2022 Nov 10;12(22).
              doi: 10.3390/ani12223100pubmed: 36428328google scholar: lookup
            3. Ribitsch I, Oreff GL, Jenner F. Regenerative Medicine for Equine Musculoskeletal Diseases. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jan 19;11(1).
              doi: 10.3390/ani11010234pubmed: 33477808google scholar: lookup
            4. Andreassen SM, Berg LC, Nielsen SS, Kristensen AT, Jacobsen S. mRNA expression of genes involved in inflammation and haemostasis in equine fibroblast-like synoviocytes following exposure to lipopolysaccharide, fibrinogen and thrombin. BMC Vet Res 2015 Jun 27;11:141.
              doi: 10.1186/s12917-015-0448-zpubmed: 26116380google scholar: lookup
            5. Wiggers N, Nauwelaerts SL, Hobbs SJ, Bool S, Wolschrijn CF, Back W. Functional locomotor consequences of uneven forefeet for trot symmetry in individual riding horses. PLoS One 2015;10(2):e0114836.
              doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114836pubmed: 25646752google scholar: lookup
            6. Jönsson L, Näsholm A, Roepstorff L, Egenvall A, Dalin G, Philipsson J. Genetic analysis of clinical findings at health examinations of young Swedish warmblood riding horses. Acta Vet Scand 2013 Mar 8;55(1):22.
              doi: 10.1186/1751-0147-55-22pubmed: 23510509google scholar: lookup
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