Horses: Breeding, Health Disorders and Effects on Performance and Behavior

199 Pages·2014·2.312 MB·English

by  Adolfo Paz-silva, Maria Sol Arias Vazquez, Rita Sanchez-Andrade Fernandez

ANIMAL SCIENCE, ISSUES AND PROFESSIONS

H
ORSES

B , H D
REEDING EALTH ISORDERS
E P
AND FFECTS ON ERFORMANCE
B
AND EHAVIOR

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A S , I
NIMAL CIENCE SSUES
P
AND ROFESSIONS

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ANIMAL SCIENCE, ISSUES AND PROFESSIONS

H
ORSES

B , H D
REEDING EALTH ISORDERS
E P
AND FFECTS ON ERFORMANCE
B
AND EHAVIOR

ADOLFO PAZ-SILVA
MARÍA SOL ARIAS VÁZQUEZ
AND
RITA SÁNCHEZ-ANDRADE FERNÁNDEZ
EDITORS

New York
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CONTENTS

Preface vii
Chapter 1 Early Exercise in the Juvenile Horse to Optimise
Performance Later in Life 1
Chris Rogers, Erica Gee
and Charlotte Bolwell
Chapter 2 Effect of Transport and Exercise on Behaviour
of Sport Horses 21
Barbara Padalino
Chapter 3 Clinical Interpretation of Quantitative Parameters
of the Hemogram in the Horse 45
Katy Satué, Ana Muñoz and Juan Carlos Gardón
Chapter 4 Horse Rearing Conditions, Health Status and Risk
of Sensitization to Gastrointestinal Parasites 73
C. Cazapal-Monteiro, J. A. Hernández, M. S. Arias,
J. L. Suárez, S. Miguélez, I. Francisco, P. Lago,
M. I. Rodríguez, F. J. Cortiñas
and A. Romasanta
Chapter 5 Strongyles Shed in Faeces As a Means of Monitoring
the Parasite Scenario in Horse Stud Farms 93
L. M. Madeira de Carvalho, S. Sousa, M. Cernea,
L. C. Cernea, M. Arias and A. Paz-Silva
Chapter 6 Horse Handling Conditions and Emergence
of Neglected Infections: Fasciolosis 127
J. Sanchís Polto, Luis M. Madeira de Carvalho,
R. Bonilla, A. M. Duque de Araújo, F. Arroyo,
J. Suárez, M. A. Solari, J. A. Romero
and R. Sánchez-Andrade
vi Contents
Chapter 7 African Horse Sickness, an Equine Disease
of Emerging Global Significance 145
Liesel Stassen, Elaine Vermaak
and Jacques Theron
Editors' Contact Information 171
Index 173
PREFACE

There are several questions requiring attention for rearing horses. By providing
appropriate care during early ages, important injuries such as lameness or musculoskeletal
damage can be avoided, which becomes of capital importance especially among competition
horses. In recent years, there has been an increasing body of evidence that the early rearing
environment, in particular access to exercise, can have a positive effect on stimulating the
musculoskeletal system and priming the tissue for the future demands it will face in the
competition arena.
Due to different reasons, such as their participation in competitions or exhibition, sales or
pleasure, horses are transported from one location to another. Transportation could be a
physical and psychological stressor for horses, contributing to the development of some
diseases, thus the effects of transportation on performance and welfare should be
appropriately taken into account.
Veterinary clinicians are responsible for ensuring the horses maintain a good health
condition. During their training to evaluate and face performance-limiting problems, they
provide helpful knowledge and expertise in preventing injuries. By the collection and
examination of samples of different origins, the body condition can be estimated. The study
of the hemogram provides useful information in diagnostic processes or the formulation of a
prognosis. The accurate interpretation of data collected after a blood analysis in horses can
reflect the possible presence of anemia or polycythemia and their causes, while the study of
white blood cells adds information about immunity, allergies, etc.
For ensuring an adequate environment and appropriate nutrition, horses can be
maintained outdoors or indoors. It seems very clear that horse rearing conditions can
influence their health status and the risk of exposure to different pathogens. Sometimes
certain gastrointestinal parasites are capable of developing inside the horses to cause
infection, which is routinely detected by copromicroscopic analyses. Other possibilities
consist of collecting these parasites in a post mortem exam, but this can be rather difficult in
horses on commercial farms. The application of immunoenzymatic assays represents a
significant contribution for avoiding these troubles.
Horse rearing conditions have been changing in the last years, mainly due to the
economic crisis which can complicate horse feeding. In this way, horses are maintained
grazing for long periods, which can also enhance their exposure to unhealthy conditions.
Emerging diseases are defined by the WHO as those which appeared in a population for the
first time, or that may have existed previously but are rapidly increasing in incidence or
viii Adolfo Paz-Silva, María Sol Arias Vázquez and Rita Sánchez-Andrade Fernández
geographic range. Certain emerging diseases affecting horses are very important because of
the difficulty of detecting them and/or the absence of successful treatments.
This book offers a global approach on different items to be considered by horse owners,
keepers and veterinarians for assuring correct breeding and maintaining an adequate health
status. Helpful information has been added concerning care, evaluation of healthiness, risk of
exposure to different pathogens, as well as an update on emerging and neglected diseases.
Chapter 1 – The goal of many breeders are to produce a horse that when provided with
the opportunity will succeed within their chosen equestrian sport. Lameness and
musculoskeletal injury are the primary reasons for wastage within most equestrian sport.
Because of this there is considerable focus by competitors and their support team on
managing the athletic horse to minimise injury and in rehabilitation of the injured equine
athlete. For the breeder a compounding problem is the relatively few foals, estimated to be
20-40%, that are registered for sport. Given these production constraints it is important that
the breeder provides the optimal rearing environment so that the foal can achieve its potential.
In recent years there has been an increasing body of evidence that the early rearing
environment, in particular access to exercise, can have a positive effect on stimulating the
musculoskeletal system and priming the tissue for the future demands it will face in the
competition arena. This chapter reviews the current literature on the role early (juvenile)
exercise on the equine musculoskeletal system, current management systems and the
implications of these for the breeder wanting to maximise the future athletic role of their foal.
Chapter 2 – The effects of transport on individual animals are of paramount concern to
those concerned with both animal welfare and performances. Horses are moved from one
place to another for different reasons: competitions, breeding, pleasure activities, sales and
slaughtering, and could be transported by truck, ferries or airplanes. It is estimated that, in
Italy, about 3000 horses were moved daily; therefore, the total number of transported horses
all over the world is significantly high. Travel includes handling, loading, transport in self,
unloading and often adaptation to a new environment; each of these phases affects horse
physiology and behaviour in a different way. Transportation is in fact both a physical and
psychological stressor for horses but while transport associated physiological variations are
well known, the emotional consequences have only recently started to be investigated. Some
studies were conducted for deeply understanding effects of different kind of loading, different
journey distance, different travel position and other travel variables on physiological,
endocrinal and behavioural parameters in sport horses. For instance, about the distance some
authors reported that short journeys are as stressful as long one, causing a higher increase in
blood cortisol concentration. Available literature is rich of interesting data, reviewed and
presented in this chapter. Physiological responses of transported horses could be not only a
welfare concern but also a health problrm, resulting in the development of several medical
conditions. During long trips and in hot climatic condition, dehydration of the animals can
occur, so the use of electrolytes in the water and resting breaks throughout the journey can
help to alleviate physical and emotional suffering of those animals. Another critical point, that
may be related to poor air circulation in the trailer, is the development of respiratory illnesses
during or after a journey. Race and jumping horses are used to travel before competitions but,
after transport, some of them show lower performance than usual. Physiological explanations
and proper guidelines about this issue could help horse people to better manage this kind of
situation, avoiding related poor performance‘s problems. Furthermore, while "Equine sport
medicine" has described very accurately the effects of exercise on hematological parameters,