Horses (ANISCI EXAM #3)

equus caballus

true horse

hybrid industry

agriculture + sports/recreation + entertainment

geographic distribution of horses

kentucky, florida, texas, oklahoma, ohio, california

world distribution of horses

world horse population: 60 million

South America: 25%

U.S: 16%

China, Australia, New Zealand: 12%

history of horses in the U.S

early 1900s: 25 million horses and mules in the U.S

1960s: 3 million horses and mules

2000s: 9 million horses

current uses of horses

2000s: 9 million horses in the U.S

72% personal use/pleasure/show

• 43% recreation

• 29% show

28% ranching/racing/breeding/commercial riding

• 18% rodeo, polo, ranching etc

• 10% racing

annual cost of owning a RECREATIONAL horse

2024 cost: $8600 - $16,400

annual cost of owning a SHOW/COMPETITION horse

2024 cost: $26,000 - $37,000

breed

group with common ancestry that resemble one another and pass down similar traits to their offspring

1 hand =

4 inches

where do you measure horses from?

from the withers

classification of horses

size, weight, height

• draft

• light → >14.2 hands

• pony → <14.2 hands

temperamant

• coldblood

• warmblood

• pony

different horses have a natural tendency to have

different GAITS

riding horses are usually 3 gaited horses : walk, trot, canter

draft breeds - coldblood

origin: europe

height: 14.2 - 19 hands

weight: 1400-2000 lbs

heavy, solid, strong horses with calm temperamant

purpose: work, pulling loads

Draft/cold blood breeds

percheron, Belgian, Clydesdale, shire, suffolk

Light breeds → warmbloods & hotbloods

origin: europe, asia, north+south america

height: 14.2 - 17.2 hands

weight: 900 - 1400 lbs

purpose: riding, driving, racing etc

lightbreeds/warmbloods/hot blood breeds

quarter horse, thoroughbred, paint, standardbred, Morgan, appaloosa

imported light breeds

Thoroughbred → SPEED, “hotblood”, ¾ - 2 miles

Arabians → intelligence, durability, stamina

Quarter horse → working cow horse, speed @ short distances

Ponies

origin: europe, asia, north&south america

height: <14.2 hands

weight: 300 - 900 lbs

purpose: draft, heavy harness or saddle type → riding, driving, racing etc

pony breeds

shetland, hackney, Welsh, POAs

miniature horse

height: <34-38 inches

lifespan: 25-35 yrs

if all reference to size was eliminated, they would have the same conformational proportions of other full size light breeds

foal

young horse → <1 yr

filly

female → <3-4 yrs

colt

male → <3-4 yrs

mare

female → >4 yrs

stallion

intact male → > 4 yrs

• thorough breed → > 5 yrs

gelding

castrated male

donkeys

long ears, short + straight up mane

purpose: work animals

donkey breeds

american standard (mammoth jack)

Spanish donkey ( large standard donkey)

miniature mediterranean donkey

American spotted ass

male donkey

jack

female donkey

jennet

World + U.S population of donkeys

world pop = 42.8 mil donkeys

U.S pop = 52,000 donkeys (0.12%)

stallion (64) x jennet (62) - (horse + donkey crosses)

hinny (63)

mare (64) x jack (62) - (horse + donkey crosses)

mule (63)

horse + donkey cross

characteristics: horse size/body with a shorter/thicker head, longer ears, braying voice, no chestnuts on hind legs

classification: pack/work, saddle, driving, jumping, or miniature

fillies enter puberty around…

their 2nd spring (~ 15 months)

if they are born early in one season, they may reach puberty as soon as the next season begins (~12 months)

• poor nutrition causes a delay in puberty

• puberty varies with breed

  • ex. ponies mature earlier

fillies are not bred before

2-3 years of age

horses are

seasonally polyestrous / long day breeders

responsive to SUN and long days

• will cause them to ovulate and be able to get pregnant

horse pregnancy lasts

11 months (~340 days)

estrous cycle

every 21 days (18-24 days)

estrus → 4-7 days

• shorter at peak season → 3 days

• estrous behavior depends on LOW PROGESTERONE

diestrus → 14-15 days

spring transition into breeding season

activation of HPO axis → estrus behavior increases and becomes variable

transition ends with the 1st ovulation of the year

fall transition of breeding season

gradual deactivation of HPO axis

winter estrus (after fall transition, before spring transition)

GnRH - low/baseline

FSH - random fluctuations

Estradiol - baseline

LH - baseline

Progesterone - baseline

Estrus behavior - absent/erratic

15-20% of mares will cycle throughout the year

diet & digestive tract

monogastric, HINDgut fermenters

smaller stomach, large cecum + colon

nutrition

horses evolved using speed as their major survival mechanism

before → continuous eater strategy: graze frequently in small amounts of forage while moving from place to place

now → meal eaters instead of continuous eating

• causes problems like colic, impactions, ulcers

feeding

a horse should receive 1-2% of its body weight in roughage per day on a dry matter basis

ex. 1000 lb horse → 10 lbs roughage

clinical signs of equine laminitis (inflamed tissue in the hoof)

• reluctance/inability to walk

• weight shifting/ treading

• increased heart rate and respiratory rate = pain!

• glazed, pained expression

• hind legs camped under the body and front legs thrown forward to take weight off them

  • front (60% of horse weight) > hind

• bounding digital arterial pulses

• hooves are hot to the touch

causes of equine laminitis

• excess consumption of grain/lush pastures

• disease associated with sepsis or endotoxemia

  • ex. grain overload, metrisis, retained placenta, colic

• equine metabolic syndrome

• excess weight bearing

• exercise on hard surfaces

• ingestion of black walnut shavings (bedding)

treatment of equine laminitis

treat underlying cause of illness, supportive care

melanoma

skin tumor associated with coat color in horses

15 yrs old → 80% of gray horses have visible malignant melanoma

lesion = round, raised, black nodules of varying size

tumors can be malignant (spreading) or benign

treatment for melanoma

surgical excision, chemotherapy (intralesion), vaccine studies to treat/not prevent (+/-)

Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA)

requires federal inspection of animals slaughtered for human food and prepared for commerace

FY 2006: congress prohibited the use of federal funds for the inspection of horses @ slaughter plants

• individual states banned horse slaughter for human consumption

effects of outlaw of horse slaughter

people would dump their horses in other pastures, countries or would kill them

Safeguard American Food Exports Act

2013

• outlaw of horse slaughter in the U.S

• end of current export of horses for slaughter abroad

• protect public from consuming horse meat

2015, 2017, 2019

• prohibited the sale/transport of horses and other equine for the purpose of consumption

• establish congressional recognition that equines are not domesticated for human consumption

• U.S bred horses are treated with unsafe chemicals → dangerous for human health