Equine Flashcards
what is an intact male horse?
stallion
mature female horse?
mare
equine parturition?
foaling
young male equine?
colt
young female equine?
filly
all young horses?
foals
castrated male equine?
gelding
draw the evolution of equines over time based on foot structure
eocene (eohippus) -> oligocene (mesohippus) -> miocene (meryhippus) -> pliocene (pliohippus) -> pleistocene (equus)
what are the scientific names for the modern horse?
pleistocene, or equus
when were horses domesticated and for what purpose originally?
6,000 years ago, milk and meat
what were horses used for in 2,000 BC?
battle, riding (draft), and with carts for riding
what did the domestication of horses do to warfare?
changed it entirely by making transport of armies and food more possible and giving rise to a whole new style of fighting
what happened to horses in 1450 BC?
the Olympics shifted the use of horses to entertainment
when did horses arrive in the United States?
1500’s
approximately how many wild horses (mustangs) and burros are on public land in America?
88,000
how many wild equines are in government holding pens and how many does each cost over the course of its lifetime?
49,000 in pens, $55,000 over lifetime
what are the high approximate management levels for the government holding pens?
26,690; far less than the amount of horses in there currently
how many horse adoptions take place each year in America?
3,000
how much of its budget does the Bureau of Land Management spend on warehousing horses each year?
2/3
from who is it believed that most horses descended from?
Arabians
how are horses measured?
in hands, each hand is 4 inches, from the ground to the point of the withers, or the top of the shoulder
list the 7 types of horses
- draft
- light
- gated
- warmbloods
- pony
- miniature horses
- other equids
list the 3 temperaments of horses
- hotblooded
- coldblooded
- warm (cold+hot blooded)
describe draft horses: function, size, breeds
to pull or haul, large: 16-19 hands and up to 3000lbs, heavy boned and large framed, known for power and forward movement, hard to turn
breeds: Percheron, Belgian, CLYDESDALE
what temperament are draft horses?
cold-blooded, calmer, CHILL
describe light horses: function, size, breeds and color breeds
bred for riding; speed, agility, endurance
14.3-17 hands, 1000-1500lbs
breeds: Arabian, Thoroughbred, Quarter horses
Color breeds: Appaloosa, Paint, Palomino
describe gated horses: function, size, breeds
light horses that are bred for smoother movement
14.3-17 hands, 1000-1500 lbs, like Light horses
Breeds: American Saddlebred, Tennessee Walking Horses, Standardbred
describe Warmblood horses: function, size, breeds, temperament
bred for riding: dressage, jumping (Olympics)
temperament is between hot and cold, duh
16-18 hands, 1200-1700lbs
moderate frame, heavier build
breeds: Hanoverian, Dutch Warmblood, Trakehner
describe ponies: function, size, breeds
bred for both draft and riding (“light” or “draft”)
MUST be under 14.2 hands, 500-900lbs
Breeds: Shetland, Welsh, Hackney
describe miniature horses: looks, size, history
conformation more of a horse than pony
5-9.5 hands, (34”-38” inches)
created in 1600’s for rich people
describe other equids: functions of domestics, and types
domestics equids can be used for draft and riding
types: Donkeys; Jerusalem Donkey and Mammoth Jack, who is over 13.2 hands
Zebras
what country has the largest horse and donkey population in the world?
US
what two countries have the smallest horse and donkey populations?
Grenada and Guam
list the 3 states with the largest horse populations
- Texas
- California
- Florida
why has the horse population fluctuated in America?
cars and tractors took the place of draft horses, but then WWII increased the use of horses again, until the 1986 Tax reform act decreased the population again
of all the horses in America, what is the largest percentage used for?
recreation, then showing, then racing, and then other (working/draft)
list the 7 issues in the pet vs. livestock classification and describe them
- legal: zoning
- care: medical and health requirements are different
- use: definitions of abuse are different
- definitions of acceptable human behavior: behavior modification instruments
- social pressure: eliminate slaughter of horses (primary salvage outlet)
- maintenance cost: caring for old useless horses is expensive
- salvage value: resale value bc pets and can’t slaughter, so have to resell for money
how is pet vs. livestock a challenge for the horse industry?
zoning, training/care, and use
how much manure does one horse produce?
50 lbs/day, or 9 tons/horse/year
what 2 things can be done with horse manure?
- spread it
2. store it
discuss spreading manure
manure is removed from stalls, which reduces parasites in the barn, BUT spreads parasites and weeds and may not benefit forage when put down on a field
discuss storing manure
reduces volume by 50-60% by compacting, reduces weeds and pathogens but it eventually must go somewhere!
list the 3 other roles for the horse industry
- manure management
- land utilization
- disease control
list 3 bad things about the recreational horse industry
- highly competitive
- volatile
- discretionary funds
how many recreational horse businesses fail within the first 5 years and why (4 reasons)
- lack of planning “working backwards”
- facility purchase
- cute bunny syndrome
- salvage vs. maintenance
describe Type II social behavior
solitary/territorial
- live in loose association
- breeding determined by female’s choice to enter territory
- stallion (alpha male) defends territory
- social bonding- mare and foal (mother and child)
describe Type I social behavior
social/herd bound
- feed resources dictate migration
- stable reproductive unit bound by permanent social ties
- hierarchy
- breeding determined by “membership”
- stallions/mares defend band
- high degree of social bonding
what does it mean that horses are cursorial animals?
they survive by speed
list 6 ways that horses are cursorial animals
- vision
- digestive system
- O2 capacity
- respiration
- limb anatomy
- conformation
where are horses eyes and what degree vision do they have?
sides of their heads, 357 degree vision
define stereoscopic
long range depth perception, horses are far sighted, have poor short range depth perception
where are the horses’ 2 blind spots?
directly in front and directly behind
discuss monocular vision in horses
146 degree activity monitor, poor depth perception, perceived cues, easily spooked
what is accommodation?
degree of lens ability to change shape
how many diopters do humans have?
10-12
how many diopters do horses have and what does that mean?
1-2, they have a more “fixed” lens
talk about cones and rods in humans vs horses
humans: dense cones in higher numbers, fewer rods
horses: spread out cones in lower numbers, more rods
what is the tapetum?
behind retina, helps horses see better in low light
what kind of vision do humans have in terms of color?
trichromic, have blue, red, and green cones, see all wavelengths of light
what kind of vision do horses have in terms of color
dichromic, have blue and red cones, see blue and red
list 3 features of the equine eye that contributes to their cursorial lifestyle
- greater low light vision: bc rods and tapetum, for seeing predators
- dichromic vision: see blue and red/yellow (PRIMARY COLORS)
- limited accommodation: far sighted
what about the horse digestive system contributes to their cursorial lifestyle?
it is smaller, holds less volume, so they don’t have as much weight to carry and can run away faster
why does the horse digestive system have a faster passage rate?
they have more selective eating habits
what is the capacity of a horses stomach?
35 gallons
what does the horse spleen do in terms of O2 capacity?
it can store and recycle old RBC’s for when the body is running low on oxygen, like when running
how much can the spleen alter hematocrit?
by 10-20%
can horses breathe through their mouths?
no
how do horses compensate not being able to breathe through their mouths?
they have long nasal passageways that intake lots of air and warm it in the nasal cavity
what is locomotion respiration coupling?
occurs when running, where stride is connected with respiratory rate; 1 breath/stride
why are thoroughbreds good for running distances?
they have long strides, which, when locomotion respiration coupling occurs, means they breathe big and deep and have more endurance
what are the 2 biggest things in horse limb anatomy?
angle and structure
what is the scapula on a horse?
the equivalent of a human should blade, not attached by bones, only by muscles and tendons and angled for shock absorption
what is the humerus on a horse?
like our upper arm, angled for shock absorption
what is the human equivalent of the radius/ulna on a horse?
forearm
what is the carpus on a horse?
the horse’s knee, like the human wrist, has lots of bones for movement and shock absorption
what is the metacarpal on a horse?
also called the horse’s cannon, like our hand, surrounded by tendons and ligaments
what is the fetlock?
on the back of the foot, very important joint
what are the proximal, medial, and distal phalanx?
like our fingers
what is the distal phalanx also called?
coffin bone
where do horses place the majority of their weight?
on their front legs
what is a flexion?
power stroke, foot in contact with the ground
what is extension?
reach for the next step
what 2 things help with shock absorption?
free-floating scapula
angle of shoulder and pastern
what is the short pastern?
medial phalanx (P-2)
what is the long pastern?
proximal phalanx, (P-1)
what is the efficiency of a slow gait and why?
low; limited work and limited heat ECF friction
what horses use slow gaits?
draft animals
what is the efficiency of a fast gait and why?
low; high work, but high heat ECF friction produced
what is the efficiency of a moderate gait and why?
high, more work than slow, but less heat than fast
what is function to form in terms of conformation?
horses are built differently based on their purpose or function
give an example of function to form
racehorses are built thinner and taller for speed, draft horses are bulkier for strength
what is SCID?
severe combined immunodeficiency
- simple recessive, 1 gene, homozygous recessive
- lethal: no immune system= bad news bears
why is SCID hard to diagnose?
colostrum fakes an immune system in the foal
how many horses are carriers of SCID?
40%
what is HYPP?
hyperkalemic periodic paralysis
- incomplete dominant: different levels of severity
- causes muscle spasms and locking up
why is HYPP called impressive syndrome?
it makes muscles look huge, came from one huge stallion and selected for accidentally by breeding him
what type of breeders are horses?
seasonal, long day, breed in the summer
how long is a horses estrous cycle?
21 days
how long is a horse in estrus?
5-7 days
how long do horses ovulate?
24-48 hours
how long is horse gestation?
335 days
list 4 physiological reasons why horse reproduction rate is low?
- long gestation
- seasonal breeders (long day)
- single bearing
- long time to reach puberty and maturity
list 2 artificial (people-induced) reasons why horse reproduction is low?
- not bred based on reproductive ability
2. January 1st birthday
list the 4 major events in the horse life cycle?
Day 0: bred, in May
Day 335: foaling, hopefully in January, but more often in May
Foal Heat: 9-14 post partum, when you want to rebreed mom for one foal every 365 days
Day 390: normal cycling, if not rebred during foal heat
