horse Flashcards
what is a horse?
- Equus ferus caballus
- Odd-toed ungulate
- Lifespan 25-30+ years
Draft Horse/ Heavy
Horses
- Breeds include: Clydesdale, Belgian, Percheron, Suffolk Punch,
Shire - Tall, muscular, broad back, feathered distal limbs
- 16-19 HH
- Bred to pull
- Farming, logging, carts, wagons, sleigh, showing
- Also used for riding in a variety of sports
- Harness horses may be used as a single or in a team
Warmblood/
Medium
Weight Horses
- Breeds include: Hanoverian,
Trakehner, Oldenburg, Dutch WB,
Canadian WB - More refined features than draft
horses without feathering - 15 - 18 HH
- Many registries have “open
studbooks” - Do not require 2 pure blood
parents - Accept animals of similar
phenotypes to improve the
breed - Bred to excel at competitive English
riding such as dressage and jumping
light horse
- Breeds include: Arabian, Quarter
Horse, Thoroughbred, Paint Horse,
Morgan - Greater than 14.2 HH
- Each breed has specific
characteristics, generally
smaller/lighter build - Often bred for a specific sport or
used for pleasure - Track racing, endurance racing,
cow horse/western sports.
ponies
- Breeds include: Shetland, Connemara
Pony, Hackney, Pony of the Americas
(POA), Welsh Pony - Shorter than 14.2hh
- Phenotypically distinct:
- Thicker coat, mane, and tail
- Short/stocky legs
- Wider barrels
- Shorter/thicker neck
- Broad forehead
- Used for riding, sport, pulling carts, sure-
footedness
-some registries have high requirements for papers, vets will measure
miniature horse
- Breeds include American
Miniature Horses, Falabella,
Dutch miniature - <8.2HH (34 inches)
- Legs longer than the body is
deep, more refined structure than some small ponies - Used as companion animals, harness, in-hand sport
donkeys
- Donkeys (Equus africanus asinus)
and mules make up 2/3 of the
world’s equid population - Working animals
- 3 common sizes
- Miniature
- Standard (small and large
varieties) - Mammoth
mules
- Offspring of a male donkey and female
horse - Donkey: 62 chromosomes
- Horse: 64 chromosomes
- Mule: 63 chromosomes -> infertile
- Highly versatile animals
- Strength, endurance, and
surefootedness of a donkey - Athletic ability and speed of a horse
- Used for both work and sport
donkey and mule terminology
- Drove / herd/ pace: group of donkeys
- Jack: male donkey
- Jenny: female donkey
- Mule: horse dam /donkey sire
- Hinny: donkey dam /horse sire
wild equids
-Feral horses:
* Multiple populations in Canada
* Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, Sable Island
- Mustangs:
* Free roaming horses (feral) in Western US, descended from
Spanish Horses
* Managed by the Bureau of Land Management
breed registries
- Closed stud book: 2 pure bred parents, no outside bloodlines
accepted (Thoroughbreds, Trakenhner) - Open stud book: animals may be registered even if parents were not
- Most warmbloods
- Semi open for Quarter Horses
(will include TB and Paints)
Certain breeds have genetic,
conformational, or height requirements
Genetic Testing for Breed Specific Disorders
-Connemara Pony Hoof Wall Separation disease
* Equine Familial Isolated
Hypoparathyroidism (Thoroughbreds)
* Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa( Belgians)
* Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome Type 1
Colour Genetics
- Testing used for breeding purposes if a specific colour is desired
- Some colours or colour patterns are linked
to genetic diseases - Overo Lethal White Syndrome:
homozygous for the overo coat colour pattern gene - Silver dilution associated with Multiple Congenital Ocular Anomalies (MCOA)
- Gray gene associated with an
increased risk of melanoma - Leopard complex causing congenital stationary night blindness in
appaloosas
different gaits in horses
-Walk: 4 beat gait with each foot hitting the ground independently
- Trot: 2 beat diagonal gait with contralateral limbs moving
synchronously
-Canter: 3 beat gait
* Left lead: RH, LH + RF, LF
- Gallop: 3-4 beat gait
* Same as the canter except the diagonal hind foot hits the ground slightly before the front foot
Pregnant Mare’s Urine
-Used as the estrogen source in the drug Premarin (Pfizer)
* Hormone replacement
therapy for post- menopausal women
* Draft horses once commonly
used
* Industry byproduct (foals)
had little use
* Most PMU operations now
raise QH foals
* Sold as weanlings
* Performance and ranch
horse prospect
horses in the economics of canda
Contributed $8.69 billion to Canada’s Gross
Domestic Product (GDP)
* Canadians spent > $8.3 billion on equine
keeping
* Large equine sport venues serve as
economic drivers
* Provided $894 million in provincial and federal
taxes
* Contributed 70,997 full time equivalent jobs
* > 155,000 acres of land across Canada are used
for equine facilities,
cost of equine care
-feed
-bedding
-housing (boarding fees or costs to maintain property)
-veterinary
-farrier (every 5-8 wks)
-tack
-others: competition fees, training.
perceptions regarding equine welfare issues
- Individual animal welfare issues
- Denied access to important psychological resources (companionship/ social interaction)
- Inappropriate drug use
- Denied access to physical requirements
- Lack of proper professional care
- Industry level welfare issues:
- Ignorance /lack of knowledge
- Overpopulation of horses
-Lack of regulation at the industry level
equine welfare requirements
- Methods to address equine welfare at the individual
level: - Allow access to physical requirements
- Make proper horse care the primary goal
- Consistent routine care
- Strengthen and enforce animal welfare legislation
- Education
- Methods to address equine welfare at the industry level:
- Education for all people dealing with horses
- Better understanding of equine behaviour and learning theory
Certifications in
Equine Practice
-Chiropractic
* Acupuncture
* ISELP (International Society of
Equine Locomotor Pathology)
* Fear-Free Certification
* CE programs and conferences
farrier
- Care for the hoof of the horse by trimming the hoof and applying shoes.
- Training courses 5 days to 1 year in length
- Requirements to become a journeyman, but no regulation around claiming to be a farrier
- Mentorship from an experienced farrier important
Equine Massage
and Alternative
Therapies
- Massage therapy
- Vertebral realignment therapy (someone who is not a vet but takes course says they are this, you should be a vet and take a course to be chiropractor)
- Therapeutic laser
- Pulsed electromagnetic field
therapy - Physiotherapy
horse thermo neutral zone
5-20oC
◦ No energy expended to maintain normal body temperature
Shiver when cold
◦ Especially if damp
◦ Produces heat
◦ Horse is not comfortable when shivering
Heat stroke
◦ Weak
◦ Disoriented
◦ Muscle tremors
◦ Shallow/rapid breathing
-healthy, good BCS horses dont NEED a blanket but skinny ect horses should have one. if blanketed you need to check routinley.