Equine viral arteritis is, as the name suggests, a viral infection of horses that causes disease in the blood vessels (arter(y)itis). Bloood vessels throughout the horse are affected, with many of the smaller ones becoming temporarily leaky. ... (Cindy Reich)

Several different types of Equine Herpesvirus (EHV) exist. Whereas one type (EHV-4) only causes respiratory disease, another, EHV-1, also causes abortion and paralysis. Of these syndromes, paralysis is the most unusual manifestation of infection within this virus. However, when paralysis does occur, it is not uncommon for the infection to cause several cases of disease on the same premises; very careful diagnosis and control measures are thus indicated if a case is suspected. ... (James Wood)

In May 1977, the first report of a previously unrecognised, widespread, venereally transmitted infection of the uterus (metritus) of mares that affected fertility, was reported by veterinary surgeons in Newmarket, England. ... (Richard Newton BVSc., MRCVS)

Artificial insemination of sperm, either fresh or deep-frozen has been commercially available since 1985 but, until recently the transplantation of embryos has been fairly modest, yet remarkable. Currently, embryo transfer is an expensive reproductive option but, for mare owners, it provides the answer to the age-old question of whether sport or breeding should have the highest priority. ... (Xavier Debreuille)

What does a man with poor semen quality and a foal born in Colorado, USA, have in common? A procedure used in assisted reproduction in humans known as Intercytoplasmic Sperm Injection, or ISCI for short, which was used to produce the foal Firecracker born on 4 July 1996 at Colorado State University. ... (Cindy Reich)

In general terms, failure of the cartilage to mature in the growing regions of joint surfaces of young horses interferes with the ossification of the bone in these areas. The failure of the ossification of the bone leads to thickening of the cartilage which often results in the degeneration of the deeper layers of this thickened cartilage. When this degenerating area of cartilage is retained within the bone, the classic cystic lesion is seen. This can weaken the bone underneath and may become more evident when the limb is subjected to stress. Alternately, the defective cartilage may split or fragment. ... ( Cindy Reich)

Unless mares have been under 16 hours of light daily for at least two months, their reproductive cycles can be rather unmpredictable.As the days lengthen, the mareÕs system responds by producing an increased amount of the hormone GnRH (Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone). In simple terms, GnRH is released from the brain in pulses which, in turn, stimulates the release of two other hormones, FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (lutenizing hormone). It is the combination of all of these hormones that result in the development and maturation of the follicle and ovulation. GnRH is also used in therapy for stallions. In stallions with clinically diagnosed low levels of testosterone, the use of GnRH may increase circulating levels of testosterone. In many stallions, as they age, theirtestes undergo some sort of degeneration. Testicular degeneration can also be caused by injury to the testes, long term high temperatures due to illness and fever, toxins, malnutrition and many other factors.... (Cindy Reich)

When foals get sick, horse owners can sometimes face many sleepless nights, and weeks or months of intensive management, to get these babies through the rough spots. One of themoswt common problems in the il foal is pneumonia, caused by a bacteria called rhodococcus equi, which attacks foals between one and six months of age. Most foals will tend to show clinical signs, including coughing, abnormal breathing patterns and, less commonly, diarrhoea, before the age of four months. Most farms are susceptible to the disease, but some farms are considered enzootic, or particularly prone to continually having the problem. On these enzootic farms, the disease can lead to significant financial loss because of the cost of therapy and the occasional death of foals.... (Dr. Steve Giguere)

Often owners are faced with foals that are born with severely crooked legs and there are many different opinions as to what therapies are effective. Sport horses, because of their large size, how they are carried in the uterus of the mare, their rapid growth potential as foals, and the stress and weight-bearing forces acting on young legs, are susceptible to leg problems as foals. ... (Cindy Reich)

In the late 1950's a recurrent and congenital skin defect was reported in a number of draft horse foals in Germany. Affected foals were lacking skin below the knees and hocks and most died within hours of birth. Less severely affected foals lacked patches of skin on the shoulders, back head or croup.This genetic defect, Epitheliogenesis Imper-fecta has been reported in cattle, sheep, buffalo, pigs, mountain lions, and even humans. Epitheliogenesis Imperfecta (E.I.) is a single autosomal recessive gene.

Genetic disease

In the study in Germany, pedigrees for 33 affected foals were gathered and all the affected foals had in common a certain stallion within at least eight generations on both the sire's and dam's side of the pedigree. E.I., as an autosomal recessive gene, means that it can occur in either males or females and that both the sire and dam must carry the gene for the foal to be affected.

If the stallion and the mare both carry the gene for E.I., 50% of the foals will be carriers of E.I., 25% of the foals will have E.I., and though born live, will generally die within a few hours to a few weeks of birth. The remaining 25% of foals will be completely free of E.I. - neither carriersnor affected themselves....
(Cindy Reich)

For many years, it was thought that stress caused ulcers in people, but research has now shown that most ulcers in people are caused by an organism, Helicobacter pylori. H. pylori may lurk for months or years before signs appear in humans. In horses, however, no evidence of
infection by H. pylori has been found. Instead, stomach acid does seem to be the culprit but many other factors are involved.

In horses, there are two substances secreted to aid in the breaking down of ingested food -- hydrochloric acid and pepsin. A horse's stomach is protected from acid by gastric glandular mucosa. The problem is that this mucosa is not able to withstand long periods of acidity, and as the amount of acid in the stomach increases and the length of time the acid stays in the stomach increases, the more likely ulcers can occur. According to some researchers, bleeding gastric ulcers can develop as quickly as 48 hours. You would think that the stomach of the horse would be better designed to cope with acid, but as we will discover, mother nature did just fine when building a horse's stomach. It is how we manage these horses that may be causing the problem.

Foals

Ulcers in horses primarily occur in two areas, the stomach (gastric) and the duodenum. Duodenal ulcers do not usually occur in adult horses.

Gastric ulcers, according to research from the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center, may occur in 50% of foals by the time they are one month of age. Most of these ulcers will heal on their own, but can become severe, particularly if there are other factors involved. It is not known why such a large percentage of young foals develop ulcers, but it may be related to the way the lining of the stomach develops in newborn foals as they get older. Duodenal ulcers can occur in foals at any age, but are more severe in foals that are older (4-6 months).

Factors that can increase the likelihood of ulcers include foals that are ill or stressed. For example, a foal that has joint ill, or developmental problems that require treatment or surgery. These foals are undergoing stress of all systems, including gastric, and it is thought that decreased blood flow to the mucosa of the stomach may be a factor in its inability to withstand acid concentration. The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) also seem to increase the probability of ulcers. Examples of NSAID drugs would be Bute or Banamine. Owners that tend to give more that the recommended dosage of a NSAID (if a little helps, a lot will help more, theory) or has the foal on a NSAID for a long period of time, the conditions are ripe for ulcer formation. If you have a foal that is ill and requires NSAID's, consult with your veterinarian, use the proper dosage for the proper length of time and be alert to the possibility of the foal developing ulcers. (Cindy Reich)

Manfred Lopp; “To start young horses over fences without a rider is not an accomplishment of the last decades. Only the way in which we free-school horses over fences today, has changed considerably. In former times, we had the opportunity to get horses used to jumping by turning them out in an exercise course, which was either round, straight or oval. These courses, as wel general, it was common practice to teach horses to jump on the lunge-line. Already 90 years ago, the trainers at Verden’s Royal State Stud practiced jumping without a rider on a lunge-line. In the 50’s, jumping on the lung-line was increasingly replaced by free-jumping in indoor arenas, which gained in popularity. Free-jumping later became a very important training element for the judging of jumping ability. Because of the increasing popularity of riding sport, as well as thriving prosperity, indoor arenas went up everywhere. The availability of an indoor arena makes the training of horses so much simpler.

Changing demands

When we started free-jumping horses, all that mattered was raising the fences if possible to the two metre limit for show. At that time it was not that important how the horses cleared the fence. However, during the development of the jumper sport, the demands changed. It is not only the ablity that counts when evaluating the jumping potential of a horse, but also technique, style, suppleness, responsiveness, canter stride, courage, willingness, as well as a certain intelligence. Free-jumping has become an essential component in evaluating the aptitude for jumping in breeding classes. Free-juming, however, should not just be viewed as such a component, but also as a valuable tool in training horses. A certain method is necessary when developing a training programme. Just as in the basic training of dressae, there are three training phases in free-jumping. (See table A)

Developing trust

During the period of developing trust, the horse is introduced to and must learn to accept colourful poles, walls, different fences, and fillings - everything that he has to do over a course. First they walk hesitantly over fences on the ground, and then they jump small fences. Already in this phase, you see incredible differences in the horses. Some approach the fences as if they have always done it. Others, however, express fear, stay tight, stumble over the fences and need more time to understand the task they are are being asked to do. This period of developing trust takes a different amount of time for each horse and must be adjusted to the needs of a particular individual. At the moment when the horse jumps without fear and timidness, then you can work on the next phase - the develop ment of pushing power (impulsion).

Impulsion and rhythm

The horse needs to learn to canter with impulsion and rhythm and to clear the fences without rushing. It is important to carefully set up jumping lanes with different distances and dimensions, and to generously arrange combinations. This will allow the horse to develop in a forward way, to approach the jumps eagerly, to improve the urge to go forward towards the jump, and to canter in rhythm. To jump the same jumps or lanes often, invites the horse to rush or dash uncontrollably. Therefore, it is important to change the jumps and the dimensions of the jumping lane often. In the beginning, combinations need to be built to fit the individual horse’s canter stride. After gaining a certain amount of confidence, however, the horses need to learn to adjust to regular circumstances.

Congenital cleft palate in horses is an uncommon deformity affecting approximately 0.1-0.2% of the equine population. The condition is a malformation of the soft and sometimes hard palate where the left and right side fail to unite, forming a cleft. It is usually recognized shortly after birth when the foal starts nursing. The most common clinical signs include milk coming out of both nostrils and coughing while nursing. Some foals with smaller defects in the palate are not thrifty and develop recurrent lung infection. Larger palatal defects produce more severe clinical signs and are life-threatening because of aspiration of milk and feed material into the lungs. Therefore, early detection and correction of the condition are important to reduce the severity of aspiration pneumonia.

Diagnosis

If you suspect that your foal may have a cleft palate, call your veterinarian immediately. In addition to thorough physical and oral examinations, your veterinarian will need to perform additional diagnostic tests such as endoscopy and x-rays. Endoscopy of the throat area is essential to defining the extent of the cleft. X-rays of the lungs will help to determine the severity of pneumonia caused by aspiration of feed
material. Both the extent of the cleft and the presence of pneumonia are key determinants for prognosis when considering treatment for cleft palate.

Treatment

The only current treatment for congenital cleft palate is surgical correction of the cleft. This procedure involves either splitting the lower jaw or creating an incision in the throatlatch region to provide access to the defect. The surgery can be technically quite demanding due to the depth of the incision and poor visibility. Complications are common (greater than 85%) following surgical correction and include: complete or partial breakdown of the repaired palate, incisional infections, and continued aspiration of feed material. Even successful repairs will often require more than one surgery to achieve complete healing of the palatal defect.

(By Emmanuelle de Monleón) The first foal which was born out of this method outside experiments was born in France in 1986. In a fast developing era for the breeding of sport horses, the embryo transfer technique offers many advantages.It allows an increase in production from first class mares; competing mares can continue to breed without interruption to their careers; mares of a high genetic or commercial value may breed even if they are old or subfertile; it allows the conservation of embryos (of rare or high value genetic heritage).

Collection

The donor mare has to have a daily ovarian check- up as it is of primary importance that the precise moment of ovulation is known. As a matter of fact, in the case of cervical transfer (one of the methods), the collection of the embryo must be done on day seven precisely. Before then the embryo may not have nested in the uterus yet and, from day eight onwards, the embryo grows so fast that it gets very difficult to manipulate.

The choice of the receiving mare was long debated, especially as it is commonly thought that the general attitude of the dam in the first six months of a horse's life has a strong influence on its temperament; and the spirit of a draught horse is not that of a sport horse. Recent studies tend to prove however that this factor is not so important. The receiving mare is chosen for her maternal quality however. The bigger frames (400 to 800 kg) are preferable since the size of the uterus is the most influential factor on the weight and size of the foal at its birth. Whatever the genetics of the foal, it represents nine to 11% of the carrying mare's weight. In France, the best receiving mares are known to be the Norman Cobs as they have a roomy womb while their milk is not too rich. They are also very good tempered. Mares with a foal at foot are more difficult to handle, and so the easiest mares are maidens, or former recipient mares with no foal at foot.