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Pinchbeck, G. L., Clegg, P. D., Proudman, C. J., Morgan, K. L., & French, N. P. (2004). A prospective cohort study to investigate risk factors for horse falls in UK hurdle and steeplechase racing. Equine Vet J, 36(7), 595–601.
Abstract: REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Equine fatalities during racing continue to be a major welfare concern and falls at fences are responsible for a proportion of all equine fatalities recorded on racecourses. OBJECTIVES: To identify and quantify risk factors for horse falls in National Hunt (NH) racing and to report the frequency of falling and falling-associated fatalities. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 2879 horse starts in hurdle and steeplechase races on 6 UK racecourses. Any horse that suffered a fall at a steeplechase or hurdle fence during the race was defined as a case. Data were obtained by interview and observations in the parade ring and from commercial databases. Multivariable logistic regression models, allowing for clustering at the level of the track, were used to identify the relationship between variables and the risk of falling. RESULTS: There were 124 falling cases (32 in hurdling and 92 in steeplechasing) identified. The injury risk of fallers was 8.9% and fatality risk 6.5%. Duration of journey to the racecourse, behaviour in the parade ring and weather at the time of the race were associated with falling in both hurdle and steeplechase racing. Age, amount of rainfall and going were also associated with falling in steeplechase racing. CONCLUSIONS: Falls at fences are significant contributors to equine fatalities during NH racing. Potentially modifiable risk factors identified were the condition of track surfaces and journey time to the racecourse. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: It is hoped that information from this study may be used in future interventions to improve horse and jockey safety in racing. The study has also identified areas requiring further research, such as equine behaviour and its effect on racing performance, and the effect of light conditions on jumping ability.
Keywords: *Accidental Falls/mortality/statistics & numerical data; Age Factors; Animal Welfare; Animals; Athletic Injuries/epidemiology/etiology/mortality/*veterinary; Cohort Studies; Great Britain; Horses/*injuries; Logistic Models; Odds Ratio; Prospective Studies; Questionnaires; Rain; Risk Factors; Safety; Sports
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Cambefort, J. P. (1981). A comparative study of culturally transmitted patterns of feeding habits in the chacma baboon Papio ursinus and the vervet monkey Cercopithecus aethiops. Folia Primatol (Basel), 36(3-4), 243–263.
Abstract: Japanese workers have studied social acquisition patterns of new feeding habits in Macaca fuscata which they have termed precultural. The present study investigates the same phenomenon in the chacma baboon and the vervet monkey in their natural habitat. The questions addressed are: (1) How a new feeding habit enters a troop and by which age and sex category, also how it is propagated? (2) When individuals are permitted with a choice between palatable and unpalatable food, can they learn by demonstration only or do they have to pass through a direct learning process? (3) Can the results from the above questions be explained by social parameters such as the social structure of the individual species? It was found that juvenile baboons discover new food and that after the discovery propagation is instantaneous. In vervets discovery is random among the age classes and propagation is slow and takes place through certain 'pivot' individuals. Both species fail to learn about palatability by demonstration but have to go through a direct learning process. This contrasts strongly with the forest baboon Mandrillus sphinx that have been shown to learn by demonstration. Socially, baboon juveniles stay closer to each other than the adults who force them to live at the periphery of the troop. Vervets again forage without precise sub-group formation. The link between social and cultural propagation and social structure is discussed on the basis of these findings.
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Johnston, C., Holm, K. R., Erichsen, C., Eksell, P., & Drevemo, S. (2004). Kinematic evaluation of the back in fully functioning riding horses. Equine Vet J, 36(6), 495–498.
Abstract: REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Clinical history and examination are important features in diagnosis of equine back dysfunction. However, interpretation is subjective and therefore may vary substantially. OBJECTIVES: To establish a clinical tool to objectively evaluate the function of the equine back, in the form of a database on the kinematics of the back at the walk and trot in fully functioning riding horses. METHODS: Thirty-three fully functioning riding horses walked and trotted on a treadmill. Morphometrics and kinematics were tested for correlations to age, height, weight and stride length, and differences between gender (geldings and mares) and use (dressage and showjumping). RESULTS: A database for range of movement and symmetry of movement for extension and flexion, lateral bending, lateral excursion and axial rotation was presented. Symmetry values were very high for all variables. Significant differences were observed in use and gender. Age was negatively correlated to extension and flexion of the thoracolumbar junction. CONCLUSIONS: Interrelationships between use, gender and age to conformation and movement were established. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: The database provides a basis for objective reference for diagnosis, therapy and rehabilitation of clinical cases of back dysfunction.
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Kasashima, Y., Takahashi, T., Smith, R. K. W., Goodship, A. E., Kuwano, A., Ueno, T., et al. (2004). Prevalence of superficial digital flexor tendonitis and suspensory desmitis in Japanese Thoroughbred flat racehorses in 1999. Equine Vet J, 36(4), 346–350.
Abstract: REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Overstrain injuries to the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) and suspensory ligament (SI) are among the most common musculoskeletal injuries which contribute to the considerable wastage of racing Thoroughbreds. Many epidemiological studies have demonstrated the prevalence of and risk factors for tendon injury when racing but have not included those injuries sustained during training. However, since tendon injury during training is seen commonly in clinical practice, it is appropriate to determine the overall prevalence of tendon injury sustained during both training and racing. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of overstrain injury to the SDFT and SL during training and racing among Thoroughbred flat racehorses in Japan in 1999. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed using a sample population of 10,262 Thoroughbred racehorses. The medical information database of Thoroughbred racehorses registered by the Japan Racing Association (JRA) in 1999 was analysed for SDFT and SL overstrain injury diagnosed by a veterinarian employed by JRA during training and racing. Jump racehorses were excluded from this study. RESULTS: The prevalence of forelimb SDFT tendonitis and SL desmitis was 11.1% (1130 cases) and 3.61% (370 cases) of the population, respectively. In the hindlimb, there were 0.06% (6 cases) and 0.14% (14 cases), respectively. Risks of SDF tendonitis in the forelimb in 3-year-olds or older horses were significantly higher than in 2-year-olds. In contrast, the risk of SL desmitis in the forelimb at age 3 and 4 years was 2.23 and 2.11 times higher, respectively, than in 2-year-olds, but this increased to 5.07 times in those age > or = 5 years. Entire males were at greater risk in comparison to females and geldings. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the prevalence of SDF tendonitis and SL desmitis in the forelimb was associated with the horse's age and sex. The prevalence of SL desmitis increased further with age compared with SDF tendonitis, possibly reflecting a more rapid accumulation of degeneration in this structure. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: The age-related risk demonstrated in this study provides further support that overstrain injuries are associated with accumulated degeneration. These data provide a valuable resource for further research into the aetiology of tendon injury in the racehorse.
Keywords: Age Factors; Animals; Female; Forelimb; Hindlimb; Horse Diseases/*epidemiology/etiology; Horses; Inflammation/epidemiology/etiology/*veterinary; Japan/epidemiology; Ligaments/injuries/*pathology; Male; Musculoskeletal Diseases/epidemiology/etiology/veterinary; *Physical Conditioning, Animal; Prevalence; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Sports; Tendinopathy/epidemiology/etiology/*veterinary; Tendon Injuries/epidemiology/etiology/*veterinary
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Williams, J. L., Friend, T. H., Collins, M. N., Toscano, M. J., Sisto-Burt, A., & Nevill, C. H. (2003). Effects of imprint training procedure at birth on the reactions of foals at age six months. Equine Vet J, 35(2), 127–132.
Abstract: REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: While imprint training procedures have been promoted in popular magazines, they have received limited scientific investigation. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of a neonatal imprint training procedure on 6-month-old foals and to determine if any one session had a greater effect than others. METHODS: Foals (n = 131) were divided into the following treatments: no imprint training, imprint training at birth, 12, 24 and 48 h after birth or imprint training only at birth, 12, 24, 48, or 72 h after birth. Foals then received minimal human handling until they were tested at 6 months. RESULTS: During training, time to complete exposure to the stimulus was significant for only 2 of 6 stimuli. Percentage change in baseline heart rate was significant for only 2 of 10 stimuli. These 4 effects were randomly spread across treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Neither the number of imprint training sessions (0, 1, or 4) nor the timing of imprint training sessions (none, birth, 12, 24, 48, or 72 h after birth) influenced the foal's behaviour at 6 months of age. POTENTIAL CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In this study, imprint training did not result in better behaved, less reactive foals.
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Gerber, V., Robinson, N. E., Luethi, S., Marti, E., Wampfler, B., & Straub, R. (2003). Airway inflammation and mucus in two age groups of asymptomatic well-performing sport horses. Equine Vet J, 35(5), 491–495.
Abstract: REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Horses housed in conventional stable environments are exposed to high dust loads. Long-term exposure to inhaled dust may lead to subclinical airway disease. HYPOTHESES: Airway inflammation and mucus accumulation are 1) common in asymptomatic well-performing sport horses, 2) increased in older compared to younger individuals and 3) correlated. METHODS: Mucus quantity and quality (endoscopic scoring) and BALF differential cytology were assessed in 13 younger horses (mean age 5 years) and 13 older horses (mean age 15 years), which had no historical or clinical evidence of lower airway disease, were performing well and were housed permanently in a conventional stable environment. RESULTS: 1) Airway inflammation and/or mucus accumulation were very common. All sport horses showed evidence of subclinical inflammatory airway disease (IAD). 2) Older horses, having been exposed for 10 more years to a conventional stable environment, did not show increased subclinical airway inflammation or mucus accumulation. The only differences between the age groups were increased BALF total and lymphocyte cell counts in the younger horses. 3) Mucus quantity and quality scores were not significantly correlated with each other or with BALF neutrophil percentages and absolute numbers. CONCLUSIONS: Although clinically healthy and performing well, all of the examined horses housed in a conventional stable environment showed evidence of IAD. The degree of IAD was not increased in older horses that had not developed clinical signs. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: The effect of subclinical degrees of IAD on performance in dressage and show jumping should be investigated further to better understand the clinical significance of IAD in sport horses.
Keywords: Age Factors; Animals; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid/*cytology; Female; Flow Cytometry/veterinary; Horse Diseases/*physiopathology; Horses; Housing, Animal; Inflammation/veterinary; Leukocyte Count/veterinary; Male; Mucus/*secretion; Physical Conditioning, Animal; Respiratory Function Tests/veterinary; Respiratory Tract Diseases/physiopathology/*veterinary; Sports
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Dyson, S., & Murray, R. (2003). Pain associated with the sacroiliac joint region: a clinical study of 74 horses. Equine Vet J, 35(3), 240–245.
Abstract: REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: There has been no large study of horses with suspected sacroiliac (SI) joint region pain in which the clinical diagnosis has been supported by either abnormal radiopharmaceutical activity in the SI joint region or by periarticular infiltration of local anaesthetic solution. OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical features of horses with SI joint region pain, to document the age, breed, sex, discipline, size and conformation of affected horses and to compare these with the author's (SD) normal case population and to document the results of infiltration of local anaesthetic solution around the SI joint region. METHODS: Horses were selected for inclusion in the study based upon the exclusion of other causes of lameness or poor performance, together with clinical signs suggestive of SI joint pain and abnormal radiopharmaceutical activity in the SI joint region and/or a positive response to periarticular infiltration of local anaesthetic solution. RESULTS: Sacroiliac joint region disease was identified in 74 horses between November 1997 and March 2002. Dressage and showjumping horses appeared to be at particular risk (P < 0.001). Affected horses were generally slightly older than the normal clinic population (P < 0.0001), taller at the withers (P < 0.0001) and of greater bodyweight (P < 0.01). There was a significant effect of breed (P < 0.001), with a substantially higher proportion of Warmblood horses (51%) in the SI pain group compared to the normal clinic population (29%). There was no correlation between conformation and the presence of SI joint region pain. The tubera sacrale appeared grossly symmetrical in most (95%) horses. Poor development of the epaxial muscles in the thoracolumbar region and asymmetry of the hindquarter musculature were common. Twenty-six horses (35%) showed restricted flexibility of the thoracolumbar region and 10 (16%) had an exaggerated response to pressure applied over the tubera sacrale. Fourteen horses (19%) were reluctant to stand on one hindlimb for prolonged periods. The majority of horses (75%) had a straight hindlimb flight and only 18% moved closely behind or plaited. In all horses restricted hindlimb impulsion was the predominant feature; invariably this was most obvious when the horse was ridden. Stiffness, unwillingness to work on the bit and poor quality canter were common. Sacroiliac joint region pain was seen alone (47%), or in conjunction with thoracolumbar pain (16%), hindlimb lameness (20%), forelimb lameness (7%) or a combination of problems (10%). Seventy-three horses (99%) had abnormalities of the SI joint region identified using nuclear scintigraphy. Infiltration of local anaesthetic solution around the SI joint region produced profound improvement in gait in all 34 horses in which it was performed. CONCLUSIONS AND POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Careful clinical examination combined with scintigraphic evaluation of the SI joint region and local analgesia can enable a more definitive diagnosis of SI joint region pain than has previously been possible.
Keywords: Age Factors; Analgesia/veterinary; Anesthetics, Local/pharmacology; Animals; Body Height; Body Weight; Breeding; Female; Forelimb; Gait; Hindlimb; Horse Diseases/*diagnosis/radionuclide imaging; Horses; Lameness, Animal/*physiopathology; Lumbar Vertebrae/physiopathology; Male; Pain/diagnosis/drug therapy/radionuclide imaging/*veterinary; Sacroiliac Joint/*physiopathology; Sacrum/physiopathology
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Waters, A. J., Nicol, C. J., & French, N. P. (2002). Factors influencing the development of stereotypic and redirected behaviours in young horses: findings of a four year prospective epidemiological study. Equine Vet J, 34(6), 572–579.
Abstract: Stereotypies are invariant and repetitive behaviour patterns that seemingly have no function, which tend to develop in captive animals faced with insoluble problems and may be indicative of reduced welfare. A 4 year prospective study of the factors influencing the development of stereotypic and redirected behaviours (abnormal behaviour) in a population of 225 young Thoroughbred and part-Thoroughbred horses was conducted between 1995 and 1999. Abnormal behaviour affected 34.7% of the population. Multivariable analysis showed that foals of low- or middle-ranking mares were less likely to develop abnormal behaviour than foals of dominant mares (rate ratio (RR) 0.23, P<0.01; RR 0.48, P<0.01, respectively). Weaning by confinement in a stable or barn was associated with an increased rate of development of abnormal behaviour, compared with paddock-weaning (RR 2.19, P<0.05), and housing in barns, rather than at grass after weaning, was associated with a further increase (RR 2.54, P<0.01). Specific stereotypic and redirected behaviours were then considered as separate outcomes. Crib-biting was initiated by 10.5% of horses at median age 20 weeks, weaving by 4.6% of horses at median age 60 weeks, box-walking by 2.3% of horses at median age 64 weeks and wood-chewing by 30.3% of horses at median age 30 weeks. Wood-chewing developed at a lower rate in horses born to subordinate or mid-ranking mares than in horses born to dominant mares (RR 0.29, P<0.01; RR 0.41, P<0.01, respectively), and at a higher rate in horses kept in barns or stables rather than at grass after weaning (RR 4.49, P<0.001; RR 1A6, P<0.001, respectively). Feeding concentrates after weaning was associated with a 4-fold increase in the rate of development of crib-biting (RR 4.12, P = 0.02). The results of this study support the idea that simple changes in feeding, housing and weaning practices could substantially lower the incidence of abnormal behaviour in young horses.
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Nicol, C. J. (2004). Development, direction, and damage limitation: social learning in domestic fowl. Learn Behav, 32(1), 72–81.
Abstract: This review highlights two areas of particular interest in the study of social learning in fowl. First, the role of social learning in the development of feeding and foraging behavior in young chicks and older birds is described. The role of the hen as a demonstrator and possible teacher is considered, and the subsequent social influence of brood mates and other companions on food avoidance and food preference learning is discussed. Second, the way in which work on domestic fowl has contributed to an understanding of the importance of directed social learning is examined. The well-characterized hierarchical social organization of small chicken flocks has been used to design studies which demonstrate that the probability of social transmission is strongly influenced by social relationships between birds. The practical implications of understanding the role of social learning in the spread of injurious behaviors in this economically important species are briefly considered.
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Nissani, M. (2006). Do Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) apply causal reasoning to tool-use tasks? J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process, 32(1), 91–96.
Abstract: Two experiments addressed contradictory claims about causal reasoning in elephants. In Experiment 1, 4 Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) were pretrained to remove a lid from the top of a bucket and retrieve a food reward. Subsequently, in the first 5 critical trials, when the lid was placed alongside the bucket and no longer obstructed access to the reward, each elephant continued to remove the lid before retrieving the reward. Experiment 2, which involved 11 additional elephants and variations of the original design, yielded similarly counterintuitive observations. Although the results are open to alternative interpretations, they appear more consistent with associative learning than with causal reasoning. Future applications of Fabrean methodologies (J. H. Fabre, 1915) to animal cognition are proposed.
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