Knubben, J. M., Fürst, A., Gygax, L., & Stauffacher, M. (2008). Bite and kick injuries in horses: Prevalence, risk factors and prevention. Equine Veterinary Journal, 40(3), 219–223.
Abstract: Reasons for performing study: Studies on the prevalence and predisposing factors of bite and kick injuries in horses have not been reported in a population-based data sample. Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of bite and kick injuries in horses and associated risk factors in a representative sample of horses in Switzerland. Methods: A questionnaire on the incidence of disease and injury, which included the frequency of bite and kick injuries and their association with breed, housing, use and feeding regime, was sent to 2559 horse owners randomly selected throughout Switzerland. Results: The data of 2912 horses with 897 disorders diagnosed by a veterinarian were analysed. There were 231 injuries, 50 (21.6%) caused by a bite or kick from another horse; this number corresponded to 5.6% of all diseases and injuries and concerned only 1.7% of all the horses evaluated. Warmblood, Thoroughbred and Arabian horses had a 4.3 times higher risk of bite or kick injuries than horses of other breeds. Eighteen per cent of injuries were associated with a change in housing management and occurred regardless of whether horses were kept in groups permanently or sporadically. Conclusions and potential relevance: A stable group hierarchy and a housing system that provides adequate space and is adapted to horse-specific behaviour are important factors in prevention and kick and bite injuries.
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Fürst, A., Knubben, J., Kurtz, A., Auer, J., & Stauffacher, M. (2006). Pferde in Gruppenhaltung: Eine Betrachtung aus tierärztlicher Sicht unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Verletzungsrisikos [Group housing of horses: veterinary considerations with a focus on the prevention of bite and kick injuries]. Pferdeheilkunde, 22(3), 254–258.
Abstract: Mit der zunehmenden Bedeutung der Gruppenhaltung von Pferden ist die Tierärzteschaft gefordert mitzuhelfen, das Verletzungsrisiko in
Gruppenhaltungssystemen zu verringern. Dem Vermeiden von Schlag- und Bissverletzungen kommt hierbei eine zentrale Bedeutung zu. Präventive
Maßnahmen konzentrieren sich im Wesentlichen auf die Gruppenzusammensetzung und Eingliederung neuer Pferde sowie auf die
Gestaltung der Haltungssysteme. Die Raumaufteilung und die Fütterungstechnik müssen equidentypisches Verhalten (Lokomotion, langandauernde
Futteraufnahme und schadensfreie soziale Interaktionen) erlauben. Es gilt, Kenntnisse über Zusammenhänge zwischen Haltung,
Fütterung, Nutzung, Verhalten und Gesundheit an Pferdehalter und Stallbaufirmen weiterzugeben.
[Although group housing of horses has become common practice, the risk of equine injury is substantial. The veterinary community is challenged
to reduce this risk, particularly with regard to injuries caused by kicking and biting. Preventive measures should focus on the disposition
of horses within the group, the introduction of new horses to the group and the design of the housing facility. Feeding methods as
well as the structure of the environment should meet the physiological requirements for horses; there should be adequate space for exercise,
extended foraging and the possibility of benign social interactions. Veterinarians need to educate horse owners and builders of equine
facilities about the husbandry, feeding, use, behaviour and health of horses.]
Keywords: Verhalten, Gruppenhaltung, Prävention, Schlagverletzungen, Bissverletzungen, Tierschutz [Behaviour, group housing, prevention, bite injuries, kick injuries, animal protection]
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Strickman, D. (1982). Notes on Tabanidae (Diptera) from Paraguay. J Med Entomol, 19(4), 399–402.
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Konstantinov, S. A., & Veselkin, A. G. (1989). [The intensity and efficiency of a gadfly attack on cattle depending on the number and location of the animals in the herd]. Parazitologiia, 23(1), 3–10.
Abstract: The effect of group was studied on cattle being attacked by horse flies of three genera. The method of simultaneous registrations of attacking horse flies in herds of 8 to 100 animals and on single cows was used. It has been shown that the effect of group reveals itself only when animals in the herd reach a certain minimum number, the effect rate depending on peculiarities of attacking of a given species of bloodsuckers, such as a part of responding individuals, distance of an attack, duration of contact with an object. These parameters tend to change with increasing number of animals in the herd. Therefore differences in the intensity of attacks on herds with different cattle stock cannot be explained proceeding only from differences in the occupied areas. The number of attacking horse flies decreases from the periphery of the herd to its centre and is not the same in different parts of the periphery. The effectiveness of attacking, ie the part of sucking individuals of a given species (genus) from the number of horse flies attacking for a definite period of time, is the highest in a large herd and increases in its ranges from the periphery to the centre. This dependence leads to a more even distribution of sucking individuals as compared to attacking ones.
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Labruna, M. B., & Amaku, M. (2006). Rhythm of engorgement and detachment of Anocentor nitens females feeding on horses. Vet Parasitol, 137(3-4), 316–332.
Abstract: The present study evaluated the engorgement and drop-off rhythms of Anocentor nitens females feeding on horses. Drop-off rhythm was evaluated at 6h-intervals (06:00, 12:00, 18:00, and 00:00 h) on horses held in stalls or in a pasture. A new method of marking feeding female ticks (the bowknot technique) was developed to evaluate ticks on horses in pasture that attached to different parts of the horse's body. This technique was highly successful, indicating no significant interference on tick engorgement rate or final tick weight, length and reproductive capability. Horses held in the pasture during the summer produced only 28.2% of the tick detachment during the daylight period from 06:00 to 18:00 h. In contrast, 53.4% of the ticks detached during this same 12 h-period during the winter. This difference was probably related to the longer scotoperiod during the winter. Different drop-off rhythms were observed for females attached to different anatomical parts of the horse's body. For example, ticks attached to the ears, perineum, and tail showed similar drop-off patterns, but were different from ticks attached to mane, rump and other body parts. The idiosoma length of the feeding female ticks was individually measured every 6 h until the engorged female detached naturally. The engorgement rate (increase in millimeters of the body length per hour) was evaluated during the last 96 h of parasitism. The highest engorgement rates were observed during the last 24 h of parasitism (approximately 0.16 mm/h), which were four-fold higher than the engorgement rates of the previous 3 days ( approximately 0.04 mm/h), demonstrating that these lower and higher values corresponded to the slow and rapid feeding phases reported elsewhere. Based on these data, the 6 mm idiosoma length was estimated as the minimal length that would correspond to the time point (i.e. 24 h before detachment) during which ticks would undergo the rapid feeding phase and detach as fully engorged females. When this 6 mm length was tested to estimate the number of engorged females detaching from horses in a period of 24 h, the estimated accuracy varied from 58.5 to 97.7% (mean: 73.3%).
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