Health

“In simple terms, Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) means your horse has a set of factors that place him or her at higher risk of getting laminitis. It is important that you manage as many of these risk factors as you can, the most obvious two being weight and diet.”

Many of the issues that plague equine clinicians mirror those in human medicine, the review team says.

“Current evidence indicates a significant potential of equine mesenchymal stem cells to enlarge their range of application.”

Scientific evidence supporting their use in animals remains limited, and vets should be very cautious over their off-label use.

“We need to get a broader sense of what is working for horse owners so that we can improve health outcomes for these animals.”

When samples are collected by scientists in the field, frozen storage options aren’t always immediately available.

“When hay nets are used, the horse is often forced to keep unnatural feeding positions,” researchers noted.

Researchers link cases from around the world, highlighting the role of international horse movements in the spread of strangles.

Study in France compared the brain waves of stabled horses with those kept at pasture.

New equine herpes virus 1 cases in Switzerland, Britain and Italy, as the official death toll climbs to nine.

Could changes in gut bacteria in horses play a role in flare-ups of equine recurrent uveitis? The jury is still out.

The five-year plan aims to discover the cause and a means of prevention of equine grass sickness, and to improve the treatment of chronic cases.

At birth, a foal is composed of about 35% muscle and by one year, muscle development has increased to 45%. A mature horse can reach up to 55% in muscle mass.