Research

Equine Coronavirus infections can cause fever, loss of appetite, lethagy and diarrhoea. They can also cause respiratory problems.

Global database of horse behaviour being established to create an evidence base on what constitutes normal and abnormal equine behaviour, and what defines good, effective and humane training.

Affected horses may take longer than normal to recover after exercise, with rapid breathing, prolonged increase in heart rate and excessive sweating. Severe cases may collapse.

There is growing interest in the horse for neurological research due to its large and complex brain, cognitive abilities and long lifespan.

A worrying decline in genetic diversity in horses in the last 200 years covers the time of the development of horse breeds, the establishment of studbooks and extensive selective breeding.

Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, was brought up to speed with the ongoing research during a recent visit to Askham Bryan College in England.

“Even though it has been used to assess depth of anesthesia in many animal species, the validity of its usage is still not clear.”

Horses with two particular variations of a particular gene were found to be more likely to finish first or second, compete in more races, and collect more in stakes.

“In order to keep students safe during equine practicals, these results highlight the necessity of teaching basic equine behavioural concepts and observational skills beforehand.”

Research carried out in June identified the 10 sports in Australia generating the highest levels of distrust.

Snapshot of horse movements in a Canadian study highlight the highly mobile nature of horses.