Reasons for performing this study: Colic has for a long time been seen as a serious health problem in the equine population. Even so, the knowledge of colic seems to differ a great deal among the people interacting with Horses. A large number of studies have for several years looked at risk factors that cause colic, in order to provide knowledge about them. The knowledge can then be used as tools for developing prophylactic methods in order to reduce the number of Horses that develop colic. Objectives The aim with this study was to investigate if people have the correct knowledge about colic in Horses, which risk factors that cause colic today and describe prophylactic methods that can result in avoidance of colic in Horses. Method Eleven veterinary practices were contacted in order to send out two questionnaires for a study of six weeks.

SAMMANFATTNING Denna litteraturstudie syftar till att utvärdera hjärtfrekvens och hjärtfrekvensvariabilitet som fysiologiska mått på mental stress hos häst. För att utvärdera detta har olika artiklar studerats. Artiklarna redovisar studier där hästar utsätts för framför allt mentala stressmoment. Under stressmomenten har antingen hjärtfrekvens (HR) eller hjärtfrekvens och hjärtfrekvensvariabilitet (HRV) registrerats. Hjärtfrekvensvariabiliteten kan omvandlas till ett antal parametrar, bland annat lågfrekvensband (LF) och högfrekvensband (HF).

This study describes and reviews horse stable equipment from companies who builds and sells the equipment. In the study the companies various equipment was compared with regulations in the law of prevention of cruelty to animals. The purpose with this study was to find out if the companies stable equipment are approved according to the regulations within this area. The study used at five randomly picked companies.This study showed that three of the five examined companies refered, in one way or another, to the law of prevention of cruelty to animals on their website. Unfortunately not any of the companies referred to todays existing law of prevention of cruelty to animals.

To establish good horse welfare there are several factors that need to be considered. One important factor is the environment in which the Horses are kept. In Sweden Horses are stabled during long periods of time in the cold season and consequently the stable environment is even more important. The most essential environmental factors in a horse stable are ambient temperature, relative humidity (RH) and concentrations of contaminants in the stable air. The air in a horse stable contains dust, noxious gases, moulds and microorganisms which all can contribute to developing respiratory diseases in Horses.

SAMMANFATTNING Jag har skrivit om en hovsjukdom som drabbar hästar, den engelska benämningen är White line disease. Det finns inget korrekt namn på svenska, men vi kallar det för lamellrandsröta. Den engelska benämningen är den mest använda. Sjukdomen kom in i Sverige i slutet av 1980-talet, man tror att det var via importerade travhästar från USA. När den i slutet av 1990-talet fick fart i Sverige började den också att bli ett problem. Ambitionen är att få en inblick i vad lamellrandsröta är och vad den samlade kunskapen är idag bland fackfolk och praktiker. Godtyckligt har jag valt ut och ringt runt och intervjuat ett antal personer som har stött på detta problem, hovslagare, veterinärer och hästägare. All fakta som inhämtats har jag sammanställt, men det finns fortfarande många frågetecken att reda ut. Ett bekymmer är att expertisen har så varierande kunskap och syn på sjukdomen. Idag vet man att det är anaeroba (syreskyende) organismer som orsakar rötan.

One way of signalling commands to the horse during riding is through applying tension on the reins to create bit pressure in the horse?s mouth (Terada et al., 2006; Clayton et al., 2011). The skilfulness of the rider in using the hands when applying bit pressure has consequences both for the horse?s performance and welfare (Manfredi et al., 2010). At the trot there are large vertical deviations of the horse?s body which the rider must adjust and adapt to (Terada et al., 2006) and an unsteady hand due to inability to follow the horse?s movement can be a source of discomfort and conflict behaviour in the horse (Heleski et al., 2009).

Infection with Parascaris equorum is common among young Horses in Sweden as well as in the rest of the world. The parasite has a direct lifecycle and reproduces in the small intestine. The eggs are passed out with faeces and become infective after approximately two weeks. The Horses get infected when they ingest eggs that are dispersed in the environment. The symptoms seen in Horses usually include retarded growth and loss of weight.

West Nile Fever and West Nile Encephalitis are caused by the flavivirus West Nile Virus (WNV). West Nile Virus is now a dangerous threat for Horses, birds and humans.

Inbreeding has become a problem in some horse breeds. Studies show that it may lead to inbreeding depression which affects e.g. reproduction traits. In the wild there are mechanisms that make Horses avoid mating with close relatives. When selection is done by humans this mechanism is removed and intensive breeding for a few traits, for example good racing results, can become a problem.

Glycogen is the storage form of glucose and is used by the skeletal musculature as energy both for intense and endurance events. The glycogen content in the horse?s middle gluteal muscle is more than 600 mmol/kg dry weight, and almost 400 mmol/kg dry weight in the human?s Vastus lateralis. In some special occasions, for example in competitions with several moments on following days, there is a need of a fast muscle glycogen resynthesis. The feed intake is of importance for the velocity of the resynthesis.

Phenylbutazone has been discussed in the world of the equestrian sport several times and different countries have diverse opinions on its use in competitions. The progressive list that permits phenylbutazone with plasma levels up to 8 µg/ml was presented at the FEI General Assembly in November 2009. The list was voted to be accepted, but later several countries realized the consequences and after protests the list was rejected and is going to be discussed again at the FEI General Assembly 2010. In this literature study I have studied the relationship between the concentrations of phenylbutazone in plasma and the effects on lameness. The purpose was to establish whether the limit of 8 µg/ml phenylbutazone in plasma affects the equestrian sport.

Den här rapporten redogör för utveckling, design och sömnadskonstruktion för en sadelpadd. Rapportens ämne valdes för att jag fann det intressant och har själv stort intresse för hästar och produktutveckling. Fokus på rapporten låg på att ta fram en fungerade prototyp som testades av hästägare för att se om en distansväv skulle klara av att vara det stötdämpande och tryckutjämnande materialet i en sadelpadd. Rapporten och utvecklingen av rapporten bygger på en enkätundersökning och några intervjuer med relevanta personer insatta i ämnena sadelpadd och ryggskador hos hästar. Utifrån den insamlade informationen från de intervjuade och de som svarade på enkäten samt tidgare skrivna källor gjordes en studie i hästars uppkomst av ryggbesvär.

The last years trends of increasing globalisation and the decreasing importance of the nationstate has led to rising flows of travellers and information throughout the globe. This has affected the competition between destinations; they are now competing in a global market. The importance of placemarketing and representing a place identity, is today essential to attract customers from around the world. The purpose of this essay was to examine how Iceland as a place is represented through the photographs in horse tourism. The research questions asked were: How is the Icelandic landscape represented in photographs? How is people and Horses represented in the landscape? And how can the horse be analysed as a part of the Icelandic landscape? The method used for research was image-analysis, a qualitative approach where horse tourism-websites and photographs on these websites were strategically selected.

This project was initiated by a veterinarian, that at stallion performance tests for breeding during a number of years, noted breed differences in various types of testicular disorders. Therefore it was of interests to examine the proportion of testicular disorders within certain breeds. The aim with the project was in a first part to study cryptorchidism in common horse breeds in Sweden. Information about castrations of stallions performed during a 10 year period (2000-2009) was collected from computerized case records at five animal hospitals. The case records showed the numbers of castrations, normal cases and cases preformed on stallions with cryptorchidism, abdominal respectively inguinal.

The intention of this study is to investigate possible excitation on dogs due to buprenorphine treatment. The reason for it to be about buprenorphine and not any other opioid is due to its relevance being one of the most popular opioids in animal care, as well as the authors own experience with what seems to be buprenorphine induced excitation in her own dog. The study consists of a literature review and an internet based survey containing thirty questions sent out to twelve animal clinics and animal hospitals. Significant agitative effects on behavior has been found in studies on Horses, sheep, goats, rats and mice, but no one shows the effects of buprenorphine on dogs. The literature on opiod effects on dog behavior seems sparse.