Twitching is frequently used in horse management because of its sedating and pain-relieving effects. In this study, the effects on the horse?s nervous system by twitching were investigated by thermography of the skin temperature. The temperature is regulated by the sympathetic nervous system through postganglionic sfincters at the capillaries of the skin. The effects on the endocrine activity have also been studied by the measuring of ACTH and cortisol in blood plasma.

Multiple Congenital Ocular Anomalities (MCOA) is a genetic disease that affects primarily Silver coloured horses of breeds such as the Rocky and Kentucky mountain horses. In these breeds the Silver dapple colour is very popular leading to an increase of affected horses. The major feature of the disease is ocular cysts of variable size. Large cysts also lead to a variety of secondary syndromes, for example retinal detachment. In previous studies the locus for MCOA has been mapped to an interval of 420 kb on equine chromosome six.

AbstractMycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi. Moulds producing mycotoxins grow on various crops that are used as horse feeds. Since the treatments of mycotoxin poisoned horses are limited it is important to prevent production of mycotoxins in feed. The major mycotoxin producing moulds in horse feeds are Fusarium spp., Penicillium spp. and Aspergillus spp.

AbstractMycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi. Moulds producing mycotoxins grow on various crops that are used as horse feeds. Since the treatments of mycotoxin poisoned horses are limited it is important to prevent production of mycotoxins in feed. The major mycotoxin producing moulds in horse feeds are Fusarium spp., Penicillium spp. and Aspergillus spp.

Livestock animals affect their environment in a number of different ways, mostly through grazing and trampling. This study focused on the effects of Gotland pony grazing on forest structure and diversity, and the impact on ground cover. To compare the fenced and grazed area with a reference area outside the enclosure a number of transects were used. The study showed that there was no significant difference in height structure and diversity between the compared sites; however, there were a significantly higher proportion of damaged trees inside the enclosure. The ground cover variables showed a higher amount of bare soil, plant litter and wood-rush (Luzula sp.) inside the enclosure whilst grass was more frequent in the reference area.

Animal-assisted therapy had its large breakthrough in the 1960-ties when a psychiatrist named Boris Levinson discovered the great advantages of involving animals in the treatment of patients. Therapy with animals involves that animals are used in a systematic way, in a person's process of treatment. The most distinguished companion animal used within this area is the dog, but horses, cats, rabbits, birds, dolphins and the most common farm animals are used in animal-assisted therapy. Most animals that are to be used for this specific purpose need to be trained in order to maintain their physical and mental health, but also to minimize the risks for the people that are involved. Most studies within this research area are focused on the positive effects on the patients and less on the effects on the animals.

Ossification of the collateral cartilages of the distal phalanx has been studied primarily in cold blooded horses. The clinical relevance of this condition is unknown. Despite this fact, since 1939, all Swedish Ardenner stallions have had to be classified as being free from this ossification to be approved for breeding. Initially, palpation was used as a diagnostic method, but since 1982 radiology has been the only method used. The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of 68 years of breeding program. Dorsopalmar radiographs were taken of the front feet of 58 Ardenners (30 mares, 8 geldings and 20 stallions) and the ossification of the collateral cartilages was evaluated and graded according to three different scales; - Ruohoniemi (grade 0-5), - Swedish University of Agricultural Science (grade 0-3), - and a new scale (grade 0-3), developed for this study.

The trotting in Sweden has a good reputation in an international view, both in the perspective of success and how the sport is managed with focus on security, animal protection and animal welfare. A large number of equipment details are fitted on the horses during training and competition. The Swedish law of prevention of cruelty to animals regulate training and competition with racehorses, and propose to protect horses from unnecessary suffering. The equipment permitted in races is regulated in Tävlingsreglementet (The Regulation of Competititon) and in the regulations of equipment, that the Nordic Regulation Committee and Nordic Animal Welfare Committee have worked out. Due to training and competition the equipment must even meet the Swedish law of prevention of cruelty to animals. However, the behaviour or the senses of the horses is often affected by the equipment due to the way the equipment corrects, modifies, restrains or reduces the behaviour of the horse, which may cause the horse stress or discomfort.

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.