Winter has well and truly set in – 2024 has started with some fairly unpleasant weather, and my big grey part-Thoroughbred looks a lot like a polar bear despite being wrapped up warm! I hope you all had a lovely holiday season and saw the new year in with style (I played board games with my family and went to bed at quarter past midnight).
Throughout the winter months, many horses are kept stabled overnight. This can help maintain fields (especially during wet weather!), but it can also limit the horse's natural foraging behaviours (Bradshaw-Wiley and Randle, 2023). Rosa Verwijs discusses the nutritional and behavioural needs for forage in the equine diet, along with how the presentation of forage and hard feed can impact behaviour (P26). This review also covers the potential links between diet, gastrointestinal disorders and behaviour, such as stereotypic behaviours like crib-biting and weaving.
Stabling horses can also affect their respiratory systems as a result of the increased dust levels. Equine asthma has previously gone by many names, including recurrent airway obstruction, and is found in horses across the globe (Klier et al, 2022). If left untreated, it can significantly affect the horse's quality of life – potential treatment options such as glucocorticosteroids and environmental management are examined by Lauren Holley in this comprehensive review of novel developments in the field of equine asthma (P6). Potential future treatments including nebulised lidocaine and immunomodulatory therapies involving the use of mesenchymal stem cells are also highlighted.
Laminitis is a known problem across the equine population. Nora Grenager provides an extensive insight into hyperinsulinaemia-associated laminitis (P14), which is the most common form of laminitis seen in equine practice (Rumfola et al, 2022). This condition can be devastating, but if caught early enough and managed well, the horse can still have a long and comfortable working life. Prevention is often better than the cure, and this article provides points that both owners and veterinarians should be aware of in high-risk horses – these include a diagnosis of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, abnormal hoof growth and documented insulin dysregulation.
Navicular syndrome is another condition which is frequently seen in equine practice. Diagnostic imaging plays a key role in confirming the presence of disease of the navicular bone, with radiography being the most commonly used imagine modality. Frances Hinkle and Myra Barrett's clinical review of how to image the foot when investigating for navicular issues (P35) provides information on the normal appearance of this structure, as well as commonly seen issues which may cause lameness. This article is particularly beneficial because of the multiple labelled imaging examples provided.
This issue is full of useful information for all veterinarians, and is an excellent start to the year – if there is anything you would like to see more of from UK-Vet Equine, please feel free to email me at gillian.davies@markallengroup.com. Happy new year from me and the rest of the UK-Vet team!