Welcome back everyone to another edition of the Equine Science News blog, I hope all of you and your equines are healthy. This week obesity, equine metritis and horse dung have all featured in the news, but first I’m going to discuss equine welfare in the US.

The American Horse Council (AHC) have created a new national welfare code looking at the obligations of horse organisations to equine care. So far some of the large equestrian organisations in the United States, including the American Association of Equine Practitioners and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, have endorsed the welfare code.

The AHC firmly believes in the importance of equine safety and welfare and according to Horsetalk.co.nz, the “code outlines in general terms what it means for an organisation to be committed to the responsible breeding, training, care, use enjoyment, transport and retirement of horses.”

The code comes after the AHC’s National Issues Forum last summer when representatives from many of the country’s equine groups outlined their own research and commitment to horse welfare. The aim of the code is to show both the public and also the media, that the equestrian community puts their horses first and that the industry as a whole is working together to improve horse welfare. The president of the AHC is hoping that as many equestrian organisations as possible will sign up to the welfare code.

Moving now to another welfare topic, most horse lovers can clearly recognise when a horse is looking underweight and know when to report such cruelty to their local welfare authority. However the World Horse Welfare (WHW) is now concerned about the opposite crisis – obese and overfed horses.

The World Horse Welfare have released new research which found that in the UK more than half of the people they survived could not recognise an overweight horse or if they did, they did not understand the serious health implications to the animal. Conversely, more than 75% of people believed that being underweight was a threat to the horse.

This isn’t the only alarming find. The charity also found that between 35-45% of all UK horses are believed to be overweight or even obese.

WHW’s Chief Executive has expressed his concern: “Despite wide spread media coverage of both human and pet obesity; we appear as a nation to be blind to this issue...many people are unable to appreciate what an overweight horse looks like and the grave health risks they face.”

He went on to add that “[w]e are literally killing our horses with kindness.”

Carrying excess weight can cause our equine companions to suffer from laminitis, heart and lung problems and even a condition similar to diabetes in humans.

WHW have a dedicated section on their website about how to help your own horse lose weight or what to do if you see an obese equine, as well as a You Tube video on their website. The video has the shocking story about a Shetland pony who was found grossly overweight and has now lost 10 stones of weight, thanks to WHW’s interference and I’d encourage all horse lovers to watch it to learn more about equine obesity. Any concerned owners are encouraged to speak to their local welfare charity for advice.

One more quick UK story now. According to Horse & Hound, Defra have confirmed that a yard in Buckinghamshire, UK is in quarantine after one of their horses has been found to have the disease contagious equine metritis (CEM).

CEM can cause infertility in mares, causing them to abort their foals, and is a notifiable disease. Earlier this year it caused havoc in the United States, bringing the breeding industry to a standstill after 711 horses, in 46 states, where either found to have CEM or have been in contact with an infected horse.

Finally, researchers on both sides of the Atlantic have discovered that it is best to store horse dung in refrigerators whilst waiting to carry out a faecal egg count.

Scientists from Denmark & the US carried out a study looking at the effects of temperature, time and air-exposure on egg counts from horses’ droppings. Their results suggested that keeping the samples in the fridge did not affect the egg count, but that storage in a freezer or incubator did cause a significant reduction in egg numbers.

Now it’s time for this week’s trivia question and today it’s a true or false one.

Horses do not suffer with leukaemia.
True or False?

Click here to visit my personal profile page and find out.