Effects of athletic conditioning on horses with degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis: a preliminary report.

Equine degenerative suspensory ligament desmitis (DSLD) is a debilitating condition that has limited response to rest and stall confinement. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that mild to moderate DSLD is not worsened by consistent exercise. Paso Fino and Peruvian Paso horses (two normal horses and four horses with DSLD) were exercised for 30 min every other day for 8 weeks and then pasture rested for 4 months.

Temporal clinical exacerbation of summer pasture-associated recurrent airway obstruction and relationship with climate and aeroallergens in horses.

Objective: To describe the seasonal pattern of clinical exacerbation of summer pasture-associated recurrent airway obstruction (SPA-RAO) in relation to climate and aeroallergens in horses.

Animals: 19 horses with SPA-RAO and 10 nonaffected horses.

Procedures: Daily examinations were performed on all horses while they were kept on pasture for 3 years.

Equine anhidrosis.

The molecular basis of the pathophysiology of anhidrosis is still not well understood. Therefore, treatments are more often based on clinical impressions than on scientific fact. Treatment options for this condition will improve only when more is known about the molecular events that cause anhidrosis, especially as they relate to beta2-receptor dysfunction and stimulus-secretion coupling in the sweat glands of affected horses.