Recognizing Variations Among Breeds

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来自 University of California, Davis 的课程

Equine Welfare and Management

3 个评分

University of California, Davis

Equine Welfare and Management

3 个评分

This unique course was developed by veterinarians at the world-renowned University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. The course will address horsemanship from a welfare perspective, within the context of “The Five Freedoms” of animal welfare. We’ll explore equine physiology, behavior and basic needs including housing, nutrition, hygiene and disease management. You’ll learn how to perform basic tasks to assess the overall condition of the horse and identify problem areas. We’ll also examine the specialized needs of the equine athlete and the major responsibilities we as owners, handlers or competitors must assume in order to ensure the health and welfare of our equine companions. Finally, we’ll look several special topics in equine welfare including disaster planning and the international welfare efforts now in place to protect working horses and other equids in key industries such as racing, international competition, tourism and even mining. By the conclusion of the course, you will be well equipped to develop a comprehensive welfare plan for any horses in your care.

从本节课中

The Normal Horse: Basic Physiology

In this module, you will be able to identify the parameters of normal health in a horse. You will be able to measure a horse’s vital signs, including temperature, pulse, and capillary refill time, or CRT. You will be able recognize ranges of what are considered normal vital signs for the species, breed and individual horse. You will be able to monitor these normals over time to detect changes and alert a veterinarian to a problem.

Introduction to the Normal Horse0:59

Recognizing a Normal, Healthy Horse2:39

Assessing Key Vital Signs8:37

Evaluating Weight and Body Conditions7:10

Recognizing Variations Among Breeds5:03

Basic Equine Anatomy and Terminology6:52

Natural and Acquired Locomotion and Gaits6:48

Hoof Physiology7:34

The Musculoskeletal System7:34

The Vision and Nervous System10:51

与讲师见面

Claudia Sonder, DVM
Emeriti Director of Equine Outreach
Center for Equine Health

Welcome back. In this lesson,

we'll take a few minutes to look at some of the major breeds of horses.

By the end of the lesson,

you should be able to recognize the categories of

horses and some of the major breeds and their uses.

Well, all horses have basic needs,

there are subtle differences in the care and handling of different breeds.

It is important to understand the characteristics of the different breeds to

properly assess the health of the horse and ensure that they are used appropriately.

Knowing the breed of a horse will help you provide

appropriate husbandry and care in meeting the health needs of the horse.

A breed may be defined as a group of horses

sharing common origins and distinctive characteristics.

Some breeds are purposely crossed to achieve certain traits for a particular use.

It's estimated that there are over 350 breeds of horses and ponies in the world today.

These breeds fall roughly into four categories including light horses,

ponies, heavy or draft horses, and feral horses.

Horse and Pony breeds are characterized by size, build, and use.

Size is measured from the ground to the withers

in hands which are equivalent to four inches.

The use of the hand as a measurement dates back to ancient Egypt and

became standardized in 1541 by King Henry VIII.

Hands remain the standard for measuring horses and ponies in English speaking countries,

while international competition now measures height in centimeters.

Light horse breeds include horses that measure 14.2 to

17 hands high and are used primarily for riding, driving, or racing.

These breeds are capable of higher speed than

Draft breeds and are generally leaner in build.

Some light horses however,

can be heavily muscled,

most weigh under 1500 pounds.

Within the light horse breeds there are significant variations.

Arabian's for instance are known for their high energy and endurance,

while quarter horses have a reputation for

being great family horses and good on the trail.

Morgan horses are an early American breed

and are multi-purpose riding and driving horses.

Thoroughbreds are used primarily for racing and sport horse competition.

Light breed horses differ widely in their nutritional needs because of the varied uses.

Again, it is important to understand

the breed in order to provide the best possible care.

On one end of the spectrum,

the heavy or draft horse breeds stand 14.2 to over 17 hands tall,

it can weigh 1,500 pounds or more.

They were bred primarily for farm work especially,

to pull heavy loads and plow fields.

Today, they are cross-bred with light horse breeds which

has produced the popular warmblood crosses used for riding in competition.

Belgians are perhaps the most common of

the draft horses and they are still used in farm work.

Clydesdales are showy carriage horses with long white hair or feathers on their legs,

and are the iconic horses of the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company.

Percherons have their origin as warhorses but are now quite versatile.

Mature draft horses generally do better on

high fiber low energy feeds if they are not being worked intensely.

On the opposite side of the spectrum,

ponies by definition stand under 14.2 hands tall.

Pony breeds come in many shapes and temperaments.

Due to these wide variations,

ponies are used in many different activities,

and some pony breeds such as the Robust Norwegian Fjord are considered draft breeds.

Shetland ponies are refined and used for riding and driving,

and are often a first horse for children.

Connemaras are sturdy, versatile,

large ponies often used in competition by both children and adults.

Ponies generally are easy keepers,

meaning they will easily become overweight if

their dietary needs are not kept in balance with their exercise load.

They are also known to be very clever in successfully seeking extra food.

Later in the course,

we'll discuss the special situation of the feral horse group.

Next however, we'll turn our discussion to Basic Equine Physiology.

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