Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Intraocular Pressure Changes In Equine Athletes During Endurance Competitions, Rachel A. Allbaugh, Susan M. Keil, Zhining Ou, Nora M. Bello

Rachel A. Allbaugh

Objective To assess intraocular pressure (IOP) in conditioned equine athletes and document changes with exercise. A secondary objective was to assess associations between IOP and heart rate, as well as with other subjective physical parameters.

Sample Population Horses were evaluated during 50 mile endurance ride competitions. Data were collected on 69 horses during 5 different competitions at 3 different locations with 59 horses ridden once, 9 horses ridden in two competitions, and 1 horse ridden in three competitions for a total of 80 horse-ride combinations.

Procedures Intraocular pressure was measured using a TonoVet® tonometer in both eyes of each horse …

Linking Social Behavior And Stress Physiology In Feral Mares (Equus Caballus): Group Transfers Elevate Fecal Cortisol Levels, Cassandra M.V. Nuñez, James S. Adelman, Jessica Smith, Laurence Gesquiere, Daniel I. Rubenstein

Cassandra M.V. Nuñez

Feral horses (Equus caballus) have a complex social structure, the stability of which is important to their overall health. Behavioral and demographic research has shown that decreases in group (or band) stability reduce female fitness, but the potential effects on the physiological stress response have not been demonstrated. To fully understand how band stability affects group-member fitness, we need to understand not only behavioral and demographic, but also physiological consequences of decreases to that stability. We studied group changes in feral mares (an activity that induces instability, including both male and female aggression) on Shackleford Banks, NC. We found that …

Linking Social Environment And Stress Physiology In Feral Mares (Equus Caballus): Group Transfers Elevate Fecal Cortisol Levels, Cassandra M.V. Nuñez, James S. Adelman, Jessica Smith, Laurence R. Gesquiere, Daniel I. Rubenstein

Cassandra M.V. Nuñez

Feral horses (Equus caballus) have a complex social structure, the stability of which is important to their overall health. Behavioral and demographic research has shown that decreases in group (or band) stability reduce female fitness, but the potential effects on the physiological stress response have not been demonstrated. To fully understand how band stability affects group-member fitness, we need to understand not only behavioral and demographic, but also physiological consequences of decreases to that stability. We studied group changes in feral mares (an activity that induces instability, including both male and female aggression) on Shackleford Banks, NC. We found that …