Hampson B A, de Laat M A, Mills P C, Walsh D M, Pollitt C C
Australian Brumby Research Unit, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia.
Aust Vet J. 2013 Jan-Feb;91(1-2):23-30. doi: 10.1111/avj.12017.
It has been proposed that the feral horse foot is a benchmark model for foot health in horses. However, the foot health of feral horses has not been formally investigated.
To investigate the foot health of Australian feral horses and determine if foot health is affected by environmental factors, such as substrate properties and distance travelled.
Twenty adult feral horses from five populations (n = 100) were investigated. Populations were selected on the basis of substrate hardness and the amount of travel typical for the population. Feet were radiographed and photographed, and digital images were surveyed by two experienced assessors blinded to each other's assessment and to the population origin. Lamellar samples from 15 feet from three populations were investigated histologically for evidence of laminitis.
There was a total of 377 gross foot abnormalities identified in 100 left forefeet. There were no abnormalities detected in three of the feet surveyed. Each population had a comparable prevalence of foot abnormalities, although the type and severity of abnormality varied among populations. Of the three populations surveyed by histopathology, the prevalence of chronic laminitis ranged between 40% and 93%.
Foot health appeared to be affected by the environment inhabited by the horses. The observed chronic laminitis may be attributable to either nutritional or traumatic causes. Given the overwhelming evidence of suboptimal foot health, it may not be appropriate for the feral horse foot to be the benchmark model for equine foot health.
有人提出野马的蹄子是马匹蹄部健康的基准模型。然而，野马的蹄部健康尚未得到正式研究。
调查澳大利亚野马的蹄部健康状况，并确定蹄部健康是否受环境因素影响，如基质特性和行走距离。
对来自五个种群的20匹成年野马（n = 100）进行了调查。种群的选择基于基质硬度和该种群典型的行走量。对蹄子进行了X光摄影和拍照，由两名经验丰富的评估人员对数字图像进行检查，他们彼此不知道对方的评估结果和种群来源。对来自三个种群的15只蹄子的板层样本进行了组织学检查，以寻找蹄叶炎的证据。
在100只左前蹄中总共发现了377处明显的蹄部异常。在所检查的蹄子中有三只未发现异常。每个种群的蹄部异常患病率相当，尽管异常的类型和严重程度在不同种群之间有所不同。在接受组织病理学检查的三个种群中，慢性蹄叶炎的患病率在40%至93%之间。
蹄部健康似乎受马匹所栖息环境的影响。观察到的慢性蹄叶炎可能归因于营养或创伤原因。鉴于蹄部健康欠佳的压倒性证据，将野马蹄子作为马类蹄部健康的基准模型可能并不合适。
