Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2020
Abstract
In the Nordic countries, permanent outdoor housing of horses in winter is gaining popularity. This practice will expose the horses to harsh weather conditions. However, horses that are kept indoors at night and turned out in the cold during daytime also experience thermoregulatory challenges. With emphasis on the special challenges in a Nordic climate, this paper aims to increase the understanding of thermoregulation in horses, and ultimately to improve management practices. First, factors related to the environment and the mechanisms of heat exchange are summarised, thereafter the factors related to the horse, such as anatomy and physiological mechanisms which are important for balancing heat gain and heat loss. Human utility of horses and management practices such as clipping, the use of rugs, and provision of shelter are discussed in the light of thermoregulation in horses. The management and care for horses should take into account the principles of thermoregulation and mechanisms of heat loss and gain, and horses should be given a freedom of choice to cope with changing weather conditions. This should include space for movement, protection from sunshine, precipitation and wind, dry bedding, and appropriate feeding. Several studies indicate that the combination of cold rain and wind is a very demanding weather type, not just very low ambient temperatures. A shelter offers the horse protection from wind, precipitation and radiation which it can use when needed, and is therefore a more flexible management solution than a rug, especially when weather conditions change rapidly. In inclement weather, a rug may be a useful supplement. Too many horse owners clip their horse, which often necessitates the use of rugs on a regular basis. More knowledge is needed on how to best manage sport horses, especially when being sweaty after exercise in winter, to ensure good welfare.
Abstract
Horse owners may lack knowledge about natural thermoregulation mechanisms in horses. Horses are managed intensively; usually stabled at night and turned out during the day. Some are clipped and many wear a blanket, practices which reduce the horse's ability to regulate heat dissipation. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between hair coat characteristics, body condition and infrared surface temperatures from different body parts of horses. Under standard conditions, the body surface temperature of 21 adult horses were investigated using infrared thermography. From several readings on the same body part, a mean temperature was calculated for each body part per horse. Detailed information on horse breed, age, management and body condition was collected. Hair coat samples were also taken for analyses. A mixed statistical model was applied. Warmblood horse types (WB) had lower hair coat sample weights and shorter hair length than coldblood horse types (CB). The highest radiant surface temperatures were found at the chest 22.5 ± 0.9 °C and shoulders 20.4 ± 1.1 °C and WB horses had significantly higher surface temperatures than CB horses on the rump (P < 0.05). Horses with a higher hair coat sample weight had a lower surface temperature (P < 0.001) and hind hooves with iron shoes had a significant lower surface temperature than unshod hind hooves (P = 0.03). In conclusion, individual assessment of radiant surface temperature using infrared thermography might be a promising tool to gather data on heat loss from the horses' body. Such data may be important for management advice, as the results showed individual differences in hair coat characteristics and body condition in horses of similar breeds.
Authors
Håvard Steinshamn Inga Marie Aasen Sokratis Ptochos Caroline Chylinski Berit Marie Blomstrand Kristin SørheimAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Kristin Sørheim Berit Marie Blomstrand Juni Rosann E. Johanssen Inga Marie Aasen Håvard Steinshamn Heidi L EnemarkAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Kristin Sørheim Berit Marie Blomstrand Juni Rosann E. Johanssen Inga Marie Aasen Håvard Steinshamn Heidi L EnemarkAbstract
Coccidiosis is a serious disease caused by Eimeria spp. in young lambs in Norway. Re-sistance against anticoccidial chemicals has been demonstrated in conventional sheep farm-ing. In organic farming we are looking for natural plant sources to increase animal health and welfare. Condensed tannins (CT) have showed effect against coccidia in several trials. Extract from Norwegian spruce bark (Picea abies), a waste product from the wood industry, was shown to contain CT in a Norwegian study. In our trial we tested the effect of bark extract from Norwegian spruce against Eimeria spp in young lambs. The extract was prepared by hot water extraction followed by evaporation and freeze drying. 24 naïve lambs were randomly grouped, 16 of them were inoculated with 100 000 Eimeria oocysts each for three days at 3 weeks of age, and eight of the 16 were treated with bark extract for 12 successive days post infection. The CTg per lamb per day correspond to 0.05% BMW. A control group of eight lambs was not infected or treated. Individually faeces samples were collected and analysed for faecal score and oocysts. Clinically observations and weight gain were measured. In this trial the bark extract was found to have a significant effect on the development of Eime-ria spp. oocysts in the lambs (p<0,001). The extract was given by a stomach tube, and had a negative effect on the lambs appetite as long as it was administered.
Authors
Gillian Butler Carsten Malisch Elisabet Nadeau Anna Woodhouse Bjørn Egil Flø Tomasz Sakowski Flaviana Gottardo Giorgia Riuzzi Hannah Davis Håvard SteinshamnAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Mountain grazing conditions represent a constraint on lamb growth performance for various reasons. One approach to counteract these effects is to graze lambs on improved pastures. We tested the effects of grazing ewes and/or their lambs on established grass-clover (GCM), chicory alone (CHA), and grassclover-chicory (GCC) stands on spring (Exp.1) and summer (Exp.2) pastures on lamb performance. We hypothesized that CHA and GCC would sustain higher spring and autumn daily gain of lambs compared with GCM. In Exp.1, 12 twin-rearing ewes together with their 24 lambs were randomly allocated into three sward types replicated twice (n=2 ewes, 4 lambs/replicate) and monitored for 25 d before sending to mountain pasture. In Exp.2, 24 weaned lambs from the mountain pasture were again randomly allocated to one of the above pasture types and grazed for 28 d. We observed differences in chemical composition and estimated energy values between swards containing chicory and GCM swards. However, these did not affect lamb performance during both experiments, contrary to our previous findings, suggesting that grazing sheep either selected against chicory, or the observed differences in chemical composition among sward types were not strong enough to influence performance, or a combination of the two possible effects
Authors
Veronika Maurer Spiridoula Athanasiadou Catherine Experton Florian Leiber Håvard Steinshamn Lucius TammAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
A Schmitt I Pertot V Verrastro Jakob Magid B Moeskops K Möller Spiridoula Athanasiadou C Experton Håvard Steinshamn F Leiber Veronika Maurer EK Bunemann J Herforth-Rahme Lucius TammAbstract
No abstract has been registered