Characterizing hay buying and feeding practices and attitudes among Pennsylvania horse owners.

Existing data on the equine hay market and buying preferences in Pennsylvania (PA) is outdated and more recent data is needed. The objective of this project was to characterize the practices and attitudes of PA horse hay buyers. An online survey was created and distributed. It received 435 total responses (of these, 346 were complete responses) from PA horse hay buyers from October 2021 to February 2022. Data presented (descriptive statistics) represents the percentage of respondents answering that question. Most (76%) respondents were in the recreational sector of the horse industry and the majority (62%) purchased hay for 2-5 horses. Small square bales (2-string) were most commonly purchased (93%), and most respondents bought their hay exclusively by the bale (75%). The most common reasons for not purchasing large bales were not being able to transport or handle them (70%), followed by not having adequate storage (60%). Horse owners were most likely to buy hay directly from local farmers (90%) than any other source. The top three most important factors when purchasing hay were absence of mold, absence of weeds, and smell (rated "very important" by 98, 53, and 52% of respondents, respectively). Most respondents did not use hay feeders in stalls or outside (38 and 50%, respectively). Most hay buyers (63%) never have their hay analyzed for nutrient content. The data collected from this survey can help hay producers understand buying practices of horse owners and help equine nutritionists identify areas of need for horse owner education about hay.

Topical permethrin may increase blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) repellency but is associated with cutaneous irritation in horses.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety of repeated applications of permethrin concentrations (0% control, 1.5%, 5%, and 10%) to the necks and faces of horses and assess the efficacy and longevity of permethrin as an equine tick repellent. ANIMALS: 5 healthy adult Quarter Horses. PROCEDURES: Each treatment was applied to the neck of each horse (0.01 m2) 4 times a day, for up to 10 days. An 8-mm biopsy was taken to evaluate postexposure dermal responses. Any treatments that were not withdrawn were applied to a quadrant of the horse's face 4 times a day, for up to 5 days. For tick bioassays, a treatment was applied to 1 leg of a horse and 5 female blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) were evaluated as "repelled" or "not repelled" by the treatment. The bioassays were repeated up to 5 days, but treatment application took place only on the first day of the experiment. RESULTS: Histological results of neck biopsies indicated that more repeated exposures or higher concentrations resulted in more dermal damage. Tick bioassays showed that 5% and 10% permethrin had the greatest efficacy and longevity as a tick repellent, but the differences in tick repellency were not significant overall. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: While there was a nonsignificant trend of higher permethrin concentrations repelling more ticks with longer-lasting residual repellent effects, higher concentrations also produced greater skin damage after repeated exposures. These opposing findings emphasize the need for better tick prevention and control methods that balance safety and efficacy for the equine community.

A Survey of Pennsylvania Horse Management: Part Two - Exercise.

Understanding the frequency, duration, and intensity of exercise is important for determining the optimal diet and management of horses. The objective of the study was to characterize the exercise management of horses in Pennsylvania. An online survey was distributed from February 27th to August 31st, 2020. Respondents were asked to place their horse in an exercise category, as well as report on frequency and duration of exercise and time spent at each gait. Nonparametric statistics (mdn=median) and tests were used when data were not normally distributed. Of the 470 horses, 68% were regularly exercised. The exercised horses were classified as 49% (135/275) in light, 41% (113/275) in moderate, and 12% (32/275) in heavy/very heavy exercise. Of those exercised, 43% (120/278) were ridden recreationally (not used for competition). The median minutes per week spent exercising was 180 minutes (IQR=183). The average number of exercise sessions per week was 3.6 ± 2.2. Horses in heavy/very heavy (mdn=220 min, IQR=272) and moderate exercise (mdn=180 min, IQR=180) spent more minutes exercising per week compared to light exercise (mdn=120 minute, IQR=180; P< .05). Total number of exercise sessions completed per week differed between horses in light (mdn=2 sessions, IQR=3), moderate (mdn=4 sessions, IQR=2), and heavy/very heavy exercise (mdn=6 sessions, IQR=2; P < .05). Horses were exercised for a similar duration and frequency per week compared to previous studies. Some challenges exist for placing horses in NRC exercise categories based on self-reports only.

A Survey of Pennsylvania Horse Management: Part One-Nutrition.

Various aspects of nutritional management can impact both a horse's gastrointestinal (GI) health and caretaker costs. The objective of this study was to characterize the feeding management and GI issues of horses in Pennsylvania (PA). An online survey was distributed from February 27th to August 31st, 2020. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used to analyze the data. Nonparametric statistics were used when data were not normally distributed. From 470 responses collected, the average horse age was 15.7 ± 7.5 years, and the most common breeds were the Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred. Of the 345 horses who received premixed feed, 81% were fed on a volume basis. Most horses (95%) received hay on a volume basis, and 57% of horses were fed hay on the ground rather than in a feeder. No difference was detected in the number of scoops of premixed feed (median = 2; P = .284) or the flakes of hay per day (median = 5.7; P = .765) between horses in different exercise categories. The frequency of reported GI issues was 10% (46/470). Owner perceived, veterinary perceived, and veterinary diagnosed ulcers were found in 2.3%, 4%, and 2.3% of horses, respectively. No statistical difference was detected in the number of scoops of premixed feed fed per day between horses with or without GI issues (P = .536). Horses were provided the same amount of premixed feed and forage regardless of reported exercise category. Most equine caretakers fed concentrates on volume rather than weight, a common practice despite most feeding requirements being based on feed weights.

Extension Horses, Inc. experts act fast to create online resources to assist the horse industry during COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting stay-at-home directives, adopted out of necessity to protect human health, introduced significant challenges for horse owners and small equine businesses. Restricted access, and in many cases closure of barns, resulted in a multitude of questions and concerns within the equine community which needed to be addressed rapidly. Extension Horses, Inc. (EH) coordinated the development and delivery of a variety of educational resources utilizing a combination of online formats and dissemination through social media and EH member contact lists. A series of infographics, webinars, and podcasts (three in each category) were created to provide guidance on essential care of horses, emergency preparedness, financial assistance, legal concerns, and biosecurity during the crucial, initial weeks of the pandemic (March to April 2020). Web conferencing technology (Zoom) was used to facilitate discussion and task delegation among EH members and to conduct and record webinars and podcasts. Podcasts were hosted on Buzzsprout and infographics were created using Adobe InDesign. Live webinar participants were invited to participate in several polls during the webinar and were sent a brief survey to complete at the end of the webinar series. Analytics for all educational resources combined demonstrated a 32-d total direct reach of 135,563. Most live webinar participants identified themselves as horse owners and small equine business owners (55%). The majority of live webinar participants indicated the information was useful (99%), and they would utilize the resources they had learned about (80%). Survey respondents reported that Facebook, email, and word of mouth were key ways in which they learned about the webinars. The same survey found that the web-platform was an effective method to receive information (85% high satisfaction) and respondents were highly likely to recommend future EH webinars to others (88%). The three infographics had a total Facebook reach of 131,765, the webinars had 3,522 total views, and the three podcasts had 276 total downloads. The rapid response of EH and quick turnaround of products allowed a large online audience to receive vital information for coping with COVID-19. Having the established EH network, already familiar with virtual education, was a big asset in this effort. This can serve as a model for cooperative extension to utilize in future collaborative responses to industry issues.

Transcriptional profiling of liver in riboflavin-deficient chicken embryos explains impaired lipid utilization, energy depletion, massive hemorrhaging, and delayed feathering.

BACKGROUND: A strain of Leghorn chickens (rd/rd), unable to produce a functional riboflavin-binding protein, lays riboflavin-deficient eggs, in which all embryos suddenly die at mid-incubation (days 13-15). This malady, caused by riboflavin deficiency, leads to excessive lipid accumulation in liver, impaired ß-oxidation of lipid, and severe hypoglycemia prior to death. We have used high-density chicken microarrays for time-course transcriptional scans of liver in chicken embryos between days 9-15 during this riboflavin-deficiency-induced metabolic catastrophe. For comparison, half of rd/rd embryos (n = 16) were rescued from this calamity by injection of riboflavin just prior to incubation of fertile eggs from rd/rd hens. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between hepatic transcriptomes of riboflavin-deficient and riboflavin-rescued embryos at the first two ages (days 9 and 11). Overall, we found a 3.2-fold increase in the number of differentially expressed hepatic genes between day 13 (231 genes) and day 15 (734 genes). Higher expression of genes encoding the chicken flavoproteome was more evident in rescued- (15 genes) than in deficient-embryos (4 genes) at day 15. Diminished activity of flavin-dependent enzymes in riboflavin-deficient embryos blocks catabolism of yolk lipids, which normally serves as the predominant source of energy required for embryonic development. CONCLUSIONS: Riboflavin deficiency in mid-stage embryos leads to reduced expression of numerous genes controlling critical functions, including ß-oxidation of lipids, blood coagulation and feathering. Surprisingly, reduced expression of feather keratin 1 was found in liver of riboflavin-deficient embryos at e15, which could be related to their delayed feathering and sparse clubbed down. A large number of genes are expressed at higher levels in liver of riboflavin-deficient embryos; these up-regulated genes control lipid storage/transport, gluconeogenesis, ketogenesis, protein catabolism/ubiquitination and cell death.