Arabians are known for their long, arched necks, high tail sets, and dished faces. In recent years, breeders have sought an even more dished face, believing it to be even more beautiful.
Though it may be “pretty,” the smaller skull can lead to dental issues, sinus infections, and respiratory disease, reports The Horse. Treating these issues can also prove tricky as the smaller skull size leaves less room to work if surgical intervention is needed.
Dr. Endrigo Pompermayer, an equine surgeon with the Equine Veterinary Medical Center, in Al Rayyan, Doha, Qatar, noted that Arabians in particular have proportionally more head-related issues as they are bred specifically for a more-dramatically dished face.
Pompermayer and his surgical colleagues realized they were operating on more Arabians with dental disease and chronic sinusitis from overcrowded teeth than any other breed. They also determined that these surgeries were more complicated than when performed on non-Arabian horses; the structures were difficult to access, making the surgeries riskier.
Pompermayer and the other surgeons carried out a study to determine whether Straight Egyptian Arabian Horse heads were truly smaller or just seemed that way. Straight Egyptian Arabians can trace their lineage back to the Bedouin tribes of Arabia and are considered the “purest” Arabians. However, this line of Arabians has also undergone the most intense genetic selection for horse showing and has relatively high levels of inbreeding, Pompermayer noted.
The team of surgeons recorded head dimensions from 29 healthy horses that were 5 years old and older. This included 14 Thoroughbreds and 15 Straight Egyptian Arabians.
The dimensions taken included basic eye-to-eye width, muzzle circumference, and jaw width, as well as eight advanced anatomical measurements using computed tomography.
The vets discovered that the Arabians' total head length was shorter than that of Thoroughbreds' head length – particularly in relation to body size.
In particular, the researchers found shorter frontal sinuses in Arabians and that the maxillary septal bulla was set farther back. This explains why surgeons have difficulty performing the surgery needed to facilitate sinus drainage on Arabians. The team also found that the maxillary bone flaps on Arabians tended to be shorter, meaning surgeons had poorer access to the maxillary sinuses.
Read more at The Horse.
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