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Study: Though Gnarly-Looking, Orbital Fractures In Horses Often Heal Well

A horse with a broken orbital bone can be a sight to behold – the horse's head is often massively swollen and he may be unable to open the eye on the affected side. It can be impossible to imagine a horse with this type of injury ever being able to go back to “normal,” but a study has shown that most horses with occipital fractures have a good prognosis for both retaining their sight and returning to work.

A study from North Carolina University, led by Dr. Joseph Gerding, used 18 horses referred to the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine clinic for orbital fractures. The horses were injured by rearing in a confined area, running into a stationary object, or by being kicked. Fifteen of the horses had surgery to stabilize the bone.

Horses that had received kicks to the occipital bone had higher risk of trauma to the eye, vision loss or eye removal. Horses with this type of injury also had a likelihood of having fractures in other bones as well, possibly involving the sinuses and creating a massive nosebleed. If other bones were involved, the favorable outcome from occipital bone surgery becomes more guarded.

Horses that were injured from rearing may have additional complications that require more aggressive treatment. Sinus and skull X-rays and CT scans can help diagnose orbital fractures and assess if any other bones are involved.

The study team found that surgery to stabilize a broken occipital bone was often successful in restoring function and appearance, as 13 of the 18 study horses returned to their previous level of use.

A Different Point Of View: Mask Recreates Equine Vision

It's easy to get frustrated when a horse spooks at something he's seen literally hundreds of times, but it's important to remember that equine vision is drastically different from human sight.

As humans, it's often hard to see things from a perspective other than our own – including the optics of other species. A new tool created by Alan Hook, who works in the School of Communication and Media at Ulster University in Ireland, is designed to raise consciousness about communication between humans and horses. Hook hopes the device will promote awareness, empathy and non-violence for animals that process the world differently than humans.

Hook purchased a mask from Etsy and added two 180-degree, high-definition cameras placed where a horse's eyes sit on its skull. These cameras allow for a nearly 360-degree field of vision (horses cannot see directly behind them) and remove red from the images being displayed, mimicking a horse's dichromatic vision.

The mask wearer is often disconcerted by the wide range of vision when they first put on the mask. Hook notes that if the wearer crosses his eyes, he can see forward — sort of.

There are no images available of what a person sees through the headset. Hook says this is intentional to encourage people to try on the headset and experience how a horse sees. A wireless version of the headset should be available in July.

Hook is hopeful that this mask will assist designers in creating goods that are better designed for the species they are working with.

Read more and see the mask at HorseTalk.

The post A Different Point Of View: Mask Recreates Equine Vision appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Do Horses See Well In The Dark?

Unlike human eyesight, the equine eye is especially adapted to seeing well in the dark—that's when many predators would attack their wild ancestors. The equine eye is so well adapted that a normally sighted horse under a partial moon or bright stars can see as well as a human does in full daylight!

Horses require about 15 minutes for their vision to completely adjust between differently lit environments. This process be seen by stalled horses' reactions to having the barn lights turned on in pre-dawn hours: they squint and blink repeatedly as their eyes try to adjust.

Though it may make some riders anxious, there is no reason to restrict riding to daylight hours. Open fields and lightly wooded areas can be traversed easily in the dark. Dense woods or pitch-black nights aren't ideal, but a horse in familiar territory is just fine if the rider lets him choose his own path. Caution should be taken when leading a horse out of a brightly lit barn to ride—his eyes need time to adjust, so starting slowly and remaining on known paths at the beginning of the ride is a must.

Understanding Equine Perception May Be Key To Training And Welfare

Understanding how a horse uses his five sense to perceive stimuli can be key to his training and horse-human interactions.

Drs. Maria Vilain Rørvang, Birte Nielsen and Andrew McLean reviewed more than 180 studies that investigated equine vision, smell, taste, hearing and touch, and how information about the horse's environment is perceived. Though horses and humans have the same sensory modalities, how the information gathered from them are perceived can be drastically different.

Understanding how a horse perceives sensory information is key since sensory ability, perception and behavior are closely linked. The researchers determined that horses have a highly developed sense of smell; in some cases, their hearing is better than humans. Additionally, horses have a wider field of vision that people, but they see similarly to humans who are red and green colorblind.

The scientists concluded horses perceive the world in the following ways:

Vision

A horse's vision is adapted for detection of and escape from predators; they have a wide focus that allows them only a small blind spot directly behind them. Horses do not have good acuity, and will lift, lower or tilt their head and neck to focus on an object. Horses also have good vision in low light, seeing details better on cloudy days than during bright, sunny days.

Hearing

Equine ears can pivot toward sounds to enhance their hearing. While larger animals tend to hear lower frequencies well, horses are the exception; the lowest frequency detectable by horses is higher than the lowest sound a human can hear. Conversely, horses can hear higher frequencies than humans can. Horses can also recognize people from vocal cues even if they can't see them.

Smell

Little research has been done on horse's sense of smell. Horses have distinct odor profiles; similar profiles can shape a horse's response for interactions with other horses that have a similar smell. The research team notes that a horse's sense of smell could be exploited to draw the horse to certain locations, limiting the need to manually move horses. Additionally, riding in or around areas where a horse might encounter the smell of a predator may pose a safety risk to the rider.

Taste

Horses rarely breathe through their mouth, so it is unclear if horses can differentiate odor and taste from flavor, like humans. Horses can detect sweet, sour, salty and bitter; it is not known if they can detect umami (savory).

Touch

Horses are sensitive to touch; this sense is the main mode of communication between a horse and human, whether riding or handling. Horses are most sensitive around their eyes, nose and mouth; other areas of the body vary in their sensitivity, with the neck, withers, flank, shoulders and back of the pastern generally being the most sensitive.

The study team suggests that tactile stimulation be used with caution, especially when there is force applied, like during twitching. Future studies may investigate how a horse's age, breed, personality and experience may influence how touch is perceived.

The trio conclude that identifying specific sensory reactions in horses may be a way to optimize management and training to improve equine health and welfare.