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Larva
A larva is the immature, post-embryonic stage of an insect that has hatched from an egg but has not yet undergone metamorphosis into the pupal or adult form. In entomological terms, larvae are the feeding stage of holometabolous insects, those undergoing complete metamorphosis, and differ from the adult in body form, diet, and habitat. In…
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Parasite
A parasite is any organism that lives on or within a host organism and derives nutrients or shelter at the host’s expense, typically causing some degree of harm. Equine parasites are divided into ectoparasites (living on the body surface) and endoparasites (living internally). The most clinically significant internal parasites of horses are strongyles (large and…
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Progenitor
A progenitor is a founding ancestor whose genetic contribution persists substantially in the animals that follow. In horse breeding, the term refers to early individuals, stallions or mares, whose descendants define a breed, family, or bloodline. Three imported Arabian stallions (the Byerley Turk, Darley Arabian, and Godolphin Arabian) are the progenitors of the Thoroughbred breed;…
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Infest: Definition in Equine Parasite Management
To infest is to attack, overrun, or establish a large-scale parasitic presence on or within a host organism or its environment. The term is applied to macroscopic parasites, ectoparasites living on the body surface and endoparasites residing in body cavities or tissues, whereas the parallel term microscopic pathogens that infect is reserved for microscopic pathogens…
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Lesion
A lesion is any localized region of tissue that has undergone pathological change, in structure, composition, or function, as a result of disease, injury, or a developmental abnormality. The term is used broadly across veterinary and medical disciplines to describe virtually any discrete abnormality found during physical examination, diagnostic imaging, biopsy, or post-mortem evaluation. In…
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Immunity in Horses: Innate, Adaptive, and Passive Defense
Immunity is the physiological state in which an organism resists or overcomes infection by a specific pathogen. In horses it is divided into two broad systems that operate in parallel. Innate immunity is the rapid, non-specific first line of defense: physical barriers such as intact skin and mucous membranes, phagocytic cells (neutrophils and macrophages) that…
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Infect: Definition in Equine Medicine
To infect is to introduce a viable microorganism, bacterium, virus, fungus, or parasite, into a host in sufficient quantity that it establishes itself, replicates, and produces a pathological response. The process begins with entry: respiratory pathogens such as equine influenza virus and Streptococcus equi (strangles) enter via inhalation of aerosolized droplets; gastrointestinal organisms such as…
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Jielin Horse Breed
The Jielin horse is an indigenous Chinese breed known for a larger, more powerfully built frame than most other native Chinese horse types. Developed in north-eastern China , the region broadly associated with what is now Jilin Province , it reflects centuries of selection for agricultural draught and transport under the cold continental climate of…
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Jianchang Horse Breed
The Jianchang horse is a small local breed originating in the Jianchang basin of the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, south-western China. It belongs to a group of Chinese mountain horse types whose compact conformation and strong, well-formed the notably hard feet that define mountain suitability reflect centuries of selection for use on precipitous…
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Jabe Horse Breed
The Jabe (also spelled Zhabe or Jaby) is one of the principal subtypes within the broader one of the principal subtypes of the Kazakh breed breed, alongside the Adaev and Dzhabe. It was developed by nomadic pastoralists on the cold semi-arid steppes of Central Asia , principally in what is now Kazakhstan , as a…