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Offspring
Offspring is the general term for the young produced by an animal, encompassing all progeny regardless of sex or age. In equine contexts the term is applied broadly to refer to the horses produced by a specific dam or stallion across multiple breeding seasons. The sex-specific terms for equine offspring are foal (any newborn up…
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Hormone: Definition and Role in Equine Health
A hormone is a chemical messenger synthesized by an endocrine gland and secreted directly into the bloodstream, where it travels to target organs and regulates their activity. The term derives from the Greek word meaning “to set in motion,” accurately capturing how tiny quantities of a hormone can trigger or suppress major physiological processes far…
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Otic
Otic is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the ear. In equine veterinary medicine the term appears in compound clinical descriptors such as otic discharge, otic examination, and otic medications. Horses possess highly mobile external ear pinnae controlled by sixteen muscles, enabling approximately 180 degrees of rotation, which allows precise sound localization and serves…
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Nag
A nag is an informal or colloquial term for a horse that does not belong to a recognized or documented breed, or more broadly for any horse considered to be of inferior quality, poor condition, or advanced age. The word entered English by the fifteenth century from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German roots denoting…
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Equine
Equine is the adjective and collective noun designating all members of the genus Equus and things pertaining to them. The genus Equus includes the domestic horse (Equus caballus), the domestic donkey (Equus asinus), the mountain zebra, plains zebra, and Grevy’s zebra, the onager, and the Przewalski’s horse, the only surviving truly wild horse species. Mules…
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Iomud Horse Breed
The Iomud is an ancient light horse breed developed by the Iomud Turkmen people in the desert oases of the Karakum, particularly around the Atrek and Sumbar river valleys of southern Turkmenistan. It belongs to the same Oriental lineage as the Akhal-Teke, sharing characteristic fine skin, a sparse mane and tail, and exceptional metabolic efficiency…
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Costeno
The Costeno (also spelled Costeño) is a Peruvian criollo horse breed native to the coastal lowlands of Peru. It descends directly from Iberian horses, Andalusian, Barb, and Spanish Jennet stock, brought by Spanish colonizers in the sixteenth century and subsequently isolated in the coastal region for several hundred years. Along with the Serrano (a highland…
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Danubian Horse Breed
The Danubian is a half-bred horse originating in Bulgaria, developed primarily in the Dunav (Danube) Valley in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The breed was created by crossing Anglo-Arab stallions with local mares of Nonius descent, producing a horse suited to the agricultural demands of the region. The Danubian combines the refinement of…
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Colombian Criollo
The Colombian Criollo designates a family of horse breeds indigenous to Colombia, all descended from Iberian horses, primarily Andalusian and Barb stock, introduced by Spanish colonizers in the sixteenth century. Over nearly five centuries of isolation from European breeding, these horses adapted to the diverse climates of Colombia: the hot, humid Caribbean coast, the steep…
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Epinephrine
Epinephrine (also called adrenaline) is a catecholamine hormone and neurotransmitter synthesized and secreted by chromaffin cells in the adrenal medulla. It is released in response to perceived danger or physiological stress and is the primary effector of the acute fight-or-flight response in the horse. On release, epinephrine binds alpha- and beta-adrenergic receptors throughout the body.…