Newsletter June 2009

The lamellae histology of the Kaimanawa horses is still being analysed but from gross appearance there were at least 2 of the 50 horses showing signs of laminitis.

The photo adjoining shows 1 of these horses; a middle age mare that was quite lame.

I will give a more detailed case study of this mare in the months to follow.

There has been some confusion in interpretation of the Kaimanawa scientific paper abstract which was released with the last newsletter.

The conclusions section states "Contrary to popular belief, the feral horse foot type should not ideally be used as a model for the domestic horse foot."

June 2009
	NUTRITIONAL STUDY

PREVIOUS ISSUES October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009	Specimens are still away being analysed in more depth for water soluble carbohydrate content, but the basic nutritional results are back. The graph below shows a broad range of protein concentration between the 5 different feral horse environments.
		NOTES: The habitats are all in Australia and range from the tropical coast to the central Australia desert. Protein content was correlated well to body score condition which is no surprise. The paper is being written at the moment and will be distributed when completed.
	KAIMANAWA HORSE STUDY
	The lamellae histology of the Kaimanawa horses is still being analysed but from gross appearance there were at least 2 of the 50 horses showing signs of laminitis. The photo adjoining shows 1 of these horses; a middle age mare that was quite lame. I will give a more detailed case study of this mare in the months to follow. There has been some confusion in interpretation of the Kaimanawa scientific paper abstract which was released with the last newsletter. The conclusions section states "Contrary to popular belief, the feral horse foot type should not ideally be used as a model for the domestic horse foot."
	This statement when read outside of the entire text of the paper is perhaps misleading. We do not suggest that ALL feral horse feet are not good representatives of healthy feet, but that the Kaimanawa feral horse population, specifically, have suboptimal foot health and should not be viewed as ideal models. This statement is discussed in detail in the academic paper now relased which has been accepted for publication with the Australian Veterinary Journal.
	ONGOING RESEARCH
	Within the next month the team will have swapped a total of 12 brumbies between soft and hard substrate habitats and will have retrieved the first 2 mares to determine the effect of the new environment on their foot form, sole and hoof wall depth, and hoof wall growth rate. We will also have our first long term GPS tracking results back which will be interesting in terms of daily travel, watering frequencies and habitat use. I look forward to conveying those results.
	Please don't be afraid to email questions and comments about any of this work. We are developing some great contacts and learning from people who have approached us through the web site.


	Brian Hampson Postgraduate PhD scholar School of Veterinary Sciences The University of Queensland Phone:(+614 1 772 1102 International 041 772 1102 Australia or Email:

	The Australian Brumby Research Unit NEWSLETTERS