Horse Husbandry

Background and Aim: The quality of food, especially animal-based food, is crucial for human health. However, the quality of milk and other animal products has become an acute cause for concern in Kazakhstan . Technogenic dispersion of heavy metals (HMs) causes adverse effects on living organisms and creates unfavorable conditions for the existence of humans, animals, and plants. The purpose of this study was to analyze the content of several HMs in samples of soil, horse feed (hay, mixed feed, and bran), mare's milk, and manure to assess bioaccumulation and possible adverse effects on the bodies of horses. An additional purpose was to identify areas with acceptable conditions for obtaining environmentally safe horse breeding products in the agricultural zones of the Almaty region, Kazakhstan.

Materials and Methods: Samples were obtained from two farms in the Almaty region in 2020 (spring, summer, and autumn). In total, 72 soil samples were analyzed, which were taken from the upper humus horizon to the depth of the arable layer. Eighty-six samples were taken from the feed of horses. Green feed was represented by perennial and annual grasses (alsike clover, Medicago sativa, sweet yellow clover, as well as pea and oat mix). Barley and wheat bran stored in the warehouses of the farm were sampled for the research as feed supplements. The mixed feed comprised components such as maize and sunflower. In addition, 46 samples of mare's milk and 28 samples of horse manure were collected. The HM analysis was performed in the laboratory of the Kazakh-Japanese Innovation Center. The residual amounts of HMs were determined using an absorption spectrometer with a voltammetric analyzer. The content of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and arsenic (As) in all the studied samples of soil, feed, mare's milk, and manure did not exceed the threshold limit values (TLVs), suggesting that the intake of these toxic elements into the human body with food was low.

Results: The average Cd concentration was in the range of 0.29-0.31 mg/kg in soil samples and in the range of 0.20-0.27 mg/kg in feed samples. In milk, the Cd concentration varied from 0.01 to 0.02 mg/L and was lower in summer and higher in fall. The total average Cd content in horse manure was 0.1844 mg/kg. The concentration of Pb in soil samples ranged from 1.09 to 1.30 mg/kg with the lowest value in spring and the highest in fall. In the feed, the concentration of Pb varied from 0.14 to 0.76 mg/kg and in milk from 0.03 to 0.15 mg/L. The average concentrations of Hg and As in soil samples averaged 0.022 and 0.019 mg/kg, respectively, and were within the TLVs.

Conclusion: In the study areas, the calculated transition rates in the soil–feed–milk–manure system revealed that the greatest transition of HMs was observed for Pb and Cd, and a smaller migration was observed for Hg and As. The tendency of accumulation of trace elements continued in the feed.

There is a period of some 5000 years or so in the prehistory of Europe when horse populations were greatly depleted and perhaps even disappeared in many places. Before this time, during the Upper Palaeolithic, wild horses were common; after, during the Bronze Age, domestic horses were being raised and used across Europe. What happened in between is uncertain, in part because of the sketchy archaeological record. Debates continue as to the origins (the when, where and how) of Europe’s domestic horses, including whether horse husbandry dispersed only from habitats favourable to horses on the Eurasian steppes or whether there was local domestication in temperate Europe. This paper reviews the evidence for the transition from wild horses to domestic horses in Europe.

Just like cattle, sheep and pigs, horses were part of the still agrarian influenced late medieval townscapes. Written and iconographic sources as well as archaeological evidence give proof of the extensive presence of horses inside and outside the city walls and their indispensability for urban and interurban communication and mobility.
Since the thriving of European cities in the High Middle Ages, there was an increasing demand for faster and more reliable exchange services comparable with those in the Roman Empire: after the decline of the well-developed and regularly maintained Roman road network, circulation of people, goods and services had become less effective, particularly given that carriage traffic was virtually impossible on deteriorated roads. Consequently, equestrian traffic gained more importance in the medieval period, as much in long-distance travels as in shorter day’s journeys. In order to facilitate urban mobility and communication between cities, traffic policies were developed, which consisted of road works, institutionally controlled mounted courier services and provision of courier horses, as well as travel allowances and travel horses for hire. In addition, the authorities adopted decrees which regulated animal waste disposal and corpse removal to guarantee a hygienic living environment for both humans and animals. At the same time specialized systems and structures for urban horse husbandry arose, e. g. stables for mounts of the city authorities and distinguished guests; on the other side, horse rental stations for the middle class emerged in the late 15th century.
The paper displays the characteristics, capacities and limitations of urban equestrian traffic and horse husbandry in the Late Middle Ages and presents the importance and impact of the human-horse relationship in the urban environment. Pragmatic documents such as (travel) account books and legal texts were used as primary source base alongside municipal chronicles; they were analyzed using a comparative and quantitative methodology. In addition, reflections of the urban horse in material culture are also considered in order to emphasize a more dynamic dimension of the phenomenon. To conclude, the value of the urban horse either as a daily companion or as a mere commodity in medieval townscapes is discussed.

Since the thriving of European cities in the 11th century, there was an increasing demand for faster and more reliable exchange services comparable with those in the Roman Empire: After the decline of the well-developed and regularly maintained Roman road network, circulation of people, goods and services had become less effective, particularly given that carriage traffic was virtually impossible on deteriorated roads. Consequently, equestrian traffic gained more importance in the medieval period, particularly in long-distance travels. In order to facilitate mobility and communication between cities, institutionally controlled mounted courier services were promoted and courier horses provided as well as travel horses for hire – both specially trained for their purpose. Moreover, decrees were adopted which regulated animal waste disposal and corpse removal to guarantee a hygienic living environment for both humans and animals. At the same time, specialized systems and structures for horse husbandry in the urban settings arose.
The paper displays the characteristics, capacities and limitations of urban equestrian traffic and horse husbandry in the Late Middle Ages and presents the impact of the human-horse relationship in the urban environment. Pragmatic documents such as (travel) account books and legal texts were used as source base; they were analyzed using a comparative and quantitative methodology. In addition, the reflection of the urban horse in material culture was considered to emphasize a more dynamic dimension of the phenomenon. To conclude, the value of the urban horse in medieval townscapes, either as a daily companion or as a mere commodity, is discussed.

A Gallo-roman horse from the ancient site of Iwuy (“Val-de-Calvigny”, Nord, France) showed extensive lesions of severe vertebral ankylosing hyperostosis reliable to “ankylosing spondylarthritis/-osis” and “deforming spondylarthrosis”. Discussing the case gives the opportunity to a comparative and critical review of spinal hyperostosing and ankylosing diseases in horse and man.

Until March 26, 2015 :
http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1QUWA6hTLQFqp1