Relationship between stable management practices and ocular disease in horses

Abstract

Summary Background Ocular diseases are common in horses and their occurrence is frequently associated with trauma. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate how stable management practices, such as environment, feeding or use of fly masks, are related to the development of eye diseases, primarily corneal ulceration, in horses. Study design A survey of horse owners in the state of North Carolina was conducted and owners were asked how they managed their horses and the types of eye diseases the horses experienced. Methods Data collected included the primary environment of the horse (stable or pasture), type and method of feeding of hay, use of fly masks and eye diseases that the horses have developed. Correlations between management practices and eye disease were then performed. Results Of 446 horses, 161 (36% of total) had been diagnosed with a corneal ulcer, 44 (10%) had multiple occurrences of corneal ulcers, 65 [15%] horses had uveitis and 15 (3%) had immune‐mediated keratitis. Horses that were kept at pasture exclusively were significantly less likely to have had a corneal ulcer than horses kept in a combination of pasture and stalls ( p = 0.04). Horses that wore the fly masks year‐round ( p < 0.0001) and wore fly masks in both the pasture and stall ( p = 0.01) were significantly more likely to have been diagnosed with multiple occurrences of corneal ulcers. There was no significant correlation between types of hay ( p = 0.59) or how hay was fed ( p = 0.49) with the occurrence of corneal ulceration or other ocular diseases. Main limitations Results were based on horse owner responses and not medical professionals. Conclusions Horses kept primarily at pasture have fewer ocular diseases, likely because they sustain less ocular trauma compared to horses kept in stables. How hay is fed does not correlate with the incidence of corneal or other ocular disease.