As you work your way through this Pop Quiz, you’ll find that each question is on its own page. The question is repeated with the corresponding answer on the following page.
Question 1 A horse’s average resting body temperature is between 100 and 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Many factors besides illness can influence the exact reading. Which of the following can affect a horse’s temperature?
a.His age b.The ambient temperature of his environment c.The time of day d.His breed
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Question 1 A horse’s average resting body temperature is between 100 and 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Many factors besides illness can influence the exact reading. Which of the following can affect a horse’s temperature?
a.His age b.The ambient temperature of his environment c.The time of day d.His breed
Answer 1A, B and C. Younger and older horses tend to run about one degree “hotter” than those who are middle-aged. Horses in a very hot climate likely will have an elevated normal temperature, while those in extremely chilly areas routinely may have a temperature one degree lower than you’d expect. A horse’s body temperature, like a person’s, is lowest in the early morning and peaks in late afternoon, although the difference is only a fraction of a degree. And although some breeds are referred to as hot-blooded or cold-blooded, a horse’s breed has no effect on his normal body temperature.
Question 2 When he’s trying your patience, you may be tempted to call your horse a pea-brain, but his brain is a bit bigger than that. Which item of produce most closely matches the size of your horse’s brain?
a.A cantaloupe b.An eggplant c.A large baking potato d.A grapefruit
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Question 2 When he’s trying your patience, you may be tempted to call your horse a pea-brain, but his brain is a bit bigger than that. Which item of produce most closely matches the size of your horse’s brain?
a.A cantaloupe b.An eggplant c.A large baking potato d.A grapefruit
Answer 2 The equine brain weights about 1 ? pounds and measures approximately 5 ? by 4 inches, making it, of the produce on our list, most similar in size to a large baking potato.
To create an even more accurate visual representation of the equine brain, you’d need to cut the potato in half lengthwise and place the two sections back together with a slight space between them to indicate the hemispheres. Then shove two spears of asparagus lengthwise between the halves, with their treelike tips just poking out of the front edges to represent the specialized sensory lobes.
Question 3 I am one of the most complex and powerful joints in a horse’s body. Technically speaking, 10 bones come together to form four joints in my region, but only one is mobile. That joint has a range of motion of nearly 160 degrees, but it is capable of little side-to-side movement. I supply the propulsion for fast starts, expressive gaits and giant leaps. As the result of my efforts and the brunt that I bear, I am a common site of arthritic changes, but in some cases my bones naturally fuse, leaving the horse pain-free. What am I?
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Question 3 I am one of the most complex and powerful joints in a horse’s body. Technically speaking, 10 bones come together to form four joints in my region, but only one is mobile. That joint has a range of motion of nearly 160 degrees, but it is capable of little side-to-side movement. I supply the propulsion for fast starts, expressive gaits and giant leaps. As the result of my efforts and the brunt that I bear, I am a common site of arthritic changes, but in some cases my bones naturally fuse, leaving the horse pain-free. What am I?
Answer 3 The hock.
Question 4 Sure, you know your windpuffs from your bog spavins. But how do you define the term osselet? Is it:
a.A small area of ossification on the interosseous ligament, more commonly known as a “splint”? b.A bony/fibrous callus that forms on the front of the pastern joint in horses that work at top speeds? c.A swelling on the back of a horse’s elbow, commonly caused by lying on hard ground? d.A rare seabird found in Norway?
Answer on next page >
Question 4 Sure, you know your windpuffs from your bog spavins. But how do you define the term osselet? Is it:
a.A small area of ossification on the interosseous ligament, more commonly known as a “splint”? b.A bony/fibrous callus that forms on the front of the pastern joint in horses that work at top speeds? c.A swelling on the back of a horse’s elbow, commonly caused by lying on hard ground? d.A rare seabird found in Norway?
Answer 4B. Osselets are life-long souvenirs of hard work at fast speed. When racehorses gallop, particularly if they have long pasterns, the fetlock joint can hyperextend until the pastern is almost parallel to the ground. When this happens, the top of the long pastern bone hammers against the lower end of the cannon bone. The resultant inflammation makes the area quite sore, but with rest, the pain subsides, leaving only a hard callus. Osselets alone will not interfere with an ex-racer’s second career, but they are often found in joints that have arthritic changes.
Question 5 Bad breath is more than an embarrassment in horses. It can be an indication of illness. Which of the following is a possible cause of halitosis in horses?
a.Not eating b.A foreign object, such as a wood splinter, lodged in the mouth c.An abscessed tooth d.Severe pneumonia
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Question 5 Bad breath is more than an embarrassment in horses. It can be an indication of illness. Which of the following is a possible cause of halitosis in horses?
a.Not eating b.A foreign object, such as a wood splinter, lodged in the mouth c.An abscessed tooth d.Severe pneumonia
Answer 5A, B, C and D. All can lead to bad breath in horses. Not eating for more than a day causes the body to break down fat and proteins for fuel; the odoriferous metabolic by-products are expelled through the lungs. Infection is the cause of bad breath when a foreign object is lodged in the mouth or a tooth develops an abscess; bacteria in the pus are the source of the smell. Finally, pneumonia can lead to bad breath as bacteria multiply in the lungs.
Question 6 Though the medical lexicon with its Greek and Latin roots is wonderfully precise to those who know it well, it can sound like a foreign language to us everyday types. The following numbered medical terms identify four rather ordinary abnormalities. Can you match them with their more plainspoken labels?
1.Epistaxis 2.Dysphagia 3.Edema 4.Bruxism
a.Difficulty swallowing b.Nosebleed c.Teeth grinding d.Soft swelling
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Question 6 Though the medical lexicon with its Greek and Latin roots is wonderfully precise to those who know it well, it can sound like a foreign language to us everyday types. The following numbered medical terms identify four rather ordinary abnormalities. Can you match them with their more plainspoken labels?
1.Epistaxis 2.Dysphagia 3.Edema 4.Bruxism
a.Difficulty swallowing b.Nosebleed c.Teeth grinding d.Soft swelling
Answer 6 1.B 2.A 3.D 4.C
Question 7 In the United States, taking the blue ribbon in a horse-show class is something to brag about, but in other countries, the top award comes in different colors. In what countries would the following colored ribbons be awarded for first place?
1.Orange 2.Red 3.Blue and yellow stripes 4.Red, white and blue stripes
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Question 7 In the United States, taking the blue ribbon in a horse-show class is something to brag about, but in other countries, the top award comes in different colors. In what countries would the following colored ribbons be awarded for first place?
1.Orange 2.Red 3.Blue and yellow stripes 4.Red, white and blue stripes
Answer 7 1.The Netherlands, where orange is the Queen’s royal color 2.Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand 3.Sweden, whose flag is blue and yellow 4.Norway, whose flag is red, white and blue
Question 8 The large, low, roundish bumps called hives can appear all over your horse’s body with alarming suddenness. Test your understanding of these wheals by answering the following true-or-false questions:
1.In clinical terms, hives are called uritcaria. 2.Hives indicate a systemic allergy, as to a food, for instance. 3.Hives themselves are harmless. 4.Antihistamine treatment is required to resolve hives.
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Question 8 The large, low, roundish bumps called hives can appear all over your horse’s body with alarming suddenness. Test your understanding of these wheals by answering the following true-or-false questions:
1.In clinical terms, hives are called uritcaria. 2.Hives indicate a systemic allergy, as to a food, for instance. 3.Hives themselves are harmless. 4.Antihistamine treatment is required to resolve hives.
Answer 8 1.True. 2.False. Hives can be a reaction to an ingested allergen or a sign of sensitivity to a topical irritant, such as a new grooming product. 3.False. On most parts of the body, hives are harmless, but large hives on the head and nose can block the airways and suffocate the horse. If your horse develops a case of hives involving his head, call your veterinarian immediately. 4.False. Many cases of hives resolve on their own within a few hours. If treatment is needed, steroids are typically better at controlling swelling in horses than antihistamines.
Question 9 Applying cooling agents to a fresh injury helps control inflammation, which ultimately aids in healing. There is, however, more to cold therapy than holding a hose over an injury site. To discover how much you know about the details of cold therapy, fill in each of the blanks with one of the following numbers: 50, 4 or 20.
1.For optimum benefit, cold therapy is best repeated at least __ times per day. 2.To avoid frostbite, limit cold therapy to __ minutes per session. 3.For effective cooling, water must be below __ degrees Fahrenheit.
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Question 9 Applying cooling agents to a fresh injury helps control inflammation, which ultimately aids in healing. There is, however, more to cold therapy than holding a hose over an injury site. To discover how much you know about the details of cold therapy, fill in each of the blanks with one of the following numbers: 50, 4 or 20.
1.For optimum benefit, cold therapy is best repeated at least __ times per day. 2.To avoid frostbite, limit cold therapy to __ minutes per session. 3.For effective cooling, water must be below __ degrees Fahrenheit.
Answer 9 1.4 2.20 3.50
Question 10 Bay, chestnut, palomino…you’re familiar enough with those equine color terms. But do you know what the following expressions and words refer to when talking about the many shades horses come in?
1.Ice tail 2.Sooty 3.Mealy 4.Albino
Answer on next page >
Question 10 Bay, chestnut, palomino…you’re familiar enough with those equine color terms. But do you know what the following expressions and words refer to when talking about the many shades horses come in?
1.Ice tail 2.Sooty 3.Mealy 4.Albino
Answer 10 1.An ice tail has hairs that are pale or white at variable distances from the root, giving the tail a “frosted” appearance. 2.A sooty horse has a particular genetic makeup that darkens his base color with black hairs interspersed throughout the coat. The effect can be seen bodywide or in specific symmetrical patterns. 3.A horse described as mealy typically has a pale tan coat along his underside and “soft” parts, such as the muzzle and flanks. Mealy coloring, which is inherited, is often seen among Haflingers. 4.This is a trick question, because true albino horses do not exist. There are white horses and cremellos and perlinos with light coats and skin, but a true albino, a genetic mutation that causes a lack of pigment in the hair, eyes and skin, has never been reported in horses.
