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Open research questions in Veterinary Equine Medical Research

416 gap statements mined from Veterinary Equine Medical Research papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 2,520 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The lack of structured surveillance and reporting of congenital central nervous system malformations in cattle. The low economic value of affected calves, which can lead to underreporting. The need for post-mortem confirmation of congenital spinal cord malformations.

    Congenital central nervous system malformations in piedmontese calves—part 2. structural spinal cord disorders · 2026 · DOI

  • Clinical performance requires evaluation in living horses. Further studies could investigate the use of DT and DTA in other joints or species.

    Evaluation of Digital Tomosynthesis for Detecting Articular Cartilage Lesions in Equine Distal Interphalangeal and Metacarpophalangeal Joints: Comparison with Computed Tomography Arthrography · 2026 · DOI

  • Maternal care has been characterised in feral horses by assessing these behaviours, although a robust, validated system to quantify MCS has not been established.

    Prospective categorisation of maternal care style in Thoroughbred broodmares · 2026 · DOI

  • In individually housed horses, environmental enrichment is widely applied, yet its contribution to behavioural expression associated with positive welfare and the temporal organisation of behaviour remains insufficiently understood.

    Straw-enriched bedding enhances behavioural indicators of positive welfare but not behavioural synchrony in individually housed horses · 2026 · DOI

  • While several studies have examined the effects of bedding materials on equine recumbent behaviour in stabled horses, the role of bedding comfort in shaping resting and recumbent behaviours remains poorly understood.

    Greater bedding depth increases lying and sleep‑related behaviour in stabled horses · 2026 · DOI

  • Urinalysis is a valuable, non-invasive method for evaluating renal function, yet data on donkey urinary parameters remain scarce.

    Urine sediment characterisation in physically healthy adult jennies (Equus asinus). A cross-sectional study · 2026 · DOI

  • In horses, PAS has been measured only from the right parasternal short-axis view, while the influence of alternative imaging windows remains unknown.

    Left and right-side echocardiographic measurement of pulmonary artery stiffness in thoroughbred racehorses · 2026 · DOI

  • Studies on equine health and athletic performance parameters are scarce, especially involving molecular markers.

    miRNAS and target genes are regulated post-training in quarter horse athletes · 2026 · DOI

  • Current studies on the health status of young German Warmblood stallions are lacking.

    Radiographic findings of candidate stallions presented for licensing at all German Warmblood horse-breeding associations in 2018–2020 · 2026 · DOI

  • The clinical relevance of several of these findings in clinically healthy horses remains uncertain.

    Radiographic findings of candidate stallions presented for licensing at all German Warmblood horse-breeding associations in 2018–2020 · 2026 · DOI

  • Serum mineral concentrations are key indicators of nutritional status, metabolic function and health in horses; however, contemporary reference intervals (RI) derived from large, well-characterised populations remain scarce.

    Reference intervals for serum macro- and microminerals in clinically healthy horses in Northwestern Spain: Influence of age, sex, breed and diet · 2026 · DOI

  • While sugarcane-derived polyphenols have shown microbiota-modulating properties in other species, their effects in horses remain unexplored.

    Polyphenol-rich feed material increases Anaerostipes and reduces methanogenic Archaea in the horse hindgut microbiome · 2026 · DOI

  • Although the HERDA-associated variant has been extensively studied in other disciplines, it had not been evaluated in Bull-catching Quarter Horses (QH).

    HERDA-associated variant in bull-catching (vaquejada) Brazilian Northeastern bull-catching Quarter Horses · 2026 · DOI

  • Meconium impaction is a common cause of neonatal colic in foals, yet its ultrasonographic appearance and distribution remain poorly characterized.

    Anatomical distribution of meconium detected by focused abdominal ultrasound in hospitalized healthy and sick neonatal foals · 2026 · DOI

  • The DMRT3 "gait keeper" mutation is a major determinant of locomotor patterns in horses, but its role in donkeys remains unclear.

    The “gait keeper” mutation does not influence gait scores in Pêga donkeys: a preliminary result · 2026 · DOI

  • Physiological adaptation to training in young sport horses remains incompletely characterized, particularly during standardized preparation for breeding licensing.

    The progression values of heart rate and biochemical plasma parameters during training of 3-years old warmblood stallions for breeding licensing · 2026 · DOI

  • Exercise may offer an alternative, though adiposity-exercise interactions remain unclear.

    Combined feed restriction and exercise uniquely modulate exercise-induced inflammatory responses in overweight horses · 2026 · DOI

  • Although arthroscopy and laparoscopy are minimally invasive procedures, their effects on postoperative recumbency patterns remain poorly characterized.

    Postoperative recumbency behavior in horses undergoing minimally invasive surgery · 2026 · DOI

  • Most previous research has examined the weight ratios of riders and horses in controlled experimental settings, and the existing perceptions of acceptable rider-horse unit proportions have not been investigated.

    Survey of rider and horse size proportions and associated rider perceptions · 2026 · DOI

  • This score will be beneficial for better understanding this under studied equid and could help improve hybrid welfare during training and for veterinary procedures.

    A novel behaviour-based stress score for donkey – horse hybrids during restraint · 2026 · DOI

  • Activity sensors combined with a deep neural network provided an effective approach for objective behavioural quantification, although direct measures of social behaviour could not be assessed.

    Sensor-based analysis reveals stronger behavioural synchronisation in subadult warmblood horses on summer pasture than during indoor group housing · 2026 · DOI

  • Administration of intravenous fluids prior to competition is common at major equestrian competitions, yet few studies have evaluated the benefits of this practice.

    The effect of intravenous fluids administered prior to competition: A randomized clinical trial · 2026 · DOI

  • Small pilot cohort, - Analytical limitations due to lack of validation for faecal extracts, - Inability to obtain faecal material at admission from 37.5% of colic horses, - No intestinal resection was performed in any of the included colic horses, - Sampling and analytical…

    Feasibility of Serum and Faecal Interleukin Assessment in Equine Surgical Colic: A Pilot Study · 2026 · DOI

  • Larger, clinically diverse cohorts should be studied, - Validation of faecal extract assays is necessary, - Further research on the clinical relevance of cytokines in equine…

    Feasibility of Serum and Faecal Interleukin Assessment in Equine Surgical Colic: A Pilot Study · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigation into the hereditary basis of congenital spinal cord malformations, - Identification of causative mutations…

    Congenital central nervous system malformations in piedmontese calves—part 2. structural spinal cord disorders · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Veterinary Equine Medical Research

Most recent work

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The lack of structured surveillance and reporting of congenital central nervous system malformations in cattle (“Congenital central nervous system malformations in piedmontese calves—part 2.”, 2026); (2) Further studies could investigate the use of DT and DTA in other joints or species (“Evaluation of Digital Tomosynthesis for Detecting Articular Cartilage Lesions…”, 2026); (3) Maternal care has been characterised in feral horses by assessing these behaviours, although a robust, validated system to quantify MCS has not been established (“Prospective categorisation of maternal care style in Thoroughbred broodmares”, 2026); (4) In individually housed horses, environmental enrichment is widely applied, yet its contribution to behavioural expression associated with positive welfare and the temporal organisation of behaviour remains insufficiently understood (“Straw-enriched bedding enhances behavioural indicators of positive welfare but…”, 2026); (5) While several studies have examined the effects of bedding materials on equine recumbent behaviour in stabled horses, the role of bedding comfort in shaping resting and recumbent behaviours remains poorly understood (“Greater bedding depth increases lying and sleep‑related behaviour in stabled…”, 2026). 416 gap statements have been mined from Veterinary Equine Medical Research papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 2,520 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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