Egg binding in a cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus).

A 6-year-old cockatiel was diagnosed with egg binding based on clinical signs, physical examination findings, radiographs, and lack of oviposition. Medical management failed to induce oviposition, and surgical salpingotomy was used to remove the egg from the oviduct. Sterile egg yolk peritonitis was diagnosed based on histology. Postoperative management with leuprolide acetate and husbandary changes successfully prevented egg production for at least 2.5 months after the event.     

A fluoroscopic study of the position and action of different bits in the horse's mouth

Fluoroscopy was used to visualize the position and movements of different types of bits within the horse's oral cavity. The jointed eggbutt snaffle normally lay between the tongue and palate with the joint hanging down toward the incisor teeth. By arching and elevating the tongue the horse was able to raise the mouthpiece between the cheekteeth. The jointed mouthpiece was suspended in a more horizontal position when keepers were used with a cheek snaffle to fix the position of the bit rings relative to the cheekpieces of the bridle. In addition, the mobility of the bit within the oral cavity was reduced by using keepers. Similarly less intra-oral movement was observed in bits with an unjointed mouthpiece.The Dr. Bristol bit, which has two joints connected by an angled plate, could be attached to the bridle in two ways so that the plate lay either parallel to the tongue and palate or perpendicular to them. This would be expected to have a marked effect on the severity of action of the bit. The high tongue port of the Hannoverian pelham pressed against the palate when the reins were used, causing considerable discomfort.     

Horses,saddles and riders: Applying the science

An enthusiastic crowd of 400 people gathered at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, UK on 29 November 2014 for the second International Saddle Research Trust Conference on the theme of Horses, Saddles and Riders: Applying the Science. The conference was organised under the auspices of the Saddle Research Trust (SRT) which is a charitable organisation based in the UK established with the intention of stimulating and supporting research into the influence of saddles on the welfare, performance and safety of horses and riders using objective scientific methods. The SRT aims to provide a coordinated, focused approach to research in these areas, to facilitate publication of the findings in scientific journals and dissemination of the results to the equestrian world. This approach allows the SRT to act as a link between research, education and the industry. The trust supports research into all aspects of the interaction between the horse, saddle and rider. Areas of specific recent interest include studying welfare, performance and safety issues related to the use of a saddle, the role of the saddle in equine and human back problems, characterising behavioural issues of horses associated with saddle‐related discomfort, assessing the effects of saddle design on rider performance and health and designing saddles for disabled riders. Further information about the SRT is available on the website www.saddleresearchtrust.com . Sponsors of the conference were World Horse Welfare, a practical and forward‐thinking charity that believes in using scientific evidence to help guide its work, Amerigo saddlers, a company that advocates research as a basis for improving product design, the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) and Horse and Hound.