Research Article - Journal of Pathology and Disease Biology (2017) Volume 0, Issue 0

Pathologic historic mining horses from central Europe.

Early 19th century Deutsche Bund time historic mining horse skeletons were discovered in a mining road water canal nearby the deepest European iron mine west of Prague, Central Bohemia (CZ). Four different sized horse races and interbreeds of larger cold blood horses, medium-sized warm blood Przewalski breeds, but mainly smaller Tarpan breeds such as Ponies cover about six working horse types. Only a single 16 years old female Tarpan breed was buried most complete, such as one more similar old male on the top of it. Other horses were butchered into body pieces, which were fox chew damaged. Most horses died between the ages of 4-7 years due to working stress caused pathologies. The snaffle bit stressed the P2 teeth and caused irregular tooth use, placements or chewing. The thoracolumbar vertebral column was affected in nearly all cases with kissing spine syndrome, articular surface lipping, synovial intervertebral inflamed line/osteoarthritis/intertransverse processes/ankylose osteophytosis as result of permanent heavy wagon pulling. Arthritis is present in several horses’ with synostoses including lipping and nekroses of the tarsals. Very common are synostoses between metacarpi II-IV and between metatarsi II-IV, which seem to result of mining wagon pulling stress, but also of the permanent hard bandage.

Author(s): Cajus G Diedrich

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