Students in Research

Analyzing the health of two wild horse populations residing in diverse biomes in Arizona

Sydney St. Clair, College of Veterinary Medicine, Midwestern University

Wild horses have been the focus of several heated public debates for years, yet there is little quantitative data to draw from to support or contradict any intervention involving them. Published scientific research is in large part limited to studies of reproductive behavior and contraception studies, with rare papers addressing environmental impact and only a single study evaluating health of individual animals, a parasite evaluation on a herd of wild horses in Nova Scotia. In this study, we will use noninvasive methods to build health profiles on two populations of wild horses found in different environments within Arizona, which will expand the knowledge of them both as a herd and as individuals. Fecal samples will be collected to analyze different aspects of the health status of the wild horses, such as parasites, volatile fatty acids, pH, cortisol, sand content, microbiome DNA, and genomic DNA. Body condition score of the horses will also be noted for comparison over time. This unique resource provides an untapped opportunity to make a significant contribution to improve the management of the wild horses of Arizona for the benefit of the horses, humans and the environment. Additionally, a precedent may be set for health studies of wild horses in other states and countries. The ability to make our data set available to other researchers, biologists, environmental scientists, agriculturalists, veterinarians and policy makers will contribute significantly to this effort.