{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T04:56:55Z","timestamp":1790744215745,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"19","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790553600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Equids played a central economic and symbolic role in Iberian Iron Age society, yet little is known about their health and management during the protohistoric period. This study examines the unusually well-preserved equid assemblage from the Tartessian site of Casas del Turu\u00f1uelo (Badajoz, Spain), dating from the 5th century BCE with the aim of reconstructing patterns of pathology and biomechanical stress. Thirty-one individuals were subjected to macroscopic paleopathological assessment following established diagnostic criteria and, for a subset of seven individuals, computed tomography (CT) of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae was performed. The results reveal a consistent combination of enamel hypoplasia, abnormal wear of the second premolars, and hyperostosis of the diastema, indicating episodes of systemic stress and chronic mechanical irritation, likely related to bitting or other handling practices. Thoracolumbar spondylosis deformans and enthesopathic changes in the limbs point to repetitive strain and axial overloading compatible with traction or intensive work. Occasional metapodial synostoses further support cumulative biomechanical stress in several individuals. Altogether, these findings suggest that the horses deposited in the ritual event had undergone prolonged and sometimes demanding use prior to death. The assemblage provides rare early evidence of equine workload, welfare conditions and husbandry strategies in the southwestern Iberian Protohistory.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani16193058","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T15:57:57Z","timestamp":1790611077000},"page":"3058","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Unveiling Equine Pathologies from an Iron Age Ritual Deposit: Health, Management and Biomechanical Stress in the Protohistoric Horses of Casas del Turu\u00f1uelo (Badajoz, Spain)"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6194-0475","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Silvia","family":"Albizuri","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departament d\u2019Hist\u00f2ria i Arqueologia\u2013SERP, Institut d\u2019Arqueologia (IAUB), Universitat de Barcelona, 08001 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4315-7257","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M. Pilar","family":"Iborra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Researcher, 46010 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6033-2494","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rafael","family":"Mart\u00ednez-Valle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Secci\u00f3 d\u2019Arqueologia, Institut Valenci\u00e0 de Conservaci\u00f3, Restauraci\u00f3 i Investigaci\u00f3 (IVCR+i), 46018 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7127-6763","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joaqu\u00edn","family":"Jim\u00e9nez-Fragoso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Grupo de Investigaci\u00f3n Medicina y Cirug\u00eda Animal (MECIAN), Animal Medicine Department, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Extremadura, 10005 C\u00e1ceres, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7916-8233","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana Isabel","family":"Mayoral","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Medicina Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Extremadura, 10005 C\u00e1ceres, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2050-7090","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sebasti\u00e1n","family":"Celestino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Arqueolog\u00eda, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas-Junta de Extremadura, 06800 M\u00e9rida, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0702-1344","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jaime","family":"Lira-Garrido","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u00c1rea de Didactica de las Ciencias Experimentales, Dpto de Did\u00e1ctica de la Matem\u00e1tica, Did\u00e1ctica de las Ciencias Sociales y de las Ciencias Experimentales, Facultad de Ciencias de la Educaci\u00f3n, Universidad de M\u00e1laga, 29010 M\u00e1laga, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8947-117X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rafael M.","family":"Mart\u00ednez-S\u00e1nchez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Historia (\u00c1rea de Prehistoria), Facultad de Filosof\u00eda y Letras, Universidad de C\u00f3rdoba, 14071 C\u00f3rdoba, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6038-995X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ariadna","family":"Nieto-Espinet","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Grup d\u2019Investigaci\u00f3 Prehist\u00f2rica (GIP), ARQHISTEC (2021-SGR-1607), Departament de Geografia, Hist\u00f2ria i Hist\u00f2ria de l\u2019Art, Universitat de Lleida, 25003 Lleida, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5813-9035","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Esther","family":"Rodr\u00edguez-Gonz\u00e1lez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Arqueolog\u00eda, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas-Junta de Extremadura, 06800 M\u00e9rida, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9886-0372","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Silvia","family":"Valenzuela-Lamas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Interaccions Medi, Bioarqueologia i Societat (IMBAS), Instituci\u00f3n Mil\u00e1 y Fontanals de Investigaci\u00f3n en Hu-manidades, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cient\u00edficas (IMF-CSIC), 08001 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5338-6176","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francisco J.","family":"Cambero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Medicina Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Extremadura, 10005 C\u00e1ceres, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4169-5318","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mar\u00eda","family":"Mart\u00edn-Cuervo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Grupo de Investigaci\u00f3n Medicina y Cirug\u00eda Animal (MECIAN), Animal Medicine Department, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Extremadura, 10005 C\u00e1ceres, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Celestino P\u00e9rez, S. 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