In England, tradition dictates that foxhunting horses be turned out in the spring and brought in during late summer, when they are summarily trotted on tarred roads in a process known as "legging up" in preparation for the season to begin in the fall. Ouch.

In Amish communities, retrofitted Standardbreds trot for miles each day, barely missing a beat. When they do miss a beat, or two, or three, you might find them in the local horse auction the following week. Ouch.

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content. TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com. Start your free account today! SIGN UP Already have an account? Login and continue reading. Share Fran Jurga Fran Jurga’s work promotes lameness-related research and information for practical use by farriers, veterinarians, and horse owners. She authored Understanding The Equine Foot, published by Eclipse Press. MORE ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR PrevPreviousNew York State Raises Fines For Cruel Horse Transport NextAnimal Protection A Major Theme On State BallotsNext Related Articles Beyond Osteoarthritis: ‘Other’ Causes of Joint Disease The Effects of Longeing on Your Horse’s Joints Can Shoeing Improve How Show Horses Move? How to Predict Foaling Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com Learn More Sponsored Content Managing Horse Wounds for Optimal Healing AAEP Preview: SmartPak Gastric Support AAEP Preview: Bionote USA No posts found Weekly Poll sponsored by: Have you ever handled a foal? Yes, I have handled a foal at my own farm before. Yes, I've worked on a farm with foals. Yes, I've handled foals at my friend's or trainer's barn. No, but my horse is having a foal this year. No 373 votes · 373 answers VOTEView poll resultsBack to vote View All Polls Readers’ Most Popular Conditioning Arthritic Horses: Do’s and Don’ts Updates on DSLD in Horses Rules for Feeding Horses Forage Keeping Water Troughs Thawed With or Without a Heater No posts found Top Categories Breeding and Reproduction Nutrition Horse Care Hoof Care Diseases and Conditions Vet and Professional Partners in Equine Health Seek the advice of a qualified veterinarian before proceeding with any diagnosis, treatment, or therapy. Follow us Youtube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Twitter Our Sites Resources Company Your Privacy Choices Data Subject Access Request Cookie Consent Privacy Policy Seek the advice of a qualified veterinarian before proceeding with any diagnosis, treatment, or therapy. Copyright ©2025 Equine Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without written permission of Equine Network, LLC is prohibited. THE HORSE, THE HORSE logo, THEHORSE.com and THEHORSE.com logo are trademarks of Equine Network, LLC. Sign In Username Password Remember Me Log In Lost your password? Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here. Need to update your account? You need to be logged in to fill out this form Create a free account with TheHorse.com! "*" indicates required fields Name* First Last Email* Mobile Phone Password* Enter Password Confirm Password Country* United StatesCanadaAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongo, Democratic Republic of theCongo, Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatini (Swaziland)EthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth GeorgiaSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan Mayen IslandsSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUS Minor Outlying IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland Islands Profile Do you own a horse? Yes No How many horses do you own? Do you own a horse trailer? Yes No Do you own a horse farm? Yes No What is your primary involvement in the horse industry? Horse OwnerRiderTrainerFarrierVeterinarian or Vet StudentVet Technician or Vet Tech StudentOther (Please Specify) Other Involvement In which equestrian disciplines do you ride, show, or participate? Western English Newsletter Offers Weekly Newsletters Horse Health - the latest in horse health care, disease, and equine research, delivered to your inbox once a week. Nutrition - Equine nutrition and feeding strategies Soundness & Lameness - Recognizing, treating, and preventing injuries to keep your horse sound Welfare & Industry - Equine welfare and rescue, and news of the worldwide horse industry Reader Favorites - The most viewed content from TheHorse.com delivered in a convenient weekly digest Monthly Newsletters Equine Behavior - How and why horses act the way they do and how to correct problem behaviors Breeding - Breed and raise the healthier horses with help from the world's foremost breeding experts Older Horse Care - How to take the best possible care of your senior equine friends Sports Medicine - All aspects of caring for performance horses Vet & Professional - News and issues for equine health professionals Other Newsletters In-Depth - News, in-depth information, and timeless tips on a particular health problem or aspect of horse care Equine Innovators - The latest research and, 'use it today' advice from the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center and UK Ag Equine Programs TheHorse.com Announcements - Event notifications and special promotions from TheHorse.com TheHorse.com Partners and Special Offers - Special offers from TheHorse.com's partners SMS Notifications - I would like to receive text messages with special offers and more from Equine Network and its affiliates. Data rates may apply. By clicking "subscribe", I consent to Equine Network’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service and I represent that I am over 16 years old. X X