b'STEP BY STEPaltogether, however. Horses can adapt toperiods when the ground is too soft,are hinge joints and dont pivotwhen working on roads (e.g., police horse pa- Crevier-Denoix says. This slows the horsegetting up and lying down, says Roep-trols, road hacks, etc.) without significantdown, which reduces speed-related injurystorff. The intensity is low since theyre injury risk, provided they start slowly andrisks but can, again, predispose him tomostly just standing, and the horses bod-increase work gradually, says Roepstorff.soft tissue injury. Notably, horses with aies usually adjust well, he says.Hard surfaces can even be beneficialhistory of tendon injury should avoid very in some scenarios, such as during tendonsoft footing, she says. Ideally, they shouldMoisture: A Delicate Balance healing. When theyre already healingwork on soft but firm surfaces. Water can be troublesome for all sorts well, after about four months or so, shortof surface types, our sources say. Too trotting sessions of just a few minutes atmuch or too little can create significant a time on hard ground can help promoteHardness isfooting issues that can lead to lameness. remodeling, if done under a veterinar- especially detrimentalIf you dont water your arena it getsians guidance, says Crevier-Denoix. too deep and soft and, by contrast, if you On the flip side, a surface thats tooin sport horses, as shortwater it too much, it gets too firm and soft can create issues for the tendons,turns induce rotationalcompact and even becomes hard, Denoix says Denoix. Again, we see issues withsays. Hardness is especially detrimental riding club horses, this time the onesstresses on distalin sport horses, as short turns induce ro-working continuously in soft or deep(lower) joints. tational stresses on distal (lower) joints.sand arenas where their tendons areThink about walking on a sandy beach, constantly solicited, predisposing them toDR. JEAN-MARIE DENOIX says Crevier-Denoix. The closer to the wa-digital flexor tendinitis (of either the deepter you get, the harder the sand gets, she or superficial digital flexor tendon) orIn areas such as stalls and walkways,says. Where theres no water at all, its so suspensory (ligament, which lies beneathfooting has little bearing on soundness,soft and deep its hard to walk, but at the the tendons) disease, he says. provided its deep enough to allow horseswaters limit its very hard. Your best foot-The fetlock stays extended for long to avoid twisting their fetlockswhiching is where its firm but still a little soft. Synthetic footing isnt as likely to harden due to moisture, says Peterson. but its still at risk of flooding if drainage isnt ideal. Water in footing can also freeze, making an entire surface hard, he adds. Worse, when weather cycles between above and below freezing daily, horses hooves can make imprints in soft footing that later freeze. This creates serious inconsistencies in the footing, in addition to being hard, making it doubly danger-ous, Peterson says. Consistency Is KingNo matter what footing material you use, keeping your horse injury-free requires consistency across that material, our sources say. The various qualitiescushion, firmness, responsiveness, gripmust be the same across the entire surface where the horse will be working. When you change the properties under the horses feet, youre putting that horse at risk, says Peterson.Thats because the horse adapts to the surface hes working on; a sudden change can result in inappropriate forcessuch as striking the ground too hard, says Crevier-Denoix. A good example is a dirt surface where suddenly the horse runs into slippery mud, and he slides, she says.Varying moisture contentcaused, for 34May 2020The Horse|TheHorse.com'