Some of the common bone abnormalities of young foals are referred to as angular limb deformities. Instead of having straight legs, a foal is born with an angle or crook in its legs, similar to a person who is bowlegged. This angular
Tendon and ligament injuries often go hand in hand with horses involved in vigorous athletic pursuits. However, many tendon and ligament injuries can be avoided through proper conditioning and training regimens and by not pushing a horse beyond its limits in racing or other competitions.
My mare appears to be in pain particularly in the withers, shoulder, and stomach areas. Is it possible that she has a pinched nerve?
In this article, we’ll take a look at how equine muscles function and are nourished, as well as examine some of the problems that have surfaced, such as hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) and tying-up.
Even a horse with excellent conformation can wind up with back problems if ridden by a rider out of balance or if outfitted with inappropriate tack.
The equine head can be compared to a computer. Housed within the skull are the major components–the brain and the sense organs. In addition to functioning like a computer, the equine head contains teeth for cropping grass and chewing food, and all
Much has already been stated in this series about the special concerns involving front limb soundness in the horse since 60-65% of the animal’s weight is carried in the front end. This does not mean that there are no concerns involving the
My sister’s gelding has sesamoid problems on both forelimbs. Can the sesamoid bones be removed?
The foreleg of the horse is, for the most part, a model of good engineering. It is structured in such a fashion that the horse can move slowly or at speed with the concussion of each footfall minimized by a sophisticated shock absorbing system.
Colorado State University (CSU) researchers have found significant patterns of six different signals of damage or “biomarkers” in the serum of racehorses with certain musculoskeletal diseases.
Biomarkers are indicators of abnormal
What causes laminitis? Is it the same as founder? Should I remove shoes from a horse with acute laminitis? Should I soak his feet? Does laminitis always have devastating consequences?
First we’ll look at how the horse’s synovial joints are constructed, then we’ll outline where they are located, the functions they serve, and some of the problems that can develop.
As a rule of thumb, we know that our horses should be trimmed (and shod if necessary) at least every six to eight weeks. But where did those numbers come from? Van Heel recently studied how a hoof changes between trims, and she found that neglecting
Someday veterinarians might be able to take a horse’s blood sample, analyze its makeup to predict his future bone and joint health, and simply prevent the problems that are likely to arise. In late 2005, 20 leading joint researchers that are likely
Horses with chronic musculoskeletal disorders may benefit from periodic administration of analgesic medications such as NSAIDs to help control pain when it is at its worst.
Developmental and traumatic joint injuries are a significant problem in Thoroughbred foals. These injuries, such as osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and fetlock joint lesions, often require costly medical treatment or surgical repair.
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