While the term sports medicine is of modern extraction, exercise physiology in humans and horses has been around for more than 100 years. During the decline of the use of work horses in the early to mid-20th Century, not much research was done.
Do you know why a Thoroughbred can deliver that great burst of speed to eat up a mile in 1 1/2 minutes, or how an endurance horse can maintain the strength and stamina to cover long distances at steady speeds? Of course you do: Conditioning.
There’s nothing like a good stretch–when you wake up in the morning, during breaks at work, or before and after your workout. In human physiology, we know about stretching and its benefits for the athlete. Many practitioners and physical
A study at the Island Whirl Equine Colic Research Laboratory at the University of Florida has determined that the horse’s stomach can adapt to meals of various sizes and compositions, giving researchers a better understanding of how the normal
There are many causes for back pain in horses, and they can range from the dramatic to the benign.
Like a structure made of tinker toys, protein is composed of smaller pieces–the amino acids. These can be rearranged to form the different types of protein-based tissues in the body. Protein is one of the basic nutrient elements of the equine
Combining scientific research with real-life case management is the mission of the new Hoof Project Foundation headed by David Hood, DVM, PhD. Noted for his research on hoof problems such as laminitis, Hood hopes to work with the horse-owning
My training is in equine myotherapy and sometimes I get asked about a thumper. Can you tell me more about this tool?
The twenty-first century is going to be exciting for the horse world. We will see technology continually improve our ability to study, diagnose, correct, and hopefully prevent more of the hoof problems that have plagued horses for centuries.
Skeletal injuries–those involving bones and joints–are a major concern for all athletic horses. The usual outcome of these injuries is a lameness problem that hampers a horse’s training and competition program or, in some cases, is so severe
It should come as no surprise that horses suffer from tendon and ligament injuries. When one considers these vital parts of the equine anatomy and the stresses placed upon them, it’s a tribute to the horse’s physical make-up that there aren’t
Equine dental abnormalities are among the top five most common medical problems encountered by equine veterinarians. Clinical evidence has shown that horses with severe tooth hooks and points that were corrected gained weight
Vaccines are designed based on the specific nature of an antibody response to an antigen. In other words, the antibody will work only against the antigen that stimulated its production. A “booster” creates more antibodies, a quicker response, an
We ask an awful lot of an animal who walks on his middle toenails. Humans have recognized for centuries that the foundation of a horse’s soundness lies in his hooves–“No foot, no horse” is about as basic a principle as there is. It all comes
Endotoxemia is one of the most commonly encountered life-threatening conditions in horses with gastrointestinal disease. It is, by nature, a very disappointing and frustrating disease to encounter, and is the leading cause of death in adult horses
Japanese scientists recently announced that they have sequenced the genome of Clostridium perfringens. The organism can cause diarrhea, scours, and other intestinal problems in horses. Clostridia are normally found in various environments
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