An elegant athlete, the dressage horse moves in perfect harmony with his rider. Following the artistic traditions of European horsemanship, the performer displays supple joints and natural balance, or expresses power and grace in the demanding
Uphill, downhill, through brush, over rocks and deep sand, across streams–this equine athlete carries his rider to a destination. The trail horse travels along a sometimes none-too-defined path, replicating the centuries-old use of the horse as
The annual meeting of the British Equine Veterinary Association provided a wealth of information on topics ranging from tendons and ligaments to muscle diseases, from disorders of the back to conformation. Sue Dyson, MA, VetMB, PhD, DEO, FRCVS,
Back in the 1800s, the world really could have used a better hoof on a better horse. History tells us that breeders tried to comply, by including soundness as a criterion for reproduction. Veterinary medicine complied with
Tendon injuries can be extremely frustrating. The best way to deal with them is to make every effort to prevent them, or if possible, limit the degree of damage that occurs. Certainly some tendon injuries occur acutely without any warning, but
A wide variety of equine nutritional topics was covered at the fourth annual Alltech Equine School April 25-28 in Lexington, Ky., sponsored by Alltech, a feed ingredient company in Nicholasville, Ky. Among the speakers was Harold Hintz, BS, PhD,
There is a definite correlation between joint angle, hoof flight pattern, and weight bearing. One might even wax a bit poetic and declare that as the joint angles, so flies and lands the hoof. That’s where the poetry ends, however, because if
My weanling’s foot seems a bit boxy. My veterinarian said it sounds like he has a club foot. What does this mean?
First, how can we visualize and understand what’s going on under that hair, skin, and muscle? Denoix has diagnostic steps to examine a horse with performance problems that he believes might stem from the spine.
We don’t have all of the answers when it comes to feeding young horses. A nutrition program that doesn’t promote–and possibly helps prevent–developmental orthopedic disease (DOD), including osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), is critical at this
Conformation…what does it mean? If you’ve spent any time around horses or horse people, you’ve heard this word or related words used again and again. "Wow, that horse has great conformation!" or "My trainer said not t
Osselets begin with swelling on the front of the fetlock joint, with the possible addition of synovial distensions on the sides of the joint (commonly called windpuffs). It’s painful when the horse flexes the joint, and can cause lameness.
My horse has been diagnosed with a fractured coffin bone. What could have caused it, and what is the prognosis?
Ringbone, a lameness disease of the pastern and coffin joints, is a degenerative disorder that has no cure.
We asked several leading experts for their take on the conformation-performance-soundness issue.
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