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.
There is bucolic tranquility in the sight of two horses dozing in the sun, side by side, nose to tail, with their tails rhythmically swishing as they leisurely work at keeping flies off their bodies. That is the basic purpose of the equine tail
It is widely believed that exercise and limb-loading in foals help joint cartilage functionally adapt to the rigors of athletic activity. In 2005, Dutch researchers set out to find out if they could verify the concept of functional adaptation of
Gain an understanding of how the horse is constructed and what this means in the realm of form to function.
Management of severe skeletal pain in the horse can be a challenging task in practice, and is complicated by the fact that many drugs used for this purpose are controlled substances.
Acute and chronic disease (especially osteoarthritis) of the sacroiliac joint(s) is not uncommon in competition horses and racehorses, affecting up to 8% of Standardbreds in training and 15% of competition horses (particularly hunters, jumpers,
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.
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
There are many causes for back pain in horses, and they can range from the dramatic to the benign.
My training is in equine myotherapy and sometimes I get asked about a thumper. Can you tell me more about this tool?
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