How to Prepare Your Performance Horse for Optimal Output

Everyone is familiar with preventative medicine.  From vaccinations, to dental care, to eating right, preventative medicine applies to humans, as well as to our equine friends.  However, one area of preventative medicine that is often overlooked for all species is athletic performance.

What we ask of our own bodies, as well as what we ask of our equine athletes, is far beyond the natural athletic requirements of the body.  If you watch a horse in the pasture, or even a wild horse, they spend the vast majority of the day with their head down, wandering while eating.  Occasionally something may spook them, and they might run for a short distance and then stop to gather their wits.  But we don’t see horses running in circles, chasing a cow, or jumping over obstacles of their own volition.

With this “overuse” in mind, is there a different way that we should treat our “high performance” friends?

One place where problems tend to pop up is in joints. Muscle soreness from overuse and overexertion is a temporary issue since muscle tissue generally heals quickly and well.  On the other hand, joint damage, even something very minor, can begin a cycle of synovitis and inflammation of the joint.  This chronic inflammation cycle can quickly damage a joint, adding up over time and eventually leading to a lame horse.

A challenge for us as stewards of our horses’ health is that each horse is different in their pain tolerance, leaving us in a difficult position.  If a horse has a high pain tolerance, they may allow this damage and inflammation to build to an irreparable level.

So what can we do to be more proactive with our equine athletes? Preventative lameness workups can be critical in keeping the high performance horse, or even a weekend warrior, in top health and mobility.  Though a horse may not be having obvious lameness issues, the problems can be far more subtle and difficult to detect.  Over time, there can be slight decreases in a horse’s willingness to work, level of performance, behavior, etc.  These changes can be difficult to notice when we see them every day.  A preventative lameness exam, including flexions, may pick up these subtle issues before they become a major problem.

With a number of treatment options and preventative methods available, there is a lot of support that we can give our equine athletes to prevent injury and breakdown, and allow them a longer, more comfortable performance career.  They’ll also have a happier retirement!!!

Contact us today to set up an appointment for a preventative lameness exam for your athletic partner.

 

 

Why is my horse suddenly severely lame?

Have you ever come home from and gone out to see your horse only to find that they’re hobbling around on three, with no obvious sign of trauma or any other issues? You think back to the morning, and there was no indication that anything was wrong. Your horse was happy to see you, happy to eat breakfast. What could have happened?

Unfortunately, here in Colorado, that is an all-too-common scenario, and one that we see regularly in our practice. The vast majority of the time that a horse shows these signs, the diagnosis is a hoof abscess – nasty infections within the foot that can very quickly leave a horse on 3 legs.

An abscess is an infection that is creating pus.  This pus, along with the swelling associated with the infection, causes a significant amount of pressure – especially within the hoof capsule.  As this pressure develops, the horse becomes more and more lame, and the act of putting weight on the hoof causes the pressure to build even more.

The signs associated with hoof abscesses are usually sudden severe lameness, and often a distinct or throbbing pulse in the affected foot.  There can be pain associated with palpation of the coronary band on the affected foot, but not always.

 How did your horse get that abscess, and why is it so common in Colorado?

Unfortunately, our environment lends itself to creating these issues.  The dry ground our horses live on causes dry hooves, which have a tendency to get bruised.  A bruise in the bottom of the equine foot is a petri dish waiting to happen.  Add a little bit of water to the ground and as the foot soaks it in, along come the bacteria and shortly thereafter, the abscess.

Hoof abscesses are certainly a common issue within our practice, and with proper treatment and care, they can resolve quickly and return your horse to 100%.  But to prevent complications, and be assured that an abscess is the correct diagnosis, you should involve your vet quickly. It is always possible that the lameness is a fracture or break, or cellulitis.

So keep an eye on your horse, and if they suddenly come up lame for seemingly no reason whatsoever, give us a call!

Happy spring everyone.

 

Suspensory Ligament Injuries

QUESTION:
I am considering a 9 year old mare, as a horse for my daughter and future grandchildren. The mare has seen a vet for a torn suspensory ligament. I have met the horse and was impressed with her disposition. I noted the ‘droopy’ hind foot when I watched her walk. My concern is of safety for my daughter and future grandchildren. I did some internet research of this injury, and am now leery of using the mare. We are pleasure riders only, and the mare would be ridden lightly. Loping in a pasture and some light trail rides would be considered. I fear this mare could possibly reinjure her ligaments, causing us to stable her and not use her as we would desire.

What is the mare’s prognosis? How safe would she be? What is the likelihood of reinjuring the leg? Does she require special shoes?

ANSWER:
To be able to answer the specific questions above, we would need to see and examine the horse in question. But certainly we can cover the general information about suspensory ligament desmitis (inflammation of the suspensory ligament). Suspensory ligament injuries can be very difficult for a horse to return to full work. There are a couple of possible scenarios leading to these injuries. The first is trauma induced (like a sprain), and the second is a degenerative disease (though this usually occurs in multiple limbs). According to some texts, approximately 55% of all horses with a traumatic suspensory injury can return to their original use levels.
With the information given above, there is certainly a high index of suspicion of a traumatic injury, which has not completely healed. In this case, a lameness exam would allow us to accurately assess and diagnose the condition of this horse. With the exam, a veterinarian would have a better idea as to the nature of the injury, and the long term effects, including prognosis for use or possibility for re-injury.