Recent News for Conformation Problems
Article
Equine Skeletal System
January 01, 2010
The horse's skeleton is a remarkable system of various bone types, capable of remodeling and adapting in response to exercise and training. The skeletal system is made of many interconnected tissues: bone, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. ... Read More
Article
Muscles, Tendons, and Ligaments
January 01, 2010
Horses' beauty in motion is achieved via the culmination of a complex and highly integrated interaction between muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and a variety of other connective tissues. ... Read More
Article
Horse Hock Health
August 01, 2009
The hock is one of the most complex and hardest-worked joints in the horse's body, so it must be strong and sturdy to avoid injury. Much of what we ask our horses to do, whether high-performance dressage, reining, jumping, or simply going up and... Read More
Article
Preventing Developmental Orthopedic Disease through Nutrition
July 29, 2009
Developmental orthopedic disease can rob a young horse of his future as a sound athlete. ... Read More
Article
Scoliosis in Adult Equines
July 01, 2009
I purchased my Thoroughbred gelding when he was 5 years old. Within the next two years we were doing really ... Read More
Article
Equine Splints: Causes and Cures
July 01, 2009
Your 2 1/2-year-old horse has been in training for a few months, but even though you're taking it slowly and steadily and not pushing too hard, he sometimes comes up lame during or after a workout. The lameness isn't always present and rarely occurs ... Read More
Article
Contracted Tendons and "Tippy-Toed" Foals
June 02, 2009
One of the most common deformities that equine veterinarians deal with in newborns is contracted digital flexor tendons. This might cause foals to walk on the toes of their front hooves instead of being flat footed.... Read More
Article
Rehabilitating Muscle
June 01, 2009
Q: My horse has a severe laceration involving the biceps femoris and semitendinosis muscles (along the back of the hindquarter). He is 17 and in very good shape, training Prix St. Georges. We were able to suture the site and the... Read More
Article
Uneven Feet in Sport Horses Related to Other Conformation Traits
May 29, 2009
Researchers examined the effects of uneven feet on equine performance and linked this to other faults. ... Read More
Article
Foot and Limb Deformities in Foals
May 21, 2009
Hunt discussed several limb and hoof deformities in foals and recommendations for correcting or managing them during the "Putting Science into Farriery" session at the 2008 Convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. One of his bi... Read More
Article
Acquired Scoliosis in Equids, AAEP 2008
March 17, 2009
Scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, is most often attributed to congenital vertebral malformations, possibly associated with malposition of the fetus in the uterus. However, researchers have linked cases of acquired scoliosis presented at Cornell... Read More
Article
Equine Bone Fragility Syndrome, AAEP 2008
March 13, 2009
Women aren't the only ones suffering from decreased bone density and bone mass loss--horses in Central California have experienced a systemic osteoporotic disorder. Equine bone fragility syndrome, a systemic osteoporotic (characterized by a decrease ... Read More
Article
Comparing Humans and Horses
October 08, 2008
Comparisons of humans to horses logically can start with the anatomy. We stand upright; horses stand prone on their four limbs. What we call our knees are the stifles of horses, and our heels or ankles are horses' hocks. Our foot is their cannon... Read More
Article
Carpal Spavin Surgery, Fine-Tuned
July 18, 2008
Several years ago, Spencer Barber, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, achieved a first in equine surgery when he developed a successful arthrodesis (surgical fusion) technique for treating a debilitating arthritic ... Read More
Article
Equine Bone Fragility Disorder Reported in California
June 28, 2008
Veterinary researchers at the University of California, Davis, are working to classify a newly observed bone fragility disorder that might prove to be the culprit behind some cases of intermittent chronic lameness that have no other explanation.... Read More
Article
10 Principles of Exercise Physiology
June 01, 2008
Basic principles you can apply to your everyday training to boost your horse�s performance. Elite athletes are always looking for an edge over their competitors, and many times they find that edge by applying the science o... Read More
Article
Inside the Club Foot
May 01, 2008
A large majority of horses, regardless of breed, have a high-low foot syndrome where one front foot has a higher angle and different shape than the other. A close look at the characteristics of the high foot qualifies it as a club foot.... Read More
Article
Making, Placing, and Removing Transphyseal Staples
April 14, 2008
Many methods have been used to straighten crooked limbs on foals, and in the past staples placed across the "long" side's growth plate have received somewhat mixed reviews. However, some researchers suggest that this was due to poor staple choic... Read More
Article
Synovitis
November 01, 2007
Good synovial health is essential for proper joint function. A horse's joints are subjected to stresses, pressures, and cyclic trauma every day of the animal's life. The greatest stres... Read More
Article
Sticky Stifles
October 01, 2007
My Thoroughbred's stifles have been making a popping noise for quite some time.... Read More
Article
Older Horses Part 4: Hoof and Joint Care
October 01, 2007
The aging process brings with it some inevitable changes in horses. As is often the case with humans, the horse's joints begin to "stiffen" as he gets older. Eventually, many horses are unable to meet the same performance standards that they did when... Read More
Article
Strength and Flexibility
October 01, 2007
There are a variety of ways to help your horse be stronger and less stiff. For an avid horse person, little takes the breath away like watching an athletic... Read More
Article
Higher Silicate-Associated Osteoporosis Risk in Some Regions
July 19, 2007
Silicosis in horses is a respiratory condition caused by exposure to certain types of silicate dust found in some geographic regions. While silicosis is not a commonly diagnosed equine ailment in most areas of the country, Matthew Durham, DVM... Read More
Article
All Stocked Up
July 01, 2007
It happened again: Your horse was fine for the entire weekend of riding, but when you got him ready for another weekend packed with activities, you discovered his hind limbs were swollen. You know it's not overuse; the boarding barn provides... Read More
Article
Foal Deformities: New Treatments (Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium)
May 01, 2007
Angular and flexural limb deformities in foals are concerns, to be sure, but they're not necessarily kisses of death. At the recent Bluegrass Laminitis Symposium, Ric Redden, DVM, founder of the International Equine Podiatry Center in Versailles, Ky.... Read More
