Arthritis is most common in performance horses, including eventers, jumpers, ropers, barrel racers and dressage horses."Healthy as a horse.” Fact or myth? For the thousands of horse owners who spend countless hours hand-walking their horse after an injury, "myth”...
Every move your horse makes depends on the smooth and pain-free function of his joints. Whether he sprints after a cow, races around barrels, propels himself up and over a jump or scampers up a wilderness trail, your horse’s...
Equine arthritis, otherwise known as degenerative joint disease, is the most common cause of lameness in horses. While older horses are often affected, arthritis can strike at an early age, too, altering a promising career path. Let’s look at...
Many riders include stretches as part of their horse's regular workout with the belief that it will help him stay supple or prevent injury. A recent study published in The Veterinary Journal shows that this practice could actually be detrimental.Researchers at...
“The vast majority of lameness issues can be resolved in the field,” notes Carter E. Judy, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, staff surgeon at Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Los Olivos, Calif. However, consider a referral to a specialty clinic...
What should you do when your horse’s mystery lameness defies diagnosis? Our experts suggest that you:Seek a second opinion.
Get a more in-depth lameness exam.
Pursue additional diagnostic techniques.
Investigate tack and rider issues.
Have a qualified equine...
If you own a horse long enough, chances are that at some point he is going to come up lame. Sometimes it’s obvious what is wrong, such as a gash on the hock or a wayward horseshoe nail. Your...
Tendon and ligament injury causes both economic and personal hardship for horse owners and industry professionals. A prolonged period of lay-up and rehabilitation is necessary, but whether the horse will be sound at the end of the rehabilitation period...
From racing to show jumping, few injuries can be as debilitating for a performance horse as those that affect the tendons and ligaments. Often requiring months of rest and rehabilitation, the prognosis for these injuries is usually guarded--there’s no...
The anatomy of the navicular bone (NB) area is quite complex with many soft tissue structures surrounding the bone including the impar and suspensory ligaments, the navicular bursa and the deep flexor tendon (DDFT). Image courtesy AAEP.Navicular disease was...
