Health and Care

Health

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www.horsedata.co.uk/poisonous_plants.htm
A wonderful resource for what plants to keep out of your pasture, plus so much more.

Bone Remodeling and Bucked Shins

Bone remodeling is one of those technical subjects that most horse owners don't bother learning about… it just

sounds so scientific and dry! Although understandable, I suggest you gain a basic knowledge of remodeling since

it can help minimize your horse's chances of being afflicted with smaller problems like bucked shins or far more

serious problems like permanent lameness.

Before diving right into the topic of bone remodeling let's take a peek at a related topic – the body's ability to adapt

to physical pressure and stress. When we participate in an exercise program to improve our health and physique,

in reality what we are doing is purposely stressing our bodies in a controlled manner. Aerobic exercises steadily

increase our lung capacity and the body's ability to utilize oxygen, while body building tears our muscle fibers so

that they may grow back bigger and stronger.

Exercise is very healthy for humans and animals alike since the controlled stresses force our bodies to become

stronger and more efficient. The problem arises when we overexert ourselves by applying more stress than our body

currently has the capacity to handle or adapt to. Too much stress can lead to sprains, torn ligaments/tendons and

bone microfractures, which leads us to the main point of this article: bone remodeling.

It may surprise many people that our bones adjust to added stresses and loads just as our other bodily systems,

albeit at a slower pace. Over time as bone is subjected to increased loads it will develop additional strength and

mass to help the body handle the higher demands as well as protect the bone itself against potential fractures and

microfractures. As a side note, bone remodeling is actually a regular occurrence as old bone is stripped away

and replaced by new bone – exercise just prompts increased remodeling in areas that see the most stress, such

as the knees and metacarpal (cannon) bones.

Clearly bone remodeling provides a benefit to a growing horse as it better prepares them for the rigors of competition

and/or extended riding. The more stressful the action, the more bone remodeling that will take place. Just remember

that like humans, horses can suffer from overexertion and suffer bone fractures, torn tendons and other maladies as

a result. This segues perfectly into our next topic: bucked shins.

Bucked shins are a result of accelerated bone remodeling along the cannon bone that is prompted by vigorous

exercise and demands. The new bone that grows is far more prone towards developing microfractures when subjected

to heavy stresses. A microfracture is not the same as a full-fledged bone fracture – human athletes can develop them

also when they push themselves too hard. They do make movement very painful, if not outright impossible, until the

microfractures heal, though. Inflammation and heat along the shins may indicate your horse is suffering from

microfractures or ligament/tendon damage.

So far not one of my young horses has ever suffered from bucked shins when being introduced to saddle work,

whereas in the Thoroughbred racing industry bucked shins is commonplace among young horses. The difference is

racehorses are often started under saddle as early as 18 months of age, far before their bodies have matured to the

point where they should be exposed to competition-level stress loads. Whereas controlled exercises and bone

remodeling can aid a young horse's health and development, overstressing them can create unnecessary pain

and injuries.

I do not want to give the impression that bucked shins is a problem unique to younger horses, for it can happen

to any horse that is subjected to too much work before the horse's body has had time to strengthen and adapt.

It is just far easier to overstress a young and developing horse than it is to overstress a fully mature and developed

horse.

Overall I don't recommend serious saddle work before the age of three (on average since all horses can vary), but

if you take it slow and avoid overstressing a younger horse you can safely introduce them to the saddle earlier.

Care

How to Groom a Horse and Why
by: Jennifer Allbright

Grooming a horse safely and correctly is a very important part of daily horse care. It is a great time to check over

the horse for any issues on his skin, back, and girth area and to get an idea of how the horse is feeling that day.

You should groom a horse before you take it out for riding or exercising. It helps keep them healthy and looking good.

First, halter and tie the horse to a ring or safety string attached to something solid. If the horse pulls back, you

don't want the horse's halter tied to something that will swing or be pulled out of the ground. A ring on a wall meant

for tying or a solid fence post often works well. You can also use cross-ties if you have two rings and cross-ties.

Next, pick the horse's feet. This is one of the most important steps, so do it first so that you don't forget. Stand on

the horse's left side next to his left front leg and face towards the horse's tail. Slide your left hand down the back of

his leg to the fetlock, which is the last big joint, and squeeze a little. The horse should pick up his hoof and let you

hold it. Using the hoof pick in the other hand, pick out any rocks and remove any dirt from the area around the frog

and just inside of the shoe line. The frog is the softer, raised triangular area located in the center of the foot. You

don't want to scrape or puncture this. You only want to clear the indented area of the sole of the foot. If a horse

doesn't pick up his foot right away, you can cluck or say "Up" to encourage the horse to pick up his foot. You can

also try leaning a little on the horse's shoulder to shift his weight off of the foot so it is easier to lift up.

After picking all four feet, take a rubber curry comb and brush all over the body in a circular motion. Avoid the lower

legs and head since these are bony areas and need gentler brushing. The currying brings dust, dirt, and dead skin

to the top surface of the coat so that it can be brushed away. Some horses enjoy a good strong currying, and some

horses hate it, so try to be gentle at first. To clean the curry comb, tap it against a fence post to make the dirt fall off.

Next, use a body brush to brush off the loose dirt and hair. Brush in the direction of the hair growth to smooth the

hair as you brush. Flick the brush at the end of the brush stoke to try to get all the dirt removed from the coat.

Occasionally, you will need to clean the brush fibers by brushing them across the curry comb. Finally, follow up

with a soft brush to further smooth the hair and spread the natural oils along the coat. This is what makes horses

shine. You can also carefully brush the lower legs and face with the soft brush.

For the tail, first use a detangler spray or gel such as Cowboy Magic, Show Sheen, Mane 'n Tail Detangler, or

EQyss Survivor. This stops tangled hairs from being torn out when you brush the tail. Some people think you

should never brush a tail because hairs will be torn out. If you are careful and brush only a small section at a time

while starting from the bottom, you shouldn't pull out many hairs. You can brush the mane without being as worried

since most manes are kept thin and short. If you have a long-maned breed such as an Arabian or a Friesian, you

will want to treat it as carefully as the tail.

Also, use a clean, damp towel to gently wipe any dirt or dust from the eye area and the nostrils. Most horses

learn to appreciate this. You will appreciate it too because when the horse blows out his nose, he won't get as

much horse snot all over you!

About The Author

Jennifer Allbright writes for http://www.NewtoHorses.comwhich provides information to new-comers on caring for,

riding, and showing horses. The site offers a wide range of information from safety around horses and resources

for horse items to specifics about dressage training and showing.

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