Humans and horses have a long history of interaction. In the course of their domestications, horses have been employed in a spate of sport competitions and recreational pursuits. They are used in work, such as agriculture and entertainment, as can be seen in fair grounds and carnivals. Many products are also derived from them, as with milk, hide, hair, and some such. With their gentle temperament and provided recreation, they are also much contributive to therapy. Their usefulness cant indeed be underestimated. Contributing to their well being and longevity is a small payback to the benefits and services they grant us. It would also serve well to look out for certain common ailments that plague them, such as navicular disease in horses.
The ailment most stereotypically associated with these animals is undoubtedly lameness. Really though, when one has been taking care of steeds for a long time, this is a kind of condition that one learns to accept and anticipate to some degree. Its as if its only a matter of time before one encounters this pervasive disabler.
And for obvious reasons. After all, it will serve to lower a horses usefulness, especially when its a racehorse or a draft animal. A horse that can no longer work or else do what its trained for is essentially an animal without pecuniary value, at least when business is the nub of the matter.
Even when one is a horse lover and fancier, and is very much willing to take care of a horse that he or she can no longer cater to leisure but still takes up food and lodging, there are still caveats. That is because equine lameness is more serious than is warranted in other species. If, in other cases, bones snap or break apart, in horses, they shatter, that which you cant just put together, even with a nifty surgery.
Arduous and strenuous activities are also contributive. For example, excessive running, galloping, jumping, and generally working on steep hills, hard, and irregular ground intuitively contribute to the diseases development. The conformation of the hooves is also important, such as in the way theyre run, sheared, contracted, or otherwise naturally formed, for example, if theyre disproportionately small and mismatched. Weight to foot size ratio is also important, since the relative load on the foot is accordingly greater. Its also more occurring in heavy bodied and hot blooded horses like thoroughbreds and quarter horses, and in ages between seven and fourteen.
The conformation of a body of a horse is such that transferring weight to other limbs is not at all viable, which anyone can pretty much picture out. Prosthetics are also out of the picture, since the horses movement is so precise and intricate that it cannot be imitated by some technology at the moment. As mentioned, bone shattering is usually more severe on these steeds than they are on others. One cant therefore blame owners for thinking that putting their animal to sleep is the best recourse to end its suffering.
Since there is no pinpointed single cause, there is also no umbrella treatment for this disease. One would have to look for ways to manage the condition rather than cure it. Proper trimming and therapeutic shoeing can do the trick, as it provides visible relief to our equine friends. The former is pitched by those who believe that being barefoot is naturally designed as a blood pumping auxiliary so as to aid blood circulation in the lower extremities, that is, the legs. Corrective shoeing, on the other hand, uses a shoe that lifts and supports the heel.
No one know how this syndrome develops. Thats because its an insidious condition that comes out of nowhere and progresses rather slowly. It is also widely occurring in an extensive demographic of differing kinds and conditions, so it can therefore be baffling where it springs from in the first place.
For a chronic ailment with no known cures, one can still mitigate the symptoms. Therapeutic hoofing is one such approach, in which a farrier makes customized horseshoes that is well suited to the horses condition, such that if the heel part is raised in comparison to the toes. Others would prefer removing the shoes, however, so as to increase the blood flow to the bones of the hooves. You can also pitch in some medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs or some such. Surgery that desensitizes the leg forever should be taken as a last resort.
The ailment most stereotypically associated with these animals is undoubtedly lameness. Really though, when one has been taking care of steeds for a long time, this is a kind of condition that one learns to accept and anticipate to some degree. Its as if its only a matter of time before one encounters this pervasive disabler.
And for obvious reasons. After all, it will serve to lower a horses usefulness, especially when its a racehorse or a draft animal. A horse that can no longer work or else do what its trained for is essentially an animal without pecuniary value, at least when business is the nub of the matter.
Even when one is a horse lover and fancier, and is very much willing to take care of a horse that he or she can no longer cater to leisure but still takes up food and lodging, there are still caveats. That is because equine lameness is more serious than is warranted in other species. If, in other cases, bones snap or break apart, in horses, they shatter, that which you cant just put together, even with a nifty surgery.
Arduous and strenuous activities are also contributive. For example, excessive running, galloping, jumping, and generally working on steep hills, hard, and irregular ground intuitively contribute to the diseases development. The conformation of the hooves is also important, such as in the way theyre run, sheared, contracted, or otherwise naturally formed, for example, if theyre disproportionately small and mismatched. Weight to foot size ratio is also important, since the relative load on the foot is accordingly greater. Its also more occurring in heavy bodied and hot blooded horses like thoroughbreds and quarter horses, and in ages between seven and fourteen.
The conformation of a body of a horse is such that transferring weight to other limbs is not at all viable, which anyone can pretty much picture out. Prosthetics are also out of the picture, since the horses movement is so precise and intricate that it cannot be imitated by some technology at the moment. As mentioned, bone shattering is usually more severe on these steeds than they are on others. One cant therefore blame owners for thinking that putting their animal to sleep is the best recourse to end its suffering.
Since there is no pinpointed single cause, there is also no umbrella treatment for this disease. One would have to look for ways to manage the condition rather than cure it. Proper trimming and therapeutic shoeing can do the trick, as it provides visible relief to our equine friends. The former is pitched by those who believe that being barefoot is naturally designed as a blood pumping auxiliary so as to aid blood circulation in the lower extremities, that is, the legs. Corrective shoeing, on the other hand, uses a shoe that lifts and supports the heel.
No one know how this syndrome develops. Thats because its an insidious condition that comes out of nowhere and progresses rather slowly. It is also widely occurring in an extensive demographic of differing kinds and conditions, so it can therefore be baffling where it springs from in the first place.
For a chronic ailment with no known cures, one can still mitigate the symptoms. Therapeutic hoofing is one such approach, in which a farrier makes customized horseshoes that is well suited to the horses condition, such that if the heel part is raised in comparison to the toes. Others would prefer removing the shoes, however, so as to increase the blood flow to the bones of the hooves. You can also pitch in some medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs or some such. Surgery that desensitizes the leg forever should be taken as a last resort.
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