By Michael Schmidt Among the first species domesticated by the ever enterprising human race are horses. They have been so for at least fou...
Among the first species domesticated by the ever enterprising human race are horses. They have been so for at least four thousand years before the common era. And now, fast forward to a couple thousand more years, theyre still very much useful and endearing to people the whole world over. They are quintessential in many operations unique to the human enterprise, from sports, work, hobbies, to simple pet owning and caring. It is therefore imperative to look out for certain diseases and conditions that impinge on the health and well being or our quintessential helpmates, 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.
A very specific instance of lameness causing disease is the navicular syndrome. In fact, this insidious ailment is responsible for the third largest contributive factor on the disability of horses. The bone of contention is a canoe shaped structure in the middle interior hoof of the horse. In fact, the appellation navicular comes from a Latin word meaning small boat, or something like that.
Anyway, down to the nitty gritty details. Equine experts are still not able to account for the cause of the onset of this disease. It seemingly springs from nowhere and develops slowly but surely. However, it is much more prevalent in warm blooded horses, the equestrian jargon that subsumes racehorses as opposed to workhorses. Also, it is much more observed in heavy animals and those with irregular configurations in their hooves, such that if theyre irregularly shaped, have little hoof to weight ration, or so and so.
In a chronic disease with no known causes and yet no proffered treatment, it would serve horse owners and lovers to act with utmost circumspection. It would do to be the responsible owner of a lame horse by employing recourses and techniques that would take no genius to contrive. For example, less work and more rest. Theres also the right apportioning of food, since obesity would not bode well for a sensitive hoof thats nevertheless supporting weight. All in all, common sense is the operative word here.
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.
A very specific instance of lameness causing disease is the navicular syndrome. In fact, this insidious ailment is responsible for the third largest contributive factor on the disability of horses. The bone of contention is a canoe shaped structure in the middle interior hoof of the horse. In fact, the appellation navicular comes from a Latin word meaning small boat, or something like that.
Anyway, down to the nitty gritty details. Equine experts are still not able to account for the cause of the onset of this disease. It seemingly springs from nowhere and develops slowly but surely. However, it is much more prevalent in warm blooded horses, the equestrian jargon that subsumes racehorses as opposed to workhorses. Also, it is much more observed in heavy animals and those with irregular configurations in their hooves, such that if theyre irregularly shaped, have little hoof to weight ration, or so and so.
In a chronic disease with no known causes and yet no proffered treatment, it would serve horse owners and lovers to act with utmost circumspection. It would do to be the responsible owner of a lame horse by employing recourses and techniques that would take no genius to contrive. For example, less work and more rest. Theres also the right apportioning of food, since obesity would not bode well for a sensitive hoof thats nevertheless supporting weight. All in all, common sense is the operative word here.
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