The Well Balanced Equine

12/18/2024

12/07/2024

There has been so much going on around the topic of ECVM, this congenital malformation is one we are diagnosing, managing and studying at Denali Equine in partnership with Rexos Inc, under the guidance of the legendary Dr. Sharon May-Davis. We wanted to give you the top ten points on ECVM facts. (Sorry this is long- Well worth the full read!)

1. ECVM is a congenital condition, meaning they are born with it. We suspect it is a recessive genetic disorder because two unaffected adults can produce offspring with it. There are several groups racing to find the genetics behind this condition. More information on the horizon.

2. ECVM is not a fatal diagnosis. However, it can be. It depends on the severity of the malformation and how well the horse can functionally compensate.

3. Radiographs of the lower neck are necessary to diagnose the condition. These radiographs must be clear lateral and obliques of C6, C7 and ideally T1. These can be done in the field for most horses. However larger generators do get better images.

4. Variability: Horses can be either a bilateral or unilateral malformation of C6, which in 52% of C6 cases can transpose either bilaterally or unilaterally. To C7; T1 and the first ribs are variably affected.

5. Studies show horses with transposition of the ventral lamina to C7 are more likely to suffer from clinical neck pain than horses with normal anatomy. In our experience horses with rib malformations have more severe clinical signs than those with normal ribs (no clear studies yet).

6. The bones absolutely do not tell the whole story. However, bones do not lie. They often indicate the level of soft tissue malformations present. The more severe the boney changes- the more severe the soft tissue is altered around them.

7. Clinical picture: all horses are not lame, but they do all have subtle clinical signs. Most often the clinical signs are not limb related lameness (but can be). These horses can show signs of the pain ethogram, rearing, sporadic behavior, abnormal front limb flight patterns (especially with equipment), girthiness, resistance to go forward, doesn’t like physical touch (brushing, blanketing ex). The signs are so variable for every horse!

8. The common things heard from owners/trainers:
* The horse was always bad from the start (this is concerning for the more severe cases)
* The horse was fine until it wasn’t. We find this is from something changed in the program. i.e., was imported, switched barns, changed jobs.
* They don’t understand why the horse is failing quicker than usual as it gets older. As the horse ages the clinical signs become more apparent. The body can only manage for so long. Think of it this way- the foundation was built wrong from the beginning. Therefore, it takes time for the cracks in your walls or floors to show, it then takes those cracks a while before they become a structural problem in your house.
* A minor incident happened and now they’re not ok. Suspect an injury can cause the horse to spiral out of stabilization or have the ability to compensate. An example could be getting cast or trailering event then the horse was never the same. Example, you do not know your house wasn’t built well until the storm blows it over.

9. These horses have significant soft tissue pathology on necropsies. Therefore, no matter what the data is showing us: If the horse has ECVM, is clinical, and other differentials have been ruled out these horses are clinically affected by the ECVM.

10. On necropsies we have found:
* Missing, malformed and fractured ribs
* Abnormal nerve patterns, these nerves can be totally entrapped and compressed by abnormal muscle patterns. The dorsal scalene can trap the large nerves of the brachial plexus within its abnormal paths. The phrenic nerve can get pulled inappropriately and leave impressions within the ventral scalene.
* Abnormal muscles: dorsal scalene, ventral scalene, iliocostalis, longus coli, re**us abdominal, intercostal muscles, serratus ventails cervicis. All these muscles have critical roles in stability, proprioception, and biomechanics.
* Abnormal vascular patterns
* Trachea abnormalities
* Fascial changes

ECVM is currently a controversial and sensitive topic so we thought we would share a few known quick facts to help you understand this issue better. Please go to our website (www.DenaliEquine.com) to find more information and links to the current studies on this disease. We are researching and studying these horses! We are working on several angles of research right now throughout Non-Profit Rexos Inc. If you would like more information on how you can help, please reach out!

DeClue Equine saddlefitting.us

11/21/2024

“As the horse coordinates his limbs to abduct and straddle the pole, he releases tension from his bottom muscle chain. He also activates the deep hip stabilizing muscles, which play a cybernetic role communicating to the brain about a limb’s position and tonicity.

1. Place a single pole on flat ground. Ideally, the pole should be 10 to 12 feet in length.
2. Lead your horse to approach the pole straight from one end.
3. Pause briefly for a second or two to ensure your horse is listening well and not rushing.
4. Now very gently, one tiny step at a time, lead him forward with the pole under his midline.
5. Stop when he is fully straddling the pole and give him a pause to settle in that position.
6. Now ask him to take one step backwards, continuing to straddle the pole. Then bring him one step forward again.
7. Continue this motion of stepping him backwards and forwards while straddling the pole.”

By Jec Aristotle Ballou from her article “Building Stronger Horses: Stability Before Strength” www.horsejournals.com/riding-training/english/dressage/building-stronger-horses

This exercise is much more challenging than it looks and sounds, so I will often just start with the front legs only and have the horse stand relaxed with no back and forward walking when introducing this exercise for the first few times.

JAG Khasanova “Khody” practicing the straddle the pole exercise. 💪 Photo by Jessica Ann Designs

11/01/2024

Horses love a routine

DOES YOUR HORSE BECOME STRESSED IF THEIR FEED IS LATE?

I’m sure we all know some horses that become upset if their feed isn’t served on time, but maybe that’s with good reason.

A study by a team of researchers in Slovenia looked at the behaviour of eight horses when fed breakfast at regular or irregular feeding times and found they do become stressed if their meal arrives late.

The horses were housed in individual stables and were fed with ad-lib hay and a barley and oat mixture hard feed. For five days each week their morning feed arrived at their normal feed time of 6am, on Thursdays it arrived an hour earlier at 5am and on Saturdays it arrived an hour later at 7am. After their morning meal the horses were then turned out to pasture for the rest of the day.

The horses’ behaviour was observed and recorded for 2 hours around their breakfast time starting an hour before their feed arrived. The study took place over a 10 week period.

The horses that were fed early were described as not being ready for their meal. Lead researcher Manja Zupan said the horses 'weren’t really awake yet'. As a result they spent less of their pre-breakfast time eating hay than when fed on time or late, and so they ended up consuming less in total before they were turned out.

Unsurprisingly, the horses who were fed late displayed a number of stress behaviours. They kicked the stable door, whinnied, looked towards the food source and pawed at the ground while waiting for their feed to arrive. While some horse owners find this behaviour irritating or even funny, it is vital to remember each of these behaviours are caused by frustration and stress and could be considered a measure of poor welfare. Zupan reported 'A horse that cannot predict when he will get fed will have compromised performance and health'.

This study will likely not surprise many horse owners but is nonetheless important. It shows that horses are great timekeepers, they can recognise what time of day it is and know their routine. We already know they are capable of predicting their daily activities on learned cues, like the sound of specific equipment or their owner or caretaker’s voice.

It can be difficult to stick to a consistent feeding schedule – life often gets in the way and we may be late for our horse’s mealtimes. However we must remember that any change to routine like this can affect horses adversely, especially if their species-specific needs are not met and their choices are limited.

Horses who live in sight of one another should all be fed at the same time to avoid frustration and undue stress. Those who are routinely fed at a specific time and then fed out of their normal time schedule (and perhaps watching other horses being fed first) can find this extremely stressful. If they have to be fed at a different time to normal, then being fed early is preferable to being fed late.

Ensuring your horse has access to ad lib forage so they don't run out of food will also go a long way to keeping them healthy and happy if you can’t get to the yard. Of course being turned out with friends and no need for 'mealtimes' is the ideal!

'The Effect of an Irregular Feeding Schedule on Equine Behavior'
Manja Zupan, Ivan Štuhec & Dušanka Jordan.
Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, Volume 23, 2020 - Issue 2

10/21/2024

“The horse just has a little arthritis in his left hock, it doesn’t seem to bother him too much, he just gets a bit stiff!”

Horses are great compensators, and they will create alternative locomotive patterns to continue movement.

So, say this little bit of osteoarthritis causes a reduced range of motion of the tarsal (hock) joint. In an attempt to maintain stride length and hide this dysfunction to potential predators (because you never know when a lion could be waiting around the corner... or a flapping plastic bag!), the tarsal joint is rotated medially (inwards) during the swing phase of the stride. This results in asymmetrical & medial weight bearing through the digit. This places additional stress through medial hamstring muscles, resulting in muscle tension and trigger points. And this is all something that is potentially going on in the affected hindlimb.

A hip hike/drop can occur at corresponding phases of the stride, placing the sacroiliac joint under stress, resulting in paraspinal and asymmetrical gluteal tone/pain.

Decreased impulsion from the left hindlimb leads to increased weight bearing through the right forelimb diagonal. This can create tension and hypertrophy to the right pectoral muscles and related fascial planes.

The spiral of compensation could continue on further, affecting cervical muscles that become hypertonic as a result of weight shifting, digit shape and size, TMJ pain, head tiling, hyoid dysfunction, asymmetric tail holding...

Often it can be the case where I see a horse that is a chronic stage of compensation and it can be difficult to find the true cause especially when the horse may appear just overall “stiff”.

I liken the rehabilitation of chronic cases to peeling the layers off an onion; one layer at a time and piece by piece to unravel and rewind the compensation spiral. It is important to identify and manage the root cause, rather than just accepting it🐴

07/28/2024

06/21/2024

A recent study, conducted in Japan, compared various methods for cooling horses after exercise in hot and humid conditions. Thoroughbreds were exercised until their pulmonary artery temperature reached 108°F. The time until the pulmonary artery temperature returned to

06/14/2024

*** LENGTH OF SCHOOLING SESSIONS ***

Following my post from this morning, about Johnnie only working for 15 minutes, as he worked so well, I thought I’d give my opinion on how long horses should be worked for. This is my opinion. It is based on both my experience and understanding as a rider and horsewoman, and my knowledge as an equine vet with 12 years’ experience.

My horses are never, ever, schooled for longer than 30 minutes. This is more than enough time to achieve something, and if you haven’t achieved your goal after 30 minutes, it’s unlikely that you will by plugging on for longer. This 30 minutes includes my warm up, and a couple of short walk breaks.

I haven’t really had lessons for many years, but when I trained with Jennie Loriston-Clarke, and then more recently with Olly Barrs, their lesson times are 40 minutes. This includes warming up and warming down. Frequently, they wouldn’t go on past 30 minutes. Horses learn by repetition, not by grilling them for an hour at a time.

Horses also break easily. They damage ligaments and tendons. Yes, this is often unlucky and frequently caused by a sudden twist in the field. But it’s also frequently caused by too much schooling, especially if the surface is deep, or uneven. Proximal suspensory ligaments are not designed to take the weight of a horse in collected work for hours. Once a PSL is damaged, you are often looking at a lengthy rehab, or surgery to cut the nerve that supplies it (neurectomy). That is not to say that every horse with PSD has been overworked, before I offend anyone!

Horses break more easily when they are tired. A tired horse is more likely to trip, possibly resulting in ligament or tendon damage. Muscle needs some degree of fatigue to condition it, but not to the point of exhaustion.

A horse’s brain also breaks easily. Fatigue can also be mental. Granted, some horses’ brains don’t take much to break, but if a horse becomes stressed or can’t work out what you are asking him that day, then take a 24 hour break, and go for a hack, or just lunge the next day. Or give him a day off.

Most horses will be fit enough for their job, without being ridden 6 days a week. The main issue with lower level competition horses, is that many are fat. Exercise is a great way to get horses to lose weight, true, but not without reducing the amount of grass or hard feed they are receiving. Schooling a fat horse for an hour, will cause joint, tendon, and ligament problems in the long term. Find hills to slowly jog them up, or even walk them up, if you are wanting to exercise more to help with fitness and/or weight loss. Don’t school them more. Trotting endlessly around a flat arena isn’t really going to help with fitness.

If you are going to school, then add plenty of variety. Make sure the horse is working from behind, and not dragging himself along on his forehand. If you don’t enjoy schooling, you will be more inclined to switch off and trot endless 20m circles. So go for a hack first, and then just do ten minutes of intense schooling when you get home. That will keep both human and horse brains fresh!

This is an enormous topic, and it would take me days to cover it all, so this is really a brief summary. Keep schooling sessions short and productive, and if the session is going wrong, take a break!

Photo is of my wonderful Harold, on his lap of honour for winning the Advanced Medium Regionals, to qualify for the National Dressage Championships, a good few years ago now!

Feel free to share.

06/04/2024

Whats the purpose of a flash? To keep a horses mouth shut. Why is the horse opening its mouth? Most commonly, evasion of pressure.

Address the cause of the behaviour, not the behaviour itself because it really is counter productive and just causes even more discomfort that there is no escape from.

Why should you say no to a flash and a tight noseband? 👇 do you see that soft bone with no support? That's why. Now imagine a dropped noseband on that. 🫣

Pic screenshot from Henlea Equine Wellness

05/31/2024

It is literally ALL CONNECTED.

05/21/2024

Meet Peggy.

Peggy is the skeletal remains of a polo pony mare that was euthanized due to dangerous behavior. It was said that she, and I quote, "was trying to kill people".

The first image is of Peggy's thoracic spine. The spinous processes of her vertebrae directly under where the saddle would be not only have no space between them, but have rubbed so hard against each other that they wore holes in the adjacent bones. Attachment points for tendons and ligaments further down on the vertebrae are spiky and sharp and feature errant bony deposits where her body was trying to support soft tissue structures that were under tremendous abnormal strain.

The second picture is of the ventral aspect of Peggy's lumbar spine. This is the view you would have if you laid down on the ground on your back underneath skeleton Peggy and looked up towards the sky. Not only does she have areas where the vertebrae are trying to fuse to stabilize her back, she has an enormous 1.5" bony growth jutting out, right into a channel where long muscles of the back run and attach.

The reason I got to meet Peggy is because she was given to a friend of mine, and the reason she was given to them is because the horrific pathologies her skeleton exhibits are run of the mill at the institute her body was donated to. She is not unusual, she is the norm.

This mare did not become this way overnight - this took years and years of poor riding to manifest to this degree, undoubtedly with signs along the way. The longer I work with horses, the more I recognize that they are extraordinarily willing to tolerate immense discomfort to do what is asked of them until they simply can't anymore. They always find a way to tell us - it then becomes of matter of whether we know how (or care) to listen.

The horse that starts out stiff every ride is not "cold-backed". Something is going on.

The horse that throws a buck after every jump is not just "quirky". Something is going on.

The horse that pins its ears while being groomed, the horse that consistently can't hold the left lead canter, the horse that swishes its tail when you put your leg on...

Something is going on. If we can't put empathy before ego, we have to ask ourselves: who are we in this for, us or the horse?

Many thanks to Saxon Alexandra of Actuality Equine LLC for sharing Peggy with me.

05/13/2024

Knowing how to check this important vital sign allows you to closely monitor your horse's health. It's easiest to take a horse's pulse on his facial artery, which runs underneath his jaw. You'll find this cordlike structure about an inch behind the junction of the rounded cheek and the straight jawb...

04/27/2024

The radiographic diagnosis of kissing spines has become so prevalent that some veterinarians are making the assumption that it only matters if the horse is clinical. I’m assuming ’clinical’ means painful in the area that’s abnormal on the radiograph.
How does the body respond when things are rubbing against each other and it hurts ? It tries to stop the rubbing by contracting around the area and adding in more tension to the soft tissue structures. These will then start to pull on other areas as they work to stabilize the area that hurts.
This creates compensation.
When a horse tries to stabilize the withers they will contract lots of muscles. I just named a few on the picture - but these muscles will pull on other muscles. Soon the fascia around the lower part of the neck gets involved and the lower cervical vertebrae start to move a little ( red bones at base of neck). That movement causes the muscles in that area to contract as they must stabilize these vertebrae. Pretty soon those 1st couple of ribs also feel a tug - the second rib is red, you cannot see first. What’s in that area ? Well a giant nerve plexus. As the horse starts to press his leg into the side of his body to stabilize and he presses on this plexus and it gets inflamed and the horse starts acting girthy and short striding. At this point the withers feel fine but the horse has compensated creating other areas of pain.
This is the problem with making assumptions about how a horse feels about something. They prioritize, they compensate, they internalize and shut down, they act out.
Kissing spines are the result of too much tension in the system. Treat the whole horse when treating kissing spine.