Do you feel that something is not right with your horse but everyone tells you that it is sound so it’s fine?
Listen here as Dr. Kate Workman talks about how your horse may be “sound” but that doesn’t mean they aren’t in pain. Check out the Rexos Inc Patreon page for the full video. Diving into Dr. Sue Dyson ridden horse pain ethogram and other ways to know if your horse is actually struggling. We should not be solely judging horses on AAEP lameness scale but always incorporate pain signs in performance evaluations.
#bodysoundness #rexos #knowbetterdobetterbebetter #equinehealth
#bodylameness
#equinerehab #thatsnotnormal
Rehab vs Training, what is the difference?
Coming soon to Patreon, a conversation between Amanda of saddlefitting.us and our own Director of Rehab, Juli. Until the full video is released, a snippet from their Ted's Tack Room Talk.
Check out https://www.patreon.com/RexosInc for more information.
In partnership with Rexos Inc
#tedstackroomtalk
#bodysoundness
#bodylameness
#equinerehab
A good reminder to not make horses too complicated. If you listen to them and those around them- they will tell you where they hurt. Don't make it more complicated than that. Don't let anyone make you feel crazy for advocating for your horse.
Being girthy isn't normal. Biting at themselves isn't normal. Pain in their limbs does NOT cause this.
Rexos Inc #bodylameness #bodysoundness #Thatsnotnormal #knowbetterdobetterbebetter #ECVM saddlefitting.us Kate Workman
Let’s talk about performance horses. The age-old statement, “She’s not lame, she just doesn’t perform as well as she used to.” This is the best place to intervene, once they have reached lame- you are often too late.
Often, we forget, and frequently at Denali Equine have to remind people, horses are athletes. At the end of the day, they are no different from a Quarterback, whether that’s in the NFL or local flag team. From FEI to local. An Athlete is an Athlete. They get strains, sprains, stuck, and those small injuries hurt. From casting in a stall to catching a toe running in the field, some part of their body bears the brunt of that force.
Let’s look at a case of ours. Reba, a 12yr old quarter horse, used for Barrel Racing, a top 1D mare. In 2021 at an event, her owner stated she came out of the stall not herself, suspected she got cast. Her back was sore, she developed a hunter’s bump rapidly, her whole body changed shape within weeks and had an inability to balance at the canter. She wasn’t limb lame but was not preforming at her normal level. Her regular DVM injected coffins, hocks and stifles - fairly normal first step in performance horses. However, they did not improve her times. That one singular moment overnight started a small trickle into her performance issues.
Reba stayed with us at Denali for nerve root injections, bodywork and rehab. Within 6 weeks she was cleared to resume work at home.
This weekend, we received a video of the queen herself turning and burning once again. Her owner remarked, “She’s back!” Placing 3rd in the 1D out 400 entries on Friday and 4th out of 500 entries on Saturday!
A special thank you to her owner Reagan Ivey for her support of Reba and letting her story be shared!
We love the variety of helping complicated body lameness cases to helping top show horses stay at the top of their game.
Remember, your horse is an Athlete! They must be treated as such.
#equinesportsmedicine #equinebiome
“My horse doesn’t go forward”
What does that mean? Let’s take a look!
This horse is a 12yr old Draft cross gelding, used mostly for Dressage. Referred to us by Dr. Brandy Ashman,DVM, he presented to Denali Equine for difficulty going forward (with or without a saddle), the inability to canter and tail carriage left.
On exam, he had to be pushed to continue trotting. We were only able to get him to canter on the lunge line without a saddle for just a couple strides. At that, it was with significant encouragement. He would stop a significant amount, turning to face the handler multiple times during examination.
A thorough palpation exam, movement on the lunge with and without his saddle and an ultrasound exam showed some abnormalities in his lumbar spine. He was treated that day and sent home with his rehabilitation plan.
Four weeks post ultrasound guided injections, he came back for a recheck.
Upon presentation, he was brighter, more interactive, and the owner reported he would canter in the field now. When we went out for the exam, he took right off into a canter!
Want to see the full case with commentary from our own Dr. Kate Workman, DVM? Join our Rexos Patreon Page to see an in-depth look at this case in what is a very common complaint from our Patients and owners!
ALL therapeutic shoes - including wedges should be temporary! #bodylameness #nofootnohorse #equinehealth #equinepodiatry #knowledgeispower #knowbetterdobetterbebetter #therapeutic saddlefitting.us Rexos Inc Kate Workman Juli Sillman Michael Workman Denali Equine
Tomorrow is going to be so much fun!
Your horse is behavioral for a reason. Training is hard for a reason. It is trying to communicate, and it’s sick of humans not listening. Now it’s acting out.
Can some horses be more difficult than others? Absolutely. However, if your horse has had training with a professional trainer, you need tons is equipment/bits, and/or it’s still not easy to tack up, ride or be around. It is not a training problem. It is a pain problem. Listen to your horse.
It’s appalling to see professionals excusing their horses clearly painful behaviors for “quirkiness”, lack of training or any other excuse they may choose. Those excuses need to stop being accepted by the equine industry, full stop. Dr. Sue Dyson’s ethogram needs to be a standard in sports medicine practice, not simply just a jog or “lameness” exam.
Nothing is more rewarding than taking neuropathic, sensitive everywhere, defensive, angry, checked out, lame horses and giving them a space to find relaxation and relief from significant pain. Chronic pain is real and thoroughly documented in humans. They describe it as shooting, burning, aching, or electrical in nature. It can lead to anxiety, fatigue and insomnia when not resolved. Horses suffer from chronic pain, even when they are not "lame".
I will always love serving these horses. It’s not about fixing the top athletes. It’s not about being in the big fancy barns. It’s about working with the owners listening to their horses. It’s about this mare. Letting her find comfort again.
Within 3 months this mare has gone from unridable, painful everywhere, angry and lame. To quiet, calm, searching out human contact and now rideable. This is the epitome of what we do. I will always be grateful to help horses like her. I will always feel blessed by them as much as I hope to bless them.
Listen to your horse. Days of harsh training should be gone. It should never be hard to work to train them. I will for ever be grateful for my clients (profession
This is a Caisson horse named George. Sadly, he is not the only horse in the group of Caisson horses that were/are chronically struggling with severe body lameness. This is due to years of overwork, poor fitting tack and negligence by the US Army for not recognizing the signs of body lameness. Thankfully, US Army Veternarian Dr. Byles pushed to find a solution to the major issues she recognized in the horses.
So proud of my mentor, Dr. Audrey DeClue of DeClue Equine, for being called in by the US Army to help these horses. Over the past year, Dr. DeClue and the team from PulseVet have worked diligently on not only treating these complex cases, but ensuring that with the proper education and staff personnel, this is never allowed to happen again or continue to occur for future horses. Thankful for Foxhall Equine for providing their amazing facility to allow these horses to rehab at. When the team puts the horses first, amazing things can happen.
Sadly, and the real reality, is these horses are not alone. Many horses struggle with complex body lameness conditions that are not diagnosed or recognized. It's time to #knowbetterdobetterbebetter for our horses - recognizing and treating body lameness. Body lameness is real and extremely common. True equine body soundness is possible with early detection, changing conventional thought around lameness and treating the horses whole body, not just the legs.
#rexos #bodysoundness #bodylameness #thatsnotnormal #knowbetterdobetterbebetter saddlefitting.us PulseVet Kate Workman
This is not normal. Horses should not carpal wobble, especially after work.
Come find out more about clues that are not normal but commonly overlooked (it’s not always the foot!)
https://declue-equine.com/events/
#bodysoundness #rexos #mysterylameness #equinesportsmedicine DeClue Equine
Thoracic pain +\- kissing spines are some of the most common clinical concerns for horse owners and trainers.
Here is the 3rd biomechanics video touching on this topic!
#bodysoundness #knowbetterdobetterbebetter #equinebackpain #kissingspines #equinebiomechanics #rexos
Biomechanics, biomechanics, biomechanics!
Part 2 of what goes wrong in horses with back pain!
#bodysoundness #knowbetterdobetterbebetter #equinebackpain #rexos #equineathlete #equinebiomechanics
Biomechanics should be the absolute foundation for how we look at, address and treat performance horses. Especially when it comes to axial skeleton issues. If your horse struggles with back pain- it has issues with their biomechanics.
If the team helping your horse cannot explain the biomechanics of what has gone wrong, movement and postural patterns, then they should not be helping fix the problem in your horse’s back. They do not have the foundational understanding to truly fix the problem. Push for better, be your horse’s advocate.
The next few posts on our back pain series will all be videos! Enjoy ❤️
#thesoundnessprofessionals #equinebodyresearch #knowbetterdobetterbebetter #rexos #equinesportsmedicine #backpain #kissingspines Kate Workman
We had several requests to show on a live horse where the short/western girth should sit, after Amanda Anderson-Jamison of saddlefitting.us posted one of our necropsy videos. Here is the explanation! Photos in comments, girth should sit above my hand.
Incorrect girth placement or type can be a source of pain and damage to your horse, just another reason for your horse to be "Girthy".
A common response to a "girthy" horse is ulcers, which very well could be the cause. But very few times do people consider their girth or girth placement is a cause for pain. The right girth and the right length/placement is imperative to the success of your equine partner!
Things to consider
-Length of Girth
-Material of girth
-Buckle coverings
-Placement of girth over nerve bundles
-Your horse's specific anatomy
Necropsy video https://fb.watch/kmHmel_a7j/?mibextid=v7YzmG
#thesoundnessprofessionals #equinebodyresearch #Rexos #equinebodyresearch #trusttheprocess #equinegirth DeClue Equine
We often hear, “my horse didn’t get injured!” Yes they did, it just wasn’t recognized.
All of us are struggling with body lameness currently! Juli Sillman Abigail Cathcart
#thesoundnessprofessionals #bodylameness #equinesportsmedicine #backpain #bodysoundness #equinerehabilitation #knowbetterdobetterbebetter
The first step in solving the problem is identifying the issue.
Horses suffering with back pain often have a very clear clinical picture. When clients send their paperwork to us, the horse’s history and symptoms almost always are a check list of back pain symptoms. They can have a range of clinical signs but all have some commonality: pain or sensitivity on palpation (if it palpates sore- it is sore we need to stop making diagnosing horses so complicated), clinical signs are worsened under saddle, canter is poor and they struggle with proper frames, especially in transitions.
Other clinical signs can give clues to the region of the back that is affected and if the pain is more musculoskeletal or neurologic in nature.
🥕 Performance: hind end lameness (un-blockable, short strided), toe drag, proximal hind suspensory pain, hollow, stiff in the back, no hind end engagement, difficultly with contact, jumping issues, lead change problems, resistant going forward, worse one direction vs another, unsoundness only seen under saddle, shivers/stringhault, mild neurologic signs, feels disconnected hind to front
🥕 Behavioral: anxious/stressed, nervous, spooky, bucks/rears/bolts, hyper-reactive, grumpy, sleep deprived, tail swishes, pins ears, fidgets when being saddled, dislikes being touched or brushed, self mutilates, sciatica (video below is a clear example)
🥕 Nutritional: chronic ulcers, mild recurring colic, poor weight or muscle gain, poor appearance, undiagnosed EPM but EPM medications improve the horse
🥕 Postural: stands parked out or camped under, banks shavings, hunter bump, over developed brachiocephalicus muscles, under developed epaxial muscles (topline), atrophy at neck/scapula tie in, negative hind plantar angles.
Not all of these individual signs indicate back pain exclusively, but can be clues that your horse has back pain. If your horse palpates sore anywhere along its topline- it has back pain regardless of other clinical signs and
What causes sleep deprivation?
Helping your horse from this devastating conditioning, starts and ends with solving that question. Unfortunately for most, the answer is never fully understood or multi-factorial in nature causing to poor resolution of symptoms and thus improved quality of life.
Common causes for a horse not wanting to lay down and REM sleep are:
* Behavioral- herd dynamics, perceived safety, individual temperament
* Stress - changing of environment/routine, training
* Environmental: too much lighting, stall/turn out preferences, not enough bedding or a comfortable place to rest
*PAIN
Pain is the area that can be difficult to diagnose and fully manage. Horses with obviously limb lameness are more quickly diagnosed and treated. However, the axial skeletal pain and dysfunction horses are often more deceptive. These horses are frequently "Sound" and thus pain is never fully explored as the cause of the sleep deprivation. Body lameness can present as behavioral under saddle, performance concerns, hypersensitivity, girthiness, crooked tail, poor attitude, head tossing, unbalanced, bucking, rearing, bolting and much more. Conditions and injuries within the body can be difficult to definitively diagnose due to the horses large size and our limited ability to image their bodies. Some body injuries that have caused sleep deprivation in our cases are fractured sternums, fractured ribs, lower neck arthritis/EVCM, nerve root impingement, shivers and older pelvic fractures. These conditions can be sources of chronic serious pain causing the horse to not be comfortable laying down to sleep.
Solving why your horse is sleep deprived must revolve around answering why they are not comfortable laying down.
#bodylameness #sleepdeprivation #digdeep #bebetterdobetter #equinesportsmedicine DeClue Equine
We are so grateful for clients like Abigail Cathcart for constantly searching for answers to her horses subtle but present abnormalities.
She wasn’t willing to accept “it’s not a big deal, that’s normal” Then when her horse acutely got shivers she searched out for a answer and refused to accept the normal answers.
Video day 0 and day 10. Shivers is treatable, especially when caught and treated in a young horse.
DeClue Equine #bodylameness #shivers #dressagehorse
