Ann Ramsey Equine Rehabilitation

11/08/2024

https://www.facebook.com/100075782037773/posts/463783009491096/?mibextid=WaXdOe

Brilliant explanation of how conformation affects the shape of the hoof capsule. Great read!!!

08/08/2024

https://www.instagram.com/stories/killacat08/3429531602502531448?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA==

26/07/2024

Great read.

22/07/2024

Thanks for being a top engager and making it on to my weekly engagement list! 🎉

Zahoor Ahmad, Travis David Mahoney, Fitz Equine Bodywork, Christian Egeler, Lagniappe Equine, Rebecca Sutton, Pavel Javier Lara Corrales, Lynn McEnespy, Edison Wladimir Chipugsi Velasquez, Chelsea Lauren

22/07/2024

Hi Horse Lovers! 🌟 You can support me by sending Stars - they help me earn a bit to keep making Horse related content you love! Thank you to everyone who has supported me. 🙏

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18/07/2024

Edit: a barefoot group, has claimed that there is no connection between a long toe and increased DDFT tension. They have released a series of photos and X-rays in an attempt to prove this point. However many of the X-rays, actually depict very clearly the phenomenon they claim doesn’t exist.
I have marked up one such X-ray, to illustrate a scientific point. Just as many other professionals have done with their materials.

Building on my previous post about the connection between the toe length and the tension on the Deep Digital Flexor Tendon (DDFT), this image shows what happens when there is no longer a stable attachment from the dorsal hoof wall to the pedal bone.
When the wall attachment breaks down due to laminitis, the DDFT is unopposed. Thus, the tension of the DDFT can pull the pedal bone out of alignment with the rest of the boney column and into a rotation of P3.

This imbalance of forces is what causes rotation, not over trimming as some have suggested. As you can see in this x-ray the toe is quite long. What fills the gap is a laminar wedge made up of porous scar tissue. Laminar wedges can actually continue the rotation, because without reducing the toe length, the tension on the DDFT will continue to increase as the toe length stretches further out.

Just lowering the heels alone, will also only increase pull of the DDFT, causing the P3 bone to drop onto the sole, crushing the vascular bed required to produce more sole. This is frequently the cause of sole perforation in horses.

The Center of Rotation is represented as a red circle. The DDFT is shown in Green.

The moment arm of the toe length, is measured from the center of rotation to the tip of the toe. This line is represented in blue and marked Lt.

The length from the Center of Rotation of the coffin joint through the navicular bone to the tendon, is marked Ln.

The force at the toe from the ground is marked by an orange line and marked Fg.

The 3 red lines mark the direction of pull away from the Dorsal Hoof Wall. This is how the bone is pulled away by the DDFT which is unopposed in a foot with Laminitis until some attachments can be repaired by the body.

keeping the moment arm (toe length) reduced to a balanced length, is critical in the treatment of laminitis.

17/07/2024

Hey 👋 If you are interested in Asymmetry and Lameness, the topic of my 5 hour lecture series and accredited online class, check out one of my Webinars with Wendy!

Ann Ramsey is a lifelong horsewoman. She graduated from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo in 2006, with a bachelor's degree in Anima...

17/07/2024

15/07/2024

I’d like to weigh-in on the notion currently being discussed which states that there is no relationship between the length of the toe and the force on the Deep Digital Flexor Tendon (DDFT). In the figure below a widely accepted model of the coffin joint mechanics is presented. The image below is shows the lever and pulley relationship between the length of toe moment arm, and the force on the DDFT.

The red circle represents the Center of Rotation of the Coffin joint, located at the distal end of P2.

The smaller blue circle depicts the Center of Rotation of the navicular bone. The DDFT rides over the navicular bone, which acts like a pulley.

The length of the Lever arm of the Toe, is depicted as a blue line marked Lt.

This relationship of lever to pulley, becomes critical for the foot to achieve breakover. Breakover is described as the moment when the stance phase has ended, and the heel just lifts off the ground. To achieve this, the DDFT muscle must contract, which creates torque around the Center of Rotation of the Coffin Joint. The longer the Length of the Toe arm (blue line marked Lt), the harder the muscle of the DDFT must work, to flex the coffin joint forward, and achieve breakover.

Neglecting to trim the toe appropriately, creates extra work for the DDFT and its muscle. A shorter toed horse will have less tension on the DDFT than a long-toed horse.

Something worth noting is that this is the model for a normal horse with healthy wall attachment. The failure to remove the excess toe on a horse with laminitis, has serious repercussions for the recovery of wall attachment during the healing phase. More on this in another post to follow.

References:
1. Evaluating Radiographs for Equine Foot Management, by Pete Healey, APFI
2. Rooney J.R., Functional Anatomy of the Foot. In: Floy A., Mansmann R.A., ed. Equine Podiatry
3. A Modern Look At the Hoof by M. Craig

14/07/2024

www.Equine-Rehab.com.

Here is the link to my new website! I hope you enjoy it. All of my online lectures, classes, and articles are available here! Thank you to my followers and supporters I’m always trying to bring you the best info regarding the health of the horse.

Rehabilitation, Hoof Care & BodyworkEast Bay and Sacramento Valley, CA Now offering online consultations! RECOGNIZING & PREVENTING LAMENESS ONLINE CLASS Recognizing & Preventing Lameness Online ClassLearn to Spot lameness from subtle to overt, and take action to prevent injury.Accredited by the IAPF...

11/07/2024

Interesting case of a green stick fracture in a yearling horse. The fracture hurt, but never caused lameness and because of the location, does not interfere with any soft tissue. Thank goodness.

The wound over the top would not close even with daily wound care and antibiotics. Small bone chips had been broken off and were impeding healing.

The local Veterinarian did a field surgery with standing sedation and local anesthetic. After the bone chips were removed, the wound healed completely.

The only remaining bump is scar tissue only and does not affect soundness.

I have been working with shoes to reduce the temporary high heel that occurred due to pain. The heel is reducing and getting close the hoof wall and heel wall angles pre injury.

The horse is now thriving in pasture with his herd mates!

10/07/2024

10/07/2024

Please check out the latest version of Equine-Rehab.com all of my online classes and articles are housed here. Also, hit like and follow on this pro page please. 🙏 I have totally hit capacity on my personal page and I want to include everyone who would like to see the New Educational content I am creating! Cheers 🥂

10/07/2023

You know you live in the country when there is a live chicken clearly thriving and surviving in the Costco parking lot.

09/01/2023

Hi, I am jumping on to answer some questions about lameness, and other practical tools taught in my online class, called Recognizing & Preventing Lameness

03/01/2023

Jump into 2023 with one of a kind Equine Education! The online class Recognizing & Preventing Lameness is back for it's third year! Class Begins Feb1st, 2023 IAPF 5 CE Units! Click the link for more info and enrollment. https://equine-rehab-com.mykajabi.com/

03/01/2023

Its that time of year again! Back for the third year, is Recognizing & Preventing Lameness. Jump into 2023 with truly one of a kind Equine education. IAPF CE 5 Units! Click the link to enroll, Class Starts Feb 1st, 2023

https://equine-rehab-com.mykajabi.com/

14/12/2022

Good info

Longeing horses in a controlled way and avoiding overlongeing could be the most effective ways to protect their joints.

11/12/2022

Very important survey. If you participate you will be aiding in critical research on laterality!

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01/12/2022

Thanks RT Goodrich for having me last night at the Santa Rosa Junior College farrier science class! I can’t wait to come back next year!

25/10/2022

Check out my interview on Stable Connections - The Podcast

Where I talk about my journey with Therapeutic Shoeing and Equine Rehabilitation.

‎Show Stable Connections the Podcast, Ep Episode 52: Ann Ramsey - Oct 24, 2022

24/10/2022

Check out the latest Stable Connections Podcast featuring yours truly! Thanks Shona Berk 😀

24/10/2022

Take a listen to the latest Stable Connections podcast featuring yours truly! Thanks Shona Berk😁

26/09/2022

Important info especially for breeders

Researchers discover a genetic connection for kissing spines. KS is a common cause of poor performance in sport horses, characterised by impingement & overriding of spinous processes. The research identified one associated variant, or allele, on Chromosome 25. The discovered allele isn’t causative for kissing spines, but one of many factors linked to disease development/severity. The findings mean breeders can make informed decisions about horses that carry the risk variant (Patterson Rosa et al., 2022). Read the article ⬇️ 📷
http://ow.ly/PiIW50KQQ8z!

13/09/2022

My number 1 criteria for determining outcomes in laminitis cases is pain control. If we can’t get the horses pain under control relatively quickly, and maintain it, the horse needs to be hospitalized, where pain can be managed or euthanasia needs to be discussed. The pain is severe, it raises ethical questions about long protracted care.

FLASHBACK TO THE FUTURE: Neuropathic changes in equine laminitis pain

https://www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/8395473/Neuropathic_changes_in_equine_laminitis_pain.pdf

Although this article was published in the distant past (2007), it bears a great deal of relevance to us from a neurological point of view.
Here are some of the most ⚡️findings shared in this article:

⚡️ Laminitic horses displayed quantifiable pain behaviours - this is NB - changes in behaviour are an indication of pain!! In this case, frequent forelimb lifting and spending time in the back of the stall 🤕

⚡️the lateral digital nerve of laminitic horses shows DISTINCT morphological changes to the myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibres innervating the hoof - these included
🔸a reduction in the number of fibres,
🔸disruption of the axon sheath,
🔸abnormalities in the shape of surviving axons
🔸an accumulation of myelin debris
🔸a reduction in the total nerve area
🔸and more......

⚡️within the Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) at C8, the neuronal injury marker ATF-3 is selectively expressed in the sensory neurons that innervate the forelimb, at much higher concentrations than normal...

⚡️there is a distinctive pattern of Neuropeptide Y (NPY) expression in the sensory nerves within the DRG of C8
🔸this points to an immunoreactivity of NPY in C8 of laminitic horses

WHY does this matter to us, when we don't necessarily treat these cases??

💭It matters, because these changes in the nervous system make laminitic pain hard to control.
💭it matters, because this mechanical pathology now becomes a neurological pathology and deficit.
💭it matters, because these horses matter.
Their rehabilitation matters.
Their lives matter.
And we need to be a part of that whenever we can 💚

Thank you to Amie Hesbach for pointing us towards this article during your and Gillian Tabors lecture series on Neuroplasticity in the Equine patient 💚

07/08/2022

What a great day riding with Lenora!!

03/08/2022

We go into detail about healing Tendons in class, Recognizing & Preventing Lameness! This post is great!

When horses sustain a soft tissue injury, the first point of call has often been to use box rest. But is this the best option when managing a tendinopathy? ⁣
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A tendinopathy is an overuse injury of the tendon. While there is still much we don’t know about managing them, there are a few things that human research tells us. ⁣
⁣
1) Tendinopathy doesn’t improve with rest. Pain may settle but typically returns once activity resumes.
⁣
2) Exercise is currently the most evidence based treatment for tendinopathy in humans. Tendons need to be loaded progressively so that they can develop greater tolerance to the loads that are placed on them. In humans we see that the vast majority of cases tendinopathy will not improve without this vital load stimulus. Is this why there is a low success rate in horses?⁣
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3) Modifying load is important in settling tendon pain. This often involves reducing (at least in the short-term) loads that involves energy storage and compression. In a horse this involves activities like higher speed, jumping, repeated transitions.⁣
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4) Tendinopathy rarely improves long term with only passive treatments such as massage, therapeutic ultrasound, injections, shock-wave therapy, laser etc. Exercise and load management are the key factors and passive treatments are adjuncts to help manage pain. ⁣
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5) Exercise needs to be individualised. There is no recipe and exercise should be prescribed based on factors such as horse age, discipline, and owner’s goals and expectations. ⁣
⁣
6) Tendinopathy doesn’t resolve in a hurry. You need to have patience, ensure that exercise is correct and progressed appropriately, and try and resist the common temptation to accept ‘short cuts’. Be advised on the best form of treatment from your vet and qualified rehab practitioners. ⁣
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Interested to learn more about tendon load? Make sure to be following us as we’ll be sharing some videos throughout the week.⁣
⁣

10/05/2022

Looking to study in the shade during the summer heat? Come and join us for the June session of Recognizing & Preventing Lameness.
https://equine-rehab-com.mykajabi.com/
This 5 lecture series class is densely packed with information aimed at keeping your horse sound. Learn practical skills anyone can take out into the barn and use to assess their own horse. Veterinarians, Horse Owners, Farriers, Trainers and Bodyworkers have all taken this course and found it both interesting but also approachable in terms of the knowledge presented. If you have questions click the link below for more information, or to enroll:
https://equine-rehab-com.mykajabi.com/
Please private message me as well! I hope to see you in the classroom!

24/01/2022

When horses have a forelimb lameness, it effects the movement of the spine in walk, trot and canter. Which gait is most effected?

The movement of specific vertebrae are changed when there is pain in the limbs. When the lameness is in the hind limb, different area's of the spine lose mobility. Can you name the vertebrae? Want to learn more? Come to Class and learn with the group!

Ever wondered what the difference is between a lameness and an asymmetry? Or what about subtle gait abnormalities, are those lamenesses? And if so which ones?

We break it all down in this 5 lecture class called Recognizing & Preventing Lameness. Enrollment is open! Click the link to learn more or enroll! https://equine-rehab-com.mykajabi.com/

I created this class first and foremost for equine welfare. The better horse owners are at recognizing lameness themselves, the safer their horses will be.

18/01/2022

EQUINE EDUCATION is MY PASSION!

https://equine-rehab-com.mykajabi.com/

Here is a short sample…
Hind limb movement is critical to the movement of the horse. I get so many questions about the pelvic limb, so I thought I would take time to break down two types of musculatures and how they function.

There are Extrinsic and Intrinsic muscle groups and they create two different types of movement.

The Extrinsic muscles swing the limb forwards (protraction) and backwards (retraction), and laterally in what’s called abduction (to move away from the body) and medially in adduction (to move towards the body).

You can think of these as the larger swinging motions of the legs in extension from the hip. The 1st photo depicts this in the extended trot.

Then there are the Intrinsic muscles and they flex the limb joints to raise and lower the leg. The 2nd photo shows a horse with a higher step, bringing the legs up and down.

There is also Eccentric and Concentric muscle contraction.
Eccentric muscle contraction happens when a muscle is activated while it is lengthening.

For the pelvic limb, the joints of the reciprocal apparatus (hock, stifle, and fetlock) flex as they are being loaded in the stance phase of the gait. This flexion is controlled by the extensor muscles working eccentrically.

During push off the extensor muscles work concentrically to generate force between the limb and the ground.

For more great Equine Education Join me in my Online Class Recognizing & Preventing Lameness, ENROLLMENT is OPEN click the link to learn more or ENROLL NOW
https://equine-rehab-com.mykajabi.com/