11/02/2024
๐ ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐
๐๐บ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ช๐ญ๐ฉ, ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด - first published 2014
As imaging technology improves we are able to detect problems that where simply not identifiable in the past with what tools existed. Unless a horse was autopsied and dissected some of these pathologies remained unknown and behavior and performance deficits remained attributed to the horse's character rather then his anatomy or fell into the mystery lameness category.
Cat Walker's Master in Equine Science degree's thesis (Foundations of Soundness with Cat Walker) and the work of other Equine Scientists like her is important because it sheds light on what some of these mysteries really are about.
Instead of some "missing piece" or mystical trauma, there are bones and vertebras that are deformed, squashed, fused, abnormally shaped through genetics or acute injury, there are jaws with teeth that should not be, and joints that have fused, pelvis and sacrum locked in a bone brace, scars that reach deep into the body..in a word, the internal picture does not match the external one.
This horse which cannot flex even though his neck looks like a swan, this horse who cannot collect even though he cost six figures and is bred like a Collection God...This horse who has a hard mouth which no bit, dentist or change of training method can help...
Sometimes, sumptuous coats and muscles are draped over skeletons that have gone terribly wrong. While muscles dictate to bones and joints what they can do, muscles cannot action bones that are frozen and stuck. Nerves that have been impinged cannot convey messages properly or at all from brain to body and back.
Spine with extra vertebral processes, missing ones, broken ones, the list goes on and on.
Traumatized bone, soft tissues and fascia reacts, shrink wrapping blood vessels and nerves, creating protective shells by overlaying bone, scaring, adhering and altogether impairing the whole horse in an effort to protect individual trauma sites.
There is a whole cascade of biological sequences happening constantly which we are mostly blissfully ignorant of.
We think more outside rein will fix this, or more inside leg a change of saddle, bit, trainer, vet, shoes, supplements, footing, barn will fix this. We learn that none of it does. As long as we only consider the outside of the horse, we can only fumble around.
Unfortunately for the horse and for us.
In some cases, riding this disastrous cascade of events can lead to permanent crippling of your horse, it can cause permanent and painful damage. It may also kill or injure you, the rider when the instability becomes a break and your horse falls into a heap in the middle of a canter or over a jump. When he is ravaged by a neurological storm and he can no longer control his limbs while you are riding or by his side and he falls. When he is in such pain, he bucks, rears, and bolts to escape it and takes you with him until he unseats you.
Those who have experienced it will tell you their terror and then their guilt over not knowing sooner, not figuring it out, missing clues and punishing a horse whose body was betraying him. And his rider too.
There is another way to become aware of these issues besides advanced imaging. And that is PALPATION and OBSERVATION. Two skills that are rapidly being challenged in a losing battle by advancing technology which can look into the body and even analyze gaits to find lameness but cannot know the horse as a sentient being can. Technology which does work that veterinarians a few decades ago, a century and more ago, would do in great part by ear, sight, touch.
I think new technologies are a blessing upon horses because they can take up where our abilities to feel and see come short and allow us to test our hypothesis and form new ones.
I think they are a curse, if it means that the old ways of assessing, measuring and identifying issues using our hands, eyes, ears and brain first are dismissed in favor of software, scanners and micro cameras as a substitute for feel. This happens when humans function under the illusion that modern technology can connect the same dots, have the same spark of insights, that a person has.
It reminds me of young people who can no longer write in cursive because they use texting and computers only. Research shows that in forming letters, our brain also learns to form thoughts in ways appliances do not encourage. This impacts our critical thinking abilities and it changes how we learn, question, and create -- and not for the better. See Neil Postman's work on this subject, it is illuminating.
Thus to be of service to horses and their owners, equine health professionals must nurture their ability to feel, observe and think. They must study and educate themselves. They must look for patterns from horse to horse, compare notes and grow their inner data base. It sounds simple enough. It is not.
In teaching his acupuncture course, the late Dr. Ridgway could point to the whisper of an indentation on a horse's skin that signal the pool of energy where points reside but he could not make someone feel it. Feel is not petting, rubbing, poking mechanically.
Feel is the ability to read a horse's anatomy like braille.
Add knowledge and an equine health pro can help point the way to what is wrong, which technology can investigate and confirm. Feel + Knowledge + Technology can save your horse and you time and suffering --and costly bills.
So, when you have selected a qualified equine health pro to help with your horse's issue and these trained hands, eyes, ears and brain detect a problem through feel and experience. When they recommend exams, do not dismiss them lightly or let anyone on your horse's health team wave suggestions away because of territoriality.
Find out why your horse cannot work, look beneath the skin, be aware of all the myriads of issues that can live there without any external clues and are too often interpreted as behavioral and training issues by trainers and health pros that instead of admitting their lack of knowledge prefer to blame the horse.
To avoid this requires working with properly trained professionals.
First, picking trainers, hoof pros, massage therapists and body workers who are qualified for the work they do. Audit, audit, audit. Ask for references. Trust your eyes rather then your ears. Then pick a veterinarian that does not just have a lot of expensive equipment, though we do want the best equipment, but one that has the ability to also see your horse without it and enough experience to connect the dots, ask questions, and create a map that will lead to some answers, maybe THE answer.
Your horse is a stradivarius. He is a complex, delicate collection of systems, as you are. Do not over simplify. Do not look away because you are overwhelmed and feel inadequate when faced with bones, sinew, fascia, ligaments, nerves and pain. Learn, educate yourself, take a course, read. Ask Questions.
In a word, think of and see your horse inside, out.
๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ธ, ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ? ๐๐บ ๐๐ข๐ต ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ณ
Cat Walker's post that inspired this post in 2014. I recommend visiting her page for excellent information:
https://www.facebook.com/FoundationsOfSoundness?mibextid=2JQ9oc
"What is it that we are really seeing and feeling in our horse's bodies? Is a bulge in the neck really just "out" or temporarily misaligned? Is it a muscle that is overdeveloped, or stuck in contraction? Or, are the bones actually in bigger trouble than we might think?
In becoming aware of what we are really feeling underneath the skin, we can make informed decisions about how to manage the problem.
Sometimes, that means seeking the help of an experienced veterinary chiropractor to help restore normal range of motion.
Sometimes, that means having radiographs taken to determine whether there is a fracture, or significant bony changes occurring, and implementing appropriate veterinary treatment strategies.
Sometimes, it IS just a temporary kink in the neck caused by muscle spasm, and we need to address the training problem or body imbalance that might be causing it, while releasing the affected area with appropriate soft tissue therapy modalities.
Sometimes, it is a combination of these.
And sometimes, it is the result of a problem out of our control, that we can try to support palliatively with dietary supplementation, medication, and/or maintenance massage to keep the horse as comfortable as possible while trying to slow down degenerative changes.
But if you jump to conclusions without considering all these possibilities, you'll never know.
What really lies beneath?
The only ones who can answer that question properly are the horses who end up on the dissection table."
๐๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐:
Another excellent post from Cat with the text that accompanied the image below.
https://www.facebook.com/FoundationsOfSoundness/photos/a.332736363522628/442842375845359/?type=3&mibextid=I6gGtw
Be sure to read her post.
To develop your knowledge check :
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/improvedhorseperformance
and:
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/equinewellnesscourse2013
๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐: ๐๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐๐บ
โก๏ธ Joint Health: The health of joints is crucial for movement. Cartilage degradation, such as in osteoarthritis, can limit movement and cause pain, affecting how muscles move bones.
โก๏ธ Fascia: This is a band or sheet of connective tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that attaches, stabilizes, encloses, and separates muscles and other internal organs. Fascia can influence muscle movement and flexibility.
โก๏ธ Blood Supply: Adequate blood flow is vital for muscle function. It provides oxygen and nutrients to muscles and removes waste products. Poor circulation can affect muscle performance and healing.
โก๏ธ Endocrine System: Hormones can influence muscle function. For example, cortisol (a stress hormone) can affect muscle tissue, and growth hormone plays a role in muscle growth and repair.
โก๏ธ Nutrition and Hydration: Adequate nutrition and hydration are crucial for optimal muscle function and bone health.
โก๏ธ Exercise and Use: Regular use and exercise of muscles and joints play a significant role in maintaining their health and function. Lack of use can lead to atrophy and stiffness.
โก๏ธ Aging and Disease Impact: Aging and certain diseases can affect muscles, bones, and nerves, altering their function and coordination.
Awareness of these additional factors helps provide a more holistic view of what affects bone and muscle movement and overall musculoskeletal health.
First published 2014.
Image from ยฉ๏ธCat Walker, Foundations of Soundness
