Rhythm & Balance: Part Two

Part Two: Abnormal Rhythm & Balance

In my earlier post, I covered normal equine rhythm and balance in the 3 main gaits: walk, trot, & canter/lope. Now I’ll explain about gaitedness and common disorders.

GAITEDNESS

Researchers have found that gaited horses (such as Icelandic horses, Standardbreds, & Tennessee Walkers), have a mutation in the DMRT3 gene which permits alternate gaits.  This gene doesn’t guarantee that a horse will have alternate gaits like the tӧlt or running walk, it merely configures spinal circuits controlling gaitedness in a way that allows the legs on one side to move together laterally at a faster speed like in the Standardbred’s pace or Icelandic’s tӧlt. Researchers haven’t found any link between conformation and gaitedness.

STRINGHALT

Horses have muscle spindles with sensors for controlling magnitude and length of muscle contractions.  When these go awry, a horse can develop Stringhalt with rapid hyperflexion usually of the hind legs.  Often this is caused by ingesting toxic false dandelions (Hypchaeris radicata).  When caused by ingestion of the toxic weed and detected early enough, the condition is reseverible with treatment. However, stringhalt can be caused by trauma to a limb and sometimes the only option is to surgically cut the lateral digital extensor tendon to provide some relief.  

“WOBBLERS’ vs. EPM vs. EDM

Commonly known as “Wobblers” Syndrome, Equine CompressiveMyelopathy refers to compression of the spinal cord which causes nerve damage and resulting  incoordination of limbs (ataxia) and stumbling.  Wobblers is most often found in geldings and horses who experienced rapid growth. Symptoms are usually symmetrical, unlike in Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM), a disease caused by a parasite in wildlife feces, typically opossums and affecting 1% of horses.

EDM also causes symmetrical ataxia and incoordination in particular of the hind legs. It is usually diagnosed in foals or yearlings when severe, however it may go undetected for years if symptoms are minor.  EDM is often related to Vitamin E deficiency in utero, so it is wide to measure a broodmare’s Vitamin E levels and supplement if necessary. 

CEREBELLAR ABIOTROPHY

Found primarily in Arabians, Cerebellar Abiotrophy, is characterized by a head tremor where affected horses shake their heads left and right.  This head tremor and ataxia is often diagnosed between 6 weeks to 4 months of age. Depending on the severity, horses diagnosed with Cerebellar Abiotrophy may be prone to accidents and are not safe to be ridden and are frequently euthanized. 

“SHIVERS”

Most common in draft horses or extremely tall Warmbloods (16.3+), Shivers is typically seen in geldings and usually noticed by an unwillingness to back up.  This occurs because horses with this condition have difficulty with the coordination of flexion & extension, especially of their hind limbs.

Although these are some scary neurological conditions, the good news is that they are fairly rare and sometimes preventable (avoid toxic false dandelion ingestion, supplement pregnant mares with Vitamin E if necessary, etc.).

Want to have your own property so you can manage your horses’ access to toxic plants and wildlife?  Check out www.mnhorseproperties.com and www.donavin.com for hobby farms, acreage, and horse properties for sale.

Equine Rhythm & Balance: Part One

Part One: Normal Equine Rhythm

Horses, as quadrupeds, have a more complex locomotion than humans, who are bipeds.  Every step requires them to have proprioception, i.e. the sense of where each of their limbs are in space and relative to each other as well as the amount of strength involved in moving each limb.  Another requirement of movement for horses is rhythm, the characteristic sequence of footfalls and phases of each gait.

Each gait has its own rhythm. Here are the sequence of footfalls for the 3 main gaits (walk, trot & canter).

The walk is a 4-beat gait: Left Hind - Left Front - Right Hind - Right Front

Left Hind

Left Front

Right Hind

Right Front

The trot is a 2-beat gait with diagonal pairs: Left Hind & Right Front - Right Hind & Left Front

Left Hind & Right Front

Right Hind & Left Front

The canter is a 3-beat gait, as shown by the photos below:

Right Hind

Left Hind & Right Front

Left Front

Horses naturally transition from one gait to another when it is more comfortable for them at a certain speed.  What we as riders ask them to do sometimes is not natural, i.e. an extended walk requires more energy than a trot and extended trot (with a large stride) requires more energy than canter.  Similarly, collected canter requires more energy than trotting at a similar speed. Each horse has a natural rhythm and tempo for each gait in which the horse can relax and be comfortable.  

Stay tuned for more information about when normal rhythm is disrupted in Part Two.

Check out www.donavin.com or www.mnhorseproperties.com to look for hobby farms and equestrian facilities for sale in Minnesota.

Shedding Season

Nothing says spring like shedding season!  While wearing blankets in the winter can prevent horses from developing as thick of a winter coat as they do without, they still shed in the spring.  

Did you know that horses can start shedding on the Winter Solstice as soon as the days start getting longer? Many people think that horses shed hair when the temperatures rise, but in actuality, the process is triggered by increasing sunlight hours.

MUTUAL GROOMING

In addition to using your handy shedding blade or curry, sometimes horses help with the shedding process by grooming each other, like my mares do.

Mutual grooming serves several purposes: they scratch each other's itches, assist with the shedding process, and massage each other's muscles.  It's a bonding experience for horses, which is one reason why I highly recommend grooming your horses every day you see them.  Learn what your horse(s) like best. For instance, Kaleidoscope likes her forehead rubbed and her withers scratched.  Elena loves her belly and girth area scratched with a curry comb. Both appreciate it when I massage their neck muscles and haunches.

  

Here's a video of them grooming each other.  You can see how strong they are. When you're grooming your horse(s), don't be afraid to dig into their muscles a bit if they're enjoying the contact - just avoid sensitive areas like the flank! 

HEALTH CONCERNS

While it is normal for horses to look a bit patchy as they're shedding their thick winter coat, it is not normal for a horse to hold on to their coat too long. In particular older horses who do this may be developing Cushing's disease.  Another indication is long hairs all the way down the legs and on the belly and an overall extremely fluffy appearance.  I am not referring to the feathers of a Friesian, Clydesdale, or Shire horse (like in my Friesian/Clydesdale/Thoroughbred cross below) but a much hairier look all the way up the legs and all over the body.

Photo by Molly Goossens Photography

While all of us horse owners may be covered in horse hair for a few weeks, it is a small price to pay to help our horses become comfortable with warmer spring weather and it's a valuable way to bond with our horses and to check in on their health.

Want to keep a closer eye on your horses?  Look at properties for sale in MN here and www.Donavin.com

How Horses See: Part One

Have you ever wondered how horses see their world?  I attended the first session of the Trainer Series at the University of Minnesota Leatherdale Equine Center class on equine vision*. Here's what I learned:

Part One: Normal Equine Vision

Kaleidoscope - photo by Molly Goossens Photography

COLOR

Research into equine vision tells us that horses see some colors but not all the range we do. They have what we call dichromatic vision. Essentially, horses are red-green color blind, so they cannot distinguish between red and green and do not see red, purple, or orange.  Mostly they see the world in muted shades of yellow, green, blue, and gray.  Because horses have difficulty differentiating solid colors, many jumps designed for horses are striped. 

Also, horses with blue eyes like Kaleidoscope pictured above, do not have any eye issues more than horses with brown eyes except they are prone to skin cancer with all of that pale skin.  Wearing fly masks year-round and sunscreen in the summer can help prevent painful sunburn and risk of cancer for horses with pale skin.

FIELD OF VISION

As prey animals, horses have excellent peripheral vision and are adept at detecting motion.  With an eye on each side of their head, horses have almost a full 360 degree field of vision.  They do have a blind spot directly in front of their noses up to 3-4 feet and directly behind them.  Most of their vision is monocular, i.e. input is from one eye only.  However, in front their eyes’ fields of vision overlap and they have binocular vision and depth perception. When a horse is ridden with a lower headset and in a round frame, they see the ground not far in front of them.  Imagine the trust they must have in their rider to not be looking out for possible threats while in this frame!  Ever wondered why horses have such long noses?  One reason is that their eyes are designed to be high enough up on their heads that they can see over tall grass when grazing.

CLARITY

Although horses only have approximately half the ability humans have to see details, horses have better detailed vision than cats or dogs. One reason for this might be that horses have unusually large eyes which allow more light to enter in. Their ability to focus on something very close to them in proximity is limited.  For this reason, horses often prefer to halt while far away from an object of interest, lift their head and use both eyes to observe.

LIGHT & DARK

Horses are gifted with extraordinary night vision for a non-nocturnal animal.  They can see quite well in the darkness once their eyes have adjusted to it.  However, their eyes take significantly longer to adjust to changes in lighting than human eyes do.  When leading a horse from bright daylight into a dim barn, allow time for their eyes to transition.

Horses are certainly well-adapted to being grazing prey animals but not necessarily so well suited to being domesticated animals used for riding and driving.  Keep this information in mind when you are handling and riding them, for your safety and for their comfort!

Elena - photo by Molly Goossens Photography

*Information shared with permission from "Equine Vision: What they See and What You Don't!" presentation by Kerry J. Kuhle, DVM

Always wanted to keep horses at your home?  To see hobby farm listings in Minnesota, check out www.donavin.com or www.mnhorseproperties.com!

Mud Management

Every horse person who lives in Minnesota knows that with the arrival of spring comes the thaw and mud season. We’ve been lucky this year that snow accumulations were relatively low this winter and we had a dry first couple of weeks of warmer temperatures.  This allowed the ground to dry out remarkably quickly thus far.  Although the forecast today calls for 3-6 inches of snow with more rain predicted for the week to come, the fact that the ground has dried out already probably means that the usual boot-sucking mud won’t happen this year.  Not that any of us miss mud that comes up to your knees and pulls your boots right off! 

It does beg the question: what can horse property owners do to prevent mud in their horse pastures?  Here are some tips:

1)      Don’t over-crowd horse paddocks/pastures.  When over-crowding happens, horses eat away all of the grass and without the roots to stabilize the ground and soak up excess moisture, the ground is susceptible to erosion. Horses are ½ ton animals and all that weight plunges right through soft ground.  They do prefer to stand in drier areas if available to them. 

2)      Put gravel or sand at high-traffic areas like by the gate, water trough, shelter, and hay feeder.  Horses often stand at the gate when they think it’s time to come in for grain or to go in for the night.  They also may spend hours standing at the hay feeder or in the shelter and they’ll have to get to the water.  Placing sand or gravel in these areas helps them to drain off excess water. 

3)      Remove manure as often as possible. Did you know that each horse contributes 50 lbs of manure a day? Organic matter contributes to mud – not to mention the ick factor when you have to plunge through the slop to catch your horse!  If you can’t pick up manure every few days in your paddocks, at least arrange to have your paddocks scraped by a Bobcat once the ground dries in the spring and as needed over the summer/fall. 

4)      Prepare a sacrifice area.  If possible, protect your grass areas from your horses when conditions are soft and wet by keeping horses in other paddocks during that time.  Often these areas are called sacrifice areas because they are expected to be a bit muddier due to being a smaller area in order to keep horses off of the grass pasture. 

5)      Assist run-off system to send water away from your horses’ feet. Install a channel in the ground or angle the ground to direct water away from high-traffic zones. Make sure your buildings, gutters, and drain pipes direct water to low-traffic zones and if possible to vegetation areas. You could even install a rain garden with horse-safe wildflowers, shrubs, or small trees to catch water.

Mud doesn’t have to plague horse owners every spring!  Take steps today to make your horse property mud free!

Interested in buying or selling your horse property in the Twin Cities metro area?  Contact Donvain at www.donavin.com