Q. Can how a horse is shod improve how he moves in the show ring?

A. Shoeing can improve how a horse moves in the show ring in many ways. When we can consider horseshoes’ impact on movement, we must consider three factors: conformation, hoof trim, and type of horseshoe. We should examine them separately so we can understand how each factor contributes to the whole.

Conformation

Once a horse reaches maturity, there is very little shoeing can do to safely alter a gait related to limb conformation. Trying to alter a less-than-ideal gait can add extra stress on joints, bones, and hooves, so any benefit will be short-lived and ultimately not appropriate for the horse’s health. The same can apply to hoof conformation to a certain degree. In these cases, we need to assess the hoof to discover if a hoof abnormality is due to excess hoof length or inappropriate trimming, which are very fixable, or if a permanent conformation problem exists. An example of the latter is a club foot. These horses tend to have one foot at a lower-than-ideal angle and a club foot with a very upright conformation. The difference in angle between the feet makes it impossible for the two legs to move similarly. Trying to alter the angles can lead to similar pressures on limbs, joints, and hooves as we see when we try to alter gait in a poorly conformed horse. We can try to make them closer to ideal, but usually the change is negligible. Many horses do very well with mismatched feet, but the difference in stride length may have negative effects on hunter or dressage scores.

Trim

The key to any shoeing job is how well the hoof is trimmed. The goal is to trim the foot to match the conformation of the leg and offer maximum weight-bearing support under the limbs. Some farriers, usually under the instructions of a trainer, will try to alter the trim (e.g., raising or lowering the heels) to make a stride more appropriate for a discipline. This can give a short-term fix, but when we alter where the hoof should be, we are adding pressure and stress to focal parts of the hoof. This excess force can lead to such problems as quarter or toe cracks, sheared heels, and flared walls. No matter how hard we try, we can’t use trim to overcome the forces of conformation.

Shoe type

That leaves us with the horseshoe type and placement, which is where we can make a safe difference. For example, aluminum shoes are much lighter than steel shoes and can have a significant impact on stride. A heavier shoe causes the horse to raise his knees higher to position to limb to land appropriately. If you desire your horse to have a long, flowing stride, a lighter shoe can reduce knee action. We always have to consider what a horse does for a living, however. Having a jumper land on aluminum shoes might not provide the support he needs, whereas a hunter jumping lower fences might move better with lighter shoes and might not require the hoof and limb support that steel offers.

We can also influence stride by where we position the breakover of the shoe in the toe region. The breakover is the moment the hoof rolls over and the toe is just about to leave the ground. A shoe placed just back of the hoof might break over a bit quicker than one that is flush with the toe of the hoof or slightly ahead of it. A few years back, we used to set hind shoes back on jumpers so they wouldn’t overreach and pull off front shoes. We have since learned that the quick breakover behind can put strain on the stifle, and we have returned to fitting hind shoes to the natural, more pointed toe, which allows the horse to dig in to propel itself forward.

When shoeing horses we need to consider the horse’s job and conformation. We should strive to shoe the horse according to his hoof and leg conformation while considering what he does for a living. Like riding, the more we can get out of the way, the better we can let the horse’s natural abilities shine.

Do you have performance horse health questions? Send them to editorial@thehorse.com. 

Q. I have a 16-year-old Quarter Horse I use for western dressage. When we lope on the right lead (clockwise), he tends to “crab-canter,” meaning he travels crooked with his haunches in. My trainer is constantly asking me to straighten him. How can I tell whether this is a training and strength issue or a hindlimb lameness?

—Maggie, Washington

A. Hi Maggie, great question. Just as most humans have a dominant hand, many horses are sided and have one hindquarter that is weaker than the other. And, of course, if the issue is simply that the horse is weaker on one side, this can be improved with conditioning and targeted physical therapy exercises. However, when there is notable asymmetry or differences in how a horse travels one direction compared to the other, often more is at play, and you and your veterinarian should consider lameness.

Think about the canter: It’s a three-beat gait with the outside hindlimb (beat 1), inside hindlimb and outside forelimb (beat 2), and inside forelimb (beat 3) moving in that order. Thus, the outside hindlimb is responsible for propelling the horse forward in canter (i.e., during the right lead canter, the left hindlimb is the driving limb). This is important to note because, more often than not, if a horse struggles in canter one direction, the cause is often an issue with the outside hindlimb. Additionally, horses with hindlimb lameness tend to move away from the lame leg. In the scenario you describe, the horse struggles more in right lead canter and tends to move away from the left hind limb, both of which might indicate an issue with the left hind limb.

This brings us to the heart of your question, which is how to differentiate between weakness and lameness. The first step is to have your veterinarian perform a thorough musculoskeletal and lameness examination on your horse. In many cases your veterinarian might be able to detect a lameness that’s not obvious to the untrained eye.

If your veterinarian doesn’t detect a lameness, he or she might recommend an anti-inflammatory medication trial, in which your vet prescribes a non-steroidal medication for five to 10 day while your horse continues in his normal exercise routine. If the crab-canter noticeably improves while the horse is on anti-inflammatories, that indicates the underlying problem is pain- or lameness-related. If the veterinary examination does not reveal any lameness, and the horse doesn’t improve on anti-inflammatory medications, then you might back yourself into the conclusion that you’re dealing with a training and conditioning issue.

The bottom line is that while either lameness or weakness could be causing the crab-canter,” lameness is a little more likely. So, I’d recommend ruling out lameness and/or musculoskeletal pain before concluding it’s a training problem. This serves two purposes: One is that it gives the horse the benefit of the doubt that there is a physical cause of the issue, and second, if is the horse has a lameness issue, knowing that allows you to address it sooner rather than later.

Q.My reining horse receives steroid hock injections approximately every six months. I also receive joint injections, but my doctor is reluctant to do them too frequently. If they aren’t good for me, are they good for my horse? Are there other options to manage his joint health?

—Sarah, Nevada

A. Hi Sarah,

Like your doctor, most veterinarians are hesitant to inject joints too frequently and, while what constitutes “too frequently” varies among practitioners, most prefer not to inject any one joint more than twice a year. Your questions are good ones: Are joint injections good for my horse and are there alternatives?

How Joint Injections Help

To answer the first question, it’s important to understand that veterinarians typically use joint injections to treat osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a vicious cycle: It starts with damage to the cartilage or underlying bone (called subchondral bone), which leads to joint inflammation, which causes further articular cartilage degradation, and so on.

The purpose of a joint injection is to decrease inflammation which, not only reduces the osteoarthritis-associated pain and lameness, but also temporarily stops this vicious joint inflammation cycle. Additionally, researchers have shown that triamcinolone—the most commonly used corticosteroid in joint injections—protects the articular cartilage. So from these viewpoints, joint injections are “good.”

But can there be too much of a good thing? In this case, yes. When joint injections no longer have a lasting effect (i.e., they used to relieve pain and lameness for six months but are now wearing off after three), the osteoarthritis disease process has likely worsened to the point where joint injections are no longer adequate as the sole management strategy.

Additional Treatment Options

So, to answer your second question, yes, there are many other treatments that can be helpful with managing osteoarthritis. These might include systemic (oral or injectable) and/or topical low-grade non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, oral and injectable systemic joint support products, and/or shock wave therapy.

Additionally, certain management and husbandry techniques can have a substantial effect. In humans with knee osteoarthritis, every additional pound of body weight produces an additional 4 pounds of force on the affected joint. And a small study in dogs with hip osteoarthritis showed that they were sounder following weight loss of 11-18%. Therefore, you shouldn’t overlook the benefits of maintaining a horse in a healthy weight.

Other management techniques that could help horses with osteoarthritis include daily access to turnout and getting regular, daily exercise. If horses must be temporarily housed in a box stall (for example, at a competition), frequent hand-walking and allowing ample time for a slow warm-up might help.

Take-Home Message

In summary, in all but the most severe cases, judicial use of joint injections coupled with other treatments and management techniques allows for successful long-term management of our equine athletes with osteoarthritis.

Q. My dressage horse is now semiretired. When he was in intense training to compete at the upper levels, he received quite a bit of maintenance (joint injections, Equithrive, MSN, Osphos, etc.), including a daily dose of Equioxx (firocoxib) for his osteoarthritis. He is currently ridden very lightly three days a week, including one weekly jumping lesson that involves cantering over cross rails (nothing over 2 feet).

He is acting like he really loves the little bit of jumping and goes with his ears up and none of reluctance he had shown in his extended and collect gaits for dressage. He’s sound but stiff. My understanding is that Equioxx has a cumulative effect and needs to be given consistently to be effective. Would it be better to keep him on Equioxx daily or instead give him Bute (phenylbutazone) on an as-needed (once or twice a week) basis? Or, can I just give him Equioxx occasionally as needed? He has had gastric ulcers in the past, so that’s a concern as well.

—Via e-mail

A.Both phenylbutazone and Equioxx are commonly used and effective anti-inflammatory medications. Which drug to use and the frequency and duration of each medication is something all owners should discuss with their veterinarians. There is often a variety of factors that will be taken into consideration when making a drug choice.

In your question, you mention that your horse is stiff. This could be a sign that your horse is actually lame. A thorough lameness examination would be recommended prior to placing your horse on long-term medication.

A common misconception is that Equioxx does not cause gastric ulceration like phenylbutazone. But a recent publication demonstrates that both Bute and Equioxx can cause some degree of gastric ulceration. The gastric ulcerations seen were less severe in the Equioxx group. Because your horse has already had gastric ulcer issues, it would be recommended you place the horse on anti-ulcer medication or some other form of gastroprotectant in conjunction with any non-steroidal medication.

If your horse does need to be treated with non-steroidal medication, I would first see if Bute or Equioxx help the perceived stiffness you describe. Periodic administration of either is an acceptable choice, but which to choose depends on your horse. With your horse’s history of gastric ulcers I would likely try Equioxx first—treat him for 10 days and see how he responds. If there is a positive response then I would give it to him as needed. If Equioxx is not effective then you can give Bute as needed. I would not recommend that either medication be given long-term.

Routine exercise might be the best thing for the perceived stiffness. If he warms up and the stiffness resolves, I would not give him any medication.

Again, a thorough lameness examination might identify a source of lameness causing the perceived stiffness. Horses with osteoarthritis in the lower hock joints are often described by the owner as stiff. Medicating these joints may resolve the problem and is a more effective method of treatment than long-term non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication.

Q. How important is horse arena footing to equine athletes’ health and longevity, and what do you look for in good footing?

—Via e-mail

A. Footing and hoof care are essential to the longevity of the sport horse. The interaction of the footing and the mechanics of the shoe can either add or relieve stress to the tissues of the lower leg.

A surface that is “sticky” or “grabs” the foot as it strikes the ground tends to sharply load the soft tissues and potentiate the possibilities of injury if they are not conditioned properly. A surface that is too “loose” will not support the foot and leg structures during propulsion and/or give way on leg loading to cause abnormal force curves that could lead to injury.

The surface should allow the tissues to load evenly, provide firm support at maximal loading (peak stance phase), not give way dramatically as the horse pushes off at break over (pressure on the deep digital flexor tendon), and not be too deep to fatigue muscles easily.

I believe a decent ring of sand/clay mixture with maybe a small amount of filler (organic or synthetic) is probably good for most uses. I don’t believe that exclusive use of the latest, greatest synthetics (such as polymer or polymer-coated footings) are helping horses condition for the variety of surfaces they experience when at shows. Horses might go great at home but perform differently when on an alternate surface. So, I suggest training horses at home on a variety of surfaces to aid their proprioceptive abilities of joints and tissues as well as condition the different tissues.

Horses should work on hard, soft, heavy, and light surfaces for all that conditioning and the ability to adapt to different environments when they encounter them. Essentially, if we work them on one surface or environment at home, it is likely they will not do well when they encounter something different at the competition. It is like a person that runs on a track all the time for training and then tries to run a cross-country race over natural ground—the outcome is usually not up to expectations).

Additionally, horses’ routines typically change when get to a show, sometimes after traveling a long distance. We might work the horses differently (usually harder) than we do at home, or longe them in tight circles, or medicate them, or change their feeds, or keep them up all night because barn lights are on for braiders and grooms, etc. The stress level and fatigue level is up, which could affect not only movement but also tissue stress. This could lead to injury.

Get horses out of the rings and on to some different surfaces, where there might be some rocks and ground deviations and undulations and variety of softness and hardness. Don’t go to extremes, but some variety in surfaces will only help in most cases.

Q. My hard-keeping Thoroughbred does low-level eventing and is a picky eater, especially when he’s not working. Even though he has free-choice hay access, he only eats three to four flakes a day. Pasture in the summer helps, but now the pasture is gone for winter. He also won’t eat supplements … he sifts through or won’t eat any of his grain. How can I get calories into him?

—Lynn, Versailles, Kentucky

A. To start answering this question, it’s necessary to first visit why your horse is a picky eater. Some horses are simply picky eaters and hard-keepers, just like some people are! But others might have a reason that they don’t want to eat, and unlike people who have similar reasons, they can’t speak up and explain that to us.

Rule Out Health Problems

If a horse doesn’t have a good appetite, first and foremost a veterinarian should assess him for causes of a poor appetite. A proper oral examination might indicate your horse is overdue for a dental float, or he might have a tooth that’s causing him pain. Blood work could evaluate his organ function (especially that of his kidneys and liver) and rule out the possibility of an underlying infection. Examination by a veterinarian might also aid in determining whether your horse has gastric ulcers (via a gastroscopy) and requires empiric anti-ulcer therapy.

Trial and Error

Assuming your veterinarian has ruled out pathologic reasons for a poor appetite, then it’s possible your horse is simply a picky eater, and the goal becomes increasing his caloric intake. Consider offering different types of forage or grain to find something he finds palatable. Alternatively, consider adjusting his environment to determine if social hierarchy might be affecting his appetite (i.e., more aggressive horses are preventing him from eating).

Calculate the Calorie Deficit

If none of these strategies is successful, go back to basics and figure out how much the horse is actually eating.  This is necessary because it dictates how to proceed with adjusting his diet. A 1,000-pound horse who’s not in work needs approximately 15,000 calories per day to maintain his body weight. The daily caloric requirements of the same horse can increase to well over 20,000 calories per day when he’s in work. Different breeds of horses have different metabolic rates, so these numbers can vary quite a bit for individuals. However, it’s helpful to determine these needs and work backward from them.

[/et_pb_text]

A pound of good-quality timothy hay contains about 800-1,000 calories. A pound of a complete pelleted feed contains about 1,000-1,200 calories. A horse should get most of his calories from these two types of feed, in addition to good-quality grass when possible and indicated. A pound of sweet feed contains about 1,500-1,700 calories. Sweet feed can be a helpful component of a horse’s diet, but it shouldn’t be a primary source of calories, because it ferments rapidly and can increase colonic gas production.

Once a horse’s average daily intake is determined, you can calculate his calorie deficit. If a deficit exists, you can make up the difference by incorporating a high-fat supplement into his diet. Several nutritional companies produce high-quality fat supplements that complement a horse’s diet well. These products often contain high-fat feeds such as rice bran and flaxseed, as well as vegetable oils. A pound of a high-fat supplement contains about 1,900-2,100 calories. It’s also possible to add rice bran or corn oil to feeds on their own, but many owners prefer products from a nutritional company, because these supplements are already neatly packaged, carefully formulated, and don’t require the extra mess or work. Introduce any high-fat supplement to a horse’s diet slowly and gradually, because a dramatic change in nutritional content can set the horse up for gastrointestinal upset and even diarrhea.

With these strategies, you can approach a horse’s finicky attitude toward feed more effectively. The feed recommendations I’ve provided are general, because hay quality can vary considerably and the composition of similar feeds offered by different companies can also differ significantly. Moreover, different breeds of horses have important nutritional considerations. Horses are much more reliant on the health of their gastrointestinal microbes than humans, so sudden changes to the diet can have serious consequences. I recommend consulting your veterinarian or equine nutritionist before making changes to your horse’s diet.

Q. My friend always uses some sort of cold therapy on her horse’s legs after a ride, whether it’s just hosing him off with cold water or using ice boots. I’m familiar with using cold therapy for horses with injuries, but is this important or useful for sound horses, as well? Could it help prevent injury or unsoundness?

A. These questions touch on an interesting and potentially controversial discussion among medical and veterinary professionals. Most people are familiar with the acronym RICE: rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Historically, this has been a standard approach for dealing with sports-related injuries in human medicine. Similarly, cryotherapy, or cold therapy, has been widely used in veterinary medicine to treat our equine athletes. A quick Google search may return “ice” as a recommended treatment for musculoskeletal injuries. Interestingly, most recent research suggests that cold therapy might not be quite as beneficial as we once thought it was.

Taking a post-workout ice water bath is an age-old practice among human athletes that’s often referred to as cold water immersion. Take a walk down the barn aisle at an FEI-level eventing competition after the cross-country phase, and you’ll likely see a fair number of horses standing in buckets of ice water. Many human athletes and equine trainers alike feel that there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest cold therapy is beneficial for recovery after exercise. It’s hard to argue with a treatment that has for so long produced seemingly good results. But what does the science say?

The general idea behind ice baths is that lowering a body part’s temperature constricts the peripheral blood vessels, thereby minimizing the delivery of inflammatory mediators to the region and secondarily reducing edema (swelling). While this seems to be true in acute injuries, the verdict’s still out as to cold therapy’s exact mechanisms and benefits for post-exercise recovery and treatment of chronic injuries. Scientists have established that cooling can decrease nerve conduction, which may reduce soreness in the short term and create the perception of accelerated recovery after rigorous activity. However, studies have shown that the reduction of pain or soreness doesn’t consistently lead to improved function or performance and is certainly not a means of preventing injury.

For proposed benefits to occur, the treated limb should be cooled to a temperature between 10-15 degrees Celsius (50-60 degrees Fahrenheit). Depending on where you live and the season, the temperature of water from your garden hose is probably significantly higher, in which case it’s not possible to cool a horse’s extremity to an optimal therapeutic temperature using a “cold hosing” technique. Further, hosing, as opposed to immersion, is not effective at exchanging heat, even with adequately cold water. Of course, ice boots will cool your horse’s limb to a greater degree than hose water and may at least offer some pain relief. In combination with the compression applied by the boot, it might provide the additional benefit of decreased edema that may otherwise occur post-exercise.

It’s hard to say whether cold therapy reliably prevents or treats any particular condition or if it speeds recovery or improves athletic performance. Active recovery is arguably just as beneficial as cold therapy for post-exercise recovery and is what I typically recommend. Does this mean that I dissuade client’s from using cold therapy on their horses after a hard schooling session or demanding day of showing? Not at all. At the moment, the evidence for its efficacy is ambiguous and somewhat unconvincing, but if done appropriately there are few, if any negative effects.

Q.I own a 9-year-old Belgian jumper who is starting to lose his balance frequently after jumping. When he lands, he seems to lose his strength on the forehand and looks like he’s stumbling. His jumping technique is also becoming worse. This has been happening for a while now; what kind of exams can I do to be sure everything is okay?

A.There are many potential causes of stumbling and decreased performance over fences, and I do think it’s a reason to call your vet for an evaluation. There may be a musculoskeletal cause, such as sore front feet or a sore low neck (sometimes associated with osteoarthritis), which are frequently found in jumpers. Your veterinarian will likely start with a thorough soundness exam, including flexion tests of the limbs and range-of-motion tests of the neck, to look for any signs of lameness or discomfort. Sometimes diagnostic imaging and targeted therapy, such as a joint injection, may be all that is necessary to resolve the problem. If anything seems out of the ordinary, your vet may want to start with radiographs of any areas of concern. Another diagnostic option for decreased performance that isn’t easily localized is nuclear scintigraphy, commonly referred to as a bone scan. Areas of inflammation appear as “hot spots” that can then be assessed once localized.

Whenever I hear “stumbling” in a horse’s history, however, that raises the question of a potential neurologic abnormality, where your horse may legitimately not quite know where his front feet are upon landing. Neurologic cases can be difficult to diagnose, as some horses only show symptoms while performing specific activities and only on occasion. Again, your veterinarian will perform a thorough exam and some additional tests that are specific to assessing your horse’s neurologic status.

There are many potential causes, including infectious causes such as equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) or West Nile virus, congenital causes like wobbler syndrome (cervical stenotic myelopathy), or traumatic causes sustained in an accident (if your horse ever flipped over, struggled while cast in a stall, fell in the trailer, etc.). Based on your veterinarian’s assessment, there are different diagnostic tests to rule out various causes.

Regardless of the cause, I would stress that stumbling is a safety concern for the rider, and I would encourage you to call your veterinarian to get to the root of the problem.