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The contralateral (opposite) leg then bears all of the weight, which reduces blood flow to the hoof and strains the attachments of the laminae, leading to laminitis. Although support-limb laminitis is a risk for any horse that is not weight-bearing lame, occurring in roughly 16% of cases, it is uncommon in foals and yearlings. [135]
Radiograph of a horse hoof showing rotation of the coffin bone and evidence of sinking, a condition often associated with laminitis. The annotation P2 stands for the middle phalanx, or pastern bone, and P3 denotes the distal phalanx, or coffin bone. The yellow lines mark the distance between the top and bottom part of the coffin bone relative ...
Hoof or horseshoe wear can indicate breakover and if the horse is dragging its toes. Change in shape of the hoof wall is also common in horses with laminitis. "Founder rings," or thickened concentric rings in the hoof wall, indicate a past episode of laminitis. Concavity of the dorsal (front) surface of the hoof can indicate chronic laminitis.
By July 13, Barbaro had developed a severe case of laminitis in the left hind hoof—a potentially life-threatening affliction that is common in horses who shift weight to one hoof for extended periods to keep pressure off an injured hoof. A procedure called a hoof wall resection removed 80% of his left rear hoof. The remaining 20% of his hoof ...
Support limb laminitis, which is the specific type Barbaro had, is caused by over-stressing the good leg during recovery from an injury in the opposite limb. [15] [16] A 1986 survey done by the Morris Animal Foundation found that laminitis was the fourth leading cause of death among horses. [17]
Horseshoes can also be used to correct lameness, stabilize hoof cracks, and realign bone in the case of laminitis. [6] Many proponents of this ideal argue for the natural development of proper hoof structure at a young age, guided only by appropriate trimming and shaping of the hoof as needed. [6]
Early intervention is key; in one study, shoeing was successful in 97% of horses treated within ten months of the onset of signs, while only 54% of horses lame for over a year responded. [ 16 ] Advocates of barefoot trimming cite recent studies which show that removing the shoes can help alleviate the symptoms of navicular disease, and in some ...
A long neck is one that is more than one third the length of the horse. Long necks are common, especially in Thoroughbreds , Saddlebreds , and Gaited Horses. A long neck may hinder the balancing ability of the horse, and the horse may fatigue more quickly as a result of the greater weight on its front end.