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Geriatric pony with a lot of white hair on its head. There are several unmistakable signs that indicate a horse may be geriatric. Historically, determining a horse's age through observation was crucial, especially during a time when horses played a vital role in daily life For example, Le Nouveau Parfait Maréchal (18th century) advised observing specific features such as the teeth, tail ...
In animals such as horses and other working animals, saddle sores often form on either side of the withers, which is the area where the front of a saddle rests, and also in the girth area behind the animal's elbow, where they are known as a girth gall. Saddle sores can occur over the loin, and occasionally in other locations.
Racehorse injuries are considered especially difficult to treat, as they frequently result in the death of the horse. [1] [2] A 2005 study by the United States Department of Agriculture found that injuries are the second leading cause of death in horses, second only to old age. [3]
Clinical signs usually are present before the age of 5 years old, and slowly progress throughout the horse's lifetime. Affected horses display muscle tremors of the hindquarters, hind limbs, and tail, and a spastic gait when they are asked to back up. Typical signs of shivers include: [1] Farriery problems (96% of cases) Muscle twitching ...
A lameness exam is used to try to pinpoint the cause of lameness in the horse, which subsequently guides treatment. It is the first step to evaluate decreased performance in an equine athlete, even if the horse does not appear overtly lame, to rule out any pain-associated cause. Lameness exams are also a key component of the pre-purchase ...
Most horses have 18 thoracic vertebrae. The processes at the withers can be more than 30 centimetres (12 in) long. Since they do not move relative to the ground as the horse's head does, the withers are used as the measuring point for the height of a horse. Horses are sometimes measured in hands – one hand is 4 inches (10.2 cm). Horse heights ...
The painful and inevitable death that follows usually prompts veterinarians and owners to euthanize foals suspected of having lethal white syndrome. [6] [7] Death is caused by an underdeveloped part of the digestive system. The large intestine of the horse comprises the cecum, the colon, and the rectum. [8]
Poll evil is a traditional term for a painful condition in a horse or other equid, that starts as an inflamed bursa at the cranial end of the neck between vertebrae and the nuchal ligament, and swells until it presents as an acute swelling at the poll, on the top of the back of the animal's head.