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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 ...
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.
Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, or Cushing's disease, is common in older horses and ponies and causes an increased predisposition to laminitis. Equine metabolic syndrome is a subject of much new research and is increasingly believed to have a major role in laminitis. It involves many factors such as cortisol metabolism and insulin ...
The treatment of equine lameness is a complex subject. Lameness in horses has a variety of causes, and treatment must be tailored to the type and degree of injury, as well as the financial capabilities of the owner. Treatment may be applied locally, systemically, or intralesionally, and the strategy for treatment may change as healing progresses.
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 ...
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.
Signals of bit-related pain overlap those observed in horses ridden in conflict with their rider, suggesting that bit-related oral pain is a major cause. [43] On the other hand, severe oral pain makes veterinary examination of the horses concerned difficult, as they may strongly avoid being touched in the mouth.
Heel pain is very common in horses with navicular syndrome. Lameness may begin as mild and intermittent, and progress to severe. This may be due to strain and inflammation of the ligaments supporting the navicular bone, reduced blood flow and increased pressure within the hoof, damage to the navicular bursa or DDF tendon, or from cartilage erosion.