Lameness in horses is a condition characterized by an abnormal gait or stance due to pain or mechanical dysfunction affecting the limbs or spine. It is a common issue in equine practice and can result from a variety of causes, including injury, infection, or degenerative diseases. Lameness can affect a horse's performance and quality of life, making accurate diagnosis and management important for equine health. Diagnostic techniques often include physical examination, imaging, and gait analysis. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the etiology, diagnostic methods, and management strategies for lameness in horses.
Jeffcott LB, Buckingham SH, McCarthy RN, Cleeland JC, Scotti E, McCartney RN.The current methods for non-invasive measurement of bone quality are reviewed. In the horse this has traditionally involved the use of radiography, but there are now two other modalities available for the critical evaluation of cortical bone quality and strength. These utilise single photon absorptiometry and ultrasound velocity. Photon absorptiometry gives a direct measurement of bone mineral content, by using a monoenergetic radionuclide source, and transverse ultrasound velocity in bone gives a measure of bone stiffness or elasticity. They can both be used conveniently on the metacarpus of ...
Sanders-Shamis M, Bukowiecki CF, Biller DS.Medical records of 7 adult horses with single or multiple ligament failure of the femorotibial ligaments were reviewed to evaluate signalment, history, diagnostic and treatment methods, outcome, and long-term follow-up information. Acute onset of lameness was recorded for most of the horses. Horses with multiple ligament injury had more severe clinical signs than did horses with single ligament injury. Horses with single ligament injury generally required manipulative tests to localize the lameness to the stifle. In all horses, radiography of the stifle assisted in the diagnosis. Horses either...
Merkens HW, Schamhardt HC.Force plate and high-speed film data from a group of six walking horses were used to study the distribution of the ground reaction forces (GRF) of the concurrently loaded limbs. Three different degrees of supporting lameness were induced in a forelimb or a hindlimb using modified horse shoes. In all experiments the alterations in the distribution in the transverse horizontal GRF (Fx) were small. During unilateral forelimb lameness, the decreased longitudinal horizontal GRF (Fy) was compensated by an increase of the Fy forces of the contralateral forelimb and the ipsilateral hindlimb. The decre...
Boero MJ, Kneller SK, Baker GJ, Metcalf MR, Twardock AR.Injury of the lateral collateral ligaments of the tarsocrural joints was diagnosed in nine Standardbred pacers. The average age was 4.9 years. The severity of the lameness varied from severe to subtle and joint effusion was seen in eight of 10 tarsocrural joints. A positive hindlimb flexion test was seen in four of six cases in which results were recorded. The identification of the site of involvement was based on a focal intense 'hot spot' seen on scintigraphy, and new bone formation seen radiographically at the anatomical sites of insertion of the long lateral collateral ligament of the tars...
Dyson S.The carpus and metacarpus of 40 horses which were free from lameness and 40 horses with lameness associated with the metacarpophalangeal joint or more distal limb were examined radiographically (Group A). The opacity of the proximal third of the third metacarpal bone was regular, with a uniform trabecular pattern. Osseous cyst-like lesions (OCLLs) were identified in the radial carpal bone (1), the ulnar carpal bone (2), the second carpal bone (15) and the fourth carpal bone (1). Thirty-one of 638 horses (4.8 percent) with forelimb lameness had pain localised to the proximal metacarpal region u...
White NA, McIlwraith CW, Allen D.Fifty-one horses and unilateral or bilateral femorotibial arthrotomy with medial condyle bone cyst curettage. A total of 60 cyst were treated. Treated horses responded to the surgery three to 12 months postoperatively. In 42 horses lameness was reduced or eliminated, enabling them to return to an remain in their intended function. Of these 42 horses 35 are sound, four of which have not started training, and seven showed partial improvement, two of which had no long term follow up. Of the remaining nine horses, two showed no reduction in lameness and seven were not followed up. Arthrotomy was s...
Merkens HW, Schamhardt HC.Force plate data from walking horses were used to evaluate the locomotion of a group of six horses during experimentally induced lameness in a forelimb or a hindlimb. By tightening or loosening screws in modified horseshoes the resulting pressure pain on the sole enabled induction and release of three different degrees of supporting lameness within a period of 2 h. The ground reaction force (GRF) patterns of the different recording sessions were compared with control data of the same horse as well as with the 'standard' horse data using a quantitative evaluation procedure involving 93 GRF para...
Bramlage LR, Schneider RK, Gabel AA.Clinical experience continues to expand our understanding of the pathophysiology of pain and injury within the carpal joints. The anatomical and physiological capacity of the equine carpus to neutralise loading stress plays a significant role in the prevention of carpal injury. The ability of joint surfaces to dissipate axial force by transfer to the interosseous ligaments is the principal means by which carpal injury is avoided. In the medial aspect of the intercarpal joint and the dorsal aspect of the radial carpal joint, however, the effects of chronic maximal stress and isolated acute supr...
Dedrick P, Reef VB, Sweeney RW, Morris DD.Using echocardiography, mitral valve bacterial endocarditis was diagnosed in a yearling Thoroughbred filly with a history of periodic fever and intermittent hind limb lameness. Streptococcus sp were isolated from blood, and the filly was treated with penicillin, resulting in a bacteriologic cure. Severe mitral regurgitation developed secondary to scarring of the valve, which resulted in the filly's death. A poor prognosis usually is indicated in horses with bacterial endocarditis, as bacteriologic cures are infrequent and severe valvular insufficiency often develops.
Bridges CH, Harris ED.Four Thoroughbred foals were weaned from their dams when they were 1 day old and were fed a liquid milk-replacer diet containing approximately 1.7 micrograms of copper/g from plastic buckets for 4 to 7 months. They were kept in stalls with fiberglass walls and asphalt floors covered with rubber pads. Serum copper and zinc concentrations were determined 3 times/week by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and liver copper and zinc concentrations were determined similarly after acid digestion of tissues taken at necropsy. The amount of soluble collagen in articular cartilage and aortic tissue wa...
Spurlock GH.Seemingly, propagation of a dorsal cortical fracture in the third metacarpal bone developed after continued race performance in 2 horses. Historically, both horses had intermittent lameness that had responded to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and brief rest periods. However, lameness in both horses had increased in severity. Radiography revealed a dorsal cortical fracture of the third metacarpal bone, with propagation of the fracture plane proximally. Fractures were incomplete and healed with stall rest in both horses.
Dart AJ, Pascoe RR.A 12-year-old Quarterhorse stallion was presented with a severe lameness in the left forefoot. There was a 3 cm diameter cavity in the sole that extended to the solar surface of the distal phalanx. Radiographs revealed an osteomyelitis and a sequestrum which probably developed following the prolonged topical application of 10 percent formalin. The sequestrum was removed and the infected bone curetted under general anaesthesia. The horse was shod with heart bar shoes on both front feet 7 days after the surgery. Eight months later, radiographs showed marked rotation of the distal phalanx despite...
Merkens HW, Schamhardt HC.The distribution of the ground reaction forces (GRF) over the concurrently loaded limbs of the normally walking horse was determined from 'representative' GRF patterns of all limbs, which were plotted in correct time order after analysis of simultaneously taken high-speed film. This procedure visualises the GRF patterns of each of the four limbs in relation to the GRF pattern(s) of the one or two concurrently loaded limb(s) during a complete stride. In 15 clinically sound horses the mean averaged GRF data and temporal stride parameters showed an almost complete symmetry between both the foreli...
Hurtig MB, Livesey MA.Two horses were examined because of chronic lameness, which followed arthroscopy in one case, and tendon sheath lavage in a second case. Clinical investigations linked both cases to the use of irrigating fluids containing preservatives. The clinical signs were reproduced in a Shetland pony by injection and lavage of the carpal joints with the same fluid. Lameness was slow in onset and accompanied by profound periarticular fibrosis. Postmortem examination confirmed the presence of a severe, erosive, noninfectious arthritis that may have an immune-mediated component. Clinicians should read produ...
Lloyd KC, Koblik P, Ragle C, Wheat JD, Lakritz J.In 4 adult horses, simple, nondisplaced, incomplete fracture of the proximal extremity of the third metacarpal bone (MC3) was identified radiographically only on the dorsopalmar projection. Lameness was slight to moderate. Although nerve blocks of the foot and fetlock did not alter the lameness, high palmar regional nerve block improved the gait in 1 of the 2 horses on which it was performed. Pain on palpation or swollen distal accessory (inferior check) ligament, flexor tendons, and suspensory ligament were not found in any horse. The fracture was localized to the palmar surface of the proxim...
Magnarelli LA, Anderson JF, Shaw E, Post JE, Palka FC.During 1982 and 1985, blood samples from 705 equids were examined for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi. By indirect immunofluorescence staining, IgM and total immunoglobulin (IgM and IgG) antibodies were detected in 37 (5.3%) and 90 (12.8%) serum specimens, respectively. The geometric mean titer for IgM antibody (140.4) was highest during July, whereas total immunoglobulin ranged from 94.1 in October to 338 in May. Eighty-six equids with total immunoglobulin to B burgdorferi lived in areas of Connecticut where the primary tick vector, Ixodes dammini, was present. Of the 86 equids, 9 from Lym...
Zweers AD, Dik KJ.The radiographic diagnostic value of Rose's palmaroproximal-dorsodistal ('skyline') projection and Oxspring's dorsopalmar projection of the equine navicular bone were compared, by examining radiographs of 102 navicular bones originating from 66 randomly selected horses with clinical evidence of lameness located in the navicular area. In 27 navicular bones essential information was obtained from the skyline view, 15 independently of Oxspring's projection and 12 in addition to this view. For 11 navicular studies the D.P. projection was the most important diagnostic view. In the other 64 navicula...
Ross MW, Ford TS, Orsini PG.Seven horses, 2 to 4 years of age, were examined because of moderate-to-severe forelimb lameness, mild effusion of the middle carpal joint (3 horses), and pain on palpation of the origin of the suspensory ligament (4 horses). The lameness was abolished by anesthetic infiltration of the middle carpal joint in six horses. In four of them, a high palmar nerve block also abolished the lameness. A linear radiolucency in the proximal end of the third metacarpal bone (McIII) was interpreted as an incomplete longitudinal fracture. In one horse, distinct intramedullary sclerosis limited to the palmar c...
Koblik PD, Hornof WJ, Seeherman HJ.Review of 121 bone scintigrams obtained on racing Thoroughbred horses with clinical histories indicative of forelimb lameness revealed 3 scintigraphic patterns of stress-induced trauma to the dorsal cortex of the third metacarpal bone: (1) focal, intense uptake associated with recent stress fracture; (2) regional uptake of varying intensity or a mixed pattern of uptake associated with chronic stress fracture; and (3) diffuse, mild to moderate uptake associated with periostitis (bucked shins). The latter scintigraphic pattern appeared to be an exaggerated manifestation of the normal remodeling ...
Nixon AJ, Adams RM, Teigland MB.Bilateral subchondral cystic lesions of the femoral head in a horse resulted in lameness. The lesions had resulted in degenerative disease in the left coxofemoral joint. The cause of lameness was confirmed by use of intra-articular anesthesia, joint fluid analysis, and radiography. Subchondral cystic lesions involving the femoral head should be considered in the differential diagnosis of equine lameness localized in the upper portion of the hind limb.
Koblik PD, O'Brien TR, Coyne CP.The effect of dorsopalmar projection obliquity on calculation of distal phalangeal rotation (DPR) angle was determined in 8 feet obtained from 5 horses that had been euthanatized because of laminitis. A true lateromedial view of each foot served as a reference, with additional views taken at 5, 10, 15, and 20 degrees of x-ray tube head rotation in both a dorsal and in a palmar direction. Projection obliquity resulted in consistent underestimation of DPR angle. Where projection obliquity exceeded 10 degrees, there were significant (P less than 0.05) differences in DPR angle. The magnitude of un...
Clem MF, DeBowes RM, Yovich JV, Douglass JP, Bennett SM.Sixty-eight cases of cortical bone sequestration in 67 equine patients were reviewed with regard to the clinical presentation, method of treatment, and outcome. All lesions were located in skeletal areas with minimal soft tissue coverage, with 53% of them in the metatarsal and metacarpal bones. At the time of admission, 60% of the patients with limb lesions were lame; the majority improved with therapy. After sequestrectomy, there was a trend for surgical wounds which could be managed by primary closure to heal more rapidly (3.8 weeks) than wounds which required second intention healing (6.4 w...
Burgess EC.Blood samples from Wisconsin horses and cows suspected of having clinical disease due to Borrelia burgdorferi infection were submitted by veterinary practitioners. All serum, milk, colostrum, and synovial samples were tested for B. burgdorferi antibodies by immunofluorescence. Whole blood, milk, colostrum, and synovial fluid samples were cultured for B. burgdorferi. Records were kept on the clinical signs of antibody-positive animals, date of sample, and location of the animal by county. Of the samples tested for antibodies 282/430 cow sera, 118/190 horse sera, 5/10 cow synovial fluids, 3/6 ho...
Merkens HW, Schamhardt HC, Hartman W, Kersjes AW.The amplitudes, impulses and times of occurrence of a number of selected peaks in the ground reaction force tracings of 17 horses with various clinical histories were compared with those of 20 horses used to establish values for the 'standard' Dutch Warmblood horse. The resulting factors were combined, using different weighting factors, into indices characterising each limb. The symmetry between the loading of the forelimbs and the hindlimbs was used to calculate amplitude and peak-time symmetry indices. Limb and symmetry indices were combined in one H(orse) INDEX. This method of quantifying t...
Pause B, Nolte I, Geiss V, Mayer H, Lasch HG.A thoroughbred horse, suffering from intermittent lameness was treated with streptokinase, urokinase and warfarin. The appearing fibrinolytic changes in coagulation were exhibited in a resonance thrombogram. In attendant coagulation studies fibrinogen- and fibrin-degradation products were demonstrated. The stallion does not show any lameness since the end of the treatment and is standing in a breeding station since March 1988.
Baker GJ, Moustafa MA, Boero MJ, Foreman JH, Wilson DA.The caudal cruciate ligament assists the medial femorotibial ligament in supporting the medial aspect of the femorotibial joint. It also limits the outward rotation of the tibia during weight bearing. In two lame horses tearing of the caudal portion of the femoral attachment of the caudal cruciate ligament was recorded together with cracking and tearing of the medial meniscus. In one case, synovitis and restrictive fibrous periarthritis were the sequelae of secondary stifle sepsis.
Barclay WP, Foerner JJ, Phillips TN.Osteochondral fragmentation of the plantar aspect of the proximal phalanx was diagnosed as a cause of hind limb lameness in 19 horses. The lameness was evident at the upper levels of the horses' performance capabilities, and was isolated to the metatarsophalangeal joints by use of intra-articular or regional anesthesia. Fragments were surgically removed from 10 horses that later returned to full use. Seven horses were treated intra-articularly with polysulfated glycosaminoglycans or corticosteroids; only one horse was able to return to full use. One horse was retired from work at the time of d...
Doran RE, White NA, Allen D.Four adult horses and 3 foals with middle phalangeal fractures were treated by arthrodesis of the proximal interphalangeal joint, using a bone plate. Six of the 7 horses survived greater than 2 years; 2 of the 6 horses had intermittent lameness after hard work, and 4 horses didn't have evidence of lameness. The use of a bone plate for arthrodesis of the proximal interphalangeal joint was a successful treatment alternative for middle phalangeal fractures in horses.
Sweeney CR, Sweeney RW, Divers TJ.Case records of 48 foals with pneumonia due to Rhodococcus equi were reviewed. Twenty of the 48 foals survived and 28 died or were euthanized. There was no significant difference between the survivors and non-survivors in the age of onset of illness, duration of illness prior to admission, the mean white blood cell (WBC) count, or the mean plasma fibrinogen content. All foals had R. equi isolated from a tracheobronchial aspirate or lung specimens obtained at necropsy. All organisms were susceptible in vitro (Kirby-Bauer) to erythromycin and gentamicin. Susceptibilities to other drugs were: tri...
Slater MR, Hood DM, Carter GK.A descriptive and matched case-control study of laminitis was conducted in 7 private practices and at the Texas Veterinary Medical Centre (TVMC) between May 1992 and July 1993. Out of 108 horses with laminitis, 19 acute (49%) and 20 chronic (51%) cases were seen in private practice and 16 acute (23%) and 53 (77%) cases at the TVMC. Gastrointestinal disease was the most common problem in 19/35 horses (54%), occurring just prior to the onset of acute laminitis in all hospitals. Among all horses in the study, most commonly used drugs were phenylbutazone (68%), acepromazine (34%), dimethyl sulphox...
Pollitt CC.In the equine hoof, the basement membrane connects the heavily keratinised hoof wall to the dense connective tissue of the distal phalanx, a region able to withstand considerable mechanical stress. This study investigated the properties of this important anatomical and physiological structure. In contrast to haematoxylin and eosin, the connective tissue stains, periodic acid Schiff, periodic acid silver methenamine and Azan showed good resolution of lamellar basement membrane. The lamellar basement membrane cross-reacted with mouse monoclonal antibodies raised against human laminin, thereby pr...
Merkens HW, Schamhardt HC.The distribution of the ground reaction forces (GRF) over the concurrently loaded limbs of the normally walking horse was determined from 'representative' GRF patterns of all limbs, which were plotted in correct time order after analysis of simultaneously taken high-speed film. This procedure visualises the GRF patterns of each of the four limbs in relation to the GRF pattern(s) of the one or two concurrently loaded limb(s) during a complete stride. In 15 clinically sound horses the mean averaged GRF data and temporal stride parameters showed an almost complete symmetry between both the foreli...
Sun Y, Chen H, Kandel R, Hurtig M.Lesions in cartilage of equine weightbearing joints commonly result in lameness. Cell-based resurfacing techniques are currently being developed for human and veterinary applications. Biopsies of stifle joint cartilage (1 g) were harvested aseptically and chondrocytes were isolated by sequential enzyme digestion. The cells were grown in vitro on filter inserts. Analysis of cultures 8 weeks later showed that the cells had accumulated extracellular matrix and formed a continuous layer of cartilagenous tissue as determined histologically. The cells maintained their phenotype as they synthesised t...
Ahern BJ, Boston RC, Ross MW.To evaluate equids with enostosis-like lesions (ELLs) and document the clinical and epidemiological features of this disease. Methods: Retrospective case series. Methods: 79 equids with a scintigraphic diagnosis of at least 1 ELL on ≥ 1 occasion. Methods: Medical records of 4,992 equids that underwent bone scintigraphy between March 1997 and March 2009 were reviewed; 78 horses and 1 pony had a scintigraphic diagnosis of an ELL. For those equids, signalment; physical, scintigraphic, radiographic, and lameness examination results; and outcome were reviewed. Results: Of the 79 equids, 4 (5.1%) ...
Ross MW, Orsini JA, Richardson DW, Martin BB.Infectious arthritis of the tarsocrural joint was treated in 13 horses with closed suction drainage through a flat, fenestrated, latex (Jackson-Pratt) drain, broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and bandage immobilization. In 11 horses, arthroscopic lavage and debridement were also performed. Ingress drains were placed for lavage in six horses. Ten horses returned to their previous level of competition or were sound. One horse raced but had lameness of the affected tarsocrural joint and dropped in racing class; one horse was euthanatized because of laminit...
Faramarzi B.Hoof health is a major concern of horse owners as well as the equine industry. However, many questions remain concerning regional variations of laminar junction and its potential to remodel. Objective: To examine regional variations in the morphology of the laminar junction and thickness of the hoof wall in Thoroughbred horses. Methods: The forefeet of 25 Thoroughbred cadavers were examined. Each hoof was divided into 20 blocks through 4 proximodistal slices (below the coronary band, each 1 cm apart) and 5 circumferential positions (toe, medial and lateral quarters and heels). In each block, 2...
Peloso JG, Stick JA, Soutas-Little RW, Caron JC, DeCamp CE, Leach DH.Motion of 6 clinically sound horses trotting at a speed of 4 m/s on a treadmill was captured by video cameras before and 9, 16, and 23 days after amphotericin-induced lameness to determine the quantitative variables of three-dimensional computer-assisted image analysis that objectively describe carpal lameness. Amphotericin-B was used to induce lameness, and phenylbutazone (2.2 mg/kg of body weight, PO, once) and butorphanol tartrate (0.1 mg/kg IM, q 6 h, to effect) were used to control discomfort. Four 60-Hz cameras were symmetrically placed around the treadmill to capture 6 seconds of images...
Jones LE, Dyson SJ.To describe in detail the radiographic appearance of ossified ungular cartilages in horses and to evaluate the usefulness of a flexed dorsolateral-palmaromedial oblique (flexed oblique) radiographic view in evaluating the ungular cartilages. Methods: Retrospective case series. Sample-Radiographs of 1,255 front feet of horses. Methods: Ossification of the ungular cartilages was graded during evaluation of radiographs on a scale from 0 to 5; feet with cartilages with an ossification grade ≥ 2 were included (386 feet [271 horses]). The shape (straight, curved outward or inward, and dorsopalmar ...
Marble GP, Sullins KE.To evaluate the use of arthroscopy as the primary method for removal of large patellar fracture fragments. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 5 performance horses of various breeds with patellar fractures. Methods: Clinical signs of lameness, external evidence of injury, and radiography were used to diagnose and determine fracture orientation. Arthroscopy of the stifle joint was performed on the affected limb with the horse positioned in dorsal recumbency and under general anesthesia. Progress after surgery was determined by evaluating medical records and via telephone conversations with o...
Ravanetti P, Hamon M, Lechartier A, Zucca E.Surgical repair of unicortical fractures of the distal condyles of the third metacarpal/metatarsal bones (MCIII/MTIII) has been described. In the present case, a bioabsorbable screw was used to stabilize a unicortical fracture in the palmar aspect of the medial condyle of MCIII in a National Hunt Thoroughbred racehorse. The clinical, radiographic, and magnetic resonance imaging findings before and after surgery were recorded. Eighteen weeks after surgery, the lameness had resolved and the bone surrounding the fracture had recovered its normal architecture. One year after surgery, the horse was...
Lucia JL, Coverdale JA, Arnold CE, Winsco KN.Nineteen weanling Quarter Horses (225 to 380 kg) were used in a randomized complete block design to investigate the effects of intra-articular lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce acute joint inflammation in young horses. Horses were blocked by age, BW, and sex and were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments for a 35-d experiment. Treatments included intra-articular injection of 0.25 ng (n = 7) or 0.50 ng (n = 6) of LPS obtained from Escherichia coli O55:B5 or sterile lactated Ringer's solution (n = 6; control) into the radial carpal joint. Synovial fluid was obtained at preinjection h 0 and 2, ...
Raes EV, Vanderperren K, Pille F, Saunders JH.Ultrasonographic findings from 100 horses (103 joints) diagnosed with tarsal region pathology are described. Results of standard orthopaedic, radiographic and ultrasonographic examination of the tarsal region were analysed retrospectively. Periarticular swelling and/or synovial effusion was present in 100% of the joints, a wound was observed in 14.5% and 76.7% of the horses that were lame. Abnormalities were detected in 69.7% of joints using radiography and in 100% with ultrasonography. Our results show that the main disease process can affect all aspects of the tarsus. The most common ultraso...
Smith R, Parsons J, Dixon J.Desmopathy of the collateral ligaments of the distal interphalangeal joint is a common cause of equine foot lameness and carries a poor prognosis with conservative management. Intralesional injections may improve healing, although accuracy of radiographically guided injections is significantly less than when guided by MRI, which requires special needles. Longitudinal ultrasound-guided injection of the distal collateral ligament has not been evaluated objectively. In this prospective, anatomic study, seven equine cadaver limbs (14 collateral ligaments) were injected with methylene blue dye and ...
de Souza TC, Suthers JM, Busschers E, Burford JH, Freeman SL.Synovial sepsis is a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in horses. Despite advances in diagnostics and treatments, persistent infection or chronic lameness can occur. Objective: To perform a scoping review to identify and evaluate the current evidence on the factors implicated in the success of treatment for synovial sepsis. Methods: Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review. Methods: A protocol was registered, and a systematic literature search was performed on CAB abstracts, Medline, Scopus and Embase. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed and studies systematically reviewed ag...
Gunning P, Smith A, Fox V, Bolt DM, Lowe J, Sinclair C, Witte TH, Weller R.Lameness is the most common presenting complaint in equine practice. Performing diagnostic nerve blocks is an integral part of any lameness work-up, and is therefore an essential skill for equine practitioners. However, the opportunities for veterinary students to practice this skill are limited. The aim of this study was to design and validate an equine nerve block simulator. It was hypothesised that the simulator would improve students' ability and enhance their confidence in performing nerve blocks. A simulator was built using an equine forelimb skeleton and building foam. Wire wool targets...
Li Z, Du S, Wang X, Zhang L, Liu X, Fan Q, Yang H, Gao R.Phenylbutazone (PBZ) is the most commonly used drug to treat symptoms of lameness in horses; however, it is associated with adverse effects such as gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS). Interestingly, many practitioners prescribe omeprazole (OME) concurrently with PBZ to prevent the development of EGUS. However, the efficacy and safety of this practice in Mongolian horses with chronic lameness remain unknown. Objective: To evaluate the clinical effects of a combination of PBZ and OME on chronic lameness in Mongolian horses. Methods: Randomised block experimental design. Methods: Eighteen Mongolian ho...
van Eps AW, Belknap JK, Schneider X, Stefanovski D, Engiles JB, Richardson DW, Zedler ST, Medina-Torres CE, Watts MR.Supporting limb laminitis (SLL) is suspected to be caused by lamellar ischaemia as a consequence of increased mechanical load. Objective: Examine the effects of prolonged preferential weight bearing (PWB) on lamellar perfusion and metabolism. Methods: In vivo experiment. Methods: Microdialysis probes were inserted in the lamellar and sublamellar dermis of one forelimb in 13 Standardbred horses. In six horses, a platform shoe (contralateral forelimb) was used to induce increased load on the microdialysis-instrumented forelimb (PWB). The remaining seven horses were controls (CON). All horses wer...
Pinsky TC, Puja IK, Aleri J, Hood J, Sasadara MM, Collins T.Many working equids in developing countries experience poor health and welfare due to environmental and management factors. Collecting baseline data on these populations is essential to inform education projects to improve equid health and welfare. Gili Trawangan is an island in Indonesia that has no motor vehicles and a working pony population of approximately 200. This pilot study sought to determine baseline data on their health, welfare, and husbandry to inform future health and welfare strategies. A cross-sectional study was performed in May 2017 consisting of a pony cart driver questionn...
Budras KD, Hullinger RL, Sack WO.The laminar epidermis (epidermis parietis) of hooves from 14 clinically normal horses, 6 months to 15 years old, was examined by light and electron microscopy and immunofluorescence to measure the contributions of this region to the formation of the hoof wall. By their progressive keratinization to form primary epidermal laminae, the secondary epidermal laminae ultimately contributed about 20% of the thickness of the hoof wall (as revealed in the white line [zona alba]). The keratinized, primary epidermal laminae were developed to a height of 4 mm during their proximodistal-course, much of thi...
Coleman MC, Belknap JK, Eades SC, Galantino-Homer HL, Hunt RJ, Geor RJ, McCue ME, McIlwraith CW, Moore RM, Peroni JF, Townsend HG, White NA....OBJECTIVE To investigate risk factors for the development of pasture- and endocrinopathy-associated laminitis (PEAL) in horses and ponies in North America. DESIGN Case-control study. ANIMALS 199 horses with incident cases of PEAL and 351 horses from 2 control populations (healthy horses [n = 198] and horses with lameness not caused by laminitis [153]) that were evaluated in North America between January 2012 and December 2015 by veterinarian members of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. PROCEDURES North American members of the American Association of Equine Practitioners were co...
Thieme K, Ehrle A, Lischer C.Knowledge of the normal radiographic anatomy of the equine foot and the relationship between the distal phalanx and the hoof capsule is imperative for objective assessment of hoof health. Little information is available for the hooves of ponies. The aim of this study was to establish a database of reference values for normal ponies and to investigate the relationship between the height at the withers and radiographic measurements of the hooves. Radiographic examinations were performed on 81 ponies, ranging from 81.5 to 148.0 cm height at the withers, immediately after foot trimming. Eighteen p...
Boys Smith SJ, Clegg PD, Hughes I, Singer ER.There are no data on the frequency of post operative complications following keratoma removal, such as recurrence, hoof wall instability and excessive granulation tissue formation, or their relation to the method of surgical removal. Objective: To identify important factors in the outcome for horses undergoing surgical removal of a keratoma and compare the post operative complications encountered following keratoma removal by complete hoof wall resection (CR) and partial hoof wall resection (PR). Objective: Horses undergoing PR would have fewer post operative complications and would return to ...
Buchner HH, Savelberg HH, Schamhardt HC, Barneveld A.The kinematic patterns of all limbs of 11 clinically nonlame Dutch Warmblood horses were studied during induced supporting limb lameness to gain insight into the compensation mechanisms horses use to manage lameness and to test kinematic limb variables for their significance as lameness indicators. Using the locomotion analysis system CODA-3, the kinematics of the horses were recorded while walking (1.6 m/s) and trotting (3.5 m/s) on a treadmill. A transient lameness model, evoking pressure on the hoof sole, was used to induce 3 degrees of fore- and hindlimb lameness. Joint angle patterns and ...
Schneider RK, Tucker RL, Habegger SR, Brown J, Leathers CW.To determine clinical signs, diagnostic findings, and outcome for horses with desmitis of the straight sesamoidean ligament (SSL) near its insertion on the middle phalanx. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 9 horses. Methods: Medical records were reviewed, and information on signalment, history, clinical signs, diagnostic findings, and treatment was obtained. Follow-up information was obtained through telephone conversations with owners. Results: In all horses, the diagnosis was made by use of high-resolution ultrasonography. Seven horses had moderate lameness on initial examination; lamen...
Foreman JH.Exhaustion occurs in most equestrian sports, but it is more frequent in events that require sustained endurance work such as endurance racing, three-day eventing, trial riding, and hunting. Exhaustion is also more likely when an unfit, unacclimatized, or unsound horse is exercised. Mechanisms that contribute to exhaustion include heat retention, fluid and electrolyte loss, acid-base imbalance, and intramuscular glycogen depletion. Clinical signs include elevated temperature, pulse, and respiratory rate; depression; anorexia; unwillingness to continue to exercise; dehydration; weakness; stiffne...
Adkins AR, Yovich JV, Steel CM.To evaluate the outcome of 17 horses that underwent surgical arthrodesis of the tarsometatarsal and distal intertarsal joints for treatment of lameness due to osteoarthritis. Methods: Retrospective clinical study using client-owned animals. Methods: Horses with hindlimb lameness were diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the distal tarsal joints following relief of lameness after intra-articular anaesthesia or intra-articular corticosteroid injection. Surgery to stimulate ankylosis was performed on 27 hocks by placing 3 diverging 3.2 mm drill holes approximately 3 cm through the tarsometatarsal and...
Nemery E, Gabriel A, Piret J, Antoine N.In athletic horses, diseases leading to lameness are of great importance due to the loss of performance and the resultant economic concerns. Although stifle lesions are frequent in the hindlimb, due to the large size and complexity of the joint, and although meniscal tears have been identified as the most common soft tissue injuries in this joint, little is known about the mechanism that causes the painful sensation and thus the lameness. The aim of our study was to highlight any peripheral fibres involved in meniscal nociception in five macroscopically sound cranial horns of the equine medial...
Peham C, Licka T, Mayr A, Scheidl M, Girtler D.Treadmills are widely used in equine motion analysis. For the evaluation of the trot of a horse, a trotting speed with low variation between motion cycles is necessary to make the measurements reproducible. The aim of this study is to show how an individual 'optimum' trotting speed for lameness quantification can be determined. In this study, the stability of a horse's gait pattern was evaluated by calculating the standard deviation (S.D.) of motion-cycle speed (MCS). In trot, eighteen horses were analysed at several speeds. The measurements were taken with the ExpertVision System (Motion Anal...
Anderson K, Morrice-West AV, Walmsley EA, Fisher AD, Whitton RC, Hitchens PL.Musculoskeletal injuries are observed in Thoroughbred racehorses and may become catastrophic. Currently, there are limited methods for early detection of such injuries. Most injuries develop gradually due to accumulated damage, providing the opportunity for early detection. Horses experiencing pain or lameness may exhibit changes in behaviour so the development of an objective, real-time system monitoring horse behaviour may enable detection of bone injuries before catastrophic failure. Objective: To determine whether intensive observational methods of assessing horse behaviour can be replaced...
