Posts Tagged ‘hind feet’

The systematic way to train a dressage horse to do a walk pirouette is to start with turn on the haunches.

A turn on the haunches is a 180-degree turn done at the walk. Your horse bends in the direction of the turn. His forehand moves around his haunches until he’s facing the opposite direction. His outside hind foot and his forefeet move around his inside hind foot, which forms a pivot.

Your horse must maintain the regular rhythm of his walk. His pivot leg gets picked up and put down each time, slightly ahead of where it was before.
Turn on the haunches engages the hindquarters and encourages bending of the joints of the hind legs. The end result is that your horse’s body feels more packaged.
Turn on the haunches is an introductory movement for the walk pirouette. It differs from a pirouette because it’s done from a shortened medium walk while a pirouette is done from a collected walk. Also in the turn on the haunches, your horse’s hind feet make a small circle, (about the size of a dinner plate). In a walk pirouette, your horse’s inside hind leg should be picked up and put down almost on the same spot.

The aids to train your dressage horse to do a turn on the haunches to the left are:

Seat:
Put your weight on your left (inside) seat bone.

Left leg (inside leg):
Place your left leg on the girth to promote bending and engagement of your horse’s inside hind leg.

Right leg (outside leg):
Place your right leg behind the girth to help bend your horse around your inside leg and to prevent his hindquarters from swinging out.

Left rein:
Turn your wrist to ask for +1 flexion.

Right rein:
Use your right rein as a siderein to limit the amount of bend you get in the neck.

Both hands:
Move both hands in the direction of the turn to move the forehand around the hindquarters. Keep your hands side-by-side and equidistant from your body. Think of your left rein as an opening rein and bring your right rein closer to your horse’s neck. Imagine that your hands are like the second hand on a clock sweeping around the face of the clock.

The sequence of aids are:

1. Prepare for the turn by using a “stilled seat” to shorten your dressage horse’s medium walk.

2. Bend your horse to the inside.

3. Set him up for the turn by riding in a slight shoulder-fore position.

4. Bring both hands in the direction you want his body to turn to guide his forehand around his hindquarters.

Since the two most important ingredients to train a dressage horse to do a correct turn on the haunches are rhythm and bend, preserve these qualities by introducing it on a circle.

Do haunches-in on a 10-meter circle.
As long as your horse keeps his rhythm, bend, and desire to go forward, decrease the size of the circle while you’re still in haunches-in gradually.
Make the circle only as small as you can while keeping the rhythm, bend, and forward desire.

Author: Jane Savoie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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There are many signs that will tell you whether your horse is healthy and doing well or if he is a little off and not feeling so great. As a horse owner, or potential horse owner, it is important that you be able to recognize these signs. This is especially important if you are considering buying a horse, you will want to know that the horse is healthy before you buy him.

The healthy horse will stand squarely on all four feet. A healthy horse will never rest a forefoot unless the foot or leg is unsound. They will rest their hind feet when they are relaxed or bored. The healthy horse will also have a shiny coat that is soft and lies down flat and smooth. The horses eyes are wide open and the inside of the eye is salmon colored. This color will also be seen in the horses gum and nostrils. The limbs and joints of the horse should be free of heat or swelling. You can check for heat by rubbing your hands down both legs and comparing them to each other.

The healthy horse will also have a normal appetite and will be willing to eat. His skin will be moist, but not sweaty. His breathing will be quiet and even when he is at rest. His pulse should also be steady and even. You can feel the pulse by placing the tips of your fingers over the large artery under the lower jaw and immediately in front of the heavy muscle of the cheek. In mares and geldings, the pulse is usually around thirty-three to forty beats per minute. In stallions, it is usually around twenty-eight to thirty-two beats per minute. Younger horses will have faster pulses.

The healthy horse will also have four to eight bowel movements in a twenty-four hour period. You will also be able to hear gut sounds if you place your ear to the flank of the horse. The bowel movements should be odor free and not have any mucus or worms present. The urine of the horse will be light yellow and he will eliminate five or more times per day.

The sick horse will have an abnormal attitude. He may lie down at odd times and in odd positions. If a horse has advanced laminitis, he may even sit like a dog because it hurts to put pressure on his feet. A horse suffering from colic may lie on his back. The sick horse may also have a dull coat and the hairs will not lie down.

The mucous membranes may be off color. There are several colors that suggest different conditions. Pale membranes usually mean that the horse is anemic, a yellow tinge suggests liver problems, a dark red may suggest a fever and a blue-red may suggest a heart or circulation problem.

The horse will also have an abnormal appetite and may not care about feed that you give him. The skin may feel tight and dry or he may be sweating profusely. His temperature will also be high. In horses, a low fever is around 102.5 degrees, a definite fever will be at 104 and 106 is high and suggests that the hose may have an infection. The horse may also have a high pulse and breath either too slow or rapidly. A sick horse may also have a noisy and labored way of breathing.

The horse may have droppings of an abnormal consistency or color. If the horse has serious constipation, the horse may not have any gut sounds. The urine of the horse may also be an unusual color or consistency. They may also have pain while urinating and the amount may be excessive or very little.

There may also be heat in the legs of the horse. Some infections may cause the horses legs to swell and may not always be a sign of lameness.

These are very important signs to watch for. If you board a horse and notice that a horse doesnt look like his usual self, you are better safe than sorry to let someone know. Alert barn managers and owners about the horse and his condition. If the horse is your own, alert your veterinarian if the condition seems serious. If the horse seems a little off, you might ask your barn manager or barn friends to keep a watchful eye on him and alert you if the condition becomes worse. Many times a horse will pick up a bug and will be off for a day or so. If the horse does not get better, you will want to seek medical attention.

Author: Ron Petracek
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty

Laminitis or “founder” is a common illness known about by horse lovers from an early age, as native ponies on pasture that is too lush are common victims. It is caused by inflammation of the laminae in the hoof.

Visit: http://www.TheNaturallyHealthyPet.com

In this article I will discuss how it happens and ways of managing laminitis.

How does Laminitis happen? The sensitive laminae lie between the wall of the hoof and the pedal bone. As this area gets inflamed, the feet become extremely painful. The illness is usually associated with over-eating, especially where grass is lush and full of starches.

More rarely it may be associated with any situation associated with toxaemia or septicaemia, and it is also seen in Cushing’s disease, obesity, and hypothyroidism.

The blood supply to the foot is affected, and in severe cases, there is separation of the laminae from the hoof wall.

It is possible that laminitis is related to a build up of toxic metals such as aluminium, as acid rain falls and the chemicals are concentrated in cereals.

Clinical Signs of Laminitis: The forefeet tend to be affected more than the hind feet, so affected horses will appear to lean back as they try to ease their weight off the fore-feet.

In acute laminitis, there is constant pain with distress and sweating. The feet may feel hot or cold.

Prevention: Keep your horse or pony slim, and when overweight, do not turn her out. Restricted turn out or turn out with a muzzle or in a yard are needed at the most laminitis-prone times of year (often March and September).

Current Western Treatments: Call a veterinary surgeon early with laminitis. Irreversible damage may occur within twelve hours of the onset of symptoms. Veterinary Treatments are discussed in depth in the full version of this article at www.TheNaturallyHealthyPet.com.

Things you can do for yourself: Warm water hosing and warm compresses will increase the blood supply to the distal hoof, so is better than cold hosing. Taped on frog supports may hell, and 30 days box rest is recommended.

Complementary Therapies: Herbal Remedies: There are several herbs that can help detoxify the body, initiate healing, and help digestion, so aiding prevention. For a full list see th full version of this article.

Aromatics/ Aromatherapy: A number of aromatic oils can be offered for a horse to self select by inhalation or licking.

Healing: Healing with Reiki or Spiritual healing can help calm a horse and bring in her own self-healing abilities, reducing pain and inducing relaxation. The effect may be enhanced with the use of cetain crystals, such as sodalite and yellow jasper for digestive problems. Healing is also likely to be aided with the use of magnetic therapy.

Bach Flower Remedies: Selection of appropriate Bach flower remedies depends on the personality and current mood of your horse, so it is better to seek expert advice to get the optimal remedy combination. Rescue remedy is ideal for use in emergency situations and can be given frequently while awaiting the vet’s visit.

Homeopathy: Homeopathy works best if you consult a trained veterinary homeopath, as the specific remedies can be targeted to your horse. In particular, remedies to support detoxification and the liver, and those to help the circulation, would be beneficial in laminitis.

Acupuncture: The acupuncture meridian for the liver extends into the forefeet, so acupuncture and acupressure treatment along this meridian is likely to help with laminitis.

Conclusion: Laminitis remains a serious and painful condition, with irreversible effects early in the disease. Calling the vet has to be a priority as soon as the illness is suspected, but there is much that we can do to prevent it, and to support our equines while awaiting the vet and in conjunction with veterinary management.

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