Section 2: Caring for the Horse
Preparation; Living Conditions; Feeding;
Regular Maintenance; Emergency
As stated previously, the horse can be delicate due to his
domesticated environment.
He can not control his own diet or
environment; he has a more extended lifespan; he is restricted to the
habitat in which we keep him. He encounters some issues that he never
would if he were wild, and he encounters some that he cannot take care
of himself, which he could if he were not confined or restricted.
CHAPTER 7: The Physical Horse
Ideal Horse
To begin the discussion of care of the horse, we'll start with the
horse's ideal physical condition. A horse should be symmetrical all
around and the lines of his body should be smooth.
Horse with sharp angle at croup
Horse with smooth back
Looking at the horse from directly in front and directly behind, (if
he is standing square), his shoulders and hips should be level with each
other.
Even very strong muscles should have some softness and elasticity.
Very hard muscles are tight and the horse can't use them effectively.
Sports massage and stretching can relieve hard muscles.
The horse's major joints are analogous to the human's major joints
in a way. The neck and shoulderblade are obvious of course—but the
horse has no collarbone. The only thing holding the horse's forelegs to
his torso are muscles and ligaments.
Foreleg/Elbow, Wrist, and Fingers:
The horse's “elbow” is at the top of his leg, where the leg meets the
body. His “knee” is analogous to our wrist. The cannon bone, fetlock,
pastern, and hooves are a finger and its knuckles. Horses may be
susceptible to pinched shoulder nerves and “tennis elbow” similarly to
people's arm issues.
Lumbar:
The horse's lumbar area is behind the ribcage and in front of the
hip. Like ours, the horse's lumbar is the weakest part of his back, and
the most fragile. The lumbar should never carry weight or be overly
stressed.
Sacrum:
The horse's sacrum is the area from the croup to the dock. This is
the joint that fuses last of all (at first the sacrum is a number of
unattaches bones, but it fuses together at the last sage of growth). Until
it fuses, the sacrum can be more easily pulled out of alignment or
dismocated entirely. Horses may have sacroiliac problems just as easily
as humans.
Stifle/Knee:
The horse's stifle is analogous to our knee, and in fact his kneecap
is at the stifle. “Upward fixation of the patella (kneecap)” can be found in
horss with weaker stifles. Horses may have other stifle problems, similar
to people's knee problems.
Hock and Fetlock/Ankle and Toes:
The horse's hock acts as our ankles do. Where people may have
Achilles problems, contracted calves, weak ankles, and so on, the horse
may have similar difficulties.
Horses often have “hock problems” or “stifle problems,” or other
nebulous joint “problems.” These problems can almost all be traced to
misuse of the joint, often due to the horse carrying himself poorly. A
horse who is not ridden until he is mature, and who is encouraged to
carry himself properly, will be much less susceptible to these vague joint
“problems.”
Maturity
A horse matures more slowly than he grows. His joints “close” (the
bones around the joints finish growing) from the ground up. Thus, the
knees may “close” at around age 2 or 3, but the back does not “close”
until the horse is 5 to 7 years of age. Just because a horse's knees are
closed does not mean that he is ready for heavy work. His spine
continues to be soft and cartilage-edged until he is 4 or 5, sometimes 6.
Too much weight or too much stress on the back from working
WILL cause back damage when the back is still growing and soft. It may
not show for 10 years--or it may begin immediately.
Much damage to horses is near-indetectable. It's not that the horse
is lamed or unrideable...he's just not able to perform as well as he could.
No matter what you want to do with your horse, he will be most
comfortable and best able to perform if carefully introduced to working,
at a suitable age. Backing him early or working him too hard too soon can
permanently reduce his ability to work.
Damage to the back is usually not visible unless you are very
familiar with possible back problems. However, a damaged back is more
stiff than a pristine back. That stiffness causes the horse to move poorly,
taking impact much harder in the joints of his legs than he should. THAT
is the main reason for most horses developing hock problems and stifle
problems--something's going on in the back, and the horse takes too
much concussion at the wrong angle on the joints of his hind legs.
Think about it--if you want to barrel race, rein, rope, etc, you want
your horse to be able to do the best he possibly can. That slight edge of
half a second or a faster turn or a better ability to reach under himself-even if it's tiny--is enough to make a tremendous difference in rankings.
Even if all you do is trail ride, your horse will be happier, more
comfortable, and will be able to be ridden for many more years if he is
properly started. But if his back is altered, compressed, caused to sway,
or given a predisposition to arthritic changes, then he will end up retired
and unsound much earlier than he would otherwise. It's better to wait a
year on riding a horse, than to support him as a retiree for 10 extra years
down the road--when you could be riding him, instead.
No matter what you want to do, your horse will do it better if he is
comfortable and he is TOTALLY sound. Minor changes can cause minor,
indetectable unsoundnesses; they won't prevent the horse from working,
but they'll prevent him from working at his best.
Life Expectancy
Wild horses live an average of 6 or 7 years. Domesticated horses
may live much longer. A horse whose soundness has been maintained
throughout his early life may go on to live—and work—into his late 20's
or even 30's.
As an example, take the Royal Lipizzan troupe. The Lipizzan
horses are turned out until they're about 4 or 5. They're then started in
early training. They are considered “in the prime of life” from about age
10 to 15. They are often still sound and able to perform to the age of 30
or 35.
In contrast, a Thoroughbred who was started at about 18 months
and ridden hard early may begin to lose his soundness in his mid teens.
Even Thoroughbreds who did not break down at the track often have
significant arthritis by the age of 10, and are beginning to show signs of
wear and tear on their bodies.