Bone Integrity and The Science Behind The Program

Deterioration of the bone is a result of bone resorption, a process in which bone cells called osteoclasts break down bone and release the minerals, resulting in a transfer of nutrients from the bone...
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Range of Motion in Joint Health

Know Your Nutrients - when rehabilitating a lame or injured horse, the more specific you can be the greater your chances of success.  In this session of "know your nutrients" we are going to concentrate on the nutrients necessary to the support the connective tissue of the tendon or ligament as they are required to support the range of motion in every joint. 
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What Makes One Horse More Susceptible To Injury?

No two horses are alike in genetics or conformation and these differences can have a huge impact on the needs of the individual horse, here's why...
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Tendons & Ligaments part 2 of 2

In the previous post, Gillian outlined tendons and ligaments. She explained how ligaments are fibrous tissue located throughout the body and that they help to control the range of movement. She went on to explain how tendons are connective tissue that connect muscle to bone and how both the tendons and ligaments lack blood supply and for that reason are slow to heal.

Today we are going to continue with the rest of the article "Vital Connections"
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Range of Motion - The Basics on Joint Health and OCD Lesions

As an animal matures and ages, a component necessary for collagen production called silicon becomes less prominent. A lack of support in this area may compromise the flexibility and elasticity of the bones and contribute to inadequate tissue production in, and around the joints. Without silicon to produce the elastic effect that portion of the bone needs, the more susceptible it is to damage because it isn’t able to effectively “absorb” the shock.


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Tendons and Ligaments (to avoid injury and prevent lameness) - part 1 of 2

The horse has no muscles below the knee or hock. This makes the limbs lighter and enables the horse to move faster and more efficiently. As movement in the joints from the elbow down and stifle down is only in the forward and backwards plans, the tendons in the lower leg are either...



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More on OCD Lesions

OCD lesions often develop in the first year of life but are often not noticed until much later when the horse is put into training. The developing bone of a young horse requires a specific function where the cartilage cells at the end of the bone turn into bone cells and creating the lengthening effect of the bone required for growth. OCD lesions occur when this process doesn't properly take place and...
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Attention Dairymen: What's Your Number?

What is it about the high SCC that bothers you most? Is it the number that comes back on the check when you’ve exceeded the favorable limits… or is there something more?

Could it be that, on average, a 2.5% decrease in production translates to a loss of nearly 50 pounds on just ten cows milking 65 pounds/day?
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Bone Development In Young Horses

A tiny, delicate foal has a lot of growing to do to get to that stage! Their spindly little legs need to develop long, sturdy bones so they can run and jump with the power of a full-grown horse. Therefore, it is essential that young horses receive the proper nutrients they need to support...
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Breaking A Sweat: The Essentials of Anhidrosis

It’s a familiar sight for equestrians: you finish your morning training routine, and your young mare or gelding is sweating off their workout.  Their coat glistens as their skin secretes moisture to cool off their flushed body.  Sweat is a horse’s main method for regulating their internal body temperature, and a large percent (65-70%) of a horse’s body heat is lost through sweating.1 
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The Anatomy Of Muscles

Taking into account the internal structures that have been at rest over the long winter months will go a long way to support you in your efforts of keeping your horses sound as you gear up for another active season.


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Winter Care - Essential Tips for Well-Being and Soundness

If you are consistent with these simple winter care essentials, you should have a happy and healthy horse that is ready for you in the spring.




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Sound Advice - A Must Read for Building a Strong Foundation

Throughout the world, horseman employ many different methods of conditioning the horse. And indeed there are quite a few different "programs" that result in a fit athlete. But most programs focus on the aspects of the horse's fitness that are the most visible - their musculature and their aerobic capacity (cardiovascular fitness) - without enough thought to strengthening bones, tendons, and ligaments. With a program that does not sufficiently allow for progressive strengthening of those important structures, the risk of injuries in those areas are greatly increased...
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Fundamentals for Hooves - From Heel to Toe

A member of the B vitamin family and a co-enzyme, Biotin plays a role in collagen formation and is therefore essential for the development of a healthy hoof.  It is greatly valued for its ability to enhance new horn growth and studies show adequate Biotin intake can help expedite the growth process considerably.
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Calm-The-Storm for Nervous, Hyper Horses

Some of the environmental factors that increase stress levels include: travel, changes in routine, fear, pain and  over/under exercise. Of course we all know how stress and anxiety may reduce a horses ability to concentrate and perform at their best but what factors influence the horses ability to deal with stress?  
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Bone Density - The Process of Bone Remodeling

While nothing is going to make a horse impervious to injury, dealing with injuries and lameness less often, and for shorter amounts of time, is something that is advantageous to any horseman. Horses which spend less time rehabilitating, spend more time training.
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Bone Density - Identifying The Process of Bone Breakdown

Deterioration is the result of bone resorption, a process in which bone cells called osteoclasts break down bone, releasing the minerals from the bone structure and resulting in a transfer of nutrients from the bone matrix to the blood. Achieving proper pH balance between acidic and alkaline foods is essential, because an acidic environment is believed to be a primary component behind bone deterioration...
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