What is the purpose of the loin on a horse?
The loin is located between the last rib and the croup. It should be well-muscled and strong rather than long, weak, and lightly muscled. Short, muscular loins are needed to carry power from the hind legs forward.
Can you ride a horse with sidebone?
Ideally, affected horses should work on softer surfaces while they’re returning to exercise, and trotting on the road should be avoided. Overreach boots are helpful for protecting the area, because trauma to the sidebone can cause fracture, which makes horses very lame.
What does top line mean on a horse?
Topline, simply put, is the muscle groups that run along a horse’s spine. The topline of a horse stretches along the vertebral column (spine) from the end of the neck at the wither area, down the back and loin, and over the top of the hip into the croup region.
What causes Sidebone in horses?
Sidebone is believed to result from concussive forces travelling through the foot during weight- bearing causing trauma to the collateral cartilages. This process tends to affect the front feet and is more common in older horses. The heavy breeds are more often affected.
How do you prevent Sidebone in horses?
How can sidebones be prevented? Your horse’s feet should be regularly trimmed and shod to prevent imbalance, uneven weight-bearing and to ameliorate concussive forces in the foot.
How does Sidebone affect horses?
Sidebone may also cause pain in the ligaments of the coffin joint. Sidebone is believed to result from concussive forces travelling through the foot during weight- bearing causing trauma to the collateral cartilages. This process tends to affect the front feet and is more common in older horses.
What are Windgalls in horses?
A windgall is swelling of the digital tendon sheath – a sterile fluid-filled sleeve covering the flexor tendons over the back of the fetlock joint. Often these swellings appear with no associated lameness. A wound that pierces the tendon sheath can cause infection, which will also cause swelling.
How do you build up a horse’s topline?
“It’s important to build up slowly,” she says. “Start by asking the horse to hold it for only two seconds, and over a period of weeks build that up to a 10-second hold in each position.” Five repetitions of each exercise before riding—not after, when the muscles are tired—make for a great topline-building workout.
