Keeping Your Pony Injury Free
Ideally, your horse’s footing should be well adapted to its physical and geological environment and the locations where it is put to work, trained and exercised. If the pony is utilized for events, the kind of event will also make a difference. Almost invariably, it is easier to settle down to one footing style, rather than try to accommodate various requirements, especially in open air arenas. Your horse’s style of movement is a vital consideration in going for the right footing.
Researchers in biomechanics would be able to give you precise details of just which parts of a horse’s limbs face stress at any point in a stride and what level of stress each part is subject to. These researchers have managed to apply a large amount of their discoveries about humans to horses, where these observations are relevant to both species. Human beings develop various bone related defects like joint problems and osteoarthritis as a result of repeated jars stemming from hard impact on the ground; horses are susceptible in a similar manner. Any activity that puts the limbs through airborne and ground based cycles in hard repeated motions is more liable to cause these conditions.
Correct footing muffles the shock of impact to a discernible extent. When choosing the right footing for your horse, you must take account the surface of operation and its impact resistance, which appertains to its capacity to take in the hard jars. This is a critical part of the hoof’s motion. Concrete has low absorb resistance, which is why doctors advise you not to run on concrete surfaces. The same logic also applies to horses. Soft surfaces like those comprising wood chips absorb impact energy miles better, which means the limb is jarred far less on contact. Not surprisingly, sand has an exceedingly low impact resistance, nevertheless it creates other problems because of its tendency to shift. While labouring on sand, heart beat rates can go up by as much as 50%; this is the reason horses, and all of the other animals, tire so fast when operating on sand.
One of the very finest surfaces is turf, which has high proportions of moisture. Turf that is well maintained can be heaven for a horse’s limbs, nonetheless it should be just right. If it is too damp, it may lead to slipping, and if it is too dry, it hardens and may lose rather a lot of resistance to impact.
A mixture of soil and sand would make for superb footing in arenas. Good arena upkeep involves groundhog work and watering; this leads to a soft, moist footing. Such surfaces permit high degrees of absorption of impact energy, meaning horses are safe from injuries and the incidence of conditions like osteoarthritis.
There are 1 or 2 steps you can take to reduce risk to your pony on any type of footing.
Try as far as feasible to train your horse on the very same footing that he’s going to be competing on. Often , injuries arise as the results of changes in footing. Stay clear of footings with alternative soft/hard and deep/shallow spots. Slick spots can be especially perilous. Keep your horse properly trained and in peak physical condition. If you over apply him, he is going to land up with injuries stemming from fatigue. Ensure you reduce his risks with the right training and conditioning. Give him appropriate shoes. Keep close watch on his confirmation. Make sure any injuries are well healed before allowing participation in any event.
You can avail of the help of any number of footing companies to develop a footing eminently acceptable for the intended event. Aside from this, do your own homework to make extremely sure that your pony is able to function free of injuries.
Horses are Heather Tomspassion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers go here
