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Topic: Warmblood & Colateral Ligaments (Read 1565 times)
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Amanya
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Posts: 96
Life is Choices
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I had the opportunity to trailer a friend's horse (not a trak) to San Marcos, CA to Dr. Mark Martinelli at California Equine Orthopedics. www.calequorth.com. I learned some new and fascinating things that I'd like to share.
First, he has been doing research for the past 2 years using radioactive bone scans and hoof MRIs, so he's learned a great deal about the hoof because he can see things we've never been able to see before.
Colateral ligaments are on each side of the coffin bone, and apparently in the past, problems with these ligaments are often confused with navicular issues. They now know better.
These ligaments can be injured when a horse pulls off a shoe, when stepping wrong on uneven ground or footing.
And these ligaments are NOT truly strong until a warmblood has stopped growing...7 or 8.
So Dr. Martinelli has two categories of problems: injuries and developmental.
Why did my friend bring her horse to him? A referral from our local vet because, while the horse never stepped lame, it did step out lame at the flexion tests. Stall rest did not help. The horse didn't get better, but didn't get worse.
In this case, the 7 year old had a developmental issue, needing a lot of walking on stable, flat, hard surface and shock wave treatment to reduce the ever so slight inflamation of the ligaments (both front feet.) Everything is now fine. Inflamation gone and flexion tests are excellent.
What I found particularly interesting is what the data collected so far revealed. Dr. Martinelli has compared competition horses (quarter cutting horses and warmblood dressage) and racing thoroughbreds.
Using all the various views and angles of the hoof, showing bones and ligaments and any inflamation, he has noted that the horses with the worst feet overall are the dressage horses. I would have thought the horses on the race track, but no, not so. Long term damange is done in the dressage court.
That said, of course, I am thinking of Barbaro right now, and wondering if any imaging would have shown a weakness in his cannon bone prior to the race. Granted, I'm talking leg, not hoof here, but with the technology available today, perhaps in the future we can do more preventative diagnostics allowing us to head off potential injuries.
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Beckie
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You know, one of the things that I have noticed is that Dressage people do not like to let their horses out in large areas. This means that they cannot develop the kind of strength that your friend's horse did on hard surfaces over time. Maybe the lack of strengthening in their early years (prior to 7-8) is why dressage horses have more trouble in the long run...... just a thought.
It would be interesting to find out if the finding regarding the results in Dressage horses is worldwide or regional.......
Beckie
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fuzzy
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Beckie, perhaps it's not so much a matter of "regional" or "worldwide", but in the kinds of upbringing young dressage horses get. Racehorses and cutting horses are likely to spend their youth outdoors with playmates. In dressage, some grow up that way, but many others grow up practically bubble-wapped. Perhaps a study based on how these two different ways of raising young WB's influences their athletic future is in order.
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cindyf
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Pretty fascinating Amanya. Thanks for sharing.
CINDY
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Amanya
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Basically, while turning horses out to “be horses”, both young and old, is always a good idea, the research shows that warmbloods are just plain larger boned, heavier and take longer to mature than thoroughbreds and quarter horses. There is a whole lot more body for ligaments and tendons to stabilize. So size and growth rate play a large role.
But the specific issue of dressage horses' hooves actually is what happens over time. Think about it. We often ride them five days a week, an hour a day. (I personally do not do dressage more than 3 or 4 times a week, because dressage is actually a body-building sport for the horse, and I prefer to give them a lot of breaks). But many people are more competitive minded than I am. The training is much drill and practice.
In dressage, “the Three P’s” demand a lot of concussion on each hoof. Over and over.
Add to this, dressage horses are ridden for years. Thus the accumulation shows in the bone scans and MRI’s of the hooves of many horses at FEI levels.
Obviously, competition quarter horses and racing thoroughbreds have foot issues. But my lay opinion now is that the pounding their feet receive isn’t as long a duration, either each day, nor over the years.
Originally I was extremely surprised when Dr. Martinelli told me that the “worst feet” were the dressage horses, but after thinking about the actual use, and what the larger horses do daily and for years, it makes sense.
Now, as a breeder, I have to ask myself how new information like this can help me evaluate my horses and hopefully learn to breed for ever stronger, fitter sport horses that can withstand the demands we put on our dear equine friends.
(Always happy to share, Cindy) 
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