If you wrap the tail up in a sheet or vetrap or bailing twine, then it’s gong to be stronger and harder to break off in pieces. You might lost the entire tail instead of just a few hairs. Yes, the entire tail could come off. (It can also be Read more…
Effects of Twitching The ear twitch caused horses to have an increased heart rate and decreased heart rate variability regardless of duration. The salivary cortisol levels increased significantly. This suggests that the ear twitch causes a stressful, and likely painful, effect. What does twitching do to a horse? The twitch Read more…
Bones in the Equine Skull[edit | edit source] There are 34 bones and most of them are flat. During the birth process, these bones overlap and allow the skull to compress as much as possible to allow for parturition. The 14 major bones are: Incisive bone (premaxillary): part of the Read more…
by Ron Meredith. Suppleness is another mythunderstood word in the horse industry. Suppleness simply means the ability to bend without stiffness. We want the horse to have loose, pliable joints: his hocks, his hips, his knees, his shoulders, his poll and his jaw. How do I supple my horse? One Read more…
There are 7 cervical vertebrae in the horse’s neck and from each there are cervical nerves serving the peripheral musculoskeletal system. How many bones are in a horses spine? 54 vertebraeHorses have an average of 54 vertebrae, though the number can vary between 51 and 58. Do horses have bones Read more…
The neck threadworm is a common name for the filarial parasite Onchocerca cervicalis. The adult worm lives in or around the large nuchal ligament that runs from the withers to the base of the skull. No clinical signs have been associated with presence of the adult worms. How do horses Read more…
An overabundance of fat along the top of the neckline, otherwise known as cresty neck, is an indicator of metabolic problems in your horse. In fact, researchers believe this type of regional fat deposit (nuchal crest adiposity) is a strong indicator of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). How do I know Read more…
Poll pressure is a way of communicating with your horse to ask him to lower his head and neck position, as well as creating flexion to the left or right. How do you release poll pressure on a horse? Stand to the side of your horse and place your arm Read more…
Nerve blocks refer to the injection of local anaesthetic around the nerves in your horse’s limb. These differ from joint blocks where the local anaesthetic is injected directly into a joint or tendon canal. How long does a nerve block last in horses? Drugs used in horse nerve blocks Lidocaine Read more…
The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the 3rd through 11th thoracic vertebrae, which are unusually long in this area. Most horses have 18 thoracic vertebrae. What does it mean when a horse has high withers? High Withers The bump where its shoulder blades Read more…