Foxmoor Farm

08/11/2023

Coaches - don't let the few unhappy ones take away your appreciation for all the great parents
The Parents Role in Athletics - booklet and presentation...

08/05/2023

BY Maddy Brown One of my biggest frustrations in this industry is the lack of understanding and consideration for the role that lesson horses play. So often, I see riders complaining about lesson horses for a huge variety of reasons: for their perceived lack of quality or value, for having to ride o...

08/02/2023

Success demands these 6 things..

(The Secret Formula)

1. Hard Work

Don't believe in luck, believe in hard work.

Stop trying to rush the process or searching for a shortcut.

There is none.

2. Patience

If you are losing the patience, you are losing the battle.

First nothing happens, then it happens slowly and suddenly all at once.

Most people give up at stage one.

3. Sacrifice

If you don't sacrifice for what you want, then what you want becomes the sacrifice.

Everything has its price. The question is: Are you ready to pay it for the life you desire?

4. Consistency

Consistency is what transforms average into excellence.

Without consistency, you will never achieve greater success.

5. Discipline

Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing.

There will be days when you don't “feel” like doing it.

You have to push through those days regardless of how you feel.

6. Self Confidence

Confidence is, I'll be fine if they don't like me.

I don’t know who wrote this but it’s true so had to share for everyone needing to hear it.

07/16/2023

Unpopular opinion:
Know when to back off.
Horses are not machines. Make sure you find a trainer that knows when to push, and when to back off.
Get you a trainer that pays attention to your horse and their needs.
Some horses are such people pleasers, such hard workers, so trusting and willing, that they'd follow people into their own breaking point; and the wrong people will push them past it.

Make sure you find a trainer that recognizes the limits in your horse, and doesn't try to experiment with their mental or physical soundness for faster results.

Like it or not, sometimes days off teach your horse more than constant daily pushing will.

They cannot speak, but the right trainers can still hear them. Make sure they listen.

Photo: Dyno

**tstarting

06/13/2023

Everything comes with a price

A sensitive horse is going to be sensitive to both light aids AND your accidental aids and mistakes

A quiet school horse is going to give you room to fumble with your hands and legs, and they are also likely to ignore them when you mean to use them.

It isn’t fair to want the reward without the price. It isn’t fair to take from a horse without giving- and it all comes down to working on ourselves: our expectations, riding abilities, mindset, and awareness. You can’t have a perfectly performing horse without putting in your own work. A horse is not a computer or a robot- they rise to, or fall to, the level of the horseman.

Photo by Melinda Yelvington

05/26/2023

Love horses? Want to learn more? Come join us at Foxmoor Farm this summer🐴

05/12/2023

NOTE FROM TED: This talk only reflects the speaker's personal model and understanding of the brain and stress. TEDx events are independently organized by vol...

04/29/2023

Congratuations to Sydney who finished 5th in Future Intermediate X-rails at IEA - Interscholastic Equestrian Association Nationals! We are so proud of your hard work!!

Stay tuned as Foxmoor's Middle School Team takes to the ring tomorrow at IEA Nationals! Good Luck to all riders!! 🍀🌟🦊

04/29/2023

Follow our Foxmoor IEA Team live at IEA Nationals! 🌟

Want to watch IEA Hunt Seat & Dressage National Finals at home on April 27-30, 2023? Here is how...

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO REGISTER: https://iea.showgroundslive.com/

REGISTER FOR FREE to watch the IEA Hunt Seat and Dressage National Finals LIVE STREAM provided by SHOWGROUNDS LIVE. See results, schedules, class listings and more!

This link is also found on the IEA National Finals Webpage at
https://www.rideiea.org/2023nationalfinals/

The Hunt Seat Live Stream is proudly sponsored by Sweet Briar College.

Tryon International Equestrian Center & Resort ShowGroundsLive.com
Experiencing technical difficulties with registering?
Contact [email protected]

04/24/2023

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

*thank you to whoever wrote this! Not my words, but certainly a shared sentiment!

03/30/2023

After a wonderful weekend at IEA Zone 2 Finals, we are so proud and excited to say that our high school riders Mia Deluzio & Leahbella Quigley brought home 3rd place ribbons in their very competitive Open & JV classes. Then our middle school riders Sydney Kiczenski, Arianna Newton, and Claire Steed rode very well to earn the team reserve championship and the opportunity to compete at IEA Nationals at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Tryon, North Carolina. At the national show held the last weekend in April, the Foxmoor team will be competing against the top teams from all across the United States. So very, very proud of our riders and our entire Foxmoor Farm family including our horse handlers who worked hard all weekend. Without their hard work and support, none of this would have been possible. On to Nationals🐴🦊🍀

MaryLou Spencer
Stacy Lowe-Jonas

03/27/2023

No amount of training can change…

A horse’s raw personality- we can work with their God given personality to help them reach their potential, however take note of their natural tendencies from the start. That’s who they are and they are trying to tell you! Some horses hit the earth and are destined to make great non pro horses, some superstars in their game, some aren’t even destined to make the discipline they are bred for… This takes time to discover, but make sure you are aligning your goals with your individual horse!

A horse’s mental capacity to take training and their learning style… This we must respect and adapt to, but cannot change!

A horse’s heart and try! This is such an individual quality- we have had full siblings with completely different levels of heart and try.

A horse’s conformation- we can build muscles effectively, but if your c**t has a crooked leg- it will always have a crooked leg. If your c**t has a club foot- it will always have a club foot.

A bad mover into a good mover- again building muscle and structure into a horse’s body and mind helps, however their natural movement is a God given consistency throughout their lives.

Remember your horse is an individual with a very unique personality, mind and level of physical talent- your horse is not a motorcycle that we can tune up, park for a week and go win a race on.

Moral of the story.… BE A HORSEMAN- a realistic and educated one that never stops learning- if you can!!!

03/16/2023

BY PONYMOMAMMY I feel like I am constantly trying to justify the expense of the horses to my husband. I get it. It’s not cheap, and it doesn’t ever end. My go-to defense of “bays over boys” is a strong argument as we are approaching high school, but really the more important factor to me [.....

03/10/2023

03/07/2023

01/24/2023

The Foxmoor IEA Team just came home from a fabulous weekend at the NYS Zone 2, Region 2 Regional Horse Show and Banquet.

Our High School and Middle School Teams both brought home the Regional Championship.

This wonderful accomplishment has earned Foxmoor the opportunity to move on to the Zone 2 Championships at the end of March. During that 3 day show Foxmoor will be competing against the top 14 IEA teams in NYS. Certainly all of the team's hard work and dedication has paid off.

Thank you to Lehman Farm and Leesa Walker Stables for putting on a wonderful Regional show and beautiful banquet.

On to Zone Finals... Foxmoor Proud!! 🏅🦊🏅

12/31/2022

So very, very true........

12/30/2022

Copy this---Put it where you will see it every time you get on a horse. Then give your horse a fighting chance to stay sound by actually giving the horse a thorough warmup, rather than getting on, walking for a couple of minutes, picking up the reins, and getting right to business.

It isn't just the tendons you will be helping, either. It will color your entire attitude about schooling if you slow down and take time. And it will sooth your horse, once it knows it isn't going to be instantly rammed and jammed into some "shape."

Klaus Balkenhol talked about this same thing at a clinic I attended, He said most people are in way too big of a hurry, and tend to skip over a decent warm-up time.

12/17/2022

Congratulations to the Foxmoor IEA Team as they finish up a very successful regular IEA season! Both the High School Team and the Middle School Team are qualified for post season competition beginning in January.

In the meantime, the team has been busy collecting food, toys and cleaning supplies for the City of Elmira Animal Shelter. Doing a great job... Foxmoor Proud!! 🦊

12/17/2022

So very happy for one of our wonderful Foxmoor IEA Team parents, Niki Swimelar, mom of Rhiannon and Emerson! Congratulations, Niki !!🌟🌟🌟🌟 Please read below.........

Tonight, at the CCE Chemung Annual meeting, we recognized the 2022 Friend of 4-H.

This award is given to individuals, organizations or businesses that have gone above and beyond to help 4-H be sustainable and successful.

This years recipient, Niki Swimelar, has been a leader for 8 years. She has grown our horse program, contributed to many county level activities, and spent countless hours with our program.

She is always there to say, Yes, how can I help?

Niki is an excellent example of 4-H leadership and we are so proud to present her with this award.

We know that our volunteers are living busy lives and we appreciate all of our volunteers that have chosen us to be part of their lives!

12/04/2022

Something we should always think about..........

It is easy to get so focused on improving your position and technique when riding and in the process stop hearing the conversation from your horse. All of your hard work on improving your riding is done with great intention. But the focus easily shifts to being about you and what you want to accomplish with your horse. All the while you are working so hard your horse is sending you messages that are often ignored. Maybe they are noticed but looked at with annoyance. Maybe it’s the toss of your horse’s head, quickening or slowing of gait or rooting through your hands. You may get easily frustrated trying to fix these “issues” when in fact your horse is trying to tell you that your hands are locked on the reins or maybe your legs are too tight on its sides.

I encourage riders to shift their focus to developing a deep awareness of what is happening with their horses. I ask them questions about how their horse is moving and tracking and really try to get them to notice the nuances of their horse’s movement and way of going. I ask them to do this first without making any corrections to what their horse is doing. All I want them to do is become aware. I will ask them to test different aids and I again encourage them to notice the change in their horse’s way of going and the horses response. Riders can keep what is working and really remember and feel it because they discovered it. Unlike when being told what to do, when we learn something from experience we connect to that experience and remember it more. Rders often relax about “trying so hard to please” as they shift their focus from themselves to their horse. As they relax, the horse relaxes and thus there is an overall more pleasing and successful ride.

11/18/2022

Very true!!

Things your riding instructor wants you to know: Pt1

1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.
2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…
3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..
4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.l

10/02/2022

Feel free to add to the list😊

10/02/2022

Congratulations Foxmoor Equestrian Team!!! Off to a great start…. Bringing home the Championship for our Middle School Team and the Reserve Championship for our Upper School Team !! Congratulations to Leahbella for earning Reserve High Point Individual Rider for the Upper School Teams and Sydney for earning Reserve Champion Individual Rider for the Middle School Teams ! Thank you to Huntington Meadows in Webster, NY for hosting a wonderful show.

03/30/2022

The Foxmoor IEA Team had the wonderful opportunity this past weekend to show at the USET Headquarters in Gladstone NJ at the IEA Zone 2 Finals. So very proud of our riders who qualified and showed as individuals and placed well in their classes. Ally Finnerty, Chloe Tews, Ariana Newton, Aurora Scott, Aubriana Tenney all placed in the top six in the state in their respective classes.
In addition, our High School Team led by Megan Pratt, Ally Finnerty, Mia Deluzio, Savanah Liddy, as well as Rhiannon & Emmerson Swimelar took 5th in the State out of 15 competing teams.
Rhiannon Swimelar also took 6th place out of over 150 riders competing in the Horsemanship Test.
We are so very happy for all of or riders... Foxmoor Proud!

02/23/2022

Parents and Coaches working together to raise strong young people. Let the EARN IT!!
From our booklet and presentation - How Parents Can Help Raise a Confident Athlete

02/04/2022

Congratuations to the Foxmoor IEA Team for winning the Region 2 IEA Championship! The high-school team is off to the USET Headquarters in Gladstone, NJ for the Zone 2 finals later this spring!
In addition, seven riders from the team qualified as individuals to ride at IEA Zone Finals- GREAT RIDING EVERYONE!
Thank you to Lehman Farms in Rochester, NY for hosting the regional show and all teams in the region who brought horses to the show. Without the wonderful horses none of this would be possible... on to Zone Finals!

02/04/2022

Attention Foxmoor Team!!! Please read, share and read again!!!

BY PIPER KLEMM “It’s Not My Fault” It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. It’s probably just how the day is going. So many issues happen every single day with all the moving parts at the barn. Instead of wasting everyone else’s time having to put fingers at something (or someone) else, use...

01/24/2022

Foxmoor Team.......always remember!!

with

Here is a reminder to focus on what is in your control in 2022. 🎯 These are the things that make you strong and help you succeed! So many great ways to spend your energy 🎉, and this isn’t even all of it... Promise yourself that you won’t waste your effort or energy on things that are out of your control (such as what other people think about you, winning, the mistake you made yesterday, etc.). Instead, keep your focus on the factors that help you be your best!! 🙌🏼👍🏼👏🏼

01/15/2022

Also very true for great riders!!!!

01/11/2022

Just what we talked about in lessons.....

Pretty interesting!

01/02/2022

Happy 2022 Hilton Head! As we set new goals for the new year we are also taking time to reflect on years past, we are proud to share this year we celebrate our 5th year as the BEST place to ride in the LowCountry! Here’s to a year that will be even better than the last🍾🥂🎉

12/28/2021

We sometimes forget...............

12/26/2021

Five common causes of equine lameness
Lameness in horses has multiple causes, some obvious and some that are difficult to diagnose. Following are the most common causes of equine lameness:

Traumatic injuries: Sprains, strains, fractures and other injuries to the musculoskeletal system including bones muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments and joints; damage to the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord, and nerves

Degenerative diseases: Arthritis, degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis
Foot related injuries, infections and diseases
Diet related diseases: Laminitis (founder), azoturia (tying up), developmental orthopedic diseases (DOD)
Limb deformities: Angular limb deformities and flexural limb deformities

Sprains and strains
The bones in a horse's legs are supported by a system of muscles, ligaments, tendons and connective tissues that function to support the horse as it stands, diminish compression when the horse moves, and to protect the horse from injuries that occur from overextension of the major joints.
A sprain occurs when a sudden or severe twisting of a joint results in tearing or stretching of ligaments. A strain is usually less severe than a sprain and is the result of overstretching of ligaments or tendons through excessive use or improper movement.

Sprains and strains are common injuries in the lower limbs of competition and performance horses and usually result from over loading or over stretching, but can also be due to a direct blow.

The most common damages are to the tendons and ligaments that run from the knee down to the foot including the superficial digital flexor tendon, the deep digital flexor tendon and the accessory and suspensory ligaments.

Muscle strains caused by overuse or overstretching of muscle fibers in the croup and back of the thighs are another source of lameness. These usually occur during athletic competitions and the strain often includes ligaments and tendons.
Sore backs and loin injuries usually occur when horses are racing or jumping and somehow twist their bodies causing strain to the muscle groups. The involved muscles become firm, warm and painful, and the horse will have a shortened stride and gait alterations suggestive of hind-quarter lameness.

Back injuries from falling or going over backward sometimes cause the spines in the back to impinge on each other or overlap. This often happens in the saddle area and may also affect horses without a history of back injury.

The problem is most prevalent in hunters and jumpers, and horses with a swayed back are most commonly affected. Hind-quarter lameness and great sensitivity to pressure creating pain in the back are signs of overlapping or damaged spinous processes.

Fractures
Fractures are another form of injury that are usually immediately recognizable, although in cases of some hairline and stress fractures especially those to the cannon bone and chip fractures involving the joints below the elbow and stifle or in the bones of the foot are not immediately obvious on visual inspection.
Fractures are caused by accidents such as falls, being kicked by another horse, stepping into a hole. Horses are also subject to compression fractures or fractures caused by high torque forces on a limb.

Bone fractures are usually classified as open or closed. An open fracture breaks through the skin and is readily observable. A closed fracture such as a simple fracture or a chip fracture is usually contained within the limb and becomes observable only when lameness, pain, swelling, or fever occurs.

A hard fall or running into a solid object sometimes results in a fracture of shoulder or the spine. These types of fractures do not occur often because of the force necessary to fracture these larger, better protected bones.

At one time, a diagnosis of a fracture meant either retirement or a death sentence for the horse. However, orthopedic techniques have advanced greatly and many fractures no longer carry a grim prognosis.

Injuries to any part of the musculoskeletal system can result in lameness with tendon injuries being rather common in horses. Lacerated or ruptured tendons can occur in the legs and the feet usually from a deep cut, a fall, a kick from another horse, or damage caused by striking a stationary object.

Tenosynovitis takes several forms depending on the location of the trauma and is distinguished by a sudden building of fluid within the sheath of the tendon accompanied by pain, heat and lameness.

Septic tenosynovitis is the result of bacterial infection resulting in pus and inflammatory enzymes that can digest the tendon. Pain and lameness are severe.

Stringhalt involves the tendon of the lateral digital extensor muscle at the hock. It is characterized by a sudden upward jerking of the hind leg accompanied by an involuntary flexion of the hock as the horse steps forward. Some cases follow trauma involving the tendon, but in other cases, the cause is unknown.
Bursitis is the result of trauma to a bursa which is a closed sac lined by a membrane that secretes a lubricating fluid. These sacs are located between moving parts of the limb and act as cushions to prevent friction. An acute bursitis causes lameness.
Septic bursitis occurs when a bursa becomes infected with bacteria or sometimes fungi. Immediate treatment is necessary to prevent further complications.

Bursitis affects shoulder joints, hips, the cunean tendon at the inside of the hock joint, the elbow, the knee and any other point of movement cushioned by a bursa, and is often evidenced by noticeable swelling in the area, as well as lameness.

Degenerative diseases
Arthritis, or what is commonly referred to as generative joint disease (DJD), takes a number of forms. It is the end result of various injurious processes. The disease usually begins with an inflamed joint capsule and can progress into erosion of the cartilage and fusion of the joint,

Degenerative joint diseases affect both young and older horses. Stiffness and diminished range of motion are the hallmarks of lameness associated with arthritis.

Acute serous arthritis is characterized by a swollen, tender, fluid-filled joint and is the result of either joint stress or injury. Also known as acute synovitis, this kind of arthritis does not necessarily progress to degenerative joint disease.
Infectious or septic arthritis occurs when bacteria from the blood stream invade the joints destroying cartilage and causing irreversible damage.

Bone spavin is the name given to arthritis of the hock joint. It is an occupational hazard in horses that are ridden at a hard gallop such as jumpers, race horses, and hunters. Typically bone spavin disappears as a horse warms up and reappears when the horse cools down and is known as a " cold" lameness.
Osselets is an arthritis of the fetlock joint and may affect one or both front feet. In the initial stages stretching or tearing of the fetlock joint capsule is accompanied by signs of acute serous arthritis. As the arthritis advances, pain and swelling occur along with new bone growth causing the horse to take short, choppy strides and plant weight on the outside edge of the hoof.
Shoulder joint arthritis is another common form of arthritis. It often occurs after a fracture caused by being kicked by another horse, running into a stationary object, or by a hard fall. Osteochondrosis of the shoulder joint in growing horses may cause sufficient joint injury to lead to a degenerative arthritis.

Foot related lameness
According to research most causes of lameness are found in the foot of the horse. Domesticated horses living in paddocks and stables with limited opportunity to toughen their feet are susceptible to a number of foot problems.
Foot wounds that are contaminated and allow foreign bodies, bacteria, yeast, fungus, dirt, and debris to gain entrance to sensitive parts of the foot lead to abscesses and infections that cause lameness, especially if they are not noticed and treated promptly.
Navicular disease is noted as one of the leading causes of front leg lameness in horses. Foot stresses from hard stops, twists at high speeds, and abrupt changes in direction are thought to damage the navicular bone located at the heel of the foot beneath the frog.
Poor foot conformation, infrequent or inadequate hoof trimming resulting in a long toe and low heel, sheared heels, contracted heels and improper horse shoeing are thought to adversely affect the transfer of weight through the navicular complex to the ground leading to injury to the inner structures of the foot.
Initially, lameness is mild with navicular disease and comes and goes. As lameness worsens, a stiff, shuffling gait with a shortened, choppy stride becomes characteristic making it difficult for the horse to function.

Rocks and other hard objects can bruise the sole or lead to corns that will cause the horse to limp with lameness getting progressively worse if not treated promptly. In addition, if a sole bruise resulting in an abscess is allowed to become chronic, it can lead to pedal osteitis which is a thinning and demineralization of the coffin bone.

Foot injuries can also result in keratomas which are tumors arising in the horn-producing cells of the hoof wall, usually in the toe region and sometimes in the sole. When the keratoma becomes large enough to cause lameness, it is usually surgically removed.

Thrush is a painful bacterial infection in the frog. Characterized by a putrid black discharge along with poor growth and degeneration of the horn, it is caused by lack of proper foot care resulting in a buildup of mud, manure and debris that prevents air getting to the frog.

Canker is a chronic infection of the horn tissues of the foot that begins at the frog and progresses into the sole and sometimes the hoof wall. It is caused by a lack of foot care, and is usually the result of the horse standing in mud or bedding that is soaked in urine and f***s. The appearance is similar to thrush, but it involves the sole as well as the frog.

Improper or neglected hoof trimming often contributes to lameness when a horse has or develops contracted heels or sheared heels. Usually corrective trimming and shoeing will prevent further lameness.
Quittor is another foot disease caused by a deep-seated infection of the cartilages of the coffin bone. Infected material is discharged via a sinus tract that opens at or above the coronet. Injuries such as being struck by another foot near the lateral cartilages and penetrating injuries of the sole lead to quittor.

Whiteline disease also known as seedy toe is caused when bacteria, yeast or fungus invades the foot and works its way up to the white line to the coronary band. Loss of horn creates a hollow space between the hoof wall and the sole that eventually is filled with cheesy material and debris.
This disease seldom occurs in barefoot horses on pasture, but occurs with horses that are kept in wet stalls or exposed to frequent wet-to-dry episodes such as walking in wet grass or being washed down on a frequent basis.
Hoof wall cracks are another cause of lameness, although some hoof cracks do not cause the horse to go lame depending on the location and depth of the crack. Once a crack is noticed, care should be taken to prevent the crack from lengthening and deepening.
Deep cracks are susceptible to infection and since new horn has to grow out from the coronary band to repair the crack, steps need to be taken to clean, stabilize, and either do corrective shoeing or repair the crack using prosthetic material.
Diet-related lameness
Laminitis, also known as founder, is a diet-related disease that commonly occurs when the horse consumes excess quantities of carbohydrates that alter the bacterial balance in the cecum, indirectly leading to the release of lactic acid and endotoxins.
The lactic acid and endotoxins cause the large digital arteries to the feet to dilate, increasing the blood flow while causing intense constriction of the small capillaries that nourish the laminae in the horse's foot.
Deprived of oxygen, the laminae swell, the swelling damages the sensitive tissue in the foot, and unless the situation is relieved the inner structure of the feet may die causing a characteristic stance in which the two front feet are placed out front to take weight off the horse's toes.
The horse develops a high fever and chills with sweating, diarrhea, a fast pulse and rapid heavy breathing. The feet become hot and painful, and if all four feet are involved the horse may draw its feet up under its belly and lie down. Although death from founder is uncommon, it can occur. In cases of severe founder, the hoof may slough off.
Excess consumption of either too much grain or over-eating of lush, fast-growing summer pasture grasses causes most cases of founder. It can also occur during the winter if the horse consumes too much legume hay.
Another cause of laminitis is the drinking of large amounts of cold water by an over-heated, hard- working horse before being cooled down properly.
Laminitis becomes chronic when lameness and pain continue for more than two days. Chronic laminitis can cause permanent damage to the foot when the coffin bone becomes detached from the hoof wall and rotates so that it drops down. In severe case it can pe*****te the sole of the foot.
Other complications of laminitis include white line disease, thrush, separations of the hoof at the coronary band or sole, and complete loss of the hoof.
Acute laminitis is a medical emergency and a veterinarian should be called immediately to prevent the possibility of permanent lameness and disability.
Azoturia or tying-up syndrome are degrees of a condition known as exertional myopathy which occurs when horses that have a heavy workload have a break from activity, but continue to consume a high-carbohydrate diet.
When an accumulation of glycogen builds up in the muscle as a result of lack of activity, lactic acid is released and damages skeletal muscle causing it to release muscle enzymes and myoglobin.
When the myoglobin is excreted in the urine, it blocks the nephrons, causing kidney failure. The resultant lack of kidney function causes the horse to become anxious, sweat profusely and develop a rapid pulse. The major muscles then stiffen causing the horse to stagger and wobble and eventually to collapse.
Upon the first indication of azoturia or tying-up, all activity should stop and the horse should be given absolute rest with no physical movement at all--not even returning to the stall. The horse should be spoken to calmly and covered with a blanket. A veterinarian should be called to provide medical relief to prevent further kidney damage and aid recovery.
Nutritional imbalances, especially in growing horses can lead to lameness caused by developmental orthopedic diseases which include a group of related conditions such as osteochondrosis, osteochondritis, dissecans, physeal dysplasia, and wobbler syndrome among others.
In each case, a breakdown occurs in the mechanism by which cartilage is converted to bone. The resultant abnormal cartilage is prone to fracture, fissure and break into small fragments that can enter the joint causing lameness.
Although some horses appear to have a genetic predisposition for developing DOD, external factors include a too-high energy diet accompanied by insufficient calcium or phosphorus in the diet resulting in inadequate mineralization of bone. Also, a deficiency of microminerals such as copper and zinc, can result in defective cartilage formation.
Generally, research shows that the most common feeding practices responsible for nutritional imbalances leading to lameness include:
Feeding too much grain
Feeding alfalfa hay without adding phosphorus to the ration
Feeding a grass hay and grain mix inadequate in calcium, phosphorus, and protein.
Adding excess vitamins and minerals to the ration
Limb deformities
Limb deformities are usually present at birth, although some limb deformities are the result of injury, especially to the joints during the first weeks of life.
Congenital limb deformities are caused by abnormal limb positions in the uterus, nutritional imbalances in the mare, neonatal hypothyroidism or unequal growth between two sides of a long bone.
Many normal foals have some degree of limb crookedness that straightens out by the time they become yearlings. Others need veterinarian treatment to correct the problem.
Angular limb deformities include knock-knees, bow-legs, bucked or sprung knees, calf knees, benched or popped knees. Early recognition and treatment are important to prevent permanent damage.
Treatment is usually based on x-rays and physical examination. Sometimes stall rest and therapeutic exercise are enough to correct the problem. Other cases may require splints, casts, braces or surgery. Treatment before three months of age works best in the prevention of future problems.
Flexural limb deformities tend to affect young horses from birth to 18 months of age. They occur most often in the fetlock joint, coffin joint and knee joint and involves a shortening of either the deep, the superficial, or both digital flexor tendons.
The cause is unknown, but one theory is that rapid growth of long bones is not matched by the growth of the tendons, causing the joint to be pulled into flexion.
Trauma or a developmental orthopedic disease such as osteochondrosis have also been implicated in flexural limb deformities, and in most cases evidence is found that nutritional excesses and imbalances are also involved.
In young foals, simply walking or exercising the foal several times a day will help stretch the tendon. Energy intake should be reduced and the ration carefully balanced. Trimming the heel helps to stretch and lengthen the tendon also.
When the deformity is severe or progressing in spite of treatment, surgery is advised to divide the inferior check ligament thereby allowing the flexor tendon to lengthen. In some cases ligaments may be cut in advanced cases. In all cases, a veterinarian should be involved in diagnosing and treating the problem.
Consider this
Determining the cause of lameness can be tricky because of the complexity of the horse's limbs and feet and the multitude of diseases, deformities, injuries, and conformation issues that can affect the way a horse moves.

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