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Thermography May Be A Beneficial Tool To Detect Hoof Pain

Thermographic imaging has played a role in diagnosing equine ailments for years. Noninvasive, it converts temperature data into images to indicate pathology that represents potential vascular changes. Often used on the body, scientists are now using thermographic imaging on the soles of horse hooves before and after working to determine whether a horse is experiencing palmar foot pain.

The bottom part of the hoof includes the frog, the digital cushion, blood vessels, and cartilage. Sole pain can cause horses to be lame, but it can be difficult to determine the exact cause. Two main theories are that sole pain is related to vascular compromise or abnormal biomechanical stresses. These could include navicular disease, laminar tearing, ligament inflammation, deep digital flexor tendon issues, stress fractures, navicular bursitis, or bruising.

A diagnosis is based on horse history, a lameness exam, hoof testing, and blocking of nerves to the leg. Thermography may be helpful in determining whether vascular changes are present on the horse's soles. Dr. Cristian Zaha hypothesized that thermography may be able to be used to detect changes in the vascularity of horse hooves before the horse shows signs of lameness.

The researchers, all from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, part of the University of Life Sciences “King Michael I” in Timisoara, Romania, used 12 horses to determine whether there were differences in the thermal pattern of horses with hoof pain versus those without. They also wanted to determine whether there were changes in the thermographic pattern on the soles of horses with palmar foot pain in one leg before and after training.

Eight study horses had confirmed palmar hoof pain in a front leg. Four horses without hoof pain were used as the control group. The horse's hooves were divided into three categories: pain-affected front legs; unaffected front legs on the same horses; and healthy limbs (on the control horses).

The scientists measured the frog and toe area temperatures of the horse's front limbs with a thermal camera before and after 30 minutes of lunging.

They found that after training, the temperature of the horse's toe area increased and the area of increased temperature grew in the limbs with palmar foot pain compared to the non-lame limbs and the study limbs.

The temperature of the frog area didn't increase after training.

The researchers concluded that thermography can be used to detect changes in sole surface temperature after training to determine which horses have palmar hoof pain. More research is needed.

Determining Lameness: Body-Mounted Inertial Sensors Helpful, But No Silver Bullet

In an effort to detect equine lameness, body-mounted inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors are placed at strategic locations on a horse's body to record measurements of a horse's gait. This data is then interpreted to determine whether the horse is moving asymmetrically (unevenly), which could indicate lameness.

Not all asymmetrical movements detected by these sensors mean the horse is lame, however. Dr. Henry Chateau, with the National Veterinary School of Maisons Alfort Equine Biomechanics and Musculoskeletal Pathology department and France's National Research Institute for Agriculture, explained that many factors can affect the information the sensors glean, including asymmetry in musculature, uneven terrain, or minor genetic differences between left and right side, reports The Horse.

“Over-diagnosing” lameness because of interpretation of results from IMU sensors is possible and can have significant financial consequences for horse owners, said Chateau, including unnecessary use of additional diagnostics and time lost in training or competition. Results could also preclude the sale of a horse if interpreted incorrectly.

To help determine between true lameness and gait asymmetry, thresholds of asymmetry that determine lameness and soundness are needed. Dr. Chateau and a team of scientists evaluated 224 horses between the age of 2 to 20 for lameness and asymmetry using the EQUISYM system, which places IMU sensors on the head, withers, pelvis, and all four cannon bones.

They also had trained experts watch as each horse was trotted in hand in a straight line on asphalt. The experts reported that 62 horses were lame in the left front; 67 were lame in the right front; 23 in left hind and 23 in right hind. The researchers excluded horses that were lame in more than one leg from the study.

The 49 horses remaining were deemed “sound” – but not perfectly symmetrical — by the experts, who watched them at the walk and trot in circles on both hard and soft ground in both directions. They also watched them go in a straight line on hard ground and performed flexion tests.

After comparing the recorded data from the body-mounted IMUs to what the experts saw visually, the team determined that the threshold values to distinguish soundness from lameness using IMU sensors on a straight line are -7 percent to +10 percent in the front limbs and -7 percent to +18 percent in the hind end.

Chateau reiterates that many horses – if not all of them – are asymmetrical to some degree, which is often invisible to the naked eye; this asymmetry is not necessarily a sign of lameness and pain. He expects the thresholds to evolve as more horses complete IMU evaluations, but emphasized that IMU sensors are one tool in a veterinarian's toolkit; they are not a silver bullet to determine lameness.

Researchers Find Recent Weather Patterns, Individual History Predictive Of Racehorse’s Chances Of Overheating

Hotter, more humid weather conditions and a history of overheating may be factors in predicting whether a Thoroughbred racehorse will suffer an incident of exertional heat illness (EHI), according to new research published in Scientific Reports. The findings, based on data from British racecourses, could be used to reduce the risk of racehorses experiencing EHI, particularly given the warming climate and more frequent hot race days.

When racing, Thoroughbred racehorses can become vulnerable to overheating due to their exertions, which can occasionally lead to exhaustion and even death in extreme cases. Racing authorities around the world, particularly in hotter countries such as Japan and Australia, have investigated the factors that can lead to EHI, but so far there is no conclusive evidence to predict which racehorses may overheat.

Leah Trigg and colleagues examined data on 704,434 runners at British racecourses recorded in the British Horseracing Authority database between July 2010 and April 2018. There were 702 EHI incidents (defined in the database as either heat stress or heat exhaustion), equating to 0.1% of runners.

The authors modelled the probability that a racehorse would present with EHI based on factors including age, whether the horse had had a previous EHI incident, race distance, race start time, ground conditions (going), average temperature in the five days prior to a race, and a measure of weather conditions (based on temperature, humidity, windspeed, and solar radiation) called wet bulb globe temperature index (WBGT).

Overall, the model correctly predicted 83.5% of EHI events, although the authors cautioned it produced a high number of false positives. Longer race distances increased the probability of EHI – the odds of a horse developing EHI in a two mile race was 5.66 times higher than in a one mile race. WBGT was also a predictive factor, with a horse running when it was 30 degrees Celsius 10.14 times more likely to develop EHI than a horse running at 20 degrees.

However, higher temperatures during the five days preceding a race were associated with reduced risk of EHI – the odds of EHI were 0.33 times lower when the preceding temperature averaged 25 degrees compared to 15 degrees. This suggests that horses may acclimatise to ongoing warmer temperatures and lose heat more effectively when they come to race.

Horses that had experienced previous EHI incidents were 18.59 times more likely to present with EHI, compared to horses who had not experienced EHI previously. Running on soft or heavy ground or in races before 5pm also increased the risk of EHI.

The authors suggest that racecourse officials should monitor WBGT at race meetings to help decide whether racing should go ahead, or if it does go ahead whether additional resources such as extra cool down areas should be provided. This data should be used to develop evidence-based policy to protect the welfare of racehorses in current and future climates.

The post Researchers Find Recent Weather Patterns, Individual History Predictive Of Racehorse’s Chances Of Overheating appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Don’t Sell Smaller Horses Short; Rider Fit More Important Than Height

The height of a horse that is retiring from racing should not affect his value as a riding partner, Aubrey Graham, anthropologist and trainer at Kivu Sport Horses, told Horse Nation.

Though riders who are horse shopping often have a desired height on their wish list, Graham points out that their ability to grow into good horses – not their height – should determine suitability. Smaller horses are often easier to compress strides on and are often “cattier” – meaning they can get their feet out of the way faster in most situations.

Graham also notes that while a rider may have long legs and feel that they “need” a bigger horse to take up leg length, height isn't the only way in which a horse can do that. A smaller, but broader, horse can take up just as much leg as a taller, rangier mount, making a rider feel secure.

Horses can grow until they're seven years old, so kicking a horse out of the possibility pile because they aren't yet a set height is presumptuous if they're on the younger side, Graham reminds. Horses — and Thoroughbreds in particular — don't grow evenly, so passing on a horse that is disproportionate as he transitions from the track can lead to a missed opportunity.