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Are Hot And Cold Therapies Helpful For Tendon Troubles?

Owners of horses with tendon injuries are often told to cold hose their horse's leg to try to bring down inflammation. Occasionally heat therapy is recommended to improve the flexibility and extensibility of tendon tissue.

While human therapy often combines hot and cold therapy for an injury, it's not often done in equine veterinary medicine. Drs. Kevin Haussler, Shana Wilde, Michael Davis, Ann Hessa and Wayne McIlwraith wanted to determine if cycling between hot and cold therapies was possible, and if it might assist injured horses.

Called “contrast therapy,” the goal is to increase blood circulation using cold and hot therapies to force the injured area to cycle between vasodilation and vasoconstriction. For cold therapy to be of value, tissue temperature must be reduced to 50 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit. However, cold therapy generally doesn't penetrate beyond one inch of tissue, no matter how long it is applied. To be beneficial, heat therapy must get the tissue temperature above 104 degrees F, but stay below 122 degrees F to not cause damage.

For the study, the research team used four horses with no tendon issues. They placed temperature probes on the horse's skin and implanted them deeply in the subcutaneous tissue near the deep digital flexor tendons and near the superficial digital flexor tendons. This allowed the tendon tissue to be cooled to less than 45 degrees F and warmed to more than 118 degrees F. Each cycle lasted 15 minutes; each session applied three hot and three cold cycles for approximately two hours per session.

The scientists reported that the device was able to achieve consistent hot and cold temperatures in the superficial tissues, but could not reach the target temperatures in the subcutaneous tissue near the deep digital flexor tendons consistently. More studies will determine if longer treatment times or different hot and cold application ratios might allow the deep digital flexor tendon tissues to reach therapeutic temperatures.

Read the article here.

The Difference Between Sleep Deprivation And Narcolepsy In Horses

Similar to humans, horses need to be physically and emotionally comfortable to fall into deep sleep. Though they don't require this deep sleep every night like humans do, their behavior and demeanor can change if they don't get adequate rest.

Equine sleep has three distinct phases: it begins with the deep restfulness phase where the horse is relaxed, but easily roused; he can stand while in this phase. Next is slow-wave sleep where he is even more relaxed, but can still be standing. To enter the final sleep phase, paradoxical sleep, the horse must lie down. This phase of sleep is where a horse loses reflexed and muscle function; REM (rapid eye movement) occurs in this phase, as well. The horse's brain is just as active in this phase as it is when the horse is awake.

Though people need two to three hours of paradoxical sleep each day, horses need only 30 to 60 minutes. Horses don't have daily sleep cycles like humans, so they don't need paradoxical sleep every day. They can typically only go between seven and 14 days without this type of sleep before becoming sleep deprived. A horse that desperately needs paradoxical sleep will begin having “sleep attacks” that may look similar to narcolepsy, but are not: Narcolepsy is where a horse has frequent, uncontrollable periods of deep sleep. It is a neurological problem typically brought on by stress, excitement or exercise.

Equine sleep deprivation can have physical causes, including pain. Some older horses may have difficulty lying down and getting up because their joints hurt. If a horse won't lie down to roll, he is most often too painful to lie down to rest, as well. If a horse has enteroliths, stone-like formations in his colon, he may not lie down as the stones may press and pull on his colon, causing pain.

If the horse is uncomfortable in his environment he may be unwilling to lie down. He may be alone and fearful in his field, or he may feel unsafe as his herd is lacking a leader. Additionally, horses trying to enforce a specific pecking order in a herd may be too vigilant to sleep.

Three questions can be asked to help determine if a horse is having sleep issues:

Has he rolled lately?
Has his social situation changed?
Is his environment noisy or somehow disturbing?

Simple Ways To Prevent Tendon And Ligament Injuries In Horses

Horses seem to seek out ways to hurt themselves and injuries to tendons and ligaments in the limbs are common., says Dr. David Ramey, owner of Ramey Equine and an internationally recognized researcher, author and lecturer. Though tendon and ligament injuries tend to heal well, it can take multiple months, as well as a lot effort and money, to get the horse to his performance level pre-injury.

There are multiple ways to help prevent tendon and ligament injuries, though some are often overlooked. These include:

Adequate nutrition. Proper nutrition to maintain horse health is essential. Thus far, there have been no supplements that have proven to prevent tendon and ligament injuries.
Correct body condition. Tendons and ligaments are more likely to be damaged when a horse is overweight as it placed additional strain on supporting structures.
Proper shoeing and trimming. Trimming or shoeing a horse in the most-simple manner is generally associated with more soundness.
Leg wraps and bandages. Boots and bandages, even when applied properly, cannot stop a tendon or ligament injury.
Walk. Warming up a horse at the walk makes it harder for tendons and ligaments to become damaged at faster speeds.
Systemic training. Tendons and ligaments are more-often damaged in horses that are asked to perform athletic endeavors like running, jumping or sliding. Keys to help keep a horse's legs injury-free include: don't do too much too quickly; work him regularly; cross train when possible; and don't overtrain—strong tissues come from stressing them and then allowing them time to rest and repair.
Proper footing. Horses should not be worked for extended amounts of time in deep, soft ground.
Address issues. If a horse is sore, address the issue to prevent compensation complications in tendons and ligaments.

A Non-Winner On The Track, 17-Year-Old Rescued Mare Earns Blue Ribbon In Dressage Debut

Fourteen years after her racing career ended without a victory, rescued mare Back to Front officially became a winner.

Competing in her first show since DNA testing reunited her with previous owner Michelle Macatee earlier this year, and ridden by Macatee's 8-year-old granddaughter Rylie Beauchamp, Back to Front won first place in the Lead Line Walk class during the Skip Ahead Dressage Schooling Show Oct. 18 in Marlton, N.J.

As part of the Halloween-themed show, Rylie dressed as a princess while 17-year-old Back to Front – lovingly called 'Bebe' by Macatee and her granddaughter – was fitted with a unicorn's horn and rainbow stirrups.

“She learned how to salute the judge 10 minutes before her class,” Macatee said of her granddaughter. “The judge told her she needed to make her walk a little faster next time. After [the show], she showed Bebe her ribbon and gave her a big kiss.”

Back to Front was relocated from the Florida Thoroughbred Retirement and Adoptive Care facility in Indiantown, Fla., to Westhampton Farm in Bergen County, N.J., on June 8, after Macatee discovered her on the Florida TRAC website. Macatee had previously adopted Back to Front but life circumstances forced her to give her up in 2011.

To read more about Back to Front's story, visit: https://www.gulfstreampark.com/racing/news-details/2020/06/16/back-to-front-back-at-home-with-owner-after-long-journey

The post A Non-Winner On The Track, 17-Year-Old Rescued Mare Earns Blue Ribbon In Dressage Debut appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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