With hundreds of illustrations, dozens of charts, and in-depth explanations, EQUINE LAMENESS FOR THE LAYMAN provides readers a complete course in observing, identifying, and decoding equine lameness. To further clarify important points and lessons in training the human eye to recognize equine lameness, over 100 video case studies are referenced throughout and can be accessed with a simple scan of your smartphone.

Most film is displayed in 24 frames per second (measured in fps/hz), which is the minimum, or critical flicker fusion (CFF), that appears to flow realistically to humans. No research has been done on the CFF of horses, but the CFF of sheep seems to be over 80 hz (Ezra-Elia et al. 2014), and it’s commonly known dogs require 70 hz, cats 100 hz. This means that normal human TV is too slow to make sense to our companion animals, and appears in a “picture, black screen, picture” sequence.

The towing capacity of a vehicle in relation to the total weight (GVW) of the trailer it is pulling will make a difference in how well cruise control will perform on grades and hills.

“After an injury, a horse’s body adapts to pain by altering its posture and gait. The longer a horse is lame, the greater the likelihood that the horse habitually move in a compensatory way.”

Equine Affaire’s Ride With A Pro initiative offers riders of all skill levels the chance to interact with top horsemen and horsewomen, including general trainers Clinton Anderson, Mark Rashid, Brandi Lyons, and Tik Maynard as well as discipline-specific experts Lynn Symansky (eventing), Jeff Cook (hunter/jumper), Jan Ebeling and Silke Rembacz (dressage), Paul Humphrey (barrel racing), Tom Chown (western horsemanship, showmanship), Muffy Seaton (driving), Mark Bolender (mountain trail), Marcie Morey (gaited horses), Steve Edwards (mules), Heidi McLaughlin (overcoming fear), and more.

Early detection is key. Twin pregnancies can be detected between 13 and 15 days of gestation when the embryonic vesicles are still mobile and can be managed by the Equine reproductive veterinarian. After 16 to 17 days, the success rate of reducing the twins to one viable singleton varies.

There is also a change in the angle of the chewing surface which reduces the force of chewing. Although not investigated in horses, ageing can result in decrease in stomach acid production and pancreatic digestive enzyme activity. Older horses also often have reduced numbers and diversity of microorganisms in their intestinal tract.

The overall goal of the research—in terms of racing—is to determine what drugs can be detected in a horse, and for how long those drugs stay in a horse’s system. Those results help develop analytical assays that become part of the routine drug screen of all racehorses.

This suggests that, whether diagnosed with insulin dysregulation or not, older horses need an appropriate diet and management plan to help minimize the risks associated with insulin dysregulation, such as laminitis.