Should I worry about foot balance in my Youngsters? - Our Futurity Head Veterinarian Dr Jane Nixon explains the importance of foot balance management in young horses. Our Nutritionist expert from Baileys, Emma Short, explains the impact of feeding on foot balance and development.
We all want our horses to be happy athletes, whatever their discipline, and to enjoy a long career ar a sound riding horse. Regardless of whether we dream to achieve a podium place, or simply to enjoy our horse at a local riding club level, our horses must be Forward, Level & Balanced.
In order to achieve this, the horse or pony must be able to move and load evenly on both sides, i.e. be as near bilaterally symmetricalas is possible.
Asymmetry of whatever nature will over time lead to imbalance. This will lead to poor performance and discomfort for the horse, which often expresses itself as lameness. This means that foot balance management is not only essential for the very top athletes in our horses, but is an important welfare concern for horses and ponies at every level.
Conformation , which is largely genetically controlled , can no longer be modified after 2-3 years of age, when the growth plates have finished closing – the precise speed at which this happens is dependent on breed. What is important to remember is that this process starts from birth, and that therefore the more we do the earlier, the better.
The good news is that a lot of the variables that are key to achieving a well balanced conformation can by affected positively through the right management. These include:
The largest influence over correct limb development undoubtedly include
To read the full article, go to:
Should I worry about foot balance in my Youngsters? - Our Futurity Head Veterinarian Dr Jane Nixon explains the importance of foot balance management in young horses. Our Nutritionist expert from Baileys, Emma Short, explains the impact of feeding on foot balance and development.
We all want our horses to be happy athletes, whatever their discipline, and to enjoy a long career ar a sound riding horse. Regardless of whether we dream to achieve a podium place, or simply to enjoy our horse at a local riding club level, our horses must be Forward, Level & Balanced.
In order to achieve this, the horse or pony must be able to move and load evenly on both sides, i.e. be as near bilaterally symmetricalas is possible.
Asymmetry of whatever nature will over time lead to imbalance. This will lead to poor performance and discomfort for the horse, which often expresses itself as lameness. This means that foot balance management is not only essential for the very top athletes in our horses, but is an important welfare concern for horses and ponies at every level.
Conformation , which is largely genetically controlled , can no longer be modified after 2-3 years of age, when the growth plates have finished closing – the precise speed at which this happens is dependent on breed. What is important to remember is that this process starts from birth, and that therefore the more we do the earlier, the better.
The good news is that a lot of the variables that are key to achieving a well balanced conformation can by affected positively through the right management. These include:
The largest influence over correct limb development undoubtedly include
To read the full article, go to: https://british-breeding.com/futurity/useful-information/foot-balance
