Rolex horse deaths

I am sickened by the news that two horses had to be euthanized from injuries sustained in the Rolex three day event in Kentucky this week. Last year, nine RIDERS died (I don't know how many horses), but at least the riders were competing by choice. Is it really okay to force animals to perform activities that are so inherently dangerous? We are a civilized society, are we not? As such, aren't we supposed to protect animals from unnecessary pain and suffering?

Popular posts from this blog

CONFORMATION FAULT: Three Common Knee Problems

Image
No Perfect Horse: Three Knee Problems As we mentioned in the last installment in this series, the knee of the horse is a complex structure that is subject to a great variety of conformation faults. Today we’ll take a look at three knee deviations, all of which are best observed from a lateral (side) view. Back at the Knee (aka calf or sheep knee) This is a serious fault in which there is a slight to marked ‘bowing’ backwards of the leg from a lateral view. A plumb line would fall closer to the front of the knee and further behind the heel bulb. This puts similar strain on the limb as if the horse were continually traveling downhill. Such conformation can put excess strain on various parts of the limb, including the flexor tendons, inferior check ligament, and suspensory ligament.  Horses with this fault may not move well and may be prone to stumbling, as well as bone chips in the knees and soft-tissue injuries such as bowed tendons. Working these horses in deep footing
Read more

CONFORMATION FAULT: Downhill Balance

Image
Downhill Balance: The Bottom Line on the Topline This horse demonstrates downhill conformation, which can appear in any breed, but which is particularly common among the stock horse breeds.              Many growing horses, especially those in the stock horse breeds, go through phases where the top of the croup is taller than the highest point of the withers. In many cases, the front end eventually catches up, but when this build persists into adulthood, it is generally considered a conformation fault. Variously termed as being “downhill”, “bum high” or having “downhill balance”, such horses are said to be more prone to front end lameness and back problems, as well as to have more difficulty performing athletic endeavors.   However, there is little in the way of scientific evidence to support the assertion of increased lameness risk, and some argue that downhill balance is not a fault at all.   There is even the perception in some circles that downhill balance can be an advantage,
Read more

CONFORMATION FAULT: Sickle Hocks

Image
For this installment of our new series on conformation faults, we spoke to Charles Hutton, PhD, an instructor in breeding management at Murray State University in Kentucky, and owner of Nu Chex To Cash, an NRHA Million Dollar Sire, Multiple World Champion and World Champion Sire. Dr. Hutton has a particular interest in applied equine genetics and conformation.             Small hock angles, also known as sickle hocks, is a conformation fault in which the point of the hock lines up under the buttock correctly, but the canon bone angles forward so that the horse is standing under from the hock down. In profile, the leg appears to curve forward, giving it some resemblance to a sickle. This conformation places the plantar (rear) aspect of the hock under great stress, predisposing the horse to sprain and strain of the soft tissue structures that support the back part of the hock. Most experts agree that any horse with hock angles of less than 53 degrees is sickle-hocked. On t
Read more