Equus – August 2019

62 EQUUS 498 autumn 2019

protect growing joints is also to protect

soft-tissue structures. I teach my

horses to be forward, not rushed, and

save the ‘big and flashy’ for later, and

mostly for the show ring.”

Good nutrition is an important

component in joint health, Calkins

says, noting that the weightlifting

aspect of a dressage horse’s job

requires support. To that end, she

works with equine nutrition specialists

to develop feed regimens for each

individual from an early age. “It’s

common to wait until the age that you

think your horse may be developing

arthritis to begin supplementing, but

the sooner you begin when they start

working, the better,” she says.

Regarding equipment, Calkins says

that all of her equine athletes work in

front or front and hind brush boots. She

also uses quick wraps and hock boots.

STRENGTH AND

STAMINA

Ask Western performance legend

Al Dunning about how reining and

cutting affect equine joints, and he’ll

start by explaining that horses in these

sports are bred to be great---even

extreme---athletes.

“These horses must stop hard,

which is stressful on both hind and

front joints,” says Dunning, who trains

out of Scottsdale, Arizona. “The reining

horse turns around in his spins in an

abnormal motion that horses don’t do

naturally. Also, the low-down, right-

and-left movement of a cutting horse

taxes joints to the maximum.”

Not surprisingly, the hocks and

stifles bear the brunt of this stress.

The risk, says Dunning, is that tendons

and ligaments subjected to this kind

of exertion---especially with a lot of

stopping---can sustain injury, which

can contribute to arthritis down the

road. To guard against this, Dunning

relies on a consistent exercise regimen

and never works a horse hard unless

he’s in top condition, with an emphasis

on strength and stamina.

“We look at our horses as we do a

human athlete and know that proper

exercise, nutrition, supplements and

enough rest are key. Proper exercises

and stretching to warm up before

working [are] also necessary,”

he notes.

Then there’s the issue of shoeing.

“Making sure our horses are shod

properly and at correct intervals

is important to be sure the upper

columns of joints are not tweaked by

footfall problems,” Dunning says. The

To understand how arthritis

develops, consider how limb joints

function. The ends of long bones

are covered by articular cartilage,

which is made up of 80 percent

water. The remainder is collagen

and long chains of proteins called

proteoglycans, which give cartilage

stiffness to withstand shearing

forces as the joint moves. Areas of

higher motion have higher levels of

proteoglycans. Articular cartilage

compresses and expands under

pressure from the bones each time

the joint flexes, forcing water and

other fluids in and out, keeping the

tissues hydrated and healthy.

Even routine activity might

cause minute damage and small

amounts of inflammation within

a joint. Usually, the body makes

repairs quickly and effectively. If the

insults are too severe or repetitive,

however, healing processes may be

overwhelmed, starting the cascade

of events that leads to arthritis:

• Inflammatory enzymes
  break down the synovial fluid that
  lubricates the joint space, making it
  less protective.


• Meanwhile, collagen and
  proteoglycans are lost, reducing the
  cartilage’s ability to retain water.


• Without rest and/or medical
  intervention, damage mounts and
  the joint fills with inflammatory
  fluids, leading to pressure, pain
  and stiffness.
  Left unchecked, these processes
  can erode cartilage to the extent
  that bone ends rub painfully against
  each other. This is an advanced
  case of osteoarthritis, also called
  degenerative joint disease.

BEYOND WEAR

AND TEAR

“We know that proper

exercise, nutrition,

supplements and

enough rest are key.”

--- Al Dunning, veteran

reining and cutting

horse trainer

CH

AR

LES

BR

OO

KS