Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I've decided to have a week off ....

.... I'll be back in the New Year.  In the mean time I hope you all have a wonderful break!

Jo

xxx

The Hindleg

A horse's hindlegs attach to the spine with bone, unlike the foreleg!  The advantage being that the forces to propel the horse forward are directly transferred to the spine BUT there will be more concussive forces transferred too.

The Pelvis

Is made up of the ilium, ishium and the pubis.  These bones are all fused together to make one larger bone which articulates with the lumbar vertebrae, sacrum, coccygeal vertebrae and the head of the femur.  The ilium is the largest bone, it is flattened at the top and this triangular shaped plate forms part of the roof and outer wall of the pelvic cavity.  The large 'corner' of the bone forms the tuber coxae (or hip joint).  Another corner forms the croup which is the highest point of the hindquarters. The ishium and pubis together form the floor of the pelvis.  At the back the ishium is thicker to form the tuber ischii (seat bone).

The Hip Joint is formed between the head of the femur and the cup which is formed where the ilium, pubis and ischium meet - this is called the acetabulum. 

The Femur

This is a long bone and one of the heaviest and strongest in the body.  It is shaped to provide attachments for many muscles which are important for the movement of the upper part of the hindleg.   This includes the gluteals, biceps femoris and iliopsoas muscles. It also provides attachment for several ligaments.  

The Femur's upper end is a hemispherical head which fits perfectly into the acetabulum.  Also, at the upper end (but on the outer side) is the Major Trochanter, this is a prominence of bone which continues as a ridge (Trochanteric ridge) down to merge with the Third Trochanter (another prominence of bone).  Both prominence's provide places for the gluteals to attach; the superficial gluteal muscle to the Third Trochanter and the deep and middle gluteals to the  Major Trochanter.  The iliopsoas muscle attahces to the Minor Trochanter which is a smaller prominence on inner side of the femur (opposite the Third Trochanter).

On the front side at the bottom, the femur has a groove known as the Trochlea.  This groove is covered with fibrocartilage and provides a smooth surface for the patella to glide.  On the back of the lower end of the femur there are condyles which form the upper part of the stifle joint.  These articulate with the head of the tibia. 

The Stifle joint corresponds to the human knee.  It has 2 articulations, the first between the Tibia and Femur and the second between the Patella and the Femur.  The Patella is a sesamoid bone and works to transmit pull from the muscles and through to the Tibia via the patellar ligaments.

The Tibia and Fibula

The Tibia is another long bone.  The upper end has the tibial tuberosity (another prominence of bone) which provides attachment for the patellar ligaments.  The upper end also has the tibial spine - a short raised prominence - either side of this are condyles which again provide attachments for muscles.  These muscles will become tendons which in turn act on the lower leg!

The lower end of the Tibia has 2 grooves which are separated by a ridge of bone.  These fit perfectly with the Talus (a bone of the hock).  The Fibula is shorter 'long' bone which joins to the Tibia at one of the upper condyles and then again meets the Tibia about a third of the way down.  They are fused at the bottom to form the lateral malleolus.

The Tarsus

This is the hock and as with the knee is made up of six bones and several joints!  However the Talus is the only bone which articulates with the Tibia.  Again the bones are short and flat and arranged in rows.  The Calcaneous is the largest bone in the hock and the tuber calcis (point of the hock) is the large bony protruberance at the back. 

From the hock down the hindleg is the same as the foreleg anatomically.  The angles are different though!

It is so important that we look after the bones and joints to keep them happy and healthy and so keep our horses happy and healthy too!

Merry Christmas!

Did you see this week's video 'How to ... make some horsey Christmas Treats' on my You Tube channel.   
Horse Life and Love.  Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Until next time!

Jo

Photos

Mud, mud and more mud - we are all so sick of this wind and rain!

Have you seen yesterday's video 'How to  .... make some horsey Christmas Treats'  on my You Tube channel.   

Horse Life and Love.  Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Until next time!

Jo

Gingko

I am going to start feeding Basil Naf Easy Breathing in the New Year and this is another herb which it contains. This is a native plant of China but has been grown in Europe since the early 1700's.    

 This herb is probably included because it helps to reduce discharge and remove mucus.    

 

Actions:
See my herb blog for the meanings of these.
Antifungal, Astringent, Bitter, Expectorant, Nervine, Sedative.

Part Used:
Leaves and Seeds.

Usage:
Improves circulation and blood flow through the body.  Is good for coughs and allergies.

Dosage:
30 - 40gms added to feed daily.

Look out for tomorrow's video on my You Tube channel.   Horse Life and Love
Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Until next time!

Jo

More routine horsey jobs!

Last week I wrote about my weekend routine and mentioned that each weekend I try to tackle an 'extra job' or two.  These are things that either don't need to be done or I don't have time to do every day ....

Weekly

Tack cleaning: this should be in this section but sometimes slips to monthly.  Obviously it is important to keep Basil's tack clean so that it doesn't rub him and to keep it supple and in good condition.

Poo picking:  in the summer I try to poo pick the field each weekend.  In the winter I rarely do.  I refuse to do this whilst either getting soaking wet or freezing cold.  Come the spring I have a purge, so far my egg counts have been low for Chesney and Basil.

Ragwort: during the spring and summer I always keep my eye out for Ragwort in the field and have a walk around to check.

Fortnightly

Tack shop:  I visit every couple of weeks for horse food, shavings and when necessary worm count kits.  I occasionally (ha ha)  come away with other things!

Monthly

Checking the fence: as we are very self contained and surrounded by hedges, big ditches and the electric fencing I only do this every few weeks.  When I catch Basil at the weekends I have a look too but I do a proper walk around checking the posts and that no branches are touching the electric fence.

Quarterly

Cleaning out the Troughs:  this should be done way more often but I don't.  The troughs are big and take a lot of water so I hate emptying it out and wasting it.  I appreciate that I could let it go down but as they are automatic fillers it is more difficult.  I have tried tying the ballcock up but the horses knock it and it falls down and sets it to fill again :(

Gutters & Drains:  I usually do these every few months.  Obviously I make sure I clear all the leaves out of the gutters in the Autumn before we have loads of rain. The drains tend to get a bit clogged with yuk too so I check and clear them.

Raking arena:  I tend to do this more when it needs it, or I have time.  I chain harrow it in the summer when I can take the 4x4 over the field to get there.  In the winter I can't do this because it will spread mud on the arena - not good.

Tackroom/Feedroom/Haybarn:  I also try to clear and tidy these every few weeks, I often don't put things away properly in the week so every now and then I have to have a big purge.  I also sweep out to try to keep the floors relatively clean.

Wash tails:  This varies a bit. I tend to do them more in the summer and not much in the winter.  I also really only wash them if they need it and look really grimy or are difficult to brush.

Pull manes:  I also only do this every 2 or 3 months.  As I don't need to plait I just try to keep Basil's mane tidy and relatively short and Chesney's under control.  I'm not sure what I will do with Tommy's - we will see!


Annually

Cobwebs: At the end of the summer I get rid of all the cobwebs in the stables and wash the windows to get rid of any dust before they start coming into the stables at night.

Rubber mats:  Again this should be done more often but it is a big, hard job so I only get the mats out once a year.  Spring is a good time when the horses start to be out in the field more.  All the mats come out of the stables and are jet washed and the stables disinfected.

Merry Christmas Everyone !

Have you seen last week's video 'Christmas Treats'  yet?
Horse Life and Love.  Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Until next time!

Jo

The Foreleg.

This leg carries a large proportion of a horse's weight but is not attached to the rest of the body by bone!  This means that the leg (through the muscles)  is able to absorb much of the concussive forces which would otherwise go straight to the spine.  This lack of bony attachment is because the horse does not have a collar bone!  There are a number of different bones which make up the foreleg.  The bones are shaped to provide points for the attachment of muscles.

The Scapula

Is flat and shaped almost like a triangle as it is narrower at one end than the other.  The outer surface of the scapula has a ridge in the centre (or slightly off centre) called the scapula spine, either side are muscles.  The spine provides an attachment for the Trapezius muscle.  The inner surface of the scapula is hollow to allow space for another muscle - the subscapularis.  The Scapula also provides attachment for several other muscles including the Rhomboideous and the Triceps .  

At the narrow, lower end the Scapula has a cavity (the glenoid cavity) which is where the head of the humerus sits.  The upper end is attached to the thoracic vertebrae.

The Humerus

The shoulder joint is formed between the glenoid cavity and the head of the humerus.  It is contained within a joint capsule as explained in my blog about joints.  The humerus itself is one of the strongest bones in the body.  The upper end is large with a convex head which fits into the cavity already mentioned.  This bone again provides attachment for many muscles.  The lower end has a groove which allows for the articulation (joining ) with the radius and ulna bones.  

 
The Radius and Ulna

These bones are joined together with fibres when the horse is young but as the horse ages this turns to bone.  This is unlike these bones in a human where the bones are able to move separately thus allowing the palm to be turned upwards.  In most animals, including humans, the ulna is larger than the radius - in the horse the radius is the larger bone.  The ulna does though have a large projection - the olecranon process.  This is the bone that 'sticks' out on the horse's elbow!

The Elbow Joint is the hinge joint created between the Radius and Humerus. 

 
The Carpus

This is the knee and there are usually 7 carpal bones (sometimes 8) which make up the carpus.  These are mostly small squarish shaped bones with the exception of the accessory carpal bone which sticks out at the back providing the 'pulley block' for the leverage of the muscles.  

Side view of the knee.

The Metacarpals

There are actually 3 of these; the main metacarpal which is capable of carrying  a lot of weight and the 2 smaller splint bones.  This large metacarpal (cannon bone) is the equivalent of a human middle finger, the -splint bones the index and ring fingers! 

View from the back.

The Phalanges

The First Phalanx: (Long Pastern) articulates with the large metacarpal and the Second Phalanx.  The top is grooved, this is where the cannon bone sits.  The common digital extensor tendon attaches to a prominence at the front of the upper end of the long pastern and the superficial flexor tendon attaches at either side at the back of the lower end!

The Second Phalanx: (Short Pastern) articulates with the First Phalanx and the Third.  The deep flexor tendon supports this bone at the back of the leg.  As with the long pastern, the common digital extensor tendon also attaches to the front of the short pastern and the superficial flexor tendon to the back.  The angle of this bone in the foot and the support of the deep flexor tendon work to lessen the concussive force which the bone is subjected to.

The Third Phalanx: (Pedal or Coffin Bone) is a similar shape to the hoof but only takes up a small area of the hoof itself.  This bone articulates with the Second Phalanx at the top but also with the Navicular bone (distal sesamoid bone) at the back. The extensor process on the front of the upper end provides an attachment for the common digital extensor tendon.  The deep flexor tendon attaches to the underneath edges of the bone by tendon in the shape of a fan.  The digital or plantar cushion (see pictures below) provides a 'buffer' to the pedal bone and the deep flexor tendon against concussion.  Underneath the cushion is the frog!  Laminae help support this bone within the hoof.

The Sesamoid Bones

The Proximal Sesamoid Bones: the 2 bones lie either side of the fetlock. They articulate with the cannon bone at its lower end.  These bones act together to form a 'pulley block' for the deep digital flexor tendon.  The bones are surrounded by ligaments to reduce the concussive forces which they have to endure.

The Distal Sesamoid Bone: is also known as the Navicular bone which lies behind the point where the Second and Third Phalanges meet.  The deep digital flexor tendon runs over here (protected by a layer of fibrocartilage) as it goes to join the Pedal bone.  

The foreleg is a complicated structure and is also where a large percentage of lameness issues arise.  Understanding a little more can help us to appreciate the things that can go wrong!

Next week: the hindleg.

Have you seen this week's video 'Christmas Treats' on my You Tube channel.   
Horse Life and Love.  Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Until next time!

Jo