Horse Movement E-Book

Gail Williams

• Herausgeber: J A Allen
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Anatomy, particularly functional anatomy, is a vital and dynamic subject, an appreciation of which leads not only to superior husbandry and welfare, but also to a better understanding of the anatomical challenges associated with riding, training, overtraining, injury and rehabilitation. Using Alexa McKenna's fabulous illustrations, this book shows the correlation of the skeleton, muscular system and locomotion, providing a clear insight into the functional and dysfunctional horse. It also addresses the largely misunderstood concept of 'perfect conformation' and looks at the effect on function of the rider and tack, using cutting-edge diagnostic techniques such as thermal imaging and gait analysis. Again with the emphasis on the visual, readers will be able to appreciate how muscles function in differing athletic disciplines by analysing the heat generated in musculoskeletal structures after exercise. This will also highlight the importance of post-competition recovery. The book concludes with a range of useful techniques to improve the function of any horse, including stretches, taping, wrapping and other proprioceptive techniques to increase balance, flexibility, awareness and posture.

Leseprobe

HORSE MOVEMENT

Structure, Function and Rehabilitation

Gail Williams BA (Hons) VPhys, PhD, MASSVAP, MIAVRPTIllustrated by Alexa McKenna BVM&S

J.A. ALLEN

First published in 2014 by J.A. Allen, an imprint of

The Crowood Press Ltd, Ramsbury, Marlborough Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This impression 2016

This e-book first published in 2017

© Gail Williams and Alexa McKenna 2014

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of thistext may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 90880 968 1

The right of Gail Williams and Alexa McKenna to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Disclaimer of Liability

The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book. While the book is as accurate as the author can make it, there may be errors, omissions, and inaccuracies.

Edited by Jane Lake

Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreword by Hilary M. Clayton

1:An Introduction to Functional Anatomy

Posture

Functional anatomy

What is functional anatomy?

Elastic energy in equine locomotion

Effects of forces on musculoskeletal tissues

Bone

Ligaments and tendons

Joints

Fasciae

Proprioception

2:The Forelimb

Muscles of the shoulder

Medial shoulder muscles

Lateral shoulder muscles

Caudomedial forearm

Metacarpus

Craniolateral forearm

Stay apparatus

Suspensory apparatus

3:The Hind Limb

Muscles of the hind limb

Muscles of the hip joint

Caudal thigh muscles (hamstrings group)

Deep muscles of the hip

Medial muscles of the thigh

Stifle extensors

Stifle flexor

Hock extensors and digit flexors (caudal)

Hock flexors and digit extensors

Metatarsus

Stifle locking mechanism

Reciprocal apparatus

4:The Axial Skeleton

Structure

Neck

Atlanto-occipital joint

Atlanto-axial joint

Shoulder region

The H frame

Inability to bend through the body

Scapular movement

Folding of the forelimbs

Mid-back and lumbar region (the thoracolumbar bow)

The bow and string theory

Energy saving

Lumbosacral joint

5:Functional Responses to Exercise and Injury: The use of thermal imaging techniques

What is thermal imaging?

Thermal imaging as an aid to correct training

Imaging and treatment of problems

6:Saddles, Riders and Girths: How they affect the horse

Domesticity and the use of the horse

Saddle fitting

How saddle fit affects lateral flexion

Rider asymmetry

Girths

7:Gait Analysis and Foot Balance

Gait analysis

Gait analysis and movement issues

Foot balance

Gait analysis and static posture

8:The Equine Athlete: Development, maintenance and rehabilitation

Passive stretching

Shoulder and forelimb stretches

Hip and hind-limb stretches

Back stretches

Neck stretches

Exercises in hand

Proprioceptive wrapping techniques

Introducing the Pessoa training aid into your exercise programme

Introducing some more specialised conditioning/rehabilitation techniques

Exercises under saddle

Conclusion

Index

Useful websites

Gail Williams; www.gailwilliams.co.uk

Gail Williams Facebook page; www.facebook.com/Dr.Gail.Williams

ASSVAP (Association for the Scientific Study of Veterinary and Animal Physiotherapy); www.assvap.com

ASSVAP Facebook page; www.facebook.com/pages/assvap/244625052256925

ACE bandages can be obtained from ASSVAP (website as above)

International Symposium in Animal Musculoskeletal Practice (ISAMP); www.isamp.org

Publisher’s note

The carpus in the forelimb corresponds to the wrist in the human but is commonly, although incorrectly, called the ‘knee’. In this book we have bowed to common usage and called this joint the knee. The horse’s true knee is located in the hind limb.

Acknowledgments

We would like to say thank you to all the following for their invaluable contribution to this book.

Bates Saddles Australia; www.batessaddles.com

Centaur Biomechanics; www.centaurbiomechanics.co.uk

Equine Articulated Skeletons (Walter Varco); www.equineskeletons.com

Fairfax Saddles; www.fairfaxsaddles.co.uk

Hannah Ray for the photo of Sarah Stretton, bottom of page 85; www.photographybyhr.co.uk

Helen Morrell of Surrey Vet Physio; www.surreyvetphysio.com

Kerry Millership of Friary Stables; www.friarystables.com

Marc Moggridge; www.burghleyimages.photoshelter.com

Naomi and Amber Franklin of Lazy Acres Event Team; www.lazyacresstables.co.uk

Nico Morgan for the photos of hind limb retraction on page 95 and the elite jumping horse on page 110; www.nicomorgan.com

Quintic Gait Analysis; www.quintic.com

Rebel Saddles; www.rebelsofsweden.co.uk

Sam Pawley Photography; www.photoboxgallery.com/ sampawleyphotography

Sarah Stretton of Stretton Eventing; www.sarahstrettoneventing.co.uk

Foreword by Hilary M. Clayton

BVMS, PhD, Dipl ACVSMR, MRCVSProfessor and Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair EmeritaPresident Sport Horse Science, LC

AS I MEANDERED THROUGH the pages of this book, the wisdom of the proverb ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ came to mind. The basic premise upon which the book is written is that many unsoundness issues of horses have an insidious onset involving a developmental stage when signs indicative of an impending problem can be recognised if the observer knows what to look for. Therefore, early recognition and appropriate therapy may avoid progression to an overt lameness or performance issue. The reader learns how to detect and interpret subtle, and not so subtle, changes in the horse’s posture and demeanor that may be a forewarning of a developing problem. An attractive feature of this book is that it’s punctuated throughout by interesting examples to illustrate the relevance of the factual information.

As prey animals, horses are adept at hiding the signs of pain from their predators but, if you learn what to look for, it is possible to detect many problems that lie in the grey area between soundness and lameness. The authors draw our attention to the importance of static (standing) and dynamic (locomotor) posture as valuable indicators of musculoskeletal pain or dysfunction that have, perhaps, not received sufficient emphasis in the past. Early identification of postural problems allows early treatment which can often prevent the progression of a minor injury into a full blown lameness problem.

Having been a teacher of veterinary anatomy for many years, I appreciated the functional anatomical approach; knowledge of muscle structure and function is the cornerstone upon which to build an understanding of equine movement and athletic performance. The text is enhanced by clear and beautifully drawn illustrations that are the work of the second author, veterinary surgeon Alexa McKenna. It is particularly informative to see the muscles displayed individually which facilitates the reader’s appreciation of each muscle’s attachments and actions. In addition, an ample number of good photographs illustrate various aspects of equine performance and performance evaluation techniques, including thermal images, pressure mapping and motion analysis.

Topical areas in research and practice, such as saddle fitting and hoof care, each occupy a full chapter and rightly so since these are two of the most important aspects of management to be addressed in caring for an athletic horse. As in other sections of the book, the reader is guided through the relevant anatomy and the chain of events that is set in motion by back pain or foot pain. It then becomes obvious why signs of dysfunction are often manifest in a different part of the body than the initiating cause.

Preventive and rehabilitative care are addressed by the use of passive and dynamic stretches and proprioceptive awareness techniques. The latter are used extensively in human physiotherapy, especially during athletic training and performance, and there is growing enthusiasm for their use in horses. The potential value of equine proprioceptive techniques lies in improving the horse’s awareness of body position and movements and in enhancing muscular activation and coordination, which are highly relevant both to athletic performance and to rehabilitation.

Congratulations to the authors for compiling a book that is both interesting to read and relevant to current training practices. The information herein will be useful for analysing, interpreting and improving the performance of our equine athletes.

April 2014

CHAPTER ONE

An Introduction to Functional Anatomy

STRUCTURE. FUNCTION. Two completely ordinary, simple, everyday words. But when you are able to apply them to the way a horse moves, it will take you to a level of understanding that will empower you to increase his performance, resilience to injury and provide him with a pain free, active life.

Posture

A single word can indeed be substituted for structure and function: posture. But now you are probably thinking ‘What has my horse’s posture got to do with anything?’ The answer is that it has everything to do with the way he stands, moves and performs. But even more importantly poor posture is significantly implicated in primary injury and secondary dysfunction in the horse.