Why Don't Penguins' (and Horses') Feet Freeze?

A popular gift book for Christmas is always “Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze?” It’s been at the top of the nonfiction bestseller list in Great Britain and you can find it over here, too. The book is a collection of "Last Word" back-page essays from the science magazine, New Scientist.

The catchy title is an easy question to answer for most Hoofcare and Lameness readers, who have read the research of Dr. Chris Pollitt or been to his lectures.

I never thought the day would come when arteriovenous anastomosis shunts would roll off my tongue, but it has finally happened. Now I just have to get the spelling right! 

"AVA" shunts change the direction of blood flow to aid in cooling or warming the extremities. They can act alternately as short cuts or detours to reroute blood as needed. Dr Pollitt’s video, “Horse Foot Studies” shows the fine blood supply of a rabbit’s ear and how it contains tiny shunts that prevent bunny ears from freezing in extreme cold.

If you want to learn more about penguins and how they survive in Antartica, the web site "Cool Antarctica" has a very wonderful web page about their thermoregulation.

They make a point about penguins that is also true for horses: the muscles that control the feet are closer to the heart and mostly within the warmer body of the horse. Only the tendons and ligaments run down the limb; technically, the motors that control the rubber-band-like tendons that flex the foot are warm and wired.

Back to the gift book: you can pat yourself on the back for knowing the answer to the title question but there’s another one that bothers me: Why doesn’t super glue stick to the inside of the tube?

Maybe I’ll have to buy the book after all!

Seriously for a moment, though: Napoleon's cavalry reported excessive frostbite to their horses' feet during their miserable winter assault on Russia. And if the hypothesis is true that shoes restrict blood flow to the foot, wouldn't shod horses be more susceptible to frostbite in colder climates? (Ok, all you Vermonters and Alaskans, chime in!)

Texas A&M Research Looks at Omega 3 Fatty Acids' Role in Equine Joint Health

Two recent studies in the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University found positive effects for the role of Omega 3 fatty acids in joint health in horses

One study indicated that supplemental dietary Omega 3 fatty acids reduced inflammation in younger horses that could become race or show horses, said Drs. Pete Gibbs and Brett Scott, both Texas Cooperative Extension horse specialists.

The other showed that Omega 3 reduced inflammation in the joints of older horses.

It has long been thought that Omega 3 fatty acids could help reduce joint inflammation in mammals, Gibbs said. Other mammals, such as dogs, have had a tremendous response to supplemental Omega 3 fatty acids, Scott added.

The studies was completed as part of Trinette Ross’s and Denise Manhart’s master of science degrees. Animal science and medical researchers collaborated in the studies.

For Ross's study, nine yearlings were separated by gender and age. The horses were given one of three dietary treatments containing varying amounts of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids. Blood samples were taken periodically to measure inflammation.

The indicators of inflammatory response were lowest in horses fed naturally occurring Omega 3’s found in mechanically-extracted soybean oil, Gibbs said.

For Manhart's study, 16 mature horses with arthritis in the leg and foot joints were grouped by the severity of arthritis, affected joints and age, and then randomly divided into two groups.

Both groups were given the same feed for 90 days, but one group was given supplemental Omega 3 fatty acids daily. Blood samples and synovial (joint) fluid were collected at periodic intervals, Gibbs said.

Horses that were fed the supplement Omega 3 fatty acids had lower synovial fluid white blood cell counts than those in the control group. Arthritic horses will typically have a much higher number of white blood cells than non-arthritic horses, Scott said.

However, horse owners don’t necessarily need to rush out and buy their horses Omega 3 supplements. Both specialists recommend calculated and balanced Omega 3 fatty acid supplementation for performance horses.

However, most old horses kept for recreation are generally not very active. These horses have many dietary considerations.

Scott said, “Further research is needed to determine if arthritic horses will have increased mobility” as a result of this feeding supplement.

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To Give and To Get: A Last-Minute Laugh for Christmas

And now for something completely silly!

If my last gift suggestion--a $60 hoof pick--didn't fit your Christmas budget, fear not. Here's the next one, and it's 100% free! As long as you have a few minutes free to noodle around on your computer, of course.

All you need is a digital photo (low resolution, no larger than 2 MB) of yourself, your family members, your co-workers, you clients, your horses--whatever you pick. It can be one photo or a half dozen.

Decide if you are feeling in an upbeat "elf" mood or a grumpy "scrooge" mood.

Go to http://www.elfyourself.com/ or http://www.scroogeyourself.com/ and just follow the directions--upload your photo(s) (one by one), reduce or enlarge the face, rotate the face, frame the face and then enter some email addresses, or your own, to see what you've just done.

Quite a few people have sent me themselves as elves, no one has sent a scrooge yet! The elves all look really different and the horses, dogs, and cats that some people (you know who you are)elved worked out great, too! At first I thought this was really dumb but I couldn't help laughing!

Hint: you should end up with a silly chorus line, if you uploaded a group of photos, or a solo singing and dancing elf, who looks a lot like you, if you only uploaded one photo.

Go ahead, make someone laugh--even if it's only yourself! This little trick is sponsored by officemax.com, who report: More than 65 million ElfYourself.com visitors have created more than 41 million elves to date since the site launched in mid-November. On average, 35 elves are being created per second!

And when you've mastered that, you can move up to http://www.reindeerarmwrestling.com!

Close Call: Gloucester Burns

It's Sunday night now, and this has been a lost weekend. On Friday night, a fire broke out two blocks from Hoofcare and Lameness World Headquarters. An apartment house and the local synogogue were lost, and one gentle sole died, despite valiant rescue efforts to get him out.

It was a raging inferno, eight alarms, with almost every town north and east of Boston responding.

Down here on the harbor, big chunks of debris flew through the air, carried like fireworks sparks by a stiff wind. They landed in evergreen trees, glistened in flower boxes, sizzled in an open dumpster. Most of them skittered across the snow and into the ocean. Luckily, we had a snowstorm on Thursday, so the roof was covered in snow.

The fire was still burning today, even though it snowed all night last night. The whole town, and this building, are veiled with smoke. The sky's a strange color. We all have sore throats.

It was a fire that could have easily destroyed the town, and this office with it. Thanks to the hard work of professional firefighters who went to work and did what they know how to do, and thanks to a mild evening with just a normal wind, a worse disaster was averted.

This fire, like so many, was caused by human error and carelessness, compounded by the vulnerability of an old building. Tragedies never have to happen, but they do.

Equine Practitioner Leads a Double Life as an Event Groom

At the US Eventing Association Annual Convention in Colorado last week, the Christine E. Stafford Eventing Groom of the Year Award went to Jeff Beshear, who gallantly grooms for his wife, Emily Mastervich Beshear of Brickland Farm of Somerset, Virginia.

Jeff, who is a native of Lexington, Kentucky, probably does a lot more than just groom the horses. If his name rings a bell, it is because he is a partner in the Old Dominion Equine Associates in Keswick, near Charlottesville, Virginia. He completed his veterinary studies in 2000 at the Ohio State University; his specialized interests include sport horse lameness with an emphasis on diagnostic imaging, and also equine reproduction. He is an avid foxhunter and shares his wife's passion for eventing.

Congratulations to Jeff! Now, can you show me how you do that little pattern thingy on the rump for the trot-up? After you've injected his hocks, of course. I can't think of a handier or more cost-effective groom than a lameness-specialist vet! But can he braid?

Also, at the USEA convention, Horse of the Year honors went to Theodore O'Connor, the twelve-year-old, 14.2-hand Thoroughbred/Arab/Shetland gelding (Witty Boy—Chelsea's Melody) owned by The Theodore O'Connor Syndicate, LLC. With three-time Olympian Karen O'Connor in the irons, the talented pony tallied several wins this year, including individual and team gold medal at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janiero. They also won The Fork CIC3* in April and were third at the Rolex Kentucky CCI4*.

Advanced Equine Biomechanics: If Horses Did Gait Analysis on Themselves...

JUST FOR FUN: Enjoy some late night antics in the biomechanics lab by a wannabe freestyle horse trying out some new moves! Turn up the volume and click on the triangle/arrow "play" icon.

The original animation was by Eddy Boxerman, a computer sci masters candidate at the University of British Columbia, now living in Montreal. Some unknown Aussie put it to music.

This might not work on a dial-up connection, sorry! Follow the link to Eddy's page for some normal gallop frames for comparison; they are .mpg files and might play on your system if the youtube one doesn't...but there's no music.

To Give and To Get: Every Dressage Rider's Favorite Present!

What's next on our gift guide? There is always someone on your list who is one of those people who has two of everything. If he or she has an interest in dressage, baroque breeds, or European history , Dover Saddlery has just the thing: something he or she doesn't have yet (probably).

Yes, it's over the top, but the finely crafted Spanish Riding School hoof pick comes in a beautiful box and makes a super gift for someone who is equally over the top. The cost? About $70. Hopefully it will go in the trophy case and never touch a hoof! It would look great mounted on a plaque for an award, too, the next time you sponsor a class at a horse show!
Click here to go directly to the SRS hoof pick page at Dover Saddlery's web site. Their line of products from the Spanish Riding School includes the softest boar-bristle brushes I've ever felt, a perfectly-balanced and almost weightless dressage whip, and other beautifully packaged dressage accessories. All you need to add is a music box to play a Viennese waltz...

Shivers in Draft Breeds and Warmbloods: No Link to PSSM Found

Double-click on the illustration to enlarge it in a new window. This is a great and simple guide to hind leg action caused by various conditions.

The year-end report from the Morris Animal Foundation reached me today, and I will be passing along a couple of nuggets from MAF-funded research that I think might be of interest to blog readers.

This one, in particular piqued my curiosity. Anyone who works around big horses will soon run into a shiverer and there has long been speculation that, since many also suffer from equine polysaccharide storage myopathy (PPSM), many thought that some link must exist between the two.

A shiverer is a horse with a gait and stance problem characterized by compulsive hyperflexing and trembling of the hind leg. Farriers are often the first to identify a shiverer, which becomes a chronic condition and sometimes causes lameness.

Here's the technical description:
Shivers is a devastating disorder in draft and warmblood horses whereby horses develop muscle tremors and hyperflexion beyond normal limits of the rear limbs during shoeing, after standing still or when backing up. Many affected horses also show concurrent tail tremors. In some horses, Shivers never progresses, while in others it leads to weakness, muscle atrophy and an inability to get up that may require euthanasia.

The investigators examined whether Shivers is caused by another painful muscle disorder, equine polysaccharide storage myopathy (PPSM), or whether PPSM and Shivers are common but separate disorders that can coexist in the same horse.

“Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy and Shivers in Draft and Warmblood Horses” was funded by MAF and conducted at the University of Minnesota, under the direction of Stephanie J. Valberg, DVM, PhD. Research was completed in March 2007

Dr. Valberg's report: "There is a high prevalence of both PSSM and Shivers within the Belgian draft horse population.

"Researchers discovered that 36 percent of Belgians in the study suffered from PSSM and the same disease was found in warmblood horses.

"The most common signs of the disease were unexplained lameness, reluctance to engage the hindquarters and muscle stiffness during exercise.

"The team also identified Shivers in 20 percent of Belgian draft horses. This disease causes horses to have trouble backing up because their hind legs become fixed in an elevated, flexed position.

"Researchers learned that contrary to what was previously thought, Shivers is not caused by PSSM."

There's no mention in the report of how many, if any, horses in the study suffered from both PSSM and shivers.

To learn more: Hoofcare and Lameness published a detailed article on PSSM and how it manifests as hind-end lameness in horses in our issue #75. Our author Beth Valentine DVM PhD of Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine is a specialist in PSSM and an early investigator of the disease. She carefully differentiated how draft horses display hind end lameness, explaining the hind leg motion of shivers, stringhalt, patellar problems, and PSSM in an attempt to get more horses treatment for PSSM, which can often be helped with simple dietary changes.

The new MAF-funded research motivated me to dig out the old Hoofcare and Lameness article; it is still an excellent paper and makes me wonder about all the horses that people describe to me as shiverers.

Harry Potter Grabs His Hoof Pick and Comes to America

More bad news from London. The play that gave hoof picks a bad name is coming to New York. Child film star Daniel Radcliffe, a.k.a. Harry Potter, will have the starring role in "Equus", a disturbing production that has nothing to do with the glossy magazine and little to do with horses. Now 18, Radcliffe obviously is out to shake his wizardly stereotype. On stage in Equus, his character tortures horses with a hoof pick, gouging their eyes out, among other misogynist activities. Tack shops in New York should love it.

At least the carriage horses in Central Park will be safe from copy-cat criminals. The ASPCA and PETA hope to have a city-wide ban against the carriage trade in place by summer. Interesting, considering that Mayor Bloomberg's daughter, Georgina, is one of the top show jumper riders in the USA. It was revealed this week that Bloomberg (the mayor, not the rider) actually has a horse advisory board.

Maybe they could ban the play instead of the real horses.

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Bulldozers Primed to Uproot Wellington's Green Carpet; Showgrounds Will Get High-Tech Euro-Footing in Time for WEF

Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC Managing Partner Mark Bellissimo (left) and Olympic footing expert Bart Poels of Belgium (right) surveying Palm Beach International Equestrian Center's Internationale Arena in preparation for installing an all-weather surface.

The 124th National Horse Show winds up tomorrow at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club in Wellington, Florida.

For years, we have come to associate the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), which opens in mid-January, and other events held at Wellington's Palm Beach Polo Club grounds, with carpets of green grass. Green is a foreign color to northern eyes in winter.

But all that changes forever on Monday: Heavy equipment is waiting in the wings. The 2008 Olympic Games footing specialist, Belgian Bart Poels, has received the nod to rip up the grass--immediately--and put in an all-weather surface in time for the big shows to start a scant five weeks from now. One grass ring will be preserved.

The first major project will be to install an all-weather surface in the Internationale Arena. An area measuring almost 70 by 120 meters (230 by 394 feet) on the side of the arena closest to the Jockey Club will be all-weather.

(Note: At 8,400 square meters that is more than double the size of 4,000 square meters required for International Equestrian Federation (FEI) outdoor jumping competitions and larger than Hong Kong's Olympic arena; it can hold three dressage arenas when the jumping circuit moves on.)

All-weather footing is also scheduled to be installed at the adjacent Stadium facility that is being completely rebuilt to become a major high performance event arena.

Poels is also working with HITS/Culpeper (Virginia) on arena footing for 2008, having completed consultation on HITS/Thermal (California) footing for the upcoming west coast shows.

Different types of sand that are the primary ingredient of what is known as the "Poels-sand" surface footing were sourced to several quarries in Florida. Mixing the sand and other ingredients has been underway at a site near Wellington since November 27. Over the following two to three weeks, about 4,500 tons of rocks of varying sizes and 2,000 tons of sand will be installed in four layers.

In addition to the Hong Kong Olympic arena, the Poels family has installed indoor and outdoor arenas in their native Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Austria, Italy, Portugal, United Arab Emirates and Turkey. Individual customers include top riders Francois Mathy, Ludo Philipaerts, Philippe Lejeurne, Mark van Dijck and Henk Nooren.

All-weather outdoor arenas have replaced grass at some of the world's top horse shows in recent years because of concerns over the welfare of horses and the difficulties of maintaining grass for longer than the four to six days of a major competition. Among those to have made the switch are Rotterdam and Rome, both of which are in the Samsung Super League Nations Cup series.

WEF in 2008 is being expanded to 12 weeks in Wellington, from January 16 through April 6 with record prize money of more than $4.7 million. Wellington Equestrian Partners, LLC, operating as Equestrian Sports Productions (ESP), bought The Show Grounds and The Stadium in September and acquired the U.S. Equestrian Federation Wellington licenses in November to enable it to stage several months of hunter, jumper and dressage shows, including the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington.

A year ago, the WEF was almost delayed or even canceled when an outbreak of Equine Herpes virus (EHV) in December sent the show and polo communities into paralytic quarantine.

Check this blog in late January for feedback from the farriers on how cuppy, slippy, trappy, dusty or hopefully perfect the new footing turns out to be. There's a lot riding on that surface, and the horses shipped south with their shoes set up for training and showing on specific surfaces. Many go south with extra shoes already made up from their northern shoers.

The expression "horses for courses" applies to show horses as much as to racehorses; certain horses seem to prefer some types of footing, or a certain showground. Some horses excel on grass, while others are "indoor" specialists. Schooling and warmup areas can make a big difference, too.

Will the last Jack Russell on the grounds please have a good roll on the grass?