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Przywództwo na 5 końskich sposobów. Który Ci najbliższy?

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Wpis dedykuję przedsiębiorcom, menedżerom zespołów, którzy chcą pełniej czerpać z potencjału jednostki w organizacji.

O czym tutaj?

o 5 formach przywództwa, potrzebnych i ważnych, by stado/zespół/organizacja harmonijnie funkcjonowała,

że każdy w różnych momentach funkcjonuje w tych rolach,

że wspierając wykorzystanie pełnego potencjału jednostki, przyczyniasz się do wzrostu organizacji

Ten temat stał się dla mnie ważny, kiedy odkryłam go dla siebie na warsztacie z końmi, który prowadziła Marta Sikorska z Pasikoni.

Koń Wigo i ćwicząca. fot. M. Sikorska

5 ról przywódczych

Zarówno konie jak i ludzie to zwierzęta stadne. Zazwyczaj pzywództwo w organizacji kojarzy się z najwyższymi stanowiskami w firmie, z liderem, decydentem, a prawda jest taka, że to tylko najbardziej widoczne role. Do dobrego funkcjonowania każdego wspólnoty/organizacji/stada potrzebne są jeszcze inne, nie koniecznie związane ze „świecznikiem".

Linda Kohanov wyróżniła 5 ról przywódczych, które zaobserwowała w stadzie koni:
A) lider (prowadzi w nowe miejsca)
B) dominujący (wybiera bezpieczne drogi realizacji celów)
C) towarzyszący (dba o dorostan poszczególnych członków w stadzie)
D) czuwający (obserwator, dla o wspólne wartości grupy)
E) drapieżnik (pilnuje by zasoby nie były nadużywane)

Każda rola to swoisty i potrzebny sposób by zadbać o całe stado.
Reszta koni ma czas na zabawę, jedzenie czy regenerację.

Zawsze jest koń, który realizuje którąś z powyższych ról. Każdy końc może to zrobić. Konie zmieniają się w ich wypełnianiu. Znaczy, że jak zmęczy się koń, czuwa stojąc na górce i zaczyna jeść trawę, natychmiast inny koń przejmuje tę rolę. Niektóre konie częściej są w danej roli niż inne - wedle uznania i predyspozycji.
Dobrowolność i wymienność, zaufanie.
Sprawiedliwość, ze nie koniecznie każdemu po równo.

Twoje stado wewnętrzne
Którym koniem Ty jesteś najczęściej? Do którego Ci najbliżej, a do którego najdalej?
Z pewnością bywasz w każdej z tych ról nawet w swoim życiu, częściej lub rzadziej. Czasem te role są sprzeczne i wtedy borykasz się z konfliktem wewnętrznym:

(A) pojechać na super ciekawe 2 tygodniowe szkolenie?
(B) A moze po prostu poszukac w internecie, pogrzebać w znanych źródłach,
(C) to moze pogadam z rodziną i znajomymi, co oni o tym myślą.
(D) I potem przychodzi noc, gdzie ważysz, co jest dla Ciebie najważniejsze w tym wszystkim.
(E) I martwisz się o nadwyręzenie finansow i energii partnera/ki, który/a na te 2 tyg. być może zostanie sam(a) z dziećmi, bo przecież możesz kupić książki i poczytać, zanim wydasz kupę kasy na coś takiego.

Ludzkie stada w organizacjach

Spróbuj zaobserwować realizację tych ról w Twojej organizacji.
Żeby było jaśniej opowiem Ci, jak jest w moim zespole.
Mam doświadczenia z bycia w 6-osobowym zarządzie w przedszkolu społecznym przy Społecznym Towarzystwie Oświatowym. Patrzymy, co jest do zrobienia i dzielimy się działaniami.
(A) Ktoś podrzuca nowe pomysły, kierunki zmian, czasem konsternując pozostałych.
(B) Ktoś dorzuca do tego stare sprawdzone sposoby, żeby to samo zrobić, albo coś prawie, lub broni dotychczasowych rozwiązań. Ma kontakty i swoje strategie, jak zabezpieczyć cale przedsięwzięcie.
(C) Ktoś dba o relacje, pracuje z konfliktami, uwzględnia innych w działaniach, pamięta o prezentach na święta, zbiera opinie wśród członków całej organizacji, choćby beneficjentów działań.
(D) Ktoś siedzi z boku obserwuje i mało mówi, ale jak wszyscy się zakopią w dyskusji, ma jasność co się zadziało, co jest ważne i jak pchnąć to dalej.
(E) Czasem trudny we współpracy skarbnik, który pilnuje wydatków, a najczęściej po prostu ucina pojawiające się często i gęsto okazje do wydania pieniędzy. I po trochu każdy z nas, gdy waży ile czasu może poświęcić na sprawy przedszkolne, realizowane przecież poza pracą.

Każdy staje tu w jednej z ról przywództwa w naszej organizacji.
I teraz, jak myślisz o swojej pracy, w jakich rolach jesteś najczęściej? I czy wynika to z Twoich obowiązków, osobowości czy po prostu potrzeby?

Przywództwo a turkusowe organizacje

Przyjmując brak hierarchii, listy zadań i sztywnego podziału odpowiedzialności, jest już bardzo blisko do 4 podstawowych zasad działania w turkusowej organizacji (bardzo je biorę dla siebie):

1. Robisz to, co potrafisz.

2. Robisz to, co potrzebne.

3. Bierzesz odpowiedzialność za to, co robisz (jeśli cos się nie uda: badasz przyczyny, „sprzątasz bałagan").

4. To, co robisz możesz zmieniać, ale z zachowaniem zasad 1., 2. i 3.

Dla wielu to dość abstrakcyjne i odległe podejście, by każdemu dać decyzyjność i zaufać, że będzie w stanie funkcjonować w oparciu o powyższe zasady a nie listę obowiązków (oczywiście nie wychodząc poza nią). Jak już, podejście to lepiej funkcjonuje w zarządach, tam bardziej każdy jest sobie równy. Wtedy bliżej jest się pomarańczowej lub zielonej organizacji. Nie każdy człowiek też będzie się odnaleźć w tym podejściu, bo jednak lista zadań jest dość wygodna, przewidywalna, zwłaszcza, gdy nie ma zaufania między pracodawcą a pracownikiem. Żeby więcej się o tym dowiedzieć zajrzyj tu: Prof. Blikle w skrócie o turkusowych firmach (film 20 minut).

Dla mnie, wspieranie pracowników w osadzaniu się w jednej z tych 5 ról przywódczych zwiększa szanse organizacji na optymalne funkcjonowanie, sprawne reagowanie w zmieniającym się otoczeniu. Tak jak „żywy organizm", jak Laloux określa turkusowe organizacje.

Jest na świecie sporo turkusowych firm, bez „listy obowiązków" gdzie rekrutuje się bardziej podejście niż kompetencje (te w założeniu, zawsze można uzupełnić). Znam osobiście co najmniej jeden turkusowy biznes, który od lat rozwija się świetnie. Laloux badał firmy liczące tysiące pracowników, zawdzięczające sukces samozarządzaniu jednostek.

Wnioski
Drogi Czytelniku,

1. Każda z 5 ról przywództwa jest równie istotna dla hamonijnego funkcjonowania stada/zespołu/organizacji.

2. Każdy, w zależności od potrzeb, może realizować każdą z tych ról.

3. Wymagając od pracowników funkcjonowania tylko w jednej roli wynikającej z przydzielonej listy zadań ograniczamy potencjał jednostki, zwiększamy rutynę działania i przybliżamy ją tym samym do wypalenia zawodowego. Zmniejszamy też potencjał organizacji.

4. Im większe samozarządzanie jednostek, tym szybsze i trafniejsze reagowanie na coraz szybciej zmieniające się otoczenie.

Udostępnij, jeśli uważasz, że warto!

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Przywództwo na 5 końskich sposobów. Który Ci najbliższy?

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Wpis dedykuję przedsiębiorcom, menedżerom zespołów, którzy chcą pełniej czerpać z potencjału jednostki w organizacji. o 5 formach przywództwa, potrzebnych i ważnych, by stado/zespół/organizacja harmonijnie funkcjonowała, że każdy w różnych momentach funkcjonuje w tych rolach, że wspierając wykorzystanie pełnego potencjału jednostki, przyczyniasz się do wzrostu organizacji Ten temat stał się dla mnie ważny, kiedy odkryłam go dla siebie na warsztacie z końmi, który prowadziła Marta Sikorska z Pasikoni.

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The Barefoot Blacksmith - all your barefoot trimming needs and more.

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The Barefoot Blacksmith - Healthy hooves for life-long soundness

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The Barefoot Blacksmith - all your barefoot trimming needs and more.

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Sounds hooves, naturally - tool kits, hoof stands, supplements, rasps, loop knives, polyshoes, tips, braces, trimming workshops, education.

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=acDq9upvpO4&feature=youtu.be

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https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiZojd7z3Ogmglz1FtY9QEtExc2ryI_-W

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https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiZojd7z3OglW-Wzt1OLwq0pB1W4nwJq0

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https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiZojd7z3OglmDQVP5_rBKskuXn1o7W0V

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kanał Sarah Schlote kanadyjskiej terapeutki Somatic Experiencing z udziałem koni

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kanał Sarah Schlote kanadyjskiej terapeutki Somatic Experiencing z udziałem koni

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https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC1rXGxRtVOQ65_XidtX5Wxw/videos

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kanał na youtubie w duchu etologii koni, dużo wiedzy naukowej, bardzo prosty angielski bo ta twórczyni nie jest native speakerem

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kanał na youtubie w duchu etologii koni, dużo wiedzy naukowej, bardzo prosty angielski bo ta twórczyni nie jest native speakerem

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https://www.youtube.com/user/paardentango/featured

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https://www.youtube.com/user/BILLYBAJI1 to jest kanał "Horse and Human - riding is an optional, not a must".

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Oznaki bólu u koni wierzchowych wg Sue Dyson

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Oznaki bólu u koni wierzchowych wg Sue Dyson

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https://thehorse.com/166291/identifying-behavioral-pain-indicators-in-ridden-horses/

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Sugar does not cause metabolic syndrome?

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Sugar does not cause metabolic syndrome?

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https://drkhorsesense.wordpress.com/2022/01/31/sugar-does-not-cause-equine-metabolic-syndrome/?fbclid=IwAR2CVKQBYLexZlIPm-eLHOQigae6Wk0iKrCIZKHjhL9hjTRYwkOu3_0Itho

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Progressive Equine Services & Hoof Care Centre

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It looks like you were misusing this feature by going too fast. You've been temporarily blocked from using it. If you think this doesn't go against our Community Standards let us know.

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Gastrointestinal Derived Factors Are Potential Triggers for the Development of Acute Equine Laminitis

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Każde ziarno powoduje stan zapalny

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Abstract

Equine laminitis is the painful and debilitating condition resulting from cellular damage and inflammation of the tissues comprising the bonds supporting the pedal bone within the hoof capsule. One of the reasons why this condition is so complicated and enigmatic is its association with gastrointestinal disturbances, particularly a diet of lush grass at certain times of the year. Determining the link between disturbances to the hindgut flora and pathophysiology in the foot is one of the keys to preventing this condition. Therefore, one of the biggest challenges in equine laminitis research is to determine those events that precede the onset of the classical clinical signs of lameness, bounding digital pulses, and warm feet. A main theory for the pathogenesis of acute laminitis involves the development of vasoconstriction within the foot, which leads to ischemic and/or inflammatory tissue damage. Serotonin is an important constrictor mediator controlling digital blood flow. Certain equine hindgut bacteria produce amino acid decarboxylase enzymes that convert free amino acids into monoamines. Therefore, amines formed and released from the gastrointestinal tract are hypothesized to act as the link between the ingestion of lush grass and the digital ischemia thought to precede laminitis. Equine cecal contents contain a range of amines that are present in micromolar concentrations. Tryptamine is the most potent cecum-derived amine, causing vasoconstriction in vitro and in vivo through direct activation of serotonin receptors and displacing serotonin from platelets. Monoamines found in the cecum of the horse could potentially induce hemodynamic disturbances in the digit that result in laminar ischaemia, and so trigger laminitis.

Equine laminitis remains a very common condition in the equine population. Following acute episodes, severe tissue damage may ultimately lead to detachment of the pedal bone and to chronic crippling lameness. Management of the chronic case is usually unrewarding, and intervention in the acute stage is a process of damage limitation and pain relief, focusing on efforts to stabilize the pedal bone within the hoof capsule to prevent the catastrophic complications of pedal bone rotation. Important as these factors are in the clinical syndrome, if we are to prevent laminitis from occurring in horses grazing at pasture, we need to understand the pathophysiological pathways that are activated to trigger the series of events leading to this clinical syndrome. Therefore, one of the biggest challenges facing those researching equine laminitis is to determine those events that precede the onset of the classical clinical signs of lameness, bounding digital pulses, and warm feet.

Pasture-induced laminitis, as its name suggests, is thought to be associated with excessive ingestion of pasture. Thus, the natural place to start in a search for trigger factors for laminitis is the gastrointestinal tract. Fermentable carbohydrate is thought to initiate the changes in the hindgut flora, which results in the cascade of events leading to this syndrome. Indeed, a systemic syndrome with similarities to pasture-induced laminitis can be induced in ponies and horses by oral administration of starch ( 1). This generally results in clinical signs of laminitis in ∼24-48 h, although the severe changes that occur in the hindgut may cause diarrhea and endotoxemia, which are not generally thought to be a feature of the condition when horses are at pasture. In this model, Gram positive bacteria, notably the lactic acid-producing lactobacilli and streptococci, overgrow, and the resulting change in the environment of the hindgut may alter the growth and turnover of other bacterial populations ( 1).

Thus, it seems likely that toxic compounds, produced either by carbohydrate-fermenting bacteria or from the death or adaptive metabolism of other bacteria, are released from the intestine into the circulation. These compounds then directly or indirectly trigger the changes seen in laminitis.

The experimental models mentioned above have proven to be useful in exploring possible candidates for laminitis trigger factors. However, there is currently debate among research scientists as to the pathogenic pathways leading to the clinical syndrome we recognize as laminitis. Early work in this field suggested that pathological changes in the foot were a result of reduced blood flow to the sensitive laminae, which leads to relative ischaemia and the clinical signs resulting from reperfusion of the laminar tissues ( 5). The histopathology occurring in the lamellar tissues in the later stages of the developmental phase, and accompanying the onset of clinical signs, is consistent with ischaemia-reperfusion injury ( 5), although molecular biological techniques are now also demonstrating inflammatory cytokine induction ( 6). Alternative hypotheses therefore suggest that trigger factors from the gastrointestinal tract activate inflammation in the prodromal stages ( 6). Increased activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is an important feature of the acute phase of the disease ( 7), and induction of these enzymes can occur in response to inflammatory cytokines. MMP activation leads to the breakdown of the basement membrane, a structure which is key to the stability of the structures of the hoof ( 8). A further hypothesis is that these enzymes are directly activated by exotoxins produced by the hindgut bacteria ( 9). These hypotheses are not mutually exclusive, because ischaemia is also a powerful activator of MMPs in other tissues.

Following the early studies concerning carbohydrate overload, it was hypothesized that endotoxin, released from the cell walls of dying Gram negative bacteria, could be the factor triggering acute laminitis, insofar as laminitis is also a common sequel to certain forms of colic ( 10) and endotoxin could be detected in the plasma of horses given carbohydrate overload ( 11). Subsequently, studies administering endotoxin to horses have failed to induce laminitis ( 12) and in other models of experimental laminitis, no endotoxin was detected ( 13). Therefore, the role of endotoxin in laminitis is questionable ( 14). Some of the early inflammatory changes in the laminar tissues could, nevertheless, be consistent with the effects of mild endotoxemia.

Much research needs to be done to identify the factors produced in the gastrointestinal tract and explain why, in some susceptible horses, their production leads to clinical signs of pasture-induced laminitis. Research involving a naturally occurring disease, and which addresses the pathophysiological pathways involved, is challenging and requires interventional studies to determine the efficacy of prophylactic measures. Such studies are expensive to perform and so their design needs to be based on high quality data generated both in vitro and in vivo in experimental animals before these questions can be answered. The work summarized below presents the current evidence to support a role for amines generated in the gastrointestinal tract as trigger factors for laminitis.

The role of amines in pasture-induced laminitis

Background.

The hemodynamic theories of the pathophysiology of laminitis date back to the 1970s where models of laminitis (starch overload) ( 15) allowed researchers to assess hoof perfusion at different stages of the experimentally induced syndrome. The validity of these methods and their relevance to pasture-induced laminitis is still disputed. Nevertheless, there is strong evidence that blood flow to the sensitive laminae is disturbed at some stage in the disease process, and a number of researchers suggest that ischaemia reperfusion injury is the basic mechanism of laminitis ( 5, 16, 17). An important question resulting from these studies is whether there is a link between feeding carbohydrates and changes in perfusion of the hoof wall.

Amines: The link between events in the gut and ischaemia of the foot.

Our own work demonstrates the exquisite sensitivity of digital blood vessels to serotonin compared with peripheral vessels of similar size ( Fig. 1; ( 21)). Digital arteries were found to be 30-40 times more sensitive to the constrictor effects of serotonin, and this was, in part, explained by the relatively ineffective counter-regulation of vasoconstriction provided by the vascular endothelium of the large vessels. The normal free plasma concentration of serotonin appears to be above the threshold for causing constriction in digital arteries ( 21) and would suggest that this mediator plays an important role in controlling blood flow in this vascular bed. Furthermore, factors increasing the release of serotonin from platelets, or preventing its clearance from the circulation, could have significant effects on digital blood flow. We also demonstrate the complexity of the serotonin receptor systems present in the digital vasculature ( 22).

Foods produced by bacterial fermentation are high in amine content because the bacteria responsible for the fermentation of carbohydrate produce enzymes (amino acid decarboxylase enzymes) that convert free amino acids into monoamines. The human medical literature on monoamines shows that ingestion of fermented foodstuffs (cheese and wine) can lead to migraine or hypertension in some individuals ( 23- 25). This can occur because the amines are able to mimic the effects of biogenic amines (serotonin, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine) in the circulation. Thus, in the late 1990s it seemed reasonable to hypothesize that amines formed and released from the gastrointestinal tract might act as the link between ingestion of lush grass, rich in oligosaccharides and the digital ischaemia thought to precede the onset of clinical signs of pasture-induced laminitis.

Evidence that amines are formed in the equine gut.

Support for the hypothesis that gut-derived amines are part of the link between the gut and the digital circulation in the pathophysiology of laminitis comes from in vitro and in vivo experimental studies and clinical observational studies. Cecal liquor contains a range of monoamines and diamines each present in the micromolar concentrations ( 26). Furthermore, cecal contents harvested from horses fed spring/summer grass had 2 to 3-fold higher concentrations of some mono and diamines compared with cecal contents harvested from animals fed winter grass or hay ( 26). To investigate this further, we used an in vitro model of the cecum, culturing equine cecal contents anaerobically and supplying starch or inulin to simulate excessive intake of carbohydrate. This resulted in a time-dependent decrease in cecal pH and increase in phenylethylamine and isoamylamine concentration ( Fig. 2) ( 27). Some of the bacteria-producing amines have been identified as Lactobacillus spp. and Streptococcus bovis, which proliferated in this model. Virginiamycin inhibited the proliferation of both groups of bacteria ( 28) and abrogated the decrease in pH and the increase in amine production caused by excessive starch and inulin ( 27). Virginiamycin, the streptogrammin antibiotic, is the active ingredient in Founderguard (Vetsearch International), which has been marketed for the prevention of acute laminitis, and has been shown to prevent experimentally induced laminitis ( 29). Taking these studies from in vitro incubations into the in vivo situation, preliminary data show that increasing the oligosaccharide content of the diet, by adding a small amount of inulin, results in a decrease in fecal pH ( 30) and a rise in fecal amine concentrations (C. Crawford, S. R. Bailey, P. A. Harris, and J. Elliott, unpublished data). Monoamines present in the cecum can also be detected at much lower concentrations in the blood plasma. Furthermore, ponies sampled in the winter period had lower circulating concentrations of the monoamines tryptamine, phenylethylamine, isoamylamine, and tyramine than when they were sampled in the spring period ( 31).

Vascular effects of amines.

Monoamines formed in the cecum of the horse are structurally related to the platelet-derived amine serotonin and the sympathetic neurotransmitter norepinephrine. It is not surprising, therefore, that they are capable of mimicking and potentiating the effects of these endogenous mammalian biogenic amines. Potentiation of the action of the endogenous mammalian amines occurs through the inhibition of uptake processes into endothelial cells ( 32) and platelets ( 33) or by competition between the gut-derived and the endogenous mammalian amines for metabolism by amine oxidase enzymes. Gut-derived amines mimic the actions of the endogenous biogenic amines by displacing serotonin from platelets or norepinephrine from sympathetic nerve endings or by directly activating the receptors for these amines on the vasculature ( 34). Tryptamine is the most potent cecum-derived amine in many respects. It causes vasoconstriction via direct activation of serotonin receptors, with a marked selectivity for digital veins and a threshold for causing digital venous constriction of 30 nmol/L ( Fig. 3) ( 34).

Intravenous administration of gut-derived monoamines causes rapid changes in digital perfusion ( Fig. 4). These effects occur at dose rates that do not alter systemic arterial blood pressure and are associated with a rise in the free plasma concentration of serotonin ( 35). Similar changes in plasma serotonin concentrations are reported to occur in association with the starch overload model of laminitis (J. Moore, personal communication). These experiments provide in vivo evidence to support our observations in vitro that amines will reduce blood flow to the foot in the live animal, through direct and indirect mechanisms.

Reasons for increased susceptibility to pasture-induced laminitis.

Clinical observations strongly suggest there are differences in susceptibility of ponies and horses to pasture-induced laminitis. These differences may lie in the gut, resulting from the complex interrelation among different bacterial populations of the normal gut flora and from a disruption in response to sudden increases in fermentable carbohydrate. Further work is certainly warranted to determine whether ponies that are susceptible to laminitis have differences in their gut flora, perhaps making them more proficient at amine production in response to carbohydrate overload. The intestinal wall is obviously a barrier to the diffusion of amines into the circulation. Differences in susceptibility to pasture-induced laminitis could lie at the level of the gut wall and its response to changes in pH.

Conclusions.

Monoamines found in the cecum of the horse can potentially induce hemodynamic disturbances in the digit to result in laminar ischaemia, and so trigger laminitis. This hypothesis needs to be tested in naturally occurring pasture-induced laminitis by prospective study. Future goals of this research are to identify the precise mechanisms whereby amine-producing bacteria switch on the decarboxylase enzyme and to determine methods that will prevent them from doing so. In addition, we also need to study the factors governing individual susceptibility of ponies and horses to amine-induced vasoconstriction and determine the underlying diseases and genetic factors that are involved.

LITERATURE CITED

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Gastrointestinal Derived Factors Are Potential Triggers for the Development of Acute Equine Laminitis

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Equine laminitis is the painful and debilitating condition resulting from cellular damage and inflammation of the tissues comprising the bonds supporting the pedal bone within the hoof capsule. One of the reasons why this condition is so complicated and enigmatic is its association with gastrointestinal disturbances, particularly a diet of lush grass at certain times of the year.

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Real ethology with Lucy Rees, part 1: Meet the Pottokas

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Real ethology with Lucy Rees, part 1: Meet the Pottokas

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Position statement on the use/misuse of leadership and dominance concepts in horse training (2017) | International Society for Equitation Science

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Lloyd Morgan's canon:

In no case is an animal activity to be interpreted
in terms of higher psychological processes
if it can be fairly interpreted in terms of processes
which stand lower in the scale of psychological evolution and development.

- Morgan, 1903

Summary

Dominance hierarchies, alpha positions or leadership in social groups of horses are man-made concepts that should not form the basis of human-horse interactions. Horses are social animals that mainly interact with each other on a bilateral level (i.e. each horse has an individual relationship with each other horse), and it is unlikely that they have the concept of a rank order that includes all members of the group. The study of equine cognitive abilities suggests it is unlikely that they have the mental ability to make such a construct. While older and more experienced members of a group may know their home range and can lead group members to locations where food, water or shelter is available more often than younger, less experienced horses, there is currently no solid evidence of leadership being unique to specific individuals within the social group.

Basing human-horse interactions on a dominance concept may be detrimental to horse welfare. There are, unfortunately, examples of riders, trainers and handlers who - believing they have to place themselves in the 'alpha position' in relation to their horse - resort to training procedures and/or practices that elicit fear and, in some cases, may result in abuse. In nature, horses will avoid rather than seek conflict. If approached by an aggressive individual, the predominant type of behaviour a horse will show is escape or avoidance. Trainers, riders and handlers must aim to establish a clear and consistent relationship with their horses in order to safeguard horse welfare. They should be aware of the possible repercussions of describing their interactions with the horse and their training processes in the context of social organisation.

Social organisation of wild and feral horses living in a natural environment

Horses are highly social animals and living together in a social group is essential for survival. Competition over certain resources (e.g. food, shelter), which is more common under domestic conditions than in natural conditions, may result in agonistic (aggressive and submissive) behaviour between two or more group members. In most instances this appears as a threat rather than physical aggression. Within the group, horses may compete for resources but show no motivation for wanting to dominate others per se. Instead, they try to avoid conflict. In established social groups, individual members have learned which horses they can displace and which horses they should avoid during competitive encounters. This knowledge is likely to be based on a series of bilateral relationships, not according to some rank order of all group members.

Under natural conditions almost all horses live in social groups. Even in areas devoid of large predators, solitary horses are rare. The most stable social group is the band consisting of one stallion and a number of mares plus their offspring (Keiper, 1986). The band members also remain together outside the breeding season. The mares may be unrelated but form close, often lifelong relationships with each other (Cameron et al., 2009). If a band is approached by another stallion, the band stallion will drive his mares together by circling them, lowering his head almost to the ground and laying his ears back (described as herding behaviour). This is the only situation in which stallions control the movements of the mares (Berger, 1986).

Competition

Living in a social group enhances survival but may also create competition among group members that can result in agonistic behaviour involving aggression, threats of aggression and submissive behaviour. Aggression in horses involves kicks or bites. Threat displays include facial expressions (ears laid back possibly with incisor teeth exposed), deliberately lifting a hind leg and/or swishing the tail. Submissive behaviours consist predominantly of avoidance behaviours. When threatened by a stronger opponent, a horse usually departs, holding its head low and its tail tucked in, a body posture that may signal submission. Mouth clapping, also called snapping, is believed by some to also signify submission. Mouth clapping consists of vertical jaw movements while the lips cover the front teeth and the corners of the mouth are drawn back (Henshall and McGreevy, 2014). The behaviour is often seen in young horses as they approach older horses (Waring, 2003).

In feral and wild horses, aggression is most likely in two specific situations: one, when stallions fight for mares and the other when mares protect their newborn offspring. The position of a band stallion is frequently challenged by bachelor stallions or neighbouring band stallions. Most encounters involve some kind of threat display, whereas relatively few result in actual aggression. However, when fights occur, they can be intense and lead to serious injuries. Most band stallions have numerous scars and wounds (Berger, 1986).

A mare is very protective of her newborn foal. She will position herself between the foal and any intruders, potential predators and even familiar herd-mates, and display threatening behaviour. This behaviour has previously been misinterpreted as the mare moving up a few notches in the social hierarchy after foaling.

Under domestic conditions, most competition between horses is focused on supplemented feed. In group-housed horses living in a relatively stable group, serious aggression is infrequent. When two horses challenge each other, one usually succeeds in displacing the other and accessing the resource. Only rarely are three horses involved in actual fights. With every encounter, horses learn about their ability to retain resources in relation to another horse. This affects future conflicts between the two participants. Scientists refer to this as the animal's resource-holding potential. Similarly, their position in relation to the other horses of the group is likely to be formed on a bilateral level and not based on the concept of overall social hierarchy.

Dominance hierarchy

Although dominance at a bilateral level exists and may contribute to the learning that underpins social order, there is no current evidence that horses have any concept of hierarchy.

The concept of dominance hierarchies was proposed by Norwegian biologist, Schjelderup-Ebbe, who described a 'pecking order' in groups of hens. Since then, the idea that social animals form a social structure based on rank among group members has prevailed among scientists and lay people alike. Many studies have attempted to establish rank order by observing agonistic encounters between group members. Such observations have generally revealed the rank of a few of the top animals and, possibly, a few of the bottom animals. However, these studies have rarely been able to discern a clear rank order of the group members in mid-levels, simply because these animals have not shown aggression towards each other. To reveal the rank of all group members, pair-tests are conducted. Group members are exposed to an aggressive encounter (usually over food), and all combinations of group members are tested (i.e. animal A against B, C, D, etc; animal B against C, D, and so on), resulting in, for example D>A>C>B. It may also happen that two individuals share a resource, in which case they are considered to share the same rank.

That one animal may displace another in a competitive situation is beyond doubt. We may call the horse that succeeds in displacing another the 'winner', the 'dominant', or the 'alpha' and the displaced individual the 'loser' or the 'subordinate', if the language used to describe the outcome only refers to the two animals involved in the encounter. It is likely that both animals will learn and remember for a long time the result of the contest, both in a similar context and possibly also in conflicts over other resources. Nevertheless, this is no reason to believe that horses map the relationships in their brains or that they rank themselves in relation to all the other horses.
Altmann (1981) states that: "Dominance relationships are an invention, not a discovery. They exist in the mind and notebook of the human observer. With few exceptions, however, there is nothing in the agonistic behaviour of animals that implicates an ability to make such abstractions."

Leadership

Leadership and its attributes have been extensively studied across mammalian species (see Hartmann et al., 2017 for a review on horses). It describes the process of social influence in which specific leaders appear to guide the actions of group members (e.g. change of activity or location). Leadership can be defined in two ways:

One way is what Syme and Syme (1979) call 'social leadership', which they define as "the control of aggression between individuals within the group, and the protection of other members when the group is faced with threat or predation". If there is a band stallion, he is almost exclusively responsible for the protection of the group. In addition, observations have shown that both stallions and mares may intervene and end fights between group members (e.g. van Dierendonck et al., 2009).

Another definition of leadership is 'spatial leadership' which refers to when and where the group moves. Historically, it was believed that either the stallion or an older mare was responsible for spatial leadership and decided where the group should go. However, recent research has questioned whether certain horses can be assigned consistent leadership roles (Krüger et al., 2014; Bourjade et al., 2015), what effect rank has on eliciting followers (Andrieu et al., 2016), what behaviours are displayed before departure that may be indicative of subsequent leadership (Bourjade et al., 2009; Bourjade et al., 2015), and what effect individual temperament and social bonding have on initiating movement (Krüger et al., 2014; Briard et al., 2015). These studies indicate that leadership is not unique to a specific group member but that any horse of the group can initiate group movement. For example, Bourjade et al. (2009, 2015) found shared leadership in groups of Przewalski horses and concluded that the decision-making process prior to movement was partially shared and was largely based on pre-departure behaviour displayed by several horses.

Training of domestic horses

Some horse people believe that, to get the 'respect' of a horse and make the horse obey orders, the person handling it must be the 'alpha individual', i.e. in the top position of the social hierarchy. The person must be the dominant part of the relationship and the horse the submissive one. Even if horses had a concept such as 'top position' in a hierarchy, it is questionable whether that hierarchy would even include humans (McGreevy et al., 2009). Undoubtedly, part of the reason for these and similar beliefs is anthropomorphism (i.e. our tendency to transfer human characteristics such as respect and authority onto the horse). This attitude often does more harm than good (see McLean, 2003 for examples).

In horse training, attempts to dominate horses often encourage and justify the application of punishment. Apart from the possible negative effect on the horse's welfare, the wider working relationship may also suffer. The natural response of a horse to an aggressive opponent is to avoid the individual by moving away. If the horse experiences the trainer as aggressive its predominant motivation will be to avoid the trainer. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that trainers, riders and handlers do not appear aggressive because this may trigger fear and avoidance responses in the horse.

Take home messages:

Human interaction with horses should be based on an understanding of horses' natural behaviour and consideration/understanding of their cognitive abilities.

Training should be conducted in a calm, clear and consistent way following the Equitation Science Training Principles, using learning theory and ethology appropriately. See: www.equitationscience.com/learning-theory-in-equitation.

Concepts of dominance hierarchies, alpha position and leadership are people's attempts to describe the complex and dynamic social organisation of horses living in social groups.

Horses interact with each other mainly on bilateral levels, not according to a rank order that includes all members of the group.

When placed in positions that require horses to compete for a resource, one may displace the other. The horse that is displaced will then avoid the other. The predominant kind of submissive behaviour a horse shows is avoidance.

An incorrect belief that the person handling and training a horse must be in a top position of a dominance hierarchy (i.e. in an alpha position), or be a leader, may have a damaging negative effect on the horse, perhaps resulting in avoidance behaviour which is detrimental to training.

Describing the training process and horse-human interactions within the context of a dominance hierarchy jeopardises the creation of a harmonious relationship with the horse and may compromise its welfare.

References

Altmann, S.A. (1981). Dominance relationships: The Cheshire cat's grin? The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 4:431.

Andrieu, J., Henry, S., Hausberger, M., Thierry, B. (2016). Informed horses are influential in group movements, but they may avoid leading. Animal Cognition,19:451-458.

Berger, J. (1986). Wild horses of the Great Basin. University of Chicago Press.

Bourjade, M., Thierry, B., Maumy, M., Petit, O. (2009). Decision-making in Przewalski horses (Equus ferus przewalskii) is driven by the ecological contexts of collective movements. Ethology, 115:321-330.

Bourjade, M., Thierry, B., Hausberger, M., Petit, O. (2015). Is leadership a reliable concept in animals? An empirical study in the horse. Plos One, 10:e0126344.

Briard, L., Dorn, C., Petit, O. (2015). Personality and affinities play a key role in the organisation of collective movements in a group of domestic horses. Ethology, 121:888-902.

Cameron, E.Z., Setsaas, T.H. & Linklater, W.L. (2009). Social bonds between unrelated females increase reproductive success in feral horse. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 106:13850-13853.

Hartmann, E., Christensen, J.W., McGreevy, P.D., 2017. Dominance and leadership: Useful concepts in human-horse interactions? Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, (2017), doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2017.01.015.

Henshall, C., McGreevy, P.D. (2014). The role of ethology in round pen horse training - a review. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 155:1-11.

Keiper, R.R. (1986). Social structure. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice, 2:465-484.

Krüger, K., Flauger, B., Farmer, K., Hemelrijk, C. (2014). Movement initiation in groups of feral horses. Behavioural Processes, 103:91-101.

McGreevy, P.D., Henshall, C., Starling, M.J., McLean, A.N., Boakes, R.A. (2014). The importance of safety signals in animal handling and training. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 6:382-387.

McGreevy, P.D., Oddie, C., Burton, FL, McLean, A.N. (2009). The horse-human dyad: Can we align horse training and handling activities with the equid social ethogram? The Veterinary Journal, 181:12-18.

McLean, A. (2003). The truth about horses. Viking.

Morgan, C.L. (1903). An Introduction to Comparative Psychology, 2nd edition, London: W. Scott. P. 59.

Syme, G.T., Syme, L.A. (1979). Social structure in farm animals. Amsterdam, Elsevier.

Van Dierendonck, M.C., de Vries, H., Schilder, M.B.H., Colenbrander, B., Thorhallsdottir, A.G., Sigurdjonsdottir, H. (2009). Interventions in social behaviour in a herd of mares and geldings. Applied Animal Behaviour Science﻿, 116:67-73.

Waring, G.H. (2003). Horse Behavior. 2nd ed. William Andrew Publishing.

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Position statement on the use/misuse of leadership and dominance concepts in horse training (2017) | International Society for Equitation Science

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Lloyd Morgan's canon: In no case is an animal activity to be interpreted in terms of higher psychological processes if it can be fairly interpreted in terms of processes which stand lower in the scale of psychological evolution and development. - Morgan, 1903 Summary Dominance hierarchies, alpha positions or leadership in social groups...

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Last night at the Cork and Fork festival was again another really fun night socialising with people passionate about equitation science. Every time I attend one of these conferences I am always filled with this really satisfying feeling of being a part of a group who are all on the same page. No need to...

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Last night at the Cork and Fork festival was again another really fun night socialising with people passionate about equitation science. Every time I attend one of these conferences I am always filled with this really satisfying feeling of being a part of a group who are all on the same page.

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Reading subtle and not-so-subtle signs crucial to horse-human relationships - Horsetalk.co.nz

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Subtle behavioural signals from horses can provide handlers with important insights into how horses prefer humans to interact with them, according to the authors of a just-published paper.

Katrina Merkies and Olivia Franzin set out in their review to explore aspects of the relationship between humans and horses in a bid to better understand the horse's experience of the world and shed new light on potential positive approaches to enhancing welfare.

"Understanding how horses perceive and interact with humans can aid in developing positive interaction approaches, thereby enhancing their welfare," the researchers, with the University of Guelph in Canada, wrote in the journal Animals.

It is also important to be able to recognise behavioural indicators of negative emotion, they said, as the failure to do so when working with horses will harm their welfare when working with humans.

The pair delved into the ways horses read humans, such as by our odours, posture, and vocal repertoire, all of which affect the horse's interpretation of us.

"While it is difficult to truly know how a horse thinks and feels, paying attention to subtle behavioural signals can give us insight on how horses prefer humans to interact with them," they said.

"As we are continuously growing our knowledge on how horses view humans, it is important for those working with horses for sport, companionship, or as a working animal to be open to evolving and modifying tactics used to create a positive experience for the horse."

Scientific literature suggests that horses are capable of remembering previous experiences when working with humans, they noted.

Even though horses may be capable of recognising emotional states in humans, there remains a gap in the literature of whether horses are capable of empathising with human emotion.

The authors said interactions between humans and horses are comprised of many different aspects evolving from the various perspectives of this historical relationship.

"Understanding the workings of this relationship can enable advancements in welfare, training, husbandry, and management, particularly through focusing on indicators of positive experiences for the horse."

Exploring equine senses, the pair noted that horses can see almost all the way around them, with a blind spot directly in front and behind them. Binocular vision is limited to a narrow arc of 65 to 80 degrees.

Horses likely see much better at a distance than humans do, and are also superior in poor light. They have difficulty discerning red.

"Equipment or practices that limit or restrict the movement of the horse's head impact how the horse visually perceives his environment," they said.

"A simple positive approach is to allow free movement of the head and neck to enable the horse to see and process environmental cues, thereby providing autonomy in how the horse chooses to respond to them.

"Attention to the colours in a horse's environment, particularly when asked to navigate coloured obstacles, can not only allow better discernment of obstacles, but also impact rider safety."

They noted the good sense of smell possessed by horses. Despite this, little research has been done on the impact of odour on communication in horses.

Horses engage in sniffing behaviour to recognize kin. However, the horse's olfactory senses have an even greater capacity than just inferring information from other horses. The findings of a 2020 study suggest horses have the potential to smell human emotion.

"While some practitioners believe that horses can intuit the emotional state of a person, it could be that the horse is merely responding to olfactory signals."

The sense of smell in horses deserves greater research to better understand its impact on the horse-human relationship, they said. "As horses are capable of smelling and understanding our emotional odours, this could influence the horse's own actions and emotions."

Turning to hearing, Merkies and Franzin said horses do not have a large vocal repertoire, but they can transmit information and social intentions through vocalizations.

Horse vocalizations can convey the sex, size, and reproductive status of the caller. "Emotion and arousal are individually encoded within their acoustic qualities," they said.

"Understanding of a horse's ability to recognize human vocalizations and their associated intentions would provide valuable information on the cognitive abilities of the species."

Evidence suggests that horses can identify a familiar human from visual or auditory cues even if one is present without the other.

Recent novel research examined human use of pet-directed speech - the use of "baby talk" - toward horses. "Horses displayed calmer behaviour, more mutual grooming, and were more successful at locating food rewards when humans used pet-directed speech compared to adult-directed speech."

"Gaining insight on how our vocal repertoire influences the horse's perception of humans can allow us to work in a way that is beneficial to the horse.

"Moreover, recognizing how the tone of our voice affects the horse and paying attention to their responses allows for increased human safety when working with horses."

Looking at how equines handle the presence of humans, the authors suggest that horses appear to be better at perceiving human actions than humans are at perceiving theirs.

Evidence suggests that horses can not only recognize and understand facial expressions by humans, but they can also remember these emotional expressions.

"Human body posture is an important cue as it can elicit different equine behaviors. Human attentiveness may also be a factor in how horses view us, as research has shown that horses chose to approach an attentive person over an inattentive person."

Horses, they said, remember past interactions with humans and these experiences impact how the horse will interact with humans in the future.

"Many horse owners wish to believe that their horse loves them more than they love other people.

"Even though humans may be important to a horse, recent evidence shows that horses perform a target task better when rewarded with food compared to a human touch reward such as scratching and petting."

Horses, they said, read humans in various ways, such as through our body posture, facial expressions, and attentiveness.

"Small actions such as a happy facial expression when approaching the horse can allow for a positive experience with the horse.

"As horses remember previous experiences, more positive experiences with humans will promote generalization to all human interactions. Recognizing how the horse responds to a positive interpretation of a human can create better welfare when working with humans."

The authors say the face of a horse is a great source of information in terms of its emotional state. There are multiple signs, from the position of the ears, the tension visible around and above the eyes, chin position and flared nostrils.

Behavioural indicators of stress include wide eyes, ears back, nostrils flared, head tossing, high head carriage, trembling, and a clamped tail.

Conversely, the pleasure face of a horse is commonly described with relaxed eyes, extended upper lips, and loosely backward ears.

"However, behavioral and physiological markers of discrete positive emotions remain scarcely investigated in horses."

It is important to recognize behavioural indicators of negative emotions, they said, as our failure to recognize these when working with horses will adversely affect the horse's immediate and future welfare.

"However, we must also educate ourselves on behavioural indicators of positive affective states and attempt to increase their frequency."

Turning to cognition, the authors noted that horses learn better and faster with a greater positive attitude toward their trainers. Fewer problem behaviours are displayed within their training sessions when positive reinforcement is used.

The cognitive abilities of a horse can be quantified by relationships built from repeated interactions and previous experiences with humans, they said.

"The creation of a relationship implies a high level of social cognitive ability, as this is an important attribute to acquire within social species like horses."

Friendliness toward humans is a clear positive indicator associated with improved welfare in working horses.

"The horse's previous experiences working with humans impacts their cognitive abilities. As humans play a large role in equine cognition, it is important to understand how our interactions can impact this. We must take pains to ensure we are training in positive scenarios and pay attention to both the positive and negative behavioural indicators of stress."

They said while horses may recognize different emotional states in humans, there is a gap in knowledge on whether horses are capable of empathizing or deliberately acting to alleviate specific human emotions.

"If the emotional state of a human has the potential to influence the emotional state of the horse, it is important for us to work with a positive attitude based on our knowledge of equine affective states."

Equine temperament is genetically predetermined, they said. There are multiple temperament traits and dimensions that exist in horses.

"Equine personality is of interest to behaviour and welfare scientists as well as equine practitioners, as certain traits can impact injury risk, training processes, learning, and the horse-human relationship.

"It is clear," they said, "that humans become very attached to their horses, however, it is not as clear if horses are equally attached to their human."

Understanding specific personality traits can allow humans to modify how they work with their horse, with the aim of increasing positive experiences.

"Further research needs to be undertaken regarding attachment styles to gain a better understanding of the bond between a horse and human. While we may provide some comfort by our presence, it still remains to be determined if a reciprocal bond exists."

The pair said it is evident that some aspects of the human-horse relationship are generally well understood, such as equine perception. However, other aspects of this relationship, such as the emotional transfer between humans and horses, are inconclusive and require greater scientific attention.

"Whether the relationship we have with our horse is as a working animal, for sport, or companionship, working toward optimizing this relationship is essential to improve equine welfare when working with humans.

"Understanding how horses interpret humans is fundamental to understanding their sensory capabilities."

They said knowledge concerning equine vocalizations allows insights into the affective state of a horse and could be extrapolated to the way horses react to the different repertoire of human vocalizations.

"Understanding how our tone of voice affects the horse will allow for increased human safety when working with horses. This can aid in creating more effective bilateral communication between humans and horses.

"Moreover, through examining horses in the presence of humans, our body posture, attentiveness, and transmission of communicative cues are all key assets to creating and maintaining a positive relationship with the horse."

The emotional states of horses can be influenced by our interactions and attitudes around them, they said.

"As equine emotion and cognition are interrelated, they are integral components to the comprehension of a horse's umwelt (the way in which it experiences the world).

"As we humans become increasingly attached to our horses, it is important to understand equine personality and their true attachment to humans."

Given that our interactions with horses are cumulative, keeping the relationship positive will result in the horse maintaining a better outlook on humans.

"Horses," they said, "are a relevant component to society and work closely with humans as companions, therapy animals, and team members.

"Recognizing the ways we can improve our relationship with them will allow for better welfare of horses living in the human world.

"It is important for us to educate ourselves to better understand behavioural indicators of positive affective states and strive to increase their frequency of use."

Merkies, K.; Franzin, O. Enhanced Understanding of Horse-Human Interactions to Optimize Welfare. Animals 2021, 11, 1347. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051347

The review, published under a Creative Commons License , can be read here. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051347

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Reading subtle and not-so-subtle signs crucial to horse-human relationships - Horsetalk.co.nz

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Subtle behavioural signals from horses can provide handlers with important insights into how horses prefer humans to interact with them, according to the authors of a just-published paper. Katrina Merkies and Olivia Franzin set out in their review to explore aspects of the relationship between humans and horses in a bid to better understand the horse's experience of the world and shed new light on potential positive approaches to enhancing welfare.

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Wpływ sposobu utrzymania koni na ich zachowanie oraz zdrowie

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Wpływ sposobu utrzymania koni na ich zachowanie oraz zdrowie

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https://stajniatruskawka.wordpress.com/wplywu-sposobu-utrzymania-koni-na-ich-zachowanie-oraz-zdrowie-fizyczne/

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trush - gnicie

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Sue Dyson

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peter ramey

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[ Most veterinarians define Navicular Disease as the presentation of heel pain (also called caudal foot pain) combined with radiographic changes to the navicular bone. If the horse has caudal foot pain but navicular bone remodeling is visible on radiographs, they tend to call it Navicular Syndrome]

One of the most mind boggling areas of hoof pathology for a farrier to attempt to research is navicular disease/syndrome. Every old text contradicts the next, and mountains of new research are being done every day. The good news is that farriers studying the hooves of feral horses and trimming domestic hooves to a closer facsimile to what nature intended, have been routinely restoring soundness to hopeless navicular cases. Veterinary researchers have been studying in this new direction and are steadily unlocking all of the old mysteries about navicular problems.

At the forefront of veterinary research on the way naturally shaped hooves are supposed to function, is Robert Bowker, VMD, PhD of Michigan State University. He has identified heel-first landing as the most important element of hoof function and more importantly - of internal hoof blood into the hoof capsule. The extra movement of blood is not so-much required to nourish the living hoof -- instead it acts as a very important hydraulic shock absorber development. He teaches that as the hoof impacts the ground heel-first, the hoof expands and the solar dome descends/flattens, thus dramatically increasing the volume of the hoof capsule. This sudden increase in volume creates a vacuum, which sucks http://www.hoofrehab.com/Gelpad.html. This is quite the opposite from the way most of us were taught. I was once taught to view the frog as something similar to a pump bulb for an outboard motor or a blood pressure cuff, with the frog squeezing out blood on impact. Either way, we've known for years that the hooves themselves aid in circulation, but the huge difference between the new and old theories, is that the expansion and function of the entire hoof capsule is harder to obtain than the simple squeezing of the frog, and since we now know how important this expansion is to shock absorption and longevity - much more important.

Enter James Rooney, DVM of the American College of Veterinarian Pathologists. He specializes in the post mortem study of horses. Although everyone I've ever known who owns more than ten horse books owns his book The Lame Horse and every veterinarian has had access to his research papers and textbooks for decades, his startling findings on navicular bone changes have gone largely unnoticed by the farrier and veterinary communities. I hope to change that.

The bracketed text below was edited by James R. Rooney, DVM

During normal, heel-first locomotion, the deep flexor tendon is quickly tightened by the descending fetlock joint. At the same time, the coffin joint is rotating forward toward breakover, and is loosening the deep flexor. In a toe-first landing however, the descending fetlock joint is still tightening the tendon just after impact, but after the toe impacts the ground, then heel rocks downward, tightening the tendon at the same time. Understand that in a heel first landing we have one pulley tightening as the other is releasing tension, but with a toe-first landing, both pulleys are tightening at the same time . Far greater force is directed to the navicular pulley than was ever intended by nature. This is a very big difference, adding greatly to the force applied to the tendon and navicular bone. This force is of course dramatically increased if the unnatural movement is occurring on a hard surface. Greater force means greater friction, and the continued repeat of this insult causes damage to the region. These are major findings that Dr. Rooney has known and documented for years in scientific papers and in veterinary textbooks. (The earliest publication I have found was 1974!)

We've known for many years that horses can have serious caudal foot pain and no changes to the navicular bone. We've also known for many years that horses can have dramatic changes to the navicular bone, but show no lameness. Dr. Rooney proved and published that it was actually the unnatural toe-first movement (usually caused by avoiding heel pain) that causes navicular remodeling - not the other way around as most professionals thought. Understandably, Dr. Rooney is one of the most frustrated people I know of. Thousands of navicular horses have been needlessly destroyed since his groundbreaking research. He was just 40 years ahead of his time.]

This lost information goes neatly hand in hand with the newer research from Dr. Bowker. He has studied the back of the equine foot extensively. When a horse is born, all four feet are the same microscopically. Their development is incomplete; physical stimulation is supposed to finish the job.

The foundation of the front half of the foot is the coffin bone. The sole and hoof walls are rigidly attached to it, resulting in a firm structure to push from during locomotion. The lateral cartilages form the foundation of the rear half of the foot. This provides a yielding area to dissipate much of the initial impact energy - like the tires on your car. When a foal is born, the lateral cartilages are tiny, like the rest of the foot. They are less than 1/16 th-inch thick, and don't even extend across the bottom of the foot underneath the frog, yet. As the foot grows, expansion, flexion and twisting of the hoof capsule develops the lateral cartilages. By adulthood, feral horses have developed the lateral cartilages to almost an inch thick and a solid floor of cartilage has been formed between the frog corium and the digital cushion.

At the same time, the digital cushion is continuing to develop as well. The digital cushion is a very important nerve center in the foot. In fact, most of the proprioceptors in the foot lie within the digital cushion. When the foal is born, the digital cushion is comprised of fatty tissue, surrounding and cushioning these nerves. It offers the right amount of exposure so the nerves can "feel," but the right amount of protection so the lightweight foal doesn't feel pain when the back of the foot slams into the ground.

In domestication, however, we tend to keep foals on soft terrain. The hoof capsule can't twist and distort, so the development of the lateral cartilage falls behind. Then, in some circles, folks tend to shoe horses at two-years-old and ensure the hoof cannot twist and flex, effectively putting the brakes on the internal development completely. The result is very commonly, adult-sized hooves that still have lateral cartilages as thin as 1/8 th inch, rather than the natural inch they are supposed to have.

At the same time, the soft terrain we traditionally raise our foals on limits frog pressure. We also tend to provide for the foals every need, so they have little reason to move the twenty miles a day that is probably natural to the horse. We tend to neglect foal hooves; allowing the heels to grow long and over-protect the frogs, further reducing frog pressure throughout the growing foal's life.

The result is that very consistently, in domestic horses, the digital cushion development falls behind. The horse simply becomes too heavy for its current degree of caudal foot development. The back of the foot is too sensitive to be the "landing zone" it was supposed to be, so our horses start the pattern of loading the toes first to avoid the pain. This compensative movement then stops the development of the back of the foot in its tracks, whether the horse is bare or shod.

You can easily learn to recognize complete and incomplete digital cushion development by palpating with your fingertips. If you pick up a foot and press the area above the bulbs, between the lateral cartilages, you will find a much more firm, dense, usually thicker tissue in a well-developed digital cushion. The easiest way to develop this feel is to go around comparing the thickness and density of front and hind feet. If horses are raised outdorrs with room to move, hind digital cushions often develop much more completely because of, 1) the back end does so much more work than the front end, and 2) toe-first compensation is biomechanically far more difficult for a horse to do with the hind feet, so often the hind digital cushion development never falls behind the growing horse's natural weight gain. Pay particular attention to the different density and thickness on horses with beautiful, sound hind feet and poor front feet. These will teach you how to identify strong vs. weak digital cushions in the field.

Check out http://www.hoofrehab.com/A%20bovine%20model%20for%20equine%20digital%20cushion%20development.pdf

By the time many domestic horses are first ridden, the backs of their feet are practically useless, and cause pain on rocky terrain. This problem shows up worse in the front feet than the hinds. Most of us were taught that the horse has more problems on the front feet than the hinds, because 60% of the horse's weight and almost all the rider's weight is on the front feet. In a standing horse, this is true, but once the horse steps into motion, the back end does a far greater amount of work.

From the time our foals hit the ground, they are gloriously moving off their hindquarters during their spirited play. Very consistently, domestic horses thus develop the hind feet more completely. This is important to know. It is the only reason the hardest working feet on the horse (the hinds) have increased resistance to founder, navicular disease and just generally tend to be tougher and healthier. Not in spite of the fact the hinds do harder work than the fronts, but because of it!

So when we discuss the pathology behind navicular disease, we must understand that the real problem lies in the fact that most domestic horses are incapable of landing on their heels in soft footing and surely not in the rocky terrain they were born to roam. When a horse is sensitive on rocky terrain, most people blame the soles, but watch closely how they move. Almost every time they will shorten their stride, landing on their toes, and lean forward. They are keeping their sensitive frogs and underlying digital cushions out of harm's way. Dr. Bowker has established that the longer they try to move this way, the weaker the structures become.

Continued toe-first landing also stresses and tears the attachment of the impar ligament (the attachment of P3 and navicular bone). The navicular bone is a part of the articulating surface of the joint between P2 and P3. When the horse lands on its toes, the weight of the horse then slams back into the navicular bone as the heels rock down. This constantly tears away at the impar ligament. 80% of the blood supply to the navicular bone goes through the impar ligament. Bowker blames a loss of circulation through the impar ligament for many of the navicular bone changes (holes, a porous nature or lollipop lesions), as well as the attempts to repair this attachment leaving ossifications on P3 and the navicular bone.

Dr. Bowker has also found that one type of bone loss often diagnosed as navicular disease is the result of a of natural pressure (think of the bone loss suffered by astronauts during extended stays in space) in the region from continued toe-first landing, and Dr. Bowker is consistently finding much more damage to the coffin bone in navicular horses, with 40-60% loss of mass of P3 being common lack before any navicular remodeling begins. Specifically he blames peripheral loading, or loading the walls only without the aid of natural sole support and toe-first landings for this type of damage. Either situation robs P3 of the natural pressure it requires to maintain health, mass and function.

Although Dr. Rooney and Dr. Bowker have discovered differing causes of navicular bone changes, both are adamant that it is the result of long term toe-first landing or lack of use of the back of the foot. Wild horses of the high desert slam the back of the foot first into all terrain. Most of their domestic brothers jump with pain when a hoof pick is scraped along their frog or through the central sulcus and this should be starting to really scare the owner of such a horse.

In the past (and in many places the present as well, unfortunately) when a horse was pointing or landing toe-first with a shortened stride, navicular syndrome would be suspected. The nerves at the back of the foot would be blocked to see if this made the horse temporarily sound, or perhaps hoof testers would be used to check for pain along the heels and frogs. If it was confirmed that the back of the foot was in pain, radiographs were taken to check for changes to the navicular bone. If this was positive, navicular disease was diagnosed, and the choice given to the owner was to either put down the horse, or use orthopedic shoeing to squeeze another year or two out of the doomed horse. I see every day that weak digital cushions and thrushy frogs cause enough sensitivity to force a toe-first landing. Dr. Rooney and Dr. Bowker have established that favoring a toe-first landing causes the damage to the fibrocartilage of the navicular bone and the deep flexor tendon, and that the bone changes of true navicular disease occur later. In other words it is heel pain that causes navicular disease. I have personally seen that when the real problems causing pain for the horse are addressed, the presence of the navicular bone changes usually cause no pain for the horse (that is noticeable by us). It is sobering to think of all of the horses that may have been put down for deep central sulcus thrush .

When faced with this situation we are left with two options. First, we can cover up the problem with bar shoes and pads. Then when that stops working, begin the wedging-up process, ensuring that the frog never touches the ground. This would be just fine, if not for the destructive forces at work when we do this. For one, the more we protect the frog and digital cushion, the worse they will fall out of function - this is use it or lose it tissue. Masking the true problems by attacking symptoms will catch up to us every time in the end. Worse yet, by doing this we stop the natural expansion and hydraulic shock absorption. When we raise heels to protect the painful frogs, shock can't be properly absorbed by the suspensory apparatus either, and from a skeletal standpoint (which is what matters to the horse), a toe-first landing is being forced anyway (try running in high-heeled shoes or cowboy boots and you will see exactly what I mean).

Understand that all this talk of heel-first landings is about the natural alignment of the bones during locomotion, NOT the outer heel we see. If a horse's heels are artificially raised and they (heels) happen to hit the ground first, P3 may STILL be toe-first on impact and causing the same unnatural forces. All of this research can be summarized by saying that the long-held notion that raising the heels provides "slack" to the deep flexor tendon and thus decreases stress on the navicular bone, is untrue. While it may be true in the standing horse (for a week or two until the muscles adjust their tension), it works the opposite way for the horse in motion. A low heel, a short breakover, a healthy functioning hoof and a heel-first landing minimize stress to the deep flexor tendon and thus the navicular region.

The result of this unnatural movement and loss of natural energy dissipation, is the fact that most people (incorrectly) think that it is perfectly normal for horses to have joint or back problems, and just be plain old by the time they reach ten years of age. One of the big causes of this is the wear and tear we put on their bodies with the very unnatural, compensative movement we are talking about here.

I don't mind debating "shod versus barefoot" with people (Ha, I'm a boot and pad man anyway, and can debate the "barefooters" just as fiercely). An educated farrier can come up with plenty of compelling arguments for keeping horses shod and a spirited debate keeps my juices flowing. However, in light of modern research on hoof development and the old research on the causes of navicular pathology, I humbly think that veterinarians should step in and throw a raging fit if someone shoes a horse before the development of the internal structures of the foot is complete! At five-seven years old? Let's talk about it.

So what is the other option when faced with a navicular horse? Fix the real problems. This is done by bringing the frogs and the digital cushions back into work (I hope no one will try to learn to trim from this article alone). The sole of the horse must be left alone while the heels are gradually brought down to increase frog pressure as the horse can stand it. This is like walking a tightrope. If you go too slowly, you will make no progress. If you do it too fast, the horse will be over-sensitive at the back of the foot and walk on his toes anyway, and you will make no progress (read ). Skill at walking this tightrope separates the masters from the hackers in hoof trimming. Avoid trimming the frog, other than removing any tissue already shedding or destroyed by fungal or bacterial infection (read Heel Height: The Deciding Factor on www.hoofrehab.com on http://www.hoofrehab.com/FrogTrim.html and http://www.hoofrehab.com/Thrush.html ). The frog should be allowed to pack into dense callous just like the sole. Keep breakover back where it should be, relative to the coffin bone (read www.hoofrehab.com).

Do everything you can to dry up the situation for the horse. Well-scraped paddocks and stalls or paddocks with deep pea gravel should be provided as all or part of the horse's daily routine if you live in a wet region. It is surprisingly cheap and easy to maintain. (Dr. Bowker takes it a step farther and says, "You must bed your horse on the surface you wish to ride," but he is in a position to be a bit bolder than I, isn't he?) Allow plenty of free-roaming exercise with other horses and ride often on terrain the horse can currently land heel-first in. Use hoof boots with padded insoles for riding when terrain forces a toe-first landing or causes tenderness. The rest of the time, let the horse be barefoot. The ground and the correct movement will strengthen the back of the foot.

Often, horses with reduced health of the frogs and digital cushions will show lameness and/or a voluntary toe-first landing on all terrain, and even in hoof boots or metal shoes. I have found that by adding foam padding inside the boot under the frog, the horses immediately move comfortably and correctly. Since the boot alone very effectively relieves pressure on the frogs and the addition of the pad dramatically increases pressure to the region, I can only assume that the original pain is being caused by vibration, rather than pinpoint pressure. Perhaps vibration dampening is an important purpose of the frog and digital cushions and the pad artificially imitates this effect. The horses described here make very dramatic healing progress when exercised often in this setup.

I use Easycare Epic boots for this, and cut neoprene saddle pads for the padding. (A new pad - Easycare Comfort Pads - will be available from Easycare by Jan '06 that lasts much longer than the saddle pads. They will come in two thicknessess and three densities) If the boot is a perfect fit for the horse, I cut a frog shaped triangular wedge, tape it in place on the foot with a single piece of duct tape, then put the boot on. If the boot is a bit too large for the horse, I cut the pad to fit the entire bottom of the boot and use it as an insole. This creates a right and left boot, though, and they should be marked accordingly.

You can play around with different pad combinations and almost always find a combination that makes these horses comfortable when nothing else will. Miles of exercise in this setup will develop the inner structures faster than any method I know of and get you on the horse when nothing else will work (Please read the article http://www.hoofrehab.com/BootArticle.htm on www.hoofrehab.com for more detailed descriptions and pictures).

Added in 2017: Also read http://www.hoofrehab.com/GloveMod.html for my current booting and shoeing protocols.

Very quickly, the frogs, lateral cartilages, and digital cushions gain volume and strength, and will toughen up -- the horse will get more comfortable. If there is navicular bone damage it will remain there long after the horse appears comfortable, but the horse probably won't be particularly bothered by it. Some say the damage can be repaired over time by the body, but no one seems to care when the horse feels better, so I've never heard of anyone proving or documenting this.

Dr. Rooney still maintains that once the bone damage of true navicular disease begins, it is irreversible. I, on the other hand have seen these horses returned to use and apparent happiness with my own eyes with consistency. As we bounced this disagreement back and forth I was starting to think we were going to have to "agree to disagree." Then I realized that I (the farrier in the field, just looking for comfort and happiness for the horse) and Dr. Rooney (the pathologist) were talking about two different things. I use myself as an example. I got in the wrong car one night as a teenager and earned three vertebrae in my lower back that are now fused into one mass by surgeons. My wrists are permanently damaged from hanging by my fingertips during my rock climbing days. Dirt bikes claimed my shoulders. Daily runs in a dry river gorge got my knees. Would it be possible to make me clinically sound? No. My radiographs will always reveal the errors of my past and a good flexion test would probably cripple me for three days. I'm very happy though, and I perform one of the most physically demanding jobs known to man every day with a big smile on my face. That's good enough for me and probably for most navicular horses as well.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0737080613006370

Also, watch Dr. Taylor's caudal foot video:

Read Dr. Taylor's chapters in https://www.dropbox.com/s/khafirre7t1l96d/Is%20the%20Hoof%20Smart%20Adaptability%20of%20the%20Equine%20Foot.mp4?dl=0 http://www.hoofrehabstore.com/care-and-rehab-of-the-equine-foot/

Digital Cushion Development Bovine Study http://www.hoofrehab.com/A%20bovine%20model%20for%20equine%20digital%20cushion%20development.pdf

Predicting lateral cartilage and digital cushion mass and density file:///C:/Users/allyc/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Microsoft%20Expression%20Web%204/LeahGuidrySummer2013Poster.pdf

Increasing mass of P2 and P3 http://www.hoofrehab.com/P2%20and%20P3%20development.pdf

Aunurn University Navicular Studies http://www.hoofrehab.com/NavStudy.html

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Most veterinarians define Navicular Disease as the presentation of heel pain (also called caudal foot pain) combined with radiographic changes to the navicular bone. If the horse has caudal foot pain but navicular bone remodeling is visible on radiographs, they tend to call it Navicular Syndrome] One of the most mind boggling areas of hoof pathology for a farrier to attempt to research is navicular disease/syndrome.

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pdfy i skany

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dlaczego bez wędzidła koniom lepiej

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Bit-free

Despite overwhelming proof that horses can be ridden and driven bit-free, riders and drivers who enjoy competitive sports are widely prevented from making this choice for themselves and their horses because relatively few of the disciplines' equipment rules allow 'bitless' bridles.

A growing number of groups are lobbying sport's governing bodies, urging them to update their rules, but instead of widening the choice, certain disciplines are introducing bans on bitless bridles. Most recently, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) has banned all types of bitless bridles for the cross country phase in eventing.

Dr Robert Cook has - for at least three decades - been publishing mounting evidence in support of the concept that bit-free riding is a gateway to both, improved safety and performance. A British-born veterinarian and currently a Professor Emeritus at Tufts University in Massachusetts, USA, Dr Cook has been researching the equine ear, nose and throat since 1958.

Here are Dr Cook's compelling reasons why all horse sports should allow riders to remove the bit from the horse's mouth - particularly for disciplines like eventing and racing - where the horse's very survival depends on a fully functioning respiratory system.
This article, in its full illustrated form, features in the November-December 2019 issue of Horses and People Magazine.
Let's clear the air for the horse

Bitting a horse about to run is akin to muzzling a horse about to eat.

The horse's throat is a crossroads for its respiratory and digestive tracts. It serves two functions, breathing and swallowing. At liberty, the horse activates these on an either/or basis. He cannot do both at the same time.

In the wild, a horse runs with his mouth closed, lips sealed and neck outstretched. Look closely at the images in this article, then verify for yourself by conducting an internet search for 'wild horses running.'

A horse can only breathe through the nose

When horses are running, even a partial activation of their digestive tract interferes with their ability to breathe.

While humans have the option to breathe through both nose and mouth, a horse is an obligate nose-breather and cannot mouth-breathe.

The horse has a long soft palate and the tail-end of the palate has an elastic-sided button-hole that, when breathing deeply, fastens the palate firmly to the 'button' of the windpipe, i.e., the voice-box or larynx (see Image A below).

In addition, immediately before starting to run, a horse will close his lips and swallow. This serves the essential purpose of switching his physiological status from a digestive mode to an exclusively respiratory mode.

Closing the lips and swallowing creates a negative pressure in the oropharynx which holds the soft palate firmly in apposition with what should be an immobile root of tongue and an equally stable voice box.

This air-tight seal is one of three critical conditions that horses need for running, the other two being freedom of the head and freedom from pain.

Even if, when preparing to run, a bitted horse succeeds in creating a partial vacuum in its mouth, once in motion the slightest bit pressure breaks the lip seal, allowing air to enter the oral cavity which dissipates the vacuum.

"The horse's throat serves two functions, breathing and swallowing on an either/or basis. They cannot do both at the same time"

It only takes a pin-hole to do this, so the puncture may not be visible, i.e., a 'gaping' of the mouth is not necessary. Without the vacuum, a horse begins to suffocate. The soft palate elevates ('blows and balloons') like a blanket in the wind at each intake of breath, obstructing the throat airway (nasopharynx). He may be able to correct the problem with a swallow but, with the bit 'unswallowed', this can only be a temporary solution.

A bit obstructs the airway, causes turbulent airflow, and increases the work of breathing in three other ways. First, bit-induced pain enables a rider, using rein tension, to prevent a horse from stretching out its head and neck at the gallop (e.g., as when a bit-handicapped racehorse is 'rated'). Poll flexion constricts the airway. Secondly, a bit stimulates copious salivation and swallowing, which interrupts breathing. Some saliva may be inhaled, causing respiratory distress. A running horse should have a dry mouth. Thirdly, bit-induced movement of the tongue and jaw disturbs airflow.

In the racehorse particularly, but not exclusively, death can follow from a cascade of consequences, namely, asphyxia, 'waterlogging of the lung' (i.e., negative pressure pulmonary oedema (exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage or 'bleeding') and, ultimately, heart failure.

Asphyxia leads to premature fatigue, exhaustion, stumbles, breakdowns, falls and fractures. In racing parlance it is all too familiar and known as 'choking down' or 'swallowing the tongue'. Chest pain and a sense of drowning (as with pulmonary edema in man), is incompatible with peak performance. After the sudden death of a racehorse, a racing jurisdiction's statement for the public often includes the explanation 'heart failure.' Yet primary heart disease is rare in the horse as a species and unlikely in a young horse.

The benefits of an unrestricted and functioning tongue

A horse probably breathes better through his nose, as we do, by placing his tongue against the roof of the mouth (try this for yourself). If a bitted horse wants to do this, he must first put his tongue over the bit. But by so doing, he deprives his rider of a rein-aid.

The 'tongue-over-bit' problem is also prompted by tongue pain. When squashed by the bit, the tongue spreads sideways and gets pinched between the bit and the bars of the mouth, the top edges of which are almost as sharp as a knife; in effect, he 'bites' his tongue (an exquisitely sensitive organ). To avoid this, a horse retracts his tongue behind the bit, which now obstructs his airway, so finally, he puts it over the bit.

The horse's tongue, like our own, has the physical property of a muscular hydrostat. At physiological pressures, water is incompressible. Muscle being mainly water, the tongue acts like a water-filled bag. A decrease in volume in any one part of the tongue results in an equivalent increase in some other part.

Accordingly, a muscular shortening of the tongue's tip results in an upward bulging of the tongue's root. This elevates the soft palate and narrows the throat airway. Finding it difficult to breathe, the horse will now extend the tongue forward; once more into 'tongue-over-bit'.

This is still not a satisfactory solution because now the bit presses directly on bone, the bars of the mouth. The pain may be severe but he must breathe. Faced with a choice between suffocation or pain, he will choose to "draw his breath in pain" at least for a while.

There is, of course, the possibility that persistent pain will invoke his 'fight and flight' response, hence rearing/bucking and blind-panic bolting. Accidents on the racetrack and elsewhere may be caused by an uncontrollable horse that is no longer fully conscious.

It is safer

Horses can be ridden bit-free and with pain-free rein-aids. Not once (in 20 years), has my attention been drawn to a horse-related accident that can be directly attributed to the horse being bit-free.

For riders to communicate successfully with their horses it is vital to avoid inflicting pain. A horse in pain cannot 'listen' to a rider's cues and is slow to learn. Horses express their discomfort with body language that is often - and unreasonably - labeled as a flaw in their character, e.g., "my horse is ..." - uncooperative, bossy, argumentative, hard-mouthed, highly-strung, spooky, etc.

Some horses are characterized as being excitable and 'too forward'; others exhibiting learned helplessness are blamed for being 'lazy, sluggish and poor performers'. Head tossing in some respects seems to be the horse equivalent of our grimace reflex.

When it comes to working at high speeds and performing at or close to the upper limits of its athleticism, any obstruction of the airway can add suffocation, a sense of drowning, fear and panic.

In this way, the bit is not the safer option but a cause of accidents and a handicap to performance. The good news is that bits are also unnecessary for horse-rider communication and easy to remove.

Bit-free benefits

The benefits of removing the bit start on day one and bring life-enhancing change for both horse and rider. It solves multitudinous horsemanship problems, many of them resulting in accidents that are potentially fatal.

A study of 69 'unwanted' (pain-induced) behaviours in 66 horses, showed that removal of the bit reduced the pain indices in the population from 1575 to 208, a reduction of 87%.1 Thus, a bit appears to be a gratuitous handicap to both, horse and rider.

In a long-term study, stumbling was a behavioural sign in a third of 66 bitted horses. By removing the bit, its prevalence was reduced by 68%.2 In the same group, none of which were racehorses, fear was a sign recognized in over two thirds. Removal of the bit reduced its prevalence by 87%.

Let's update the rules

The early rules for flat racing were drawn-up over 300 years ago when the fact that the horse is an obligatory nose- breather was unrecognized.

Most of the competitive disciplines that have been developed since then, from dressage to Pony Club, followed racing's example and mandated the bit.

Currently, the bit is mandated for most disciplines worldwide. But since 1999, when the first peer-reviewed study of the bit was published, a burgeoning body of research has found no evidence to justify its use and compelling evidence of the harm it causes.

The research has ushered in a paradigm change for the horse world by a pioneering phalanx of riders. In the last twenty years, hundreds of thousands of riders, worldwide, have chosen to switch their horses from bit to bit-free.

These riders stand witness to the beneficial changes both they and their horses have experienced. This natural experiment, conducted by riders of all ages and expertise; with horses of all types, age and breed; in most disciplines; and under a wide range of environmental conditions, represents a proof of concept.

"Once the rules are updated, bit-free horses are likely to outperform bitted horses"

Today, riders have the choice of many different designs of bit-free bridles. As yet, only one national federation has updated its rules to allow bit-free dressage competition. Three rousing cheers for The Netherlands.

In racing, the mandatory-bit rule seems ubiquitous, though Poland and Germany may be exceptions.

In my opinion, it is time for bit-free riding to be allowed in all disciplines. Racing, for example, has nothing to lose and much to gain. For too long, mankind has perpetuated a Bronze Age mistake. I regard the bit as the item of equipment most likely to be the cause sudden death in horses.

There is no need to ban the bit

A radical improvement in equine welfare and rider safety will be achieved in all horse sports by an update of the rules making bit use optional.

Once this is done, as bit-free horses are likely to outperform bitted horses, bits will quietly disappear. In racing, the prevalence of pain-induced behavior, soft palate suffocation, 'bleeding,' catastrophic breakdowns, and sudden death will, I predict, decline.

This is your horse's advice:

"If you want me to behave, don't hurt me. If you want me to perform well, don't put a bit in my mouth. A bit can be the death of me."

This article, in its full illustrated form, features in the November-December 2019 issue of Horses and People Magazine.
Try this breathing exercise

Although human and horse anatomy and physiology are different, the following exercise is a useful way to understand the plight of horses when they are trying to breathe deeply. Try it for yourself!

The breathing test is an excerpt of the article by Dr Cook titled: Man Bites Horse, published in Weltexpress, September 2019.

1. Breathe deeply, in and out through your mouth, as when exercising. Ask yourself, am I - when mouth-breathing - also moving air in and out of my nose?
[I can anticipate that your answer will be - 'No']
Continue to breathe deeply, but now breathe in and out through your nose.
[What changes did you make in order to do this? Again, I anticipate you will have closed your mouth and firmly sealed your lips. Did you make any other change?]
2. Try again and take note.
[You now realize that in addition to sealing your lips, you instinctively placed your tongue firmly against the roof of your mouth. It's as though the digestive tract has to be closed with a double lock; lips and tongue].
3. Repeat the step again and ask yourself if you make any other changes when you switch from mouth to nose-breathing.

[You may now realise you flare your nostrils, elevate and stretch your lips].

Continue to breathe deeply and see if you can nose-breathe with your lips sealed but with the tip of your tongue on the floor of your mouth
[What was the sensation that made you aware that it was a little more difficult to breathe? My guess is that, at each intake of air, you will have sensed a partial closure of the airway in your throat]
4. Continue breathing deeply but open your mouth, keeping your tongue on the floor of the mouth. Try to flare your nostrils.
[Note that in order to flare your nostrils a conscious effort is needed and it is quite difficult. Even when your nostrils are flared, nose-breathing still does not occur].
5. Keeping your mouth open, now breathe deeply with your tongue against the roof of your mouth
[This allowed you to nose-breathe. But did you notice a tendency for your nostrils to collapse at each intake of breath?]
References

Cook, W.R. and Kibler, M.L (2018): Behavioural assessment of pain in 66 horses, with and without a bit. Equine Veterinary Education. https://doi.org/10.1111/eve.12916

Cook, W.R. (2019). Horsemanship's 'elephant-in-the-room' - The bit as a cause of unsolved problems affecting both horse and rider. https://bit.ly/33ropDS

Mellor, D.J. and Beausoleil, N.J. (2017): Equine welfare during exercise: An evaluation of breathing, breathlessness and bridles. Animals. 7, 41 http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/7/6/41

Mellor, D.J. (2019a): Equine welfare during exercise. Do we have a bit of a problem? https://bit.ly/2B5Ob4l

This article was published in Horses and People Magazine November-December 2019 magazine.

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Clearing the Air on the Bit-free Debate | Horses and People

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Bit-free Despite overwhelming proof that horses can be ridden and driven bit-free, riders and drivers who enjoy competitive sports are widely prevented from making this choice for themselves and their horses because relatively few of the disciplines' equipment rules allow 'bitless' bridles.

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peter ramey ada majocha

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latem grubną, zimną chudną a na przednówku to już w ogóle chude szczapy a w lipcu to bambaryły. Takie one są, te wolne konie. Artykuł by Joanna Smulska Złoty Koń

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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trening konia i jeźdźca w aspekcie zdrowia i dobrostanu obojga

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Instytut Jazdy Konnej powstał, aby wspierać jeźdźców w aspekcie pracy nad własnym zdrowiem oraz dobrostanem koni. Poprzez pomoc w osiągnięciu fizjologicznej sprawności fizycznej, tworzymy podstawę do rozwoju w pełnym zakresie możliwości jeźdźca i konia, niezależnie od dyscypliny czy poziomu.

Prawdziwy progres jest możliwy, kiedy jeździec i koń czują się dobrze we własnym ciele, a żaden dyskomfort nie zakłóca pozytywnego procesu budowania coraz większej harmonii.

Pracując z wiodącymi naukowcami i praktykami na świecie tworzymy kolejny krok w zrozumieniu człowieka w kontekście konia, oraz konia w kontekście człowieka i środowiska.

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Biomechanika Jeźdźca | Instytut Jazdy Konnej | Szkolenie dosiadu

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Instytut Jazdy Konnej powstał, aby wspierać jeźdźców w aspekcie pracy nad własnym zdrowiem oraz dobrostanem koni. Poprzez pomoc w osiągnięciu fizjologicznej sprawności fizycznej, tworzymy podstawę do rozwoju w pełnym zakresie możliwości jeźdźca i konia, niezależnie od dyscypliny czy poziomu.

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Dlaczego śnieg topnieje, gdy spadnie na ludzką skórę a nie topnieje, gdy spadnie na konie? Dlaczego psy potrzebują się schronić w mroźne dni w pomieszczeniu a konie nie?
Na te oraz inne pytania  o konie w zimie można zaleźć odpowiedzi w poniższym filmiku

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zebrane przez Joanna Smulska Złoty koń (fp)

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KONIE ZIMĄ – CO TRZEBA WIEDZIEĆ:
1) konie lepiej znoszą zimno, niż gorąco
2) konie są przystosowane do znoszenia mrozów
3) zimowa sierść koni, jej natłuszczenie oraz warstwa tłuszczu podskórnego...

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British Horse Society

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January 2021

How Horses Naturally Keep Warm

It can be really tempting to rug our horses to keep them cosy, especially when we feel cold ourselves, but as horses will naturally grow a thick winter coat, it is important to assess whether rugging is truly necessary. Horses aim to keep their central (core) temperature around 38°C, no matter what the environmental conditions are; this is known as thermoregulation.

Horses feel cold or hot when the air temperature falls below 0°C or rises above 25°C ¹, ² (although this temperature range can vary slightly from horse to horse, being dependent on age, breed, feeding regime, and body condition). When the temperature is within this range (known as the thermoneutral zone), horses can warm themselves up and cool themselves down using little to no additional energy.

When the air temperature drops below 0°C, the horse must produce more heat which may be done through several ways:

Self-protection: Horses will naturally turn their backs on wind and rain to protect themselves in poor weather. If in a group environment, they will also huddle closely to share their warmth.

Natural shelter: Thick hedges and tree lines make great forms of natural shelter, or they may have access to a field shelter. Horses are more likely to feel the cold through a combination of persistent wind and rain. In these circumstances, having a good source of shelter will provide the most protection and help the horse stay warm.

Natural insulation: Horses lose very little body heat through the air as their coat hairs stand on end, trapping heat and creating a layer of insulating body heat. You may have noticed horses with unmelted frost or snow on their backs, the reason this doesn't melt is because the horse's winter coat works by insulating them and not letting the heat escape.

Forage: Eating forage consistently throughout the day helps to keep the horse warm, acting as an in-built heating system by creating heat as the fibre is broken down in the digestive system.

Increasing metabolic rate: Horses will use more energy to keep themselves warm. This is a natural process throughout winter and allows any excess weight gained through the summer months to drop off as nature intended.

To rug or not to rug?

When considering rugging your horse, it is important to never make this decision based on how you feel. Horses don't feel the cold like we do and naturally grow a thick coat in winter to keep them warm. Their coat also produces natural oils to help keep them waterproof. Many horses, especially breeds such as the native pony and cob types, can adapt well to winter weather and easily cope without a rug when they have adequate forage and access to shelter.

Inappropriate rugging may cause the horse to sweat, resulting in irritation and rubbing and will prevent sunlight reaching the horse's skin, limiting the production of vitamin D ². A deficiency can lead to reduced bone strength, however an hour a day exposure without a rug in bright, dry conditions, should be sufficient in minimising this risk.

Horses naturally lose weight during the winter months, but we can override this process by feeding them too much and over-rugging. This can result in the horse putting on excess weight all year round, which is worrying as weight gain more than doubles the risk of laminitis. Not rugging an overweight horse will help them lose weight naturally and help them avoid weight gain over winter.

Try not to overgroom un-rugged horses as this may strip the coat of the natural oils and reduce its waterproofing abilities. If ridden, ensure any mud is removed from the areas where the tack is fitted to prevent rubbing and discomfort.

There are times where rugging may be necessary. Horses which are more likely to require a rug for additional warmth in bad weather include:

Breeds that tend to have a naturally thinner winter coat such as a Thoroughbred or Arab

Underweight horses as this will prevent them increasing their metabolic rate and using more energy to keep warm, leading to further weight loss

Fully clipped horses are unable to use their coat for natural insolation, as clipped hair cannot stand on end and trap heat to create a layer of insulating body heat. It is therefore important we compensate this my providing an appropriate rug

Old or ill horses typically have more difficulty regulating their body heat meaning the use of an appropriate rug will benefit them in the colder weather. Some older horses may also have difficulty maintaining their weight and experience an arthritic flare up from the cold and damp, which reduces movement and reduces the creation of body heat.

How to Fit a Rug

If rugging your horse, it is vital that the rug fits correctly to limit any chance of rubbing or soreness. If we wear a pair of shoes that don't fit correctly, they can become very uncomfortable, starting to rub and create sores - it is very similar for our horses and their rugs! Watch our video below on how to correctly fit your horse's rug.

Implications of Ill-Fitting Rugs

If your horse wears a rug it is important to remove it daily so you can check for signs of rubbing or soreness and then refit or change as necessary. An ill-fitting rug or one left on for too long without checking may cause discomfort or even start to rub and cause injury as shown in the image below.

Further Information

1. Mejdell, C.M. Boe, K. E. & Jorgenson, G.H.M. (2020) Caring for the horse in a cold climate-Reviewing principles for thermoregulation and horse preferences. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. Vol 231.
2. David Marlin -The Science of Rugging. Available from: https://davidmarlin.co.uk/portfolio/the-science-of-rugging-horses-what-to-use-when/

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It can be really tempting to rug our horses to keep them cosy, especially when we feel cold ourselves, but as horses will naturally grow a thick winter coat, it is important to assess whether rugging is truly necessary. Horses aim to keep their central (core) temperature around 38°C, no matter what the environmental conditions are; this is known as thermoregulation.

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wiedza w oparciu o badania

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Wiatr, słońce, deszcz, śnieg - dzikie konie radzą sobie przy każdej pogodzie. Natura wyposażyła je w mechanizm termoregulacji, związany z anatomią, fizjologią i reakcjami behawioralnymi. Aby go uruchomić, udomowiony koń musi mieć ruch i dostęp do jedzenia 24 h / na dobę. Musi móc prowadzić życie stadne i mieć schronienie, z którego może skorzystać. Jak działa mechanizm termoregulacji koni? Jak go zaburzamy? Czy derka dla konia zimą to konieczność? Przeczytaj artykuł!

Prawidłowa temperatura ciała konia a wahania temperatury na dworze

Temperatura u zdrowego konia powinna utrzymywać się mniej więcej na tym samym poziomie i wynosić ok. 38ºC. Źrebięta, młode konie i klacze podczas laktacji mogą mieć nieco podwyższoną temperaturę ciała (Hines, 2004). Jeśli temperatura ciała konia jest za wysoka lub za niska, reakcje chemiczne są nieprawidłowe. Może to spowodować chorobę lub śmierć zwierzęcia. W ciągu tysięcy lat dzikie konie zasiedliły tereny na całym świecie. Bez względu na to, gdzie dziś obecnie żyją, są narażone na ciągłe wahania temperatury, które wynikają:

ze zmian rytmu dobowego - dzień i noc

ze zmian pór roku.

Konie cały czas są wystawione na czynniki środowiskowe. Są to:

Nie szukają jednak nie szukają schronienia w miejscach przypominających wybudowane przez człowieka stajnie. Derki dla konia, ani też derki dla kuca nie są znane zwierzętom żyjącym w naturze. Dzikie konie radzą sobie przy każdej pogodzie. Konie udomowione, które żyją w warunkach zbliżonych do naturalnych, również. Jak to możliwe?

Czy koń marznie?

Ciepło w organizmie konia jest produktem ubocznym przemiany materii. Zdrowe zwierzę dysponuje skutecznymi źródłami ciepła płynącego z przemian metabolicznych (Bitego, 2007; Becelo, 2007). Natura wyposażyła konie również w mechanizm termoregulacyjny zapobiegający utracie ciepła podczas zimowych miesięcy - jest on powiązany z:

anatomią

fizjologią

reakcjami behawioralnymi koniowatych.

Udomowione konie mogą go uruchomić i wykorzystywać tylko wtedy, gdy zapewnimy im warunki bytowe zbliżone do naturalnych.

Naturalne potrzeby koni

Udomowione konie mają te same potrzeby i taki sam mechanizm umożliwiający przetrwanie, jak dzikie konie. Koń potrzebuje od człowieka zapewnienia mu takich warunków życia, które zaprojektowała dla niego natura. Są to:

padokowanie koni - możliwość ruchu 24 godziny na dobę

dostęp do jedzenia 24 godziny na dobę

życie stadne koni

odpowiedni kształt kopyt

schronienie, z którego może korzystać wedle własnego uznania.

Jeśli weźmiemy pod uwagę potrzeby koni, będą mogły wykorzystać mechanizm termoregulacji. Często jednak wpadamy w pułapkę antropomorfizacji. Jej efektem jest:

zamykanie koni w stajniach

zmiana systemu żywienia na „ludzki" (śniadanie, obiad, kolacja)

derkowanie koni

golenie koni

podkuwanie

i in.

Jak działa mechanizm termoregulacji u koni?

Mechanizm termoregulacyjny koni składa się z kilku elementów. Powodują one, że koń nie marznie w niskich temperaturach. Są to:

1. Skóra - jest dość gruba i działa jak warstwa ochronna

2. Sierść - zimowa i letnia, zapewniająca izolację

3. Mechanizm stroszenia włosa - izolacja od chłodu, wiatru i wilgoci

4. Warstwa sebum na skórze konia - izolacja od chłodu, deszczu, śniegu

5. Tętnice w skórze konia - ich praca zapobiega nadmiernej utracie ciepła

6. Gruczoły potowe i mięśnie prostowniki włosa - regulują utratę ciepła

7. Tkanka tłuszczowa - stanowi warstwę izolacyjną

8. Grubsza i dłuższa sierść u koni różnych ras - futro grzeje!

9. Dostęp do siana 24 godziny na dobę - zapewnia stałą produkcję ciepła

10. Mniejsza aktywność ruchowa u koni zimą - ograniczenie strat ciepła

11. Konie na padoku - ustawienie względem siebie

12. Ustawianie się koni do słońca

Skóra i sierść stanowią warstwę izolacyjną zapobiegającą utracie ciepła. Ważna jest również praca mięśni, gdyż dzięki niej produkowane jest ciepło. Dlatego koniom łatwiej jest rozgrzać się w zimne dni niż schłodzić się podczas upału lub po intensywnym treningu. Skóra konia chroni jego ciało przed gwałtownymi wahaniami temperatury zewnętrznej i zapobiega utracie ciepła przez organizm. Pełni także funkcję elementu rozprowadzającego wewnętrzne ciepło wytworzone na skutek działania mięśni, co zapobiega przegrzaniu organizmu. Stopień izolacji, jaki zapewnia organizmowi konia sierść, zależy od:

grubości włosa

prędkości wiatru

temperatury

wilgotności powietrza (Ousey 1992).

Oprócz zjawiska fotoperiodyzmu na wzrost sierści u koni ma także wpływ temperatura otoczenia. Konie mające tę samą budowę ciała i żywione taką samą ilością paszy, żyjące w regionach o zimniejszym klimacie mają grubszą i dłuższą sierść niż takie same konie zamieszkujące cieplejsze miejsca. Długość i grubość włosa zależy także od rasy konia oraz od jakości i ilości pożywienia.

Oprócz wykorzystania pokrywy włosowej jako warstwy izolacyjnej, koń może regulować stopień izolacji termicznej poprzez mechanizm zwany stroszeniem włosa. Polega on na:

Włosy na skórze konia pokryte są warstwą oleistej substancji, dzięki której skóra nie zostaje przemoczona podczas opadów deszczu lub śniegu. Sierść stanowi warstwę nieprzepuszczającą wody właśnie dzięki tej oleistej substancji - woda spływa, nie wsiąkając we włosy. Dlatego im dłuższe futro, tym mniejsza szansa na przemoczenie skóry. Poprzez regularne czyszczenie sierści konia usuwamy tę substancję, tym samym niszcząc wodoszczelne właściwości okrywy włosowej. Konie, które tarzają się w błocie, również robią to po to, aby zapewnić ochronę swemu ciału. Należy dodać, że golenie koni jest szkodliwe, gdyż całkowicie niszczy mechanizm termoregulacji.

Naczynia krwionośne na skutek skurczów mięśni mogą rozszerzać się lub zwężać, regulując dopływ krwi do skóry. Zwężenie naczyń zapobiega utracie ciepła z organizmu, gdyż zredukowana zostaje ilość ciepłej krwi dopływającej do powierzchni skóry. Rozszerzenie naczyń krwionośnych powoduje, że większa ilość krwi płynącej z rozgrzanego organizmu może dotrzeć do powierzchni skóry. Dzięki temu następuje jej ochłodzenie. Ochłodzona w ten sposób krew wraca do wnętrza ciała i obniża temperaturę ciała zwierzęcia.

Omawiając mechanizm ochładzania ciała, należy wspomnieć o gruczołach potowych, które działają na skutek ruchu mięśni. Koń wykorzystuje gruczoły potowe, by schłodzić ciało, kiedy temperatura wewnątrz organizmu lub temperatura otoczenia jest za wysoka. Kiedy temperatura na zewnątrz jest zbyt wysoka, by powietrze mogło ochłodzić krew płynącą w naczyniach krwionośnych skóry, wtedy gruczoły potowe wydzielają pot. Kiedy pot paruje, ochładza tym samym powierzchnię skóry i przebiegające w niej naczynia krwionośne. W ten sposób ochłodzona krew dostaje się do wnętrza organizmu, co pomaga obniżyć temperaturę ciała zwierzęcia nawet wtedy, gdy na zewnątrz jest gorąco. Koń przestaje się pocić, gdy tylko jego ciało uzyskuje odpowiednią temperaturę. Potem musi szybko wyschnąć - w przeciwnym razie proces schładzania będzie trwał nadal i temperatura spadnie poniżej normy. Właśnie z tego powodu spocony koń zazwyczaj szuka przewiewnego miejsca. Za pomocą mięśni prostownika włosa podnosi i przekręca włosy w różnych kierunkach, aby w ten sposób szybciej je wysuszyć i tym samym uniknąć wychłodzenia. (Ten mechanizm wyjaśnia, dlaczego derka dla konia polarowa - nie jest konieczna -przyp. tłum.).

Zwiększony pobór paszy powoduje wzrost temperatury ciała konia, ponieważ efektem procesu trawienia włókien jest produkcja ciepła. Ważne jest zatem, aby zimą udomowione konie miały stały dostęp do siana (24 h na dobę). Pobierając większą ilość pokarmu, mogą ogrzać organizm, szczególnie w sytuacji, gdy inne elementy mechanizmu termoregulacji nie są jeszcze gotowe na gwałtowne wahania temperatury. Dodatkowe zapotrzebowanie na paszę nazywamy „klimatycznym wymogiem energetycznym" (MacCormak i Bruce, 1991). Zaobserwowano, że konie potrzebują około 0.2 do 2.5% więcej energii na każdy 1 stopień Celsjusza temperatury, która spada poniżej normy krytycznej (norma krytyczna jest wskaźnikiem indywidualnym dla każdego konia lub grupy koni w różnych porach roku i zależy od wielu czynników zewnętrznych i termoregulacyjnych (Young Coote 1973; McBride 1985; Cymaluk 1989a; Cymbaluk, 1990). Mniejsze konie mają wyższy próg temperatury krytycznej i potrzebują więcej dodatkowej paszy. Spowodowane jest to faktem, że u takich koni następuje relatywnie szybszy spadek temperatury niż u koni większych rozmiarów. Mniejsze konie tracą więcej ciepła niż zwierzęta większych ras, dlatego powinny dostawać zimą więcej paszy. Dla wyjaśnienia - im wyższy jest wskaźnik niskiej temperatury krytycznej, tym więcej ciepła traci organizm konia. Konie małych ras tracą więcej ciepła w takich samych warunkach pogodowych niż konie ras większych. Im niższy próg temperatury krytycznej, tym większa utrata ciepła, a zatem konie większych ras mniej marzną podczas mrozów.

Zauważono, że dzikie konie ograniczają zimą aktywność ruchową w porównaniu do ilości ruchu jakiej zażywają latem (Duncan 1980; Berger 1999; Arnold 2006). Ograniczenie ruchu zimą obserwowano każdego roku i było ono związane ze spadkiem temperatury, a co za tym idzie - z obniżeniem produkcji wewnętrznego ciepła i wydatkowania energii (Arnold, 2006). Jest to mechanizm adaptacyjny, który pomaga dzikim koniom znosić trudy zimy. Podobne ograniczenie aktywności ruchowej obserwuje się u koni udomowionych żyjących w warunkach zbliżonych do naturalnych. Ponieważ konie udomowione nie muszą, w odróżnieniu od koni dzikich, poszukiwać żywności, to ograniczenie aktywności ruchowej ma najwyraźniej na celu ograniczenie spalania energii w niskich temperaturach. Jest to zatem normalne zjawisko związane z rytmem pór roku. Oznacza także, że zimą nie powinno się zmuszać koni do intensywnego treningu. Podczas wielkich mrozów lub złej pogody u koni obserwuje się niekiedy przejściowy niepokój i wzmożoną aktywność. Zwierzęta zachowują się tak, dopóki ich mechanizm termoregulacji nie przystosuje się do nowych warunków pogodowych.

Czasami można zaobserwować konie stojące albo leżące bardzo blisko siebie. W ten sposób zwierzęta ograniczają utratę ciepła - stając blisko siebie, zmniejszają powierzchnię ciała, na którą działają czynniki zewnętrzne (Bligh, 1998). Dzięki temu konie, które z jakiś powodów nie potrafią wygenerować odpowiedniej temperatury do ogrzania swojego ciała, mogą korzystać z ciepła, które promieniuje z ciała towarzysza.

Zmieniając pozycję ciała i sposób ustawienia się do słońca, koń może pobierać więcej lub mniej energii słonecznej. Stanowi ona dla niego kolejne źródło ciepła. Często można zaobserwować, że konie przedkładają kąpiele słoneczne nad jedzenie. W ten sposób korzystają ze słońca w krótkie zimowe dni, a po zachodzie wracają do spożywania siana. W wietrzne, deszczowe dni konie często ustawiają się zadami do wiatru, a głowy trzymają nisko opuszczone. W ten sposób koń chroni szyję, głowę, uszy i oczy przed wiatrem i wodą. Ogony służą do ochrony zadów - krótsze włosy u nasady ogona nie dopuszczają do przenikania deszczu czy śniegu. Podczas wietrznych dni konie chowają się przy ścianie wiaty, wśród drzew lub wzgórz. Śnieg, który możemy niekiedy zaobserwować na końskim grzbiecie, również pełni funkcję warstwy izolacyjnej zapobiegającej utracie ciepła. Jeśli damy koniom możliwość wyboru, okaże się, że z otwartych wiat lub lasków skorzystają głównie latem, by schronić się tam przed muchami i upałem.

W sytuacjach ekstremalnych koń może rozgrzać ciało poprzez wprawienie mięśni w drżenie. Podczas drżenia produkowane jest ciepło - wynika ono z procesu rozkładu ATP (organiczny związek chemiczny, umożliwiający wewnątrzkomórkowy transport energii - przyp. tłum.) w mięśniu (Langlois, 1994). Drżenie jest zazwyczaj gwałtowną rekcją na znaczne ochłodzenie oraz dłuższe przebywanie na deszczu. Zdrowe konie przestają drżeć, jak tylko zaadaptują się do nowych warunków pogodowych i zaczną produkować ciepło w normalny sposób.

Poważny problem pojawia się, gdy spoconego konia wstawiamy do stajni. Nie ma tam odpowiedniej cyrkulacji powietrza, przez co koń schładza się dłużej, a co za tym idzie - dłużej się poci (można to porównać do sytuacji, gdy człowiek wyjdzie z sauny, lecz nie schłodzi wystarczająco ciało - przyp. tłum.). Powietrze wokół konia staje się zbyt wilgotne i nie może absorbować więcej cząsteczek pary wodnej, co przedłuża okres wysychania skóry. Wskutek tego koń może się wychłodzić, a to ułatwić drogę wirusom lub infekcjom. Wychłodzenie może być także przyczyną kolek i innych chorób spowodowanych zaburzeniami metabolizmu.

Co zaburza mechanizm termoregulacji u koni?

nie mają odpowiedniej stymulacji, która pozwoliłaby na uruchomienie mechanizmu termoregulacji

nie muszą ćwiczyć mięśni prostownika włosa

nie muszą zwężać i rozszerzać tętnic

nie muszą uruchamiać gruczołów potowych.

Mięśnie, które przez długi czas nie są używane, ulegają atrofii. Jeśli takie zwierzę zostanie gwałtownie wystawione na mróz, nie będzie mogło uruchomić mechanizmu termoregulacji. W rezultacie temperatura ciała może gwałtownie spaść, co spowoduje załamanie procesów metabolicznych. Może to zahamować ruch białych krwinek i produkcję antyciał, co umożliwia rozwój wirusów i zarazków. Efekt to zestresowany koń, w organizmie którego rozwija się infekcja. Jak zauważył Louis Pasteur, zarazki są mniej ważne, znaczenie ma środowisko, w jakim przebywa dany organizm. W tej sytuacji zarazki i wirusy mają pole do popisu i mogą swobodnie się mnożyć.

*

Artykuł ukazał się w czasopiśmie „Koński Targ":

Natalia Aleksandrowa, Mechanizm termoregulacji u koni w okresie zimowym, przeł. E. Rot-Buga i B. Bratny, „Koński Targ" 2013, nr 2, s. 20-24.

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Wiatr, słońce, deszcz, śnieg - dzikie konie radzą sobie przy każdej pogodzie. Natura wyposażyła je w mechanizm termoregulacji, związany z anatomią, fizjologią i reakcjami behawioralnymi. Aby go uruchomić, udomowiony koń musi mieć ruch i dostęp do jedzenia 24 h / na dobę. Musi móc prowadzić życie stadne i mieć schronienie, z którego może skorzystać.