AUGUST 2017 THE RIDER /15 Effects of shoeing on the loading pressure on joints of Quarter Horses


questions you will almost inevitably ask yourself is “to shoe or not to shoe?”. Many variables may affect your answer, and an exciting new research project at the Univer- sity of Guelph should soon shed some more light on this age-old question. Dr. Jeff Thomason is working on a project investi- gating the changes of loading pressure on the joints of quarter horses as it relates to shoeing for the summer. Most of the current research in this area has focused on thor- oughbreds and standardbreds, which is one of the reasons scientists chose to use quar- ter horses for the current study. This study will help researchers better understand how


Story by: Nicole Weidner As a horse owner, one of the many


Chill out! Does


your horse need an attitude adjustment?


ments for horses should look at optimizing the dose, and determining whether an ‘in- feed’ daily supplement would work as well as the single dose product.


Collected, horses with task-associated anx- iety (eg. trailering stress, fear of needles, stall-phobia etc) were administered a single dose of Calm and Collected, an inactive placebo, or acepromazine, and put through a battery of 5 tasks typical of normal daily horse life. The horses’ average and peak heart rates during these tasks were recorded, and showed that average heart rates were significantly lowered – to a level not different from the anxiolytic drug ace- promazine – when they were given a dose of Calm and Collected. The study is pub- lished in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science.5 Future research on calming supple-


managing depression in humans , and sup- plementation with magnesium reduces un- desirable behaviors and lowers the chronic stress hormone ‘cortisol’ in intensively managed animals . Magnesium is also as- sociated with reduced production of acute stress hormones (catecholamines) and low- ers blood pressure . And when magnesium is combined with B-vitamins, there results an improvement in stress management and anxiety-related physiology in chronically stressed people. To evaluate the effect of Calm and


lack of research available on calming prod- ucts. In response to this disconnect, Se- lected BioProducts (Herbs for Horses) funded research at the University of Guelph/Nutraceutical Alliance to evaluate their equine calming supplement ‘Calm n Collected’, a paste that is designed to be ad- ministered prior to stressful events. The product contains magnesium and B-vita- mins in the correct balance to restore emo- tional perspective (now, which of us couldn’t use a little more emotional per- spective in our life?!). Magnesium plays a critical role in


(www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26925239 ), owners and riders of dressage and event- ing horses shared their experiences with equine nutritional supplements. The dres- sage riders reported that the most frequent issue they encountered with their competi- tion horses was behaviour management - ie. their horses were stressed out! Yet, surpris- ingly, the most common type of equine sup- plement they were inclined to buy was not for stress management. This was due, at least in part, to the


erinary


In a recent survey published in the Vet- Record


Thomason’s lab, is working on the project for the summer and gave a brief explanation of the study design, “First, horses with shoes on are evaluated while performing several different ex- ercises at different gaits with a rider on. Then, the shoes are removed and the horses are allowed time to adjust. The same horses are then re-evaluated per- forming the same exercises and gaits, with the same rider on, but without shoes.” The horses are evaluated mov-


the loading pressure placed on our horses’ joints may change when we shoe our horses. Danielle Halucha, a student in


joyed the time she has spent on this project so far, and is excited at what the findings will reveal. She enthusiasti- cally shared that she will be starting a


ing in a straight line and around cor- ners, and researchers use four different sensors, as well as reflective equip- ment, to monitor the horses speed and movements. The effects of shoe versus no shoe are investigated with several variables, including differences in foot- ing/surfaces (e.g. concrete, rubber mat, dirt), direction (using a figure eight pat- tern), gait, and lead and counter-lead (at a canter). It’s obvious that Halucha has en-


more about your horse’s joints, visit Equine Guelph’s interactive Journey through the Joints learning tool. This user-friendly tool uses fun activities al- lowing you to discover what is normal and what is not when it comes to joints. You will learn the anatomy of your horse’s joints, and take a 360-degree


Master of Science degree with Dr. Thomason in the fall, investigating asymmetrical limb loading in thor- oughbreds. Stay tuned to Equine Guelph communications for results of this and more exciting new research projects. If you’re interested in learning


tour of an actual horse joint.


ers’ and care givers’ Centre at the Uni- versity of Guelph. It is a unique partnership dedicated to the health and well-being of horses, supported and overseen by equine industry groups. Equine Guelph is the epicentre for ac- ademia, industry and government - for the good of the equine industry as a whole. For further information, visit www.EquineGuelph.ca.


About Equine Guelph: Equine Guelph is the horse own-


About the author: Dr. Wendy Pearson is an Assistant Professor in Equine Physiol- ogy at the University of Guelph. Her re- search focuses on nutraceutical and nutritional supplements for horses and how they can be applied to improve equine health and wellness.


1. J Psychiatr Res. 2013 Jul;47(7):955-65. 2. Animal. 2013 Jun;7(6):1017-27. 3. Br J Anaesth. 2009 Oct;103(4):484-9. 4. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2016 Mar;67(2):195-202. 5. J Equine Vet Sci. 2017 (51:86-91)


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