Remember Tessa from last month?  The Fresian foal born prematurely, rejected by her mother and adopted by Amber? We mentioned that finding a new mom was not the last of her challenges, read on for chapter two of her story.

 

Tessa was born with a condition of her hind limbs called "windswept".  One hind limb bent inwards and the other outwards from midline.  (see photos left sidebar)

 

One of several types of angular limb deformities that may effect front and/or hind limbs. These conditions can be dramatic, especially in the newborn since not only are the bones soft but tendons and ligaments are weak and stretchy.  Both the front (radius) and hind (tibia) long bones grow from growth centers at each end, called growth plates or epiphyses. When damage occurs or uneven pressure is applied across these growth plates the bone grows faster on one side than the other causing bending of the limb.  Other things that can cause either front or hind legs to appear bent are malformations in the smaller bones of the joints themselves, either the carpus or the hock joint.

 

The good news for Tessa was that the bones of her hock joints were normal in form and the location of the bending was on the inside of the tibial growth plate on one leg and on the outside of the other.  Because we know how malleable a newborn can be, we began with conservative treatment to balance the load on bones and joints, keeping a close eye on Tessa and carefully managing the amount of exercise she received... too much might make her worse, but not enough would limit her chances of straightening up on her own.  As you can see by the photos (left) improvement has been steady and significant.  Additional radiographs will provide insight to how the bones are forming and will help determine whether or not surgical intervention is indicated.  Weighing all the pros & cons with expectations for her future will also influence the final decision.  We'll let you know as Tessa's story continues.

We talked about using a weight tape in the last newsletter, but that's only part of the picture.  You know that some people can look lighter or heavier than their actual weight depending on their body type and how fat is distributed, the same goes for horses.  It's always best to stand back and assess the whole animal. Guidelines, called body or condition scoring are there to help you put what you see into perspective. Remember that while all horses should have a shine to their coat and a glint in their eye, body condition is relative to breed, discipline and activity level.  There are several ways to convert observations into numbers, the Henneke System is one useful method.  It focuses on 6 key areas; back, ribs, withers, neck, behind the shoulder and tail head.  Click here for more information on body condition scoring.