Science of Motion Conference and the Power of Knowledge - To help the horse

In my quest to be able to help as many horses as I can I have just recently travelled to Georgia Atlanta to attend the Science of Motion International Conference. I travelled with my friend Karen - it was a long journey and the time difference was tough but WOW we learnt so much!

Many subjects were covered and I learnt of new research and evidence that really opened my eyes. With the help of the amazing technology the researchers have available to them, we should know much more than we do. The problem is we seem to treat symptoms far more than we look for the causes. My passion is to help seek out the cause in all of the horses I work with - so we can help keep them happy, healthy and sound!

I know through the horses I have, with saddle fitting and looking at horses daily what can look like a problem area does not always give you the answers. Quite often I will see horses where owners feel the saddle is causing a problem - I evaluate the horse and find the problem is the feet, the rider, a lameness etc. Although the horse has pain showing in the back its not always the area causing the problem - this is just a symptom, not the cause.

Unfortunately because of lack of knowledge or rider's looking for a quick fix, the symptoms will be treated sometimes weekly and the cause not found until the horse is broken. The experts that we surround ourselves need to try and help the horse as a whole not just the bit they are looking at.

On that subject one of the speakers that I found really interesting was Esco Buff - Professional Farrier (PhD,APF-I,CF). At least 3 times a week, unfortunately I will refer a client to have there horses feet Xrayed due to the poor balance. Esco had a lovey approach to how he looks at the horse. He explained how he will assess a horse before shoeing it, sometimes talking to the client up to an hour + before getting to put a shoe on the foot.

He explained that to do the job correctly the farrier needs to look at the whole horse not just the foot or the limb, but the whole horse, how it moves, its conformation, the harmony between the parts, the balance. He looks at the whole body and spine of the horse to determine the foot. A static assessment and then the moving horse.

He talked in detail about Limb Length Disparity (Equine Anisomelia). We would evidence this as low heel, high heel syndrome. The shoeing requirements around this were mind blowing - Esco showed photos of a young horse that had severe imbalance which he corrected by supporting more the shorter limb (the high heel). It was a severe wedge under the shorter limb and a huge correction over 4-5 shoeing's. My words don't do the job he did justice. The horses spine was S shaped, the muscle imbalance extreme and the lameness was severe. By correct shoeing and support he corrected a horse that would have otherwise been retired before its career had begun.

He said the biggest problems he finds affecting Hoof Balance is poor confirmation, injuries, body imbalances, saddle imbalance and poor riding.

He talked of his experience around poor riding which I think for a lot of riders, they just wouldn't even consider that this could be affecting the balance of the horses foot! Its a difficult conversation to have with an owner but it can make or break a horse. I can relate to this when fitting saddles. The impact of an imbalanced rider can be so detrimental to the stability of the saddle and the poor horses back.

Esco wants to work with X-rays when shoeing and is a qualified Radiographer. Carrying his own machine on board his truck. He explained in detail how an X-ray should be taken. A horses limb can give the impression it is much worse or much better than it actually is in reality by the way the Xray is taken. For instance if they are weight baring on one foot more than the other or standing uneven, or the way the machine is positioned - the angle etc. There are many things that determine the results so he recommends getting an experienced radiographer who understands the affects of what they are doing.

I have one of my horse's X-rayed almost every time I have him shod due to imbalance issues he has had in the past. It was food for thought seeing the photos of horses standing incorrectly when X-rayed.

Esco went into lots of detail about examining the horse in motion and static. A few basic things I can share with you which might help you when looking at your horse in motion-

* Listen to cadence in the stride - is one heavier than the other?

* Straightness of front limbs

* Are hindlimbs directly behind the front limbs in motion

* Does the belly and ribs show equally on both sides

*Does the tail swing equally left and right

This is a much shortened down version of Esco's thorough presentation which I hope helps a bit. I know I found the information really helpful in looking at my own horses as well as the many I see every day.

If you want to read more from Esco Buff or buy one of his books this is his website address: