horse health connection [email protected] a negative eff ect on equine welfare for a variety of reasons, including im- Unlocking the peding the horse’s ability to breathe, causing injury to the horse’s neck, im- Science of Riding pairing the horse’s vision, and caus- ing stress or pain. Only one study sug- More fi ndings from the International Society for Equitation Science gested positive eff ects on welfare. An interesting aspect was that the prob- By Hilary M. Clayton, BVMS, PhD, Diplomate ACVSMR, MRCVS ability of a study reporting negative welfare eff ects was unrelated to the horses’ level of dressage training, their n my October “Horse-Health Con- Horse Science familiarity with working in a hyper- nection” article, I summarized a fl exed position, or the length of time number of presentations from the Hyperfl exing horses’ necks: they spent in hyperfl exion. I Meta-analysis and cost-benefi t With regard to the eff ects of hyper- 2015 International Society for Equita- tion Science (ISES) annual conference. evaluation fl exion on the horse’s athletic perfor- With its theme of “Ethical Equitation Uta König von Borstel, University of mance, 26 percent of the studies report- for All Equestrian Disciplines: Break- Göttingen, Germany; Kathrin Kienap- ed benefi cial eff ects, including higher ing Barriers and Building Bridges,” the fel, University of Bochum, Germany; competition scores, larger ranges of mo- Andrew McLean, Austra- tion in the joints of the back and limbs, lian Equine Behaviour and an increase in the amount of work Centre; Christina Wilkins, performed. On the other hand, 23 per- Australia; David Evans; cent of the studies detected undesirable Paul McGreevy, Univer- gymnastic consequences, which includ- sity of Sydney, Australia ed lower dressage scores, increased ac- tivation of the muscles under the neck, Hyperfl exion (“rollkur”) and breathing obstruction leading to has been a controver- reduced oxygen supply. Th e remaining sial topic for many years, studies (46 percent) described insignifi - and a number of research cant or contradictory eff ects of hyper- studies have been per- fl exion on gymnastics. formed in an attempt to When evaluating horses’ ath- measure its eff ects. Th e leticism, studies involving high-lev- authors identifi ed 55 sci- el dressage horses or horses familiar entifi c articles dealing with being worked in a hyperfl exed with the eff ects of equine position were more likely to describe head and neck postures. gymnastic benefi ts than those con- Of those, 42 articles evalu- ducted on non-dressage horses or ated equine welfare, and horses that were unfamiliar with 35 articles evaluated the working in hyperfl exion. eff ects of hyperfl exion Th e authors concluded that the on athletic performance, gymnastic benefi ts presumed to result including studies of lo- from training horses in a hyperfl exed comotion, muscle activ- position are far outweighed by the un- ity, breathing ability, and desirable eff ects on both gymnastic the horse’s workload. Th e ability and equine welfare. NOT WORTH IT: Studies show that the drawbacks of studies were graded ac- hyperfl exion outweigh any possible benefi ts More than just horse play: The cording to whether the re- challenges equine veterinarians sults showed that hyper- face with noncompliant hors- conference contained so much infor- fl exion had a positive eff ect, a negative es and approaches to managing mation that I thought it warranted a eff ect, or a contradictory or insignifi - these behaviors follow-up article. For this issue, I’ve cant eff ect on the horse’s welfare or summarized some of the research re- gymnastic ability. Gemma Pearson, Royal (Dick) School ports that didn’t make it into the fi rst A majority of the studies (88 per- of Veterinary Studies, Scotland; Richard Reardon; John Keen; Natalie installment. cent) indicated that hyperfl exion had JENNIFER BRYANT 20 December 2015/January 2016 • USDF CONNECTION Waran, University of Edinburgh, UK considered objectively. Exercise-related fi ned as having a cup size of D or breast pain increases with vigorous ac- greater). Breast pain was experienced Research into occupational injuries tivity and poor breast support. Because by 40 percent of participants and in- in the UK has shown that working as riders who are stiff , unbalanced, and in creased linearly with cup size. For an equine veterinarian is more dan- pain may have a negative eff ect on the those who experienced breast pain, gerous than any other civilian occu- training and welfare of the horse, it is sitting trot was rated the most painful pation. Th e innate characteristics of important to establish the prevalence, activity (58 percent), followed by vig- equine behavior are frequently cited severity, and impact of breast-health is- orous-intensity riding at a canter or as a cause of accidents. sues in female riders. gallop or while jumping (39 percent); A web-based survey of veteri- An online survey completed by and 21 percent of riders reported narians received 220 completed re- 1,324 female equestrians indicated that breast pain aff ected their perfor- sponses. Of those, 80.9 percent of that almost 51 percent of riders were mance. Only 27 percent of riders ex- practitioners had been injured by an classifi ed as being large-breasted (de- clusively rode in a sports bra. equine patient in the previous five years; 57.7 percent believed they put themselves in a potentially danger- ous situation either every day or a The Winning Formula few times each week; and 54.5 per- cent said they encounter difficult pa- for Champions tients either every day or a few times each week. Th e methods of restraint used most frequently in noncompliant pa- tients were chemical sedation, nose twitch, neck twitch, and an anti-rear- ing bit. Control techniques based on equine-learning theory (the processes The only FDA-approved PSGAG on the market by which horses learn) were generally for equine intramuscular use proven to: considered unhelpful, or the respon- • STOP the destructive disease cycle dent commented that he or she did • REVERSE degenerative joint disease • IMPROVE joint function not understand or had not heard of For more information on equine joint the technique. However, 61.4 percent health and treatment with Adequan® i.m. of respondents considered positive re- (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan), please visit www.adequan.com. inforcement (rewarding good behav- ior) useful. Th e fact that equine veterinarians frequently encounter potentially dan- gerous situations and have such a high risk of sustaining injuries from their patients is cause for concern. Incor- porating equine-learning theory into veterinary training may reduce the Laura Graves and Verdades won the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle risk of injury. as part of the Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup CDIO3* at the 2015 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival. Rider Science Available for your order! An initial investigation into There are no known contraindications to the use of intramuscular Adequan® i.m. brand Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan in horses. Studies have not been conducted to establish safety in breeding horses. breast-health issues in female WARNING: Do not use in horses intended for human consumption. Not for use in humans. Keep this and all equestrians medications out of the reach of children. Caution: Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. Each 5 mL contains 500 mg Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan. Jenny Burbage, University of Ports- Brief Summary Indications: For the intramuscular treatment of non-infectious degenerative and/or traumatic joint dysfunction and associated lameness of the carpal and hock joints in horses. mouth, UK; and Lorna Cameron, Sparsholt College, UK See Product Package Insert at www.adequan.com for Full Prescribing Information. Adequan® is a registered trademark of Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. © Luitpold Animal Health, For female equestrians, issues such as division of Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2015. Image of Laura Graves and Verdades © Shannon Brinkman used with permission. AHD135 Iss. 7/2015 breast pain and poor bra fi t may be im- portant concerns that have not been USDF CONNECTION • December 2015/January 2016 21 horse health connection [email protected] be improved, and coaches would not trian-specifi c pages. A total of 218 have to worry about the consequences responses were received. Statistical of a horse behaving badly. Th e aim of analysis of the results indicated that this study was to assess whether rid- riders who used bitless bridles as- ing position on a trotting horse simu- sumed that they are kinder and more lator was representative of trotting on comfortable for the horse, or believed a live horse in six adult riders. that their horse appeared happier in Comparison of riding position in bitless bridles. Respondents who used sitting trot on the simulator versus a bitless bridles (including hackamores) live horse showed no diff erences. At assumed that the cross-under bitless rising trot, the rider leaned a little fur- bridle is less severe than the snaffl e-bit ther forward on the live horse when bridle, whereas those who use bitted sitting in the saddle, and the ankle joint bridles perceived the snaffl e bit to be was more open throughout the stride. less severe than the hackamore. Th e results of this preliminary Th ere was no relation between study indicate that riding position on knowledge of bitless bridles and the a horse simulator is similar to that on type used, and there was a lack of a real horse in sitting trot, and there knowledge regarding the biomechani- are only minor diff erences in rising cal eff ect of bitless bridles, which may trot. It was concluded that horse sim- have implications for horse welfare.