The Three T's

The Horse

What's Wrong

What to Expect

The 3 T's

Feet 1

Feet 2

Examination

Physiology

Treatment


Tack, Teeth and feeT! The source of a lot of problems! Imperfectly fitting tack causes all sorts of trouble from local, short-term soreness to serious long-term loss of muscle. A reputable saddler should check your saddle fit regularly, particularly if back treatment and a good work regime is to improve top-line muscle. Significant top line loss as a result of a poorly fitting saddle.		Your saddle should allow the shoulder to move freely. This one doesn't.

Teeth should be checked every six months by your vet or a qualified equine dentist. Many problems arising
from poorly occluding or badly cared for teeth result in jaw, poll and neck symptoms.

It is easy to see how dental problems will affect the tempero-mandibular
(jaw) joint, which is itself closely related to the atlas (poll):

Poorly cared for teeth will cause bitting and feeding problems.

Poor teeth will cause strain on
the tempero-mandibular joint (TMJ), which not only causes local pain and muscle spasm,
but also affects the functioning
of the atlas.

Your horse's symptoms might include head tossing, a "hard" mouth, or failure to work
on the bit.

And finally feet can be a nightmare!

If your horse has good feet, and you have a good farrier, treasure them!
It is worth learning a bit about foot balance as so much musculo-skeletal pain is associated with foot problems causing an unnatural leg action, repetitive strain, muscle imbalance in shoulder or quarter and, hey presto, back pain!

Some sources suggest that more than 90% of horses' feet are incorrectly balanced front to back (antero-posterior) or side to side (medio-lateral) and part of the assessment of your horse includes foot balance for this very reason.

Click here for some examples of foot problems, and the difficulties they can cause your horse.

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