raising foals

["Becky Huffman" <tos@htcomp.net>]

found this article at http://www.thehorse.com
 http://www.thehorse.com/aaep2000/dollygreen.html )

I thought that many people would enjoy reading the 'latest' since this topic
comes up on this list every so often.

The is an except from the AAEP Wrap-Up supplement.

Becky Huffman, Cleburne, Texas
Huffman's Arabians ~ The Original Series ~
http://www.htcomp.net/Huffman/

"Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of men, but from
doing something worthwhile." Sir Wilfred Grenfell (1865--1940)

**** http://www.thehorse.com/aaep2000/dollygreen.html

Foal Exercise Influences Final Musculoskeletal System
Keeping a foal in a stall around the clock might keep his coat shiny and his
body free of nicks and bumps from roughhousing with peers in the pasture,
but in the long run, that could cause him serious problems as an active
adult. P. René van Weeren, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ECVS, of Utrecht University in
the Netherlands, and his colleagues have determined that pasture turnout for
a foal in its first year has the most beneficial effect on the four major
parts of the musculoskeletal system-cartilage, tendons and ligaments,
muscle, and bone. He also determined that even tissues deemed difficult to
repair, such as tendons and articular cartilage, are sensitive to remodeling
in this age group.

"Rest is very bad for foals. Watch this, because if not, you may end up with
a healthy (looking) foal, but one of inferior quality," warned van Weeren.

He looked at Dutch Warmblood foals in groups that were kept on complete
stall rest, given stall rest but exercised daily, and kept completely on
pasture exercise. Some were analyzed at five months, and the remaining
continued on to 11 months of study.

He and his colleagues found that there is dynamic and rapid development and
remodeling of the musculoskeletal system during the period from birth to
five months. These changes still occur during the period from five to 11
months, but much more slowly, and some parts such as articular cartilage
collagen already have completed forming.

Foals kept on pasture had tissues that were far superior to the other test
groups. Foals on complete pasture exercise had the highest glycosaminoglycan
(GAG) content in articular cartilage and tendons (GAGs belong to the
essential structural molecules of the extra-cellular matrix of tissues and
contribute elacticity). Foals which were kept in a box stall, then forced to
exercise, had a higher bone density. However, tissue quality of the
exercised horses was found to be inadequate at 11 months, so heavy exercise
in addition to stall rest is detrimental. "Too much exercise might be
deleterious," said van Weeren, "but if we balance the exercise program at a
young age, we might be in the window of improving tissue quality."
Withholding of exercise led to a retardation of development in the foals.

In a surprising twist, horses which were kept in a box stall for five
months, then turned out, were able to "make up lost ground" with respect to
GAG content in articular cartilage and tendon and bone mineral density. But
their inactivity had a long-term effect on the biochemical makeup of
collagen in the articular cartilage. The composition of that component of
the tissue relates strongly to the biomechanical behavior and strength of
the joints, which means that the exercise management of foals could directly
determine their resistance to injury.

-end-