Monday, July 04, 2011

The Horse | Stringhalt in Horses

A jerk, a jump, a hop with the hind legs tucked up high. Similar to the function of strings on a marionette, stringhalt seems to make horses yank their legs up and halt them there momentarily before taking their next step. This uncontrollable exaggerated movement of the digital extensor muscles is the outward sign of neurologic disease, sometimes caused by toxicity, sometimes of unknown origin. If time doesn't cure it, the prognosis is poor. But today researchers are hard at work looking into ways to make horses with this condition safe, happy, and free of clinical signs. Read more about Stringhalt causes in horses here

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