Horses have weaknesses. Their weakness can be due to a lack of proper training, degenerative bone issues, and a lack of muscle development. In many cases, these health problems make it painful for the horse to use its rear end and hind legs properly.
Common causes include infections, parasitic diseases, and immune-mediated conditions. Muscle disorders can appear with a variety of signs ranging from muscle stiffness and pain to muscle atrophy, weakness, exercise intolerance, and muscle fasciculations (twitching).
Mechanically, thinner legs are more efficient which means that, relative to their size, horses have thin legs and therefore fragile ones too. If you combine this with the fact that they are extremely flighty (their first instinct is to run away) then you have a perfect recipe for broken legs.
Some of the most common are those associated with aggression (including aggression towards people), fear and phobias, sexual behavioral problems, performance problems (such as bucking), abnormal eating habits, and undesirable stall behaviors. Many behavior problems in horses are associated with confinement.
No, you can't fault bone material itself for being weak and breakable, yet broken limbs happen to all species–even to horses, whose bones are among the hardest, most densely mineralized in the animal kingdom.
Horses are strong enough to pull up to three times their weight, carry over 400 lbs., bite with a force of over 500 PSI and kick hard enough to kill a human. Horses are so strong they could put a beat-down on Chuck Norris. Some horse breeds tend to be stronger than others, but most can pull and pack tremendous loads.
The nose, lips, mouth, and possibly the ears are the most sensitive areas to touch. Although hooves do not respond to touching, various parts of the hoof are able to feel touch. Understanding the degree to which horses are sensitive to touch can be valuable to the trainer.
In the wild, horses are most scared of natural predators like lions, wolves, and alligators. Domesticated horses can be scared of any sound they haven't heard before, and it could be as innocent as the sounds of plastic bags, barking, or any suspicious noise in the wind.
Abusing, neglecting, and abandoning an equine or any other animal is against the law. Caring officials who are committed to enforcing cruelty laws are essential to making sure that those who illegally transport, starve, abuse, and/or abandon an equine are charged with animal cruelty.
Signs that your horse is in pain
Change in posture or movement: altered stance, arched back, reluctance to move, lowered head carriage, stretching, weight shifting or pawing. Change in appetite: loss of interest in food, playing with water, slow chewing or dropping feed.
Horses are so sensitive to touch that they react to pressures too light for people to feel. Horses are prey animals, and are very sensitive to anything touching their bodies. Innately, they will react by quickly moving away from something touching them.
Unlike humans, horses have heavy bodies and light leg bones. This is the way we've developed many breeds, especially the Thoroughbreds. When bones break, they may often shatter. And it's almost impossible to surgically reconstruct the fractured leg.
Leg injuries, especially broken bones and joint issues, are common among horses. Between 60 and 65 percent of a horse's weight rests on its front legs and the leg bones are quite fragile compared to the body weight of a horse.
Within the small intestine, enzymes secreted from the pancreas and small intestine continue to digest carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (Table 3). Horses do not have a gallbladder, so the liver continually secretes bile to assist in fat digestion.
Horses have 3 anatomical mechanisms designed to assist in continual movement of food through the digestive tract. These mechanisms prevent the back flow of food from the stomach to the mouth, hence they cannot vomit.
If your horse's pace has slowed down noticeably, that may be a sign of fatigue. Horses that are fatigued sometimes lose some of their coordination. You might notice your mount stumbling more often, for instance. Sometimes horses that are suffering from fatigue might even run into obstacles.
Just like you, your horse can experience a range of emotions including happiness, anxiety, fear and anger. It's important to understand how your horse is feeling so that you can make sure they're happy and healthy. Your horse's body language can give you signals about how they're feeling.
Never approach a horse until he is standing with his head toward you. As you approach a stall, speak to the horse, so the horse knows that a person is near and is not startled. A startled horse will want to flee and run away as this is their natural instinct.
Researchers have found that horses react more to yellow, white, black, and blue floors, as compared to floors that are green, red, brown, or gray. Horses don't seem to mind these “less favorite” colors on walls rather than floors.
Be sure to stay away from the sensitive areas of the horse like the eyes, ears, muzzle, and belly of the horse. While some horses might be OK with you petting these areas, many are sensitive and won't like to be touched there.
Start at the Neck
Contrary to popular opinion, most horses do not like having their face touched, particularly by someone they don't know. Standing to the side (remember, directly in front of them is a blind spot) and stroking a horse's neck is the best place to start patting. You can also try scratching the horse.
This behavior is a way horses naturally groom each other. When your horse tries rubbing its head on your body, it may be attempting to “groom” you as a show of affection. Even though some horses rub their head on humans as a way to show affection, it's a behavior that should be discouraged due to the risk of injury.