Ryuzo Kitajima and Vick Du Grisors JRA at the Ready Steady Tokyo test event. Photo by FEI/Yusuke Nakanishi.
A bit of event horse health-related news hit the mainstream media this week when Reuters reported that a few more Tokyo 2020 Olympic sports had been rescheduled to earlier times of day in order to beat the heat. Among them, the start of the cross country phase of eventing will be held between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. instead of beginning at 8:30 a.m. as initially scheduled. The hot summer temperatures in the Tokyo area have been cause for concern leading up to the games and the new cross country start time is part of the recommendations made by the FEI-commissioned research study that was performed during the test event earlier this year.
Here’s what else is happening This Week in Horse Heath News …
When is a runny nose really just a runny nose? We’ve all got the sniffles sometimes, but nasal discharge in our equine friends can be cause for concern depending on how it looks. That bit of clear runny discharge that is fairly common to see — particularly in cold weather — usually isn’t cause for concern, but anything that’s opaque or colored in particular usually warrants some investigation and a call to the vet. Here’s what to watch out for and what to do. [The Horse]
A two year study of how horses handle air travel is commencing. Data logging technology will be used to monitor horses’ vital signs while in-flight and which will hopefully guide researchers to show what actions can be taken to improve the animal’s wellbeing during transport. The data being collected will also be available to the crew in real-time so that they can make make adjustments and take preventative actions as necessary. Reports for each horse will also be made available to the horse’s trainers and owners after each flight. [HorseTalk]
How does a horse develop crookedness and what can we do to fix it? There’s no single answer of course, but among the many things that can cause a horse to be crooked are his conformation, movement, and crookedness of the rider. The Horse delves into these causes and what we can do to help our horses straighten out. [The Horse]
As horse owners and competitors, we want to give our equine athletes every opportunity to feel and perform their best. Keeping up to date with the latest news in horse health and medicine is an important part of that, and it’s why Medivet Equine is bringing you the latest in horse health news each week.
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