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Pain Free Riding
Lettera da Jaime Jackson
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Una lettera da J. Jackson: Ipotesi per una scala di "soundess"
Indice aggiornato da loc.py, 23.01.06
I'm posting at http://it.geocities.com/rem_tabi some webpages, and your work is often mentioned there - I hope, without bad mistakes. It's an Italian website, but I posted a (bad) English version too, so that my new US friends (including Marjorie Smith), you and any other member of US barefoot community can read it.
It's current title is "Pain Free Riding"; it's aim is to suggest to horse owners to think about some "traditional" causes of horse pain (mainly feet, mouthand back pain) and to review deeply their "knowledge" about.
As a horse owner I thank you for your work.
As a pathologist, engaged in some medical research, I look at your work as a bright example of scientific approach to a hard problem.
My suggestion, now. I observed that "soundness" is alwais reported without a "measure of soundness".
It is often reported with qualifiers (as "unbeliavable") but - what exactly such qualifiers mean? I'd like that, in the future, a "soundness scale" would be available. The ideal "soundness scale" should be simple and based on obvious signs and tests - so that any horseman could use it easily with consistent
results. It should range from the condition of an acutely foundered horse to soundness of a wild, healthy horse. In my opinion, it would be useful to collect lots of data about start and end soundness of horses in the course of both transition and rehabilitation. If such a scale already exists .. I only have to study more. If it not exists, I hope that a "Jackson's soundness scale" could be published in the future.
With warm regards
Alessandro Brollo, Italy
Dear Alessandro,
Thanks for keeping me informed of your work.
I appreciate your frustration in trying to gauge soundness on a workable rating scale -- and I'm so pleased to hear that you are not using "lameness" as the baseline for such a scale. By wild horse standards, my feeling is that most if not all domestic horses are "lame" in comparison -- so we have
to throw the old scale out completely, and start over. In my forthcoming book, Paddock Paradise, I suggest that we rate soundness, rather than lameness, in terms of a continuum leading to the wild model. But this would apply only to horses using our natural hoof care standards. I would like to
see veterinarians working with us to help create such a scale.
I think there is probably a strong correlation between hoof measurement data (generated through natural hoof care) becoming static over a period of time ("post-transition"), and soundness, but only in relation to specific environments the horse is adapted to, and how he is used. This correlate would then be interpreted in relation to boarding conditions (environment) and how the horse is used from an equestrian standpoint. In this interpretation, the soundness scale would be differentiated into sub-categories: this data in this environment, this data in that environment, etc., and then the individual horse in transition would be rated according to his relative data and environment. Finally, we would then say that a horse is not lame, rather he is at such and such degrees of transition in a given data/environment matrix.
Otherwise, we are left to the vagaries of "subjective" criteria, as you say "unbelievable" blah, blah. All of which means nothing in the context of relative data/environment scales.
I hope I am making sense to you. It's just that our model of exemplary soundness and health demands that I throw out the old veterinary lameness scales completely. They do not apply.
How's that for a "Jackson Soundness Scale"? We'll see if time proves me right!
....
I thought you might enjoy these photos taken recently of 5 bands of wild horses in northern Utah. All the bands converged at the same time from horse ranges miles apart -- amazing communication since they don't have telephones! Then, suddenly, they all take off and separate, returning to their homes! Please feel free to share with your readers and advocates.
Healthy, beautiful, tough horses with hooves of steel. All at the top of the "Jackson Soundness Scale"!
Best,
Jaime Jackson
 Per gentile concessione di Jaime Jackson |
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 Per gentile concessione di Jaime Jackson |
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