Does your horse have pain in his jaw? Many horses suffer from temporomandibular joint pain(TMJ) which involves bones, or temporomandibular dysfunction.(TMD) which involves soft tissue. These horses adapt as the inflammatory process slowly progresses, what starts as a bit of discomfort becomes a raging headache. The TMJ is the joint responsible for moving your horse’s jaw. It is a very tight joint, reinforced by tendons, ligaments and an intricate array of muscles. Signs that your horse could be having TMJ problems may include: feeling heavy in your hands pulling the reins out of your hands head twisting, head tossing, or head shaking stiffness in the neck or back balking, rearing, bucking, or other violent behaviors If you look where the brow band would meet the cheek piece if a bridle was on, you will find two bumps. These are the two bones of the TMJ. If you press your fingers just below the two bumps, there should not be any reaction. This would mean the TMJ is normal. However if you press here and your horse moves away or tilts its poll away from the pressure, your horse has a sore TMJ. Be careful, some horses are so sore, they will move away very quickly and violently.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 21:02:52 +0000
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