As we wrote about the importance of the proper footing for the kind of equine activity you’re engage in, we mentioned that poor footing can be hazardous to your horses health in many ways.
We wrote:
“The forces carried through your horse’s hoof during movement are tremendous. When the hoof strikes the riding surface, the response from the surface is either concussive, absorptive, or reflective.”
Watch this fascinating video, created by Dr. Jonathan Merritt for his Ph.D. dissertation and you’ll have a better sense of how those concussive forces are distributed by an extremely complex system of ligaments in your horses forelimb. (Note: don’t adjust your sound; there isn’t any.)