In a message dated 3/16/2005 6:28:15 A.M. Central Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
The
problem of the fusion together of lumbar vertebrae is one I am dealing
with
in my current research project, comparing riding, traction and
free-living
horses. Such phenomena are described in the veterinary
literature. For
example:
Townsend, H. G. G. and D. H. Leach (1984). "Relationship
between
intervertebral joint morphology and mobility in the equine
thoracolumbar
spine." Equine Veterinary Journal 16(5):
461-65.
Stecher, R. M. (1961). "Ankylosing lesions of the spine of the
horse."
J.A.V.M.A. 138(5): 248-55.
There doesn't seem to be any
concensus about why the vertebrae fuse. And
there probably is no simple
answer. Such fusions are not uncommon, as you
can see from the above
articles. I have seen fusion between the 5th and 6th
lumbar vertebrae in a
4 year old Chinese chariot horse. I think that the
horse was too young for
the fusion to be either age related or probably
even life-style related,
since at 4 years it couldn't have been used long
for
traction.
Interesting. I don't have enough of a sample of Romano-Dutch horses
to make any firm statements about the vertebral fusion as a breed or population
trait (as Melanie Wilson suggests), but the frequency of the phenomenon in
general certainly raises that possibility. I also have an email out to a
colleague who is a lifelong rider and has worked as a veterinarian's assistant.
If she offers any additional insight, especially from the medical end, I'll be
sure to post it here.
