Vocabulary Sunday

LACING
A rare marking found in some horses, it is also called marbling, catbacked, or giraffe. The horse will have white along the spine, usually starting as a small patch or patches, then the white will increase as the horse ages, spreading out into connected, squiggly lines. Some horses will have large, beautifully patterned backs from this marking-- it really resebles lace or the coloration of a giraffe. Most people who have a horse with this rare marking do not know it is a marking but mistake it for a form of scarring; they think incorrectly the horse had an allergic reaction to something, had some sort of injury, etc.

LAMINAE
(Singular Lamina). Laminae are the soft tissues inside the hoof. There are two types of laminae, sensitive (located between the bone and hoof horn) and insensitive (outer layer of laminae).

LAMINITIS
Is a bruising or inflammation of the laminae of the hoof (from hormonal imbalance, stress on the hoof, toxic chemicals that enter the hoof, etc.). If left untreated, it can develop into founder.

LARIAT
A long rope with a noose on one end, used for roping cattle or horses. Comes from Spanish "La Reata", meaning "the rope".

LARYNGEAL HEMIPLEGIA
Partial paralysis of the horse's larynx, which can cause the horse to 'roar', or make a whistling/roaring sound as the horse breaths. It can make it difficult for the horse to breath, especially when being worked hard. It is also called "roaring". It may be hereditary in some horses and seems to affect very large horses (17 hands +) most often. Surgery can correct laryngeal hemiplegia.

LEAD
When loping (cantering), a horse is either on the right or left lead. When going to the right, the horse should be on the right lead, meaning his right front leg will land on the ground ahead of his left. When going to the left, the horse should be on the left lead. Most horses will pick up the correct lead because it feels most natural and keeps them balanced. It is harder for a horse to lope on the wrong lead.

MOON BLINDNESS
An eye disease which causes a cloudy/milkey look and inflammation of the eye. Also called periodic opthalmia, or uveitis.