Games of Knowledge | Sports and Exercise

Games Guy | February 8, 2012

When horses train or compete, their legs or ankles can become hurt. Horse boots are used to support the horse’s legs and make them less certain to become hurt. There are several different kinds of horse boots available, and each one offers different benefits. The kind of boot an owner selects for their horse should depend on on the type of competition and the movement of the horse’s legs.

One of the most common injuries affecting young horses are splint bone injuries. The splint bone is located on the front of a horse’s leg and is very frail. If a splint bone is damaged or smashed, it can stop the horse from training or competing for weeks. Owners frequently fit their horses for splint boots that they wear while coaching. Splint boots are customarily made from neoprene and fasten around the horses leg with Velcro straps or metal buckles.

Easy boots are used to guard a horse’s hooves. Horse owners who do not ordinarily ride or train their horses in mud or rough terrain will frequently use easy boots as temporary protection. Easy boots are cheaper than metal horseshoes and can provide the same support for several uses. Pony owners may use easy boots only when taking their horses on trail rides or when loading or unloading a pony in rocky or rough terrain. Easy boots can be easily removed before the pony is put out to pasture.

Horses that have long strides while running may on occasions kick their front legs with their back legs. Bell boots are used to defend the horse’s front feet during running, coaching and competitions. They are small rubber boots that fit on the horse’s front hooves. They are usually tied or Velcroed into place. The boots absorb the blows of the horse’s back legs and prevent the front legs and hooves from being hurt. Bell boots are necessary if the horse wears metal shoes, as these can cause significant damage when they kick the front legs. They are removed when the pony is put to pasture or is no longer running and coaching.

Anna Sola is an established article author publishing articles on a wide variety of subjects including travel, sport and medical subjects.

Townend Online is an equestrian clothing store and tack shop for all competitive riders, as an example stocking horse boots and other expert horse tack.

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Tags: Ankles, Bell Boots, Bone Injuries, equestrian equipment, horse boots, Horse Hooves, Horse Owners, horse tack, Horses, Horseshoes, Legs, Metal Buckles, Neoprene, Pasture, Pony Owners, Rough Terrain, Rubber Boots, Several Different Kinds, Splint Boots, Strides, Trail Rides, Velcro Straps

Games Guy | January 31, 2012

Altitude sickness is by and large the number one reason for many people failing to make the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro. Air at the summit of Africa’s highest peak contains only about half the amount of oxygen at sea level. Altitude sickness occurs due to the fact they body cannot adapt quickly enough to the reduced lack of oxygen as one gains altitude. Altitude sickness is extremely common in most people who ascend to an altitude over 3000m. The general rule worldwide when it comes to hiking up mountains is, never ascend more than 300m per day and for every 1000m you ascend take a day’s rest. What makes climbing Kilimanjaro so difficult is the fact that these rules are near enough ignored by most tour companies, which is ultimately what makes the mountain so treacherous to climb in the first place.

The Variations Of Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness can be categorised into three distinct types, the most common of which can often be managed on the mountain whereas the other two types often require one to be evacuated off the mountain for treatment.

Altoxia

Whilst trekking on Mt Kilimanjaro statistics show that over 75% of people will experience at least some form of mild altitude sickness caused by the body’s failure to adapt to the reduced oxygen levels. This type of altitude sickness is known as Altoxia and this term is solely used on Kilimanjaro due to the facts it’s one of the only mountains in the world where high altitudes are encountered so quickly. Altoxia’s symptoms include headaches, nausea, vomiting and mild swelling of face, ankles and fingers.

HAPE: High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema

In simple terms this means you have water in your lungs and consequently are breathless at rest, have a very high pulse and you cough up a pink fluid called sputum. The only cure for this is to descend down the mountainside rapidly.

HACE : High Altitude Cerebral Oedema

Also known as ”swelling of the brain” whose symptoms are severe headaches, repeated vomiting, mental confusion and a loss of balance. The condition is deemed fatal unless the hiker descends down the mountain rapidly. Although hikers shouldn’t be scared of these conditions, if you decide to push on through it and continue your accent there is a possibility you may die.

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Tags: 1000m, african safari, Altitude Sickness, Ankles, Cerebral Oedema, Climbing Kilimanjaro, Fingers, High Altitudes, Lack Of Oxygen, Lungs, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mountainside, Mt Kilimanjaro, Nausea Vomiting, Oxygen Levels, Pulmonary Oedema, Sea Level, Severe Headaches, Swelling Of The Brain, Three Distinct Types, Trekking, Variations