Month / June 2020

by Equus ferus Wild Horse Photography

Getting Ready for Walkabout 2020

This year Karen and I will be going to only two horse management areas to reduce travel during the pandemic. We will spend a week at Sand Wash Basin in Colorado, and a week at Great Desert Basin in Utah. Ordinarily, we have two or three trips per year, but for safety, we decided on one summer trip. We are excited to spend a lot of time living on the range with the wild horses once again. The spring was stressful for the entire world as we battled an unseen enemy and mourned those we lost to Covid 19… I worked on the frontline of medicine in one of the hardest hit spots, New York City. Karen tirelessly sewed hundreds of cloth masks during the critical shortage of medical supplies. Equus ferus- Wild Horse Photography donated bolts of cloth for the masks.

Anya & Koko
This year we have two very special guests on the Mustang Walkabout. Anya (12) and Koko (10) are rescued pugs from Arizona Pug Life Rescue. Koko is blind and wears a halo from Muffin’s Halos when she is in unfamiliar territory to prevent her from walking into things. Anya will wear Doggles for trips through the sagebrush to protect her eyes. Both dogs will wear protective paw booties to guard against cactus and painful burrs of the Bur-grass plant (Cenchrus echinatus)... I bring hemostats (fancy medical tweezers) to remove the burrs from our shoes & socks, and we hope the booties will protect Anya & Koko from painful thorns and burrs.

Supplies: Camera

Labeling the memory cards. I use the larger 64 GB cards first, then the 32GB cards. We often buy new cards halfway through the Walkabout as we travel from one management area to another… Next weekend, I’ll be getting the photography equipment ready.

Solar cooker

This year we are trying out a new concept: the solar cooker. Karen has been making many of her meals in the two cookers and they have come out delicious! Pictured at two cheese enchiladas and one mushroom meal…. Mmmmmmmmm. We will eat like royalty!

Canine Air Conditioning (‘Swamp Cooler’)

Because pugs are prone to overheating, Karen purchased a swamp cooler. Based on the principle of evaporative cooling, this little gadget will keep Anya and Koko in air conditioned comfort while we photograph wild horses. We also have a small raised bed (made by Karen) for the dogs, so they won’t have to lie on the hot earth… can you say spoiled?

Solar generator

This generator will be a first for us. We treasure the sounds of nature at night and prefer to not have the noise of a gas-powered generator intrude upon our solitude. This silent generator will be useful to charge small electronics, a small fridge, ice-maker ( I am really excited for that), our phones, and other devices…

Please visit our Facebook page to stay up to date on our adventures…
https://www.facebook.com/Equus.ferus.Wild.Horse.Photography

by Equus ferus Wild Horse Photography

Basic Anatomy Terms

Anatomical terms for direction

In studying anatomy , you need to understand directional terms. A phrase “the longissimus cervicis muscle is located posteriorly and ventral to the splenius muscle” simply means the longissimus cervicis is below the splenius muscle.  These terms do not need to be memorized, but it’s a good idea to keep them handy.

Directional Terms
Distal – farther from trunk or center of body
Proximal – closer to trunk
Lateral – away from midline
Medial – closer to midline
Anterior – front side in/towards the front (caudal)
Posterior – back side in anatomical position anatomical position (ventral) (dorsal)
Superior – closer to head
Inferior – farther from head (cranial) (caudal)
Superficial – closer to surface
Deep – farther from surface
Palmar- palm/bottom of forefeet
Plantar – bottom of foot
Dorsal – top of foot /back

Body Planes 
Sagittal — vertical plane that divides the body into RIGHT and LEFT parts
Frontal — vertical plane that divides the body into ANTERIOR and POSTERIOR parts
Transverse — horizontal planes that divides the body into CRANIAL and CAUDAL parts

Body Planes & Axes
Sagittal plane rotations occur about a medial-lateral (ML) axis
Frontal Plane rotations occur about an anterior-posterior (AP) axis
Transverse lane rotations occur about a longitudinal axis

Movement of joints

Sagittal Plane Joint Movements
Flexion = decrease angle between 2 segments
Extension = increase angle between 2 segments
Dorsiflexion = point toes up (towards shin)
Plantar flexion = point toes down

Frontal Plane Joint Movements
Elevation = move shoulder girdle superiorly
Depression = move shoulder girdle inferiorly
Valgus = “knock-kneed”
Varus = “bow-legged”

Transverse Plane Joint Movements
Abduction = move away from midline in transverse plane (also called horizontal extension) horizontal
Adduction = move towards midline in transverse plane (also called horizontal flexion)
Medial rotation = anterior surface rotates medially (also called inward or internal rotation)
Lateral rotation = anterior surface rotates laterally (also called outward or external rotation)
Supination = rotate palm up
Pronation = rotate palm down horizontal

Muscles, tendons, ligaments

Muscles attach to bones either directly or through tendinous attachments.
Ligaments attach bone to bone
Tendons attach muscle to bone or other structures such as the eyeball.

An easy way to remember this- The Achilles tendon attaches the gastrocnemius (calf muscle) to the calcaneus (heel bone). Ligaments hold bone to bone and provide stabilization.

medically accurate illustration of the gastrocnemius medial head

Origin & Insertion

Origin: the place a muscle begins- it is usually located proximal or closer to the body, and  functions as an anchor when the muscle contracts.

Insertion– the opposite end of the muscle and attaches to the movable part of the joint- usually more distal to the body. When the muscle contracts (shortens), the joint moves.

Action– the movement a muscle produces.
For instance, the muscle in the diagram to the left is the ulnaris lateralis This is the equine foreleg (human equivalent of the elbow) and the ulnaris lateralis flexes the lower leg.  It originates on the lateral side of the humerus, and it inserts into the carpal bone and on the proximal side of the lateral splint bone (two lower arrows). This muscle flexes the carpus and extends the elbow.

HANDS ON: If you run your hand down a horse’s foreleg, the bony prominence felt just behind the knee is the accessory carpal bone.