Abeyyah Om Jurays : Dahmah Shahwaniya : Kuhaylat Ajuz : Kuhaylat Ajuz (Dajan) : Kuhaylat Ajuz (Rodan) : Hadba Enzahiya : Saqlawiyah Jidraniyah (Sudan)

Khanbalique's story

Agecroft's first foal and a surprise early delivery by her dam.  Khanbalique was a well handled foal and grew up knowing what she wanted.

When the time came some years later, the decision to put Khanbalique down as a 12yo was a very hard one for us and yet kind for her. Three years previously she had severed a tendon in her hind leg, then the opposite leg started to worry her. She was lame and prognosis was not good - she had degenerative tendonitis.

The next decision was even more difficult, to exhume in order to examine her structure. As a consequence of her exhumation a further decision was made to mount her skeleton allowing full freedom of movement of the limbs. Khanbalique's skeleton is now used for training in the Charles Sturt University in New South Wales within their Applied Science Degree for Equine Studies.

Progeny

Agecroft Kuwait grey gelding by Tarong El Nefous grey (straight Egyptian)

Agecroft Kashan grey gelding by Simeon Stav grey (straight Egyptian)

Agecroft Nia grey mare by Agecroft Imi grey (Egyptian related)

Agecroft Nenagh grey mare by Agecroft Imi grey (Egyptian related)

Agecroft Jask chesnut gelding by Agecroft Imi grey (Egyptian related)

Agecroft Jabal ash Shaykh chestnut stallion by Agecroft Imi grey (Egyptian related)

...A. Khanbalique's story continues...

Equine knowledge, Sharon's consuming passion

Sharon May-Davis with her skeleton Prim and the senior lecturer of the VRC Dr Graham Tudge

By Gene Makim-Willing

FORTUNATELY for Sharon May-Davis of Seelands, near Grafton, NSW, many dedicated horse lovers see fit to bury their pride and joy after it makes the final journey to greener fields. Finding herself knee-deep in the gravesite of one of these presents no problems for Sharon.

Her consuming passion for further knowledge of the equine skeletal framework leads her to places near and far where she carefully digs and scrapes to exhume horse skeletons.

'My fascination for equine conformation and its relationship to locomotion led me to studying the musculo-skeletal system at tertiary and university levels,' Sharon said.

But she hasn't stopped there as during the last five years, she has hardly left a stone unturned. Her curious mind and love of horses, has driven her forward to learn as much as she can about anatomy and physiology.

Working on a shoestring budget, her physical and mental capacity which is never-ending, is spurred on by determination and dedication. She receives no funding and lives on a single parent pension. "To fully understand the framework which supports this incredible athlete, and to comprehend articulation beyond the pages of the textbook, one has to study the skeleton," she said.

Naturally this means seeking out as many skeletons as possible. Fortunately through word of mouth and the support of other dedicated horse owners she is fast gaining a reputation in her unusual chosen field, while driving around the countryside in her battered vehicle. Despite the 'fact that Sharon is involved in an extremely sophisticated undertaking, her outfit and tools of trade are simple, but effective. An ancient long handled, broad shovel, a rusty rake and a stiff bristled three sided toothbrush skillfully manned by Sharon, do the job to perfection. 'I am lucky as my father was a plumber. He taught me the basic fundamentals for correct posture as used in the art of digging, and the importance of careful searching without damaging my quarry,' Sharon said.

Sharon gained the necessary knowledge for skeleton articulation from The Australian Museum, which involved individual assistance from their technical officer, David Millar. He spent many hours answering her questions, and guiding her through this intricate process. She and her shovel have crossed many dry gullies since the initial dig, which was a stockhorse mare who was buried not very far from where she lived.

'I have opened 'Pandora's Box' for myself, and quite possibly for many others. After all how many lay persons know that the number of lumbar vertebrae and ribs vary in Arabs and Thoroughbreds. The average Thoroughbred has 18 thorasic ribs and 6 lumbar, compared to 17 and 5 for Arabs."

Lady Wentworth did research on this back in the 1920s and recorded her findings. Possibly due to the fact that she was a woman, and regarded by some as an eccentric (even though she founded the famous Crabbet Park Arabs), her information has to a degree been swept under the carpet.

Prim, a champion racing Thoroughbred mare skeleton Sharon unearthed, belonged to Angela Kovac of Gulgong, NSW. The mare came to life again as Sharon found each individual bone and studied its makeup, then reassembled it.

'She provided me with a unique opportunity to assemble and relate her structure to her ancestors, the Arab. Until then I had no idea how many Arabian characteristics still dominated Thoroughbred breeding through skeletal anatomy." It is interesting to note that this mare's teeth, vertebrae and skull are all exhibited Arabian traits. In fact, up to this day this influence is quite prominent.

In actual fact, Prim was a double cross of the Thoroughbred stallion Nasrullah. He was her maternal and paternal great-grandsire with both her mare and sire lines going directly back to the Darley Arabian.

Because of Sharon's painstaking efforts, Prim has now found a permanent home at the VRC Training and Education Centre at Flemington, Victoria, where she plays a vital role in the Jockey Training Program.

And Prim, racing name Silver Thumb, is not just a pretty face. With the aid of manual manipulation, she is able to move her near-side forelimb, through the normal range of motion, 'flexion and extension'. These skeletons provide an excellent practical teaching aid, giving a visual perspective to complement the theory aspect. Through them the pupil is provided with a much clearer picture of skeletal anatomy, in general, conformation and selection, gait analysis, athletic performance as well as non invasive manipulative therapeutic techniques.

Sharon's latest accomplishment, (her 20th), was the unearthing of the pure Arab mare, Agecroft Khanbalique, at Agecroft Stud, Vale View, which is situated on the outskirts of Toowoomba.

The proprietors of this stud, mother and daughter, Diane and Ruth Wilson, were possibly a bit apprehensive about seeing the remains of their lovely mare after a period of a few years. However, after prolonged discussions with Sharon they embraced the operation with enthusiasm, realising the great advantages to be incurred in the world of horse science.

After a three day period of careful bone exhumation, closely monitored by some of the 25 resident Arabs in adjoining paddocks. Sharon, Diane and Ruth sat down and talked at great length about the numerous anatomy secrets Khanbalique and other horses take to their graves.

"Most horses harbour an element of surprise in their framework, especially heavily man manipulated and evolved breeds. Some of them are a result of an injury, while others are passed down through the genes. Australia is blessed with some of the greatest horse athletes in the world, so they deserve the best possible form of therapy available, in order to eliminate the current wastage. There is a great need in this country for equine therapists to study and work on the supporting framework.'

Horses who gambade, (or leap and bound), such as showjumpers, three day eventers, advanced dressage horses, polo and polocrosse horses and campdrafters, all come under this category. Gallopers who tend to be burnt out at an early age, certainly need therapy.

The time involved in a dig up varies according to location and soil type. However, after four days at Vale View, complete with skeleton and a great deal more knowledge, Sharon loaded up and headed for home and her two young children who were being carefully nurtured by their grandparents. Sharon, who spent her single days competing with a top hack around the Sydney metropolitan area, is in demand as a guest speaker and answering questions at numerous horse orientated events where she shares her findings with other less informed people. Among these, have been the Toowoomba Horse Expo, Primac Field Day at Casino, From the Hoof UP Sen-dnar at Grafton, the Clarence River Jockey Club, the Equine Reproduction Seminar at Grafton, and Expos and large Agricultural Shows.

"My long range future plans naturally revolve around my favourite subject. I hope to travel to the US to study further equine therapy subjects."

Having seen Sharon in action and talked to her at great length, if she chooses to remain in the US, all I can conclude is that our loss is their gain.

Agecroft Khanbalique's Report

By Sharon May-Davis BAppSc (Equine Studies).

... story concludes, facts revealed ...

HEAD:

Khanbalique’s skull appeared of normal shape and dimension. She had all her teeth, which were in excellent condition considering they had never been floated. Her bite was even and no stress seemed apparent at the Temporal Mandibular Joint or through the attachment points of the Coronoid Process.

CERVICAL VERTEBRAE:

There was excellent symmetry throughout the cervical vertebrae with no signs of osseous formations abnormal to this region.

THORACIC VERTEBRAE:

There were eighteen in total with two areas of noted interest. Thoracic vertebrae No.3 (T3), which was curved posteriorly rather than anteriorly, but the consequences of this are unknown to me. T12 through to T18 had what is known as “kissing spine”. This is where the uppermost portion of a dorsal spinous process of the thoracic vertebrae comes into contact with another and overrides that process.

LUMBAR VERTEBRAE:

Indicative of the Arabian – Khanbalique had five lumbar vertebrae and of particular note were L4 and L5. These were fused quite extensively along the transverse processes and vertebral body, but did not infringe upon the vertebral foramen.

SACRUM:

There was minor asymmetry of the sacral wings and a fracture of the first spinous process. This was brought about by the sub-luxaton of the sacro-iliac joint, which allowed the Ilium to impede this spinous process and I presume facilitate the fracture.

My finding on this concurs with the fact that articulation of the sacro-iliac joint continued to impede this process and re-fracture the dorsal spinous process. There was a sagittal split of the dorsal spinous processes of S3, 4 & 5. The depth varied between 1 ½ - ½ cm and this has been my first encounter with this anomaly.

THE HIP:

Khanbalique’s hip was extremely asymmetrical. There was obvious sub-luxation of the near-side sacro-iliac joint with the wing of ilium traversing dorsally and medially. This action impeded and fractured S1’s dorsal spinous process. Both sacral tuberosities appeared very close to S1 and had less that 2cms gap separating them. The entire pelvis had shifted to the off-side and this was very apparent after articulation, when both ischiatic tuberosities were noted in approximation to the rest of Khanbalique’s skeleton. I am presuming that these anomalies occurred as a result of the severing and partial severing of the near-side hind leg’s superficial and deep flexor tendons just above the fetlock 4 years previous.

CAUDAL VERTEBREA:

All appeared normal, but Ca1 (the first one behind the sacrum) had changes indicative of spondylosis. This could be biomechanically influenced due to those changes occurring at a skeletal level anterior to it.

NEAR-SIDE FRONT LEG:

This leg upon articulation was off-set and inclined to be “buck kneed”. Apart from this there appeared to be no other anomalies. The coracoid process located medial to the supraglenoid turbacle on both scapulas, were the largest I have encountered – over 1 ½ cm. Upon viewing Khanbalique in action (on video), I must now begin to wonder if this is indicative of the ability for a horse to extend?  The coraco brachialis (an extensor and stabiliser) attaches to this process and inserts into the humerus. The fact that this process was large indicates the amount of loading placed on it (in Khanbalique’s case exceptional extension), which therefore accounts for the increase in bone remodelling.

OFF-SIDE FRONT LEG:

This leg was perfect in alignment, but the ulna and intermediate carpals were fused. No osseous degeneration was apparent and articulation of the joint appeared unimpaired. The coracoid process was similar to that of the near-side.

NEAR-SIDE HIND LEG:

The skeletal diameter of this leg was less than that of the off-side. The sesamoids showed some change at a degenerative level, but overall its alignment was correct.

OFF-SIDE HIND LEG:

This leg was slightly larger than the near-side skeletally and for all intent and purpose – correct.

BONE DENSITY:

In regard to the other skeletons that I have worked with, Khanbalique's bones were of considerable strength and density. The process by which articulation occurs, requires drilling at both distal and proximal ends of each long bone in the leg. In the case of Khanbalique, this process was much more difficult than in previous studies. My conclusion was drawn from the difficulty incurred by me for a new drill bit to penetrate the bone. Even though anecdotal, I checked the drill against other unrelated boney structures and incurred no difficulty. This would suggest that Khanbalique's bones were of a greater strength and density.

GENERAL:

Khanbalique has to date the best set of pedal bones (3rd phalanxes) that I have encountered. The ‘kissing spine’ of the thoracic vertebrae and extensive fusion of the lumbar vertebrae, I have put down to the continual process of foaling from the age of four. These vertebrae would not have fully matured till 5 in Khanbalique’s case and the ventral loading of six foals over eight years would have influenced this outcome. Due basically to visceral structures suspending the intestines and uterus from the ventral aspect of these vertebrae.

The following outlines the variations in diameter of Khanbalique’s femurs (hind thighbones).

A. Khanbalique is now a training resource with the
Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW. Australia