[Alex Hassinger]

The fact that your 20 year old horse still has it’s winter coat in the summer in Southern Indiana would be a definite concern. It could be a symptom of a few things including Cushings Disease or even thyroid issues.

It is in your best interest to have her looked at by your veterinarian so they can run some tests and run a full blood screening. You should have this addressed right away.

 

Please let us know the outcome and good luck.

[Alex Hassinger]

Thats good, and hopefully not a more serious problem.

[Alex Hassinger]

Mixing a little in feed to help with feeding medication should not be a problem.

[Alex Hassinger]

How old is the scrape? Has it begun to heal?

I would defintely keep a “standing bandage” on it for protection and to keep it clean and free from bacteria and dirt. You will need to change it everyday and give the injury some “air”, plus it is not good to keep a standing bandage on for consecutive days. “Standing Bandages” are usually some sort of quilt that is wrapped around the leg and then a flannel wrap is put on top to hold it in place. You do not want to put to much pressure on the bandage and it is not a good idea to use an elastic bandage.

Furacin has always worked well for me, and also by using a sterile pad it will help to keep it clean and not dirty your bandage. Once it has begun to heal and is not weeping anymore you can leave your badage off and that will aid the rest of the healing process.

It is also good to keep the cut clean with peroxide, but only use that in the first few initial days of the injury.

Let us know if you have any further questions. Good Luck.

[Alex Hassinger]

Cindy,

At this point you are doing the right thing, and yes the cold hose will help. The fact that he is not lame is good. Dependent on his age and severity would determine his future. It might be important at this time to have this area xrayed and at least that will give you a baseline of where the injury stands “today”. Seeing that ring bone is arthritis, we have had a lot of people use LubriSynHA successfuly on horses with this condition.

 

Keep us posted on his progress.

[Alex Hassinger]

You did a very good job of noticing the problem and addressing it right away. The poulitice and the bute was a good way to go, and not giving him the bute the second day was good as to not mask a problem. Now it is time to find out what it is, or was. Could he have “hit” this area with the opposite foot while jogging or galloping? Did you have bandages on his front legs, if so were they on an excessive amount of time? Or, did he strain a tendon. If the inflammation went away completely and he is sound, you might be ok. If after the bute and poultice some of the inflammation came back I would highly recommend your veterinarian to look at the injury. If your veterinarian is suspicous of a tendon injury it would be in your best interest to rest your horse and when the inflammation has gone down to have a ultrasound done on his tendon. You really need to know, that if it is a tendon injury, how severe is it? It could be just a strain or something more severe like a tear in the tendon. An ultrasound will tell you exactly what the severity is and where it is located.

Please let us know how everything goes. Thanks!

[Alex Hassinger]

Actually with the advances of equine medicine, the numbers of horses being put down have decreased significantly. Dr. Allday incorporates many advanced therapies in his practice and with quicker diagnose a lot of horses are coming back from injuries they couldn’t have come back from before.

[Alex Hassinger]

The process of “cooling your horse out” is extremely important and can really help in the longevity of his career. After significant exercise you should have a cooling out period of 20-30 minutes and offer your horse water every 3-5 mins. Allow them to take 7-8 gulps of water and you can watch at his throat latch to see how many he is taking. If he drinks too much too soon it can lead to problems. In winter some horses will not drink cold water so you might have to warm some so he will be able to drink.

[Alex Hassinger]

The great thing about the horse community is that there are many different groups to join and that affords you the opportunity to be exposed to other trainers, breeders and discipline specific breed organizations. Most groups are regional and nationwide and are easy to join. There are opportunities to join specific breed groups depending on the breed of your horse, for example, The American Paint Horse Organization supports the Paint Horse breed and is nationwide and also supports regional shows and organizations. There are also discipline specific organizations that are available if you are involved in hunters/jumpers, trail riding, dressage, team roping, cutting horses etc. You can do an internet search for the breed or discipline specific sector your involved in.

[Alex Hassinger]

There can be a social hierarchy with horses and from my experience training racehorses we did see a change in attitude many times when a horse won a race. They seem to eat better, look better and not be as fatigued the next day. Bottom line is if a horse likes his job and understands what he is asked to do he will compete to his fullest, either in the show ring or on the racetrack. There is a balance horses must keep between their physical job and their mental state, and if horses are not trained well, unfit to do the task this can create a “bad” attitude toward what your asking them to do. Remember, horses can’t talk so a lot of behavioral issues can be related to soundness issues.

[Alex Hassinger]

 

For two reasons it is best to not let a horse while on a trial ride. First, there are certain toxic plants that can harm a horse and second, it best to keep a horse concentrating on his job and if he were to reach out and try to brag a tree limb or shrub it could cause an accident. If were to take a break or you were at the end of a ride and were near a good pasture it would be OK for your horse to drop his head and graze a little. It is important for your horse to know his job  and for him to reach out and try to eat while you are riding is not good. If your horses tries to do this, put him into a little jog and he will eventually understand you will not alow him to do this.

[Alex Hassinger]

 

Grooming your horse is a vital part of his overall health. Horses, depending on the region they live, will grow a winter hair coat and then shed it in the spring. Grooming will help to stimulate the skin and therefore grow that healthy coat and then shed it when the warm weather comes. The process of grooming best starts with using a curry comb in circular motions all over the horses body except the lower legs and head area. This will help to remove any dead hair and open up the pours?? of the skin to promote a healthy coat. This also acts as a basic massage and help increase blood flow to the skin. Next a medium bristle brush will help to remove the dirt and hair loosened up by the curry comb. Always start just behind the ears of the horse and work back towards his tail. Next use a soft bristle brush to smooth out his hair coat and a cloth “rub rag” to put the finishing touches and that sheen in his hair coat. If you want to go one more step, use your hands and rub with the hair….the oils from your hands will put a winners shine on his hair coat. Grooming your horse helps with circulation, promote skin and hair health, and just keeps you in tune with how your horse is feeling. Dirt that accumulates can be a detriment to your horses coat which can cause a skin disease. It is also very important to clean your horses feel with a hoof pick every day, inspect his shoes and smell for any bad odors that could be related to thrush. Always inspect their shoes and ALWAYS put your hand over their hoof and feel for heat. Remember “No foot no horse” as we say.

[Alex Hassinger]

 

It is very important to know what your horse is “thinking”, but his is a process that might take more than a few minutes, and you might not ever know everything he is thinking. Working with your horse is the first step to understand his particular mannerisms, quirks and personality…..and the more you are around him the more you will learn about him. Always watch his actions, even when you’re not riding him, with everything that he encounters. A horse’s eye is a gateway into his thought process; how he looks at things and how he reacts can give you a “heads up” as to what he is thinking. Always watch your horses eye constantly and watch how he carries his head and what he does with his ears when he  when he reacts to things, this is a good start to understanding what your horse might be thinking. His mannerisms and quirks can give you insight into what he might like or dislike. When riding your horse and he is inquisitive about something always “give him his head” so he can see/hear/and smell something. Being herd animals horses need to see hear and especially smell things, so if you want to become friends with a horse just blow in his nose to get acquainted.

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