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Hayden Gestautas
Hayden Gestautas - Australia
Q. My horse has had five months box rest and is now coming back to work. My vet has recommended a 6 week walking programme, but I am struggling to keep all his four feet on the ground! I have already fallen off once owing to his bucking and rearing and am even starting to find it difficult to handle him from the ground when hand walking him. Any suggestions?
Professor Tim Greet FRCVS responds: Your problem is a very common one faced by people whose horses are returning from injury.
Turning the horse loose out of doors is the wrong thing to do. In fact for many orthopaedic problems this is the very worst sort of convalescence.
Exercising the horse on the lunge at least has the merit of keeping a measure of control and is therefore much better than turning the horse out.
Another alternative is to use a cattle yard or similarly restricted area, so that the horse can barely move faster than a walk.
A further possibility is to contact your veterinary surgeon to obtain some oral sedatives like acetyl promazine (ACP) or similar drug, which if judiciously administered can ensure a more comfortable and controlled experience for you as a rider on this exuberant animal.
Certainly involving your vet is a sensible thing to do at this stage as he or sghe will also be able to assess how the injury is progressing now that the horses is beginning to be exercised.
Q. My horse has had five months box rest and is now coming back to work. My vet has recommended a 6 week walking programme, but I am struggling to keep all his four feet on the ground! I have already fallen off once owing to his bucking and rearing and am even starting to find it difficult to handle him from the ground when hand walking him. Any suggestions?
Professor Tim Greet FRCVS responds: Your problem is a very common one faced by people whose horses are returning from injury.
Turning the horse loose out of doors is the wrong thing to do. In fact for many orthopaedic problems this is the very worst sort of convalescence.
Exercising the horse on the lunge at least has the merit of keeping a measure of control and is therefore much better than turning the horse out.
Another alternative is to use a cattle yard or similarly restricted area, so that the horse can barely move faster than a walk.
A further possibility is to contact your veterinary surgeon to obtain some oral sedatives like acetyl promazine (ACP) or similar drug, which if judiciously administered can ensure a more comfortable and controlled experience for you as a rider on this exuberant animal.
Certainly involving your vet is a sensible thing to do at this stage as he or sghe will also be able to assess how the injury is progressing now that the horses is beginning to be exercised.
