with Kevin Keane, as told to Bronwen Batey…
So, your horse has a skin condition, and now it has crawled its way from his face down his neck… you do the right thing and call your vet. On arrival he takes a quick look at your horse and then pointing downward asks. “How long has his fetlock been blown up like that?” You shrug and reply, “I don’t know, I guess I never noticed it before.”
Your vet frowns. “Well, it feels hot and looks sore… we’ll trot him up, but I’d think twice about running him at that event this weekend.”
If you haven’t found yourself in this situation, in one form or another, you are either extremely lucky or a qualified vet! Even through the most diligent management of our horses, it always seems that minor problems somehow get ignored, pushed aside and forgotten until they flare up when you least expect them – usually the week prior to your first three-day event. Is it really an impossible feat to keep our event horses sound, eating, healthy and happy?
Perhaps the solution lies in the personal attitude towards our horses. No longer is the attitude, ‘she’ll be right in the morning mate.’ The modern event horse now requires a full-time commitment to ensure a sound, successful career. Before you know it you wake up to find you are married to your horse and all human relationships suddenly rank second in the attention department. It is axiomatic that the management of any type of competition horse is widely diverse in terms of individual opinions and ideas. Due to the obvious high levels of stress incurred, the event horse is perhaps the most technically demanding when it comes to overall management criteria.
We can all quote eulogies of ‘no hoof – no horse’: feeding requirements, worming programs, vaccinations – the list is endless and the average event rider is regarded as well educated if they are beyond the Pony Club school of thought! Instead, why not explore a cache of management skills not common to the majority of competition riders. Like management secrets to success practised by prominent eventing protagonists from around the world. Through the examination of the more atypical management concepts of successful eventing stables, we may evaluate and choose various Insights to enhance our own individual program and perhaps make the vital difference between reaching that elusive event and finishing it! The following recommendations involve the management of the horse in preparation for the eventing season.
EVENT HORSE DAILY MANAGEMENT
As the event horse travels through the course of his training and fitness program, he ultimately becomes vulnerable to infectious and soundness complications. Daily management obviously encompasses a varied array of tasks, however the following procedures have been shown, if practised, to increase the competition life of the event horse:
* Daily monitoring of the lower limb structures: become familiar with the feel of the fetlock and coffin joints; tendons; suspensory ligament and the tendon sheath, which will allow you to evaluate changes and assess appropriate treatment procedures with your vet, preferably over the phone, which may save some money, for a change.
*Body temperature recordings taken in the morning for indication of infection. (Also establishes a base, which can be useful, say at a three-day, for comparison.)
*Nightly bandaging of the legs – allows for support, and decreases the chance of a stable injury (which could lead to unnecessary time off.)
*Soaking the hay – to decrease inhalation of dust, mould or spores, (some riders also bed horses on newspaper for this reason.)
*Thorough grooming and cleaning of equipment – studies have shown that painful skin disorders are primarily caused by negligent care for bandages/ boots/ numnahs, and a lack of correct grooming understanding.
*Sports medicine practices – cold water, ice and poultice used on the legs and feet of horses after every strenuous work out have beneficial results.
*Daily logbook – to map out the daily management schedule.
Understanding the how, why and when of your horse – and attending to every problem, no matter how minor, can close that seemingly unbridgeable gap between a sound, competitive horse and one only fit for a trail ride. The next time your vet makes a visit, shock him or her! Swap the coin and ask him the questions – he’ll either be dumbfounded or equally annoyed but the anticipated longevity of your horse’s eventing career is by far more important than a momentary grin from your bemused vet!
Ultrasound – should there be any past history of a tendon, ligament or soft tissue problem, it is common to have the area examined by ultrasound a few weeks into the season to allow for evaluation and comparison. (It is advised to ultrasound the area at least once a year.)
*Feeding pattern – As you get closer to your first competition, especially if it is to be held over a few days, the feeding times should be changed to four of five per day. The old fable ‘small feeds, often’ will relieve the associated pangs of boredom at events, and will also encourage those horses with the ‘I’m not eating – I’m at an event’ syndrome.
WEEKLY MANAGEMENT
Role of the veterinarian – your vet should be scheduled to make a routine visit to your stables once a week, to examine each horse for soundness and any problem-of-the-moment. Recording of this information will soon become a valuable tool to assess appropriate goals for each horse. (This practice can actually save money and create a more professional relationship with your vet – he will understand each horse on a more personal level and you get more competent when he is not around … less emergency calls!)
Daily turnout – should correlate to the specific competition that the horse is being prepared for. If you are aware that your horse will be bound to a stable all day at the event, the turnout time the week preceding should be gradually decreased. (Problems such as colic and tying up can be averted)
Go to the second in this series: Managing the horse after the cross country
Related article
Horse Care: Why Therapies seem to Work (When they don’t) by David W. Ramey, DVM