Saturday, August 27, 2011

Rules shall be broken.

I'm sure I'm going to get a bit of flack for this one, but at the time it made total sense...now, well, I'm going to go check on him on my way to and from my parents and decide what I'll stick with...

The farrier came out today and trimmed Moon's feet. While she was at it, she had a look at his 'lump', agreeing that it was very much like windpuffs, but she'd never seen anything like it in *that* spot. We both agreed that cold hosing twice/daily (15 minutes or so) plus a poultice to draw out some of the heat (it was ever so slightly warm today, but it's hard to tell if it's just the sun on his dark hair). When she trimmed him, she noted that he wasn't at all sore on it, willingly raising and flexing it, as well as not minding if you poked or prodded the lump.

When she pared down his sole, we were both surprised to see only ONE tiny bruise. Just one. And tiny. His soles were also rock solid, making it really hard to pare them down at all. Hmmmm...

After we finished, I called around trying to find some poultice. The farrier had recommended a clay poultice, so I figured, why not.

...apparently however, everyone in the jumping community has horses with swellings. Because of a show this weekend, every store in the city and most of the surrounding country side was sold out. Aurgh.

I finally just drove to the one place in town that was busy and not answering their phone...and they had one! The liniment kind, called "Sore no more". I bought that and a pack of no-bows, for way too much money.

And then went across the street to a new farm and garden store that had just opened and found the same product for $6 less. I WANTED to walk back over and ask the first place for my money back, but didn't want to waste my time. I had a pony to poultice.

Back at the barn, I brought Moon in, applied the clay, wrapped it in a thin layer of newspaper to keep it off the bandages, wrapped the no-bows around and then applied the standing bandages.

I had read a lot of warnings about applying standing banadages wrong, but I've done sweat wraps on Polo ponies in the past, which is nearly the same thing. Just with saran wrap instead of newspaper.

Then, I was thinking "hmmmm...if he's not standing, will standing wraps fall off? What if he freaks out on them?"

It came to me that back in the polo days for the sweats, we'd wrap some electrical tape around the wraps to keep them from coming undone. So I did that. One at the top, one in the middle, and one at the bottom. Success.

Turned Moon out, he stood around. Munched some hay. Stood some more. Came and visited me...

I checked them once more, adjusting the tape to make sure it wasn't too tight. He seemed content and not moving crazy much, so I left and headed home, figuring I'd check him on my way back from my folks tonight, and once in the morning when I go to hose him again (yes, hosed him today too).

I do get this feeling that this isn't a first for him. He stood WAY too still the entire time the hose was on his leg, not moving at all. Even being wrapped he's a completely patient gentleman...strange if a horse has never experienced it before...

So I googled standing wraps on pasture when I got home, and learned that people are opposed to it. : O

Even to polos : O

Obviously I had just gone ahead and done it, and people spoke of serious tendon and bone injuries should the wrap come undone and the horse panic.

...My past experience with polo horses on pasture, was that this wasn't even a concern. And we used POLO's instead of standing bandages, likely cause they were already on hand, so the boss didn't have to buy more...

I remember sometimes they came undone, but then you'd just go find them in the field...The horses never freaked out or anything. Never got injured either. Was that just luck? My boss had been doing it for YEARS. And OTTBs that they use aren't exactly known to be the most 'calm'.

Now I don't know what to do. I definately DO NOT want him unwrapped and poulticed. And I do not want him no poulticed. Granted, I don't want him hurt either.

My decision? I'm going to rewrap with the electrical tape so it's in a swirl, instead of three circles. That way if the wrap comes undone, so will the tape. And the tape will help keep it from coming undone.

Horse ownership really is just a game of opinions and experience, isn't it? : P

Hopefully one way or another, Moon starts feeling better.

1 comment:

  1. And someone will say, "oh, that's fine" and another person will say, "OMG! That's the worst thing ever!" Personally, I won't put wraps on my mare if she's going out to pasture because I learned the hard way what can happen, but Moon might might do just fine in them. I know plenty of horses who have. It's all very frustrating, isn't it? :)

    (In case you're curious, the wrap slipped down on my mare's leg, really irritating the skin, and she ended up with a nasty case of dermatitis and cellulitis. Good times...)

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