Prevent Turnout Injuries With These Tips

Recent research has suggested that a significant percentage of horses get injured every year just by being in the field. Here are things that you can do to help your horse avoid injuries while being turned out.

How Important is Colostrum for Foals?

As you may already have known, colostrum is the yellow, honey-like milk that’s thick in consistency, produced by the mare just before foaling. It is significantly different from the white milk that she gives off all throughout lactation.  How important is colostrum really in foaling?

What are Strangles?

You may not seem to guess it at first but strangles is not a situation but a condition and a disease suffered by animals especially by horses.  The breeds that suffer with strangles are inflicted with serious and contagious bacterial infection that should call an immediate alert and care from your vet.  The Streptococcus equi is the bacterium responsible for the sickness and is really contagious.  This alone should get your attention because you do not want your horse to suffer and much worse your other pets and horses to get the bacteria as well if you don’t have the carrier treated right away. 

Snake Bites: What Not to Do

During a stroll in the forest or even by the lake, do not be oblivious about the possible dangers that the wild might come to you and to your horse.  Although the goal is to enjoy the experience, the scenery and the ride with your horse, be cautious at the same time with your environment.  Most of the articles will warn you about poisonous trees, leaves, flowers and fruit your horse might accidentally eat and step on but do not forget about the wild animals might come attacking and charging for you and your horse during your unaware approach. 

Snake bites can be detrimental to your horse's health.

One of the animals that slithers and charges on you despite its size are the venomous snakes found almost anywhere in the forest areas.  There is big possibility that most of the venomous snakes will immediately strike anything or anyone that comes near to it as a sign of his defense mechanism.  What we see on films and movies is that when someone is bitten by a snake, someone will always try to sip the venom out of the bitten area which is of course dangerous and wrong because without professional knowledge about the first aid on snake bites, there is possibility that the first aider will also risk his life. 

After seeing the attacker bit your horse do not waste your time approaching it, or running after it to smash with a log instead immediately take your attention to caring your horse.  Your vet does not even require for you to know what kind of snake bit your horse because if it’s venomous we only need to remove the venom, save your horse and nothing more.  If you also try to run after it tendency is that some of the snakes will strike not just once but more than that in order to survive for himself and might harm you.

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Do you fancy trail rides? Make sure your horse has an updated equine worming program to ensure that parasites are kept at  bay and your horse will not be the source of parasite infestation for other horses in your barn. For affordable equine dewormers, click here.

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As said, another important thing to remember is to never try sucking the venom out of the bitten area just like how we see it on movies.  This does not help a bit for your horse because sucking does not really help you remove all of the venom inflicted upon your horse.  The other way around, if it is not helping your horse it surely does not help you either.  Sucking the venom might even enter your system into your stomach and could surely cause you danger and even death.  Even if you are careful enough not to swallow the venom you might be unaware of some open wounds in your mouth and facial area that might be an opportunity for the venom to enter you.  So be careful and never try to be a hero if you have not been trained to be one. 

Finally, do not forget that applying tourniquet does not really stop the toxin from spreading.  It may have cut off blood circulation but toxins have their way to successful inflict their harm to your horse.  Follow these don’ts and learn the proper horse first aiding with the help of your vets. 

The Black Forest Horse

The Black Forest Horse got its name from where it is exclusively bred.  The Black Forest in Germany serves as the breeding grounds and habitat for this breed where they are mostly known as the Draft horses because of the remarkable similarity with the breed.  Way back more than 600 years, this breed has been roaming evidently along the wilds of the country.  Usually, they are bred for aiding in the chores done in the forests as carriers and as rides. 

Is Your Horse Obese?

Like all other animals as well as humans, too much fat is never a good thing. Horses may be obese, too. And like any other disease or ailment, obesity also poses many damaging effects to horses, risking its ability to work and perform its tasks better.

A Wounded Horse

Because of their behavior, horses make themselves prone to injury, leading to bleeding. Wounds tend to heal from one side to another, rather than from one end to another. Before anything else, when your horse is injured, the bleeding must be stopped completely, although the initial blood the wound releases is beneficial for the horse since dirt is released out from the body. A veterinarian’s help is very important and is much needed when (a) there is severe wound bleeding, (b) the horse experiences lameness regardless of the wound size, (c) the wound is longer than 10 cm and has penetrated deep into the skin, (d) a vital structure or part of the horse’s body is involved in the injury, or (e) the horse has not been vaccinated against tetanus yet.