A Trip to the Vet

Hay! A week or so ago, my farriers told me that Chestnut’s, one of the horses in my care, neck needed to be popped and that he needed to see a horse chiropractor. *Let me say that this was really surprising because I didn’t know there was such a thing for horses*  So we called our vet feeling confident that he would know what to do. I also went on a test ride on Chestnut-whom I don’t normally ride. During our ride, I noticed that something was off with his gait and he kept moving his neck side to side, a problem I thought I had fixed. ( at the suggestion of our farriers, I had gotten him a bit with a copper roller. This gave him something to “play” with during the ride. This really helped him not to mess with his bit and move his neck during a ride.) 

I woke up Friday morning and loaded up Chestnut, Holly, and Penny, who both needed exams. I love going to the vet! Yes, it does mean my horse(s) has a problem, which is sad, but it also means I get to see and experience cool things and learn new stuff! *like seeing my horse’s tooth get pulled, or watching a newborn foal follow her mom out of a trailer!* I was also excited to learn about horse chiropractic stuff. The equine clinic is kinda out in the middle of nowhere. A winding, narrow road brought us to the white and green building designed for helping horses.  

Penny was the first horse to get checked out by the vet. She has respiratory issues, and hay particles get in her lungs making it hard for her to breath. To help this, Penny got prescribed some medicine, and I will start to replace hay with soaked alfalfa cubes. As I led the sedated, slow Penny back to the trailer, Holly was led into the clinic. I watched as the vet filed down (that’s what it looked like he was doing) her teeth. Other than some oral touch ups, Holly is in good  health.  

It was Chestnut’s turn next. After explaining the situation to the horse doc, he had his helper lunge Chestnut in the round pen. As it turns out, nothing is wrong with Chestnut’s neck, but I did learn a valuable lesson. Dr. Shaw began to explain that what seemed to be a neck issue was actually a foot issue. Chestnut was limping in his front right foot. Doc proceeded to get some grain from the nearby barn, and used it as a ploy to get Chestnut to move his neck to each side and then to the ground. He did this easily, proving the issue was not the neck. With some more tests and a hoof examination, it became clear that the front right foot was the problem. Then why did Chestnut move his neck from side to side during our earlier ride? This is how he expressed his pain, the vet told me. During our ride and before when he had to put extra weight on his hoof while getting shod, he had no way to express his discomfort. So he used his neck to tell us something was wrong. 

Valuable lesson: Horse’s can’t talk. When my horse is in pain he can’t just tell me what’s going on. This reminded me that as a horse owner, I must always be alert and looking for problems. Problems won’t always be there, but it’s important to notice them when they are. Which is why it’s essential for equestrians to know how their horse acts on a good day, so they can tell when something isn’t right. My horse’s actions tell me how he is feeling. If he’s grazing happily in the pasture, he is A-okay. Yet when he pins back his ears, loses his appetite, or even moves his neck side to side, I can realize something is amiss, and help my horsey pal out.

Luckly, with the help of my farrier and veterinarian, we were able to recognize Chestnut’s problem and help him out. He will receive anti-inflammatory medicine in his feed to help with the pain.  

Overall, the trip to the vet went well. I now have the medicine to help Penny with her hay “allergies,” Holly’s teeth are good, and Chestnut is getting the help he needs for his limp. Plus I learned an important lesson: listening to my horse’s actions, instead of his words!

Tails & trails,

Reese

PS. Can you find the horse related homophone switch?!