Archive for the ‘Stall’ Category
Horse limps when she trots and her legs are swollen
Posted in Exercise, Hoof Care, Lameness, Longeing, Stall, tagged equine, exercise, exercises, fitness, health care, hoof, hoof care, lame horse, lameness, longeing, riding on April 20, 2011| 5 Comments »
Hi Cherry,
I have an quarter horse mare that I just bought she is the sweetest thing in the world, she is at the stables where I keep my other horse the owner sold us the other too and perfectly healthy,my quarter I was testing her and noticed that her thighs and back legs are very swollen I know for an fact that she has not been out for one month so due of being in her stall for so long I am pretty sure that is the problem. Also when I made her trot she was limping but her hoofs are very long and broken that will be fixed this week. I will exercise her every day and i massage her legs, someone said that it never goes away I am not sure about that. It is cold now and the barn is not heated so I do not want to put cold water on her legs can I do cold compresses and the then wipe her dry?
When she walks she does not limp only when she trots what are your suggestions on that?
I just want to know if this stays for the rest of her life or with exercise and taking her out it will go away she is not in pain
Thank you so much
Monika
Hi Monika,
There was a salty and sweet vet that I worked with once that used to look at a horse like yours and say, “All she needs is fresh air and exercise.”
A horse that has not been out of her stall for a month will “stock up” which is a horseman’s way of saying “swell in the legs”. Some horses stock up if they don’t receive daily exercise. All horses should have either free daily exercise (turnout in a large area where they can run and buck and roll) or daily exercise such as longeing or riding.
But before you even think about exercising the horse, she needs hoof care. All horses should have their hooves attended to (trimmed or shod) every 6-8 weeks. When a horse’s hooves have become so long as to begin cracking and breaking off, it is way past due for the horse to have farrier care.
When a horse limps at the trot, that means the horse IS in pain – it hurts to put its weight on that hoof or limb.
So my suggestions are to get the horse hoof care immediately, keep her on a 6-8 week hoof care program per your farrier’s recommendation and exercise her daily.
Then your sweet horse will be comfortable and will last you a lot longer.
Horse Behavior – Stall Kicking
Posted in Behavior, Exercise, Management, Pen or Run, Stall, Stall, Stall Kicking, Vices, tagged exercises, horse behavior, horse vice, horsekeeping, kicking, management, stall kicking on January 21, 2011| 2 Comments »
Hi Cherry,
I have 8 year old Appaloosa mare which I owned for 4 years. She is a willing, easy going mare but a little on the spooky side though. I have just moved her from the farm she has lived on since birth (paid to board her there) to my place. I also have my friend’s horse stabled with her who was also from the same farm and was stalled beside her.
My problem is she is kicking her stall. I’m at a lost at the cause. I thought the cause is out of frustration but not sure. She did kick her stall some at the farm too but not at this degree. I’m afraid she is going to hurt herself if I don’t figure out the cause. I can watch her go right into it. She will pin her ears back and tuck in her chin, back up to the stall wall then kick repeatedly. It can progressive get worse if left on her own vice until she’s satisifed.
I’ve had to do repairs to her stall I know. I can prevent her from kicking if I catch her at the right moment. It takes several corrections but she will stop except I can’t be there everytime. If she allowed do it, she will kick up to 5ft to 6ft up the stall wall.
I thought the cause was from frustration at being stalled at night but she does it when she allow to run in/out of her stall too. I haven’t been feeding her very much grain about 1/2lb a day but has free access to hay. I haven’t been working her too much to allow her to settle in. She has a acre paddock that she and the other horse to run in which she out in it at least 1/2 the day.
Have any suggestions what I can do?
KC
Dear KC,
A behavior like this is a stall vice since it is occurs in the horse’s living environment irrespective of the presence of people or handling. It is usually a response to management or confinement. With all such vices, you need to eliminate all potential causes some of which you have already mentioned and it sounds like you are aware of, but for sake of completeness, here is a checklist:
Be sure the horse is getting ample exercise in the form of purposeful work.
Be sure the horse is getting ample turnout time alone and with other horses if compatible and safe.
Make sure the horse’s ration is appropriate for the level of work.
Check to see if there is an issue with neighboring horses, that is, if the kicking occurs when a particular horse is nearby.
Since this is a mare, observe the occurrence of stall kicking in relation to her estrous cycle.
Once you’ve evaluated the above and taken necessary measures, I’d suggest getting the mare back into her normal work schedule.
I’ve posted an article on stall kicking on my website that might give you some more insight and ideas, but most of these repetitive behaviors disappear once a horse is given enough exercise and something else to occupy them.
Best of luck. I’d like to hear how things progress with your mare and I welcome comments and suggestions from readers – just click on Leave a Comment at the end of this post.
Horse Stall Flooring – The Quick Q&A
Posted in Management, Stall, Stall, Stall Mats, tagged horsekeeping, management, rubber stall mats, sanitation, shavings bedding, stable, stall mats, straw bedding on January 6, 2011| 1 Comment »
Dear Cherry,
What is the best kind of flooring to have in a stall? We are building a new horse barn and want to know about the stall floor to make it as easy to keep clean as possible. The stalls will be 10ft. by 16ft. the stalls will be used to feed and hold a horse for foaling.
Thanks for your time.
Debbie
Hi Debbie,
I prefer interlocking rubber mats over decomposed granite or another well-draining, well packed base. I bed with shavings normally but use bright oat straw for foaling.
Cherry Hill