Thursday, April 26, 2012

Tune Into Your Ponies Soreness Signs

By Heather Toms


Is your pony favouring his front feet? Does he seem to be having issues with flight patterns? How does a ride on him feel these days - comfortable or not? Is he stumbling or tripping over his very own feet?

What of his attitude, is he exhibiting clear changes in approach?

And here is the big one: is he showing evidence of back problems?

If any of the questions asked above appear to be familiar territory to you, you should keep on reading to get some revelations.

I have had long experience with horses, and among the sure things I've learnt one is that with horses, health problems may not always be what they seem to be outwardly. You can make wrong surmises as the problem could be something deeper or the symptoms visible may be some misleading side effects. Obviously, it is sensible to address the root cause, not the symptoms.

Most people have observed that almost all of the common illnesses that afflict horses, like lameness, arise from disparities in the horse's bone structures. Folk have also observed that lameness issues start at the feet and work their way up right through the horse's body till his entire being appears to be affected. When that occurs, the horse is either unable or unwilling to perform any normal action due to the pain being felt.

Obviously, if all systems are good and the horse is feeling no pain whatsoever, he is going to be in a position to perform at peak capacity. He's alert to his surroundings and to what is now expected by his owner, hander or rider. He usually enjoys life, and the look of him doing that gives you much joy also.

Horses are no less impacted by agony or lack of discomfort than human beings.

If you catch'em early, you can cure them

Recently, there has been a noticeably growing inclination among both pony owners and horse-related professionals to try and stay alert to horses showing signs of foot-related discomfort and treatment as early as is possible.

Even after proper care of the feet and hooves, your horse may show signs of tenderness, stiffness. He could also show changes in behavior. This could be caused by the alterations the horse is making to recent changes. You may need detailed info within the context of feed, gear fitting and any other area of doubt that will contribute to a quick and complete recovery of your horse.

Wrapping up

You must have gone through events where you were full of questions about a horse's situation and its chance of a full recovery. You might have been told that there was nothing that could be done. Due to this information, you had to brush off your instincts. Lots of today's farriers either are blind to or are indifferent to the undeniable fact that they themselves could be a prime cause of the disorders the pony is suffering.

You need to keep looking for answers. As you broaden your knowledge base, you will find that there are plenty of simple measures, like palliative care, you can take up yourself, without assistance from a farrier. Never cease to give top priority to the well being and good health of your horses. There is a lot of new knowledge and new techniques out there that have improved the quality of care and expedite fast and complete recovery. Keep up with all developments.

Your persistence will get you into that class of people who are literally capable of special and accurate revelations into horses and their ailments. It doesn't take great amounts of study, but it does take eagerness and dedication.




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