i took my horse to the beach today, there was a towline on the beach that was suspended higher than usual (usually they are easy to step over), i stepped on it and asked him to walk over it, he got his front feet over fine but then the rope slipped and he had 3 feet in front of it and one back foot behind. he spooked and started to thrash around, i calmed him down and got his foot out, he has some raw skin where the rope rubbed but thats all i can see. i walked him back to the pasture and he is now grazing. i checked for heat and swelling but couldn't find any, but when i asked him to lift his foot that got caught he lifted it up higher than usual and then sort of hopped away before returning to grazing and walking normally, i tried again and he lifted it fine. this happened within the last half hour.
i'm hoping that since he is just walking around grazing and ive seen him put pressure on that back foot that he is fine (other than the raw skin). i have not asked him to trot at all because if it hurts I don't want to aggravate it more.
what does it sound like to you guys? do u think he can ride tomorrow?
i'm hoping that since he is just walking around grazing and ive seen him put pressure on that back foot that he is fine (other than the raw skin). i have not asked him to trot at all because if it hurts I don't want to aggravate it more.
what does it sound like to you guys? do u think he can ride tomorrow?
I would not ride right away. If this just happened the full affects of his pain may not be showing. I would take it easy, if gets worse call vet. If not, just make sure to take care of the rope burn (:
don't ride him for a couple of days but if he shows no signs of being lame the i would say it is safe to ride.
I think it sounds like a simple rope burn, since you can't feel any heat on the hoof or around the joint, there's no swelling and he is walking fine. I would keep checking every few hours for heat or swelling, if not just put some Nolvasan on his rope burn and take it easy for a few days. I wouldn't ride him until his injury heals up in a couple days. I hope he's feeling better soon, P.S I'm jealous you get to ride on the beach :D
If he has some raw skin then that would be a little tender. Just keep the flies off of it and watch for swelling or seepage. He might not ever show up lame so I wouldn't worry too much unless he starts limping. If he is going to start limping you'll probably notice by tomorrow or the next day.
If I had a big raw spot on my leg I'd be a bit protective of it too so don't worry about him snatching his foot away from you.
If I had a big raw spot on my leg I'd be a bit protective of it too so don't worry about him snatching his foot away from you.
The only way to tell if a horse is lame is to trot him. You will need some one to lead him at a trot away from you on a flat surface and then back towards you.
If he is lame behind you will see him lift his head quite markedly when he steps on the bad leg.
I doubt he is lame though. He probably lifted it higher because he was annoyed to be disturbed grazing and you were a bit overly cautious by touching it gingerly.
As long as there is no heat and no bleeding, he is probably fine.
Trot him up tomorrow before you try to ride him. He should be fine.
I wish I could ride on a beach! I wish I could ride at all. Broke my back and have never sat on a horse since I sold my last one. But still eat and sleep horses and ride in my dreams. And remember all the thrills and the spills and scares and joys!
If he is lame behind you will see him lift his head quite markedly when he steps on the bad leg.
I doubt he is lame though. He probably lifted it higher because he was annoyed to be disturbed grazing and you were a bit overly cautious by touching it gingerly.
As long as there is no heat and no bleeding, he is probably fine.
Trot him up tomorrow before you try to ride him. He should be fine.
I wish I could ride on a beach! I wish I could ride at all. Broke my back and have never sat on a horse since I sold my last one. But still eat and sleep horses and ride in my dreams. And remember all the thrills and the spills and scares and joys!
Riding instructor
don't ride him for about four days and wash his leg with cool water and herbal scrub to cool it down and stop infection, to help hair growth after-wards, use some corniercressent, (or how ever its spelt) see how it go, if it gets worse call the vet, otherwise he should be fine.......... hoe he gets well soon !!!!
What happens with this type of injury is a type of burn, which is very painful. He may just be reacting to that. If he has injured a tendon or ligament, there will be evidence within 24 hours as the swelling and inflammation advance.
Treat the injury as a burn. I would flush the entire area with sterile 0.9% saline solution which you can buy at any drugstore. Get a squeeze bottle or syringe so you can squirt a good stream onto the entire affected area. This will not hurt the sore tissue, it will inhibit infection by drowning and dehydrating germs, and since it is balanced with the body fluids, it will not cause any damage to the skin cells, or swelling of the cells needed to heal. You can flush it this way every two to four hours and not need to bandage or apply anything to the wound. Keep an eye on him and tomorrow, find a helper to trot him out while you watch for any sign of lameness like limping, head bobbing, etc. Without touching the raw area, ask him to flex and extend the fetlock joint. Feel for heat (compare to the other side), and observe for swelling. If he doesn't appear lame, then just keep watch and treat the friction burn. If he shows lameness, call your vet and go from there.
Treat the injury as a burn. I would flush the entire area with sterile 0.9% saline solution which you can buy at any drugstore. Get a squeeze bottle or syringe so you can squirt a good stream onto the entire affected area. This will not hurt the sore tissue, it will inhibit infection by drowning and dehydrating germs, and since it is balanced with the body fluids, it will not cause any damage to the skin cells, or swelling of the cells needed to heal. You can flush it this way every two to four hours and not need to bandage or apply anything to the wound. Keep an eye on him and tomorrow, find a helper to trot him out while you watch for any sign of lameness like limping, head bobbing, etc. Without touching the raw area, ask him to flex and extend the fetlock joint. Feel for heat (compare to the other side), and observe for swelling. If he doesn't appear lame, then just keep watch and treat the friction burn. If he shows lameness, call your vet and go from there.
Registered Nurse and 57 years with horses
HI your horse will be fine to ride out tomorrow rub some vaseline on the burn area now and before you ride out tomorrow when you return wash area and dry it rub some more vaseline on to area and stable or turn away your horse--yours--
Don't ride him untill you know for sure. Take him on the lead and walk him in a tight circle around you. Does he favor a foot?? You may want it to be checked out by a vet or farrier.
Talk to your vet about the location of the injury and ask him if you need to have any concerns about "proud flesh" which is a healing disorder where the regenerating wound is pressed outward from the bone - this slows healing and otherwise can be a problem.
It sounds like you don't need to worrry about lameness, but to be absoloutely sure, lunge him at the trot and look for any gair problems.
4-5 days off is not a bad idea in case there is some invisible bruising.
I hope this helps!
It sounds like you don't need to worrry about lameness, but to be absoloutely sure, lunge him at the trot and look for any gair problems.
4-5 days off is not a bad idea in case there is some invisible bruising.
I hope this helps!