We've got Thrush. I though it might be Thrush yesterday because it smelled pretty bad but I wasn't sure if it was just an aged mud/manure concoction. I did some research last night to learn more about Thrush. I know we had it a few times on the Arabs and we would just use some Coppertox and it would go away, but I never had to diagnose it myself. So I had two people look at it today and they agreed it's Thrush. I know it's fixable. I just have to fix it.
I also spoke with KAT about the depth of old, wet bedding in his stall and she informed me that that isn't as clean as the stall cleaner is supposed to be keeping it. Now, I understand that frozen solid bedding isn't easy to move in the winter, but it's thawed now and should be taken care of. Once it gets stripped I will be more diligent with my Saturday cleanings and hopefully it'll stay cleaner longer. He was getting bed sores on his hocks when I first brought him home so I had been keeping his bedding deeper, but now it's too deep to keep reasonably clean.
He rode very well for our lesson tonight. He was turned out Monday, ridden Tuesday, and turned out today so I did not need to lunge him. He was great! He got to work right away and we had only one momentary argument. We loped FOREVER on the left lead and I can feel it in my seat. Ow. He started really slow but sped up again. He is moving better though and really improving. It's still tricky to get him to stay where I point him and I have to work hard with my legs to keep him going and going where I wanted him. There were only 5 of us in the lesson and there were no other riders so we were able to spread out, use the whole arena, circle if we needed to, and work on staying where he was pointed. Eventually one of the girls brought in her 2 year old to lunge and Jr became totally distracted. That's when we had to have our one conversation.
After the lesson he didn't want to go in the stall so I ground tied him in the aisle and he was content to stand there. I even left him, went into the stall and got his halter off the tie and brought it back out. He didn't walk off even once and I only had to say STAND if he moved a foot and he would stop. He was still a little nippy but not bad. I can tell he's learning. It's so much a part of his personality to lip everything that I know it'll take a while to totally break the behavior.
If the past two days are any indication of how turn out is benefiting him I am sold.
I am a firm believer that outside is the best thing for a horse. Peronally my appy gelding lives outside 24/7. He lives with 4 other horses and they have a shalter to go in when they want to nap or to get in from the elements. If Possum is in a stall for more than one day, like the night before a show to stay clean he will literally have a fit.
ReplyDeleteHorses are roaming animals and their circulatory systems are designed for them to be constantly moving. Horses were not designed to be kept in boxes and being stalled for too long has ill effects on them physically. My horse is happier and healthier living outside. Just some food for though.
Oh - too bad! Hope the treatment works ok for Jr's feet -
ReplyDeleteGlad the turnout situation is good so far!