Natural Horse Care in an Unnatural World

If you have been following this blog, then you recall that, on February 13th, my 27 year old Paint colicked with a strangulated lipoma and needed emergency surgery. While he was at Tufts Veterinary Hospital for Large Animals, He was scoped and discovered to have ulcers. Upon returning home (9 days later, on Feb. 22nd), he was doing well. I had him on his ulcer meds for a month. I had to cordon off a portion of his paddock so he could still go outside and be with his friends. After the first month, I opened up his paddock to about 24 feet by 30 feet. This was to stay for another month.  However, on March 8th, only 3 weeks out of surgery, I brought him in and a friend who boards at the same barn noticed that Kobeejo's right knee was swollen. I had not noticed, as he was not limping nor favoring the leg. He also had a bit of a fever. I called my vet, who came out to check. He spent more time checking his intestines and doing an ultra-sound on his gut. Nothing was wrong there. He deduc...

You might recall earlier posts back in February when my 27-year old Paint colicked with a strangulated lipoma and needed emergency surgery.  I was fortunate that this happened in the morning when people arrived at the barn and noticed his discomfort. Getting him to an emergency hospital was crucial to his survival and recovery. But, this got me thinking. What if it had happened during the night when no one was at the barn? On average, horses at the barn where Kobeejo is boarded, come in at 5pm in nice weather. They stay in until 9am the next morning. That's 16 hours spent in their stalls. (Many, including Kobeejo, will stay out on nice nights in summer, but generally, November through June is spent in at night). Usually, the barn is void of humans from 7pm until 8am. Eleven hours with no one watching them. That amount of time can mean life or death if something goes wrong. Not long ago, a friend lost a horse due to colic and a twisted intestine, all of which happened at night when ...

At this point in time, transmission of the Coronavirus between humans and horses is not a worry. Those of us caring for our own horses at barns with other people should, however, practice utmost caution; not over infecting our horses, but to think about the tools we use in cleaning stalls, feeding, sweeping, etc. I have all my own tools; muckrake, broom, leaf rake (for cleaning paddock), lunge whip, and all of my horse's grooming tools, etc. However, it is not unusual for people caring for horses to share tools. Even at full board only facilities that have closed to the public and to boarders, thought needs to be taken to keep yourself and others safe. Thus, I have come up with a list of precautions we should all be taking within the barn to help prevent the spread of viruses. Use only your own tools and don't share, at least for now. If you have been using the barn's muckrake, for instance, to clean stalls, and others use it as well, use sanitizing wipes or spray (i...

I don't think there's anyone on earth who has not been impacted in one way or another by the Covid-19 pandemic. Businesses considered "non-essential" have been closed down, others close at early hours. Even the coffee I have been getting at night when I go up to walk Kobeejo and give him his meds during his rehab from surger y is not available at night. The store is open, but everything you can "grab and go" is closed down. They only allow people to order their coffee and food between the hours of 6am and 2 or 3 pm (depending on which store you go to). I assume because they are trying to cut back on the number of employees (and customers) in the store at once. Yet, I believe I saw more traffic out tonight than I have in the daytime. Starting tonight at 8pm, the governor ordered all "non-essential" businesses and people to "Stay safe. Stay home." But this has apparently caused more concern than clarification. What exactly does that mean?...