I’m back home again after a varied week. We had some unexpected first aid practice when Arabella slightly cut a fetlock. She must have cut it on a piece of debris on the edge of the road, although we couldn’t find any metal or glass, just a fragment of wood. Well, as an Arabian, she does have thin skin. It’s amazing how far a small amount of blood goes, in this case two or three tablespoonfuls. A little bleeding can look awful until one considers the situation. Disinfection followed by application of a roll of vet-wrap and a stable bandage stopped the bleeding and allowed Arabella to walk the last couple of miles to the overnight stop. As a precaution, and to allow her to recover without risk of re-opening the wound, we changed her out next day.
One does get to practice a certain amount of first aid on rides. It’s in the nature of intensive trail riding. On longer trail rides spread over several days, the emphasis is on treating the horse so that it can continue, if that is an option. There are problems that don’t constitute unsoundness, if correctly managed. We’ve had a horse that was bitten on its back by an insect, causing a bump that began to rub under the saddle. In this case I’ve applied antiseptic ointment, then saddled the horse using a specially prepared blanket which has a hole cut in it so that no pressure is put onto the inflammation. That’s in the spirit of one of the most useful books in my library – the 1941 edition of the U.S. Cavalry Manual of Horsemanship.
I’ve had a horse stumble and go lame on the trail. The answer, if possible, is immediately to put a stable bandage on the affected limb and stand the horse in a stream. It is amazing how quickly a sprain can be relieved by cold water, leaving the horse sound to work. If there is no running water, one can pour water onto the bandage from a rider’s water bottle. This kind of quick, effective treatment can save the day. The Cavalry knew that, and we ignore that kind of horse lore at our peril.
That’s not to say that we use horses that have become unsound. We don't.
Only that rapid diagnosis and treatment can restore soundness quickly. Modern veterinary medicine helps too. I carry Flumeglamine (sold as Fluximin) with me, since a shot can relieve inflammation quickly whilst the horse stands and rests. Unlike Bute, this drug seems to relieve inflammation rather than mask the pain that it causes, so it doesn’t cause an unsound horse to appear sound, possibly causing extra trauma as a result. With so much work on steep mountain terrain, covering difficult ground, sprains will happen. So it makes sense to be prepared.
Anyway, back to the ride. We had two wonderfully warm, sunny days, followed by a day of changeable weather. Thursday was vile, solid pouring rain nearly all day. I was the only rider who stayed dry. Really, the people at Driza-Bone do make good coats. Backhouse make good waterproof hats too. I was looking forward to Friday to redeem the ride. A warm, bright day with expansive views would have been ideal. It was not to be, however the rain did hold off. Down the valley, a sheet of rain fell. I refused to put my coat on again, watched the rain westward, endured a few spots, but was vindicated. I felt good about that.
Farriery is an issue with so many horses out working. I do appreciate the hard facing electrodes that I use to reinforce the bottoms of shoes before they are fitted. Really, that is the only way that my horses can manage a month between shoeing with the stony tracks that we use. This morning Nelu and I welded borium onto three sets of shoes, two sets of removes which still carried a thin layer of well-worn borium from four weeks ago (as it is a shame to throw away expensive imported shoes) and one new set (replacing shoes from which the borium had worn away plus much of the steel of the shoe). As it is, with eighteen working horses, each shod four-weekly, that leaves us four or five to shoe each week. The juggling act to keep horses that need shoeing back at base cannot always be accomplished, given summer rider numbers and work schedules. We shoe some horses on Saturday mornings (since rides are out Monday to Friday) and occasionally others in the evening out on the trail. In any case we carry a full set of shoeing equipment in our truck, as well as horse feed and baggage. As well as our farrier Nelu, Cornel and I can shoe horses when necessary, giving us the flexibility that we need to keep our horses operational throughout a busy trail season. It means that we can replace lost shoes on the spot, without delaying a group of guests whilst a local farrier is tracked down. There are times when we have simply replaced a lost shoe on the spot, or re-nailed a loose shoe, when we would have needed to truck in a replacement horse in Britain or wait hours or days before a farrier begrudgingly appeared to nail on one shoe.
Now the horses are all at pasture for the weekend. Even at the busiest moments, they work a five-day week, giving a good measure of rest. There is good grass and shade, space to relax. They will be ready to work again on Monday morning. So, after a good sleep, will I.