Caring for a Sick Horse

The Basics:
1. Make sure that while you are caring for a sick horse or a hurt one, that you keep its routine as normal as possible. This helps to keep the horse relaxed.

2. If the sick horse you are caring for is not too ill, you can give him a good – but gentle – grooming each day.

3. If it is autumn or winter, you must keep a stable rug on the horse to keep him warm.

4. Always make sure that the horse you are caring for has fresh water at all times, otherwise it will get dehydrated.

5. If you are caring for a sick horse or an injured one who cannot go out to graze at all, make sure that you pick it a few handfuls of grass each day, but only as long as the vet says it is okay. Never feed the horse lawn trimmings.

Giving a Horse Medicine:
The medicines, you will find while caring for a sick horse, come in many different shapes and sizes. They can be powders, pills, liquids or capsules. There are different ways to give your horse these medicines, too.
Here they are:

1. Powders – The easiest way to feed your horse powdered medicine is by mixing the right amount into its feed. It is best to use tasty, moist feed, as this disguises the taste. You can also sprinkle the right dosage of powdered medicine onto a slice of bread with some treacle. You feed this to your horse by folding the bread to hide the powder, and handing it to your horse in bite-size chunks.

2. Liquids – Liquid medicines are most easily fed to a horse by being mixed into its food like a powder. However, you can also drop the right amount onto your horse’s tongue, inside lower lip or squirt it into your horse’s mouth with a syringe.

3. Pills – Since horses – like dogs and children – will tend to spit out pills if they are fed to them whole, it is best to crush the right amount of pills between two spoons and feed them to your horse like powders.

4. Capsules – You can use an apple to feed your horse capsules. Cut a diagonal slice out of the apple and press the capsule down into the pulp of the apple. Then you can feed it to your horse like a normal treat.

Preventing Boredom:
A sick or injured horse can get confined to its loose box for weeks if they are hurt or ill enough. Since horses were not born to be confined to stalls, it is very important that you keep your horse from getting bored. Here are several things you can do to prevent boredom:

1. Divide your horse’s hay and feed ration into smaller-than-usual bits to keep your horse busy eating it throughout the day. This is also better for its stomach as well as its mind

2. Visit your horse as often as you possibly can. When you come, make a fuss of him with treats (as longs as the vet says it is okay), grooming and talking. Horses like the sound of people’s voices and the touch of their hands.

3. If you are not able to get to your horse as much as you should to keep him company, you can try putting a radio in his loose box. Horses like listening to the sound of people talking. Some horses also like music, as long as it is not something like Alternative Rock or Metal. Pop and Country is best.

4. If your horse is allowed to move around, you can hang a hanging ball in your horse’s stall for him to knock around with his muzzle. You can also get hanging balls which you can smear with treacle, or fill with pony nuts. This will definitely keep your horse from getting bored. And if your horse is well enough to be in a small coral like a lunging ring, you can give it a horse football to play with.

5. The other thing you can do is introduce your horse to a barn cat or dog. Horses are widely known to get along well with cats, dogs, goats, cows and sheep. Cats – especially – are very good around horses. They like to curl up on the horse’s backs and sleep there.

Recovering:
As your horse starts to get stronger and the vet releases it from the loose box or coral, you can start taking your horse for walks around the neighbourhood. If you are not walking near roads, you can just use a halter and lead rein. But if you are going to be around roads, use a bridle and make sure that you wear your riding helmet and bright clothing. Also, if you are walking next to a road, put yourself between the horse and the road.
If your horse is not comfortable around cars, just walk it around the paddocks and stable yard. You can let it graze a bit, as long as the vet thinks it will be okay.