What You Need To Know About Arthritis And The Older Horse – Remedies
There are a range of homemade treatments or treatments you may use for your senior pony companion if he is having plenty of discomfort and soreness with his rheumatism. And several of them can be done at the same time. The thing to remember is that your horse is an individual and may not take too kindly to some treatments, and be just fine with others. Treat them accordingly and go with the flow.
If his joints are actually distended and distressing and the Vet has advised he be confined for a twenty-four hour or longer time, either utilize a box stall with heaps of cushy hay or a little turn out pen with a lot of soft grass underfoot. If your horse is herd sour and pitches a fit when out of sight of its buddy, put the buddy someplace close. The last thing that you want is your sore horse to be fretting and pacing more trying to find his friend.
You can try employing a flexible ice pack or perhaps a bag of frozen peas tucked in a towel on the distended joint for five mins. Remove for 15 minutes, repeat 3 times in a row. If you can wrap the joint, then try a standing bandage to help reduce swelling and inflammation. You may also try Neo-Ice Equine bandages or an ice gel that provides deep penetrating action to help cut back edema and swelling.
Since he'll just get as stiff as all get out if left standing in a stall, take him out twice a day and hand walk him. Remove his bandage first then walk for approximately fifteen mins to get limber. When you take him back to his stall or pen, rewrap the bandage. Every day gradually increase his exercise. You will need to do this about four times a day as he progresses and then also reduce the length of time he is to be confined to about half the original period of time.
You'll be doing controlled exercises like hand-walking, ponying at a walk or slow trot or riding at a walk or slow trot. These all depend on what condition your senior is in, so use your discretion. If the swelling returns, you want to decelerate.
If there is no swelling an hour after the exercise session(s) you should be able to turn your senior back out into this regular pasture and then slowly get back into an easy exercise program. If however there's swelling, you're going to need to call your Vet to re-assess the situation.