The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread THREE!

[HairOfTheDog]

Free Republic has a lot of horse people that have found each other on other threads…. And since we all like to talk horses, how about a thread where it is not off-topic, but is THE topic?

This is a horse chat thread where we share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. In the previous threads we have had a great time talking through lessons, training, horse lamenesses, illnesses and pregnancies... and always sharing pictures and stories.

I always have a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts… look for it there and wake the thread up!

I also have a ping list for horse threads that are of interest, and Becky pings everyone most mornings. Let Becky (Paynoattentionmanbehindthecurtain) and/or me know if you would like to be on the ping list. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in…. There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics… land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news…. Legislation that might affect horse owners.

So... like the previous threads, this is intended as fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.

[HairOfTheDog]

I understand the desire to overdo on meds you aren't even sure the use of... You don't have to stock a veterinarian's office, only do some first aid, right?

Still, I wouldn't hesitate to tell you to have Bute on hand... the paste Becky speaks of sounds easier if you just want to have a couple doses around. That sounds easier than mashing tabs. I have a big 100-count bottle of the tabs, because I panicked when Bay was diagnosed with Navicular and thought he'd need it a lot more often than he has. It's like a strong Ibuprofen. Good in the case of an injury with swelling or soreness.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I took some pictures this morning, but I can't get Image Station to load, and we're leaving to have some breakfast. I'll try later.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

I know... I"ve actually even done it, a few times, but needles really make me queezy. Since I have the vet out once a year for something or another, I've been able to get away with ~not~ doing it.

[Duchess47]

Bob pops them a couple of times with his hand and then on the third pop hits with the needle. He checks for blood and then after giving the shot, pinchs the site for a couple of seconds and then rubs it.

[Duchess47]

That is such a tragedy. The thing is, you really never know what might happen - like with Ace, most of the time it calms a horse, but sometimes they go bonkers. Just depends on the individual horse.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I was probably very lucky when I first started doing it:) I was pretty nervous. I was giving a horse penecillin for an abcess in his foot. I had my daughter hold him, eyeballed the spot I want to hit, and closed my eyes (really stupid, I know), and jabbed:). So funny the horse just turned and looked at me like what the hell are you doing. I think I was hyperventilating:).

I'm a bit more proficent at it now. I keep my eyes open:)

Becky

[Duchess47]

Girl after my own heart :) If I personally had to administer the shots it wouldn't happen. I can't stand looking at the needle even when I'm getting a shot and no way am I sticking it into something else. I'm just very fortunate that I have a husband, son and daughter in law that are all trained vet techs. Anybody leaves me in charge, we'll have a huge vet bill.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

It might just have been that particular horse was going to react to that drug, no matter where it was given. I was told tho, that it was some kind of antibiotic and she got it in the vein where it wasn't suppose to go.

Becky

[Duchess47]

:) I could never even watch my son getting shots. I can hold the horse, hold all the meds, but I can't give them. If someone forced me to, I'd have to close my eyes too.

[Duchess47]

That's probably what happened. If you watch your vets when they give shots of any kind, they time it so that they hang around for a few minutes - visiting, totalling up the bill or something. That's so they can keep an eye out for a reaction.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I never liked watching the kids get shots. Just usually didn't have a choice.

I've liked knowing I can do this stuff. You just never know when you will have too.

I don't think my horses mind the shots because we have such terrible horse flies, their use to it. During fly season I don't even have to rub the site so much.

Becky

[Duchess47]

:) When we were rotating back from Europe my son was 3yrs old. We had to get shots to come back and my baby was standing there saying, it doesn't hurt mommy. I had to get tetanus in an ER one time and the doctor gave me the shot, looked at me, sat me down and put my head between my knees. Such a silly thing really. I can handle the blood and wounds, just get sick looking at the needles.

[tuffydoodle]

You sound like my husband. When we were in the hospital having our first baby and I got an epidural, all the doctor's and nurses forgot about me, the were taking care of my squeamish husband.

[Duchess47]

Sounds like your husband and I are soul mates :) I had my son by natural childbirth because - get this, it was preferable to them sticking a needle in my back.

[tuffydoodle]

That was just a tragic accident and things like that happen all the time. A friend of mine who is a trick rider had given her horse a bath for the next days show, put him in his stall, still wet, turned on heat lamps, and left. Came back a few minutes later to fried dead horse. He had chewed on the electrical cord, he was wet, had on iron shoes, etc. Recipe for disaster that sometimes happens.

[CindyDawg]

Needles aren't a concern for me. Getting the needle in the right place and not getting jumped on was:'). Once a medicine in you can't get it back though. You have time to treat reactions to by mouth or IMs but if you don't aspirate back and get something in a vein you shouldn't or give too high a dosage you only have seconds. I stayed and watched Sarah Lee 15 minutes , as we do with humans) before leaving. I was thinking that if I'm going to stock meds it might not be bad to have a syringe of the equivalent of horse epinephrine on hand

[tuffydoodle]

You were in alot more pain during natural childbirth than I was the 2 minutes that it took to do an epidural but I didn't have a choice, all 5 of my kids were c-sections. Found out the hard way on the first one that my pelvis is too small to allow a baby's head to pass through.

If you are squeamish about needles, you sure don't want to have major surgery while wide awake. It's a trip.

[Duchess47]

I think you're going to do real good :)

[Duchess47]

No - I don't think I'd like to try major surgery, thanks. The funny thing is that I'm a real light weight when it comes to drugs and when I can't talk my way out of it, any kind of sedative or pain killer really knocks me for a loop.

Ouch, five c-sections.

[CindyDawg]

I plan to stock these two drugs but I can't get all of this at once and had put it towards the bottom of the list. As I get more experienced things get easier but right now if I'm in a strange situation where my horse is in pain or not acting right and I can get a professional to look at him I would rather. It's not about what I'm treating but what I might be missing. I don't see that it would hurt a horse to give either one but at this time if they are symptomatic I want them seen.