Lame horse?

Question

I might be getting this Standardbred who I am kind of "saving." He is dead lame but it is the first time I have seen him lame ( I have known him for 3 years) and he used to be a sulky racer and is 16. I'm going to see him tomorrow and examine his legs, but I'm just wondering what would be good for him. Stall rest? shoes off?
Thanks!!

Answer 1

as you should know a horse that is lame cannot be ridden because of the pressure on the bones but i would suggest stall rest as long as there is alot of soft bedding, having the shoes off would also help as it should heel quicker but if it doesnt hell in a month or two then it could be something serious like niviculor or laminitis and it is common in old horses

Answer 2

Ex-racers have many leg and tendon and other lameness issues.
If you are serious about this horse pay the vet to have some x-rays taken on his legs and feet and see what the vet says.
Some things are small and others can be very expensive even surgery to fix and there are problems that can not be made better with any amount of money. Since reacers have such strees on the feet and legs you need to have a pre-purchase exam done before you buy one.

Answer 3

What an angel you are to "save" a horse that needs a home. Hopefully it is something temporary, such as an abcess and not something permanent (like navicular). I agree with the other responder that you should be prepared to just listen to him munch on his hay since if it is something worse you may never be able to ride him. You may also incur some pretty hefty vet bills if he ends up having chronic pain. If you are willing to support him and love him even if you can't ride him I raise my glass to you.

I had 3 horses at once that were unrideable for various reasons and people just couldn't understand WHY I would pay the expenses and not get anything in return. I tried to explain that seeing them happy and healthy was all the "return" I needed.

Answer 4

Sorry, had to say this, Oh Oh Chetco answer please, I don't care if I get points, but C's advice in this category, and websites are excellent an extremely informative reading material. I read C's advice cos I live in a farming community. The horse question/answers are mostly know by people here, but some not. One day I will ask about, what is called here buffalo. The cows that make mozzarella cheese, the young are so adorable, but extremely delicate when unable to nurse. Muuuwaa Mua

Answer 5

loads of advice here but i have been in the same perdicament i asked the vet to come with me to see the horse and it ended up the horse had to be put down so suggest that u get the vet to come with you even if u have to pay and not the present owner do u not have vet checks where u are thats when a vet comes to see a horse ur buying and gives u imformation about what he thinks about the horse and if there are any serious underlyeing probs if u do do that its a great help also if he says hes ok and he turns out not to be then the vet has to pay the bill if you buy him good luck i hope hes ok xxxxxxxx

Answer 6

Shoes off, definately. Hose his legs with cold water for 20 minutes could help, too. Call your farrier to come see him as well as the vet. The farrier will have a lot of good advice.

There could be so much wrong with him that its impossible to say what you might want to do for him, other than vet and farrier.

Good luck!

Answer 7

If you live around a lot of hard ground like shale or keep him in a barn with concrete or another hard substance it is not a good idea to take his shoes off and leave them off!! Stall rest will put a lot of stress on his hooves so make sure he can lie down and take all that weight off his hooves.

Answer 8

Yeah, try both. we have a floundering horse right now that is recovering well because of being put in a stall. make sure he has soft ground to walk on too. if it gets worse at all (if he starts losing weight) get him to a vet!

Answer 9

each and every horse is a individual and could be taken care of as such. it rather is a shame that we people get suggestions into our heads approximately how our horses would desire to be, and then we attempt to tension the horse into that mould. i've got owned horses who did great with barefoot trims, and others who did lots extra valuable with footwear on. whilst properly achieved, footwear do not injury the hoof. in fact, footwear can help a misshapen or unbalanced hoof to advance extra healthful or maybe. Your pal can placed footwear in this horse, or she will shop him barefoot and placed boots on him, yet making him circulate around sore each and every of the time is merciless. you weren't too harsh- you have been in simple terms speaking up for the horse. regrettably, horses in specific circumstances prefer us to grant them a voice. have you ever had to stroll around all day in rather uncomfortable footwear that make your ft harm? Now think of you will desire to not take those footwear off for weeks at a time. How depressing might your life be in the journey that your ft ached each and every of the time? it rather is how the sore-footed horse feels. it is not correct if he's sore from being barefoot, or sore from a nasty shoeing activity. Sore is sore, and a few thing would desire to be achieved. for my area i think of boots that a horse desires to placed on on a daily basis are a discomfort interior the a@#, i might in simple terms placed footwear on. i've got continually had a barn crammed with sound, chuffed horses, maximum of them donning 4 footwear. not one of the horses in my barn resemble wild horses. they have been selectively bred for generations...and that i prefer to do the superb element for them. which potential treating each and every horse as a individual and doing what's superb for the horse, not what suits even though ideology i've got chosen!!!

Answer 10

From my experience working with racehorses for a living I would consult a vet. A vet can do x-rays and tell you what would be the best way to treat him.