horse is lame and horse show this weekend help!?

Question

hi everyong
welli have a horse that is lame... and i need to find out what i can do to temporarly relive him of the problem
this is how he looks

he looks owie and limps at the trot and is funky at the canter especially the left lead.. i got off and i felt his legs... nothing warm and they wernt swolen i look at his hooves and he had some thrush and im going to go get some stuff for that
but i dont know how it got him so lame i mean its moist but i mean its not like splitting open...
i am going to try and get some bute in him to see if that helps..and would hoof freeze do anything for him??? help!!! oh and he got his shoes done 1 week ago and we showed with them already and he was fine....so it really cant be that

by the way i would never ever ever show a lame horse! i am no cruel rider i am trying to CURE my horse the only reason why im trying to find a quicker cure because my father who has never really seen me ride who lives 24 hours away by car came down to see me so in the end im just trying to find a way to make him better ASAP!

Answer 1

Sharing disappointments with your father is just as important as sharing triumphs, so don't think that you are losing this one with your father...at least you know that he cares enough to be with you, lots of others don't. Now, about your horse. You seem to be somewhat well informed about what could be causing the issues with your horse, and I'm sure that you also know enough now to take what you have deduced and offer that to the vet when he comes to check out your horse. Your collected and organized (with specific dates as well) will be most valuable to your vet. Kiss off this show and just spend the time with your father and your horse, who knows, it could even turn out better than if you attended the horse show. Get your priorities in order, with your father and with your horse and you will be a much happier and much more mature young lady in the long run. If you can get your horse to the vet or the vet out very soon, then don't do any doctoring on your own before he gets there, it will only mask the symptoms...but, if it is going to be a few days, I would definitely push around the sole and see if you can find an especially soft spot in which to lance...it doesn't have to be a big deal, just a very small opening to allow drainage and soak in hot epsom salts water. Then, pour in the iodine...use a syringe for the iodine, that way you can flush as far into the opening as possible....sometimes, the lameness disappears almost instantly when that is done, not that he should be shown, but at least you would know what the problem is and that he is getting some relief. Just because you have already shown him after he was shod, doesn't mean he doesn't have a problem with his shoes or a nail. Sometimes it takes a week or more for an abcess to appear as a result of new shoes as well. A misplaced nail has cost us all a show or two, I'm sure. You can go around with either a hoof pick or the heavy end of a knife or whatever and lightly tap on each nail individually...it doesn't take much of a tap if you come across a "hot" nail, your horse will let you know immediately...then you can just call your farrier and ask him to come and pull the nail, soak it in epsom salts, flush with iodine and you are good to go....but not to this show, not this soon. Your dad can help you with this and anything that you and your father can do together can and will be just as important as his watching you in a horse show. I know how disappointed that you must feel and I'm sorry that this happened to you, but you can turn it around and make it a constructive weekend for you, your dad and your horse.

Answer 2

well first i have to say i'm not going to tell you not to show, because i know it is completely your decision. i'm not going to tell you u are cruel because i can see you care for your horse and want to make him better. and u didnt really ask to be scolded like some people are doing. however, if it is an abscess, the horse must rest for 5-10 days. sorry!
ok, so anyway...
if thrush is bad enough it can make your horse lame. the thrush also might have made a crack or hole in the hoof, causing an abscess. if he became lame recently, try putting the bad leg in a poultice for 48-hours. oh, first put some thrush-buster, or whatever its called, on the hoof if you havent already. the poultice will help draw out the infection. definetly have a vet come out if you can, because abscesses are hard to diagnose. ask the vet to do a hoof test. hoof freezing might work, but i would recommend getting a vet to come out.

about your dad coming, maybe you could give the horse bute and just ride at the barn for your dad. nothing too hard, though. or, see if your trainer has another horse for you to ride at the show. good luck! :]

Answer 3

If he is lame, pull out of the show. You can do more damage trying to show him. If you care about your horse, and I can tell you do, you don't want to make him worse. As far as your father goes, I think he would understand. Besides, you think your father wants to see you hurt when your horse stumbles and/or goes down and you get thrown? I don't think so! I am a mother, and would never want to see my child get hurt. So, think of your and your horses welfares, and pull out of show. There will be other shows and your father will be able to see you in another one somewhere down the line. Better disappointed now and alive, than to force the issue and become a permanent member of the Christopher Reeve club. Who would want that? Besides, don't you want the show your dad sees you in to be the best possible, not just mediocre or just getting by? Don't take the chance with your own well-being, much less the horse's. Sorry I can't give you more hope than that. Good luck on your next show
P.S. You know mulereiner has a very good point. If your horse is lame, they won't let you compete, anyway.

Answer 4

You need to pull out of a show. I could understand if the horse was older, had lameness issues on a consistent basis and it was KNOWN why he was lame, bute would be understandable.

You are wanting to take a horse, that has a sudden onset of lameness, not knowing if its, stone bruise, abcess from a nail (yes it can be even if your shoes are a week old), bone injury, tendon injury, you name it.

Legs aren't something to muck around with, lameness isn't something to just ignore and work the horse. You either give this horse time off for a week to see if theres improvement or you haul this horse to the vet immediately to see what the issue is.

I guarentee you take a lame horse to the show, even under bute, and he shows lameness, they will be kicking your butt outta the show.

At least do right by your horse and figure out the problem first.

EDIT- ok I apologize I read your edit and see what you are needing now..... it sounded different in your first post sorry.

Can you haul to a vet now to see exactly what needs to be done? That way you know what you are dealing with and if it is a stone bruise, bute can help, but if your dealing with more, time off and intervention might be what it needs.

Again sorry......

Answer 5

When you say that you had your horse shod a week ago. I would think that is what it would be right there. I am a farrier, in Ga. If a farrier gets your horse with a hot nail. The horse is not always going to be sore on the foot, because it is just a little prick. But after 3 or 4 days, there is no where for the abcess that is brewing in his foot to go. It could just be a small abcess. Critterfittershoeing.com Good luck

Answer 6

ok I understand that you dont want a answer like...oh your sooo mean cuz you want to show your lame horse....but I'm not going to say that. Call your vet and farrier and see what they recommend. Try thrush treatment and soaking his hooves in a bucket with warm water and espom salt ( i really know that that is spelled wrong). Bute may help with the pain as it is a pain killer so good Idea there. I have never heard of hoof freeze so I cant really answer you question there. Take it easy on him. and just lounge him to see if he's getting better and if he looks like he's getting better than try riding him lightly.

Answer 7

I had a horse that went lame because of thrush. I couldn't ride him for a week. I would definitely skip this show --- It won't be your last show, and it would be SOOO much better for your horse. Don't ride your horse at all for about a week -- Even when he stops limping, don't ride him. He needs time to heal. It may stink that you'll have to miss a show, but it's what's best for him.
Just give him the thrush medicine -- Nothing else. Only that and time will heal his thrush/lameness.

Answer 8

Do not show!!!! he may have a absecc that could burst. Get a vet out there to look at his hoof. Also scrape and push down on the bottom of the hoof the see if he filinchs at the pressure.. If so take a knife and cut a hole in that area of the hoof. Be careful though (don't get kicked) because it may be painful to cut into the hoof but if there is a absecc he will feel alot better. I also sugest soaking his hoof in warm water mixed with mineral salt for 10 minutes this helps with circulation. Also if he does have a minor absecc normally it takes 2 weeks to help if you want him walking proporley again. But do not show give him a break this weekend and don;t push it.

Would you rather have a broken horse or miss one show and have a healthy horse?


Also don't listen to the other girl above my answer. Icing the leg if it isn['t swollen wil just tighten up the hoof area and slow blood cirdulation. We want the blood to circulate through the hoof so that he can get white blood cells to the infected area.

Answer 9

Try putting an extra blanket on him the next time you ride. The saddle may be pinching him somewhere and he is trying to relieve the pain. My horse did this for a while and I couldn't ever figure out what it was until my sister went to ride him one day and put two pads on him instead of the one I usually used. Mine was getting old and wore out so it didn't keep the saddle up off of his withers enough. Ever since then he has been fine. Just a suggestion.

Answer 10

Your first responsiblitity is to your horse. As your horse is lame, please contact a vet to have it checked out. A fair way to think about it is like this:

Would you want to be running and jumping with 100+ pounds on your back while you were dealing with a foot injury? Most likely not. You would seek medical attention to determine what was the source of the problem and do what was necessary to heal. YOU have the responsibility to do that for ANY creature that you care for.

I understand your father is making the effort to come to see you ride. Can you show a friends horse for at least a class so that your father can see you ride? Or ride a friends horse in the warm up ring if not in the show ring. Your father wants to see you ride but I doubt he is attached as to which horse you ride.

There are SO many causes of lameness and the long term health of your horse is at stake. Please take the time to get proper assistance in determining the source of the problem and establish a proper treatment program.

Best of luck to you. Enjoy your visit with your father.