Pastern Dermatitis

Pastern Dermatitis

Whinny’s Wisdoms

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Woohoo, this blog-writing stuff is fun! Tony, my amazing blog mentor, said it was tedious trying to get the humans to understand. I think he, like many cats, is a bit jaded. I, on the other hand, am a humble mouse who is excited to learn and share all the things I glean hanging around the Clinic. This week I learned that horses have a body part called a pastern, and that it is prone to skin infections. I also learned horse people love to call the same thing by a bunch of different names. Pastern dermatitis is the fancy name, but it has been known to go by Scratches, Mud Fever, Dew Poisoning, Greasy Heel, and the list goes on. Let’s learn all about it this week!

Location, Location, Location

Since I’m new to all this horse stuff, Tony and I started with a talk about anatomy. We also started with him informing me that it’s a pastern, not a pasture. I felt my confusion was understandable. As a field mouse, I’m well acquainted with pastures. Pasterns, not so much. Anywho, pasterns are the bit of the leg between the hoof and the ankle. It became apparent why they might be prone to skin infections once I understood the location. That area gets exposed to all that pastures, footing in an arena, and water running off the body has to offer. Listening to the Doctors talk about it further confirmed my suspicions. This location takes a beating!

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

What Is Pastern Dermatitis?

Pastern dermatitis is usually a collection of a bunch of different kinds of bacteria, and sometimes a bit of fungus. These critters just love all the moisture and dirt that collects at the pastern. If your horse lives outside for some or all of the day, that area may stay wet for a good portion of the day. Especially in Florida in the summer, the day starts with a heavy dew on the grass, then the heat and humidity really kick in, and the day ends with a lovely thunderstorm. The pastern never gets a chance to fully dry, and that’s a recipe bacteria and fungus love! Then the body makes crusts and scabs from the infection, which makes even better living conditions for microscopic things. The key point here is that pastern dermatitis is not just one kind of bacteria or fungus. It’s a collection. This means a broad spectrum approach is needed. 

Making it Go Away

Listening to the Doctors talk about pastern dermatitis, I learned that Equishield CK salve is their go-to treatment. This salve has an antibacterial and an antifungal component, so it takes care of all the potential causes of the problem. I heard them say the salve also does a great job repelling water from the skin. Based on what I learned about moisture and pastern dermatitis, this salve seems perfect! 

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

The Doctors said for most horses, this is all that’s needed. Daily application to get the infection under control, and then once or twice weekly application to make pastern dermatitis stay away. However, they also spoke about horses with really bad cases of pastern dermatitis. For these horses, systemic antibiotics might be necessary, along with pain medications, and a more aggressive topical therapy than CK salve. Luckily, this doesn’t happen very often! 

What you never, ever want to do with pastern dermatitis is scrub hard. The best way to get the crusts and scabs to go away is to soften them with topical salves, then rinse them off the next day. Do not pick them off, despite how much you humans love to do such things!

Prevention

Tony filled me in on the human saying, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That sure seems to apply here. Keeping those pasterns clean and dry makes it hard for bacteria and fungus to grow there. Applying products like CK Salve or diaper rash ointment to the pasterns keeps the moisture from sticking when your horse is outside. Diligent monitoring for any scabs lets you start treatment quickly before pastern dermatitis becomes a big deal. All that seems simple!

Sometimes it’s Different

Tony has also told me that horses are weird. He says that a lot. Pastern dermatitis has its own version of weirdness. If your horse’s leg is white or roan, it might have leukocytoclastic vasculitis instead of pastern dermatitis. Whoa, those are big words!!! The Doctors said this is an immune mediated problem that is set up by sunlight on white legs. It can look a lot like pastern dermatitis, but it doesn’t respond to the same treatments. So if you’ve got a horse with a white leg, and you’re doing all the right things and that pastern dermatitis isn’t responding, it’s time to call the Doctors for a visit!

Whew! Made it through another blog! As the newly appointed Official Clinic Mouse and Blog Writer, I was nervous, but I think I’m getting the hang of it. Pastern dermatitis was very interesting, and I can’t wait to learn even more about horses. Tony has been great, too. We go over my blogs before I send them to you guys, then he returns to driving his golf cart around, and yelling at kids to get off his lawn. You know, the stuff retired folks do. 

That’s it for this week!

~Whinny

P.S. Have you seen the new video series that the humans around here put on YouTube? It’s called, Horse Girl Goes to the Vet, and it’s a riot! If you have 3 minutes for a good laugh (and maybe a nugget of wisdom!),  click this link to check it out! And make sure you subscribe while you’re there so you don’t miss out on upcoming videos!

Whinny’s Wisdoms is the official blog of Whinny the Clinic Mouse at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. If you liked this blog, please subscribe below, and share it with your friends on social media! For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

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Summer Prep for your Horse

Summer Prep for your Horse

Tuesdays with Tony

You all know how much I love laying around outside basking in the sun, but the last few weeks have been a muggy mess! This past weekend gave us some relief, but that was just a tease. Winter’s gone and summer has arrived, along with all those fun Florida summer things that horses and horse owners get to deal with. Fortunately for you, I’m an expert on summer and the problems it can cause for your horse, and I’m here to help you prepare for a happy, safe summer ahead.

Heat and Humidity

You don’t have to live in Florida to be affected by the heat and humidity of summer. Horses throughout the entire world are affected every year by anhidrosis, which is the inability to sweat. The cause of anhydrosis is unknown, but humidity does seem to play a role. If you know that your horse is a non-sweater, I highly recommend getting a jump start on helping them deal with it before the heat of summer.

There is excellent data on acupuncture treatment for non-sweaters. I’ve seen it myself; a horse comes with difficulty sweating, they have a few acupuncture treatments, and while they may not be in a full-blown dripping sweat, they are indeed sweating. I’ve also noticed that non-sweaters who are treated with acupuncture really seem to handle the heat much better. It is complete voodoo magic in my opinion, but it’s voodoo magic that works.

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

You may not know if your horse is a non-sweater yet, and that’s okay! At the first sign that your horse is shutting down and not sweating, call your veterinarian. They can talk to you about treatments, products, and lifestyle changes that may make your horse’s life as a non-sweater easier.

Horses that don’t sweat aren’t the only ones that struggle with the heat, and it can be exhausting. That’s why it’s so important to be aware of the appropriate times to work your horse. Early in the morning and late in the evening tend to be the coolest. It can also be beneficial to hose your horse down prior to exercising. An extended warm up and cool down will ensure your horse recovers well after exercise, thus preventing problems associated with heat stress.

An overheated horse is prone to colic from dehydration. They can also collapse from overheating. Believe it or not, horses can overheat even if they are not doing any type of exercise. That means a horse could be standing out in his favorite pasture and get overheated. Ensuring there is fresh cool water available, ample shade, and if possible, fans, can be extremely useful in preventing a horse from overheating. I’ve even heard stories about horse owners setting up sprinkler systems for their horses to stand in during the day, and those silly horses do, and LOVE it. Whatever floats your boat, I suppose.

Bugs

I know how much you all just love the bugs. Flies and mosquitos are just great, aren’t they? How about gnats? And oh, my goodness, it’s literally been raining caterpillars recently. Flies and mosquitos are a year-round thing down here in Florida and are enough to drive any horse and horse owner bananas.

If you’ve ever had a horse that’s had a summer sore, you know what I mean when I say they are a pain in the rear end. Preventing summer sores is key. I highly recommend your horse wear a fly mask, if not 24/7, at least during the day when the flies are most busy. Feed-through fly supplements such as Solitude IGR or Simplifly reduce the number of flies present on a farm. The trouble with these supplements is they have to be fed to every horse on the property and if there are horses nearby on surrounding properties, they should also be on it. It has to be a collective effort from the horse owners in the area.

Fly predators are one type of bug that I really like. These little bugs are so useful in reducing the fly population. Most struggles with fly control stem from damp organic material being left unattended. Damp organic material such as wet shavings, poop bits, and old hay and grain that is swept out of the barn but left at the end of the aisle is the fly’s favorite breeding grounds. Simply raking up debris will help reduce the fly population. For more tips and tricks about fly control, give me a call, I have all kinds of suggestions up my sleeve.

Three hundred sixty-five days a year, mosquitos are present. Unlike flies, there’s not a lot that can be done to reduce the number of mosquitos. However, getting rid of stagnant water is definitely useful. More importantly is making sure your horse is protected against mosquito-borne illnesses such as eastern and western encephalitis and west nile virus. These illnesses are life-threatening. Having your horse properly vaccinated is extremely important for prevention. This means having your veterinarian vaccinate your horse with properly stored vaccines at least twice a year. Did you know that if a box of vaccines is left out on the loading dock at your feed store, they might not be effective? And there’s no way to tell. Vaccines have to be kept at a very specific temperature, which your veterinarian knows, but the guy at the feed store might not. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Now, who do I talk to about these darn caterpillars? I swear I can’t get any rest without one of those things falling on me. Most of the time I wouldn’t care about the caterpillars, but recently the ones I have been encountering have been extra spicy. Have you noticed the ones with all the hairs poking up? Those are the spiciest of all.

Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic

Caterpillars usually aren’t much of a nuisance to horses, but these hairy ones certainly can be. I’ve seen horses stick their nose in their feed buckets take a bite of feed and then run away and refuse to go back to it. I always like to inspect things, so be sure to check your horse’s feed and water buckets for these pesky critters. And use caution when removing them to avoid getting stung yourself!

Wet

The rain is coming. We might need a little bit of rain right now but halfway into summer, I can already hear the complaints about the rain. With rain comes a myriad of feet problems. From abscess to mushy foot to thrush. Wetness can cause your horse to come up lame at just the wrong time. Planning to go to a show? Trust me, your horse is probably going to get an abscess or develop mushy foot and be foot sore. I’ve seen it a million times.

Prevention is key. Have your farrier out on a regular schedule, usually every 4-6 weeks. Apply topical hoof care as directed by your veterinarian and farrier. And do not allow your horse to stand in mud, muck, and water all day long. This will damage your horse’s feet, and while I love seeing you all, I really do, I hate hearing that your horse’s feet hurt.

With rain and wetness comes the dreaded rain rot. No, rain rot isn’t a fungus, it’s a bacteria that infects your horse’s hair follicles and causes that nasty, greasy, gunk on their back and legs. Making sure your horse has ample time to dry after a wet spell, reducing hair length, and frequent bathing with CK shampoo will help reduce the occurrence and severity of rain rot. My docs know all the best products to combat rain-rot. Just call them, they won’t steer you wrong.

It’s not all bad

Summer isn’t all bad! The days are longer, which means you get more time with your horses, and who doesn’t love that? If you want to have a long, enjoyable summer of time in the saddle with your horse, prevention is key. Regular veterinary exams and being prepared before summer hits are essential to both your happiness as well as your horse’s happiness and comfort.

Until next week,

~Tony

P.S. Want more? Check out my YouTube Channel! I’ve got seminars on rain rot, foot care, flies, and a lot of other topics. I’ve got how-to videos on all kinds of things. I mean, who takes care of you better than this cat? You can show me some love by subscribing to my blog, or my YouTube Channel, or my Facebook page, or to the Podcast that the humans do. I even have an Instagram and a Tik-Tok, if you can believe that. Just click on any of those blue words to go check it out.

 

Tuesdays with Tony is the official blog of Tony the Clinic Cat at Springhill Equine Veterinary Clinic in Newberry, Florida. If you liked this blog, please subscribe below, and share it with your friends on social media! For more information, please call us at (352) 472-1620, visit our website at SpringhillEquine.com, or follow us on Facebook!

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Tuesdays with Tony – Skin

Tuesdays with Tony – Skin

Skin

Skin is a truly amazing organ. It keeps our bodies from drying out, protects us against infection, plus it’s waterproof! I love my skin. Heck, as a cat, I spend several hours a day grooming it just to keep it in pristine condition. But the trouble with skin is that sometimes this protective barrier that surrounds our entire bodies can break down. Let’s take a closer look at the 3 biggest enemies of equine skin: Rain, Sun, and Bugs.

Rain
Just about every horse owner has heard of Rain Rot. But, did you know that rain rot is actually caused by a type of bacteria, and not a fungus? And did you know that this same bacteria can cause skin problems elsewhere on the body, like the pasterns and cannon bones? Rain rot is so named because this bacterium happens to thrive in moist environments. This is why it is usually found on your horse’s back or flanks after heavy rainfall, or on the back of his pasterns when he has been standing in a muddy pasture. So, while skin is waterproof, it is not a fan of prolonged exposure to moisture.

Sun
sensitive skin horseYou wouldn’t go outside all day in the middle of summer without any sunblock on, would you? Well, the same goes for your white horse, or even your chestnut horse with that little snip on his nose. If you are one of the lucky ones to own a mostly-white paint horse in Florida, you may want to invest in a full-body fly sheet with UV-blocking properties. But, if it’s just a strip or a blaze you need to cover up, daily application of sunblock or a fly mask may suffice. Don’t forget to protect your horse’s skin from sunburn just as you would your own!

Bugs
Nobody likes being bitten or stung by flies, gnats, bees, ants, and the like. But many horses are actually allergic to the saliva of these pests. As you may have guessed, the skin and hair of these horses is a complete disaster during the buggy season. The owners of these horses may as well invest in fly spray at the rate they have to buy it! Wouldn’t it be great if there were a single product you could apply daily to repel bugs, soothe skin, take away the itch, and treat already-existing bug bites? Well, actually, there is!

To find out about this and other magical equine skin products, don’t miss our free seminar, Managing Skin: From Itch to Funk! this Thursday, June 8th, at 7pm. One of my favorite speakers from Kinetic Vet will be talking about how to manage these and a variety of other equine skin conditions. Oh, and most importantly, I will be there! Check out the Event Page on Facebook for more details!

So, bring a friend, and a treat for me, and I’ll see you Thursday! Be ready to take home some free stuff, but please make sure that I am not among the prizes that wind up in your barn. Sometimes I accidentally go home with people…

 

Tuesdays with Tony – Funky Skin

Tuesdays with Tony – Funky Skin

Last week me and about 60 of my closest human friends learned just about everything there is to know on the topic of skin funk! I almost wish I were a horse just so I could try out these products on myself…but I’ll stick with being a cat for the superior intelligence. Thank you to MaryLu from Kinetic Vet for her excellent talk, and the folks at HorseSox for their demonstration. They really should start making CatSox tho…less knitting.

For those of you who didn’t come out to see me on Thursday: ouch. That really hurt my feline feelings. But I’ll be the bigger cat, let it go, and tell you what you missed!

There are several types of skin funk that horses can get. There is itchy skin funk, scratchy skin funk, buggy skin funk, sunny skin funk, fungus-y skin funk, and bacterial skin funk. Lucky us, we live in Florida, so most of these are going to be exaggerated by our awesome warm weather! The first step is recognizing when your horse has a skin problem. Skin funk can show up as hair loss, hives, welts, crusties, scabs, redness, or abnormal hair growth. The second step is calling me! Well, more specifically, Dr. Lacher or Dr. Vurgason. With their experience, they will be able to tell what type of skin funk you are dealing with, what the cause is, and how to treat it. The third step is using one of Kintetic Vet’s awesome products (plus HorseSox for lower leg skin funk) to get your horse’s skin back under control!

Dr. Vurgason’s favorite KineticVet product is the IBH salve.  This is great for horses with Insect Bite Hypersensitivity (“I.B.H.”), and a little bit of salve goes a long way! Did you know there are 89 species of gnats (that’s not counting horse flies, mosquitoes, house flies, etc) that are probably going after your horse’s eyes, ears, mane, and tail!? Dr. Lacher’s favorite product from KineticVet is CK shampoo. This stuff is amazing for treating scratches, rain rot, and any other bacterial or fungal skin funk. Only a few treatments and the results are amazing! My favorite product is KineticVet’s new SB (sunblock). Not only does it provide sun protection for my delicate skin, but it also repels insects and contains aloe vera which makes it feel really good.

There was definitely a little something for everybody at Thursday’s seminar. Most notably, there was plenty of me!  Stay tuned for our next “Come See Tony” event on Equine Nutrition, coming up in May. Until then, take care of that skin!

Tony Skin Funk Seminar

You’ve got Questions.  We’ve got Answers!

You’ve got Questions. We’ve got Answers!

My older Cushings horse developed something like a nasty rain rot. Her skin was hot and it was painful to her to be brushed. Dr. Lacher’s recommended treatment (bathe with chlorhexadine, coat with baby oil, leave on overnight, bathe again) was an overnight fix. However, the problem has returned and it seems also to be occurring now, much more mildly, in some of our other horses. Is this a contagious issue? If not, why would they all be getting this–is there an environmental trigger?

What can I do to prevent this from recurring? It’s a pain to treat!

The joys of Florida! All our heat and humidity are great for creating skin funk. Let’s start with a bit of equine history.  Horses were designed to live in much colder places than Florida.  This means they have an undercoat, along with their regular coat.  An undercoat works to trap heat radiating from the body and block water coming from the environment.  Unfortunately those same properties cause the undercoat to trap heat and water vapor coming off the body in our climate.  This creates a wonderful sauna at the skin level.  What loves a sauna? Bacteria.  In particular a bacteria called Dermatopholis congolensis.  Here is a beautiful picture of D. congolensis.

rain rot

A few others sometimes join in like Staphylococcus aureus.  These bacteria are part of the normal flora of the skin.  It does seem like it is contagious but it is more a matter of all horses are exposed to the same environmental risk factors at the same time.

Treatments are aimed at killing the little buggers and then setting up an unhappy environment for them.  We start with an antibacterial shampoo like Equishield CK.  The most important thing to remember when using this shampoo is TIME.  Gently get the soap down to the level of the skin and then let it sit for 10 minutes.  Scrubbing hard removes the crusts but also damages the skin making it easier for the bacteria to invade.  After 10 minutes rinse the soap off, again, gently.  If your horse has a particularly bad case spray the worst areas with Equishield CK spray.  Equishield CK salve can used on the backs of the pasterns to treat and prevent infections in this tricky location.  In bad cases antibiotics are used.

 

Prevention is tricky and involves daily battles to win the war.  Prevention starts with a curry comb, and a good diet.  Regular grooming keeps the skin happy so it is better prepared to ward off invasions by bacteria.  Good nutrition keeps the immune system primed and ready to attack the moment bacteria are spotted.  So groom regularly and feed well: check.  Next, while grooming every day, check for telltale bumps and crusts on your horse’s skin and treat immediately. Silver Sox on the legs do a great job treating and preventing infections on the lower limbs. Keeping your horse as dry as possible by using waterproof sheets or blankets during the winter helps reduce the severity of infections.  Unfortunately, body clipping increases your horse’s risk of skin infections by causing tiny amounts of damage to the skin and removing the protective layer of hair making it easier for water to get all the way down to the skin.

Could you please present the available calming supplements/medications available to owners with highly reactive, AKA “spooky” horses? It would be nice to see them described from lightest effect to the most likely to produce effects on all horses.  Cost of each would be helpful too.  Thanks!

Ever since the first human was bucked off for the first time, we have been looking for a little help at better living through chemistry.  Calming substances generally work one of two ways: they make the brain tired or they make the muscles slow to respond.

If you are looking for a reliable, consistent response pharmaceuticals are the best bet.  These include the powerful sedatives like Dormosedan, acepromazine, and Sedivet.  These also include two common long acting sedatives: reserpine and fluphenazine.  Sedatives will always work but they also are prohibited in the show ring.

Herbal or Nutraceutical options are sometimes effective, sometimes not so much.  Our general rule of thumb is if it is banned by USEF it is probably effective.  These include Valerian Root, melatonin, and high doses of tryptophan.  GABA, and its metabolites, are relatively new calming supplements that have been banned by most organizations.  If you are looking for a little bit of calm on a green horse headed out to a new experience things like valerian root can work really well.  Each horse responds differently to this class of calming agents so experimentation is key.  We also recommend assuming an herbal or nutraceutical will test for horse show purposes.

Two new options are Zylkene and ConfidenceEQ.  Both are safe for horse shows.  Zylkene works off the same principal as the “milk coma” babies experience.  It is a feed through powder that is started several days before the event.  Dr. Lacher has tried it on one of her very hot horses.  She was happy with the results which left the horse feeling well lunged without the lunging.  ConfidenceEQ is a pheromone.  Pheromones work as inhaled communications between horses.  This particular one is the “be calm” pheromone and works best on horses who experience fear or separation anxiety.

Prices for these products are highly variable with the herbals generally being the most expensive.  Each horse and each situation is very different so we recommend giving us a call or e-mail to help formulate a plan.

How accurate and successful is allergy testing and injection therapy for horses with Culicoides (gnat) allergy?

There are two types of allergy testing available: intradermal and serum.

Serum is a simple blood draw.  The blood is then tested to see what substances it reacts to.  Serum allergy testing is easy, but not very accurate.  It creates a lot of false positives.  The blood will react to something but the horse isn’t actually allergic to it.

Intradermal testing injects small amounts of the allergen in to the skin to determine if the body reacts.  The severity of the reaction is directly related to the severity of the allergy.  This information can then be used to formulate immunotherapy (allergy shots) or to alter the horse’s environment to avoid the worst allergens.

On to Culicoides allergies specifically.  Intradermal and serum testing can tell us a horse is allergic to Culicoides.  Unfortunately, immunotherapy does not work on this particular allergy.  Culicoides is very complicated as allergies go.  It involves several different parts of the allergy response system.  Immunotherapy works to dampen a small portion of the system that doesn’t play a large role for gnat allergic horses.  But….there’s always a but.  Allergies are cumulative.  That means every response your horse has to every allergen works to enhance the response to the next allergen they are exposed to.  This means allergy testing can help you identify all the great stuff your horse is allergic to. By managing as many of the allergies as you can, you decrease your horses response to allergens overall.

I’m trying to establish a daily equine routine. Is there a recommended time frame for exercising your horse? For example, waiting a certain amount of time after feeding or not directly before feeding time. I’m referring to light work and training exercises.

Horses thrive on schedule in their lives.  This means exercising them at the same time of the day is the most important thing for them.  If you can’t exercise them at the same time of the day, set up a pre-exercise routine.  Put them on the cross ties, groom them, bring out the saddle, etc.  This will allow your horse to mentally prepare for exercise.

Old wisdom dictates one hour after feeding before your horse can be ridden.  This advice is largely based on how humans feel after eating and not how horses feel.  It is also from a time when very different meals were fed to horses.  Horses once lived on lots of oats and other whole grains which required the digestive tract to work extra hard to extra nutrition and created a lot of excess gas.  Modern diets are formulated to the horse’s GI tract in a much more scientific way.  We recommend giving your horse time to eat and 10-15 minutes to empty the stomach before riding.  This rule does change if you are heading out to do trot sets or a long gallop but if you are headed out for a light to moderate ride, saddle up and go!

Tuesday’s with Tony-The Christmas Wish List

Tuesday’s with Tony-The Christmas Wish List

Being the jolly cat I am, it is my favorite time of year. Bright, shiny stuff called Christmas decorations to play with, the Castration Clinic at the Hospital, paper and boxes from presents delivered to the Hospital, and general good cheer among all. In keeping with the season, I have spoken with many of our patients, and our Docs and technicians and compiled Springhill Equine’s Top 5 list of things your horse wants from Santa.

1. Fly Sheets: Mosquito Mesh Flyshield Sheet
Why this one? It is super light for our hot summer but the mesh is fine enough to keep those dangs gnats away. For added airflow, trim out the lining at the shoulders and mane. Removing the lining hasn’t created any rubbing issues and has kept the horse cooler. This sheet also held up well to horseplay and fit a wide variety of horses. Beware of the similar non-Flyshield version. It fit no horse well.

mosquito mesh

2. Grazing Muzzles: Tough 1 Grazing Muzzle  or Harmany Grazing Muzzle
OK, so a grazing muzzle may not be on your horse’s wish list, but it is at the top of your veterinarian’s wish list. Our poor Docs see lots of horses with a weight problem. I can sympathize. My large stature caused me to have diabetes until a diet and exercise program helped me reverse it. While horses don’t get diabetes, they do get laminitis, or founder, when overweight. Obese horses are also pretty much guaranteed to develop Cushings later in life. These two grazing muzzles provide the best combination of comfort, breathability, and portion control.

grazing muzzle

3. Socks for your horse: Equiflexsleeve or Silver Whinnys
Tired of wrapping legs? Worried about all that heat under quilts and wraps in the summer? Need to decrease swelling or cover a wound, but you still want to turn your horse out? Seriously, the greatest things since sliced tuna (humans say bread, but I really don’t like bread very much). Equiflexsleeves reduce swelling in the lower legs, your horse can wear them inside or out, they breath, and they are stupid easy to put on and take off. Oh, and they make a lot less laundry than all those quilts and wraps! Sox for horses is the name of the silver impregnated bandages Coby is wearing. These work similar to Equiflexsleeves but, go higher and lower on the leg and have the added advantage of being antibacterial. If you need to cover a wound, or if your horse is prone to scratches, dew poisoning, greasy heel, or whatever you want to call it, then you need a pair of these!

silver whinnys

equiflexsleeve

 

4. Fly Mask: Nag Horse Ranch fly masks. Dr. Lacher owns the Queen of Fly Mask destruction. And while these don’t last forever with her, they certainly hold up pretty darn well. In addition, when they do lose a right ear (and they do, it just takes 3 months instead of 3 minutes), back they go for repair. They block more UV light than any other mask on the market and can be custom made for your horse pretty easily.

naghorseranch

5. Small hole hay nets: HayChix or Big Bale Buddy
Save yourself a ton of money, reduce waste, and help control your horse’s weight. Small hole hay nets for your big bales are AAHHMAZING. Added bonus: your horse won’t have their entire head stuck in the hay bale breathing in all that dust and mold.

bigbalebuddy