Improving your relationship with your animal through your daily routine...... with Penny Hollings.

Penny and Whittaker's Prince

Penny Hollings is a well-known Producer, Judge and Instructor and is a regular contributor to our blog.

This month, Penny gives guidance on how to improve your relationship with your horse or pony just through your daily routine....


It is easy for your daily routine to be rushed as you dash from ponies and onto work/school/college and back. Taking a little time to interact with your horse (without annoying them to death!) can improve your relationship with them .

When  I’m feeding, I insist that the horse moves back and allows me to place the feed in the manger, I really do not like being mugged!! With some horses I have to be quite sharp and assertive. Getting the horse to respect my space in this way, as it would another horse, is useful when it comes to holding him outside or leading as they are already aware of you. Some animals are very defensive and shy, with these animals I allow them to move away to where they are comfortable and then move slowly to the manger, allowing them to process the fact that I am not threatening and therefore encouraging them to relax. I also adopt this approach when mucking out. Our animals are tied up while we do this and learn to move over without us having to ask them.

I’ve noticed that a lot of people either walk in front of the horse when leading or are towed. Again it is important to be aware of eachother’s space and to keep the animal’s attention on you thereby avoiding accidents. Focusing on your horse and reading their body language  contributes to a much calmer  and trusting relationship.

Grooming is incredibly important. Most horses love having their faces brushed and - for shy or indifferent animals - it soon builds trust through contact. Our horses learn to pick up their feet just by me touching their leg or saying “this one”. I believe that consistency in the routine encourages them to relax and therefore be easier to deal with.

Playing with the horse over the door encourages nipping and lack of respect so I discourage this although I do tend to stroke their noses as I go past!

In conclusion I encourage people to respect their horse but always treat them as a pupil rather than a sibling, I find this gives them more security and they relax.

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If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us on info@supremeproducts.co.uk as we really enjoy hearing from you. We also love to see your pictures, so please feel free to visit our Facebook page and post them on our wall, making sure you tell us all about you and your horse or pony.

Our office number is not just for people wanting to buy products – if you have a question or would like some advice on how best to use our products or what would be the best product to use in certain situations, then please call us on 01377 229050 – we will be happy to help where we can!

Best wishes,

Sarah

 

How to prevent or combat Mud Fever

Mud Fever – what is it?

Mud Fever occurs during the wet winter months and is principally caused by the bacteria Dermatophilus Congolensis. This is a form of dermatitis that affects the skin on the heel, fetlock and pastern.

All horses can be affected, but particularly those with long hair around the fetlock are at risk. Back legs are more prone to mud fever than front legs and horses with thin skin, white heels or a lot of feather are also more likely to be susceptible to the condition.

Inflammation of the skin and underlying tissues leads to the skin swelling, stretching and weeping; cracks appearing, the hair falling out and hard scabs forming.

Horses exposed to a muddy environment or those that are kept in a dirty or unsatisfactory condition are more susceptible to Mud Fever. It can be a time-consuming and difficult condition to treat, with efforts to manage the symptoms often frustrated when the owner has no choice but to turn horses back out into the field or paddock that aggravated the condition in the first place.

How to prevent Mud Fever:

Although it is not possible to guarantee complete protection, half the battle lies in effective preventive treatment.

• To try to prevent mud fever, keep your horses' legs as clean and dry as possible.

• Hosing should not cause problems, providing the legs are dried thoroughly afterwards – using a hairdryer can often be the most effective way!

• Horses with thin skin, white heels or a lot of feather are likely to be more susceptible to the condition. If horses are turned out, it is advisable to keep their feathers clipped. Clip them – don’t shave them.

• Stable the horse on clean bedding and provide good living conditions.

• Use a topical barrier cream such as Supreme Products Leg & Mud Guard on clean, dry legs or underside of the belly prior to turnout or exercise.

• Try using waterproof leg wraps for turnout or exercise

The Symptoms

If you are not able to prevent mud fever, you need to know how this can be combated. One of the first things, however, is to be able to recognise the condition. The signs of mud fever are fairly classic and easy to recognise, with the distribution of the lesions being most prominent and visible in the areas that have been subjected to the wettest conditions.

• Matted areas of hair containing crusty scabs

• Small, circular, ulcerated, moist lesions beneath scabs

• Thick, creamy, white, yellow or greenish discharge between the skin and overlying scab

• The scab, once removed, often has the hair roots protruding

• Deep fissures in the skin

• Eventual hair loss leaving raw-looking, inflamed skin underneath

• Heat, swelling and pain if pressure is applied to the limb or the limb is flexed or stretched

• Lameness

• If severely affected, lethargy, depression and loss of appetite

How to Combat Mud Fever

• Remove the scabs to treat the skin, but be aware that doing this forcibly could aggravate the surrounding tissue and be painful as well as creating discomfort. Use Supreme Products Horse Care Cream to soften the scabs so they fall away naturally.

• Prevent skin from coming into further contact with wet or muddy earth while the condition is being treated. Horses should be stabled on clean, dry bedding and should not be allowed to stand in damp bedding or litter.

• When the scabs have been removed, shampoo your horses’ legs with Supreme Products Medicated Shampoo from the Horse Care Range to fight the bacteria. Make sure, once rinsed, that you dry the legs thoroughly.

• Immunise your horse against Tetanus.

• Consult your vet if the symptoms persist as antibiotics may be required.

• Try to avoid turnout in very damp conditions, use a ménage if you have one or turn out in a well-drained paddock.

• Use Supreme Products Leg & Mud Guard as a barrier cream to try to prevent further occurrences.