Tommy Update

Although I have been putting some little Tommy updates in my monthly reviews I thought it was probably about time I gave you a proper update on Tommy's progress. 

At the end of September I set the following aims:

1.       To be good for the farrier to have all 4 feet trimmed.

2.       Continue with the practice so that he is calmer for his headcollar to be taken off.

3.       Be able to catch him in the main part of the field when he is not wearing a headcollar.

4.       To continue putting the thin summer sheet on his back and try doing it up.

5.       To use conditioning spray in his tail.

6.       To start teaching him to be tied up.

7.       Introduce him to the hosepipe.

8.       To continue to build his confidence more.

9.       To increase his experience eg: seeing tractors, more new people etc.

10.   To give him lots of love and cuddles - which he loves

The farrier has been a few times since my last update and Tommy is really making steady progress.  He is brilliant at having his feet picked out into a skip and is not worried about it if I push the skip about with my foot at all.  He picks his feet up easily and doesn't snap them up too quickly very often now either.  As Tommy is still not able to be tied up this is all done in his stable.  

He has all of his feet trimmed easily now and last time my farrier tried holding a hind leg forward so that he could rasp the toe - Tommy was fine.  This is a new thing and obviously feels slightly odd to a horse so I was really pleased with his reaction (or lack of reaction)!  I hold Tommy on the yard when the farrier does his feet and we always do him last so that he has been able to watch the others first.  This means that he gets used to the noises and smells whilst he feels nice and safe in his stable :)  Taking it steady means that he doesn't become overwhelmed but the fact that my farrier comes every 6 weeks means that Tommy is getting used to him quite quickly.

If you watch my video's or follow me on Facebook or Instagram you will know that we had a few tricky days again last week.  Although, most of the time Tommy is very settled anything new that happens does unsettle him for a while.  Last week we had the hunt in the village.  They park in the farmyard right behind the stables but the meet is a bit further away.  Chesney and Basil have now got quite used to this arrangement and generally just watch with an occasional run around.  

When something new happens in the area Tommy's first reaction is to canter around the field - and he adopted this tactic last week too.  The hounds are boxed to the meet and let out in the farmyard so they make quite a lot of noise which obviously upset Tommy a bit.  The horses were interesting too, but we actually have a group of point to point horses which hack around the edge of the field adjoining mine so he is relatively used to this.  However, they also had a quad bike and this raced around the adjoining field too and he was particularly upset by this.  I am not sure, but I think he may have been chased by a quad bike where he was rescued from - that would explain it.  

I managed to get the others in at normal time for their tea but Tommy would not come to the gate and I have still only managed to catch him in the field when he is not wearing a headcollar a couple of times.  As it got dark and he didn't come - I tried Polo bribery - the others became upset and unsettled again.  So much so that later that evening I had to put them back out in the field.  

The next morning when I arrived it was still dark and I thought they might all be waiting at the gate - but they weren't.  As it became light I mixed some food for them and Basil and Chesney came in to eat that before going straight back out again.  Tommy was still cantering about a bit and would not come:(

By the evening I had hatched a plan and by allowing them in to the small bit of field behind the stables (with some nice grass) I managed to get Tommy up to the stable end of the field.  I closed the gate and so had him in a smaller, more manageable area :)  After bringing the other 2 in I managed to coax him too.

 Bless him, he was exhausted from all the running around.

It took another couple of days for Tommy to properly settle back down again and now he is fenced in a separate, smaller area.  He needs this as I must start limiting his grazing to prevent him putting on any more weight.

Now Tommy is in a smaller area I am hoping to really start working on catching him.  Whilst Chesney and Basil were in all the time (during January when they had foot problems) I worked on being able to get up to Tommy in the field and give him treats.  Now he doesn't hesitate to let me go up and pat him, although I still have to move relatively slowly.  I am hoping now that if I leave his headcollar on I will be able to catch him too, the stage after that will be putting his headcollar on in the field.  

Tommy is absolutely confident with having the headcollar on and off in the stable now.  He puts his nose down to go through the nose bit too :)  He is also not at all worried about the strap going over his poll and I have also tried putting the strap around his neck before feeding it over his nose - so I have 2 options for ways to catch him!  

He is perfectly happy for me to rub his ears, check they are warm, pull bits of shavings out of them and give them a gentle pull - which is brilliant.  He is so gentle and just loves having cuddles.  As you will have seen in my December update he is comfortable with his turnout rug now.  We had a few nervy days after the hunt were here but the rest of the time he is absolutely fine with it going on and coming off from either side.  He has no trouble bombing around the field in it.  On Tuesday morning when I was doing the tummy straps up he put his head around, grabbed the bobble on my hat and pulled it off - he didn't flinch! 

We haven't got any further with teaching him to be tied up, although I have put the rope through the string on one more occasion.  This is going to be a job for the better weather.  He is also desperately in need of a tail wash and trim.  I washed Chesney and Basil's tails at the weekend so he watched that and me pulling the hose about then.  I will have to work on this with him but will need a helper until he is safe to be tied up.  Until he has had a bit of a tail wash it seems a waste of conditioning spray!

He has definitely seen some more things since my last update.  The farm have been having corn collected so there are big lorries beeping, he has seen the hunt and lots of dogs and vehicles.  In the last week some sheep have moved into a field near to us and he has been obsessed and slightly confused by them but is now not bothered.  It is all progress and he is becoming more and more affectionate each week.

The steps for the next few weeks are:

1.       To be good for the farrier to have all 4 feet trimmed.

2.       Be able to catch him in the main part of the field when he is not wearing a headcollar.

3.       To be able to lead him across the field.

4.       To use conditioning spray in his tail.

5.       To start teaching him to be tied up.

6.       Introduce him to the hosepipe, maybe wash his tail.

7.       Spring makeover!

8.       To continue to build his confidence more.

9.       To increase his experience eg: seeing tractors, more new people etc.

10.   To give him lots of love and cuddles - which he loves 

Did you see 'February's Vlog' yesterday on my You Tube channel?
Horse Life and Love.  Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Until next time!

Jo

The Sounds that Horses make!!

Tommy does a lot of snorting (or so I thought before writing this blog), more than any horse or pony I have ever known and it has made me think about the different  noises that horses make.  Many we don't hear very often, certainly Basil and Chesney only ever snort when they have been bombing around the field being silly.  

So what do the different noises that they make mean?


The Snort

This means 'there may be danger' and I guess that really explains why Tommy snorts so often.  When horses snort they are saying that they aren't sure about something, they are slightly fearful but they are also curious.  The snort clears the respiratory passages so that the horse is ready for flight and it also signals to the herd that there might be danger here!  The horse will usually hold his head and tail up high but will have his mouth closed.  As the nostrils flutter it gives the snort a pulsing sound.  Tommy actually sometimes snorts with his head down as he is edging towards it - if I have put something different for him to see!  However, he is always ready to run as are most horses if they snort!

Usually the snorting horse will be facing the scary object or threat and so the sound will also tell the others where the threat is coming from.  The noise of the snort is not so loud that in the wild a predator would hear it, it will just carry to the herd.  Stallions will also snort when challenging one another.

The Blow

This is actually similar to the snort but without the pulses in the noise.  It is just an exhalation of air through the nose and is not communicating fear as much as asking what something is!  I have also read that it is thought to sometimes be a horse saying 'Life is Good'

So perhaps Tommy is sometimes just doing this and not snorting - it would be nice to think he is saying 'Life is Good' :)



The Squeal

I have heard the horses all make this noise occasionally when they are playing in the field, but Basil does it most.  It is a defensive sound and is a warning not to push any more or 'I will retaliate!'  Squeals can be short or long and can often  be heard quite a lot further away than a snort. 

Mares sometimes squeal too when approached by a stallion.

The Nicker

There a few types of nicker...

• The Greeting is a low pitched, gutteral sound and is used at close quarters.  When the 'friend' has been recognised a horse will nicker a greeting.  It is a welcoming sound that horses often also do at feed time!  
• The Courtship nicker is performed by a stallion as he approaches the mare.  Again it is a greeting, but a flirty one.  This is longer and lower than the greeting nicker and is often 'broken' . 
• The Maternal nicker is obviously from a mare to her foal.  A soft, quiet sound to encourage the foal to come closer.  The foal response is innate, they will automatically respond from birth.

The Neigh

This is probably the most widely recognised sound and is sometimes also called a whinny.  It is the longest sound that a horse makes and can be heard considerably further away than any other sound, up to half a mile away!  A horse will make this sound  if he is separated from his friends or can see them in the distance. Usually the neigh is answered as it will help to keep a group close together.  Chesney makes this sound when I take Basil out on a hack, although generally only once or twice, and Basil sometimes answers.  Horses all make slightly different sounding neighs, certainly I can tell the difference between Chesney and Basil's and knew Fidget's too - I am not sure that I have heard Tommy yet!  It really is just horses talking to each other and checking they are still there.

Have a look at this video from PeanutandAmy97  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flBqK-cHE7w for lots of different neighs!


The Roar

I don't think I have ever heard this, which is a good thing as it is the noise horses will make when they are seriously fighting and it demonstrates fear, rage or both.  The roar is generally only heard in wild herds when stallions are fighting.

Horses sometimes grunt and groan and I have definitely heard them snore.  They often seem to grunt and groan when rolling so I guess these are happy sounds!  

If you haven't seen this video on You Tube yet check it out here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMJsqXzz5zs

Did you see last week's video on my You Tube channel.   Horse Life and Love
Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Until next time!

Jo

All About - Bog Spavins

 What are Bog Spavins?

A bog spavin is a soft fluid filled swelling on the upper and inner side of the hock. The joint is swollen due to excess synovial fluid which causes the swelling.  Not to be confused with bone spavins!!

Signs

• Soft swelling on the inside and often also the outside of the hock. 
• Occasionally lameness, but often there is none. 
• There is often no heat and no pain.

Causes

The swelling occurs when  a knock, strain or change occurs to the joint bringing excess inflammatory cells to the area, this in turn brings extra synovial fluid.  Sudden and sharp movements or stops when weight is suddenly put on to the hock can cause an excessive strain on the joint.   Upright hock conformation can also cause excess strain.  Occasionally nutritional deficiencies can cause bog spavins.  They can also be caused by synovitis (see a future blog) or degenerative joint disease.  

Polo often involves sudden stops and turns

Diagnosis

A vet can use a radiograph or x-ray to identify any changes to the bone which may have caused the bog spavin.


Treatment

Many bog spavin's will heal on their own, although it is possible the horse will be left with a small, painless swelling.  Cold hosing can help to reduce the swelling too whilst it is soft.   If the swelling becomes hard arthritis may develop in the  joint later.  Anti-inflammatory drugs can help to decrease the inflammation, these can either be injected or given orally.  Corticosteroids can help but rest is usually suggested followed by gentle exercise. 

 
Prevention

When working a horse minimise any stress on the hock joint by reducing sudden movements or halts.   
Conformation faults should be taken into consideration when working a horse too.  Ensuring the diet is well balanced will prevent any nutritional deficiencies. 


Bog Spavin's are something to be aware of but generally in themselves do not cause long term problems.  However, if your horse develops one it is worth consulting your vet in case there is an underlying cause that is more serious!

Have you seen this week's video ' How to .... put a bridle together' on my You Tube channel.   
Horse Life and Love.  Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Until next time!

Jo

Hay!

Is that hay???
 

Have you seen yesterday's video 'How to ... put a bridle together' on my You Tube channel.   
Horse Life and Love.  Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE.

You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for updates on Chesney, Basil, Tommy and Daisy.

Until next time!

Jo