Pin firing

[jenniehodges2001]

Hi

After hearing a conversation between two people the other day, one who was advised that she could get her elderly mare pin fired to help a suspensory injury I am confused. I thought pin firing was illegal in this country?

When she queried this with her vet he shrugged his shoulders and intimated that it could be done.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

It was banned in the 90s but, then the RCVS agreed it could be used in rare circumstances when everything else had failed.
Look up Dr Matlin, he did a well balanced write up as I recall. (I might be wrong tho!)

 

[jenniehodges2001]

It was banned in the 90s but, then the RCVS agreed it could be used in rare circumstances when everything else had failed.
Look up Dr Matlin, he did a well balanced write up as I recall. (I might be wrong tho!)

Thanks.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Oops! Typo! Dr Marlin!

 

[SEL]

Oops! Typo! Dr Marlin!

Here's his FB post on the subject
https://www.facebook.com/DrDavidMar...ts-continued-use-in-horsesha/574135759457316/


I saw it quite a bit when I used to exercise polo ponies and I don't think it helped at all. Rest and turnout definitely did.

 

[luckyoldme]

I remember vaguely working in a hunt yard in the 80s..but I also remember horses not coming back from hunting because they had broken down. I realise now I never questioned what broken down meant. I just repeated it in a way that I hoped sounded knowledgeable.
Were firing and breaking down related..?
What did breaking down mean ?

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I remember vaguely working in a hunt yard in the 80s..but I also remember horses not coming back from hunting because they had broken down. I realise now I never questioned what broken down meant. I just repeated it in a way that I hoped sounded knowledgeable.
Were firing and breaking down related..?
What did breaking down mean ?

Breaking down means that the horse has inured the lower leg - a tendon or ligament, or in other cases breaking a bone.

Horses that had done legs were either pin or bar fired - the theory being that the scaring on the skin stopped the skin from stretching and thus it couldn't stretch enough for the leg to do more damage again. It was also used as a method of healing - you fire the skin more blood rushes to the area and healing is promoted. It really doesn't work overly well and is barbaric hence why it has been banned in this country for many years. You can still send your horse on "holiday to Ireland" and it comes back with scars that it got "getting stuck in a fence".

 

[luckyoldme]

Breaking down means that the horse has inured the lower leg - a tendon or ligament, or in other cases breaking a bone.

Horses that had done legs were either pin or bar fired - the theory being that the scaring on the skin stopped the skin from stretching and thus it couldn't stretch enough for the leg to do more damage again. It was also used as a method of healing - you fire the skin more blood rushes to the area and healing is promoted. It really doesn't work overly well and is barbaric hence why it has been banned in this country for many years. You can still send your horse on "holiday to Ireland" and it comes back with scars that it got "getting stuck in a fence".

Thankyou elf!
As a race on the whole humans are pretty ?
I just remember getting too attached to horses whose owners saw them more as machines than anything else. It was heartbreaking when they didnt come home.

 

[jenniehodges2001]

Wow I agree LOM that humans are a nasty race. The things we do to animals is terrible. Firing the skin to promote blood rushing to the area and promoting healing is better done by pulsed magnotherapy and long wave ultrasound. Thank goodness we have come some way from this barbaric method.

 

[laura_nash]

As I understand it, its not banned in the UK but the BEVA have indicated that if a vet carries it out and then is sued or prosecuted for animal abuse then they are on their own and will get no help defending themselves.

 

[Nicnac]

It's a barbaric practice. Unfortunately still used by a certain community as cheap and quick. I had a long conversation with my vet recently who likened it to shoving a red hot poker in your knee to 'cure' your arthritis. There is someone (not sure if a vet) allegedly somewhere in or near Gloucestershire who still does it.

 

[Gingerwitch]

And some folk do it to uninjured animals as they think it strengthens the tendons..... Horrific. They should have it done to them first ! Chemical firing is as bad and not quite so obvious.