Plaiting for a vet?

[Zoe_Simpson]

I have a question on my apprenticeship work that asks when and how you would plait a horse for a vet, I have googled it in 100 different ways and can't find any answers! Has anyone had any experience when they have had to plait a horse for the vet, and what sort of plait did you use, thank you!

 

[C1airey]

I would possibly plait/bandage a very heavy tail if it looked like it might get in the way for something like a rectal exam, or if it were obscuring the view in a lameness work up. In which case, just a regular plait.

 

[ihatework]

You generally don’t!

Now some sort of way of getting the tail out of the way, be that plaiting / bandaging up is often done if vets need to work around their back end. Might be imaging hind legs, joint injections etc etc. Also good practice for breeding (scanning, insemination, foaling etc) - although many don’t bother.

Mane plaiting? I suppose if you have a wound that needs attending to? Or an eye examination if there is a big flowing forelock? Never done or seen it myself mind

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Apart from as mentioned above, the only other thing would be presentation for ground jury at a 3de and even then it's not mandatory.

 

[gallopingby]

Why would you plait unless for a reason ie maybe to to scan infoal or similar, or if you needed hair out of the way to stitch an injury. I once arrived home to discover a vet clipping the forelock off one of my natives, she‘d been kicked in the face. Had l arrived before the vet, (or had a more show orientated groom) it would have been plaited and tied back while the stitches were put in. One of his colleagues had great fun winding him up for the rest of the season about his clipping skills!

 

[[59668]]

We used to plait up when a vet was coming to do a vetting.....I helped out on a VERY traditional event yard back in the 90s.

 

[doodle]

They plait the id label into their mane in hospital?

 

[Quigleyandme]

They plait the id label into their mane in hospital?

When I was presented with one of those at Bristol I told them it wouldn’t go round his fetlock. No really I did

 

[Red-1]

I had one with a cancer in her eye, it was operated on and a tube punctured through the eyelid to irrigate the eye. The other end of the tube was plaited into the mane. Around 5/7 plaits worth, so the end of the irrigation tube was well down the neck, so if she threw her head up when the eye was irrigated, it would not interrupt the irrigation. The tube was woven through each plait so it didn't get caught on anything.

Horse made a full recovery and cancer never returned.

 

[Quigleyandme]

Quigley had trepanation to flush his sinus and the Foley catheter was secured in his plaited forelock.

 

[horselover11]

At the vets I used to work at we did all the above but we also plaited manes up out of the way of long stay catheter sites. Also for surgeries where a long mane could get entangled in the anaesthetic and Patient monitoring system wires as well as to stop it getting in the way of any short stay catheters used during surgery. We also used to plait horses up during summer months when we were giving a lot of Sedation For standing procedures as they tend to sweat a lot and it just kept them cooler according to the old school vets lol! Also plaited up when doing MRI as it used to get very hot in the metal box and they are again having a lot of sedation!

 

[huskydamage]

When I first saw this I thought, what?! Lol but realised I did actually plait my horses tail up(like I do for hunting) when she was having debride stuff done on a hind leg injury, otherwise the tail was right in the way for the vet

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I just twist it into a knot of it’s the tail. Never had to plait a mane for the vet I’ve used clothes pegs to pull Mane out Of the way. I use them for plaiting for shows so they come in handy

 

[DressageCob]

My horse had his mane plaited by the vet when he had eye irrigation 24/7. it was a row of plaits, with the tube posted through each one then through the plaited forelock into the eyelid.

He also had his tail plaited in a loose plait. I'm not entirely sure why!