Question for owners whose horses live out...

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cpendle

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One of my horses is turned away this winter, in a lovely big, dry field. However, tonight he's hopping lame. The vet's coming tomorrow, but I suspect an abcess as his foot is very hot.

My problem is normally I'd poultice and keep him in. But I don't have a stable for him, there is nothing in the field or nearby.

How would you normally manage something like this? Can I manage keeping him out?

Thanks
 
Hi, yes definitely! I find it's actually better to let the horse move around while poulticed before the abscess breaks through as it moves the pus around and helps it break out faster. I would however recommend tubbing with hot water and Epsom salts for 10 minutes then a hot poultice and try and seal it really well with duct tape. Try and take his shoe off as well if you can. That's what I did with my boy last week and the abscess burst over night. Then I hot poulticed again for 2 more days until all the pus had drained (no more tubbing once it had burst) then dry poulticed for 3 days then shod and he was sound again!
 
Hi, thanks Kit279 - that's very reassuring! Did you put anything over the poultice like a Boa Boot? Or did you just use loads of tape?

Thanks.
 
No, it's so muddy where we are that the hoof boots just get lost! I just put a lot of tape on it - my horse didn't have a great deal of grip but he was 'broken leg lame' anyway so it didn't seem to matter. Hope he gets better soon!
 
I've done it both ways. Tub the foot, as already suggested and then poultice, using animalintex, gamgee, vetrap and ductape. Make a circular patch with the ductape to cover the sole of the foot - you make it by starting with a + shape, then making an X shape over it and so on. You might find that your horse is less likely to walk through the tape, by cutting a piece of plastic to the shape of the sole and putting that between the vetrap and the gamgee. Hope that makes sense and I hope the vet is able to find the abcess and relieve your horse!
 
try and keep the foot clean and dry try and restrict his movement by electric fencing if not it may be worth trying to find a stable nearby till you can get a farrier or vet to have alook
 
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