Taking care of my little coloured hunter :)

[icklemadame]

I've also posted this in 'stable yard' however as its hunting related I thought it might be an idea to ask in here too...

My girl is incredibly wizzy at the best of times, and obviously even more so out hunting, and the only real way to tell when she's tiring is she starts to jump in slow motion - she'll whizz up to it and whizz away from it, but in mid air she slows down and she lands really slowly & carefully... I worry so much when she starts doing this that its because her legs are starting to get sore and achy, despite the fact she has never been lame, and is obviously is still whizzy 'on the ground' - and when I let her out in the field she flies around as well. Anyway... as I'm worrying about her legs, I was wondering what everyone else does, especially after hunting, to take care of their horses legs? I know there are arguments for and against bandaging etc. after hunting due to mud fever (although I've never known her to suffer from this however horrendously muddy/wet she gets) - what do you all suggest?

 

[RunToEarth]

I always cold hose first- I'm a big antibooting fan when it comes to actually hunting, I only wear knee boots and reachers so I know mine can't pul anything from boots. I think ice tight when they have had a big big day, on an average day I will just bandage. If the horse has been washed and dried properly first then there should be no worry of mud feaver. Also my two lad's leg's fill up on a night and if they are banaged they can't.

 

[JenHunt]

here's my routine for hunting days, I've never had a lame horse after hunting. even when they come back in so tired they can't be bothered to argue about the cold hosing! my old horse is occasionally a bit stiff, but he is 22!

when we get back from hunting i wash him off with warm water and do his legs with hibiscrub, rinse his legs off with cold water and make sure everything is dry, before covering his legs in icetight (or similar) and rugging up thoroughly and once he's had a chance to wee and stuff half a bale of hay into himself (takes about 20 mins!) I go out again and feed him and fill up his water barrel.
i go out again about 8pm, wash off the icetight with cold water, check for any lumps and bumps i'd missed earlier and put stable bandages on for the night.
by the time i go out to do 1st feeds in the morning, he's finished a bale of hay and most of his water and is itching to get out. off come the bandages, and i let him walk round our closed yard while i make up feeds.
he then usually gets taken out for a short ride to make sure he's ok, then turned out as usual.