The end of the season is a great time to look back and reflect upon your and your horse or pony’s competition performance throughout the year. It is also a good time to assess any less than perfect outcomes and to address any training issues, knocks, niggles or other physical problems that may be affecting the performance your equine companion if your season hasn’t gone entirely to plan.
Vaccinations
There is nothing more frustrating than putting in all the work required to get to an event, only to discover that your horse’s vaccinations have lapsed. Now is the time to check their passport and flag up when the next vaccinations are due. Please familiarise yourself with the vaccination requirements of your particular discipline(s) and if you have any doubts, don’t hesitate to ask us for help. Vaccinating horses close to an event can be challenging logistically and there is always a risk of muscle soreness, which can be difficult to manage with drug withdrawal times a consideration.
Remember that the immunity that results from an equine ‘flu vaccination starts decreasing after 6 months, so horses that are regularly out and about, or share environments with those that are, will benefit from a 6 monthly booster – and some disciplines have made it a requirement that horses have received a vaccination within 6 months of competing. Out of season vaccinations also present a good opportunity for your vet to listen to your horse’s heart and examine teeth or any other areas of concern.
Knocks and niggles
Now is a good time to assess the soundness of your horse – asking your vet to see your horse moving in hand on hard and soft surfaces, flexion tests and ridden if necessary. This can highlight any areas of the horse that need attention, in the form of medication or other forms of management. Depending on what, if anything, is identified, plans can be made either to treat at the time of examination, or to address prior to the start of next season’s more intensive work, assuming perhaps a quieter period is in store for the autumn and winter.
As part of the process of looking at the soundness of a horse, we can also gauge the general condition and in particular the musculature of the horse, and identify if any areas are weaker or under-muscled. Horses that have poor topline or core strength, or lack strength in the stabilising musculature of the fore or hindlimbs are at greater risk of both soft tissue injuries and increased wear and tear on the joints, as fine motor control can be impeded particularly when the horse tires. Building and conditioning muscle in a horse is not a quick process, so it is useful to identify any areas of concern whilst there is plenty of time to address them ‘out of season’, and put a plan in place to arrive at your first competition fighting fit!
Get in touch!
If you wish to discuss any concerns or arrange an appointment for us to visit your horse or pony, please contact the office on 01722 741188 or via email at office@pinkhamequine.com