Whether you’re competing in a 5-star, three-day event or undertaking a five-day cattle drive, you make a lot of demands on your horse. As a horse owner, it’s your responsibility to ensure they can meet these demands.
High-performance horses are athletes that require an extra level of care that goes beyond the norm. They require specialized feeding, farriery, and preventive care to help them meet the demands of competition.
At times, they could need prompt attention to injuries and advanced rehabilitation to help them get back on track. Find out more about how equine sports medicine can help to keep your horse exceeding your expectations.
Nutrition Is Central to Equine Health
Horses are designed to consume vast quantities of grass. They’re also designed to amble freely among the plains in search of this grass.
The demands we place on modern-day horses go far beyond this sedentary lifestyle. Grass and hay simply can’t provide the nutrition your horse needs to perform at a high level, day after day.
It’s imperative to supplement their roughage intake with grains to provide them with ready energy for maximum performance.
An equine nutritionist or your vet can help you set up a personalized diet that meets your horse’s energy needs and advise you about suitable supplements to promote their health and performance.
Equine Sports Medicine Boosts Horse Performance
A sports horse is like a high-performance motor vehicle. Your horse can’t fulfill its true potential if it’s hampered by niggling discomfort or health issues.
Some of the specialized services these animals need include:
Farriery
Foot care is another basic aspect of caring for horses. All horses need regular attention from a farrier to ensure they stay comfortable and sound.
While many horses are perfectly happy plodding around barefoot, sport horses usually require shoeing so their feet can cope with the extra demands of competition.
An experienced farrier will help improve your horse’s feet and way of going on every visit. In consultation with an experienced sport horse vet, they can even assist in remedying some lamenesses.
Chiropractic
All ridden horses need a level of regular chiropractic care to stay comfortable in their work, but sport horses need much more advanced treatments and diagnoses.
Your competitive horse performs at a much higher level than the average trail horse. Like any athlete, they require specialized care to ensure they don’t suffer from strain and injury.
Regular visits from an equine chiropractor help address any niggling issues before they become major problems. They help ensure your horse can best use its frame and musculature to cope with extraordinary exertion.
The average competitive animal can cost its owner almost $1 million over its lifetime. Many of these costs result from unanticipated veterinary bills due to illness or injury.
Preventive care can help you avoid unexpected costs and reduce time off due to injury.
Preventive Care for Ongoing Equine Health
Like any domestic animal, owning a horse means an ongoing commitment to their health. Preventive care helps ensure your horses stay healthy and perform at their best.
Vaccinations
Vaccinating your horse against infectious diseases is vital for ensuring your horse enjoys a long, happy life. It also helps contain outbreaks of severe illnesses that can spread rapidly among these social animals.
The National Institute of Health recommends the following core illnesses to protect America’s equine population:
- Tetanus
- Rabies
- Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis
- West Nile Virus
Parasite Protection
Apart from vaccinations, protecting your horse from parasites is vital for their good health. Internal parasites like worms can cause weight loss, colic, and even death, so it’s vital to implement a rigorous deworming program for all your horses.
Ticks transmit diseases like biliary, Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and equine piroplasmosis. You must treat your pastures against ticks and carefully remove any visible ticks from your horse.
Your equine vet can assist you with a range of effective anti-tick solutions.
Flies, midges, and mosquitoes carry disease and cause great discomfort to horses. External sprays help keep these irritating pests at bay. Speak to your veterinarian about the most effective formulas for external pest control.
Dentistry
We all know how disruptive a painful toothache can be, and it’s no different for horses. Tooth issues can cause your horse to evade their bit or even become dangerous due to pain in its mouth.
Teeth problems also make it difficult for your horse to chew their food properly, which leads to weight loss and muscle deterioration.
Tooth decay and abscesses are relatively rare in equines, but almost all of them suffer from cuts and lacerations due to rough edges on their teeth at some stage.
Horses need a visit from an accomplished equine dentist at least once a year to stay comfortable and pain-free.
Horse Rehabilitation: Measures for Speedy Recovery
Whether it’s a small scratch, a harmless hematoma, or a life-ending broken leg, your horse is bound to injure itself at some stage of its life. Not all of them require the services of a veterinarian, as long as you have a well-stocked first-aid kit at hand.
More serious injuries will likely require ongoing veterinary care and rehabilitation. Thanks to advances in veterinary treatments, many horses can fully recover from an accident or injury if you’re prepared to put in the time.
It’s important to get veterinary assistance for an injured animal as quickly as you can and follow your vet’s advice for recuperation. Complementary treatments like laser therapy, acupuncture, horse joint injections, and Bemer/PEMF sessions can bring relief and speed up recovery for injured equines.
Ensure the Best Care for Your Horses
High Country Veterinary Services are the equine sports medicine experts in the Yampa Valley, Colorado. We offer a full range of veterinary services, including the most advanced modern treatments.
Our team of expert experienced vets and vet assistants is eager to help you make the most of your equine partnership. We can help you set up a year-round schedule of care to ensure your horses live up to your hopes and dreams.
Make the call and commit to providing your horse with the best care available in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.