The Horse:Your Guide To Equine Health Care provides monthly equine health care information to horse owners, breeders, veterinarians, barn/farm managers, trainer/riding instructors, and others involved in the hands-on care of the horse.
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42 TheHorse.com THE HORSE February 2016 Palmer-DuRoss has managed a wider range of health concerns with Hadji over the years. Hadji has a slight club foot, which Palmer-DuRoss believes causes him to interfere (hit himself during movement) when shod and bang up his legs. She now rides him barefoot or in hoof boots on the trail. "I think that was ultimately the thing that made him be able to have the long career that he has now, or I would have been retiring him from injury if he was still in shoes," says Palmer-DuRoss. Hadji also dealt with cancer early in his career, a sarcoid within his sheath that was removed surgically and treated with chemotherapy. Then he bowed a tendon in 2006, but after only a 10-month layoff he returned to do a 50-mile ride. Another year he foundered, but Palmer-DuRoss caught it early when it was mild, and she and her veterinarian and farrier were able to mostly correct it with trimming. To keep him fit during recovery without stressing his feet, she put him in a swim- ming program. Because she's an equine veterinarian, Galbraith treats her own horses. Smart Snap hasn't had any major health issues other than soreness in his right front hoof. She says she gives him coffin joint injections once or twice a year as needed, as well as intra-articular polysulfated gly- cosaminoglycan (trade name Adequan) to stay sound and comfortable. Training and Conditioning the Older Horse All three owners believe in building their horses' fitness slowly and giving them plenty of rest. With age, they don't need the drilling and schooling they did when they were younger. "I build (Hadji) up with long, slow miles," says Palmer-DuRoss. "I usu- ally take him out once a week in 15- to 20-mile rides, and that's all he needs to maintain (his fitness)." Alaska-based ride veterinarian Dave Nicholson, DVM, has vetted and watched Hadji in action for the past 15 years. He's an advocate of keeping older horses moving, even if it's slowly. "Horses in their prime are usually being pushed a little harder, and as horses get a lot of miles on them it seems to be natural for people to back off and slow down a little," he says. "They still do the miles fine, just not at the speed they did when they were younger." Similarly, Davidson no longer schools Reggie in dressage. "I ride him the day before an event out on the flat," he says. "Otherwise, he goes out trotting or hack- ing or does his gallops or jumps a little bit. My job is to have him fit and ready for every competition, but I almost think it's a bit insulting for him to have to go practice another half pass or another flying change. He knows what he's doing, and we don't need to challenge him and make him sore." The Galbraiths have maintained Snap on the same training regimen over the years, with their main focus his mental soundness. "There are only 11 reining patterns with virtually the same seven maneuvers done in different sequences, so it gets pretty mundane to train and train and train the same maneuvers," she says. "It's important to keep things fresh, like trail ride, go to fun shows, and try a trail or ranch pleasure class." Dietary Omissions and Additions Palmer-DuRoss says managing Hadji's health has centered around determining his individual needs, specifically his nutri- tional requirements. "I keep everything with him more simplified, because some- times if you give them all these weird things and these different grains and all this different feed, sometimes you end up causing more problems than if you just leave them alone and let them be basic." She feeds Hadji a simple diet designed to keep weight on while reducing sugar intake, due to his history of founder: Ber- muda grass hay in the morning, alfalfa at night, and a mixture of alfalfa oat pellets, rice bran, performance horse feed, and senior feed. He can't have carrots due to their sugar content, and Palmer-DuRoss says she doesn't give him any supple- ments, although she is considering glu- cosamine for his mild joint stiffness. Reggie is always fed and watered on the ground in light of his breathing is- sues, and his hay is steamed to reduce mold and dust. He also gets two pelleted feeds designed for sport horses and a gas- tric health and multipurpose supplement. Snap is on an alfalfa or alfalfa-grass mix, and Galbraith makes sure he does not gain too much weight. "A lot of people like their horses too obese, and there are dangers in doing that," she says. "As an equine vet, I can't tell you how many times a case of laminitis could be prevented. I remember when I was really Ballynoe Castle RM, at age 15, is still competing at the top of his sport. He's seen here representing the United States at the 2014 World Equestrian Games. SHAWN HAMILTON SPORTS MEDICINE I almost think it's a bit insulting for him to have to go practice another half pass or another flying change." BRUCE DAVIDSON JR.