Ultimate Guide for Horses in Need: Care, Training, and Rehabilitation for Rescues, Adoptions, and Horses in Transition - Softcover

Boswell, Stacie G.

 
9781570769627: Ultimate Guide for Horses in Need: Care, Training, and Rehabilitation for Rescues, Adoptions, and Horses in Transition
Softcover
ISBN 10: 1570769621 ISBN 13: 9781570769627
Verlag: Trafalgar Square Books, 2020

Inhaltsangabe

A resource of astounding scope illustrating recommended management and retraining practices for horses and donkeys that have been ignored, neglected, abused, or starved. Whether given a second chance through purchase, adoption, or rescue, the horse in the “wrong” situation should have a chance to find his way to the “right one.” Veterinarian Dr. Stacie Boswell’s goal is to restore health and comfort to every horse in transition, and to help him learn how to function as the horse he is expected to be?from the Thoroughbred off the track to the grade pony from the field down the road. In her unparalleled reference, Dr. Boswell explains: Where they come from: The origins of the unwanted, neglected, or abused horse. Travel and intake: Safety, regulations, identification, and quarantine. Nutrition, dentistry, and colic: Body Condition Scoring (BCS), Refeeding Syndrome, nutrition, long-term weight management, colic prevention and treatment, and dealing with gastric ulcers. Vaccination and parasite management: Deworming, identifying and treating skin conditions, viruses, and respiratory diseases. Hoof care, lameness, and wounds: Evaluating hoof structure and the horse’s movement, trimming and shoeing, abscesses, laminitis, arthritis, and bandaging. Birth control: Castration and mare management. Foal rescue: The birthing process, working with orphans, halter training, and hoof handling. The “down” horse: Identifying and treating underlying problems, rolling a horse, bed sores, slings, and quality of life considerations. Working in disaster scenarios: Preparedness, identification, transportation, communication, and first aid. Euthanasia: Compassionate guidelines, procedures, and aftercare. Unique training considerations: Coming into work according to BCS. How horses sense and respond: Equine vision, training principles, and working with the fearful horse. Developing a relationship with your rescue: Social integration, developing trust, overcoming fear, handling feet and legs, halter training adult horses, preparing a horse for medical care, groundwork, and riding. In Dr. Boswell has compiled hundreds of case studies highlighting the areas of concern in the horse “in need,” and in these pages details proactive methods of handling common medical problems and health issues, from nutrition and dentistry to deworming and hoofcare to traumatic injury and emergency rescue scenarios. She explains the ways that, as a new horse is rehabilitated physically, specific training techniques can help him adapt to the positive changes in his care and environment. In the United States alone, it is estimated that almost 150,000 horses per year are “unwanted.” This number grows exponentially when you consider horses worldwide. Horses that are old, injured, sick, unmanageable, or fail to meet expectations deserve to be treated with dignity and given every chance for a comfortable life in the company of humans. Dr. Boswell’s book helps make this possible.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Stacie Boswell, DVM, DACVS, is an equine veterinarian who completed five years of specialty training beyond veterinary school, earning Diplomat status with the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS). Through this training, she has worked with horses in veterinary medicine in Virginia, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee, New Mexico, and Montana, completed a three-year surgical residency, and spent additional training time with pathology, radiology, anesthesia, and internal medicine specialists. She has raised and trained her own horses for over two decades, and is a lifetime member of the AQHA and APHA, as well as participating in Backcountry Horsemen of America (BCHA), volunteering to keep trails open to riders and maintained in her region.

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Chapter OneWhere They Come From: Horses in NeedIntroductionIf you spend time in the world of horses you have seen heart-wrenching cases of abuse or neglect, either in person or online. For me, it is impossible to forget the horses’ sad faces or how thin they are. These horses are desperate for food, water, and shelter. This book starts with exploring how horses find themselves lacking in basic needs. (fig. 1.1)Rescue is defined as “to free or deliver from confinement, violence, danger, or evil.” (ref. 1.1) In this book, a rescued horse is one that came to you from a situation where his physical or mental needs were not met. My goal is to help you provide him with a home that will meet those needs.Whether you volunteer at a horse rescue, buy a horse from an auction yard, find an abandoned or stray horse, (fig. 1.2) or otherwise obtain a needy equine, this is the book for you. You will get this horse out of his current plight. You want to do everything you can to help him, and he will need more than just food. A horse’s situation can be incredibly heartbreaking, and it’s likely that nobody else will help him. When you take him home, you may find that he has a respiratory illness, an injury, or behavioral problems. He may have all of those things at one time. According to Tracy McGonigle, Executive Director of the Hooved Animal Humane Society in Woodstock, Illinois, the “number one ailment seen ... is malnourishment, followed by foot issues, then emotional issues.” (ref. 1.2)Acquiring a rescue horse is different than buying a healthy, sound horse who has had excellent care throughout his life. Why rescue a horse? You can be deeply rewarded by the horse. We can give him freedom, love, and comfort, and we can make our world a better place.Once you have your needy equine, you need to know where to start and what problems are most important to address first. I have laid this book out as a series of guidelines, starting with bringing him home. Guidelines and science are supported by real-world experiences and inspirational anecdotes. Our goal is to restore health and comfort, and to help him learn how to function as the horse he is expected to be. Every horse, situation, and caretaker capability is unique, but as a veterinarian, I have observed broad commonalities among many rescue situations. I hope you will find information and inspiration in the following chapters.Aside from universal horse health needs, we will discuss common medical problems. As he recovers physically, you will concurrently be training him. Emergency rescue, horses who are unable to rise, and euthanasia are also covered. It’s important to acknowledge that it is possible that the full health of a rescue horse may never be restored.[start sidebar]The Five Freedoms (ref. 1.3)1. Freedom from hunger and thirstby ready access to fresh water and diet to maintain health and vigor2. Freedom from discomfortby providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area3. Freedom from pain, injury or diseaseby prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment4. Freedom to express normal behaviorby providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind5. Freedom from fear and distressby ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering[end sidebar]The Unwanted or Neglected HorseWhen the “Five Freedoms” (see sidebar) are not met, a horse’s situation needs improvement. These horses may come from any number of places. For example, an elderly person may pass away and her heirs don't want her horses. A rescue group may work with law enforcement and look after horses after they have been confiscated. Social media and internet sites such as Craigslist or Facebook groups have rescue networks, including those for orphan foals. I have treated horses that wandered into somebody’s semi-rural yard. Gathered Mustangs and off-the-track-Thoroughbreds are looking for homes and jobs. Some people buy horses at auction yards that are “known” for allowing kill-pen buyers to bid and buy stock.The phrase “unwanted horse” means “...horses that are no longer wanted by their current owner because they are old, injured, sick, unmanageable, or fail to meet their owner’s expectations.” (ref 1.4) The horse may or may not have an injury, lameness, or illness, or he could be the wrong color or gender. His problem could be either immediately life-threatening or chronic and manageable. He may also have a behavioral problem that ranges from mild to severe. In the U.S., it is estimated that 100,000-150,000 horses per year are unwanted.A horse may end up in a bad or neglectful situation through no fault of his own. Through my career, I have noticed that horses in a high-dollar high-level performance barn can have similar bloodlines, capabilities, and temperaments to a horse who ends up in a muddy paddock with minimal care. What makes the difference? Luck. And circumstances that are beyond the horses’ or the humans’ control.[start sidebar]A Cautionary TaleIt was early January, the air was biting, and a week’s worth of snow came up around my boot tops as I traipsed across the yard and knocked on the door. Rose and Dan, an elderly couple, were wearing coats and hats inside the house – it was almost as frigid inside as it was outside. The neighbors had been calling the authorities for weeks and reporting Cookie’s emaciated appearance. In most jurisdictions, a veterinarian must examine an animal before it is confiscated because of neglect, so I had been called to examine the horse in question. We slowly walked together out to the barn. He explained, “We have to subsist only off of our Social Security checks. I have bad knees and a bad heart, and my company’s retirement fund was lost when the economy crashed.”“I’m sorry to hear that,” I replied.Dan continued, “We had a great place in east Texas, always had grass! We couldn’t afford to maintain that property, so we downsized and moved out here to the desert.” Rose told me, “We used to have three horses, but we were able to sell the others before we moved. Cookie was my favorite, so we kept her.” She went on to tell me that after the move, when they realized they wouldn’t have Dan’s retirement income, they had tried to sell Cookie. She had become thin and nobody wanted to buy her. Rose had also talked to some people at the local horse rescue group, but they didn’t have room for any more horses and were underfunded. She had been told there was a waiting list, although the rescue had never called back. The couple had even tried to give her away. Only one person had come to inquire, and Rose had feared he would sell Cookie to slaughter, so she didn’t let the man take her.Cookie was in the barn. She was a kind horse, with soft eyes and relaxed ears, but was emaciated. Rose and Cookie looked at each other with love and sadness. In the dusty aisle, there was a single bale of fresh hay, and a single bag of grain that had been purchased in anticipation of my arrival. The mare was eating. When we talked about how to help Cookie, I emphasized how sudden dietary changes could be dangerous to horses who were this thin. Dan told me that although Cookie lost weight each winter, she always picked back up and was fine during warmer months.A few days later, I received another call from Rose. Cookie was down in the snow, and couldn’t get up. When I arrived, it was obvious her body had shut down. Cookie had experienced a severe metabolic problem called refeeding syndrome. I gave her medications and fluids directly into her vein. We tried to help her up with support and encouragement, but it was a losing battle. We all cried as Cookie took her last breath.Rose and Dan weren’t able to pay the invoices...

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Verlag
Trafalgar Square Books
Erscheinungsdatum
2020
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
1570769621
ISBN 13 
9781570769627
Einband
Taschenbuch
Auflage
1
Anzahl der Seiten
264
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