Ghetto Rigged Cold Hosing

Sometimes I feel like my horses hate me… I mean I know I am being dramatic but between Houston’s ongoing attempts to cripple/ scar himself and then Annie’s choke and now this I wonder what they think when they do this stupid sh*t to themselves… I went out to the barn last night and was excited to ride the little ginger and as I was grooming I noticed that Annie wasn’t her usual self. Upon closer inspection I noticed that her left front was hot and swollen. Initially I couldn’t figure out what happened… Then I noticed that there was a small slice on the inside of her pastern. I am not entirely sure how she managed this considering she wears double bell boots on both of her front feet and the cut was actually almost entirely covered by the top bell boot… But horses man – where there is a will there is a way! I am sure that some of you are judging my cold hosing rig and yes sure if you don’t know my horse you probably think it was stupid – I acknowledge that it was an interesting choice but I was still standing next to her the entire time and holding the hose. Additionally the hose was able to slip through my loop. I know my horse and she will let me do all sorts of ridiculous things to her so when my back started to cramp after 15 minutes of hosing I got creative. That said I don’t endorse any of you doing this and I will be investing in a twisted soaker hose (possibly making one myself) down the road. Because I am neurotic I went out and bought a bag of ice and also iced her leg. Thankfully my accident prone horses are really good patients. Cold hosing, icing, bute, and a standing wrap – hopefully tomorrow her leg will look better!
Anyone have any good tips for reducing swelling? She must have really whacked the bejesus out of her leg but I am crossing my fingers that’s all this is.

24 comments

  1. beka says:

    Jesus, $80 for a hose?!

    My vet scripts out Surpass for random leg edema. It’s also a human medication and certain PAs we know sometimes get trial tubes. I’ll ask!

  2. Stacie Seidman says:

    While I like to sweat or poultice for swelling, you should avoid that with an open wound. I think you’re doing the right things. Also moving around is helpful, like a good 20 minute hand walk. Hopefully it’s nothing more than being a sensitive girl with a boo-boo!
    I can relate fully, my horse Rio has had giant legs on and off all summer. First it was vasculitis, then it was something with his suspensory branch (he’s retired, so don’t ask me how or why…) and now we’re dealing with some cellulitis. His legs are clean, and I can’t find any scrapes so I have no idea how he’s getting infections. His stall is clean too… Horses!

      • Equestrian At Hart says:

        Haha that’s what I did. I actually poulticed above the wound after I applied ointment. The poultice will not affect the open wound but will help with the swelling. Which luckily was almost nonexistent yesterday 🙂

          • Stacie Seidman says:

            I tend to err on the side of caution. Poultice and sweats tend to not stay exactly where you apply it and I’d worry about it oozing into the wound. But that’s just me 🙂

          • Equestrian At Hart says:

            Understandable. If the wound was actually higher on the leg I probably would have been more concerned. But with the injury lower and applying the poultice above with paper and a standing wrap I felt sure it wouldn’t be an issue. And it wasn’t. I guess it is a judgement call.

  3. Stephanie says:

    Aw, what a bummer!

    Candy got bumped hard in the trailer on her ride to Oklahoma and had a swollen left hind for a few days. I poulticed it for a couple of days, and the swelling went down a bit. I ended up giving her a couple of grams of bute, which took the rest of the swelling away. Her leg has been cold and tight since!

    Good luck!

  4. Shelby says:

    Bummer 🙁 Keep icing. I would avoid poultices on the open wound, but keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t turn into anything cellulitis-y. hope it gets better soon :/

    • Equestrian At Hart says:

      Yeah I know not to poultice anything that’s open 🙂

      With Houston who gets cellulitis all the time now I am also going to be keeping a close eye on it. Knowing Annie it’ll be good to go tomorrow and I will have freaked out for no reason 😳

  5. Allie-Rocking E Cowgirl says:

    I just thought about cellulitis, and then saw your last comment. Phew! Glad you know to watch for it.

    Recent tetanus shot? Positive it’s not a puncture?

    I hope the swelling goes down quickly! I had a boarder kick through his run fence today and we’re doing about the same thing, plus a wrap. Boo.

  6. Divinia says:

    Hello, You should try the Equi-N-icE bandage or socks, these are amazing, they work so well. Equi-N-icE works by drawing heat out vs other products and icing applications that work by driving cold in. The treated area will drop in temperature by 10-15 degrees C and stay that way for up to 1-2 hours. They are a perfect instant cold treatment for mild strains and bruises. Take a look here for more info: http://www.equusimports.co.uk/horse-care.html?SID=0pb631ph4hgpaek9pjm9bb8g31

  7. SprinklerBandits says:

    Hahaha but was she sound on it? Courage did something similar to himself a month or so back and was CRIPPLED for a week+. I’m pretty sure he was trying to take his bellboots off and accidentally cut himself.

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