Ask the Vet – How to build topline, suspensory injuries, grazing muzzles & more! – September 2018
You asked, we answered! In this episode of our monthly series, Ask the Vet, Dr. Lydia Gray and SmartPaker Sarah reveal a (temporary) change to some upcoming episodes and answer 5 new questions on topics like building topline, cataracts in senior horses, reasons a horse should wear a grazing muzzle, suspensory ligament injuries, putting weight on a senior hard keeper, and so much more.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE so that you know when the next episode comes out – your question may be featured!
If your question was answered in this video, reach out to us at CustomerCare@SmartPak.com and let us know! We’ll get your gift card out to you as soon as we can! Have some of your own questions? Ask away using #AsktheVetVideo! If your question gets selected to be in one of our Ask the Vet videos, you win a SmartPak gift card! How awesome is that!?
Additional reading/watching material mentioned in the video:
Ask the Vet individual topics playlist
Ask the Vet blogs
Horse Health Library videos
Ask the Vet form
Graham-Theirs PM, Kronfeld DS, Hatsell C et al. “Amino acid supplementation improves muscle mass in aged horses.”
Ask the Vet – What is Kissing Spine?
Ask the Vet – What is a bowed tendon?
Ask the Vet – What is moon blindness in horses?
Ask the Vet – Interpreting the guaranteed analysis on a feed label
Ask the Vet – When should I let my horses out to graze in the spring?
Questions answered in this episode:
1. Tips to build your horses topline and how long does it take for a horse to build a good topline? Are there specific exercises that would help? Can supplements or different types of feed help, too?
2. My 22-year-old gelding has recently been diagnosed with cataracts. He’s still able to see seemingly fine; no issues while riding or with him getting around in his field. Are cataracts common with senior horses, and what things do I need to take into consideration as he gets older (e.g., safety while riding, turnout). Thank you for the fun and educational videos!
3. Let’s talk grazing muzzles. Why would you need a grazing muzzle on your horse? Also, my horse routinely gets sores and rubs from her muzzle. It is well-fitted, but I find in wet conditions it still rubs. Any tips or tricks to prevent this? Thank you so much!
4. Can you do a video on suspensory ligament injuries plz
5. I have an elderly horse who I love so so much, and I was wondering how I can make life for him a bit more comfortable as he ages. He is a 28(?) year old appendix quarter horse. He is retired. He gets turned out (into our indoor area) every night with the other horses and is in his stall from maybe 9 till 3ish. We often have young lesson kids work with him. No riding, of course, but he gets hand-walked pretty much every day – just a few laps around our property – and we groom and bathe him often with the kids. He is quite skinny and is a sad sight. We feed him twice as much hay as most horses, and he gets grain once a day and an assortment of supplements. Still can’t seem to put weight on 🙁 Any tips on fatting him up and making his life a little better would help so so much!