Cherry Hill - Horse Health Care: A Step-By-Step Photographic Guide to Mastering Over 100 Horsekeeping Skills

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by publishing practical information that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Elizabeth McHale

Cover design by Cynthia N. McFarland based on a design by Joseph Williams

Text design by Cynthia N. McFarland

Production by Therese G. Lenz and Allyson L. Hayes

Photographs by Richard Klimesh

Line drawings designed by Cherry Hill and drawn by Elayne Sears

Indexed by Susan Olason

1997 Cherry Hill

Ebook version 1.0

July 20, 2014

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The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. For additional information, please contact Storey Publishing, 210 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247.

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Contents

Dedication

To Klim-Click, my photo man

Other Books by Cherry Hill

101 Arena Exercises

101 Ground Training Exercises for Every Horse & Handler

101 Horsemanship & Equitation Patterns

Arena Pocket Guides

Becoming an Effective Rider

Cherry Hills Horsekeeping Almanac

Equipping Your Horse Farm

The Formative Years

From the Center of the Ring

Horse Care for Kids

Horse Hoof Care

Horse for Sale

Horse Handling & Grooming

Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage

How to Think Like a Horse

Making Not Breaking

Maximum Hoof Power

Stablekeeping

Trailering Your Horse

What Every Horse Should Know

Your Pony, Your Horse

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to my husband and partner, Richard Klimesh, for his sense of humor and excellent help with the photographs.

Thanks to Sue DeGrazia for being a photo model. Also, thanks to my horses Zinger, Sassy, Zipper, Dickens, Blue, Aria, Seeker, and Drifter for their patience and cooperation as photo models.

I am grateful to the following for supplying products used in this book: Ariat International, for safe and comfortable boots; BMB Animal Apparel, for halters and blankets; Les Vogts Pro Equine, for protective horse boots; Millers Harness Company, for trailer boots; and Cherry Mountain Forge, for custom-forged blanket racks.

Preface

I really appreciate the fact that my photographer, Richard Klimesh, and my horses are so patient. They have gone way beyond the call of duty more than once during the photo shoots for this book. Sometimes we had to shoot certain sequences over due to sudden weather changes (wind, rain, snow) or lighting changes (whoops, the sun just popped out from behind the clouds) or freak occurrences (a cat strolls into the frame while I am bandaging). But it seemed like we could always depend on the horses to hang in there until Richard was satisfied and declared, Its a wrap!

Unfortunately, one of my horses made a rather painful contribution to this book. In the fall of 1995, we had a very early, heavy snow when the trees were still fully leafed. This caused many limbs and trees to come crashing down, leaving the ground littered with sharp branches. Aria, then just 24 months old, was out on one of the wooded creek pastures that day. She must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time because later she walked up to the barn with a major leg wound, which is illustrated in this book. So Aria became our model for bandaging a wound, following the progress of a wound, and giving an intramuscular injection. Thankfully, her leg healed well and she is currently in training.

The treatment of Arias leg wound brings up an important point. I have designed this book to show you HOW to perform various skills. You will need to refer to other books for detailed explanations on behavior, training, facilities, nutrition, parasite control, immunization, and so on. See for some suggestions.

Richard and I really enjoyed preparing this book. We hope it contributes to a healthy, happy relationship between you and your horse.

Safe Handling and Housing

Although safety helmets are usually associated with riding, there are times when you are handling horses from the ground that it is a good idea to wear one. Protect your feet by wearing well-made, sturdy boots. Whenever possible wear gloves, especially when handling ropes. And always use safe horse-handling techniques.

STURDY BOOTS

Boots should have heels, good traction, and, if possible, an extra piece of leather sewn across the toe. This toe cap provides extra protection if a horse should step on your foot.

SAFETY HELMET

If you are inexperienced or you are working with a young or green horse, it would be to your benefit to wear a protective helmet. When you are working on a horses legs, the horse could accidentally hit you in the head when he stomps at a fly, or he could move suddenly and knock you into a wall or fence or onto the ground.

STRONG EQUIPMENT AND LEATHER GLOVES

Always use strong, well-made, well-fitted equipment. Leather gloves will give you a better grip on ropes and protect your skin from the pain of a rope burn if the rope ever zings through your hand unexpectedly.

STEP STOOL

When working on your horses mane, if you need to get a birds-eye view, use a steady step stool and place it next to the horse, not in front of him or underneath him. Also, if you have long hair, fasten it securely out of the way and wear a hat to further contain it.

When you are required to hold a horse for a veterinarian or you are acting as an assistant for a friend, there are certain principles you should keep in mind.

HOLDING A HORSE

When the vet is working on the horses head, hold the lead rope closer to the halter than normal so you can control the horses head without the large sweeping motions that would be necessary if you held the horse on a long lead. Always pay attention to the horses attitude and expression as the vet works; this will give you clues as to the likelihood of a sudden reaction. This handler would be in a safer situation if she were not backed up against the post. If the horse suddenly reared or moved away from the vet and the handler had to back up in a hurry, it could cause her to get pinned or hurt.