Published: March 6, 2020
Horses are more delicate than they look. Despite their impressive size and often amazing speed and power, any horse owner can tell you that horses are prone to injury, illness, and a good deal of anxiety. In fact, an older term for a horse that could no longer be ridden was “broken down”, much like the way you would refer to a car. In this day and age, we care about our horses just as we care about our other pets. But that doesn’t make them any less accident prone. Remember that horses balance a good deal of weight on relatively thin, spindly legs. All too easily, they can stumble and even fall. Almost every horse will sustain some kind of leg injury over the course of its lifetime; most of those injuries can be healed, but a horse’s recovery must be carefully monitored in order for it to be fully achieved. A horse’s legs aren’t just where its power lies. They are also key to their overall health. If a horse is unable to walk on all four legs, it cannot survive. At the same time, it’s incredibly difficult, and in fact nearly impossible for a horse to fully recover from a fractured leg. Therefore, many horses with fractured legs are put down. It’s crucial that a horse’s legs are carefully tended to.
With that being said, it’s also important for a horse to remain as calm as possible. Most horses, even the calmest ones, are easily surprised. When a horse is excitable, especially in a small space, it can easily injure itself. Therefore, many horse owners now take the time to not only invest in products that will help their horses physically, but those that can aid in caring for their mental health as well. Let’s look into some of them below.
1. Hock Wraps For Horses
Those familiar with horses are also probably familiar with knee boots for horses, and in particular knee braces for arthritic knees. Lots of wraps for horses are meant to support their knees, as horses tend to place more weight on their front legs, even as they lay down. But their hocks, the joints between their tarsal bones and tibias in their rear legs, also must be tended to. Hock wraps for horses provide the necessary support for horses that have injured this delicate part of their rear legs. Horses show injuries early through their posture, and muscle strain may show up through shifted weight. Often, liniment is applied to treat these strained muscles. This is further supported through hock wraps for horses. When an animal is often ridden, hock wraps for horses can also act as preventative measures.
2. Masks And Blinders
Horses are complex, emotional creatures. When startled, they can either act with fear or aggression. Though social, they don’t necessarily get along with all other horses, and often they are distracted, which can be particularly inconvenient for competitive riders, but causes problems even when you’re simply showing your horse on a lead. Masks and blinders help obstruct a horse’s peripheral vision, and keeps them from seeing anything but what is straight ahead. Therefore, they are less distracted, less easily spooked, and are often kept from acting aggressively towards other horses. These are all factors that any serious rider may have to consider at one point or another, depending on the horse they choose to ride. No horse is perfect; it’s important to make accommodations for yours and its specific quirks.
3. Therapy Blankets
When a horse is put away in its stall, the point is usually for it to sleep. However, not all horses fall asleep and relax. Some experience stress in their stalls, and find it difficult to calm down. Many horse owners take proactive measures by buying therapy blankets for their horses. A therapy blanket gives a horse the pressure and comfort it needs to truly calm down. Therefore, it will be less likely to accidentally injure itself, and can get the rest it needs.
Owning a horse is certainly a big responsibility; but it comes with great rewards. Just make sure to invest in the supplies you need to keep your horse looking and feeling great.
