Re: FAQs, with thanks

jsaranac wrote: 
Just found this resource on a page on Kris Carroll's site (thanks, Kris.)

http://www.horse-country.com/faqs/index.html

Lots of good articles in there.

One I've been reading up on which has been discussed here is sheath cleaning. i've bought what I need to do it because both our geldings need it soon. Two things I hadn't considered that make me less than thrilled. One is that I have long nails, I mean they're not daggers but they're noticeably nails, and i am told that I really should cut them off, which I will do if I have to, but I wondered: if i wear latex gloves, and try to be very gentle, do you think i still need to? I'm not trying to be vain or petty, I'll do whatever's best for the horse, nails do grow back and it's much more important not to hurt the horse, but just thought i would ask your thoughts. (They're not long enough that the interfere with riding, manual labor, typing or anything else.)

LOL -- I undertook this with my gelding .. and have decided whatever it costs, if it needs doing again, I'm paying a professional!

I have the sculptured nails -- like yours, not daggers, but they are there and they are solid. I wore regular exam gloves and it took care of the problem. One thing you might want to ascertain is whether or not your horse is latex sensitive. I mention this because my sheath cleaning experience included a call to the vet for the Ob:horse's rather extreme case of hives. You could see the HANDPRINT where I rested one hand against his hip. You could see finger marks in other places and he had a swollen outer sheath. I had used baby oil to loosen up the stuff and we're still not sure whether he was sensitive to the latex gloves (although, both the vet and I had worn them before in working on him) or the baby oil -- and the baby oil was the most likely candidate as I didn't get scent free!

Second, and of far greater concern. The BO told me that if I am not careful with the sheath cleaning and startle my horse while my arm is "up there", a wrong move from him will break my arm. Is this a realistic concern or was he being glib? Should I wait until my horse goes under meds for example, getting wolf teeth pulled, before I try it? he got me just a tad nervous where I was feeling good about my first try.

Almost anything around a horse could lead to a broken bone if things don't go right. At least from my experience, there isn't enough gripping power (<snort> sounds like a BO wish list to me!) for you to be hurt just because of where your arm is.

I'm still going' for a trained professional!


LisaW
And Taz who just wishes That Woman wouldn't get wild ideas about his body parts.
--
"Then peeled the bells more loud and deep:
'God is not dead, nor doth He sleep
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.'"
-- "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"
.

Relevant Pages

  • FAQs, with thanks
    ... Just found this resource on a page on Kris Carroll's site ... noticeably nails, and i am told that I really should cut them off, which I ... much more important not to hurt the horse, but just thought i would ask your ... wrong move from him will break my arm. ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Re: FAQs, with thanks
    ... > Just found this resource on a page on Kris Carroll's site ... > careful with the sheath cleaning and startle my horse while my arm is "up ... a wrong move from him will break my arm. ... Should I wait until my horse goes under ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Re: Operant Conditioning of the Equine
    ... and without needing your nails. ... or any of the other undesirable behaviors which are ... authority by the skilled trainer. ... Yet the results of inviting a horse to bite and then ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Re: Bite =This=
    ... way a horse can clomp down on a handful of nails is to bite the hand ... Clomping down on a handful of nails is not the only way a horse can ...
    (rec.equestrian)
  • Re: Bite =This=
    ... We can agree that either one dominated the horse or is dominated by the horse, but "gentle" is not a requirement for the establishment of dominance. ... way a horse can clomp down on a handful of nails is to bite the hand holding the nails; thus: the only behavior the beast can associate with pain is that of biting a human. ... While the status of the horse's psyche is a matter of your conjecture, the efficacy of a handful of nails in breaking mouthy horses from biting is a matter of observation available to anyone with an interest. ...
    (rec.equestrian)