When dealing with leg injuries, there’s a few things I do to ensure a speedy recovery. Cold hose or ice, depending on the time of year, liniment, and bandaging. I feel it’s really important to support their legs as much as possible while they’re movement is limited – and I always bandage the opposing leg, and sometimes all four.

It’s really important to put liniment on all four legs to keep any swelling down. Many times, due to having to redistribute their weight, their other legs may swell while taking the weight for the injured one. The other area that I always use liniment on, is their back – and in particular, their loin area. I find using the liniment on their neck and back eases any muscle tension from stress at having their movement restricted.

I’ve found that many times when their leg(s) are injured, their back gets sore from taking the weight off the injured leg and redistributing it onto the other three. I use an infrared muscle massager to massage their back, and then use liniment. It’s a great time to just spend time with your horse, and especially if they are isolated or stall bound, being herd animals, they really appreciate the company.

I always enjoy giving my horse a complete grooming every day, during recovery. We both seem to take pleasure from the touch – kind of like having a spa day!

Just … ride!

Andrea