Welcome to Trainer Tuesday! Each week we ask trainers a question and gather their answers for you. These trainers have a range of experience, backgrounds, and focus points of their programs, so the answers have as much variation as you would expect and also probably much more similarity.
This week’s question posed is: What does a post-jumping horse care routine look like in your barn?
Here are their answers:
“Care for the horse after a jumping school starts with a good, long walk after the session has completed.
Once in the stable area, I remove the tack and run my hands down all four legs, then the horse is off to its stall for a brief moment so they can relieve themselves and a sip of water before going to the wash stall.
Test the wash stall water to be sure it’s cool water. I start on the horse’s legs, specifically the inside of the hind legs/stifle area. I leave the hose in that position for a minute or two. This helps cool the entire horse before putting water on the back, haunch, and neck. I use a clean towel to wash the horse’s head.
After a bath, I put ice boots on for 10-15 minutes on all four legs.
Depending on the intensity of the school, I use either liniment or poultice on all four legs and standing bandages. The horse’s feet may get packed or not, depending on the ground and footing.
There may also be a magnawave or centaurian machine treatment in the stall for an hour or so later. Chiropractor treatments are a regular part of the weekly care routine, helping the horses stay comfortable and aligned.” -Diane Carney
Read more from Diane and listen to her on The Plaidcast here.
“A good routine after jumping a horse involves making sure the horse has ample time to cool down properly with a lot of walking before heading back to the barn. We always have the horse stand in ice boots while they are being groomed. It is even helpful if the horse has been hosed off and the legs are still damp, as that helps with even better cooling of the tendons and ligaments. If the horse has not jumped too much or very big, we may just use standing wraps, but in the case of a horse that has worked harder, we will often use a poultice to help keep the legs tight.
At home, we don’t generally jump two days in a row, but that is not always possible at horse shows, so the after-jumping care is extra important at competitions. Walking is always very good, and a couple of times a day of hand or under saddle walking is very beneficial to keep the horse loose, since horses are meant to walk and graze all day.
Anti-inflammatory medication can help relieve any soreness, but must be managed very carefully at competitions to comply with the medication rules.” -Kay Altheuser
“Our post jumping care varies widely by horse. We pride ourselves on not overjumping our horses, so there are times when we keep the care minimal. On a regular basis, our horses are iced for 10-15 minutes. Wraps are dependent on the horse’s turnout schedule.
If we jump in the evening and the horse turns out overnight, they are typically iced and have liniment applied. If horses are staying in, they are standing wrapped. The decision to apply poultice or medicate is based solely on the individual horse. Ultimately, we try to keep it simple!” –Amy Kriwitsky
Read more from Amy here.
“Post jumping care for us is catered to each horse–we take into account any injuries, weaknesses the horse might have, and the level of jumping or exertion they did that week/day, and go from there. Most always get ice and wrap, but sometimes we include poultice /laser/packing feet. It all depends on what each one needs!” -Dana Hart-Callanan
Read more from Dana here.
