Gold Medal !

Breakfast Olympic Interview.

 










TEAM GOLD!
SHOW JUMPING:

Scott Brash & Hello Sanctos
Nick Skelton & Big Star
Ben Maher & Tripple X III
Peter Charles & Murka's Vindicat W

 

TCJ77 Mud Fever: Part Three

TCJ31 FURTHER TO MY UPDATE:

To be suffering with mud fever in August...via a very wet June & July does seem a little ludicrous doesn't it?  But here we are, and Henry has mud fever around his left fore pastern.

This is what Horse & Hound say about managing it from 2008+9 (don't worry, mud fever hasn't changed since then!).  I regularly consult the H&H vet pages, it's brilliant.

10 ways to manage mud fever:

21 April 2008

Mud fever is a general term for a skin infection around the heels and pastern of a horse. It is also frequently called “greasy heels” or “cracked heels” and is caused by an infectious agent called dermatophilus congolensis, which loves muddy wet conditions.

The infection can stay dormant in the skin, becoming active when the skin is compromised in some way, usually by prolonged wetting.

Spores germinate to produce hyphae (threadlike tentacles) that penetrate into the living skin and spread in all directions from the original site. The result is an acute inflammatory reaction. **it only needs to be a tiny break in the skin surface therefore to let this nasty in.

Often the disease is made worse by a secondary infection. Classically there will be serum oozing from the skin, causing the hairs to stick together.

There are often crusty scabs on the skin surface that, if pulled off, will reveal a greeny-yellow pus with the protruding hair resembling paint brushes.  

Mud fever can be extremely painful to touch, especially if secondary infection is present, but is rarely itchy.

Frequently more than one limb is affected.

In severe cases, the whole limb may swell up and a secondary lymphangitis can develop. This is serious and requires intensive veterinary treatment usually including both intravenous antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.
**This is what Henry had, very nasty indeed, and that's why I'm a fanatic now.

Karen Coumbe MRCVS

8 January, 2009
While there is no magic cure for mud fever, there are certain steps you can take to minimise the detrimental effects to your horse's health:

1. Where possible eliminate any recognisable triggering factors such as mud or mites, so consult your vet to obtain an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment plan.

2. Stable the horse on clean bedding and provide good living conditions.

3. Carefully clip (not shave) the affected area, so that air can get to it and allow it to dry.

4. Remove the scabs. A suitable antiseptic wash (like chorhexidine) and warm water is best to reduce infection. Your vet may need to sedate the horse to do this effectively.
**I use Hibiscrub on mine, SR

5. Carefully dry the area — use clean towels or a hairdryer with a circuit breaker — to prevent the skin remaining wet and waterlogged.

6. A variety of ointments, lotions and potions are available to use as an emollient to maintain hydration of the skin. Again your vet should be consulted as to what is best for your own horse.
**for a bad case where your horse is lame, he'll need antibiotics from your vet and some anti-inflammatory (equipalazone).

7. Remove all scabs and debris and ensure the stable is properly disinfected. Keep the horse in or turn out on to a manège or well-drained, dry field.

8. If there are deep heel cracks or big open sores, they should be dressed with a non-stick dressing and cotton wool or gamgee, otherwise leave the legs unbandaged to allow the area to breathe; bugs flourish in damp areas, so do everything you can to keep the limbs warm and dry.
**I have successfully used hoof-boots over these dressings so Tom & Henry can go about their usual routine.

9. Severe cases with obvious infection CALL YOUR VET, your horse may need a long course of antibiotics, which needs to be continued for seven to 10 days after the soreness has abated. Your vet may also prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs such as bute to reduce the pain and swelling.
**This what happened to Henry, he has a swollen leg for over 2 weeks, it was horrible.

10.Make sure your horse has been protected against tetanus.

Henry:  this time began when he lost a shoe in July and his hoof boot rubbed him a little, you wouldn't even have noticed it, but it was enough for that nasty infection to take it's hold on my boy once again. 

Well, I'm not standing for it this time. 

I have washed the area until Henry can't stand it anymore, I used a hose to soften the crusty bits and as I dried the area thoroughly, the scabs came loose.  I dried it more, all the while administering treats, and applied an after lotion I bought on-line for mud fever: MUD MARVEL.  It isn't cheap, but it does the job.

In a few days, Henry's skin that straight after I've just done the first-aid bit above, looks red, sore and angry, will fade, go pale and dry up completely.

I think we're all going to have to get used to these climate changes, and prepare for flies in the winter and mud fever in the summer, always a good idea therefore to have your first aid and lotions and potions cupboard fully stocked, because you never know now when you might need what used to be seasonal applications.

Here I have wrapped the pastern in a bandage with a liberal application of wound cream and a dressing on top.  The bandage does the trick to keep the area moist and clean as well as keeping the flies away, we don't have to worry about this in winter...mud fever in summer is a different matter!

This stays on for a few days whilst the area becomes pale and then Henry will go without any topical applications to clear it up completely.  The bandage also has the added bonus of helping any swelling to go down, leaving Henry free to gallop around with Tom.

Horse Sense

TCJpart76 Spooking

  

IMPERIAL CAVALIER:

...and how even the professionals (and I mean the horses), aren't completely spook-proof!

Let me paint you a picture:  we're at Greenwich Park in a temporary stadium built for the Olympics.  The crowds are heaving and the atmosphere is electric, the wind has picked up, there are lots of new noises about for a horse to cope with, cheering, flag waving, incredible amount of clapping and some screaming (not just me), the screeching of the  camera going over the arena on a wire, the score board making a whizzing noise, and everything else, plus the sights....again flag waving, umbrellas, a new venue and of course....weird jumps.

Now, most normal horses would have a fit and head for home whether the box was ready or not...mine?  I can't even get mine past sheep without an intervention...so just imagine what it's like for the competitors....?

After the amazing spectacle of GB winning team silver at the 2012 London Olympics at Greenwich Park,  and after we had all stopped crying with joy, the nations' favourite eventer Mary King explained that her horse, the amazing Imperial Cavalier, had spooked at the bronze lion that stood at the other end to the Nelson's Column at the Trafalgar jump, leaving him unsettled and not able to perform to his best.



“I felt I made a big error with Imperial Cavalier. There was a big copper  statue lion in the middle of the arena and I stupidly rode near it and it  really frightened him,” 

...she clearly blamed herself, we all would too since it’s our job to protect our charges.

“Then, when they rang the bell he was a bit strong and nervous. I should have circled and calmed him down and then set off. Imperial Cavalier is the best horse I’ve ever had but he’s going to be too old for the next Olympics and whether any of my younger horses are going to be good enough to do better than him, only time will tell.”

Mary King and Cavalier are at the very pinnacle of professional riding, they train intensively and perform wonderfully together.  A great team whom have faced tough courses together and have overcome difficult hurdles to be one of the most successful teams of all time.....


....if ‘Archie’ as he’s affectionately known spooks (and who’s blame him it was a lion!!!), what chances do us mere mortals have??

 

And thinking about it, it’s a wonder more horses didn’t spook at a lion for heavens sake, in the arena..., don't lions eat horses?  aren't these big cats (whatever the colour of their fur) the horses natural enemy?  

 










Of course they’re not going to be happy with it!!  

A test indeed, well it is the Olympics after all.  Well happy hacking, and watch out for lions....luckily we don't have any in WW!!!

Photography

OFFICIAL BLOG PHOTOGRAPHER:

I have had lots of comments praising the quality of photography on the TCJ blog, my thanks go to Husband and official blog photographer John C Brown.

Greenwich Park Equestrian Eventing

OMG!!
OLYMPIC DAY:

Not even at Metallica was the crowd so incredible..., I have rarely been swept away in the proceedings, but here's how the day panned out for John and I.

After some outfit anxiety and major fiddling about with accessories we finally left home.  The sky was grey with rainclouds but the temperature was warm, so difficult to decide what to wear.

After a woefully inadequate signage to Greenwich Park from Stratford we managed to 'guess' our way to the correct DLR platform which welcomed us with posters telling us we were in the right place.  Hoards of horse-mad girls and boys from Essex were trying to find their way through the already heavy crowds, it was still quite early...John and I don't hang about!

After that however there were a huge team of awesome volunteers showing us the way, every step of the way, accumulating with 2 police horses at the end, so it was easy...in fact on the way home there was a lady and her young daughter handing out free juice along the route to passing revellers...how cute are the Brits?  

One local Police Horse and one boxed in from Humberside.  They have walked the cross country course too!!

The security we had been warned was like an airport so we couldn't take liquids etc in and there was bag search too.  The Royal Navy manned the x-ray machines, and it was brilliant and light hearted as well as serious, and the excitement was beginning to build.

Next to find our seats, find a cup of tea (which we never did), then walk what was left of yesterdays cross country phase, already being dismantled to return the park as promised as soon as possible to normal, we were told for Health & Safety reasons we couldn't go near most of the jumps, they even had the army guarding it!!!  

...a shame, everyone at the Showjumping would have liked to walk that course.  the 'Over the Moon' jump was right on top of the hill next to the Observatory.

..as the jumping began, and I got more and more excited...the anticipation finally got me when Mary King came out on Imperial Cavalier, I have never cheered so much in my life, and the whole crowd almost lifted the stands off the floor!! the support was tear-jerkingly, spine-tinglingly emotional...tears ran down my cheeks as we learned we'd won team silver...Miners Frolic was incredible again, did you see 'Henry' doing his dressage test in the pouring rain?.  I have never clapped and screamed so hard in my life, and the whole stadium was the same.

The 'King'(Mary) and the 'Princess' (Zara Phillips) did the Nation proud, William Fox-Pitt, Tina Cook and Nicola Wilson were thrilling to watch in real life.

The anticipation of the event overtook us and we all cried like babies, banging our feet on the floor of the stadium, rocking it's foundations to the core!!!!!

See our pictures of the day...we took well over a thousand!!!

Back at home Tom & Henry had won team Gold for Gorgeousness and were relaxing in their field!!