feeling like the only one copd

[gingersnaps]

i found this forum on google when i typed in riding my horse with copd. My horse ginger has had this diease since feb of this year. I am feeling like the only person that has a horse with that diease. She was at a barn where the pasture was just dust. We had her on this syrup but it didnt work. We decided to move her to a all grass pasture 24/7. She gets senior pellots and wetted down hay. She loves it there, she is getting alittle better. My problem is what about riding. I miss riding so much i havent been able to do it since she got sick. I am a senior in highschool and this is my last year to ride her all the time. Im afaid to ride her because i am afaid i might hurt her. If i could ride her how often could i?? and if i could show? A friend of mine told me about using natural herbal stuff for her heaves. If anyone here has a horse with heaves plz reply to this. I feel so left out because i cant find anyone with a horse with heaves. Plz reply thank you

natalie

[miss j]

Best thing to do is do a search on here for COPD , theres loooaddss of topics on it.

Check mine a little bit further down the page too

:)

[anneindor]

fear not, your not the only owner to have a horse that sufferes with COPD, mine has it too.....BADLY

i have changed her stable from Straw bedding to rubber matting and shavings, soaking hay (or at least completely immersing it in water)
damping down feed also helps.
Making sure that the rubber matting gets washed down EVERYDAY to reduce the ammonia within the stable and keeping the dust down as much as possible (brushing walls to get down all the dust)
trying to keep the environment where the horse is stabled as well ventilated as possible, im extremely fortunate as my horses stable isnt within a barn and i have no problem with others using straw ect.

if you can keep your horse out as much as possible that helps too.

[anneindor]

i ride my horse even though she has bad COPD, obviously the fitter the horse the easier it is, dont be tempted to start strenus work, start off VERY GENTLY, you may find he/she coughs like they have had 200 cigarettes to begin with, but as long as you dont go galloping about and start jumping them then you should be ok.
If they have a coughing fit while your onboard, let them have their head and if you have been upping the fitness program you may need to take things a little more slowly.
They will cough when you get on, but after 10-15 mins light work you will find they have cleared their lungs and airway.
i feed my horse powered garlic and there are several preperations you can add to feeds for this problem, i will try and find out where and how much they cost
-good luck XXXX
i cant stress enough though, any persistant cough should be checked by your vet

[cvb]

gingersnaps - no way are you alone !

If it helps, my chap has had COPD/RAO for some time, and is now 32 !!

He only retired in his late twenties.

It is a question of being aware how they feel and how they react to work. As someone else has posted - take him cross country and he would go like crazy, but school him and it'd be cough cough cough :rolleyes:

We lunged until very recently to make sure his lungs didn't get all bunged up - like the therapy they do with kids with congested lungs.

Our guy is out in summer and comes in at night in winter. Stable is well ventilated and has rubber mats with some shavings. he's been having soaked hay for years and years. His teeth are now getting bad and luckily the hay is quite good this year, so he's getting it dry - but this is the first time in over 20 years !

Also make sure food is slightly damped.

At one stage he was being nebulised. Big difference was moving from south east Uk to Scotland where air is much better and less pollen.

In terms of showing, you may find that the "double exhale" muscle line affects how you do.