What to do about stiff horse?

[kgj66]

My horse is 15, and last year was off for 9months because he had bruised soles. Now the vet said he would never jump again, but he was not diagnosed correctly(said his tendons were wrecked) but when the farrier looked at him he said it was simply very badly bruised soles.

Anyway, he's perfectly fit now but i have a problem, as you can guess, i am scared stiff of him going lame again, but i still compete(showjumping)because he loves it so much.

He is normally fine after a ususal ride, but a day after ive jumped in a competition he is always a little stiff, and takes a couple of days to come right.

Do you think this iscould be because i am not cooling him down properly afterwards, i just go for a walk and then put him away.

Has anyone else found this with their older horse and can anyone reccomend how i should be cooling down.

Sorry for the length!

Thanks,Kate

[galadriel]

What do you mean by "put him away"? With any horse, going into a stall after working slows their circulation and makes it harder to recover from a performance (more likely to be stiff and sore). With a horse who's prone to stiffness, it's especially important to have a very long cool down, and preferably leave them in 24/7 turnout rather than in a stall.

[kgj66]

Sorry, should have explained myself better. After ive ridden, i would normally walk around for about 10minutes and then put him back in his stable. I am thinking though that i definately need a longer cool down.

Should i involve gentle trotting in cooling down(after a lot of cantering/jumping) or just walk for longer before putting him away.

I have no way of 24/7 turnout nor can i put him in a field after i've ridden so unfortunately that is not an option for me.

He does get a joint flex supplement in his feed as well as hoof maker.