So, I think of myself as a very experienced horse owner. To the tune of 35+ years. But I am a tightwad by nature and sometimes that gets me in trouble.
One case in point is that I intended to have my equine(and human!) chiropractor look at Jet and the Cruiser early this spring. Not for any specific reason, all seemed well at the time, but just to catch anything brewing before harder work started. And then our last and oldest farm dog started to have health problems. That continued on and on for a couple of months ending with her euthanasia. Very sad and kind of expensive. So even though I had the money to get the boys checked out I put it off because I was spending money on the dog. Everything seemed fine with the horses until I started working Jet back to back days. After a couple of weeks he started feeling funny in the hind end in the canter. Long story short, in a lameness exam before spring shots and teeth, Jet came up positive on a couple of joints but more importantly something is also going on with his back. Now I don’t know that this all could have been prevented with a look see by the chiro earlier in the year but I have my suspicions.
And speaking of teeth being floated. When Cruz came in August I had vague thoughts of having the vet check his teeth. But. He seemed well cared for, feet in nice shape, and no problems eating so I let it slide. Like I said, tightwad. Guess what happened when the vet had Cruz’s mouth propped open? Something like “Holey cow-look at this!” Edges and hooks all over. Scars on his tongue and cheeks. All from a 3 year old horse that bridles himself when you hold the bit out to him. He obviously has a high pain tolerance.
So, I obviously feel like an awful horse mom. The chiropractor is coming out Thursday for both boys. Cruz is having his teeth rechecked in 6 months. I’m going to make an effort to be a little more proactive about prevention and combating my tightwad tendencies while not going crazy the other way. Might be difficult for me.
What are your feelings about standards of care and preventative maintenance without breaking the bank?
I have a confession- I have never had a chiropractor out for my horses. I am re-thinking it or having a massage therapist out. In the past Carmen was so suspicious of strangers that having them touch her resulted in real tension. Now she might be okay. I worry about adjusting Irish because of all of his issues with arthritis and things.
ReplyDeleteTeeth I'm on top of. When Carmen came i had the vet out to do her teeth. The pre-purchase exam recommended that. My vet said he thought that her teeth had never been done and she was a mess. Since then we've done twice a year (except once). Spring is expensive with saddle adjustments, vaccines, teeth etc. But it definitely pays off.
I would put myself in the 'tight wad' category. It's not that I won't spend money but that I gauge carefully when and how. Don't beat yourself up. Horses are expensive.
Thanks for the kind words! I have a feeling it's going to be a work in progress on the tightwad thing.
DeleteSome things are just money well spent. Mazy had wolf teeth so a full on dental was in order. She was already sedated so why not?
ReplyDeleteThe new farrier also does equine flexion therapy (bodywork) and the first time around found she was suoer tight and sore in her left shoulder- which explained a Lot.... He gives her the once over when hes out to trim her.
Chiro- I haven't made that leap yet. She could probably use it if for nothing else, just to make sure nothing is out of whack.
Not being a tightwad, just smart about when and how you spend your money for the most cost effective results. No reason to throw it down the drain.
Yeah I agree about the being smart with money in an expensive sport. I just tend to be reflexively tight and I need to maybe be a bit more thoughtful about the cost/benefit when deciding yes or no to spending.
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