Injury Recovery
Paddock Injuries
As horse owners, we experience many ups and downs with our beloved animals. Today, as I write this blog, I can’t help but wonder if there are other horse mums out there feeling deflated, overwhelmed, and perhaps a bit hopeless.
Today, my horse injured himself again. It’s been nearly 8 months of time off due to ulcer recovery, followed by abscess recovery. Just as we were starting some light work, we faced yet another setback. This time, it was a paddock injury which, fortunately, will heal—but it will require more time.
Sometimes, I feel like the universe is teaching me patience.
This morning, my horse spooked in his paddock and, once again (this isn't the first time), got tangled with a fence. This resulted in a leg degloving injury (don’t worry, it sounds worse than it is). Thankfully, it was a clean cut, and we were able to patch him up quickly.
The injury itself is challenging, but there are other complications that concern me—ulcers being the main one. My horse has a sensitive gut, and I work hard to avoid NSAIDs (like Bute) and antibiotics when possible. However, in situations like these, medication is sometimes unavoidable.
The silver lining in all of this? I’m fully stocked with what I consider the best healing and gut support available: Bovine Colostrum. Naturally, his feeds are now loaded with colostrum, which will do more than just help the injury heal. It’s going to be a crucial support for his gut health while he’s on medication. In fact, I’m confident this will make a huge difference between a 3-month recovery and a 6-week recovery—I’d almost bet my house on it!
So, is there a silver lining to all of this? I feel like I’ve been talking about colostrum so much, and I’m passionate about it, but now I have a real-life example of its efficacy. This is a situation that many horse owners find themselves in more often than we’d like, and it’s proving the value of colostrum for me.
Will it speed up the healing of his wound? If the studies are correct, yes.
Will it help prevent another ulcer episode? If the studies are correct, yes.
Will it stop him from spooking and running into fences again? Probably not.
My point is: injuries happen, but there are ways we can support our horses nutritionally from the inside out, and that support can greatly influence the success of their recovery.
If you have an injury-prone or sensitive horse who could use some inside-out support, I highly recommend adding a maintenance dose of Statera Bio-Colostrum to their diet.
