Lou and I have been made aware to always be on the lookout for any sign of the horses loosing condition. So when the horse Sunny was taking a little longer than expected to recover from his trip from Yarramalong, and a course of worming paste made little difference, Lou decided to have his teeth looked at. Splash, my Clydesdale also needed a check-up but being a big horse will require a specialist possessing the physique of “The Hulk”.
I have seen a vet use a single wooden crutch as a head rest during a dental session with Betty our smallest horse on the property. Betty had reduced the old wooden crutch to splinters, so I was anxious to see what this bloke had with him in the form of equipment to control a big horse.
In times like this my imagination borders the bizarre and crosses over into a fully played out comedy in preservation of the diminishing confidence toward this unknown presentation that I am about to experience. You may remember the “AAMI” adds or the “health insurance add” that shows a young skateboarder setting up a skate ramp proudly giving the thumbs up as he tests the rig by swaying the structure with his foot.
I heard some action down in the paddock coming from the area in front of the round yard. I figured that it may have been Ryan the local vet setting up his new rig, so I poured myself a strong coffee to support my anxiety and headed down to investigate.
I rounded the corner of the horse shed and saw Lou and Ryan preparing the horses for the event. Further over, there appeared a structure which looked like a galvanised steel crush. This crush was not there the last time that I looked. It was attached to the back of a trailer parked in the next paddock.
Wow! This exceeded my expectations, so I asked for permission to take photos which I now share with you below:
Witnessing this procedure I can vouch for the treatment that was executed with full control, safe, and professionally accompanied with informative tuition and recommendations toward future care. He also gave a complimentary sheath clean for geldings. Ryan followed up with paperwork that showed his treatment on a chart. He supported his treatment with an email that contained attached photos before and after of the inside the horses mouth. As he packed up the rig he showed me some of the other things that the rig had facilities for such as ultrasound for preg tests and x ray needs.
Overall a very satisfying experience.
Nice writeup !
I have to say though, that shot of the cordless drill in the horse’s mouth looks a little ‘dangerous’
Naah… Standard equipment these days apparently!…. it has a right-angle diamond head specifically designed for such jobs.