Making this project, I’ve been focusing mainly on the underlying causes of the horse patients’ unwanted behaviour, using low-stress and low-restraint techniques, and adding positive reinforcement, highlighting the benefits of having cooperative horses.
In this article, I’d like to look at the importance of having a cooperative horse patient from a little bit different perspective: What are the practical consequences the horse patient’s non-cooperativeness can have?
When a vet arrives at the stables, when a horse is taken to a veterinary clinic, when routine procedures such as vaccination or deworming are about to be performed – these are the situations which cause fear and anxiety in many horses.
This fear or anxiety demonstrates in different ways. Some horses try to escape or avoid treatment, they would not stand still, they can become very difficult to catch, and sometimes they don’t even allow a human to come close.
Other horses may display aggressive behaviour such as kicking or biting.
Fear a horse feels in association with veterinary procedures or with a certain vet, and the unwanted behaviour the horse perform may result in one or more of the following complications:
As you can see, having a horse who doesn’t like vets can seriously affect his health and well-being as well as the cost of veterinary care.