There are very few illnesses worse than eye injuries or infections in your horse. In fact, it is amazing how some many horses become wild giraffes because of that injury - or more likely, the resulting treatment that is desperately needed.

At the Equestrian Spirit School of Holistic Horsemanship, we recently had one of our own horses, Billy, experiencing the unfortunate incidence of an eye injury/infection. In fact, it is still going, though it is getting better.

And it got me thinking how lucky we have been in managing this.

Lucky the team had spent time understanding not only cue training but understanding horses body language;
Lucky the team knew how to ask for, invite and exude confidence and relaxation;
Lucky that we have invested in the horses to build their trust in us.

Because this situation could have been a lot, lot worse!

Have you ever had a cat that has become difficult to tablet? This is the situation that you could end up in with your horse - the big difference being, your horse is more likely to trample you getting away, where as your cat is only likely to leave you bleeding (while plotting your demise later). So many horses learn through the process of medication how to get out of being handled when in pain, how to scare people into not doing what needs to be done, and that these incidences equal greater stress, pain and worry, simply because we haven’t used our skills to support them through the process - both the learning to be treated, and the emotional stress of being injured.

The emotional trauma of these injuries, even once healed, can be long lasting for both you and your horse. Taking steps to reduce that stress on you both is critically important to not only your everyday handling, but your connection as well.

With Billy, because we had put so much into our handling foundations already, giving him the tools to learn, develop, relax and trust us, that is one of the huge reasons we are in the positive position we are today.

So here are our top tips for handling the process of medicating your horse without impacting your relationship, handling capabilities or security.

1. START THE HANDLING PROCESS BEFORE YOU NEED TO!

Ok, I know that some of you are probably cursing that this is tip #1, but it is true. If possible (and I know some of you are probably reading this right now because your horse has a situation right this second, but don’t gloss over this, as you may have some of the groundwork already underway), start having your horse accept you touching their face and examining their eye.

It’s scary for them to be in this vulnerable position! And it could be painful for them to boot!!!

To be able to successfully medicate your horses eye without needing a step-ladder, pulley-winch system and 50 people holding them (and to also avoid accidentally poking them in the eye), your horse needs to be able to trust that you will look after them while handling them in this vulnerable and potentially painful situation.

And this is more than just teaching them to stand still in cross ties or while being handled. You horse needs to be able to relax, and emotionally self-regulate. They need to be able to know how to learn - a crucial element that is missing in so many horses education and the reasoning for the development of the Holistic Horse Handling Methodology - so that they can understand their expectations and not just react to you.

And just as importantly, you need to be able to recognise what your horse is telling you. Your horse CAN tell you “no” - that is exactly what they are saying when they become those ellusive giraffes - but you need to be able to determine why the “no” and how to support your horse through it even when we have no other choice but to proceed.

2. Don't muck around with eyes****

Day 1 of clouding we organised the vet to come out straight away. I don't mess around with eyes and give it a couple of days to see how it will go, because eye's turn bad quick!!

If you see something wrong with an eye, get your vet out ASAP. Don’t wait to see if it get’s better, and DEFINITELY DO NOT MEDICATE without veterinary direction - both of these could result in a worse issue and longer treatment. Sarah will tell you from her years as a vet nurse, she has seen too many eyes that could have been treated much more successfully or simpler if they had been seen only 1 day earlier.

Without fail, if you ask our opinion on an eye situation, the first thing we will say is “GET YOUR VET!” We will provide support for you with the handling after that, though :)

3. leave your stress at the gate

A huge number of eye issues are uncomfortable if not painful, and this will already be creating stress for your horse. No matter how worried you are, how vague the diagnosis is, how difficult your horse is being - you need to be the stoic leader right this minute.

That means you will have to suck it up, leave your stress behind, do what you need to do (with an open heart, so your horse doesn’t feel like a machine) - I promise you, you can have a good cry when you get back in the car.

Bonus tip: investigate some breathing techniques to allow you to release tension. If you use these in the right way with your horse, you can actually cue train your horse to begin to relax JUST BY BREATHING!!

4. Take a photo of the eye when it is healthy

Billy’s eye 6 days after we started initial treatment- where it had changed from just a small cloudy spot to covering half the eye.

It might sound strange, but it is one of the best tips I can give you from this situation. Don’t wait until you think something is odd - get it on record now so you can compare healthy to “is this normal???”

It also helps you if you need to debate with your vet about treatment! The initial vet that treated Billy said it was an old eye injury we hadn't noticed before. My trusted stable hand basically had to “throw down” with the vet for her to stain it and prescribe antibiotic eye drops. So grateful she did, because its good to know what doesn't work when vets are treating an unknown condition!

We had Billy 5 days of antibiotic eye treatment with no significant changes however on day 6 in the morning it was the same and in the afternoon it covered half his eye.

Billy’s eye after 7 days (day 13) of intensive treatment from the team.

5. Let your vet know you will do whatever to give it the best chance of improving

Initially, the second treating vet said 3 times daily treatment.

But after seeing how upset I was she advised best outcome would be treatment every 2 hours. Thankfully my team covered the day shift while I did the night shift and could get some sleep in the morning. I honestly think we wouldn't be in the position we are in today if we had done it any different.

Determine what you can do, and find out where you can get some extra support - you have no idea how many people are willing to support you! Which leads me to our final tip…

6. Know you have a support team

There are likely to be a number of equestrian people or family members in your life that you can look to for support. That doesn’t necessarily mean they step in to medicate, but can be there to lend a float and truck, hold your hand at the specialist, take photos, do phone rounds, take up some chores or even lend an ear to help sort through your overwhelmed thoughts and make a plan. Or heck, just to divulge in something “wicked” like wine, icecream and ‘bad taste’ music to sooth your nerves! (PS you music taste is never bad).

And if you feel like you don’t quite have that support network, we are always open and willing to support you inside our Stronger Bond Community on Facebook - a safe place to seek answers, ask feedback, or simply ask for moral support.

—- Update on Billy

We took Billy to the eye specialist last Wednesday, who was shocked at how well Billy's eye had improved from the initial photos at day 6 to only 1 week later. We have been able to successfully reduce his dosing frequency and, fingers crossed, we can stop treatment next week! Meanwhile, Billy is walking himself (at liberty) up to the stables for the treatment, presenting his eye, and still wanting cuddles for being a good boy (which he 100% deserves). There is a beautiful connection built on trust and willingness between Billy and our entire team at Equestrain Spirit.

To think we were going to be here today is incredible and I am one super happy lady for it. Two weeks ago we thought Billy would lose his eye, last Monday I thought I would be treating his eye every 4 hours for the next 2 months - so to get to this point so quickly seems nothing short of a miracle.

We still have some way to go, but for now, we are moving in a positive direction. We will keep you guys posted inside the Facebook group as we move forward.

Now just for some fun, here are some quick shots of Billy at the specialist, after being dosed with a little sedative…

Eye trauma and the associated emotional trauma that goes with it...