3 questions: Coggins, Wash after ride in winter, and Saddle Padding

When getting your horse coggins, what all does it intel. I remember someone saying that they draw blood and its 25 bucks. Ok so depending on the results of the bloodwork what are the other possibilities, costs? Are there any vaccinations possibly needed and can you administer yourself? I have always vaccinated my dogs and pups.

2nd question, riding in winter , white and black paint horse, he definitely gets some markings from the saddlepad/saddle. Its 43 degrees tonite in SC after finish riding. I brushed him down but those marks are still there ofcourse. Is the only alternative in this kind of weather to have some sort of spray on cleaner that you spray on then brush into the hair and sort of spot clean? I thought about warm water and soap but im guessing him being damp could possibly cause him to maybe catch a cold.

3rd question, I bought a saddle a few months ago and I'm beggining to think it used to have wayyy more padding and maybe she sold because of the padding is gone pretty much. When I press down in the area in which you sit, should I feel nothing but pad even when pressing firmly if the padding is indeed good? And is there a fix to get padding added?

Coggins testing is to check for Equine Infectious Anemia. It is literally drawing blood and testing that blood; my vet sends it out, others can do it themselves (or so I'm told). I don't think this is a test you can do by your lonesome. If you transport your horse(s), board them, show them, or take them to camps where other riders are with their horses, a coggins is required to make sure that no one else's horses get EIA. Without it, you can be fined; if you transport your horse across state lines without it, it's my understanding the police can impound your horse, trailer, even the car hauling it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EIA article linked above Equine Infectious Anemia is a viral disease for which there is no vaccine and no cure. Though most horses succumb rapidly to EIA a percentage of infected horses appear to recover. However they still harbor the virus and during times of stress may become ill again. It is because of these healthy appearing carriers that we test horses. It insures that we do not put their pasture mates at risk.

As for "2," do you mean stains or impressions of the saddle/pad in his winter coat? As far as I know there's no fix for this. Friends and I ride in the winter and we thoroughly groom the horses before, and after, we ride. The "post ride groom" helps eliminate any leftover dust and get the winter fuzzies back in order. But we always see a soft impression in the hair where the girth was right behind their elbow.

3. I'm not sure if you can "add" padding to Western saddles (that one is beautiful, by the way). If you go to a professional they may be able to add some. A woman who boards where I work recently had a pound of fleece added to her dressage saddle by a professional. Otherwise, you can buy pads that you put on the saddle itself; like this. At the livery where I work we use these on harder saddles -- with 24 head and nearly 30-35 saddles, paying to have each one re-padded regularly is usually out of the question. And if you're not going to high-stakes shows, a cover pad would suffice.

Maybe if you find a local saddle repair man/maker, they could add some padding if the saddle is uncomfortable for you to ride in?

by my horse having white in him, yes I can see the spot where the pad sat all around as far as the white parts of that area, with sweat and dirt, it definitely leaves that mark

My best advice for that would be to simply groom it off.

Soak it up with a cooler or towels.. then curry and curry. Maybe use some cowboy magic spray or laser sheen (my favourite) and do your best. I would not use water of any kind during winter. The risks of getting sick are too heavy for just trying to keep a horse clean.

As for coggins, all they did was draw some blood and test it in a lab. The reason it costs a little more is because the use of a lab. For vaccines, I know I ask my vet to do them simply because I have no experience and rather not mess with it.. but I know others who buy in bulk or buy from a vet supply and do it themselves. But I don't see how that's really relevant to a coggins test :)

Third.. I'm sure it can be fixed in a professional saddle repair facility. I just haven't heard of a western saddle being re-padded.. english ones yes. So you'll have to let us know how that goes :)

Also, as far as the shots go -- I have my vet do all of mine because there are official shot records. These are a requirement if you board. Boarders around here like seeing reliable records, not the owner saying "I done did it myself."

I know folks who have 70+ horses and still have the vet out for the shots, because they show their stock and also sell from the farm. So a hard copy of the shot records is a must. If you don't show or board, I would say doing it yourself is fine... But if you can foresee having to sell the horse(s), move them, or show them; I'd say get those records.

My coggins -- vet travel, material, etc. -- cost me $70. Spring shots usually cost about $20/head.

I personally don't like to leave sweat marks even in winter. I use a sponge with warm water and wipe them off. I then towel dry.

I guess I should ask, what all shots are horses required to have? I know with dogs, you vaccinate them at about 5-6 wks then do a series until about 12 wks then once a yr thereafter.

Horse vaccinations are done throughout the year and the best person to ask is your vet. My vet is out at least four (or is it three) times a year to do worming, give the boosters and annual coggins as the horses on property come due.

Here is a list of the vaccines:

http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-ex...ion-chart.aspx