Please help my pony!!!?

Question

my pony is 14.2 hands and he is a palamino. just getting that out there. well the other day i was going on a ride and we started to trot and as soon as we got maybe 10 steps into it he started coughing. so i stopped. he coughed about 7 times and then he was okay. then we trotted some more and he was fine. then we picked up a canter and he started coughing again. this was a few weeks ago. and i still dont know what it is... everytime i give him exercise then he coughs. what should i do????? is there anything i can do before calling a vet?? i gave him alot of water and he is not dehydrated. even though he does not like to drink. i am giving him water through a sirringe. just wetting his mouth so that he will drink. is there anything else that i can do????? please help!!!

thankyou in advance!

Answer 1

This is fairly common. A good percentage of the horses that are at the ranch I work at have a few coughs when warming up. It's not as if I live in a dry climate, it's GUAM! Just stop, let them clear, and then go forward. Sometimes wetting their grain a little may help, but overall no big concern.

Answer 2

Is the pony kept stalled?  If so, increased turn out may help, or soaking his hay before feeding.  But if he only does the coughing when you're warming up, and doesn't continue through your riding, it's probably not a huge issue.

Answer 3

Alot of horses cough when exercised. My horse coughs between 0-4 times while warming up then he si fine. Is it dry there? Maybe it is dust. If it is really bothering youget the vet to come out he would tell you if it is serious or not.

Like the saying "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink" lol my horse is the same way. if you can mark his water bucket with a marker were you fill it up, and when you check on him see how much he has been drinking. If he is acting fine I am sure there is no worries.

It could DEFFINETLY be allergies too. Horses get them ^^ is the hay bad? You can also pech his skin lightly and if it quickly falls he isn't dehidrated/doesn't need water. I don;t think it is anything to worry about...again though if you are tuely owrried get the vet he will tell you wether or not t is bad.Also, mark his bucket to make sure he drinks.

Good Luck :0)

Answer 4

this is a good thing! hes clearing out his airways for exersize.every horse SHOULD do this.

Answer 5

Sounds like heaves (more formally known as COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).  This is like emphysema for horses.

Many horses get it, unfortunately.  Usually it's a reaction to the mold in dusty hay or allergies.  If he's just coughing a few times when you start to trot and start to exercise, it's not bad.  Just warm up careully.

24/7 turnout is usually the best treatment.  Dehydration is not a cause or solution.  THe vet can put him on antihistamines or human breathing medications like Albuterol if he's bad.

They can live happily and perform well for years and years with this.  I had an OTTB with horrendous heaves...  we stopped going to one particular barn for lessons and suddenly he improved tremendously!  We were completely amazed, as was the vet, but evidently they had a mold problem in the arena we (and they) were unaware of.

It is usually chronic, and progressive, so keep an eye on it.

Good luck with him.

Answer 6

He's just getting ready to workout. It's fine, totally normal. I've ridden lesson horses that do that at every gait before they warm up, and other horses don't, so it really depends on the horse. I wouldn't call the vet unless he's doing it a lot after just standing around and doesn't really have a reason (except being sick possibly) to do it, which doesn't sound like your case.

Answer 7

Check his hay, it may be full of weeds or mold, sometimes foxtails get in hay and cause coughs and get in gums causing trouble in the mouth too. Mold can cause pneumonia. When you pop open the bale-- if theree is a great deal of powder poofing up, its mildewed old mold.

Answer 8

i was first thing maybe just dust. but if he is still coughing i would call the vet. and if he dont like to drinkl water i would get a salt block . but again i would still call the vet.