Customer Reviews

Hands-On Senior Horse Care: The Complete Book of Senior Equine Management and First Aid

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book, although not as specific and technical as many other books dealing with horse care, is a great reference for a teenage horse owner. Its language it simple to understand and gives reasons why certain changes occur and what to look out for. Adults would probably get frustrated at its simplicity but for a 12-18 year old this book offers a means to understand an aging horse and what to look out for in case a veterinarian needs to be called. Afterall, most young teenagers are spending lots of hours with their horses --maybe even moreso than working adults -- both monitoring general care and riding. This book provides an exceptional resource for this age group (nevermind being a good resource for a completely clueless adult parent!).

Since I bought this book, I've had three crises with my senior horse. And in each case, this book was useless. It didn't cover what to do when my horse came down with the neurological form of equine herpesvirus! For colic, it didn't mention Banamine. Banamine is no where in this book. For ulcers, it had minimal solutions.

Their formula for measuring a horse to determine its weight is for the metric system, not the English system we use. But they use inches, not meters.

Another ridiculous section -- they suggest using "cold-pressed" oils to add to your horse's feed. I checked into this -- these oils are EXPENSIVE!!!!

I thought this book would be wonderful. It's not. Save your money. The Internet has more useful and free sites.

This book features flow charts that help guide you through decision making processes when dealing with an older horse. Yes, many of the choices turn out to be call a vet. Maybe that's because most people won't look at a book until there is a medical problem in the first place.If you own a horse, then you are going to have to deal with having a veterinarian from time to time. And, think about this for a minute. If these people gave advice that said, oh don't call a vet, just do this or that, then how many lawsuits do you think they would face from owners of dead horses? This book helps you eliminate factors when deciding if you can take care of them at home, or call in a professional.
There's also a section covering how your horse ages and changes that take place. That's a nice section to have. You may notice the changes over the years, but having this book will make you look at your older horse with a new perspective. I think every barn who has a senior horse should have a copy of this book.

When we decided to add horses to our family, experienced horse people highly recommended purchasing older, experienced horses. So that is exactly what we did. This book has proven to be highly valuable to us. As stated in a previous review, it does say to call your vet at many of the symptoms. However, that is NOT a bad thing. The easy to follow charts included in each section clearly state if its something you can handle on your own, or if you need the help of a vet. It also tells you WHY you need the vet. It doesn't just state "Call your vet".

The chapters are easy to read and understand. The book covers both health and care for the older horse. I'm sure a lot of the care items would apply to younger horses also, but the book covers the specific needs of the older horse.

An experienced horse person would probably find this book to be a bore. However, it is ideal for the new horse owner, young or old. I highly recommend this book.

This is a ridiculous book, it does not offer any useful advice, it simply leads the reader through a series of questions that always result in a recommendation to call your vet.

No wonder as the author and one of the editors is a vet.

Do not buy!!!(..)

Hands-On Senior Horse Care: The Complete Book of Senior Equine Management and First Aid
For all coaches, horse managers and horse owners of senior horses. Especially those still used in riding programes. Great book highly recommended to all riding schools, RDA's etc.