Welcome to our blog, where we share inspiring stories of our clients' challenges and victories with their horses. Today, we would like to tell you about Ivar VDL, an 11-year-old KWPN gelding whose path to success in the Big Round was long and filled with obstacles.
Ivar, bred at the renowned Dutch VDL Stud and a son of the outstanding stallion Tinka’s Boy, joined his owner Amelia 7 years ago as a four-year-old stallion. Since then, they have traveled a path full of ups and downs, teaching each other and developing an extraordinary bond.
One of the biggest challenges they faced was the diagnosis of RAO (Recurrent Airway Obstruction), which was made for Ivar in December 2022.
STORY:
Ivar VDL is an 11-year-old KWPN gelding from the VDL Stud in the Netherlands, his father is the outstanding stallion Tinka’s Boy. Ivar came to me 7 years ago as a four-year-old stallion, and our entire journey was very long and winding, but together we managed to reach the level of the Big Round competitions.
PROBLEM:
RAO was diagnosed with us in December 2022, and since then we had the first clear signs of the disease in August 2023, when an allergy to alfalfa appeared. After completely eliminating it from his diet for about a month, everything was fine, but from mid-September to the end of October we had to pause training because RAO really took its toll, unfortunately, we also had to use an intramuscular steroid.
PREVENTION:
As a preventive measure, we have incorporated herbs and respiratory supplements into the diet, and the horse spends 12 hours in the pasture and the rest of the day in an English box stall with sawdust. The entire winter went without the slightest problems, but I feared the spring and the first higher temperatures the most.
EFFECTS OF USING HEMPQUALIZER+:
Hempqualizer+ came to the rescue, preventing a relapse of the disease during the transition period. We are almost in mid-April and the daily temperatures are around 13-18 degrees and there is no difference compared to his winter condition. On the first hot day (nearly 30 degrees!) there was a significant deterioration, but I gave an increased dose of the preparation and the next day his condition was surprisingly perfect.
Unfortunately, RAO is an incurable disease, we can only stop or slow down the process of its development and support the body in worse moments, and Hempqualizer+ works excellently in this role. Moreover, as far as I can remember, Ivar had creaking joints in his hind legs, of course after consulting veterinarians, that is his "charm". He received various supplements, some brought minimal improvements (quieter creaking or less frequency), and Hempqualizer+ paste brought both these effects. Another issue is the stomach inflammation he had about 2 months ago. After completing the treatment with veterinary pastes, I ended the treatment and as a precaution, Ivar also received Hempqualizer+. We have no symptoms or relapses of inflammation, so Hempqualizer has helped protect the stomach from unwanted complications in addition to the dietary change.
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