Chipper's Story
Chipper has been with me for going on 7 years now! It’s hard to believe it’s been that long! He’s had his quirks from the very start, from ulcers to injuries he keeps me on my toes (and at the vets)
Chipper is that very special type of horse, there are a lot of people out there who have told me to “get rid of him” or to put him down because of his number of quirks, however, I am a huge softie and can’t imagine my life without this horse in it…even if he does make me rip my hair out!
One of his biggest challenges is a seasonal issue we come across! Every summer he develops scabs all over his back legs, and at a certain point his legs will swell up! Huge! Sometimes almost 3x the size they should be!
Two years in a row the vets thought it was a weird case of summer greasy heel as the timing happened right after a summer rain, but on year 3 of it being bad enough for a vet trip, a brilliant vet reached out to a leading equine dermatologist and we finally had an answer! Solar dermatitis! It is still a fairly unknown phenomenon in horses, often confused with photo-sensitisation.
More or less my horse is allergic to the sun.
Thus began the diet, cream and fly boot saga! I must have purchased this horse every pair of fly boots and tried every cream and feed change available in this country! I have every style one could desire! Nothing worked! They all either didn’t cover enough skin, or they irritated his legs too much causing his cellulitis to flare up and his legs to double in size.
Chipper is that very special type of horse, there are a lot of people out there who have told me to “get rid of him” or to put him down because of his number of quirks, however, I am a huge softie and can’t imagine my life without this horse in it…even if he does make me rip my hair out!
One of his biggest challenges is a seasonal issue we come across! Every summer he develops scabs all over his back legs, and at a certain point his legs will swell up! Huge! Sometimes almost 3x the size they should be!
Two years in a row the vets thought it was a weird case of summer greasy heel as the timing happened right after a summer rain, but on year 3 of it being bad enough for a vet trip, a brilliant vet reached out to a leading equine dermatologist and we finally had an answer! Solar dermatitis! It is still a fairly unknown phenomenon in horses, often confused with photo-sensitisation.
More or less my horse is allergic to the sun.
Thus began the diet, cream and fly boot saga! I must have purchased this horse every pair of fly boots and tried every cream and feed change available in this country! I have every style one could desire! Nothing worked! They all either didn’t cover enough skin, or they irritated his legs too much causing his cellulitis to flare up and his legs to double in size.
It’s been an ongoing headache and a half!
Then a coworker of mine told me about Canterpants!
So I reached out, and explained my situation to Yvette as I was interested in what the sizing is like for this 18hh boy with skinny legs!
Yvette and I talked for a while sharing stories and measurements before I placed my order! I couldn’t have asked for better help navigating this decision and how to go about getting my special boy the right size pants! And he loves them!
Usually he spends his summer days hiding from the sun under the trees, it’s been wonderful to see him grazing out in the sun without his legs getting too sore from the UV rays!
This has been a total game changer in our lives as it allows me to be able to leave something on his legs for more than half a day without worrying about his legs swelling up from being touched or boots falling down or twisting around on his already very sensitive legs!
I'm so excited to be able to finally say I’ve found the right match for my horses extremely ridiculous legs!
I’m so grateful to Yvette, who truly has the welfare and comfort of horses at the forefront of this business, and I’m very happy to be able to say I’m on the list of people she’s helped!
Then a coworker of mine told me about Canterpants!
So I reached out, and explained my situation to Yvette as I was interested in what the sizing is like for this 18hh boy with skinny legs!
Yvette and I talked for a while sharing stories and measurements before I placed my order! I couldn’t have asked for better help navigating this decision and how to go about getting my special boy the right size pants! And he loves them!
Usually he spends his summer days hiding from the sun under the trees, it’s been wonderful to see him grazing out in the sun without his legs getting too sore from the UV rays!
This has been a total game changer in our lives as it allows me to be able to leave something on his legs for more than half a day without worrying about his legs swelling up from being touched or boots falling down or twisting around on his already very sensitive legs!
I'm so excited to be able to finally say I’ve found the right match for my horses extremely ridiculous legs!
I’m so grateful to Yvette, who truly has the welfare and comfort of horses at the forefront of this business, and I’m very happy to be able to say I’m on the list of people she’s helped!
Submitted by Teagan J