Flank Cinch
Can horses get big lumps under their belly from stress?
My horse has a lump under his belly. It's a little firm, not painful. It's located between where the cinch and the flank cinch would be. I recently moved both my horses to a friends house, and since it's a new place, they're kinda horse sour towards each other. Well every time we take the other horse away, he winnies and paces and runs around. This is an everyday thing btw. So is it from stress?
No, stress will not cause a belly lump to form. A blunt force injury to that spot may cause a hematoma to form, which is a bruise that localizes and is walled off so the bleeding collects in a pocket. Some infections form abscesses in that location, and as another post mentions, pigeon fever is one of them. It may also be a localized reaction to a an insect bite or sting, with fluid accumulation. If it feels like water is inside, this would be more likely. If it feels like pudding, a hematoma or abscess is more likely. If it feels firm, it may be under deeper tissue, or fibrous thickening or abscess may be present, or there may be a herniation through the abdominal wall.
So, if it feels like anything more than watery fluid, or anything that won't indent when you apply digital pressure or you feel any heat in it, it should probably be evaluated by a vet. I'm not sure what you mean by "a little firm". If you use a finger to indent it, does it depress easily and refill immediately?
Or is is hard to indent? Or does it indent but feel doughy or like pudding? I would check his chest area for any lumps, since pigeon fever often starts with abscesses in that location. Actually, I'd go over his whole body to see if you find any more lumps. It wouldn't hurt to call your vet for an opinion regardless of what you find, but by investigating a little more before you call, you can help the vet to decide if the horse should be examined.
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Do These 8 Tests Before You Buy The Horse
Buying a horse is actually the simple procedure of exchanging dollars and cents for an animal of your choice. But buying an animal suited to your abilities is a difficult task. Before looking for a horse decide what use and purpose the horse will serve, for pleasure, for breeding, or for showing. Each of these is in a different category and requires a different kind of animal. However, you may be fortunate enough to find a combination of all three attributes.
Consider these tests before you buy a horse:
1. Look at him from a distance and examine his build as a whole. This is called conformation, and each breed of horse has certain characteristics that identify him by form. The animal should carry his head well and be neatly put together.
2. Check for soundness. Run your hands up and down his legs. Look for an unexplained lump or sign of soreness.
3. Test his vision. A horse should blink when you wave your hand in back of his eye.
4. See whether or not he leads in or out of the stable easily.
5. Watch saddling and bridling. See if he is uneasy when cinched. Some horses are afraid of a girth, caused by too tight a cinch. Notice whether or not he is bridle shy, touchy about the ears; whether he opens his mouth to receive the bit.
6. Have the owner ride the animal so you can see how he handles. Watch whether he stops easily, reins well, backs, and has an easy gait. Have the owner work the horse to a gallop. Try to determine if he is speed crazy. The owner should guarantee the safety of the animal as to training. Also, note whether or not there is excessive breathing, noise with the breathing, and flanks that heave spasmodically.
7. Most important! Ride the horse yourself. Is he smooth in the walk, trot, and canter? Does he shy? Is he spooky? Can you start and stop him? Is he too spirited for you to handle? Does he switch his tail constantly? Can you ride him away from the stable? A tail-switcher means that the animal has been pushed too fast in training and indicates nervousness. Usually a horse that has been trained by a woman will not like a man rider, or will be uneasy with a man on his back. Sometimes this works in the reverse. Many times it is because of the handling of the reins. A man is normally heavier handed than a woman. However, this depends on the horse and the rider in the main, but it is something to consider in buying a horse that has been privately owned by one person for some time.
8. Don't buy a stallion. He may look good in the movies but is not practicable in real life. He is likely to be unpredictable and should be managed only by an expert horseman. He belongs, mainly, on the breeding farm. You'll find just as much spirit and animation in a good mare or gelding and far less trouble.
No horse is perfect, but whatever faults are present you must decide whether or not they may be eliminated with some training. Many times all a horse needs is work. Horses also respond to owners. They have their likes and dislikes. Personalities clash just as between people. Whole personalities have changed with ownership.
Be sure the animal is suited to your own capabilities. And, once again, don't buy the first horse you see. Somewhere there is a horse suited to you. Two things are important: the age of the rider and of the horse, and the experience or lack of it in both rider and animal.
One must equal the other, rider and animal, because no matter how well trained the horse, if the rider does not understand this training, then the horse will not work well. And a good horse can soon be ruined by a poor rider.
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