If you have dealt with a horse struggling with pain or behavioral issues, the thought of using sedation for basic husbandry tasks has probably crossed your mind. In the hoofcare world, I personally have seen countless discussions about sedation on farrier groups and even general horsecare groups. It does seem like the use of sedation can bring up some pretty strong feelings from some people – whether some believe it’s a way to bypass good training, or some believe that it’s necessary any time we need to make important changes on an uncomfortable horse.
I reached out to Dr. Jeff Hall, a managing veterinarian with Zoetis Equine Technical Services Team, about the use of sedation and hoofcare and what that can look like practically. He dives into what happens to a horse under sedation, considerations for special cases like metabolic horses, if horses can “learn” under sedation, and more.
You can hear the entire conversation on any podcast app under “The Humble Hoof,” or directly at this link.
