Treatment of animals is much the same as that of humans, she insists. Dogs are most satisfying animals to treat because you can form the kind of relationship with a dog that you never can with a human. Although horses are not directly affected by the disease, owners have not been able to exercise their animals properly because bridleways have been closed. As a reminder that the crisis is far from over, disinfectant-soaked straw remains strewn across the entrance to the stables. We will probably see a whole range of different problems when the horses are entered in competitions or taken hacking because they are not fit enough.
Horses are stoical animals.
They can't say 'get off my back' but, when they start to misbehave, you know you have a problem. They are the most sensitive animals to treat and it's not about strength. It's about where you put your hands and how you use them. That's why it is so rewarding and so emotionally draining as well. Top of page Patricia's tips on making the garden a better picture Marcella Arnow, chairman of Winchester Horticultural Society, opened the April meeting with sad news of the loss of gardener, cathedral flower arranger and member, Maureen Churchhill.