When top showjumping stallion Winningmood (Winny) suddenly suffered an outbreak of hives all over his body, his rider Luciana Diniz was stumped.
The Portugese showjumper had no idea what could have caused the allergic reaction that her grand prix horse was suffering from, or how to treat it.
So in a bid to conquer the mystery she turned to social media and was overwhelmed by the huge response from Winny’s fans.
“Winny is currently suffering from an unknown allergic reaction of some sort — he wants to get back jumping but can’t because of this. We have tried everything, from allergy tests, a vinegar bath, changing his food and hay, yet nothing seems to work.
“We need all of your help to find a solution to this problem so Winny can go back to doing what he loves — showjumping,” Luciana posted on her Facebook page on 31 May.
Last year, the son of Darco helped Luciana become the 2015 champion of the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) after their grands prix triumphs in Madrid and Vienna.
The stallion made a comeback to the sport at the LGCT in Vienna in 2014 after eight months out through injury and went on to be placed in every grand prix he competed in under Luciana.
Following the rider’s post on social media, which was shared 500 times, almost 300 fans replied with tips and advice for Luciana.
The German-based showjumper expressed her gratitude for the overwhelming response.
“Thank you for some many nice ideas. Tomorrow we have a conference call with the vets to decide what to do and I will tell them many of your ideas,” she said.
Fortunately, Winny now looks to be on the road to recovery.
“Winny had a promising day today and his spots are getting smaller. We have him on homeopathic medication and he is consistently taking vinegar baths. He also got a detox infusion,” Luciana updated a few days later on 2 June.
