First, thanks for all your love and congratulations on our exciting news! Kenny went and bought me a brand new beautiful SUV last weekend so I guess we are well and truly on our way to being in family mode! ;)
Lucy had her first ride on Monday, with Maddy in the saddle. It was fairly chilly, and we had to walk through to the indoor in the pitch black. I am already missing the long summer days! Lucy plodded quietly along the path to the indoor and then lunged without any fuss. The vet wanted her to warm up on a lunge line for at least the first week or so before a rider got on. I don't think I will limit the lunging to just the first week; it is a good way to get her mind in the game, and after a few months of just lunging, she probably equates that to work more than anything else at this point.
After she had gone in both directions at the walk and trot, Maddy got on. Lucy just stood there, half asleep. Maddy started off letting her go in whatever direction she wanted to, as long as she was walking forward. Lucy went to her favourite corner of the ring, where she likes to roll, and I warned Maddy about that once I saw Lu sniffing the ground a bit. I don't think we needed to deal with a rolling incident, especially with her big bulky Western saddle on!
Lucy looked very calm to me, almost weirdly so. But I am happy that she wasn't a freak about going back to work. I didn't expect that out of her but I guess you never know, after the horse hasn't been ridden for six months. The goal for the ride was simply to meander around, long and low, and keep things very very simple. Maddy and Lucy just walked, and only for about ten minutes. Lucy looked a teenie bit short on her right hind leg but did not look distressed at all. I suspect this is a weakness issue, possibly a stifle issue from standing around so much. It didn't get any worse during the ride; in fact she seemed better on it at the end, so I am not worried about that. We called it a night, Maddy hopped off and loosened the cinch, and Lucy got lots of pats and kisses.
Once back at the barn, I put Sore no More on her back and gave her a Stud Muffin. She loves Stud Muffins ;)
Yesterday, Kenny got on her for me and we pretty much had a repeat of Monday's ride. I lunged her first and let her canter once warmed up, too. Her canter looked the best it has to date; absolutely no hesitation behind or swapping off in either direction. Kenny did decide to try a little trot with her but it got tense quickly. Lucy wasn't bad at all, no theatrics or nonsense, but it just was not what I really wanted to see at the trot. The vet stressed that it's very important she remain loose through her topline and keep her head low, and this was not that kind of trot. Kenny gets a bit worried sometimes and tends to pull on Lucy instead of half-halt and release, which quickly becomes a tug-of-war match between him and Lu...not good. I encouraged him to just keep it at the walk for now and we would work up to the trot eventually. He hasn't ridden since last fall, I believe, so I appreciated him being willing to get on her at all.
The good news is that the right hind leg looked almost perfect during Kenny's ride.
I also started casually looking for someone to start riding Lucy a few times a week and help get her going again. It's nervewracking to be opening myself up to a new rider, especially with Lucy coming back from a long break/injury, but I can't expect Maddy to do everything for me ;) she's only got so many hours in a day and she is very busy with work and her own horse, who's doing fabulously under saddle.
Today the weather is making me nervous. We went from high 50's, misty, overcast, etc, to high 80's with oppressive humidity and lots of sun. Lucy has the majority of her winter coat already so I am worried she is going to be hot today, and I'll probably soak her dinner extra well tonight. Horses are an endless source of worries.
I am off to the barn now for her farrier appointment and then she has an acupuncture appointment, too. Tough life!
Showing posts with label lame. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lame. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
hi, friends!
Life with Lulu has been trucking along. She had a few days on the lunge line where she seemed not quite as fluid as she had before. Not sure if it was actually related to the work she had been doing, or if she had tweaked something in the paddock, or if I was just plain seeing things that didn't exist! She wasn't even lame, but just didn't look perfect. She got about two weeks off to chill out, just to be safe. During that time, she needed new shoes (and was re-shod), promptly lost a front shoe, and we had to wait almost a week for it to get tacked back on.
After calling the vet's office and hearing that they didn't even want to look at her until October, my vet finally emailed me back a few days ago:
Hi Kate,
How are things going, I know the last time we talked we were suggesting building back muscle with something like a Pessoa? How is that going?
Let me know and we can perhaps talk about ridden exercise too.
-J
As you can imagine, the horse went back on the lunge line asap!!! Yesterday was the first day back and she started out looking pretty stiff and choppy but towards the end, positively floated around. It was beautiful to watch!
Lu has been transforming back to her lovely dapply self, which means one thing and one thing only: WINTER IS COMING. She's growing in her winter coat, shedding out the sunbleached summer coat, and looking quite unique:
After calling the vet's office and hearing that they didn't even want to look at her until October, my vet finally emailed me back a few days ago:
Hi Kate,
How are things going, I know the last time we talked we were suggesting building back muscle with something like a Pessoa? How is that going?
Let me know and we can perhaps talk about ridden exercise too.
-J
As you can imagine, the horse went back on the lunge line asap!!! Yesterday was the first day back and she started out looking pretty stiff and choppy but towards the end, positively floated around. It was beautiful to watch!
Lu has been transforming back to her lovely dapply self, which means one thing and one thing only: WINTER IS COMING. She's growing in her winter coat, shedding out the sunbleached summer coat, and looking quite unique:
Friday, August 16, 2013
outbreak
Having a broken horse is really starting to wear on me. The fall weather is beginning to peek through the heat and humidity, and all I want to do is put Lucy back to work. We had the best rides in the early fall and it kills me that she is just standing around doing nothing. Everyone at the barn has been out on the trails and having fun and I just feel sad about the whole thing. I am not sad that they're having fun, of course, but I am sad I can't be out there too!
I actually did get to go on a trail ride last week, on one of the other horses at the barn. I had a great time but wished that I were on Lucy :)
I called the vet's office yesterday to ask about another ultrasound appt to check the healing progress in her back. The receptionist looked at the notes from the July 1 visit and said I'd probably be wasting my time and money at this point, because the vet didn't feel she'd be rideable before September or October. I felt very sorry for myself, honestly. If we're already going to be in October, then it will be getting cold fast after that. We all know Lu is not a cold weather horse. I guess I might as well wait until the Spring? Give her an extra six months just to be safe? I don't know.
When I arrived at the barn yesterday after having a sob fest about her state of brokenness, I cleaned Lucy's stall and then went out to her paddock. She usually comes over and says hi, but she stood there awkwardly. Finally she GIMPED over to me. I had to pick my jaw up off the ground. I checked her out and couldn't find anything wrong. No kicks from Brantley, no swelling or heat, no blood. Then I saw she was missing the shoe on her LF. I watched her move in her paddock a bit more and saw she was just ridiculously foot-sore on that left front. Ironically that foot still had the bell boot on it, but the other front foot did not have a bell boot, and DID have a shoe. Weird. At least it's better than a real injury. I hope my farrier can come out in the next day or two!
In other fun news, EHV-1 (Equine Herpes Virus, or Rhinopneumonitis) has been diagnosed in multiple horses at the same farm just 10 miles or so from where Lucy lives. It's a bit of an odd case. Here is a blurb from the email my vet sent out:
"Interesting features: 5 horses on the affected premises, 2 have remained normal, 2 have mild signs and hopefully will recover, 1 euthanized, none of the horses on the affected (index) premises have been vaccinated for years; none of the horses on the affected premises have left the farm for years; neighbor has three horses and are all clinically normal, all are vaccinated against EHV, and one has gone to events, but not since late June; horses from index premises broke fence last week and had fence line contact with neighbor's horses."
I'm not sure if a horse that has been vaccinated can be an a-symptomatic carrier, and one of the vaccinated horses gave the non-vaccinated horses EHV-1?
Lucy gets vaccinated for EHV-1 every year in late Spring. The vaccine is good for six months and my vet assured me that she would be covered through the fall. Still, this is pretty scary. I really appreciate that my vet's office was so proactive getting the word out to us all.
I actually did get to go on a trail ride last week, on one of the other horses at the barn. I had a great time but wished that I were on Lucy :)
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| I am not used to chestnut ears pricked in front of me, but this horse was nothing short of a complete gentleman the entire ride. He is a sweetheart. |
I called the vet's office yesterday to ask about another ultrasound appt to check the healing progress in her back. The receptionist looked at the notes from the July 1 visit and said I'd probably be wasting my time and money at this point, because the vet didn't feel she'd be rideable before September or October. I felt very sorry for myself, honestly. If we're already going to be in October, then it will be getting cold fast after that. We all know Lu is not a cold weather horse. I guess I might as well wait until the Spring? Give her an extra six months just to be safe? I don't know.
When I arrived at the barn yesterday after having a sob fest about her state of brokenness, I cleaned Lucy's stall and then went out to her paddock. She usually comes over and says hi, but she stood there awkwardly. Finally she GIMPED over to me. I had to pick my jaw up off the ground. I checked her out and couldn't find anything wrong. No kicks from Brantley, no swelling or heat, no blood. Then I saw she was missing the shoe on her LF. I watched her move in her paddock a bit more and saw she was just ridiculously foot-sore on that left front. Ironically that foot still had the bell boot on it, but the other front foot did not have a bell boot, and DID have a shoe. Weird. At least it's better than a real injury. I hope my farrier can come out in the next day or two!
In other fun news, EHV-1 (Equine Herpes Virus, or Rhinopneumonitis) has been diagnosed in multiple horses at the same farm just 10 miles or so from where Lucy lives. It's a bit of an odd case. Here is a blurb from the email my vet sent out:
"Interesting features: 5 horses on the affected premises, 2 have remained normal, 2 have mild signs and hopefully will recover, 1 euthanized, none of the horses on the affected (index) premises have been vaccinated for years; none of the horses on the affected premises have left the farm for years; neighbor has three horses and are all clinically normal, all are vaccinated against EHV, and one has gone to events, but not since late June; horses from index premises broke fence last week and had fence line contact with neighbor's horses."
I'm not sure if a horse that has been vaccinated can be an a-symptomatic carrier, and one of the vaccinated horses gave the non-vaccinated horses EHV-1?
Lucy gets vaccinated for EHV-1 every year in late Spring. The vaccine is good for six months and my vet assured me that she would be covered through the fall. Still, this is pretty scary. I really appreciate that my vet's office was so proactive getting the word out to us all.
Friday, July 19, 2013
newsflash: the horse is fine
Well I am sure glad I didn't ship her off to Tuft's (again), because Lucy is just fine! I didn't do anything with her at all on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday because I wanted to let her newest boo-boo get a good scab going.
On Thursday I put her on the lunge like and surprise! Not a gimpy step to be found.
Today I didn't do anything with her because I was so hot after cleaning her stall and the paddock that I just wanted to go home and crawl into the refrigerator.
So that's where we are at! Thanks for all the helpful and supportive comments - I am glad she's fine and this wasn't another setback. I just want to RIDE already!
Oh, and we never found that acupuncture needle, so it will remain a mystery.
On Thursday I put her on the lunge like and surprise! Not a gimpy step to be found.
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| cruising along |
Today I didn't do anything with her because I was so hot after cleaning her stall and the paddock that I just wanted to go home and crawl into the refrigerator.
So that's where we are at! Thanks for all the helpful and supportive comments - I am glad she's fine and this wasn't another setback. I just want to RIDE already!
Oh, and we never found that acupuncture needle, so it will remain a mystery.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Racehorse Sound
You know how it feels when you can't open a jar, even after running it under hot water and rubbing all the skin off your palm trying to pry it open? And then you hand it to a friend and they effortlessly unscrew it?
Or when you swear the car is making some horrible sound but after making an appointment with the mechanic and driving the car there, you turn it on for the mechanic to hear this sound and what do you know, the car runs like it was right off the dealer lot.
Or your horse is on and off NQR for a while and three different vets look at her and one finally says, "Let's get a bone scan done" so then you truck the horse to the next state over, pay a whooooole lot of money for her to have this test, and wait patiently for the vet to come do the preliminary exam. The vet meets your horse, watches her walk and trot in a straight line, lunges her, and watches her w/t/c on a lunge line. The horse moves BEAUTIFULLY and the vet turns to you and says, "She looks racehorse sound!"
Friends, this is the kind of day I had today. Lucy legitimately tried to kick my regular vet in the head when he poked her in the SI area just a week ago. Today, barely a reaction.
At home, she has looked sore on all four legs. Today, hardly a hitch.
The only symptom she displayed today was swapping off the hind lead going to the left at the canter. Other than that, she looked "great".
So, we left her there anyway, because I suspect she's feeling quite good after having time off (I haven't done anything with her since last Saturday) but once brought back into work, she will feel uncomfortable again.
One thing that was SUPER was her cooperation level. She loaded pretty well this morning after an atrocious loading practice session last night. Maddy helped me and took my stress level from a 10 to a 1. Seriously it was so helpful and awesome. We got to Tuft's early, I signed in, we unloaded Lucy, she waltzed right into the hospital like she owned the place, and she settled in her stall quickly and without an issue.
Then the vet came for the exam and Lucy was so cooperative, so level headed, and just so NICE to work around. I was soooo proud of her. The vet said she really liked her, too! I hope she remains on her best behaviour while she's there.
Tomorrow is the scan so I am crossing my fingers for some issue that can be fixed easily! Hey, a girl can dream!
Or when you swear the car is making some horrible sound but after making an appointment with the mechanic and driving the car there, you turn it on for the mechanic to hear this sound and what do you know, the car runs like it was right off the dealer lot.
Or your horse is on and off NQR for a while and three different vets look at her and one finally says, "Let's get a bone scan done" so then you truck the horse to the next state over, pay a whooooole lot of money for her to have this test, and wait patiently for the vet to come do the preliminary exam. The vet meets your horse, watches her walk and trot in a straight line, lunges her, and watches her w/t/c on a lunge line. The horse moves BEAUTIFULLY and the vet turns to you and says, "She looks racehorse sound!"
Friends, this is the kind of day I had today. Lucy legitimately tried to kick my regular vet in the head when he poked her in the SI area just a week ago. Today, barely a reaction.
At home, she has looked sore on all four legs. Today, hardly a hitch.
The only symptom she displayed today was swapping off the hind lead going to the left at the canter. Other than that, she looked "great".
So, we left her there anyway, because I suspect she's feeling quite good after having time off (I haven't done anything with her since last Saturday) but once brought back into work, she will feel uncomfortable again.
One thing that was SUPER was her cooperation level. She loaded pretty well this morning after an atrocious loading practice session last night. Maddy helped me and took my stress level from a 10 to a 1. Seriously it was so helpful and awesome. We got to Tuft's early, I signed in, we unloaded Lucy, she waltzed right into the hospital like she owned the place, and she settled in her stall quickly and without an issue.
Then the vet came for the exam and Lucy was so cooperative, so level headed, and just so NICE to work around. I was soooo proud of her. The vet said she really liked her, too! I hope she remains on her best behaviour while she's there.
Tomorrow is the scan so I am crossing my fingers for some issue that can be fixed easily! Hey, a girl can dream!
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| Lucy was a brat for our practice session yesterday. Here she's trying to hide around the side of the trailer. So fresh. |
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| She did have a couple good efforts, though. |
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| At Tuft's, waiting for the vet...and more cookies. |
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| Being a very good girl for her flexion tests. |
Saturday, March 23, 2013
more questions
Lucy had her vet visit this afternoon. I had spoken with the vet a couple times this week and sent her video of Lucy looking lame, so she had a good idea of what was going on. When she arrived at the barn, she started off by doing a basic physical exam. Lucy is usually very well-behaved for vets but today she was a tail swishing, ear pinning wench. She lifted a leg at the vet more than once, I am ashamed to say.
We moved over to the indoor so the vet could watch her move on the lunge line. Lucy gave the vet a nice show, even standing up on her hind legs and waving hello toward the end. She looked sound at the trot, which I was a little annoyed about, but cross-cantered in both directions so I didn't look like a total fool. The vet flexed her and thought she looked ouchy on both hind legs, but the RH more than the LH. The problem with flexing the hind legs is that it's very hard to single out one joint - you kind of have to flex the fetlock, hock, and stifle all together so if there is a positive result, you don't really know which area it is. Lucy was quite difficult through all of this. It was very cold and windy today, she's had a week off, and she is in heat (AGAIN) so it was not a fun time for anyone.
After watching Lucy carry on, the vet asked me about any other behavioural issues. She had seen video footage of Lucy kicking out and being very bad under saddle. She asked if she ever exhibited "studdish" behaviour and I told her she will squeal and strike out at another horse if she is allowed to sniff noses with them. I decided to have the vet do a repro exam on her since she was already there and for the sedation and exam it was only going to be $90. The vet was able to easily palpate Lucy's left ovary but could not find the right ovary anywhere. She searched around, gently of course, for a few minutes before deciding not to poke and prod in there anymore to avoid the risk of damaging the horse, but was very concerned that she couldn't find the ovary or any structure involving the ovary. She said sometimes a tumour can start growing on the ovary and when it becomes large and heavy, it weights the whole structure down into the abdomen so that it can't be palpated internally like a normal ovary can. She said they aren't usually cancerous, but they do continue to grow unless removed, and they will throw all of the horses hormones out of whack. I decided to have her do a blood test to look at all of the hormone levels in her body, and the results will tell her if there's an imbalance or presence of a tumour.
Great, just great.
If there is a tumour, the only option for treatment is a spay, or half spay...meaning she could keep her healthy ovary and be able to have a foal if that was ever in the cards, but she would lose the unhealthy ovary that was causing all the issues. Or the vet could remove both ovaries. Then of course there are two ways to do the surgery: one standing up and sedated but not anesthetized via laporascopic instruments, and the other flat on her back under anesthesia, via an incision in her abdomen (similar to a colic surgery and with similar recovery time). For the abdominal surgery we'd be looking at about $7,000. A friend had her mare spayed laporascopically and said it cost about $1,000.
So basically, I paid $650 today to not only get no answers (won't get the labs back until the middle of next week), but actually get more questions and as a result I feel twice as worried as I did before. The vet was excellent and spent ages with me, and answered all of my questions.
Oh wait, I did get one answer: there is nothing wrong with her SI joint or her back as far as this vet is concerned. Once Lucy was lightly sedated enough to not kick the vet, she palpated her entire spine/SI/hips, and I mean she really leaned into the horse and poked all the spots that could possibly be sore, and there was no reaction at all. She assured me that even under light sedation, if she was hurting Lucy, Lucy would flinch at the very least, and there was absolutely NO reaction at all. So that's good to know.
We moved over to the indoor so the vet could watch her move on the lunge line. Lucy gave the vet a nice show, even standing up on her hind legs and waving hello toward the end. She looked sound at the trot, which I was a little annoyed about, but cross-cantered in both directions so I didn't look like a total fool. The vet flexed her and thought she looked ouchy on both hind legs, but the RH more than the LH. The problem with flexing the hind legs is that it's very hard to single out one joint - you kind of have to flex the fetlock, hock, and stifle all together so if there is a positive result, you don't really know which area it is. Lucy was quite difficult through all of this. It was very cold and windy today, she's had a week off, and she is in heat (AGAIN) so it was not a fun time for anyone.
After watching Lucy carry on, the vet asked me about any other behavioural issues. She had seen video footage of Lucy kicking out and being very bad under saddle. She asked if she ever exhibited "studdish" behaviour and I told her she will squeal and strike out at another horse if she is allowed to sniff noses with them. I decided to have the vet do a repro exam on her since she was already there and for the sedation and exam it was only going to be $90. The vet was able to easily palpate Lucy's left ovary but could not find the right ovary anywhere. She searched around, gently of course, for a few minutes before deciding not to poke and prod in there anymore to avoid the risk of damaging the horse, but was very concerned that she couldn't find the ovary or any structure involving the ovary. She said sometimes a tumour can start growing on the ovary and when it becomes large and heavy, it weights the whole structure down into the abdomen so that it can't be palpated internally like a normal ovary can. She said they aren't usually cancerous, but they do continue to grow unless removed, and they will throw all of the horses hormones out of whack. I decided to have her do a blood test to look at all of the hormone levels in her body, and the results will tell her if there's an imbalance or presence of a tumour.
Great, just great.
If there is a tumour, the only option for treatment is a spay, or half spay...meaning she could keep her healthy ovary and be able to have a foal if that was ever in the cards, but she would lose the unhealthy ovary that was causing all the issues. Or the vet could remove both ovaries. Then of course there are two ways to do the surgery: one standing up and sedated but not anesthetized via laporascopic instruments, and the other flat on her back under anesthesia, via an incision in her abdomen (similar to a colic surgery and with similar recovery time). For the abdominal surgery we'd be looking at about $7,000. A friend had her mare spayed laporascopically and said it cost about $1,000.
So basically, I paid $650 today to not only get no answers (won't get the labs back until the middle of next week), but actually get more questions and as a result I feel twice as worried as I did before. The vet was excellent and spent ages with me, and answered all of my questions.
Oh wait, I did get one answer: there is nothing wrong with her SI joint or her back as far as this vet is concerned. Once Lucy was lightly sedated enough to not kick the vet, she palpated her entire spine/SI/hips, and I mean she really leaned into the horse and poked all the spots that could possibly be sore, and there was no reaction at all. She assured me that even under light sedation, if she was hurting Lucy, Lucy would flinch at the very least, and there was absolutely NO reaction at all. So that's good to know.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
a time out, and Cairo turns 3
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| Happy 3rd Birthday, Cairo! 3/16/13 |
After Morgan's ride last Tuesday, which went really well, Lucy seemed sore and stiff and that is why we just did some low-key walking trail rides on Wednesday and Thursday.
On Friday I rode in the ring to see where we were at. She looked good on the lunge line, but threw a ton of bucks and romped around. When she had calmed down and was stretching out nicely, I hopped on. She started out feeling ok but then felt not quite right, and then felt lame.
I decided it is vet time so I made the call and set up the appt. I am concerned that if it were muscle soreness, she would most likely work out of it as she warmed up, but she felt worse and worse as the ride progressed. All we did was walk and trot, too. Maddy took some video for me and it looked like her right hind.
She got Saturday and Sunday off and I gave her bute both days, and then on Sunday afternoon I gave her some Ace to make her rideable without lunging first (didn't want to put a ton of stress on her body lunging if she wasn't feeling well). The Ace kicked in and I had a very nice, rideable horse...who was still lame. Notice the hitch in her RH, especially around corners.
The vet is scheduled to come out on April 3 for shots so she will get a little vacation and some hand walking, maybe walking trail rides if we get a really nice day, and as long as things don't worsen we will wait until then. I emailed my vet and included the video and she assured me that Lucy would survive until April 3. She trots around her paddock and looks sound, and stands square on both hind legs in the barn aisle and in turnout, so I am not tooooooo too worried. I let her loose in the indoor today to have a roll and she trotted around a bit and looked totally fine.
I am wondering if Lyme disease may be a factor since she seems sore through her whole body and the "lameness" side of things seems to travel from leg to leg, but I will follow my vets advice in terms of diagnostics and I hope we will get some answers so Lucy can feel better and I can start enjoying her again.
In other news, Cairo almost broke my knees the other day:
Um yeah, OUCH, Cairo. I survived with a nice big bruise on my right knee cap and I felt like I got hit by a Ridgeback sized bus. She looks cute and cuddly but she is at least 75lbs!
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| I really can't stay mad at her for long... |
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
have I mentioned that I haven't been riding...AGAIN?
First, if you haven't done so, check out my new contest and send me an entry!
So far I have entries from Alicia, Jessica, Shannon, Mary, Trena, and Karen. If you think you've sent me one and your name is not on this list, leave a comment here - I found one in my spam folder this morning so now I am really nervous that I have missed others.
I recovered from the plague, had a few chill groundwork sessions with Lucy while my lungs battled the 10 degree temps, and Lucy got her feet done last week.
Then, on Wednesday, her RH leg blew up like a fat balloon. At first she was sore, but the discomfort seemed to be very low in the leg. My farrier had warned me that he detected a bit of heat in that foot - she had thrown it and then gone for almost a week with no shoe on it while I waited for him to come out - but said it was most likely a bit of bruising and may turn into an abscess. For this reason, I didn't worry too much about the swelling in her leg because there was no heat at all, just soft and squishy edema, and if she was dealing with an abscess I wasn't going to panic.
I did as much as I could for her before leaving for NY, and when I was away, Maddy kept me up to speed. Mostly, the news wasn't good (still lame, still swollen, looking sad, etc), and when I got home on Sunday I went straight to the barn, prepared for battle.
Her leg was a bit stocked up but not terrible. I soaked her foot in hot-ish water, hand-walked her, then did a Furazone sweat with standing wraps for the night to try and get the edema down.
On Monday morning, the leg looked a lot better. I stopped by the barn before work and removed the bandages. I had wrapped the whole foot, too, and when I took the cotton dressing off, it smelled horrible. I was like, well that was easy! but I could not find an exit point where the abscess drained. I decided to play it safe, and treated her again Monday night, again hand walking, then icing, then poultice + standing wraps.
The leg looked good this morning when I checked on her. I took the bandages off and while it's not back to normal, it looks better than it did and she is standing on it normally.
I'm thinking that I might just be able to ride, if she's still doing fine and is comfortable, toward the end of the week.
What a pain in the ass!
So far I have entries from Alicia, Jessica, Shannon, Mary, Trena, and Karen. If you think you've sent me one and your name is not on this list, leave a comment here - I found one in my spam folder this morning so now I am really nervous that I have missed others.
I recovered from the plague, had a few chill groundwork sessions with Lucy while my lungs battled the 10 degree temps, and Lucy got her feet done last week.
Then, on Wednesday, her RH leg blew up like a fat balloon. At first she was sore, but the discomfort seemed to be very low in the leg. My farrier had warned me that he detected a bit of heat in that foot - she had thrown it and then gone for almost a week with no shoe on it while I waited for him to come out - but said it was most likely a bit of bruising and may turn into an abscess. For this reason, I didn't worry too much about the swelling in her leg because there was no heat at all, just soft and squishy edema, and if she was dealing with an abscess I wasn't going to panic.
I did as much as I could for her before leaving for NY, and when I was away, Maddy kept me up to speed. Mostly, the news wasn't good (still lame, still swollen, looking sad, etc), and when I got home on Sunday I went straight to the barn, prepared for battle.
Her leg was a bit stocked up but not terrible. I soaked her foot in hot-ish water, hand-walked her, then did a Furazone sweat with standing wraps for the night to try and get the edema down.
On Monday morning, the leg looked a lot better. I stopped by the barn before work and removed the bandages. I had wrapped the whole foot, too, and when I took the cotton dressing off, it smelled horrible. I was like, well that was easy! but I could not find an exit point where the abscess drained. I decided to play it safe, and treated her again Monday night, again hand walking, then icing, then poultice + standing wraps.
The leg looked good this morning when I checked on her. I took the bandages off and while it's not back to normal, it looks better than it did and she is standing on it normally.
I'm thinking that I might just be able to ride, if she's still doing fine and is comfortable, toward the end of the week.
What a pain in the ass!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
back from the brink of insanity
I am slowly coming off the edge of insanity as Lucy continues to go better and better under saddle. I really was about to have a meltdown last week when she was looking so uncomfortable and I had that "no good deed goes unpunished" feeling, thinking I had done something nice and here I was with a lame horse, about to forfeit our spot a clinic that I have worked very hard toward.
Now that she is looking better, I have the task of getting her fit enough and sane enough to go to EA in exactly one week from today. Fun times! She is not generally a spooky horse, but last night in the indoor she spooked repeatedly at the same damn corner of the ring. Because of the hurricane (which we all survived just fine, except for the nice potted mums that Kenny bought for our front yard), some equipment was stored in the indoor to protect it from the weather. Also, the far end doors on the indoor are usually half shut, but to prevent them from blowing off their hinges in the high winds, my barn owner opened them all the way. Lucy thinks the whole thing is really, really scary. We worked past them last night and I felt like she had gotten a grip on herself enough that I could concentrate on the task at hand, not the scary open doors, and she chose my initial moment of trust to spook at the doors that we had just established wouldn't eat her.
I wasn't impressed so then she got to do the entire ride in that half of the ring, and I gave her a lot more to think about than just some open doors. Still, this isn't really like her, but I think it's a product of doing almost nothing over the past two weeks-ish, plus being inside a lot more than usual due to the weather, plus some funky temperature changes. I also think she may be in heat. Oh, the joy of having a mare!
She had better get herself under control because the big coliseum at the Eastern States Expo is a hell of a lot scarier than some plain old open doors at the end of our indoor. The challenge is to give her enough to do without re-tweaking whatever was causing her discomfort. Lauren is riding today and tomorrow, then tomorrow afternoon Lucy has a chiro appt and I think that will give me a good idea of where she is at. Next week on Tuesday she is getting new shoes, and I am going to discuss pads for her front feet since the massage therapist thought her thin soles were playing a part in her discomfort. After her farrier appt she is getting a massage. Yes, it's insane. I hope she enjoys her spa week and tries very hard in our clinic!
Thank you to everyone who voted for Cairo. She won!! Yesterday the contest ended, and as soon as I got home from work, Kenny and I went over to the store with Cairo and her costume in tow, and picked out some little prizes for her. She got some treats, a really cute elephant toy, and a kit to make flavoured popsicles in the shape of doggie bones. Pretty cool! She loved it and she wore her lion costume around town in perfect form. The kids we met on the street were beside themselves when they saw her.
Now that she is looking better, I have the task of getting her fit enough and sane enough to go to EA in exactly one week from today. Fun times! She is not generally a spooky horse, but last night in the indoor she spooked repeatedly at the same damn corner of the ring. Because of the hurricane (which we all survived just fine, except for the nice potted mums that Kenny bought for our front yard), some equipment was stored in the indoor to protect it from the weather. Also, the far end doors on the indoor are usually half shut, but to prevent them from blowing off their hinges in the high winds, my barn owner opened them all the way. Lucy thinks the whole thing is really, really scary. We worked past them last night and I felt like she had gotten a grip on herself enough that I could concentrate on the task at hand, not the scary open doors, and she chose my initial moment of trust to spook at the doors that we had just established wouldn't eat her.
I wasn't impressed so then she got to do the entire ride in that half of the ring, and I gave her a lot more to think about than just some open doors. Still, this isn't really like her, but I think it's a product of doing almost nothing over the past two weeks-ish, plus being inside a lot more than usual due to the weather, plus some funky temperature changes. I also think she may be in heat. Oh, the joy of having a mare!
She had better get herself under control because the big coliseum at the Eastern States Expo is a hell of a lot scarier than some plain old open doors at the end of our indoor. The challenge is to give her enough to do without re-tweaking whatever was causing her discomfort. Lauren is riding today and tomorrow, then tomorrow afternoon Lucy has a chiro appt and I think that will give me a good idea of where she is at. Next week on Tuesday she is getting new shoes, and I am going to discuss pads for her front feet since the massage therapist thought her thin soles were playing a part in her discomfort. After her farrier appt she is getting a massage. Yes, it's insane. I hope she enjoys her spa week and tries very hard in our clinic!
Thank you to everyone who voted for Cairo. She won!! Yesterday the contest ended, and as soon as I got home from work, Kenny and I went over to the store with Cairo and her costume in tow, and picked out some little prizes for her. She got some treats, a really cute elephant toy, and a kit to make flavoured popsicles in the shape of doggie bones. Pretty cool! She loved it and she wore her lion costume around town in perfect form. The kids we met on the street were beside themselves when they saw her.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Hurricane Prep / Lameness Update
Oh joy, a hurricane is on the way. It seems like Rhode Island is going to be right on the edge of the affected area and we will be much better off than New Jersey and New York, but we are still preparing for the worst. I stocked up on grain yesterday, filled the outside water tubs, soaked pelleted bedding in case I need more. I also stacked some hay in the barn. I am trying to minimize the time I'll need to spend outside in sustained winds of 50mph ;) and all of our hay and bedding is stored in a garage that isn't connected to the barn, so bringing the hay and bedding into the barn will be helpful.
I have been really struggling with Lucy's lameness, partially because she's uncomfortable but mostly because I am really so irritated that I am in this situation. I really have to question if her wellbeing was taken into account during this clinic. We have jumped big jumps, galloped across fields, done clinics, events, and hunter paces back-to-back, and I have NEVER seen her lame like this. Before she went to the clinic, she would occasionally take some funky steps and I would kind of watch her for a second, wondering what was going on, but within a second she looked fine. I watched her move on Saturday and she was so incredibly sore in her right hind that when asked for a left lead canter, she immediately swapped her lead behind, unable to canter properly to the left. I asked her to trot and then pick up the canter again so that she could fix her leads but it was the same thing each time. Yesterday I rode her in the indoor and she felt much better, so I really hope we have turned a corner.
I wouldn't be as frustrated if anyone who was associated with the clinic had checked up on her, since the organizers and the person who used her knew she was lame by the end of it, but I haven't heard anything. If I had borrowed a horse and returned it lame, you can bet I would be calling, emailing, and probably sending a horsey care package! I would feel terrible.
UPDATE: The lady who borrowed her called me this afternoon and we had a nice long chat. I feel much better.
She has a chiropractor appointment this week, and another massage appointment next week. I tallied up the costs I have had to try and get her sound before EA and I am at over $200. If I am unable to do EA, I will be out another $200 between entry fees and the hotel reservation that I cannot cancel. Absolutely ridiculous, but I just really hope she feels better.
Thank you to everyone who voted for Cairo in the photo contest. We are still in first place! Voting continues until the 31st so if you haven't voted and wouldn't mind, please check out the contest :) The link is here.
Here are a few photos from this week - we had some beautiful warm weather so I took Cairo to the beach.
I have been really struggling with Lucy's lameness, partially because she's uncomfortable but mostly because I am really so irritated that I am in this situation. I really have to question if her wellbeing was taken into account during this clinic. We have jumped big jumps, galloped across fields, done clinics, events, and hunter paces back-to-back, and I have NEVER seen her lame like this. Before she went to the clinic, she would occasionally take some funky steps and I would kind of watch her for a second, wondering what was going on, but within a second she looked fine. I watched her move on Saturday and she was so incredibly sore in her right hind that when asked for a left lead canter, she immediately swapped her lead behind, unable to canter properly to the left. I asked her to trot and then pick up the canter again so that she could fix her leads but it was the same thing each time. Yesterday I rode her in the indoor and she felt much better, so I really hope we have turned a corner.
I wouldn't be as frustrated if anyone who was associated with the clinic had checked up on her, since the organizers and the person who used her knew she was lame by the end of it, but I haven't heard anything. If I had borrowed a horse and returned it lame, you can bet I would be calling, emailing, and probably sending a horsey care package! I would feel terrible.
UPDATE: The lady who borrowed her called me this afternoon and we had a nice long chat. I feel much better.
She has a chiropractor appointment this week, and another massage appointment next week. I tallied up the costs I have had to try and get her sound before EA and I am at over $200. If I am unable to do EA, I will be out another $200 between entry fees and the hotel reservation that I cannot cancel. Absolutely ridiculous, but I just really hope she feels better.
Thank you to everyone who voted for Cairo in the photo contest. We are still in first place! Voting continues until the 31st so if you haven't voted and wouldn't mind, please check out the contest :) The link is here.
Here are a few photos from this week - we had some beautiful warm weather so I took Cairo to the beach.
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| an exceptionally beautiful jelly fish that washed up on the beach |
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| Cairo telling a young black lab who's boss |
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| She met a little hound friend and they were instantly in love |
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| taking a wave to the face! what a beast. |
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
I should have seen this one coming.
Well, this past weekend ended up being interesting to say the least. First of all, Cairo's surgery went great on Thursday,and she is on the mend. Her incision is already healing very well. The best news came yesterday, when the vet called to say the margins were clean and she is cancer-free!
Lucy had her clinic this weekend and I really have mixed feelings about it. The clinic ran for three days, and each horse did three hour sessions once a day. That is 9 hours of work in just three days, and while I think Lucy probably gained something from it, I do think that was a lot to ask of the horse. Clinics are a great way to introduce yourself to some new concepts but the idea of going to a clinic and having all of your problems magically fixed in a short amount of time is very false in my opinion. I really liked the clinician and thought his approach was very effective.
When I went to pick Lucy up, I was told that she was off just slightly in the hind end, which was not a very nice surprise. Of course she still worked for the whole three hours on Sunday, too. So now I have to figure out what is going on, how sore she really is, if it's an injury or a strain, and then decide what to do about it. Lauren jumped her on Wednesday and she looked fabulous, not off at all. I have watched the video of her riding that day about 8 or 9 times and I can't find any hint of unsoundness.
Lucy got Monday and today off, and she will get tomorrow off as well. She got bute with her dinner, too. I had a massage therapist out to look at her tonight to pinpoint where she is sore, so that I could have help deciding if this was a vet issue or not. The massage therapist determined that she was very, very sore in her hind end and when I told her about the exercises she did at the clinic (sometimes being backed all the way around the ring), she said, "well that will do it!".
The massage therapist recommended that she should have tomorrow off, but we can go for a nice long walk in-hand to let her stretch her legs, so I will take her for a walk on the trails. She'll like that. Then on Thursday, she can go for a low-key hack. We'll do some stretching and easy trail rides this week, have a flatwork week next week, and if she seems ok then we will do some very low gymnastics in preparation for Equine Affaire. I also emailed the chiro to see if he can come out and look at her. If at any point she seems to be getting worse or not improving, I will have to get the vet out and cancel Equine Affaire. I really, really hope this isn't the case since I am looking forward to EA and it is all paid for. It would be very disappointing to not go but I will absolutely put the horse's best interest first.
Lucy had her clinic this weekend and I really have mixed feelings about it. The clinic ran for three days, and each horse did three hour sessions once a day. That is 9 hours of work in just three days, and while I think Lucy probably gained something from it, I do think that was a lot to ask of the horse. Clinics are a great way to introduce yourself to some new concepts but the idea of going to a clinic and having all of your problems magically fixed in a short amount of time is very false in my opinion. I really liked the clinician and thought his approach was very effective.
When I went to pick Lucy up, I was told that she was off just slightly in the hind end, which was not a very nice surprise. Of course she still worked for the whole three hours on Sunday, too. So now I have to figure out what is going on, how sore she really is, if it's an injury or a strain, and then decide what to do about it. Lauren jumped her on Wednesday and she looked fabulous, not off at all. I have watched the video of her riding that day about 8 or 9 times and I can't find any hint of unsoundness.
Lucy got Monday and today off, and she will get tomorrow off as well. She got bute with her dinner, too. I had a massage therapist out to look at her tonight to pinpoint where she is sore, so that I could have help deciding if this was a vet issue or not. The massage therapist determined that she was very, very sore in her hind end and when I told her about the exercises she did at the clinic (sometimes being backed all the way around the ring), she said, "well that will do it!".
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| Lucy enjoying her massage. My friend Maddy is holding her for me :) |
The massage therapist recommended that she should have tomorrow off, but we can go for a nice long walk in-hand to let her stretch her legs, so I will take her for a walk on the trails. She'll like that. Then on Thursday, she can go for a low-key hack. We'll do some stretching and easy trail rides this week, have a flatwork week next week, and if she seems ok then we will do some very low gymnastics in preparation for Equine Affaire. I also emailed the chiro to see if he can come out and look at her. If at any point she seems to be getting worse or not improving, I will have to get the vet out and cancel Equine Affaire. I really, really hope this isn't the case since I am looking forward to EA and it is all paid for. It would be very disappointing to not go but I will absolutely put the horse's best interest first.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
a quick lunge to test soundness...
...ended up being a lesson about manners and listening!!
On the upside, she was totally, completely, 100% sound.
On the downside, the cool weather and a few easy days had her high as a kite.
Here, have some really fun video stills!
This first one is obviously of inexcusable behaviour, and it has been a LONG time since she pulled a stunt like this, but it was a very quick up and down, back to work. She didn't offer to do it again and I made it VERY clear that I didn't think it was cute or funny.
Her other really cool move was deciding that trotting in circles is for BABIES, and she needed to jump a jump. I had her on a 15m circle that went in front of this little barrel with some guide poles. We had been working on this path for about ten minutes with no problems, well, minus the war horse move pictured above, which I quickly dealt with. During one of her trips around the circle, she deliberately aimed for the jump and jumped it sideways, so across the length of the barrel and over both poles!!
After that little trick, I put her on a 10m circle and we readdressed listening, manners, and personal space.
SO FRESH.
On the upside, she was totally, completely, 100% sound.
On the downside, the cool weather and a few easy days had her high as a kite.
Here, have some really fun video stills!
This first one is obviously of inexcusable behaviour, and it has been a LONG time since she pulled a stunt like this, but it was a very quick up and down, back to work. She didn't offer to do it again and I made it VERY clear that I didn't think it was cute or funny.
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| Channeling her inner Stephen Colbert, Lucy says, "I just wanna DANCE!" WHAT A FRESH HORSE. [And yes I am lunging in a white button down work shirt and a skirt. This is the reality for a rough boarder who works full time.] |
After that little trick, I put her on a 10m circle and we readdressed listening, manners, and personal space.
SO FRESH.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Sunday snuggle session
Lucy got her feet done today and when I rode a few hours later, she was very sore :( I could tell as soon as she picked up the trot that she was ouchy. I am 99.999% sure it's a foot soreness issue because she was reaching out just fine through the shoulder but when she put her RF foot down, there was a second of hesitation and a head bob. Poor girl.
Instead of the jumping session that I had planned, we had a snuggle session.
Instead of the jumping session that I had planned, we had a snuggle session.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
giving soreness the boot
Oh god, someone stop me.
My OTTB is now going in a hackamore, barefoot behind, with boots.
Oh, and I'm also making terrible puns.
Where did this girl come from? My whole riding life I've believed in four steel shoes, a fancy stitch padded hunter bridle, and a snaffle.
The pun thing isn't exactly new :(
Whatever, the boots were a sad necessity and an admission on my part that maybe the barefoot thing wasn't meant to be. Over the last week, Lucy has gotten more and more uncomfortable to the point where she won't stand square; she is always resting at least one of her hind legs (and she alternates between the two). I took her into the indoor two days ago to see if she'd trot around so I could look at her move, and I could not persuade her to move. This is the same horse who normally can't wait for me to take the halter off before she squeals at the top of her pony lungs and rockets across the ring, so yeah, obviously I felt really crappy about this whole thing.
Then yesterday my friend lent me a pair of Boa boots that she had. According to the measurements on Boa's website, they would fit Lucy so I figured it would be worth a shot! I put them on yesterday in the aisle and at first she moved her feet around a bit, trying to get a feel for her new kicks, and when I took her off the crossties she was totally fine.
She started walking to the ring with the same mincing steps she has been taking lately, but as we got closer, she started walking more normally. I put her on the lunge line and let her walk around for a while, then asked her to trot. She looked SO much better. I felt relieved.
I didn't ride her yesterday because though her lameness improved, she wasn't 100%. I think most of what is left is high up in her hind end and was caused from her compensating for the discomfort in her feet. I thought it wouldn't really be fair to add my weight to the equation if I already knew she was sore in the hind end. She wore the boots all day today in turnout and I'm about to go see how she's feeling and hopefully ride. :)
My OTTB is now going in a hackamore, barefoot behind, with boots.
Oh, and I'm also making terrible puns.
Where did this girl come from? My whole riding life I've believed in four steel shoes, a fancy stitch padded hunter bridle, and a snaffle.
The pun thing isn't exactly new :(
Whatever, the boots were a sad necessity and an admission on my part that maybe the barefoot thing wasn't meant to be. Over the last week, Lucy has gotten more and more uncomfortable to the point where she won't stand square; she is always resting at least one of her hind legs (and she alternates between the two). I took her into the indoor two days ago to see if she'd trot around so I could look at her move, and I could not persuade her to move. This is the same horse who normally can't wait for me to take the halter off before she squeals at the top of her pony lungs and rockets across the ring, so yeah, obviously I felt really crappy about this whole thing.
Then yesterday my friend lent me a pair of Boa boots that she had. According to the measurements on Boa's website, they would fit Lucy so I figured it would be worth a shot! I put them on yesterday in the aisle and at first she moved her feet around a bit, trying to get a feel for her new kicks, and when I took her off the crossties she was totally fine.
She started walking to the ring with the same mincing steps she has been taking lately, but as we got closer, she started walking more normally. I put her on the lunge line and let her walk around for a while, then asked her to trot. She looked SO much better. I felt relieved.
I didn't ride her yesterday because though her lameness improved, she wasn't 100%. I think most of what is left is high up in her hind end and was caused from her compensating for the discomfort in her feet. I thought it wouldn't really be fair to add my weight to the equation if I already knew she was sore in the hind end. She wore the boots all day today in turnout and I'm about to go see how she's feeling and hopefully ride. :)
Thursday, August 11, 2011
wound wars
Sheesh, isn't it crazy how a teenie tiny little cut can go bananas on a horse? Give it the right environment, the right amount of oxygen, and the right bacteria and it's like a monster has been unleashed. At least that's how I felt when I discovered that her cut had developed its own agenda the other day, and I am just glad I caught it fairly early.
After showing off the planet forming on my forehead at work all day yesterday, I went to the barn armed with lots of new creams, bandages, vet wrap, gauze, and duct tape. I was ready for war. I was at least kind enough to let Lu eat her dinner before going to town on her leg, but I bet she thought she had gotten off with no work that day. Oh, no, girly, we were about to do battle. I let her eat and then brought her into the aisle to get a good look at the cut. I scrubbed off the dirt that had accumulated that day, and here's what it looked like:
Then I de-wormed her :) I am such a meanie.
I am also very happy because I trotted her out and she was totally sound. Yahoo! I am debating a nice hack today but it might be better to just give her another day off and wait til her cut has healed more. Still, it's supposed to be soooo nice today, low humidity and everything.
After showing off the planet forming on my forehead at work all day yesterday, I went to the barn armed with lots of new creams, bandages, vet wrap, gauze, and duct tape. I was ready for war. I was at least kind enough to let Lu eat her dinner before going to town on her leg, but I bet she thought she had gotten off with no work that day. Oh, no, girly, we were about to do battle. I let her eat and then brought her into the aisle to get a good look at the cut. I scrubbed off the dirt that had accumulated that day, and here's what it looked like:
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| Not that terrible, and certainly better than the night before, but I was still ready to do battle. |
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| First I scrubbed it with the surgical scrub. I rinsed it off with clean water and then scrubbed some more. The scrub foamed inside of the wound and I felt a distinct sense of satisfaction at all the germs meeting their sudsy deaths at that second. |
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| After all that germ killing, the inflamed area was bleeding quite nicely. |
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| I slathered on a magical concoction of cortisone cream (OTC at WalMart for $2/tube), which serves as a steroid to fight the inflammation, and Furazone, which helps heal the infection. |
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| I applied a sheet of gauze padding directly to the injury and then wrapped with sterile gauze roll. She conveniently rested that back leg so I was able to then wrap with with vet wrap (bright pink, of course). |
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| I secured everything with a piece of duct tape. Sadly this was not pink. |
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| And this is what it looked like today! Much less puffy/inflamed. |
I am also very happy because I trotted her out and she was totally sound. Yahoo! I am debating a nice hack today but it might be better to just give her another day off and wait til her cut has healed more. Still, it's supposed to be soooo nice today, low humidity and everything.
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