September 2014 - January 2015 - Remedial shoes and a holiday!

Since my last post, Not a huge amount has changed. Things are looking more positive but we have also had some draw backs.

Adam has had 4 remedial shoeings and was feeling rather good. It then bucketed it down with rain for weeks and the field became an ice skating rink for him. I believe he slipped in the field and hurt his neck. I was then presented with the possibility of him having arthritis in his neck (I nearly threw up when I was told this) but it looks like he had hurt his brachiocephalic muscle and it was made worse by bracing himself walking to the field and back. Poor sausage was just trying his best to balance but hurt himself in the process.

So those shoes where taken off fairly promptly and replaced with something that would give him more grip.

Then next draw back - got him in from the field and he had a very fat left pastern. His left foot is his worst, so I called the vet. Cold hosed him for a few days (that really helped the mud fever....not) and the vet came to see him on christmas eve.
He scanned and found a hematoma under his collateral ligament. He was given 2 weeks box rest with minimal movement and Danilon to take the edge off. He has been a super star on box rest, although he is a little grumpy and fed up!

After 2 weeks box rest, vet revisited, scanned and re x-rayed both feet. The ligament had only 15% left to heal (Whoooopie!) and his feet are looking much more positive. Unfortunately I do not have the x-rays to put up at this current moment in time, but his Right fore is now on 3% angle, and the left is no longer in the minuses. This is good news, and his heel is starting to look much better.

I have taken photos of his last shoeing, which was 2 days ago and the vet is very happy with his progress and surprised at how much we have achieved since September.

Right fore

left fore

Left fore

I cannot tell you if he is sound, as I have not ridden him for over 2 months. I figured that the more I strained that tendon, the less likely it is to heal. So he's got rather round and has enjoyed his holiday. Our aim for him is to hack comfortably, even if its just in the summer months and manage him carefully through the winter months. He is looking very well (if not a little too well) and has a super shine to his coat. Today I can take him out of his box for the first time in nearly 2 months to allow him to walk in hand. I don't have any worries about this, he's cool as a cucumber.

The weather in Cornwall has been awful, the walk to my field is very muddy and very deep, so him being on box rest probably hasn't been a bad thing after all.

Although I had alot of worries about remedial shoeing, I spoke to alot of people, and did so much research that I thought my brain was going to implode, but I feel that I have done the best thing for him at this moment in time. Barefoot could be an option later on, but right now the vet is feeling very positive.

October 2014 - A happy chap, but front limb lameness.

Adam is still feeling and looking great (if not a little tubby!)...

Unfortunately we have had some problems recently with intermittent lameness in his left fore.
I put it down to his side bone... but then started to doubt myself and had the vet visit.
He has horrifically flat feet...something that was picked up in his vetting when he was a 4 year old and also something that my farriers have always tried to correct. He has very poor heels and his HPA is incorrect.

I took photos of his feet from the last time he was shod, and you can see a real difference in the two fronts.

Left

Left

Right

Right

So then this was our next step...

 Which involved alot of these pretty pictures...

And the outcome was this... (vet talk cooooming up!)

As you can see from the x-rays he has coffin joint DJD (low ringbone) in both front feet; he has changes at the insertion at the distal margin of the flexor surface of the navicular bone; he also has marked foot balance issues.
 
His palmar angle should be somewhere between 2-10 degrees but this is almost in the minus degrees! As a result he has changes within the DDFT and insertion on the navicular bone. As his HPA is broken back the compression on the early ringbone is also causing lameness.
 
He needs gradual remedial farriery to correct his HPA and his palmar angle. We don't want to change too much too quickly and we can't make his feet something they aren't. I would put either a roller motion or natural balance shoe to encourage breakover and open the coffin joint longer during the stride. Ideally we would put some heel extensions on but he will just rip these off as he over-reaches.
 
So... I want maximal breakover, I want very tiny heel wedges to start and I want his sole packed... If you are happy with this Mark? Once we have got somewhere with his foot balance we shall discuss medications. These medications will most likely be coffin joint medication with steroids/sodium hyaluronate and intramuscular osphos (a bisphonate similar to tildren but without the side effects and having to come into the practice to administer).

This isn't a shock to me, and I am glad we have thought up a plan to make him more comfortable and try to sort this problem out. Nothing is going to be a quick fix, but after our kissing spine rehab, I don't believe in quick fixes anyway. He is being kept comfortable with Devils Claw Flex (James Hart) and is ridden every other day, either hacked lightly or schooled lightly. Vet told me that work is going to help him stay more comfortable, as long as its nice and steady. 

At the moment, he is very happy and the best he has felt in respect to attitude and forwardness. I am 100% sure that if he was in any horrific pain, he would of told me by now as he is usually a very sensitive flower! 

The best part though, NFU accepted my insurance claim today and his new Nike Air Max shoes are being fitted on thursday, so I suspect he will be feeling a bit sore. 

I'd like to apologise for the rubbish gap I have left between my blog posts. As you can imagine, I have felt rather gutted about this, as he's had a fantastic showing season and was going so brilliantly. I felt very closed off about it all up until I had a solution and a plan. This is not the end of Scaddy! 

Hacking beautifully and a happy physio check.

Things are so so positive.

I haven't managed to get Adam out competing much recently. With my granny passing away and family to be around, he hasn't been the top of my priorities. But hopefully partying a little more from now on. My trailer test is also on the cards!

But....!

He is hacking like a complete beaut! 95% of the time he is a different horse. He still has his testing times but with my confidence now more so in clouds rather than the sand, I am able to cope with the other 5%!

He now hacks infront! Something I never ever thought I'd manage with him. He'd either plant, stick himself into reverse gear or spin. If I questioned any of these behaviour problems, it would result in him rearing and me crapping my pants...
Now if he does any of the above, the argument is much shorter, I am much firmer and I ALWAYS win. He very very rarely has another horse take the lead these days.

For those who have known Adam since he was 5-6 or maybe even before, you will probably remember that hacking has never been his strong point. Climbing hedges, sitting on bonnets, waving frantically at cars (him not me!) And using that trusty reverse gear given any opportunity! Funny how it took me years to teach him to rein back...

I'd love you guys to see him now. He's made me very proud! Even if he is 13...

He is also schooling brilliantly...
And I can feel such a difference from using his massage pad for 30 mins before schooling. His transitions are smoother, he's softer much quicker and seems generally happier in himself.
We even managed a counter canter last week which was a real achievement! :)

Our lateral work is still 'work in progress' but it is getting there slowly. Also teaching him to cross over behind from the floor after lunging him. He's getting much better at it!

Now onto the physio! - We had our 6 month check up 2 weeks ago.
She confirmed he has no spinal pain. Just the usual little bits where his muscle is developing and changing. She was really positive with how he is going and looking and said he looks like a different horse. Holding muscle in the right places and much more compact.

We are still using Cortaflex, GastriKalm and our equilibrium products, although it is a little toasty for his magnetic back pad at the moment, very very hot in Cornwall!

Something I am excited about is a product I have just won on Hay-Net blogging site.
All I'm mentioning is that its a calmer. Nothing that I have ever heard of before and something I'm looking forward to reviewing.

I will keep you updated on this!

Hope your kissing spine horses are coping in this heat! Keep positive :)

May - June 2014 - Muscle is appearing and competing!

Its been a while...!

First off - building up Adams top line and preparing him for the show ring...

Here are some photos of our problems following on from my last post!

He had a bump in the trailer 

And another bump in the trailer!

And not holding quite enough top line for the show ring.

So what did I do about it? 

I bought a fantastic product from Shiny Show Horse which encourages hair growth. I had read some good reviews on it online, and had already tried another product which I didn't find very helpful!

I used Shapleys Original MTG to get the face scrapes to grow back, and also put it on his sides where his hair had rubbed from my leg. If you're a regular reader, you will probably remember my gaiter zip rubbed and dug at him one day in the school, I think I have a uber sensitive horse. After all he is p/b Arab! Fine hair!

The Shapleys Original MTG is fantastic. Within a few days I could see new little hairs sprouting through his skin. It is oily so it didn't show up when I had applied it. It smells a bit funny but they do a version which has a more pleasant smell, but I am not too worried! It also bought back the hair on his neck where his reins had rubbed him (such a flower!) as well as having fleecy covers for his reins...so we have been supporting the race horse look! The rubs from where my leg sits is still work in progress, but it certainly looks better!

Then moving onto his weight and top line. 

He wasn't looking his best - He looked fantastic a few months back when he started to muscle up, but his work load increased and I didn't (at the time) feel the need to increase his food as he was on good grass and hay. I also tried and tested a few suppliments to see if I could make his  tummy a little more comfortable.

I genuinly believe that he has probably got ulcers. I wont get him scoped to be told if he has them or not, I just treat him as though he has them. Ever since he had his kissing spine oporation, he has coliced quite easily, especially when going onto new grass. He also used to get very gassy. He'd come in from being in the field puffing and almost burping. Sometimes I would be riding him and I could feel the burp passing through him underneath me - and voila! a horsey burp! very bizarre. He has also previously been very gassy.

First I tried NAF hayledge ballencer which was reccomened to me by someone in a shop. I fed a tub of it and didn't see a huge difference. 

A friend who also has a horse with a sensitive stomach recommended Equus Health's GastroKalm.

Adam is almost like a new horse with this stuff! He is now on his second tub and allows me to brush him stomach, girth him up with minimal problems and seems generally happier and more coaperative to ride. And he doesn't get burpy and colicy!

Overal I am really pleased with the results, and it is well worth the money!

Incase your interested, this is the write up on their website-

Gastro-Kalm is the ultimate gut filter absorbing gasses and toxins within the stomach. It can help with diarrhoea, the build up of gasses, stress colic, gastric ulcers and laminitis. These issues affect 50% of foals, 58% of show horses, 67% of endurance horses, 75% of eventers and 93% of racehorses. 500g is enough for 1 months maintance supply.

I have also been feeding him Equi-Jewl. I have previously fed him this a few years ago when he was in hard work and wasn't quite holding what I wanted him to hold!

I've used three quarters of the bag, and the results are amazing! It is high in oil so makes his coat look super shiny and is a slow release energy feed so doesn't make him stupid. 

Before and after - 

After!

And as you can see from the photos above, we have been out competing a bit!

He came 2nd and 3rd at a riding club show. First show on grass for a long time! Was very forward going in the first class, and spent majority of the time attempting to wee in the second class. He was ridden by the judge and behaved beautifully. I was a very proud mother! 

2nd show was at Tall Trees again. He warmed up beautifully in the indoor arena. Didn't let me down yet again. Came home with 3 firsts in large hack, small riding horse and P/B arab. Qualified for Equifest, SPWA and Cricklands. What a super super boy I have. 

He is a true superstar!

19th - 30th April - Hair regrowth, building muscle and Squid arrives!

So I have a bald pony!

His hair has come through fine this year. I'm not really too sure why, he wasn't clipped late! Just a flower.

He has spent most of his week schooling. Keeping him under the thumb and behaving. Unfortunately the weather has been a bit pants, so there hasn't been many people to hack with. He needed the school :D

BUT - we are mastering turn on the forehand! I had one lesson pre op 'attempting' this tricky manover. It resulted in him bucking, leaping on the spot and then rearing vertically, so you can imagine how I felt giving this another go.
I had a lesson with Jo a few weeks ago, and she mentioned giving it a bash to get him listening to my leg and moving away from my leg a little more. She helped me on the ground by giving him a little more encouragemnt. He does it, and he doesn't kill me! Winner!
He has also been re-introduced to rein back (intentional I might add!) and he's coping with it well! So schooling wise, he has been going brilliantly.

Had a highly exciting hack with Jo last weekend, involved being chased by a bull, Adam going really quite crazy and then me VERY NEARLY dismounting. All caught on a GoPro.... super!

Bye bye Baxter :(

Some exciting news also... We have a new horse! We sadly had to say goodbye to Baxter. His tooth abscess wasn't clearing after 3 anti-biotic attempts and he just isn't right. He's gone to live out with Colin for 6 months to see if he comes right. Fingers crossed he does.
He did Lisa's confidence such good, and she's ready now to own her own again for the first time in 11 years.

He is called Calimero. I call him Squid because it sounds like Calimari.
Hes 12, 16hh and has mainly done dressage. We saw him in Southampton last weekend (after staying with the lovely Spider and Andy in Cambridgeshire) and Lisa fell in love. I also think he's quite nice ;)
I will be competing him this season, hopefully cracking on doing some dressage, then aiming to do some BE 90's with him once we have been XC schooling and show jumping a few times :) Lisa will be competing him also, in her own time doing what she fancies :)

EXCITING!

And of course... Adam will still be going to his parties, strutting his stuff.

Adam has lost some condition. So to get him looking his best, he is now having EquiJewl in his feed. Hopefully this will build him up for the showing season. 

Adams attempt at pulling his shoe off in the field. Fail.