SO1
Well-Known Member
I got a call from the yard on Friday to say Bert is lame. My instructor had got him to ride that day and had done 10 minutes of walking and started to trot and noticed immediately he was lame.
Sent a video to my vet who then came out yesterday morning and confirmed he is very lame in right hind. Negative to hoof testers and no heat or swelling in his leg and negative to palpation. Positive to flexion. My vet vetted him just over 2 months ago and he was xrayed at the time.
My vet thinks the problem is higher up and he probably slipped in the field when rolling or playing we have had a lot of rain and he loves a roll and he is only 5 he is still in the playful stage. He absolutely loves to roll in this mud patch by the gate and as he is barefoot my vet said he won't have as much traction as a shod horse. My vet recommended when I bought him that I kept him barefoot as it so much better for horses to be unshod if possible.
We are hoping it is something minor and a few days of rest and bute will do the trick. He is on bute and box rest for 4 days then my vet will return on Thursday to review him and nerve block if he is not better. Unfortunately because of the situation with my parents health and having a crisis I am having to return to Norfolk to look after my sister's pets to allow my sister and BIL to return to France so I won't be there for the vet on Thursday.
Thankfully I am on a livery yard that also does rehab livery and YO knows my vet very well so can be there for appointment.
My vet has just qualified as an advanced practitioner in equine lameness one of only 3 people with his qualification in the UK so hopefully Bert in good hands and whatever is wrong with him can be fixed.
On a positive note my vet thinks Bert is just super he vetted him for me 2 months ago. He also said Bert hooves were looking really good. He said on his vetting that his hooves had a bit of flare and he was overdue trimming and he needed good farrierly. He has had two trims since I have had him.
it is nothing serious if it is the stifle I know that can be a very difficult area to deal with. There is a young pony on the yard that came for rehab for a stifle injury over 18 months ago and is still not right but at least is now on turnout.
I did two long rehabs with Homey due to soft tissue injuries in 2020 and late 2021 early 2022 and it is really hard work and so hard seeing them on box rest.
At the moment Bert if he is quiet can do a bit of hand grazing as long he doesn't go far and there is a grass patch near his stable I can take him to if it is quiet and day light for a 15/20 minutes hand graze.
Bert is only 5 and I hope whatever is wrong is fixable.
I am having a very difficult time at the moment with the situation with my parents, and work being very busy.
The yard I am on specialises in rehab and they often have horses come to stay to do rehab because they have a water treadmill, ice spa, and extra large horsewalker, and 60 × 30 arena. It is ££££ but at least if he needs to go on rehab and I can't do it myself due to family and work commitments then the yard can do it and he doesn't need to go somewhere else.
If I had know my parents where going to have this physical health and mental health crisis and my boss was going to leave our work I probably wouldn't have bought another horse at the time that I did but you never know what tomorrow will bring. The day after I bought Bert my mum become unwell and then my boss who is our CEO resigned a few days later.
Sent a video to my vet who then came out yesterday morning and confirmed he is very lame in right hind. Negative to hoof testers and no heat or swelling in his leg and negative to palpation. Positive to flexion. My vet vetted him just over 2 months ago and he was xrayed at the time.
My vet thinks the problem is higher up and he probably slipped in the field when rolling or playing we have had a lot of rain and he loves a roll and he is only 5 he is still in the playful stage. He absolutely loves to roll in this mud patch by the gate and as he is barefoot my vet said he won't have as much traction as a shod horse. My vet recommended when I bought him that I kept him barefoot as it so much better for horses to be unshod if possible.
We are hoping it is something minor and a few days of rest and bute will do the trick. He is on bute and box rest for 4 days then my vet will return on Thursday to review him and nerve block if he is not better. Unfortunately because of the situation with my parents health and having a crisis I am having to return to Norfolk to look after my sister's pets to allow my sister and BIL to return to France so I won't be there for the vet on Thursday.
Thankfully I am on a livery yard that also does rehab livery and YO knows my vet very well so can be there for appointment.
My vet has just qualified as an advanced practitioner in equine lameness one of only 3 people with his qualification in the UK so hopefully Bert in good hands and whatever is wrong with him can be fixed.
On a positive note my vet thinks Bert is just super he vetted him for me 2 months ago. He also said Bert hooves were looking really good. He said on his vetting that his hooves had a bit of flare and he was overdue trimming and he needed good farrierly. He has had two trims since I have had him.
it is nothing serious if it is the stifle I know that can be a very difficult area to deal with. There is a young pony on the yard that came for rehab for a stifle injury over 18 months ago and is still not right but at least is now on turnout.I did two long rehabs with Homey due to soft tissue injuries in 2020 and late 2021 early 2022 and it is really hard work and so hard seeing them on box rest.
At the moment Bert if he is quiet can do a bit of hand grazing as long he doesn't go far and there is a grass patch near his stable I can take him to if it is quiet and day light for a 15/20 minutes hand graze.
Bert is only 5 and I hope whatever is wrong is fixable.
I am having a very difficult time at the moment with the situation with my parents, and work being very busy.
The yard I am on specialises in rehab and they often have horses come to stay to do rehab because they have a water treadmill, ice spa, and extra large horsewalker, and 60 × 30 arena. It is ££££ but at least if he needs to go on rehab and I can't do it myself due to family and work commitments then the yard can do it and he doesn't need to go somewhere else.
If I had know my parents where going to have this physical health and mental health crisis and my boss was going to leave our work I probably wouldn't have bought another horse at the time that I did but you never know what tomorrow will bring. The day after I bought Bert my mum become unwell and then my boss who is our CEO resigned a few days later.
. He is such a nice boy and after it taking so long to find him if it was something catastrophic and he had to be PTS I am not sure how I would cope. He has been my rock these last couple of difficult months.
fully recovery.