Michen
Well-Known Member
Deleted. Whining. Will update after scan tomorrow! Will probably be a bottle of vodka down by the time I type if it’s bad news 
Last edited:
Boggle- USA bound!
- Thread starter Michen
- Start date
Michen
Well-Known Member
Spent all morning in tears with worry over later today, aside from a glorious ten minutes where I warmed myself up sitting my arse on boggles hay steamer 
Northern Hare
Well-Known Member
Good luck with Boggle's appt with the vet later today, all being well it's nothing to worry about!Spent all morning in tears with worry over later today, aside from a glorious ten minutes where I warmed myself up sitting my arse on boggles hay steamer
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Spent all morning in tears with worry over later today, aside from a glorious ten minutes where I warmed myself up sitting my arse on boggles hay steamer
Good luck for today.
Do you iron your breeches? I'm looking at those immaculate "crease" lines
Michen
Well-Known Member
Good luck for today.
Do you iron your breeches? I'm looking at those immaculate "crease" lines
Thank you! Haha no they are fleecy cheap legging ones, I don’t know what those lines are!
splashgirl45
Lurcher lover
Good luck with the vet
CanteringCarrot
Well-Known Member
I think the light picked up a bit of sheen from the synthetic material of the leggings. I've seen it before. I was like, what crease lines?!
Fingers still crossed for Boggle!
Jeni the dragon
Well-Known Member
Fingers crossed for the scan
meleeka
Well-Known Member
Keeping everything crossed for a not-too-bad diagnosis x
BMA2
Well-Known Member
Fingers crossed for a boring scan
Cavalier
Well-Known Member
Fingers crossed for a good outcome
Dave's Mam
Well-Known Member
Hoping for good news.
SO1
Well-Known Member
Hoping for good news. Thinking of you.
Michen
Well-Known Member
Thank you so much everyone. Vet delayed, dumping with snow here. Hope he makes it because it’ll be torture if we have to reschedule.
Caol Ila
Well-Known Member
Argh, that's frustrating.
I hope he makes it soon and finds something that isn't serious.
I hope he makes it soon and finds something that isn't serious.
Michen
Well-Known Member
Fairly inconclusive. The straight sesamoid lig he injured four years ago looks irregular but we need to compare scans from before. I’m fairly sure my vet thought bar adhesions it was pretty perfect though so it does seem suspicious, and reading the notes it says "ligament now back to normal" and just mentions adhesions.
He was also never very lame on it before. It took ten mins of cantering to make him lame enough to block and diagnose before. Now we are getting a response from a fetlock flex though of course it doesn’t entirely rule out hock pain being the cause of that.
Nothing else to see on scan other than fluid. He’s had “legend” a drug they use a lot here. hyaluronate sodium. Will stall/pen rest for a few weeks mainly because I know he will tolerate it just fine and it’s snowy and slippery here currently anyway. Will think again once we’ve compared the scans but I have a feeling it's the SSL and that's a real PITA, though better than something new and scary I guess! Annoying given he had the most careful of rehabs on it, and was fully fit and functional for years after.
On another note, does anyone on here give their own IV injections? I've done plenty of IM shots for Bog, but this stuff is one injection a week for three weeks. Expensive if you get a vet to do it. Vet said I was perfectly capable and showed me how, but obviously if you hit the carotid artery you're in serious trouble. It seems more common for owners to do those kind of things here, I can't imagine that's the norm in the UK or if it was I never heard about it! I don't really want to ask anyone else to do it but I'm not sure I want to do it myself, either!
He was also never very lame on it before. It took ten mins of cantering to make him lame enough to block and diagnose before. Now we are getting a response from a fetlock flex though of course it doesn’t entirely rule out hock pain being the cause of that.
Nothing else to see on scan other than fluid. He’s had “legend” a drug they use a lot here. hyaluronate sodium. Will stall/pen rest for a few weeks mainly because I know he will tolerate it just fine and it’s snowy and slippery here currently anyway. Will think again once we’ve compared the scans but I have a feeling it's the SSL and that's a real PITA, though better than something new and scary I guess! Annoying given he had the most careful of rehabs on it, and was fully fit and functional for years after.
On another note, does anyone on here give their own IV injections? I've done plenty of IM shots for Bog, but this stuff is one injection a week for three weeks. Expensive if you get a vet to do it. Vet said I was perfectly capable and showed me how, but obviously if you hit the carotid artery you're in serious trouble. It seems more common for owners to do those kind of things here, I can't imagine that's the norm in the UK or if it was I never heard about it! I don't really want to ask anyone else to do it but I'm not sure I want to do it myself, either!
Last edited:
SEL
Well-Known Member
I'm pretty sure we're not allowed to give IV injections in the UK - at least to horses. One of my cattle owning friends does a decent eye roll at what farm vets vs horse vets allow.
Hopefully with rest that swelling will go down and he's just aggravated that old injury. You could do with having a chat with him about not stressing you out!
Hopefully with rest that swelling will go down and he's just aggravated that old injury. You could do with having a chat with him about not stressing you out!
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
In this country it would be a question of whether you are allowed to use the actual drug or not. You are allowed to carry out minor medical procedures on your own horse, which is why nobody can be prosecuted for banding a sarcoid themselves. It almost certainly wouldn't be illegal to do the jab, but it might be illegal to use the drug.
I'd do it myself M, but I'm a lot more gung ho than you. If you get it wrong you aren't going to create a hole big enough for him to bleed to death, you can just stick your finger over it until it stops. I'd be more worried about him moving and breaking the needle, but that's unlikely with a jab in the vein close to the surface.
.
I'd do it myself M, but I'm a lot more gung ho than you. If you get it wrong you aren't going to create a hole big enough for him to bleed to death, you can just stick your finger over it until it stops. I'd be more worried about him moving and breaking the needle, but that's unlikely with a jab in the vein close to the surface.
.
Caol Ila
Well-Known Member
Glad to hear American vets are still giving out Legend like crack slingers on a corner.
SEL
Well-Known Member
What does it do?
Caol Ila
Well-Known Member
I was told that it treats/controls arthritis by causing the body to create more hyaluronic acid, which is the fluid inside the joints that lubricates them. Everything was on it. Vets would even give it younger horses who had no arthritic changes as a 'preventative' measure. My QH got injections every few months (she did have arthritic changes in her hocks). Did it make a difference and prolong her working life? Dunno.
I did not put Gypsum on preventative Legend, despite being strongly encouraged by yard management and my mates (one of whom rode her for a summer while I was abroad) to do so. It was a weird and rather strong part of barn culture. The vet, in fairness, was like, "Well, if you want to." She was like 10/11 years old at the time and I had no reason to think she had a problem. I got sh&*t for that. Some people thought I was being a crappy horse owner.
She showed no signs of arthritis or any other unsoundness until she was 26, so......
The vets used to do 'Legend' clinics at my CO yard where they'd come and shoot up every horse who was on it. It was a big yard, so there could be 30-40 horses in the queue like junkies waiting for a fix.
Given they don't use it here and not everything is horribly lame with arthritis (well, not more so than the US), I would love to see a large-scale study of it, but you'd need a lot of patients, time, and money for that to yield any useful data. I'm not sure the will or the funding exists.
Last edited:
Parrotperson
Well-Known Member
At vets practices in England it’s common for the nurses to do it even if not qualified rather than the vets although of course they shouldn’t.
If bog stands still and doesn’t mind a needle do it yourself. You’re more than capable!
If bog stands still and doesn’t mind a needle do it yourself. You’re more than capable!
Michen
Well-Known Member
If you get an IV wrong and it goes in the carotid it goes straight to the brain and causes an instant seizure.
Michen
Well-Known Member
And Adequan. I was like yeah, hand it over. Haha. Honestly at this point I'll take whatever drugs can possibly do anything to help Bog, especially when they are without the risks like injecting a joint.
Last edited:
Michen
Well-Known Member
Ha well my USA and UK vets disagree! My UK vet thinks old scan is not relevant, and it should be treated as fresh. I get his point, but I still want to know because if the ligament does look the same then that points more towards him having just banged his leg.
He won't be able to get the scans until week after next which is a shame but the short term treatment is the same anywa.
He won't be able to get the scans until week after next which is a shame but the short term treatment is the same anywa.
tristars
Well-Known Member
personally i would not do it
Parrotperson
Well-Known Member
My feeling is, given how he prats about (sorry bog!) he’s knocked himself.
Michen
Well-Known Member
Indeed, I made him a restricted turnout area for a bit haha, he still managed to trot down the aisle and get up to no good, FGS
Parrotperson
Well-Known Member
Surprised he didn’t just jump that!!View attachment 135430
Indeed, I made him a restricted turnout area for a bit haha, he still managed to trot down the aisle and get up to no good, FGS
Michen
Well-Known Member
Given it’s been seven whole years today since I picked up a muddy, feral Bog pony from Chievely service station I figured I’d reminisce a bit, and give some background to those of you who weren’t around on here when I got him!
Some of you may remember my much loved loan horse, Basil, who I was about to buy when he coliced. He had been kicked in the leg 10 days prior and whilst we x rayed it to check for fractures there must have been one as when he stood up from surgery the leg broke. I was utterly devastated. I desperately started looking at connemaras, I couldn’t bear the idea of an empty stable but had no desire to view any horses either. I scrolled through hundreds, and then saw this fuzzy thing on facebook that looked totally uninspiring expect this one video where there was a single moment where he looks at the handler with such expression and intelligence and that was that. I borrowed 2.7k off my mother, sent the money and picked him up from a service station a week later!
He arrived in the dark, caked in mud, lame and very, very itchy. When I came around the corner the next morning to see him I knew I was immediately in trouble. Whereas Bear when he arrived was tired, scared and nervous, Boggle was…not. His ears were pricked, his expression full of importance and he wasn’t remotely tired or phased by the journey. Totally confident, brimming with personality and I was in serious trouble.
I started long reining and doing all the things you do with a feral, barely broken youngster. He was… a nightmare. Everything was a struggle, he was nappy, opinionated, sharp as hell. I wasn’t experienced or talented enough to channel all this into something productive, and it was exhausting, scary, draining. When we progressed to riding (once I had got him sound- he had a huge hole in his hoof), he was extremely explosive and unbelievably sharp. He scared me to death, I still vividly remember one hack where he had ditched me and wouldn’t let me back on so I ended up leading him around the route because I was determined he wasn’t going home- my heels were bleeding from uncomfortable riding boots by the time we got back, I was sobbing and so, so done.
And then there was the travelling.. he would go beserk. I mean really, totally crazy. He would load perfectly but the minute you tried to shut him up or ask him to stand for a second he lost it. I sent him to a professional- they sent him back. I put him up for sale. Changed my mind. Spent an entire summer with him walking him onto the box, waiting a second, leading him off. Increasing it second by second. Twice a day usually. We’d go one step forward and two steps back at times. Eventually, bit by bit, he got over his fear. I knew I’d truly fixed it when we broke down on the side of the M4 and he stood without a peep for three hours!
But he was still super sharp, and very unpredictable. I got a young local jockey involved who had endless legs and was extremely brave, she got him going and we realized just how good he was when we took him XC schooling for the first time. Never, ever was he green or unsure. It was like he’d done it all in a previous life. In fact I think he’s stopped at two jumps in his entire life. That day, he decked her whilst spooking at something on the ground completely unrelated to jumping. He went to ALW for his first event and it was a bit of a turning point for him, he did one of his explosions and his jockey managed to sit it, reprimand him and he never, ever exploded again like that. Not even when I started to take him hunting, not under any circumstances- though he’d still make you feel like you were about to be ejected but he’d never do it. Better riders (potential sharers) than me ended up leading him back from a hack because they were convinced he was about to deposit them! He was still very sharp and my instructors were less than convinced that he’d be a horse I could ride. I remember watching him in the SJ warm up at Millfield (first BE90 where he came 7th), bepositive who doesn’t post anymore and I saw him teleport from one side of the warm up to the other in a nano second. He then went into a huge, busy, atmospheric arena and tried his damn heart out for a clear.
I took over the reins at that point eventing wise and he just gave me years and years of fun. He never said no. He never took advantage of my nerves. He always tried his heart out jumping and forgave all my many, many mistakes. I took him hunting and whilst very strong, he was the best, cleverest little hunter. He knew when there was an emergency and was impeccable- I once caught a loose horse at a flat out gallop and Boggle happily did an emergency stop whilst the field carried on, and quietly led the horse back to his fallen rider in the opposite direction. We had so, so many good times on the hunting field. We did holidays and camps and events and endless hacking and fun. He got injured and I doubled the time to rehab him, and bought him a pet (Bear), who he bossed around for the last few years.
And then this crazy idea of moving to the states came up, obviously I wasn’t going anywhere without Boggle. So suddenly, this horse that I had spent the first year with in all honesty really disliking, that had had huge travelling issues, was being asked to go on a plane and I was draining my bank account to do it. He landed at LA airport looking a bit annoyed but hardly bothered. He travelled over to Colorado and stepped off the trailer ready to go XC. The moment he saw me as they dropped the ramp and I went to get him, after ten long days of travelling, is still etched in my mind. His expression of relief- it’s one of the few times I’ve honestly felt like Bog maybe loved me as much as I loved him
His first hack at 8,500 feet I was warned he would struggle with the altitude like every horse, and be tired. He whipped the arses of the other horses, bounced up the long mountain roads and never missed a beat. He took me around crazy snow filled mountain trails, faced huge herds of elk, bighorn sheep, had a coyote dart under his feet. Slotted in to Colorado life like he’d been there forever and has just been my best mate and companion whilst I totally upheaved my life. I was never really homesick because I had Boggle, this constant presence and support.
Of course then it all went horribly wrong and there was devastation and stress like no other. Worse than the pneumonia was that morning where he had collapsed and I had to ask a horse who could barely stand to trust me enough to climb into a trailer with a step up, no ramp, and please make it down the mountain so I could get him into the vet hospital to try and save him again. He didn’t even hesitate or try and say no. Despite being totally ataxic, falling over on the concrete in the hospital he remained his cheerful, bolshy little self throughout it all. His sheer determination and resilience in the face of being dealt yet another horrible hand in life was unbelievable. He wasn’t quiet, or sad, or sickly.
Leaving his previous competition barn to go to his current, and accept his retirement (I’m still not sure I truly have), was pretty gutting. I was upset from the moment I woke up that day, but then when I loaded him up and drove down the track to leave I felt completely at peace because it really just didn’t matter where we were or what he could do, he’d survived the impossible again and we were still together. Even now, as such a totally compromised horse, he is still the brightest horse I’ve ever met. I miss riding him hugely, I feel sad looking back at the photos and not being able to still do the things we did. But I can honestly say I’d never sit on another horse in my life if I could just keep Boggle in it for as long as possible. He takes up just as much time and energy unridden as ridden but going to the barn is never a chore, or boring, because I’m not tacking him up. Being around him is enough. I hope we get a break soon and that he gets more years of being completely spoiled- he is one in a billion.
Some of you may remember my much loved loan horse, Basil, who I was about to buy when he coliced. He had been kicked in the leg 10 days prior and whilst we x rayed it to check for fractures there must have been one as when he stood up from surgery the leg broke. I was utterly devastated. I desperately started looking at connemaras, I couldn’t bear the idea of an empty stable but had no desire to view any horses either. I scrolled through hundreds, and then saw this fuzzy thing on facebook that looked totally uninspiring expect this one video where there was a single moment where he looks at the handler with such expression and intelligence and that was that. I borrowed 2.7k off my mother, sent the money and picked him up from a service station a week later!
He arrived in the dark, caked in mud, lame and very, very itchy. When I came around the corner the next morning to see him I knew I was immediately in trouble. Whereas Bear when he arrived was tired, scared and nervous, Boggle was…not. His ears were pricked, his expression full of importance and he wasn’t remotely tired or phased by the journey. Totally confident, brimming with personality and I was in serious trouble.
I started long reining and doing all the things you do with a feral, barely broken youngster. He was… a nightmare. Everything was a struggle, he was nappy, opinionated, sharp as hell. I wasn’t experienced or talented enough to channel all this into something productive, and it was exhausting, scary, draining. When we progressed to riding (once I had got him sound- he had a huge hole in his hoof), he was extremely explosive and unbelievably sharp. He scared me to death, I still vividly remember one hack where he had ditched me and wouldn’t let me back on so I ended up leading him around the route because I was determined he wasn’t going home- my heels were bleeding from uncomfortable riding boots by the time we got back, I was sobbing and so, so done.
And then there was the travelling.. he would go beserk. I mean really, totally crazy. He would load perfectly but the minute you tried to shut him up or ask him to stand for a second he lost it. I sent him to a professional- they sent him back. I put him up for sale. Changed my mind. Spent an entire summer with him walking him onto the box, waiting a second, leading him off. Increasing it second by second. Twice a day usually. We’d go one step forward and two steps back at times. Eventually, bit by bit, he got over his fear. I knew I’d truly fixed it when we broke down on the side of the M4 and he stood without a peep for three hours!
But he was still super sharp, and very unpredictable. I got a young local jockey involved who had endless legs and was extremely brave, she got him going and we realized just how good he was when we took him XC schooling for the first time. Never, ever was he green or unsure. It was like he’d done it all in a previous life. In fact I think he’s stopped at two jumps in his entire life. That day, he decked her whilst spooking at something on the ground completely unrelated to jumping. He went to ALW for his first event and it was a bit of a turning point for him, he did one of his explosions and his jockey managed to sit it, reprimand him and he never, ever exploded again like that. Not even when I started to take him hunting, not under any circumstances- though he’d still make you feel like you were about to be ejected but he’d never do it. Better riders (potential sharers) than me ended up leading him back from a hack because they were convinced he was about to deposit them! He was still very sharp and my instructors were less than convinced that he’d be a horse I could ride. I remember watching him in the SJ warm up at Millfield (first BE90 where he came 7th), bepositive who doesn’t post anymore and I saw him teleport from one side of the warm up to the other in a nano second. He then went into a huge, busy, atmospheric arena and tried his damn heart out for a clear.
I took over the reins at that point eventing wise and he just gave me years and years of fun. He never said no. He never took advantage of my nerves. He always tried his heart out jumping and forgave all my many, many mistakes. I took him hunting and whilst very strong, he was the best, cleverest little hunter. He knew when there was an emergency and was impeccable- I once caught a loose horse at a flat out gallop and Boggle happily did an emergency stop whilst the field carried on, and quietly led the horse back to his fallen rider in the opposite direction. We had so, so many good times on the hunting field. We did holidays and camps and events and endless hacking and fun. He got injured and I doubled the time to rehab him, and bought him a pet (Bear), who he bossed around for the last few years.
And then this crazy idea of moving to the states came up, obviously I wasn’t going anywhere without Boggle. So suddenly, this horse that I had spent the first year with in all honesty really disliking, that had had huge travelling issues, was being asked to go on a plane and I was draining my bank account to do it. He landed at LA airport looking a bit annoyed but hardly bothered. He travelled over to Colorado and stepped off the trailer ready to go XC. The moment he saw me as they dropped the ramp and I went to get him, after ten long days of travelling, is still etched in my mind. His expression of relief- it’s one of the few times I’ve honestly felt like Bog maybe loved me as much as I loved him
His first hack at 8,500 feet I was warned he would struggle with the altitude like every horse, and be tired. He whipped the arses of the other horses, bounced up the long mountain roads and never missed a beat. He took me around crazy snow filled mountain trails, faced huge herds of elk, bighorn sheep, had a coyote dart under his feet. Slotted in to Colorado life like he’d been there forever and has just been my best mate and companion whilst I totally upheaved my life. I was never really homesick because I had Boggle, this constant presence and support.
Of course then it all went horribly wrong and there was devastation and stress like no other. Worse than the pneumonia was that morning where he had collapsed and I had to ask a horse who could barely stand to trust me enough to climb into a trailer with a step up, no ramp, and please make it down the mountain so I could get him into the vet hospital to try and save him again. He didn’t even hesitate or try and say no. Despite being totally ataxic, falling over on the concrete in the hospital he remained his cheerful, bolshy little self throughout it all. His sheer determination and resilience in the face of being dealt yet another horrible hand in life was unbelievable. He wasn’t quiet, or sad, or sickly.
Leaving his previous competition barn to go to his current, and accept his retirement (I’m still not sure I truly have), was pretty gutting. I was upset from the moment I woke up that day, but then when I loaded him up and drove down the track to leave I felt completely at peace because it really just didn’t matter where we were or what he could do, he’d survived the impossible again and we were still together. Even now, as such a totally compromised horse, he is still the brightest horse I’ve ever met. I miss riding him hugely, I feel sad looking back at the photos and not being able to still do the things we did. But I can honestly say I’d never sit on another horse in my life if I could just keep Boggle in it for as long as possible. He takes up just as much time and energy unridden as ridden but going to the barn is never a chore, or boring, because I’m not tacking him up. Being around him is enough. I hope we get a break soon and that he gets more years of being completely spoiled- he is one in a billion.
Last edited: