Cursed yard?! Long-winded vent, please ignore me!

RachelB

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Sorry please feel free to ignore, just need to vent a bit! Definately a veterinary vent though...
Firstly, my horse was very slightly lame on the turn during most of February, got the vet out at the end of the month who put her on bute and she got better, but it didn't resolve it. She went in for nerve blocks at the beginning of March, the foot block was negative but a pastern block made her sound. Vet ultrasounded and x-rayed and found nothing so prescribed four weeks' box rest (which meant I'm missing RC camp next week
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). Took her in yesterday after five weeks' rest, I thought looking a lot better on the straight, especially as the farrier had a talk with the vet and is now shoeing her differently. She trotted up fine on the straight but was almost hopping lame on the lunge! Definately worse than five weeks ago. Vet blocked out her coffin joint to no avail, and concluded that the injury is somewhere between the foot and the pastern joint, probably either a pastern joint injury or something to do with the tendon sheath. Also had Maiden endoscoped to see if we could find the cause of her nosebleeds (only ever one nostril, but last year it was the left and this year twice on the right, last time during box rest so no apparent cause). Other than a teeny melanoma in her guttural pouch her airways etc are clear, so the one up-side is that as the bleeding doesn't cause her any pain or discomfort it's probably nothing to worry about. So now she has to go back into the vet clinic next Wednesday all day to be blocked and scanned and things to try and find the root of this damn lameness. I am going completely crazy with all this box rest (don't know how anyone copes!), but especially as...
I look after another horse for a friend, 19yo mare, who has been inexplicably unlevel-ish for a while. Turns out that she has a curb on one knee, the check ligament in the other front leg is injured, one hock has fused and the other hock is in the process of fusing. Poor horse, no wonder we couldn't see where she was lame as it's all four legs! So she's on box rest now too, four weeks, and she'll never jump again. Poor owner is devastated.
But also, there is another horse in the yard having a vet out today as he won't stop coughing, owner knows he has COPD but has been coping really well, last week he started coughing, went on Ventipulmin at the weekend, and hasn't stopped coughing at all since. This poor owner has paid full price to go to RC camp and it's now looking doubtful she'll go.
A previous problem was that another horse managed to damage all four legs at the same time - he had an abcess in one front foot, stood on himself while stressing on box rest and took a chunk of coronary band off, and then when he was finally turned out he managed to roll underneath the fence in the field and tear chunks of skin off of both hind legs.
Needless to say the rest of the yard is very worried at this point! Maybe bad luck is catching?
Sorry, just really needed to tell someone about all this! It's so demoralising, and very hard to see the bright side at the mo.
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please feel free to ignore me!
 

RachelB

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Thanks guys, I'm just feeling a bit down at the mo. I am also a complete pessimist so I fail to see the brighter side at all! One more day done with now though, only five more to go until we're back to the vet's!
 

catembi

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I feel sorry for you.

Please try not to take it 'personally' - I know that it sometimes feels as if you're being singled out for cr*p treatment by Fate or whatever.

It's just horses though - I'm sure a lot of people on here could give you a tale of woe. Don't feel jinxed!

Hope all the horses get better soon.
 

custard

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Yes I know exactly how this feels, vet coming to scan willow tomorrow to see if he's totally F***** up his fetlock, Im hopeful but also have a tendency to look on the black side.

Someone else said this is just what horses do and its true, when you think about it there not really designed to be ridden at all are they so i suppose were supposed to be grateful when they go right but it is the most frustrating thing on the planet especially when youre making some progress
 

RachelB

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The worst thing is, I now realise how much I took for granted having two horses to ride! I should have done so much more with Maiden, just got on with it and enjoyed her, and I should have ridden Cracks more. If neither of them can be ridden any more I will be kicking myself. But hey, I'm probably totally over-reacting and they will all be fine in a few months' time! I'll wonder what all the fuss was about!
I suppose I've had a lot of luck up until now though, worst I've had was when my pony skinned her leg on a metal gate and had about three months off but it was totally repairable.
 

RachelB

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I am with Endells at the mo, but will probably change after this is sorted as I don't like them all that much. But I do have one of the really good vets seeing her at the mo (although I never remember what he's told me about what he's found, as he is really really boring to listen to!
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)
Feel much better now I have some proper SMB boots for when she's back in work though
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Fingers crossed we will find out on Wednesday what is up with her!
 
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