Tr0uble
Well-Known Member
Hi...Im looking for some experiences/advice/hints/tips/anything really. My horse has recently been diagnosed with this, after 3 years of exploring and lots of red herrings and symptoms that we thought were the main problem (like stomach ulcers)
The biopsy results showed that he had considerable muscle damage, and blood tests showed enzyme levels that support this, so hes pretty much had this year off so far. We had started to do a little, very low level work all in hand, ride and lead from my other mare/some long lining.
He was starting to build some muscle tone again, paces were becoming expressive again, he stopped stressing and panicking, coat condition picked up etc....then he went and had an accident in the stable and ripped his leg to shreds hes been on 3 weeks of antibiotics/box rest and pressure bandages and it looks like itll be another fortnight before he can start walking out again...least hes back on turnout now!
Anyway, I am going off topic! What Im after, really, is some input from others who have experienced this condition, how you managed it.....hoping for lots of success stories of course, but failures would be useful too. Im determined to get my boy through this and allow him to have a useful working life...Ive accepted that I will always need to manage this, and that he will likely not be my top competition horse, but it would be nice to ride him at least.
A bit about him...hes now 7, 17.hh WBxISH. His behaviour started to show as strange/problematic when he was about 4, always worse in the winter months....he would buck, rear, spin, panic, nap, stop dead, kick at the riders leg, throw his head in the air, ears back, eyes rolling has even dropped to his knees in pain before now (having been walking fine just a second before) There were other things like difficulty lifting hind legs for the Farrier, excessive sweating and itching after sudden bursts of activity, excessive rolling to name a few.
Hes had numerous vets and specialists checking his back, legs, feet, eyes, ears, liver, kidneys, general internals...weve blood tested for pretty much everything, he was scoped and did have ulcers (now clear for over 18 months)
Hes generally such a loving horse, really loves people, thrived on work....then suddenly it would change and hed display the behaviour as described above....totally out of character, always sudden, such turn around that it was clear there HAD to be a real issue....weve had behaviourists out to help with various things and although theres always room for improvement with my leadership and handling skills, its always been clear that hes most definitely not taking the Mickey
Im working with a nutritionist/scientist on getting the supplementation right for muscle repair and support, various nutritionists on his diet (but Im always keen to hear actual experiences f things as the theory is not always what works!) he has regular Bowen Therapy which has shown a massive improvement in him, hes kept warm at all times, fed high oil, given as much turnout as possible (balancing the turnout vs. cold wet weather implications)
Hes currently a completely different horse than a few months ago when at his worst, hes now calm, rational, nice and normal....but we havent yet started ridden work, that will be the real test!!
For anyone who has read this far...thank you! I did ramble on a bit there, its just such a long and complicated history. So, anyone able to input any further advice for me??
The biopsy results showed that he had considerable muscle damage, and blood tests showed enzyme levels that support this, so hes pretty much had this year off so far. We had started to do a little, very low level work all in hand, ride and lead from my other mare/some long lining.
He was starting to build some muscle tone again, paces were becoming expressive again, he stopped stressing and panicking, coat condition picked up etc....then he went and had an accident in the stable and ripped his leg to shreds hes been on 3 weeks of antibiotics/box rest and pressure bandages and it looks like itll be another fortnight before he can start walking out again...least hes back on turnout now!
Anyway, I am going off topic! What Im after, really, is some input from others who have experienced this condition, how you managed it.....hoping for lots of success stories of course, but failures would be useful too. Im determined to get my boy through this and allow him to have a useful working life...Ive accepted that I will always need to manage this, and that he will likely not be my top competition horse, but it would be nice to ride him at least.
A bit about him...hes now 7, 17.hh WBxISH. His behaviour started to show as strange/problematic when he was about 4, always worse in the winter months....he would buck, rear, spin, panic, nap, stop dead, kick at the riders leg, throw his head in the air, ears back, eyes rolling has even dropped to his knees in pain before now (having been walking fine just a second before) There were other things like difficulty lifting hind legs for the Farrier, excessive sweating and itching after sudden bursts of activity, excessive rolling to name a few.
Hes had numerous vets and specialists checking his back, legs, feet, eyes, ears, liver, kidneys, general internals...weve blood tested for pretty much everything, he was scoped and did have ulcers (now clear for over 18 months)
Hes generally such a loving horse, really loves people, thrived on work....then suddenly it would change and hed display the behaviour as described above....totally out of character, always sudden, such turn around that it was clear there HAD to be a real issue....weve had behaviourists out to help with various things and although theres always room for improvement with my leadership and handling skills, its always been clear that hes most definitely not taking the Mickey
Im working with a nutritionist/scientist on getting the supplementation right for muscle repair and support, various nutritionists on his diet (but Im always keen to hear actual experiences f things as the theory is not always what works!) he has regular Bowen Therapy which has shown a massive improvement in him, hes kept warm at all times, fed high oil, given as much turnout as possible (balancing the turnout vs. cold wet weather implications)
Hes currently a completely different horse than a few months ago when at his worst, hes now calm, rational, nice and normal....but we havent yet started ridden work, that will be the real test!!
For anyone who has read this far...thank you! I did ramble on a bit there, its just such a long and complicated history. So, anyone able to input any further advice for me??
Oh, and he'll be 20 in April! He is the dark bay SJing in my sig (pic taken when he was about 12).
