For once a serious question from me (long sorry)

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Hovis_and_SidsMum

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Morning all
For once I am not posting silliness and could do with some ideas please.
To give you some background:
Sid was our first horse, a 17.2HH Hanovarian who sadly broke his leg 3 years ago in January.
He did 13 weeks box rest and at the end of it the leg had healed but he was still horribley lame. After thousands of pounds, numerous tests, lots of trips to hospital we were informed that the inside of his hoof was basically disintergrating (if i could figure out how to do it I'd post his xrays as they are truely horrific). Tragically this meant although he was field sound at the tender age of 11 our boys ridden life was over. Now we had got Sid from a dealer and heart had ruled head. He was skinny, missing all the fur on his face and his eyes were so dull, but I'd seen something in him and I was buggered if I was giving up on him. We fought like hell to turn him inot a beautiful horse so the thought of putting a bullet in his head after the crap life he'd had broke hubby and I's heart.
To cut a long story short a lady from this forum offered Sid a home and he has lived with her until September of this year when circumstances changed. We brought him home and he has been at grass livery ever since.
He has lived out for the last few years but at the weekend we took the decision he was losing too much weight so he has gone up to the riding school until the new year. Here he is stabled during the day and allowed into the indoor school with his mate all night (with hay etc) - their fields are miles away so daily turnout is not an option.
So my question.
As of tomorrow I'm off until the new year so will be going up to him every day. I want to make sure he's moving about and not just standing on his foot so any suggestions of games / ground work i could do? i can't lunge him as in trot hes lame and I feel thats not fair to him but in walk he's fine (in canter too but I don't fancy that much!!). At night he's moving about as we put his hay all over the school in little piles so to simulate foraging and as I said he'll be back out in the new year when I've got his weight back up. I just want to make him move about during the day.
Ideas / suggestions welcome.
 
Flame_ said:
Is he always obviously lame in trot? :(
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On a circle he's about 1/5th lame on the left rein. The vet saw him 6 months ago and was happy with him (he goes every year for a full check up on that foot for our peace of mind plus they are using his case for teaching purposes)
I guess some of the issue is I KNOW what the inside of his foot looks like and don't want to make things any worse / cause him pain.
He trots himself in the field and sometimes you'd need a good eye to see he's lame but I know he is (if that makes sense). To see him in canter moving down the field breaks my heart because in that pace you would never ever know - he has a huge flowing canter and theres no hint of lameness there at all.
To have him up at the yard is not ideal but as soon as this weather lifts / I get a bit of weight back on him then he'll be back out 24/7.
 
Oh that's not so bad. He's probably getting about enough at night but if you wanted to lunge him a bit or even hack him round the block the vets would probably give you some bute?
 
Why don't you take him for a nice walk in hand? Amble along and let him have a pick at the grass as you go, as he's not getting any field turnout at the moment he would probably appreciate it. It's a lovely way to spend a bit of quiet time together and while away an hour or so.
 
I'm really sorry to hear about Sid's injury I had wondered why he never posted his diary up here (how is Hovis?). If you don't mind - out of curiosity was the hoof issue realted to the break or something else? And is it continuing to degenerate or has it stabalised. I would love to see the X-rays if you ever get them up as its not something I have ever heard of before and all knowledge is useful... :cool:

You could set up poles and practice making him walk round them, stop next to them, walk over, reverse between 2 sets etc either long-reining or just leading.
If just leading I'd aim to get him responding totally to your body language as that would require the most mental input from him.

However as some one else suggested he would probably love to go for a walk round the roads with your (change of scenery and all that) if you think he is up to it. Or maybe just try a bit and see how he copes?

Beau had a big insect bite on his back which meant we couldn't put a saddle on and it took weeks to go down. As we were both bored of lunging I started taking him with me on my evening run.
He absolutely loved it. Used to tow me out of the yard and off down the road, and cooling off we walk along me talking at him and him bumping me in reply.
I think they really thrive/love the individual attention especially if he is not used to it.
 
Flame_ said:
Oh that's not so bad. He's probably getting about enough at night but if you wanted to lunge him a bit or even hack him round the block the vets would probably give you some bute?
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He's not been ridden in 3 years and won't / can't be. The worry is there are now bony "hooks" and growths inside his foot that if they break off = goodnight. I wish I could show the xrays it makes more sense. If you imagine the top of the pedal bone as it cups the short pastern then that "triangular" segment is what is falling apart. Its the weirdest thing you've ever seen and quite hideous - the last time he was at the vets the vet students were asked to look at the xray and then go out into the yard and see which horse they thought it was being trotted up. None of them picked Sid.

Irish cob - i would take him for a walk but its dreadful sheet ice all around the riding school (its in a village straight onto roads).

I guess I just am after some ground work exercises I could do with him in the school at lunchtime to keep him physically moving and mentally stimulated. This is hopefully only until after xmas then he'll be back out eating his head off and costing me an arm and a leg (for a horse we can't ride and yes we are mad).
 
Felicity_09 said:
I'm really sorry to hear about Sid's injury I had wondered why he never posted his diary up here (how is Hovis?). If you don't mind - out of curiosity was the hoof issue realted to the break or something else? And is it continuing to degenerate or has it stabalised. I would love to see the X-rays if you ever get them up as its not something I have ever heard of before and all knowledge is useful... :cool:

QUOTE]

It wasn't directly caused by the break. The vets are undecided on what caused it but the common theory is that he'd had a problem since a foal and he would have broken down eventually. 13 weeks stood crosstied on it just made that happen much quicker than it perhaps might have done.
The disintegration has slowed down in the last 12 months or so and now he has boney spurs growing out from the pedal bone and over the coffin joint. I'll try to figure out how to post the xrays to show you - its quite amazing that he's as sound as he is. In fact the last assessment put him more sound than he's been in 3 years.
He'd never take work again and the next assessment may say something different but until he shows me he's in pain, I have to bute him to keep a quality of life or the vets say enough is enough then he's perfectly happy.
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Is long reining him an option? You could walk him out for a change of scene if it would be safe to do so. Or a wander round somewhere in hand where he could steal a bit or grass en route. Was going to suggest loose schooling but not sure if he might do to much trotting for his own good!
 
pick out a dressage test then just do it,all in walk ,leading Sid the do it long reining him. When you have mastered one test pick another, again,do it all in walk,first leading then longreining then leading then long reining .
 
Hovis_and_SidsMum said:
It wasn't directly caused by the break. The vets are undecided on what caused it but the common theory is that he'd had a problem since a foal and he would have broken down eventually. 13 weeks stood crosstied on it just made that happen much quicker than it perhaps might have done.
The disintegration has slowed down in the last 12 months or so and now he has boney spurs growing out from the pedal bone and over the coffin joint. I'll try to figure out how to post the xrays to show you - its quite amazing that he's as sound as he is. In fact the last assessment put him more sound than he's been in 3 years.
He'd never take work again and the next assessment may say something different but until he shows me he's in pain, I have to bute him to keep a quality of life or the vets say enough is enough then he's perfectly happy.
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OK, thats really interesting.
Poor boy having to go through all that, but lucky him having such lovely parents keeping him in a life of luxuary!

I hope you manage to find something to stimulate his brain, I like the DR tests idea - depending on how long the freeze lasts you might get up to Grand Prix! :)
 
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Can you just do schooling exercises in hand/long reining? dressage tests sound good too. And corridors with poles? So you have to go between them or around them. Rows of cones to bend in and out of... Maybe he'd even be able to do some lateral work in walk? :)
 
I was going to suggest the long reining as well though round the outside of a school is a bit boring but you can put in loops, serpentines, figures of eights etc. I started long reining my old horse when he was about 22 as he wasn't ridden, couldn't be lunged because of an old shoulder problem but I wanted to keep muscle on him for in hand showing.

We also used to go for walks around the village, as in being led, though appreciate you cannot do that when it is icy.
 
clicker training

my yard thinking im crackers. but it teaches good manners and respect imo....

i know you probably cant with him but my mare now backs up, circles. bows, stretches and spins 360 (quickk!) due to the clicker

so consider what he can do physically and then clicker train - even if its just walking round the school and stopping in walk.... hes using his brain and your bonding too :)
 
Now my yard at the time DID think I was crazy but about 7 years ago my mare had to be off work for six months for reasons too complicated to explain but she couldn't do ANY work that would stress joints and feet.

SO I taught her tricks. SHe still remembers them and can put her own headcollar on (needs help with the buckle obviously), 'fetch', say please, count, stand and 'stay' and a whole pile of other pointless actions. I based a lot of the stuff on the le trec requirements and found a few techniques on line but it was really a clicker training approach without a food reward.

She was just broken at the time and I really didnt want to turn her away and also I enjoyed spending time with her and taking her for walks wasn't that much fun given she's a big mare and was getting turn out anyway.

We had an outdoor school so I used to play with her in that and other liveries thought I was bonkers but it didn't do any harm.

Oh and although I am NOT a fan of certain 'buy your rabbit a central heated hutch' techniques some of the basic ground work stuff DID actually improve her response to me and make her nicer to be around all this time later.

Even then I knew she was my forever horse so I didn't mind this time and we even played with poles and made a maze.

Hmmmmmm perhaps I should stop there or just resign my H and H forum membership before get carried off :)
 
Ok..here are some exercises with poles!
Put 3 poles end to end, then another 3 poles end to end next to them and 2 people strides apart and then another 3 poles end to end another 2 people strides away, so they sort of look like giants trotting poles. You can then walk him in hand keeping him in the centre between the poles and turning him around the ends of the poles. This will also supple him as you gradually make the turn at the end smaller so the boy has to bend through his body.
You can also reverse him in hand between the poles, a few steps to start then the whole way.
You can also make a square s bend with poles very close together and get him to negotiate the s bend without knocking the poles (this is a Trec exercise).
One of my favorites is putting up bending poles and walk him in and out of them with the headcollar and lead rope, then see if gradually he will follow you without - hilarious at first and you need lots of sweeties but it's great when he does it:)
Good luck and keep us posted.
best wishes
Bryndu
 
Soo sorry to hear about this :(
Maybe some join up/ natural horsmanship type things... theres alot of info on internet about it and will keep your bond strong :)
 
Thanks all.
I shall print this out and go and play tomorrow lunchtime. Bless him he's perfectly happy stood watching all the activity on the yard and playing with his girlfriend in the school at night but I just want to keep him moving.
We were given a year when he first was diagnosed so he's had 3 times that. I couldn't PTS now when he's happy and on the whole healthy (just a tiny bit skinnier than I would like hence the fact we've done this) but the moment that changes I will put him to sleep with tears in my eyes but a smile in my heart. Whatever happens I know his last few years have been happy and whilst it breaks my heart he never got to show us the horse he was capable of being for very long, I still got to see him show my novice husband what its like to have a horse that you can walk into a SJ arena, point and press. He was the horse we shouldn't have ever bought but I'm glad every day we did.
However all this nostalgia is unrequired yet - who knows the bugger might end up outliving me!!
 
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