Hector's pathetic excuse for dumping me at Isleham....

Baydale

Baydale

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.....kissing spine. Honestly, why on earth didn't he just say he was sore and nap or plant himself when I asked him to jump stuff that hurt him?
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Surely that's how most "normal" ponies would have expressed themselves?
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Enough of the flippancy, but when you've had the couple of weeks that I've just had this doesn't have quite the same impact as it would ordinarily. Hec has been at Newmarket Equine Hospital for a few days: scintigraphy showed hotspots in his front feet, thoracic area and o/h hock. I knew the o/h hock was mildly arthritic already, so they investigated the rest further by x-raying and found kissing spine and also the early stages of sidebone in both front feet, but moreso in the left fore.

So, plan of action is to inject his back but not do anything about his feet until we've seen what difference the jab makes. I've to get him back into work and competing - once the 60 day withdrawal period has elapsed obviously - and see what he's happy with. So, Mr Genuine and I will be back soon, in action at an OPN or ON near you
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. If all goes well I shall probably sell him to someone who'd like to learn the ropes on the sweetest and most obliging horse I've ever come across (trust me, William Hill was never that sweet and obliging
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).

Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated, as I'm curious to know what other experiences you've had with KS horses.

Is it hot chocolate and cookie time? Maybe dissolving Co-codamol in it would make them more palatable, but I doubt it.
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poor Hector... at least you've found a reason though, I think otherwise you go completely crazy... the mare is yet to prove that the coffin joint was the reason- but still it makes me feel marginally better that it wasn't my shocking riding!

Fingers crossed you've caught it early enough for the injections to have effect
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Hope the Co-codamol is keeping you out of pain too!
 
This is not directly aimed at you Baydale, but, it seems that if any horse has a stop nowadays then it gets sent of the some vet who comes up with this that and the other wrong with it. I doubt any horse whould be sound with these people!

I'm glad you are keeping him going, but I do sometimes think it's a bit of an excuse?

I'm sure it's not in your case, but you catch my drift.
 
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poor Hector... at least you've found a reason though, I think otherwise you go completely crazy... the mare is yet to prove that the coffin joint was the reason- but still it makes me feel marginally better that it wasn't my shocking riding!

Fingers crossed you've caught it early enough for the injections to have effect
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Hope the Co-codamol is keeping you out of pain too!

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I'm shocking, but didn't think I was shocking enough to turn him over at what was a run-of-the-mill intermediate fence.
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As I said, silly beggar should have ignored my unreasonable requests and told me to shove it. It's his own fault
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for jumping the most cracking clear sj and fooling me into thinking he was ok.
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How many humans do you know who lead very active/sporty lives who have not got any issues? Its the same for sport horses compared to horses who just hack or do low level RC.

Sorry to hear about Hector but I expect you are glad you have an answer. Maybe we should set up a clique!
 
The fact that he gave a "cracking SJ round" might make me think he was ok.

Why couldn't he just not like the look of the ditch?
 
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sorry the shocking riding obviously wasn't aimed at you!
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Completely take Starbucks point... but this isn't a horse that is behaviorally that quirky (well from what I've read of Baydales posts!)... As N says, he actually tried to jump aswell, wasn't like he just dug his heels in! And certainly with the mare, I persevered for almost 18 months on a behavioral side of things, she didn't get away with it once... so like I say- yet to be proven right but she was most definitely lame when they examined her!

On the other hand I rarely hear of horses coming back given the complete clean bill of health- but then people are paying to have a full examination and I doubt that there are any horses out there with nothing wrong with them, and if they're being paid to find something, they often do...
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Ah Starbucks, glad to see your usual standard of straight talking stays the same even late at night when others are fading.
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This is a horse that doesn't stop btw: last time he stopped in 06 he had a virus and was out of action pretty much for 3 months, the other 20 penalties on his record were for hooning past fences. I know what you mean though, but vets are there to find possible reasons for loss of performance. What one horse will compete with may well stop another horse in his tracks.
 
yeah, but he actually tried to take off, it wasnt (by the sounds of it!) a fresh event horse at their first party "OH MY GOD WHATS ONE OF THEM... I've NEVER seen a ditch before!" things???
 
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Ah Starbucks, glad to see your usual standard of straight talking stays the same even late at night when others are fading.
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This is a horse that doesn't stop btw: last time he stopped in 06 he had a virus and was out of action pretty much for 3 months, the other 20 penalties on his record were for hooning past fences. I know what you mean though, but vets are there to find possible reasons for loss of performance. What one horse will compete with may well stop another horse in his tracks.

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That last sentence... thats what Im trying to say but end of weekend brain is failing me miserably!
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The fact that he gave a "cracking SJ round" might make me think he was ok.

Why couldn't he just not like the look of the ditch?

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Because we're talking about an experienced horse that's done two double clears at 2 star, so not a numpty horse with issues. And, as LPP says, certainly not a horse with behavioural issues - we're talking about Mr Of-Course-I-Can, not Mr Can't-Be-Ar**d-Today.
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That last sentence... thats what Im trying to say but end of weekend brain is failing me miserably!
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It's ok, we got your drift. Good weekend was it?
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I'm glad you didn't take offence, and I really hope you, and him are ok. Plus, competeing at your level it's different, I can imagine they do need to be spot on... but (not you but)

I can't imagine all these conditions have come on all at once though? Do you know what I mean?

It's like we thought this horse was fine, was competing well, then it had a stop and now both front feet, both hocks, it's back and it's forlock are all f*cked
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Wasn't it Hector who was your OHs hunter?
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I find it hard to say anything, because I know you are tons better than me, but here goes.

My dad had a hunter, he would jump anything, the biggest hedge, whatever. There was one "small" fence at a meet that he never got him over!! The horse just thought it was wrong for some reason.

All I'm saying, is if there wasn't THAT fence, you would have flown round and would have probably been glowing from you're event today. He could have had all the conditions while you've been eventing him.

Just a thought.
 
Oh dear
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But I am confused- surely if the back was not shown up as a hot spot, then that means that the K/S was not 'active' so to speak, and it was the hock/feet that were hurting?

Although I suppose if the feet/hock started hurting recently, that would cause altered limb action which in turn would cause the back to sieze up. But if its not shown up as a hot spot yet, it must be very mild?

Anyway, injections in the first instance and I do think the absolute BEST machine for this is H wave therapy- works wonders on getting rid of muscle spasm and shortness/soreness, as his muscles over the back and hindquarters will be sore. Does the vet want to do anything about helping the feet and the hock at all?
 
ETS- Sorry, just read your post properly, was in a rush !! Did not see 'thoraic area' and did not see that you are going to be selling him!! Ignore post above.
I am so, so sorry
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Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated, as I'm curious to know what other experiences you've had with KS horses.


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Jenny was diagnosed with KS in the area of her spine just at the back of the saddle about 4 years ago. She never stopped jumping either but she did buck...a lot... mainly on landing from a fence. I took her to have a check over as so many people were telling me it was just a schooling problem and to work through it. She also had steroids injected into the spaces between the vertebrae and the difference the next time I rode her was unbelievable which confirmed that she was in pain. I was a bit panicky to start with imagining she would need either major surgery or worse. I spent a lot of time on the flat specifically working on strengthening her back muscles and so long as I make sure her saddle fit is 100% perfect she copes absolutely fine. I do a lot of carrot stretches and massage with her to try and keep her back tiptop but I have to say it wasn't the grim prognosis that I had feared. Some other people may give a different view point but thats what happened for us. I would say keeping her back flexible and strong is high maintainance but well worth it. The only grim point is Jenny did go on to damage one of her hind suspensories which I believe there is a bit of a link between the two....but touch wood....she seems to be on the mend from that too.
 
Poor Hector. Pleased that you have found out what is wrong, I hope the treatment works for him .. and for you of course.

I had a very old horse who developed sidebone, with rocker-bar shoes fitted, he worked as normal with no problems but he wasn't a competition horse just a hack.

Strange he didn't nap aren't we told that half of him is the nappiest breed on the planet??? What an honest chap.
 
He kept going because that is what genuine horses do. If he hadn't tipped over he probably would still be jumping, at least he can now get treated for it.

Hugs for you both, must be one of your worse horsey weeks ever.
 
Nicky, I just don't know what to say, you really don't deserve this, neither does Hector.

Did you read the post on here a couple of weeks ago - the one about how many horses would actually be crippled and written off if we all had regular 'workups' done on them.

He is in the best hands and I'm sure the injections will really help.

If you could pop him in the tumble dryer on hot for a few hours to shrink him a bit I would have him tomorrow, he really is the sweetest boy, and so genuine too.

Fingers crossed that the treatment will allow him a happy and active life in whatever field you chose for him. You never know it may all work so well he could return to his previous form for you.
 
Poor Hector and poor you Baydale. Still, at least you have the consolation that now you know what the whole deal is and can act accordingly. You've certainly had a crap couple of weeks, you poor thing.

I have had some odd experiences with kissing spine - my father had a high goal polo mare with it and she was always injected at the beginning of the season as it was always worse when she was coming back into work than at the end of the season when she was playing at the top of her game. It didn't cause loss of performance as such, the mare really loved her work, but we lived in a fairly mountainous region and she napped horribly down hills when we were getting the ponies fit again, where she had been fine on the way up. On the nice flat polo pitches, she was no bother at all. That was the first sign of trouble and my father Xrayed her every season to keep an eye on the problem, it never got any worse but we just had to manage her as best we could. She was playing well up into her 20s if that makes you feel any better!
 
Oh poor hector
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MY sister had to retire a promising 7yr old when he was diagnosed with KS- he had a course of injections but it didnt really improve things. Surgery was an option but he had changes in his navicular bones too and was naturally quite a naughty horse anyway so we didnt go down that route.
 
Poor Hector. I think you did absolutely the right thing getting him checked out as you knew it was so out of character for the horse, poor boy he's such a trier. Sorry it has turned out the way it has. Hope the treatment works well.
 
Well i'm bu99ered, I never expected that
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Boo had the syntography done, he too had hotspots in his hock and it showed up his pedal bone rotation. He was injected with cartrofen for the hocks and had the remedial shoeing for the rotation.

I think having the syntography done gives you peace of mind, at least you know what his body is up to but I guess without the x-rays they would never have picked up the KS. Originally that is what I thought was wrong with Boo, KS
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If you do end up selling H, I think you are going to have a very long queue of people clambering over themselves to buy, if I had money, i'd be there like a shot as I just want to go out and "play" at eventing now, ah well.

Anyway, hope your fractured bits are healing well, how many more weeks before you are allowed near a saddle?
 
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