Poulshu
New User
Well, if you are reading this, you know I am in need of some advice. I would like suggestions, comments, and anything else you can think of.
To start with, I've not dealt with horse lameness or any riding issues before. I've ridden Quarter Horses most of my life. They've always been in a healthy condition and been sound all the time I've owned them. I rode western mostly, and just began dabbling into english to learn the ins and outs of jumping.
I purchased a horse from another state that is an off the track Thoroughbred. He raced for 7 years, was pulled off the track and was owned by another girl who retrained him to do hunter/jumper type riding for about 6 years. (This is the story I was told) This previous owner had him in heavy training/showing for 4-5 years and for the last year and a half before I purchased him, she had him in a small field with no grass (but hay for feeding) and only a miniature for company. She was riding no more than once a week, if that, due to her busy schedule. He lost a lot of topline muscle from his withers to his hips and was about 100 lbs underweight. I knew when I bought him I would have to put some weight and slow building work to get his topline built back up and his muscle build back.
When we got him to the barn we placed him on joint supplements (he is 14 after all, and just getting back into work), Cocosoya for extra protein, and Amplify for extra weight and more nutrition within the first week.
Fast forward two weeks:
He had his first visit with the farrier who said his feet couldn't be trimmed as there wasn't much growth. So he rasped them as best as he could (his feet were very chipped up from being in a frozen mud field) and put shoes on the front feet. Within a week he pulled a shoe and came up with a bruised heel. The shoe was replaced and once he was better, we continued our rides and exercise.
Within the next 2 weeks we noticed he was having some wither discomfort. So we changed the saddle pads to accommodate his high withers and help everything fit better. We also started to notice he showed discomfort when brushing from his shoulders to his hips and when tightening the girth. (My trainer suggested ulcers were the problem) We wormed him with zimectrin and also had his teeth floated (which were needed done desperately). This certainly helped to make him feel better as he was much more energetic in riding and in his turnout playtime.
We continued to ride and take lessons with my trainer who helped me work towards building his hind end muscles and his topline as he was lacking in both. We were doing very well with everything until about 3 weeks ago.
I came down with a bout of some nasty flu and was out of riding commission for about a week. He had daily turn out and exercise. The next week when we proceeded to ride again, my trainer pulled me off of him due to severe back end weakness. He was very off and pulling his head to the left side to compensate as I rode. She also noticed lots of pain across his back from withers to hip, which he had not shown the week before. She suggested getting his hocks injected by the vet. She also suggested that we possibly look into something neurological as his topline wasn't developing as well, and he was about 50/50 for neurological symptoms. We called the vet out to have him examined.
He was placed on stall rest with hand walking and light turnout by myself and my trainer. When the vet came out to see him, we asked him to assess his lameness and back-end weakness. He felt down his legs and where we thought he would feel his hocks and how dry they felt, he instead felt his cannon had lots of heat and swelling. This had not been the problem we felt before as we felt his legs down completely each day. The vet said it could be a suspension ligament or a torn splint. He didn't think he was EPM or neurological positive, just that he had back end weakness. He dosed him with bute and surpass and complete stall rest with walks for 7-10 days. We started the surpass that evening, and buted in the morning. When I came out the next day, the swelling/heat was completely gone in the cannon and had moved to his ankle, but wasn't nearly as hot as the cannon. The next day all swelling and heat was gone. We continued the treatment but his cannon continued to stay cold with plenty of walks and the bute/surpass daily.
Yesterday, (we're getting closer to the end!) we had another farrier out who my trainer has used for a long time. I asked him to look at my horse as I really trust her judgement. He stated that his front feet were at a 5 degree difference. (He used an analogy of a human in a high heel and a flip flop) He even stated that the trimming/rasping that the other farrier did was not good at all. (Certainly won't be using him again... lol) He also checked his back for pain (which he's been on stall rest for almost 2 weeks at this point) and he was sore all the way down. He said it was likely a result of the difference in his angles.
Our future plans consist of having his feet done asap, having the vet back out to check him and inject his hocks if he thinks that will still be the case, and then having a chiropractor out possibly if his back doesn't regain it's strength and reduced tenderness.
In the mean time, we're ceasing the surpass and bute for a few days to see if his legs start to swell again. If they don't, then we are going to put him under light exercise to see if his pain returns. In the time of this process, we have the farrier and vet both coming to check/work on him.
If anyone has any suggestions, ideas, or theories, please don't hesitate to let me know. I certainly want the right thing for my horse and am willing to do whatever it takes to make him better. I want the knowledge so I can help him and myself.
To start with, I've not dealt with horse lameness or any riding issues before. I've ridden Quarter Horses most of my life. They've always been in a healthy condition and been sound all the time I've owned them. I rode western mostly, and just began dabbling into english to learn the ins and outs of jumping.
I purchased a horse from another state that is an off the track Thoroughbred. He raced for 7 years, was pulled off the track and was owned by another girl who retrained him to do hunter/jumper type riding for about 6 years. (This is the story I was told) This previous owner had him in heavy training/showing for 4-5 years and for the last year and a half before I purchased him, she had him in a small field with no grass (but hay for feeding) and only a miniature for company. She was riding no more than once a week, if that, due to her busy schedule. He lost a lot of topline muscle from his withers to his hips and was about 100 lbs underweight. I knew when I bought him I would have to put some weight and slow building work to get his topline built back up and his muscle build back.
When we got him to the barn we placed him on joint supplements (he is 14 after all, and just getting back into work), Cocosoya for extra protein, and Amplify for extra weight and more nutrition within the first week.
Fast forward two weeks:
He had his first visit with the farrier who said his feet couldn't be trimmed as there wasn't much growth. So he rasped them as best as he could (his feet were very chipped up from being in a frozen mud field) and put shoes on the front feet. Within a week he pulled a shoe and came up with a bruised heel. The shoe was replaced and once he was better, we continued our rides and exercise.
Within the next 2 weeks we noticed he was having some wither discomfort. So we changed the saddle pads to accommodate his high withers and help everything fit better. We also started to notice he showed discomfort when brushing from his shoulders to his hips and when tightening the girth. (My trainer suggested ulcers were the problem) We wormed him with zimectrin and also had his teeth floated (which were needed done desperately). This certainly helped to make him feel better as he was much more energetic in riding and in his turnout playtime.
We continued to ride and take lessons with my trainer who helped me work towards building his hind end muscles and his topline as he was lacking in both. We were doing very well with everything until about 3 weeks ago.
I came down with a bout of some nasty flu and was out of riding commission for about a week. He had daily turn out and exercise. The next week when we proceeded to ride again, my trainer pulled me off of him due to severe back end weakness. He was very off and pulling his head to the left side to compensate as I rode. She also noticed lots of pain across his back from withers to hip, which he had not shown the week before. She suggested getting his hocks injected by the vet. She also suggested that we possibly look into something neurological as his topline wasn't developing as well, and he was about 50/50 for neurological symptoms. We called the vet out to have him examined.
He was placed on stall rest with hand walking and light turnout by myself and my trainer. When the vet came out to see him, we asked him to assess his lameness and back-end weakness. He felt down his legs and where we thought he would feel his hocks and how dry they felt, he instead felt his cannon had lots of heat and swelling. This had not been the problem we felt before as we felt his legs down completely each day. The vet said it could be a suspension ligament or a torn splint. He didn't think he was EPM or neurological positive, just that he had back end weakness. He dosed him with bute and surpass and complete stall rest with walks for 7-10 days. We started the surpass that evening, and buted in the morning. When I came out the next day, the swelling/heat was completely gone in the cannon and had moved to his ankle, but wasn't nearly as hot as the cannon. The next day all swelling and heat was gone. We continued the treatment but his cannon continued to stay cold with plenty of walks and the bute/surpass daily.
Yesterday, (we're getting closer to the end!) we had another farrier out who my trainer has used for a long time. I asked him to look at my horse as I really trust her judgement. He stated that his front feet were at a 5 degree difference. (He used an analogy of a human in a high heel and a flip flop) He even stated that the trimming/rasping that the other farrier did was not good at all. (Certainly won't be using him again... lol) He also checked his back for pain (which he's been on stall rest for almost 2 weeks at this point) and he was sore all the way down. He said it was likely a result of the difference in his angles.
Our future plans consist of having his feet done asap, having the vet back out to check him and inject his hocks if he thinks that will still be the case, and then having a chiropractor out possibly if his back doesn't regain it's strength and reduced tenderness.
In the mean time, we're ceasing the surpass and bute for a few days to see if his legs start to swell again. If they don't, then we are going to put him under light exercise to see if his pain returns. In the time of this process, we have the farrier and vet both coming to check/work on him.
If anyone has any suggestions, ideas, or theories, please don't hesitate to let me know. I certainly want the right thing for my horse and am willing to do whatever it takes to make him better. I want the knowledge so I can help him and myself.
