LOU on a 6yr old - update

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Missmac

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Thank you to those who replied to my original post a couple of days ago. We went to the vets today and things arn't as bleak as originally thought.

We got to clinic and she was sound behind (typical) but was slightly lame on her n/s fore when lunged. She refused to allow herself to be flexion tested so the vet thinks that there is an issue in her SI joint and has given her cortisone injections to her SI joints and a set exersise plan for the next 6 weeks.

Her forelegs were x-rayed and there is no rotation or navicular changes or anything of that nature and there was no obvious soft tissue injuries so I'm going to keep an eye on that. I suspect she bruised her sole the other day as she did stand on a stone and pecked quite badly. The vet wasnt overly concerned about that.

So im feeling quite upbeat about today and im really hoping that she will come ok with careful management and a lot of hard work (you wana to see the exersise plan we have!!)

Part of the plan is work with a pessoa. Now I have never used one and I dont know anyone with one that i can borrow. Is a pessoa 'type' system just as good as the original thing or am I better off splashing out on an original system???

Thank you.

A.xx
 
Ok. Which one do you have?
Im quite apprehensive about using one. Do you have any tips on introducing a horse to using one.x
 
My WB has chronic SI dysfunction and we had to do weeks in a pessoa. i use a copy - bought on ebay for £30. Works great.

I used a physio too for Tens therapy - both nerve stimulation and muscle stimulation and she gave us a pole exercise where we had to walk over one single pole 10 times each direction and aim not to touch it. Physio was interesting as they took muscle measurements on both sides of my horse and they differed greatly but the gap narrowed following the rehab.

I can't tell you exactly how it has gone as I sent him for further osteo sacrum mobilisation by a holistic vet and he has been turned away for some 10 months. Waiting for consistent weather to start him again.
Good luck :)
 
Thank you. Good luck with yours as well. On the plan/ discharge sheet it says a session in the pessoa twice a week for life to maintain core strength.

Im moving her in the next week to somewhere with a very good surface so im hoping to crack on but a few weeks of nice weather would help!
 
I bought a fake pessoa-style from decathlon and works really well on my lazy boy. I just put it straight on him as he's so laid back, but to get them used to something behind them (have heard of horses breaking legs panicking in a pessoa) put a roller on them and tie a bit of vetwrap to it, put it behind their back legs and tie it to the other side- then if they panic its stretchy and will rip under pressure with no damage :)
 
Missmac said:
Thank you. Good luck with yours as well. On the plan/ discharge sheet it says a session in the pessoa twice a week for life to maintain core strength.

Im moving her in the next week to somewhere with a very good surface so im hoping to crack on but a few weeks of nice weather would help!
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I was actually told 'no hope' for my horse as he is a chronic case and had this likely since he was 2 yrs old, but I am ever hopeful having sent him to the holistic vet for that sacrum mobilisation. She maintains that he should self manage now and muscle build and i shouldn't have to keep him ultra fit and muscled to maintain. I hope she is right. I have LOU on mine that's how much 'no hope' he was.
 
Good tip horsemadelsie!
She isn't the greatest with things behind her legs. She practically hog tied herself once when i was long reining her and she threw a wobbly!
 
Missmac said:
Good tip horsemadelsie!
She isn't the greatest with things behind her legs. She practically hog tied herself once when i was long reining her and she threw a wobbly!
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Is she not used to fillet strings on rugs then, perhaps try her with one before you try the pessoa? Have to admit it's one of the first things I do after they've had a roller on when breaking them, saves so many arguments later.

That's good news about your mare, far better than you hoped so well done, will look forward to progress reports.
 
Maesfen said:
Is she not used to fillet strings on rugs then
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That is an excellent point! Every one of her rugs has a fillet string so she should be fine really. I will take it slow and I'll have a helper with me in the early stages just in case she gets the nans!!

I have to say the day she nearly hog tied herself she was being a monumental tool! She stepped back, spun round and scared herself and me! But that was over a year ago and she has grown up mentally a lot in the last year.
 
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