Maiden update, the good and the bad!

[RachelB]

No piccies I'm afraid as I have a memory like a sieve at the moment and keep forgetting my camera!
I can't remember when I last wrote an update so I'll start from the beginning of June. She was as sound then as I have ever seen her and I gave her a week or so extra just to make sure she was sound, then I started walking her out on June 13th

Starting with five minutes, building up to 10 on the fourth day as five minutes is really quite short and boring and TBH she'd been doing more walking than that in the field on her own! Thursday 19th my farrier came and tidied her feet, and found a sore on her heel (left hind). He cleaned the dead heel from round it and told me not to worry about it, and she was lame behind 24 hours later

Only nigglingly lame but lame nonetheless so I stopped walking her.
A week later she was 99.5% sound so I started walking her again, five minutes for a couple of days then 10 for a week, then a couple of days building up to 15 minutes. That brings us to two days ago, when she walked out all the way down our long driveway, out across the stoney car park, and on to the road where she was as sound as I could want her (99.9%, if not 100% on the straight

)
Yesterday I was too busy and knackered to walk her so I gave her a day off, and today she did her own exercising... I got back from a hack with Berlin to find a large white blob streaking around the field at 90mph

Looking on the bright side she was happily galloping on the left lead, which is something she was never comfortable doing before (even when sound), but on the less positive side I jolly well hope she's sound tomorrow!

She was almost doing QH-style sliding stops at the gate (where they take all their weight on their hinds and almost "bounce" on their front legs to stop) which was very worrying

Not a mark on her though, she's sound at the moment, slight filling in her pasterns where she's still so fat and hasn't exercised that much in... 18 months! As far as I know, February 3rd 2007 was the last time she cantered more than a stride

So good and bad news I suppose, I'm just hoping my bad doesn't turn into very bad! Fingers crossed, by September I should be allowed to sit on her again

 

[cellie]

Thats great news reallly pleased for you.You have been so patient .We have had a year with stops and starts and the full range of emotions that go with it so I know the emotional roller coaster ride you have been on.Hope things keep positive for you.

 

[RachelB]

Thanks

Good things come to those who wait - I keep telling myself that!!

 

[wjgfred]

Hi,

Well done you and Maiden!!

Good to hear you are out walking, I know how much you were desperate to get going again. (and how frustrating the waiting is).

It sounds to me like its more good than bad, with a bit of a hiccup!! and horses will be horses in the field.

I do wish they would listen when we tell them to be careful in the field !!.

Anyway will keep everything crossed for you and please let us know how you are getting on.

TAKE CARE AND GOOD LUCK

 

[lucemoose]

woohoo, tell Maiden you will hobble her if she doesnt behave!Mine hooned around like a bullet last week and my heart was at the bottom of my socks. So what are you doing with this walking then? Purely in hand/ridden? Leading up to anything ?? Am curious!

 

[RachelB]

Oooh hobbling, hadn't thought of that! Latest plan is to separate her from her boyfriend so she is less attached, and stable her when he goes out (knee boots, brushing boots and ACP at the ready

). She's just turned into a nutter this week, must be in season (she never shows). I've put Berlin in his grassy field for the day and left Maiden in her starvation paddock, she's now walking the fence and getting her exercise!

wjgfred - Poor Berlin thought I was yelling at him last night, we have a really long straight driveway up to the field and I was walking Berlin back along it whilst watching Maiden zoom round; I kept yelling at her to stand still and poor B kept trying to stand! He was VERY patient bless him

and Maiden didn't take a blind bit of notice

prittstick - I am doing the walking my vet prescribed for her way back at the beginning of the year. It's two months of walking in-hand, starting with 10 minutes a day and building up to 40 minutes a day by the end of the second month. Well, it was supposed to be 20 mins twice a day but I just can't do that what with having a life and all

I'm on holiday the first week in August so I want to have her walking out for 20 minutes by the time I go away, then she'll have a week off (unless I can rope in some poor unsuspecting person to walk her for me!) and when I get back we'll do a week of 20 minutes then build up to 40. Then I can finally sit on her again, all being well

That will be a month of building back up from 20 minutes to 40 minutes ridden, then vet will be called to see where I should go next. It'll probably be another couple of months of walking up to about an hour and a half, then introducing trot hopefully. Shoes will go on after I get back from holiday; I'm fed up of trying to avoid the stoney ground already! Will have a chat to my farrier and see if I can persuade him to stick some eggbars on. I think it'll make her more sound too, she is rather un-confident with her feet at the moment (shoeless) but hopefully getting shoes back on in front will help. She's certainly fine when she forgets about her feet, like galloping round last night or when she did the most amazing extended trot across the field the other day

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

Fantastic News S

thats very encouraging about hooning around on her prevoiusly stiff canter lead

Our boy J with his ongoing coffin joint v collateral ligament issues *whispers & touches wood* seems 99% sound.He was shod with NB shoes

4 weeks ago and we moved 3 weeks ago and he has been out 24/7 since.

He got in with baby horse and chased him round and round flat out gallop/bucking

(we were alternately cringing and LOL at his grunts and squeals) before we managed to catch him and put him back in his own paddock. Fully expected a cripple the next day but he trotted up ok and is even standing with his front legs as a pair 90% of the time rather than continually pointing his off fore. We will start walking him out but are taking it much slower than the vet said as we are not happy with putting a 1/10th lame horse back into full work "to see what happens"

 

[RachelB]

That's good news then Land_Girl!

I only started walking Maiden when she was still lame as I was fed up of waiting and wanted to see what happened. She actually came sound after a week so it certainly didn't do her any harm. I'm running out of patience now though, if I still had any left I would have left her!