On a new ledge?

PolarSkye

PolarSkye

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So vet came out today . . . after giving him a thorough going over with hands and eyes he did find a small splint/bone-y lump on the outside of his right knee and found Kal reacted to palpation of the right, front suspensory. Watched him being trotted up on the drive, lunged on the drive and lunged in the school nerve-blocked his right fore (foot) . . . still lame . . . so nerve-blocked his right suspensory (fore) . . . sound.

So . . . vet is pretty much convinced we're not looking at further degeneration of his feet/acceleration of navicular, but that he's done something to his proximal suspensory. He's coming out again next week to x-ray and scan to see exactly what we're dealing with. It could just be a tweak, it could be a tear.

Vet (very, very good vet with a fantastic reputation wrt lameness issues) seems guardedly optimistic that we can get him sound . . . with all the usual caveats about not having seen the x-rays/scans yet, etc.

For now, he can go out in the field, he's to be cold-hosed twice a day, and we did discuss bute but given what an absolute idiot Kali can be in the field, we decided it might be good for him to feel the discomfort enough to make him careful (that's the theory anyway).

One thing, though, vet feels that bar shoes are the very worst thing for the combination of boxy feet (the affected limb is Kal's boxy/club foot) and suspensory problems so I have his blessing to seriously consider taking him barefoot.

Shoes are staying on for now . . . want to see what we're dealing with and then have a good long chat with vet, Z and farrier . . . but it's looking like Kal will be spending the summer recovering from this injury (please God let it be relatively minor) and adjusting to life without shoes . . . and then, hopefully, coming back into full work in the autumn to begin his new career as a poncey dressage pony and showjumper.

So why am I on yet another ledge? Because I'm worried about that bony lump :(.

On the plus side, Kali was his usual beautifully mannered self for the vet . . . so much so that the vet commented. He was seriously confused when I asked him to trot in circles on the tarmac, but he obliged . . . and even when there was a thunderstorm directly overhead (no joke, it sounded like cannon fire) while I was lunging him in the school, he listened to me and behaved. I do love the daft idiot.

P
 
May I suggest a new coping strategy? I don't like heights and am scared you will fall off!

As always good luck with further investigations and you are off to a great start with bf if the vet is for it!
 
amandap said:
May I suggest a new coping strategy? I don't like heights and am scared you will fall off!

As always good luck with further investigations and you are off to a great start with bf if the vet is for it!
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LOL!

I am still quite worried simply because of that splint/bony lump . . . if it's pressing on the ligament the prognosis isn't great . . . however, if we're just looking at a tweak it's not quite so bad.

I'm very confident in my vet, though . . . and, yes, it's nice to have his support to go BF.

So . . . time to park the worries until we see the x-rays/scan results. I am going to request that vet brings the shockwave machine out when he comes to x-ray so that we can get the first treatment done if that's what's required.

P
 
Just remember that unwanted leverage and concussion are the great enemies of tendons, ligaments, and soft tissue, with that in mind you may find the shoes will be causing more of a concussional problem if left on too long, plus the leverage at the toe if there is extra wall length will also be detrimental.
Watching the videos at the bottom of this page may help. http://www.rockfoot.com/why.html
 
PolarSkye said:
So . . . time to park the worries until we see the x-rays/scan results. I am going to request that vet brings the shockwave machine out when he comes to x-ray so that we can get the first treatment done if that's what's required.

P
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I know you will worry but this is a better strategy. Bf really can be very helpful once you get a good heel first landing established, the biomehanics are improved which helps hugely with strain on tendons and ligaments and within the hoof capsule.

ps. If you can splash out or get it for a B Day, Pete Rameys 10disc DVD series is very good and explains the benefits of heel first landing very clearly as well as the mechanics of that v toe first. There's lots on diet and laminitis but it is relevant to all horses.
 
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Heelfirst said:
Just remember that unwanted leverage and concussion are the great enemies of tendons, ligaments, and soft tissue, with that in mind you may find the shoes will be causing more of a concussional problem if left on too long, plus the leverage at the toe if there is extra wall length will also be detrimental.
Watching the videos at the bottom of this page may help. http://www.rockfoot.com/why.html
Click to expand...

Thanks for the vids . . . fully in agreement. Plus, the affected limb also sports a lovely club foot which is a likely contributor, even without the bar shoes as it means one heel is much higher than the other. To be honest, I've always secretly wondered if one day we'd have tendon/ligament issues with him due to his conformation in that limb . . . he is 15 now so it's almost a wonder it hasn't happened before.

P
 
paulineh said:
get a good Trimmer not a farrier. I can let you have the number of mine.

who is your vet he sounds sensible about going BF
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Will defo find a trimmer . . . current farrier is lovely but not the man for the job for BF. Any and all recommendations welcome.

Will PM you about vet.

P
 
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