PSSM 1 positive experiences

[blitznbobs]

I have a horse that has essentially been a field ornament for all of his life. He has had multiple serious illnesses and several injuries, including hock injuries, full surgical colic, cellulitis and a few funny episodes that the vets have never really diagnosed other than to say it was “probably laminitis” I never really bought the laminitis diagnosis as it went from “fine” to unable to move to back to “fine” in less than 48 hours but we muddled on. This horse has never been ridden properly since the colic episode because unless mooching along on a long rein he completely loses it and tries to dump you (and I mean really tries) which wasn’t really his personality so I always assumed it was pain after his surgery. He has been retired since an 8 year old.

this week he has had another one of these funny episodes which mimics laminitis and the new vet that came out said”he’s not laminitic he is tied up” it suddenly all made sense - and the tests have come back as Pssm 1.

he is now 12 still a relatively young horse with management do these horses ever have a good ridden career and therefore is it worth me taking the time to try and bring him back into work or is it a huge uphill battle and he is much better off left as the huge over grown field ornament he currently is? any positive experiences out there?

 

[SEL]

Mine tied up on Saturday morning (totally my fault - too much grass overnight) and if I hadn't known what I was looking at then I'd have said laminitis. Had to persuade the out of hours triage vet that it wasn't sycamore poisoning too.

I'm not a success story and your description about properly trying to dump you and a tonne of unexplained issues is very much my life with the Appy. 13 in a few weeks and been a field pet properly for 2 years but in all honesty she wasn't doing much before then.

I do know people who have had success. Vitamin E and magnesium usually come into the equation and so does keeping them rugged on the warm side. Restrictions in grass really help and mine was at her best one of those drought summers when the yard gave me a small paddock and she was basically in a dry lot. Regular exercise with as much trot and canter to use up the glycogen as you can do. Its the exercise that's hard because it needs to be daily if you're getting them back into work and I always found that was when she was at her most explosive. If I'd ever been in a position to ride and lead then I think that would have been the safest way.

The endurance horse I knew was kept on a dry lot and did at least 2 hours (more if the owner could find help) 5 x week with lots and lots of cantering. She was as explosive as they come when she'd had any time off work - an 18 yo used to sit out the bucks - but once in regular work was an angel.

I think it comes down to how much you want that particular horse in work. I never intentionally retired the Appy but we moved yards and I needed to buy a bigger mounting block. I did in hand work then realised that I actually felt relieved that I couldn't ride and tbh I think we're both happier for it!

 

[Domirati]

Mine tied up on Saturday morning (totally my fault - too much grass overnight) and if I hadn't known what I was looking at then I'd have said laminitis. Had to persuade the out of hours triage vet that it wasn't sycamore poisoning too.

I'm not a success story and your description about properly trying to dump you and a tonne of unexplained issues is very much my life with the Appy. 13 in a few weeks and been a field pet properly for 2 years but in all honesty she wasn't doing much before then.

I do know people who have had success. Vitamin E and magnesium usually come into the equation and so does keeping them rugged on the warm side. Restrictions in grass really help and mine was at her best one of those drought summers when the yard gave me a small paddock and she was basically in a dry lot. Regular exercise with as much trot and canter to use up the glycogen as you can do. Its the exercise that's hard because it needs to be daily if you're getting them back into work and I always found that was when she was at her most explosive. If I'd ever been in a position to ride and lead then I think that would have been the safest way.

The endurance horse I knew was kept on a dry lot and did at least 2 hours (more if the owner could find help) 5 x week with lots and lots of cantering. She was as explosive as they come when she'd had any time off work - an 18 yo used to sit out the bucks - but once in regular work was an angel.

I think it comes down to how much you want that particular horse in work. I never intentionally retired the Appy but we moved yards and I needed to buy a bigger mounting block. I did in hand work then realised that I actually felt relieved that I couldn't ride and tbh I think we're both happier for it!

Yes, our pony was diagnosed in 2012, is now 25 and still ridden everyday. Successful pony club career, including teams. Careful management of diet, I feed a general vitamin and mineral supplement as well.

good luck.

 

[Pippity]

Blue is ten and was diagnosed 18 months ago, after tying up on a farm ride. I stuffed her full of vitamin E, which cleared up a host of niggly issues, and she's now the happiest she's ever been.

Tbh, the vitamin E is the only real PSSM management she gets. I'm a bit more rug-happy than I would be with a non-PSSM horse, and I'm very careful to make sure she's fit enough for what I'm asking her to do. She does have soaked hay, but she's always had that (because she's a lardy-guts).

I don't even really need to do the daily exercise thing. I turned her away for two months which, according to the textbooks, should have been terrible for her, but she came back happier than ever. I did a couple of weeks of in-hand and long reining, just to fitten her up, then hopped on bareback and went for a potter around the farm. (And I'm an absolute coward, so I'm not going to risk myself if there was any chance of an explosion!)

She's finally learning to canter in the school, we're out hacking and doing dressage and showing, she's learning to jump, and she had a grand old time with a mad gallop yesterday.

Even if you don't try to bring yours back into work, the vitamin E could make him a much happier field ornament.

 

[Glitterandrainbows]

What vitamin e do you all use please ?

 

[SEL]

What vitamin e do you all use please ?

There seems to be a shortage of natural vitamin E so normally forage plus but right now whatever I can buy

 

[Glitterandrainbows]

There seems to be a shortage of natural vitamin E so normally forage plus but right now whatever I can buy

Thankyou x