Casey76
Well-Known Member
OK chaps, I need to off load a bit; I need some outside eyes (as it were) and I need some ideas, advice, hand holding/pats on the back whatever.
Background (for those who don't know
)
I bought Tartine as a very (very) green 6 yo in 2013. At the time she couldn't canter in the school, which I really didn't pay much attention to as I thought it was a schooling issue. She passed a full PPE with flying colours, and I spent an extra 300 on xrays to make sure her feet, fetlocks and hocks were clean. She was incredibly sharp and spooky for a Mérens once I moved her to my yard at the time. After a month I knew it wasn't working and a space finally became available at my current yard so I moved her, and she settled very quickly.
She remained incredibly green, was sharp and spooky hacking, so I left that to other people to ride, while I pootled around in the school. Despite hours and hours of lessons, with me, with other riders, with at least 3 different instructors her canter remained awful, though we were making very, very slow progress. By May last year we could canter 20m circles (just), had started work on counter canter, done some walk to canter, leg yield to canter (all of which was part of trying to train the correct right canter lead). Then everything fell apart.
She came in with a small cut on her shoulder which needed to be stapled, combined with various holidays, she wasn't ridden for almost three weeks, and afterwards she had no canter at all. She was always disunited at the back, especially bad on the right rein, didn't matter who rode her, me or my instructor. Then she cut the inside of her right thigh, which also needed staples and more time off. Despite the rest she was still not able to canter. By July/August I got my osteopath to take a look at her, and she was blocked from just behind her withers to her tail. The osteo said he had never seen anything quite so bad. Despite the manipulation she didn't get any better, so in September I got the vet out to do a "performance not as expected" exam. My vet agreed that she didn't look right at all (lunged on a circle, w/t/c, left and right rein). Started with an ovarian scan, which was abnormal, but nothing drastic. On the advice of FW on here, I asked the vet to test for PSSM just to rule it out really. But even with the results of the standard blood screen, her muscle enzymes were way above normal; a week later I got the confirmation she was n/P1.
As she was already on a low sugar and starch diet (as she was on a weight loss diet), I didn't really have to change much in that respect. Since Sep last year I have run the gamut of supplements and combinations but still she has been out of work more than in work.
Important stuff starts here:
Her last "episode" was almost 4 weeks ago, not a full tie up, but she kind of ran into a brick wall 45 mins into a walking hack and became stiffer and stiffer. Unfortunately where we were there was no faster route to get home than the one we were on, and it took another 20 mins or so to get back. Since then, she has had a period of about 3 days of acute lameness with some swelling just behind her left shoulder, which came and went before the vet could get to see it; Last Wednesday she had her feet done, and for the first time ever had issues with holding her back legs up both out behind and brought forward. Last Thursday she had a mild chiropractic adjustment, where it was noted she had a major blockage of the right SI and hip, she also had an hour of Shiatsu massage. Despite this treatment she has been too stiff/lame to exercise (without me feeling horrendous!) since, and at the moment she is a pasture puff.
I have pared her diet right back to nothing, removing all non-essential supplements.
Her current routine consists of 12 hours turnout on an overgrazed 20x40m paddock with a muzzle.
Morning feed is approx. 100g St Hippolyt Glyx Weise Palatin muesli (https://st-hippolyt.de/England/images/Downloads/england/Palatin_Glyx-Wiese_Müsli_UK.pdf)
Dinner is the 200g of the same with 50ml (10k IU) Pro Earth Natural Vit E powder and 10ml ALCAR.
She gets 6kg hay which is soaked for 1hr (it's now too hot to soak for 12 hours)
Over the past week we have lost voluntary trot in the field.
The senior partner at the vet isn't overly happy she is on grass, but if I put her in a hard standing pen, she doesn't move at all, and she actually gains weight as I'm having to double up on the amount of hay she gets.
I'm at a loss of what to do.
I've started her back on ALCAR this week, though it didn't seem to make any difference the first time I tried it (for 6 weeks). I've stopped everything, including her hoof-minerals, just in case there is something in there which is affecting her.
Do I bute her to start exercising (though buting to exercise has never sat well with me)
Is there anything else I can do with her diet?
I hate seeing her stiff and sore all of the time.
Background (for those who don't know
)I bought Tartine as a very (very) green 6 yo in 2013. At the time she couldn't canter in the school, which I really didn't pay much attention to as I thought it was a schooling issue. She passed a full PPE with flying colours, and I spent an extra 300 on xrays to make sure her feet, fetlocks and hocks were clean. She was incredibly sharp and spooky for a Mérens once I moved her to my yard at the time. After a month I knew it wasn't working and a space finally became available at my current yard so I moved her, and she settled very quickly.
She remained incredibly green, was sharp and spooky hacking, so I left that to other people to ride, while I pootled around in the school. Despite hours and hours of lessons, with me, with other riders, with at least 3 different instructors her canter remained awful, though we were making very, very slow progress. By May last year we could canter 20m circles (just), had started work on counter canter, done some walk to canter, leg yield to canter (all of which was part of trying to train the correct right canter lead). Then everything fell apart.
She came in with a small cut on her shoulder which needed to be stapled, combined with various holidays, she wasn't ridden for almost three weeks, and afterwards she had no canter at all. She was always disunited at the back, especially bad on the right rein, didn't matter who rode her, me or my instructor. Then she cut the inside of her right thigh, which also needed staples and more time off. Despite the rest she was still not able to canter. By July/August I got my osteopath to take a look at her, and she was blocked from just behind her withers to her tail. The osteo said he had never seen anything quite so bad. Despite the manipulation she didn't get any better, so in September I got the vet out to do a "performance not as expected" exam. My vet agreed that she didn't look right at all (lunged on a circle, w/t/c, left and right rein). Started with an ovarian scan, which was abnormal, but nothing drastic. On the advice of FW on here, I asked the vet to test for PSSM just to rule it out really. But even with the results of the standard blood screen, her muscle enzymes were way above normal; a week later I got the confirmation she was n/P1.
As she was already on a low sugar and starch diet (as she was on a weight loss diet), I didn't really have to change much in that respect. Since Sep last year I have run the gamut of supplements and combinations but still she has been out of work more than in work.
Important stuff starts here:
Her last "episode" was almost 4 weeks ago, not a full tie up, but she kind of ran into a brick wall 45 mins into a walking hack and became stiffer and stiffer. Unfortunately where we were there was no faster route to get home than the one we were on, and it took another 20 mins or so to get back. Since then, she has had a period of about 3 days of acute lameness with some swelling just behind her left shoulder, which came and went before the vet could get to see it; Last Wednesday she had her feet done, and for the first time ever had issues with holding her back legs up both out behind and brought forward. Last Thursday she had a mild chiropractic adjustment, where it was noted she had a major blockage of the right SI and hip, she also had an hour of Shiatsu massage. Despite this treatment she has been too stiff/lame to exercise (without me feeling horrendous!) since, and at the moment she is a pasture puff.
I have pared her diet right back to nothing, removing all non-essential supplements.
Her current routine consists of 12 hours turnout on an overgrazed 20x40m paddock with a muzzle.
Morning feed is approx. 100g St Hippolyt Glyx Weise Palatin muesli (https://st-hippolyt.de/England/images/Downloads/england/Palatin_Glyx-Wiese_Müsli_UK.pdf)
Dinner is the 200g of the same with 50ml (10k IU) Pro Earth Natural Vit E powder and 10ml ALCAR.
She gets 6kg hay which is soaked for 1hr (it's now too hot to soak for 12 hours)
Over the past week we have lost voluntary trot in the field.
The senior partner at the vet isn't overly happy she is on grass, but if I put her in a hard standing pen, she doesn't move at all, and she actually gains weight as I'm having to double up on the amount of hay she gets.
I'm at a loss of what to do.
I've started her back on ALCAR this week, though it didn't seem to make any difference the first time I tried it (for 6 weeks). I've stopped everything, including her hoof-minerals, just in case there is something in there which is affecting her.
Do I bute her to start exercising (though buting to exercise has never sat well with me)
Is there anything else I can do with her diet?
I hate seeing her stiff and sore all of the time.
