Tb lamemness - so fed up, sympathy pleeeease!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Achinghips]

Horseface has caused herself 2 brushing injuries by hooning around field and showing offwhile in season to the geldings on the Yard, requiring, bute and 2 weeks box rest. She has now been declared lame on a third leg, hip dips on rhs and she can't bring her righ hind foot under her properly on canter strike. Vet thinks it might be an overly straight leg common on tb's that has led to arthritis in hock joint. So she has to go in to vet hospital for nerve blockers etc to determine where exactly the problem is.
She is 12 but has been kept as a big pet most of her life so very low mileage and hasn't ever jumped.
Noticed another brushing injury this morning on the only remaining good leg. Her seasons are diabolical in the only way that chestnut tb mares can be and she's wrecked the YO's walls in the stable by kicking out at other horses and can only have single turnout as she injures others too, being so dominant and then gets separation anxiety when away from other horses.
It's been 4 weeks off riding as it is, including her freezemark, she'll be a real twonk when she's back into ridden work, she shys at everything as it is, recently even her own pooh!!!
This is the most problematic breed I have ever known - never again. If I didn't love her so much with her beautiful gentle nature with people and me, she'd be sold.



Anyone got any experience of this, and might the lame hock have recently caused all these brushing injuries?

 

[Achinghips]

30 views and no thoughts anyone?

 

[floradora09]

Lots of people have said to me how TBs may seem breakable, but they're actually quite tough, as they're bred for being fast/hard work etc. I've had my TB for 3 months, and he often comes in with minor cuts and scrapes, but only one more serious one (that looked like a puncture wound on his lower leg, so polticed it but all fine). I guess some are worse than others! Maybe invest in some turnout boots (equilibrium do some nice ones) or brushing boots for her in the field?

I rode a ditzy chestnut mare for a while (think she was TB!) and, never again! Although I am better suited to geldings, and she was your stereotypical chestnut mare! Bit weary of mares (especially chest nut ones!) now, however I've got a bay TB gelding, the most sensible horse I know and I love him to bits!

Sorry not much help on the technical vet front!

 

[kirstyl]

In my teens I had a TB mare on loan from my riding instructor and she was always in season! She had a solid row of kick marks round her brick stable and she was always being mounted in the field, damaging herself and rugs. Back in the day when horses were kept in mixed herds! She was also a nightmare to travel when in season, kicking violently constantly, and on several occasions was so bad she had to unloaded and ridden home.
Another girl loaned her after me and she kept her at her home on her own. She was a different horse, very calm and no problems kicking and travelling.
Have you tried any of the 'moody mare' supplements - I really think it's worth a try. Weren't available in my mare's day, but if I had a similar one again I would be going down that route and asking vet's advice.
I have an ex racer gelding now and he often comes in with nicks and grazes, and he too brushes, he is always ridden with boots all round. Perhaps you could turn out with leg wraps?

 

[toomanyhorses26]

The first year with my tb was hell - niggling injury after niggling injury and as soon as we had sorted one something else would arrive Eventually we got him relatively sound - I had a talking to by my vet who is a 4* event rider who told me to work him hard and regualry . So we put him into 6 day a week working building up gradually from literally wlaking for most with small amounts of trot to schooling hard for 3 days a week,1 day jump,1 day hack and 1 day on the lunge or free schooling. Thankfully after 2 years on the regime he has not had a lame step since we put this into practice. He causes trouble when there isn't any and uses any excess energy to rile up his field mates but being in a regular routine of work means that when he goes out - he grazes - not hooning about or picking fights but head down eating He now lives out 24/7 and I can trust him to do this without putting himself though fences in the middle of the night. When she come sound I would try this for 6 months and see what happens I can now drop him down to 5 days a week which works better for me and no ill effects so far. Talk to your farrier about her shoeing as there maybe something he could do for the brushing - mine overreaches so I turn him out in boots and my farrier rolls his toes so minimising the chances. Good luck - they do come good in the end

 

[Achinghips]

Thanks for your thoughts, yes I have her in the field in turnout or brushing boots now, depending on the weather recently and her seasons - difficult when she has open brushing sores, but they are dressed under the boots. She'll have her ovaries scanned at the hospital next week as part of her lameness/self injurous investigations and I'm thinming but the marble in uterus.