The 'Grace Saga' continues...

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_jetset_

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Thanks to all who offered me advice in the previous post, it was much appreciated. I now have a neck strap which I can clutch onto (although I haven't quite mastered the technique and keep forgetting I have the damn thing until we have stopped creating a scene) and she is also on SoKalm which does seem to be helping slightly.

However, as you can imagine, whenever it is windy/rainy/hailing, she reverts to demon horse... as happened this morning. There was a break in the horrid weather, so the tack came out, I hopped on and off we went. She felt like a coiled spring, and I just knew what type of ride I was going to have for 50 minutes!

I got her stretching in a pretty deep contact for a while, but then out of no where she threw the biggest hissy fit she has thrown yet
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I didn't have time to even think 'neck strap', I just had to do my best to keep balanced no matter what she did. At one point I was up in the air out of the saddle and she met me again when she came back up... ouch!!!
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So, I am now beginning to think that no matter what I do, she is still going to be a complete lunatic
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I have tried riding her really forwards into a contact, which did seem to work for a few days, I have tried keeping her in a more uphill contact which also worked for a few day... then she thinks of some other way to cause havoc! I am a pretty gutsy rider, but even I am starting to wonder whether I have some 'death wish issues'
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So, this is how her rehab has spanned out (both colic and suspensory ligament):

6 weeks of complete box rest
1 week in Leahurst for colic surgery (beginning 16th December)
7 weeks of walking in hand for 15 mins twice a day
4 weeks of walking under saddle (by the end of this week) increasing to 60 mins

We have 2 more whole weeks after this of walking scheduled... and the next scan on 19th March (so she will have done 6 weeks of walking under saddle by then).

She has been home from Leahurst for 11 weeks now after having colic surgery, and at 16 they can be usually be brought back into 'full work' gradually.

I have been umming and ahhing about whether to phone the vet who is dealing with her ligament issue and seeing whether the ligament is ready for a little bit of trot... I know she is still 5 weeks off a full recovery from the colic surgery, but normally a horse would be out in a field now but because of the ligament we are having to do things slightly different. She is certainly feeling well enough to throw herself about and turn herself inside out...

What do you think?
 
I'd ring the vet and see if you are able to start trotting. At the end of the day safety is paramount and if you did fall off she'd hoolly round and go mad anyway. see if you can bring the scan forward.
 
a friends mare had a long period of box rest due to a fractured splint bone, she then tied up when they were trotting her up to asses soundness. She ended up on box rest for several months. When it came to the ridden walk work she rode her on ACP. It might be worth speaking to your vet about that as an option?
 
ACP? You can also get pshyco drugs which can be quite effective.

Or trot- trotting will be far less strain on her than throwing herself in the air. Your other alternative would be to get her to a yard with a good walker and have them do the walk work on that, we've done that with a horse in the past.
 
Becki, could you ride and lead? Do you have something that is safe enough to lead from, so that she is getting the exercise but you don't have to deal with the bouts of explosions, she is probably less likely to do it if there is a sane animal next to her. I used to lead Boo a lot from my old horse so at least he was getting the exercise and I didn't have to deal with his naughty issues. After finding out what was wrong with him and having him put right, he is good as gold now.
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I'd ring the vet and see if you are able to start trotting. At the end of the day safety is paramount and if you did fall off she'd hoolly round and go mad anyway. see if you can bring the scan forward.

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That is a good idea... I could bring the scan forwards a week or so to see whether the ligament is up to being worked in trot
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I hadn't thought of that because I just had it in my head that the scan was 19th.
 
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a friends mare had a long period of box rest due to a fractured splint bone, she then tied up when they were trotting her up to asses soundness. She ended up on box rest for several months. When it came to the ridden walk work she rode her on ACP. It might be worth speaking to your vet about that as an option?

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Thanks, i would love to use ACP but because of the colic surgery I have been advised not to use anything which could slow the gut down at this stage
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A little controlled trot would probably put less strain on her legs than he airs above the ground.

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That is exactly what I was thinking too... the thing is, if she is starting to look at something and is threatening a huge paddy (which is most days) and I put my leg on she either just leaps off the ground, or if I have quite an uphill contact she is beginning to teach herself piaffe, which is very exciting, but definitely not something I want her to be doing with the ligament.
 
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What about riding her on ACP ?

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I have been advised against using this due to the colic surgery... ACP would be a god send right now
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ACP? You can also get pshyco drugs which can be quite effective.

Or trot- trotting will be far less strain on her than throwing herself in the air. Your other alternative would be to get her to a yard with a good walker and have them do the walk work on that, we've done that with a horse in the past.

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What are the second lot of drugs you were talking about...

There are no yards in this area that have a walker, as I would be there in a shot and hire it every day
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Wonder if the YO would consent to buying one in just for me... I agree though, a walker would be a great way of dealing with this
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Have you spoken to your vets about a calmer. My vets recommended Equistro's Equaliser when my chap was coming off box rest, but he didn't have the complication of colic. Just a thought.
 
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Becki, could you ride and lead? Do you have something that is safe enough to lead from, so that she is getting the exercise but you don't have to deal with the bouts of explosions, she is probably less likely to do it if there is a sane animal next to her. I used to lead Boo a lot from my old horse so at least he was getting the exercise and I didn't have to deal with his naughty issues. After finding out what was wrong with him and having him put right, he is good as gold now.
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I don't have anything quiet enough that would keep quiet when she explodes
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If I led her from han we would have even more of a chaotic image (in fact, that has made me laugh thinking of what on earth I would do!!!)

Again though, it is a good idea if there was something that would be suitable
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I didnt put up with this for long with Spider as she was doing me and her no good as you know I lunged her as long as the rope would go and she was perfect then got back on when she went out.

Is this an option for you?
 
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Have you spoken to your vets about a calmer. My vets recommended Equistro's Equaliser when my chap was coming off box rest, but he didn't have the complication of colic. Just a thought.

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I mentioned I was thinking of putting her on SoKalm when she initially went onto box rest and they just said it was a good idea. Do you have any more info on the one you used?
 
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I didnt put up with this for long with Spider as she was doing me and her no good as you know I lunged her as long as the rope would go and she was perfect then got back on when she went out.

Is this an option for you?

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How was she to lunge? The mood Grace is in at the moment I think she would just explode if lunged... but I am more than willing to give it a go if it would be ok for her. Did you vet recommend this? And at what stage did you start doing the trot work and the lunging?

Sorry for all of the questions... I have put up with this for so long now, and another two weeks just seems like ages to go
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I love Grace to pieces, and I know she is worth all the stress and heartache, but I will be no use to her if I come off and do something serious. And after today, I have a feeling that it is only a matter of time, and it is sheer luck which has kept me aboard thus far
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Vet said it was fine and as long as you make sure it isnt too take - I kind of walk around with her a bit so it was as big a circle as I could make it and yes she exploded for the first couple of time I lunged her but she needed too! Then she calmed down and was perfect, it was so so much safer as she wasnt going anywhere as I had hold of her and I was safe!

I put side reins on as well ver very loose just so there was a contact there like the reins would be
 
Just wondering, has your vet asked for an update? When my horse had to have an op on his hind leg and he had to have 6 weeks box rest, my vet wanted updates every week by text and if I was concerned about ANYTHING he would always ring me after reading my text.
I ended up getting back on him sooner than was expected, simply because he was a) extremely well behaved and b) his op was healing very very well.

So what I'm trying to say is, maybe if you told your vet exactly whats been happening and the fact that she's had so many explosions, that it would probably be best if you DID lunge not ride and upped the work from walk to incorporate trot, as I think she would have already set herself back with the explosions if she was going to at all.
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Vet said it was fine and as long as you make sure it isnt too take - I kind of walk around with her a bit so it was as big a circle as I could make it and yes she exploded for the first couple of time I lunged her but she needed too! Then she calmed down and was perfect, it was so so much safer as she wasnt going anywhere as I had hold of her and I was safe!

I put side reins on as well ver very loose just so there was a contact there like the reins would be

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I will have a chat to my vet when I phone him... hopefully this could be a possibility for us!
 
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Just wondering, has your vet asked for an update? When my horse had to have an op on his hind leg and he had to have 6 weeks box rest, my vet wanted updates every week by text and if I was concerned about ANYTHING he would always ring me after reading my text.
I ended up getting back on him sooner than was expected, simply because he was a) extremely well behaved and b) his op was healing very very well.

So what I'm trying to say is, maybe if you told your vet exactly whats been happening and the fact that she's had so many explosions, that it would probably be best if you DID lunge not ride and upped the work from walk to incorporate trot, as I think she would have already set herself back with the explosions if she was going to at all.
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Thanks... I will phone him and have a chat!

I think she is feeling incredibly well, and is full of energy. She also looks fantastic, even for a horse who had not been through surgery she looks amazing!!! And I dare not speak these words, but she feels 'right'.
 
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What about riding her on ACP ?

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I have been advised against using this due to the colic surgery... ACP would be a god send right now
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yes of course i forgot about that and youd efiantley dont want anything that could cause that again !!
 
I have just spoken to a lady at the vets and the specialist is going give me a bell back... will keep you all posted!

Thanks so far for the advice... I really appreciate it
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Becki have you tried Magnetude? Someone I know is using it very successfully at the moment. Her horse isn't spooky but is prone to exploding at any given time, she's had very good results with it so far.
It might be worth a try.
 
I suspect with its name it is magnesium based???

I have to be realy careful with magnesium because when her breeder gave her magnesium it had the opoosite effect on Grace than it had on the others. She went super sensitive and was trembling!
 
Thanks for suggesting it though... I was looking for calmers that did not contain magnesium and they are few and far between. Even the SoKalm I have her on contains it, but must be in smaller amounts as so far I haven't seen the effects her breeder spoke about
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