Birker2020
Well-Known Member
For those that haven't given up the will to live following my progress (or lack of) with the lovely Lari:
Well it’s full steam ahead again, at least for the moment.
Had the vet on the 27th May and he came out and reassessed, and said he was sound on the straight on the concrete, slightly lame on the surface on the lunge on the right fore and right hind, very slightly ataxic still on straight line with tail sway test. I suggested whether taking him barefoot might help the right fore given the large crack that ran parallel to his hoof and felt that that was why he'd gone lame whilst on sales livery as he'd actually overreached and caught the back of his shoe again. He put the hoof testers on the foot and felt that there could still be a bit of a deep bruise and also said that the crack wasn't stable. He felt that going bare foot might encourage the foot to grow better in a way that it wouldn't shod but he also felt that the ground would be against us so he would speak to my farrier and see what he advised. My farrier is very pro barefoot so if it was in Lari's best interests he would definitely agree. We also felt that he might benefit from having his back medicated, but this time all the processes with a higher dose back at the clinic. It would have to be some weeks apart from going barefoot to negate against concussive laminitis risk with the removal of the shoes.
Fast forward to the 6th June and I lunged him again and he looked quite good to me so I sent the videos to the vet. The vet rang me the following day to say that the videos were much better and the trot up which I’d filmed on the concrete looked particularly good and to book him into the clinic. He'd managed to speak to the farrier and he felt that given the time of year that the horse was better off for the moment shod, so he's being shod next Monday.
As we are going away on holiday later this month we decided to put medicating the KS on hold until the week after we got back but in the meantime it was agreed that I'd kick start the process by working him from the ground again, lunging over poles, stretching exercises, and the strengthening exercises I was doing before to help to build the top line as that is slowly disappearing again through not being ridden. I will also start using his saddle for lunging.
Then a week after he’s had his back medicated the pro rider can ride him for me on schooling livery and hopefully get him back into some form of work and back to the level he was at prior to when he came to me (if what I was told was true). Then if all goes to plan and he is deemed 'safe' I will get on him in a hand over lesson and continue to have lessons for a while afterwards.
The vet seems very positive that we are heading to a successful outcome which is positive although he has warned that his antics when ridden might prove to be in his head and not necessarily physical in nature. This was confirmed to me when I long reined him the night before last and he spun around on the long reins and tried to bolt. I managed to stop him and promptly took him back along the stretch again, and a second time two further laps of the buildings on and he tried it on again almost in the same spot but I was quicker that time and backed up my voice with my lunge whip which had the desired effect and he didn't turn this time. And every time we went past the opening in the barn that led to his stable he slowed right down and started to eye the best route so I had to tap him with the lunge whip and send him forwards with my voice again to remind him we weren't finished. So I am not totally convinced that he does have anything wrong with him and it could well be that he’s found himself (through no fault of mine) on enforced R&R following the accident last year and has started to enjoy the pampering and the time off, which I suppose is quite feasible. He’s the type that tends to give the bare minimum and has been around the block a few times given his past competition record, so I image he's more than capable of trying it on. I normally give horses that misbehave the benefit of the doubt and fire everything at them, but there will come a point when we may have to re-evaluate and consider that he is 'just being naughty' which is entirely feasible! As it happened my vet arrived to look at a friends horse as I was long reining him around the building and although he stood still for the ten mins or so of our chat, he could see him eyeing up the exit when I walked past and he also agreed that there was a possibility he is just being a horse and being naughty as they can sometimes.
The vet also said that if the pro rider does still encounter difficulties in terms of his behaviour we can then look at medicating the neck to rule that out as his xrays point to possible problems there (remodelling of bone) before I throw in the towel and send him off to retirement livery.
Here is the beastie (before he did acrobatics on the lunge lol) and a still from a film in his paddock. I normally boot for lunging but didn't want to hide anything for the vet.
Well it’s full steam ahead again, at least for the moment.
Had the vet on the 27th May and he came out and reassessed, and said he was sound on the straight on the concrete, slightly lame on the surface on the lunge on the right fore and right hind, very slightly ataxic still on straight line with tail sway test. I suggested whether taking him barefoot might help the right fore given the large crack that ran parallel to his hoof and felt that that was why he'd gone lame whilst on sales livery as he'd actually overreached and caught the back of his shoe again. He put the hoof testers on the foot and felt that there could still be a bit of a deep bruise and also said that the crack wasn't stable. He felt that going bare foot might encourage the foot to grow better in a way that it wouldn't shod but he also felt that the ground would be against us so he would speak to my farrier and see what he advised. My farrier is very pro barefoot so if it was in Lari's best interests he would definitely agree. We also felt that he might benefit from having his back medicated, but this time all the processes with a higher dose back at the clinic. It would have to be some weeks apart from going barefoot to negate against concussive laminitis risk with the removal of the shoes.
Fast forward to the 6th June and I lunged him again and he looked quite good to me so I sent the videos to the vet. The vet rang me the following day to say that the videos were much better and the trot up which I’d filmed on the concrete looked particularly good and to book him into the clinic. He'd managed to speak to the farrier and he felt that given the time of year that the horse was better off for the moment shod, so he's being shod next Monday.
As we are going away on holiday later this month we decided to put medicating the KS on hold until the week after we got back but in the meantime it was agreed that I'd kick start the process by working him from the ground again, lunging over poles, stretching exercises, and the strengthening exercises I was doing before to help to build the top line as that is slowly disappearing again through not being ridden. I will also start using his saddle for lunging.
Then a week after he’s had his back medicated the pro rider can ride him for me on schooling livery and hopefully get him back into some form of work and back to the level he was at prior to when he came to me (if what I was told was true). Then if all goes to plan and he is deemed 'safe' I will get on him in a hand over lesson and continue to have lessons for a while afterwards.
The vet seems very positive that we are heading to a successful outcome which is positive although he has warned that his antics when ridden might prove to be in his head and not necessarily physical in nature. This was confirmed to me when I long reined him the night before last and he spun around on the long reins and tried to bolt. I managed to stop him and promptly took him back along the stretch again, and a second time two further laps of the buildings on and he tried it on again almost in the same spot but I was quicker that time and backed up my voice with my lunge whip which had the desired effect and he didn't turn this time. And every time we went past the opening in the barn that led to his stable he slowed right down and started to eye the best route so I had to tap him with the lunge whip and send him forwards with my voice again to remind him we weren't finished. So I am not totally convinced that he does have anything wrong with him and it could well be that he’s found himself (through no fault of mine) on enforced R&R following the accident last year and has started to enjoy the pampering and the time off, which I suppose is quite feasible. He’s the type that tends to give the bare minimum and has been around the block a few times given his past competition record, so I image he's more than capable of trying it on. I normally give horses that misbehave the benefit of the doubt and fire everything at them, but there will come a point when we may have to re-evaluate and consider that he is 'just being naughty' which is entirely feasible! As it happened my vet arrived to look at a friends horse as I was long reining him around the building and although he stood still for the ten mins or so of our chat, he could see him eyeing up the exit when I walked past and he also agreed that there was a possibility he is just being a horse and being naughty as they can sometimes.
The vet also said that if the pro rider does still encounter difficulties in terms of his behaviour we can then look at medicating the neck to rule that out as his xrays point to possible problems there (remodelling of bone) before I throw in the towel and send him off to retirement livery.
Here is the beastie (before he did acrobatics on the lunge lol) and a still from a film in his paddock. I normally boot for lunging but didn't want to hide anything for the vet.
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