What do you do when you can't ride?

[Welshie95]

I'm going to sound like a proper brat now
Horse goes lame every year. Without fail. It's gone past the "yearly tradition" joke phase and into "here we go". It's a different leg each time with no real symptom, just not sound when trotted up (no heat, swelling, digital pulse, change in breathing rate, change in hoof wear, reaction to pincers and hoof scraped to look for abscess). As he is uninsurable, vet's response each time is rest and bute. He always comes right after rest, vet and physio give him the all clear, we start off slowly, build up over winter, have a nice part of summer and then he goes again.
These episodes have ranged between 4 months and a couple of weeks and during this time I find myself increasingly agitated/fed up as I can't ride, it's my outlet after a long stressful day and no amount of "horsey time" e.g. grooming, hand grazing etc. can lift it. I also have dogs and walk them a lot longer and go swimming, but don't find I get the same mental peace than after a really nice ride!

 

[Pinkvboots]

buy yourself another one I have 2 and hardly ever have 2 to ride there is always something wrong with one of them and even if they are both ok and can be ridden it's always in winter it's just sod's law with these horses

 

[milliepops]

I also recommend having a spare. Millie-sicknote is always off at this time of year, luckily Kira-the-spare is still going strong *touches wood frantically*

I also use the time when Millie's off to ride other peoples horses, volunteer at shows, in the past i've had some schoolmaster lessons... still get my horsey fix.

 

[Bexx]

While my horse has been lame (he's been off a year now) I just asked around if anyone knew of amything that needed exercising, I've been lucky and had more than enough offers so the only thing I missed out on was my eventing season. I just asked around at the yard and on Facebook and had plenty of offers within a few days

 

[Tiddlypom]

Eat too much chocolate and drink too much gin.

 

[Welshie95]

Glad it's not just me out there with this issue! Sadly another is not in the budget for another few years!

 

[nato]

Have a blowdry that lasts more than a day
Wear makeup that stays on my forehead
Nag my OH about doing more things with me because I no longer have anything to do
Get fat

Also I bought a second horse.

 

[Loubees]

how lame are we talking? Now some people are going to disagree fully with this, BUT I have to say its always worked.... my vet has a make or break phase when they appear lame but nothing found, we are actually told to ride through it and "make or break" thankfully my boy is never lame but there are two girls at the yard and they have very similar as you start working them they do really well and all of a sudden go "lame"

if its around the 2/10ths lame and nothing is found they go with make or break and most of the time they actually pull through with nothing ever found. I'm not saying school them solidly for hours and hours etc, but sometimes rest etc isn't always required either, and each to their own etc its not everyone's cuppa T... but just a food for thought?

 

[Welshie95]

Eat too much chocolate and drink too much gin.

Now this I can do!

 

[Welshie95]

how lame are we talking? Now some people are going to disagree fully with this, BUT I have to say its always worked.... my vet has a make or break phase when they appear lame but nothing found, we are actually told to ride through it and "make or break" thankfully my boy is never lame but there are two girls at the yard and they have very similar as you start working them they do really well and all of a sudden go "lame"

if its around the 2/10ths lame and nothing is found they go with make or break and most of the time they actually pull through with nothing ever found. I'm not saying school them solidly for hours and hours etc, but sometimes rest etc isn't always required either, and each to their own etc its not everyone's cuppa T... but just a food for thought?

This time he came in fine, put in stable, groomed and tacked up, came out and he was non weigh bearing on LH, back in stable, felt everywhere and nothing. Farrier out next day (stayed in overnight), walked out stiff but weight bearing, pinched and scraped - nothing but poulticed for a few days in case a small stone had lodged (barefoot behind). It has now been 3 weeks and he is weight bearing with shortened stride at trot and toe drag, BUT this is now the RH, left is totally normal again.

 

[JFTDWS]

Obsess over the tidiness of my muck heap / fields / stables, jet wash stables, weed the yard, do all the other stuff that annoys me but is less appealing than going for a ride.

And buy a couple of spares... One is never enough :/

 

[Welshie95]

Obsess over the tidiness of my muck heap / fields / stables, jet wash stables, weed the yard, do all the other stuff that annoys me but is less appealing than going for a ride.

And buy a couple of spares... One is never enough :/

Done twice over, even priced up bedding for delivery!

 

[Ellietotz]

Groom, spoil with treats and massages. Take them for a walk if they can, if not, just potter around somehow burning hours and not achieving much. Sweeping, lots of sweeping and tidying. Sit at home spending too much money on matchy sets and things you don't need but your horse would look super cute with an ear bonnet that has hearts on, obviously. Clean tack, decide you're bored with tack. Go through all the things you have, like saddle pads and wash them all, rearrange everything then give up and have a glass of wine.

 

[Alibear]

After 2 horses comes 3 etc, they really are poorly designed creatures. Good job they're loveable.

 

[stencilface]

Same here op. This summer it's been a battle against lami sore feet, heels running forward, and some lameness behind possibly SI or his old psd again. Some days he's fine another he's not. He seems lamer on the arena but I can often work or lunge him to being sound. I'm continuing to work within his comfort zone when I can and take each day as it comes. I'd love to jump him though, I was jumping him on the lunge last winter.

What I need is a lead rein pony for mini sf so I can enjoy riding through her.

 

[Welshie95]

After 2 horses comes 3 etc, they really are poorly designed creatures. Good job they're loveable.

However do you cope?! I could manage to have 2 in work but anymore seems like madness :O

 

[Welshie95]

Same here op. This summer it's been a battle against lami sore feet, heels running forward, and some lameness behind possibly SI or his old psd again. Some days he's fine another he's not. He seems lamer on the arena but I can often work or lunge him to being sound. I'm continuing to work within his comfort zone when I can and take each day as it comes. I'd love to jump him though, I was jumping him on the lunge last winter.

What I need is a lead rein pony for mini sf so I can enjoy riding through her.

Demoralizing isn't it? Can only go through so many "1 step forwards 2 steps back" before we loose heart.

 

[be positive]

This time he came in fine, put in stable, groomed and tacked up, came out and he was non weigh bearing on LH, back in stable, felt everywhere and nothing. Farrier out next day (stayed in overnight), walked out stiff but weight bearing, pinched and scraped - nothing but poulticed for a few days in case a small stone had lodged (barefoot behind). It has now been 3 weeks and he is weight bearing with shortened stride at trot and toe drag, BUT this is now the RH, left is totally normal again.

Has the vet done any diagnostics? if not I would just ask for hock xrays, no blocks or anything else and see if it is arthritic changes which can be treated in various ways, it could be that he gets a bit stuck and very sore in the joints at times hence the non weight bearing and if it is both hocks it can go from one to the other, the toe drag is a common sign, a few xrays will not be that expensive and if it is spavins then at least you can make a plan of action which may mean more not less riding.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Feeling your pain, its horrible when you've got something which you'd ride if you could, but can't.

My old boy is 21 now, and I am so very aware that one day, perhaps sooner than I want to realise, there will be that "last ride".......

I've just bought a just-backed super little youngster and am bringing her on; and OMFG I'm realising I'm using muscles which haven't been used for a long long time, just hacking Old Boy around the lanes at his slow pace

It might be worth looking around as there may be someone near you that needs someone to exercise their horses/ponies: its that time of year again when kids'll be going off to Uni soon and dump their horses/ponies on mum, who might well need some help! Also horses prepping for hunting and needing riding-out. It just might fill the gap for you?? Not the same as yours I know, but it would at least be something to ride.

 

[Welshie95]

Has the vet done any diagnostics? if not I would just ask for hock xrays, no blocks or anything else and see if it is arthritic changes which can be treated in various ways, it could be that he gets a bit stuck and very sore in the joints at times hence the non weight bearing and if it is both hocks it can go from one to the other, the toe drag is a common sign, a few xrays will not be that expensive and if it is spavins then at least you can make a plan of action which may mean more not less riding.

Not yet, said the usual rest for a few weeks and if not I'll come back out. I have quite a bit going on for the next couple of weeks so while I'm happy to give him the rest he needs, once I have more free time to take him to the clinic for x-rays etc I definitely will be. Can you explain to me how more riding would alleviate spavins? From what I understand it's an arthritic condition, and given that the joint is no longer lubricating wouldn't more movement cause more pain and stiffness? Only going off how I see my mum move on her "bad days"! Also what would be the prognosis for work? We currently work at elementary, requiring quite some collection back onto his hocks to make the turns, so would this mean game over?

 

[be positive]

The normal treatment for spavins is to give some anti inflammatory treatment, steroids injected into the joints are often the first option, then the general view is to exercise to keep them moving which can help the joint to fuse, turning out as much as possible so they don't stiffen up, the hock is slightly different to other joints as it can fuse and still function normally depending on what part is involved, prognosis also depends on how far gone it is and how it responds, it may be something totally different but from what you say I would be surprised if it was.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

I also recommend having a spare. Millie-sicknote is always off at this time of year, luckily Kira-the-spare is still going strong *touches wood frantically*

I also use the time when Millie's off to ride other peoples horses, volunteer at shows, in the past i've had some schoolmaster lessons... still get my horsey fix.

Unless your spare goes lame too.......one is recovering from an operation the other is in the vets for a work up as he has gone lame 🙈🙉🙊

 

[Goldenstar]

I have four that's the fewest I have had in years if I run out I buy another .

 

[stencilface]

Demoralizing isn't it? Can only go through so many "1 step forwards 2 steps back" before we loose heart.

Oh I don't know, been doing this since 2011 with the same horse

Just trying to decide what herbal bute to get to see if it helps, then he'll have more supplements than feed :rolleyes3:

 

[Welshie95]

The normal treatment for spavins is to give some anti inflammatory treatment, steroids injected into the joints are often the first option, then the general view is to exercise to keep them moving which can help the joint to fuse, turning out as much as possible so they don't stiffen up, the hock is slightly different to other joints as it can fuse and still function normally depending on what part is involved, prognosis also depends on how far gone it is and how it responds, it may be something totally different but from what you say I would be surprised if it was.

Will definitely keep this in mind thank you, the way it gets much much worse then better and the switching of legs draws me away from abscess as much as I'd like it to be as simple as that, and reading up on the spavins symptoms it does make sense the way back pain is mentioned, he doesn't tend to work from behind nor down into a contact.

 

[stencilface]

Actually what annoyed me most was the farrier insinuating that I enjoyed having a lame horse to fuss over, cos wimmen like doing that. Fuming, I have a bf trimmer these days

I honestly wish I could get on and go for a gallop and jump every day

 

[Welshie95]

Oh I don't know, been doing this since 2011 with the same horse

Just trying to decide what herbal bute to get to see if it helps, then he'll have more supplements than feed :rolleyes3:

I've seen horses crawling along turn into bucking broncos within 12 hours on Alphabute from Global Herbs if that's any help?

 

[FfionWinnie]

Generally get another one I can ride.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Unless your spare goes lame too.......one is recovering from an operation the other is in the vets for a work up as he has gone lame 🙈🙉🙊

Well cars have 4 tyres and a spare so I take that to mean you need more than one tyre / horse per car / person.

Seems logical when you put it like that, hey.

 

[JFTDWS]

I need to buy another. I don't think my stable will take another jet washing without falling down or disintegrating. I hate buying horses... Anyone like to do that for me?