acw295
Well-Known Member
Please bear with my pondering - I am just thinking out loud really but would welcome any thoughts!
My little Welsh cob (now 17, owned for 7 years) has been doing hacking only work (at least 4 times a week) for the last 21 months as we have moved house and yards a couple of times and I was busy getting hitched and lost my mojo for doing much else (I did do a couple of local hunts but no other comps).
As we are now settled in our new area I have tried to start schooling again but she has gone from a whizzy thing that always needed to be slowed down to a donkey that I can barely get to trot (I can, but it is hard work and she doesn't feel properly active). I have booked an instructor to come out next week to get us going again and to see what is going on from the ground - I can't decide if she is just lazy as it is hard work or if there is anything wrong? What should I look out for?
Out hacking she is pretty much as she has always been - she has gradually slowed down a bit from when she was younger, but in company still forward and although she is a bit stiff and clicky when stabled I have not noticed any lameness signs at all. On her own out hacking she is very ploddy of late as she is napping away from home, but much, much faster on the way home! We have been at new yard for 3 months and she is very settled but a bit bored out hacking as there aren't many people to ride out with.
She has been on a joint supplement for nearly a year, not overweight as she is tightly managed (muzzled at night, in with soaked hay by day) but she is nowhere near as fit as I used to have her when she was last in full work and doing some endurance comps. Her feed hasn't changed, fibre based with low calorie chaff and balancer.
If she really isn't up for schooling then I don't mind only hacking, although in winter that will mean weekends only - I am loathe to get a vet out to start investigating her legs without anything to go on if she is otherwise sound and happy as I think they will probably find all sorts wrong and then I'll get myself into a tizz about it all. However if new instructor notices anything obviously wrong then will get that looked at, as she is fully insured. She had a splint fracture 4 years ago and had surgery, but came back to schooling after that for 6 months and was as good as ever, until we started moving house and yards and I lost my mojo for it and only hacked.
Anyone had anything similar? I think arthritis is possible with her age but I also wonder if boredom and lack of schooling fitness is part of it plus the napping? She has never loved schooling but would do it, her evasion then was to rush so I am really unfamiliar with having to ride her forward and I also lack the fitness for it. How do you tell? is it best to just start the lessons and regular schooling and see if she either gets better or breaks?
She has regular saddle check and chiro and nothing untowards there. Front shoes only and no hoof issues.
Ho hum. Always something to worry about....
My little Welsh cob (now 17, owned for 7 years) has been doing hacking only work (at least 4 times a week) for the last 21 months as we have moved house and yards a couple of times and I was busy getting hitched and lost my mojo for doing much else (I did do a couple of local hunts but no other comps).
As we are now settled in our new area I have tried to start schooling again but she has gone from a whizzy thing that always needed to be slowed down to a donkey that I can barely get to trot (I can, but it is hard work and she doesn't feel properly active). I have booked an instructor to come out next week to get us going again and to see what is going on from the ground - I can't decide if she is just lazy as it is hard work or if there is anything wrong? What should I look out for?
Out hacking she is pretty much as she has always been - she has gradually slowed down a bit from when she was younger, but in company still forward and although she is a bit stiff and clicky when stabled I have not noticed any lameness signs at all. On her own out hacking she is very ploddy of late as she is napping away from home, but much, much faster on the way home! We have been at new yard for 3 months and she is very settled but a bit bored out hacking as there aren't many people to ride out with.
She has been on a joint supplement for nearly a year, not overweight as she is tightly managed (muzzled at night, in with soaked hay by day) but she is nowhere near as fit as I used to have her when she was last in full work and doing some endurance comps. Her feed hasn't changed, fibre based with low calorie chaff and balancer.
If she really isn't up for schooling then I don't mind only hacking, although in winter that will mean weekends only - I am loathe to get a vet out to start investigating her legs without anything to go on if she is otherwise sound and happy as I think they will probably find all sorts wrong and then I'll get myself into a tizz about it all. However if new instructor notices anything obviously wrong then will get that looked at, as she is fully insured. She had a splint fracture 4 years ago and had surgery, but came back to schooling after that for 6 months and was as good as ever, until we started moving house and yards and I lost my mojo for it and only hacked.
Anyone had anything similar? I think arthritis is possible with her age but I also wonder if boredom and lack of schooling fitness is part of it plus the napping? She has never loved schooling but would do it, her evasion then was to rush so I am really unfamiliar with having to ride her forward and I also lack the fitness for it. How do you tell? is it best to just start the lessons and regular schooling and see if she either gets better or breaks?
She has regular saddle check and chiro and nothing untowards there. Front shoes only and no hoof issues.
Ho hum. Always something to worry about....
Nothing serious just stuff to build her enthusiasm a bit.
