Okay. Let's talk lameness.

We've hit to two week mark. I've watched my pony get spontaneously lame, improve, regress, start out sore but get almost sound, and then the next day, go back to being sore. Until he's put on a lunge. Then almost sound again.

Right.

The problem with horses, is that they can't talk. And the problem with most "cures" is that they counteract each other.

Soak an abscess to get it to rupture. But if it's a bruise, soaking does more harm. Stall rest for a tear...or time in the paddock. Every argument has an opposite argument, every solution has a risk. What do we do?

We've gotta get scientific on it.

What I know.

I knew I had to make one more visit out to the barn before I fly out for a business trip on

Holy Hives Batman!

Yup.

At some point, I traded in my stead-fast, 13 years living wild and free without a single vet-call, hardy quarter horse, and got myself an overbred imported warmblood (I say that without malice and perhaps a whole lot of envy for their talents, just let's face it, some of them were bred to live in a sterile environment and travel in bubbles).

I was just going to soak his hoof. That's it. No biggie. I had SOOO much spare time before meeting An for our first trail ride together at H's (on a borrowed horse for both of us). Heck, I had soooo much free time before hand I could hand graze Moon and wash his tail! (You know...if I did things like wash my horse's tail and IF there was grass not so water sogged it was more like seaweed....).

Regardless, I had tons of time.

So someone explain to me why I pretty much showed up LATE to H's?

Oh, I know why.

Because someone has stolen my quarter horse.
Relax, not seriously stolen. More like that old fable about some critter going into nursey's and swaping babies. Leprechauns or something...(oh wait...it IS the day of the Irish...).

Right, you're wondering where my horse went. So am I. But we'll get there...

W let me know that the farrier hoof tested him yesterday and he wasn't sore on his left hind. At all. But he WAS sore on his right fore, exactly where the bruises I'd previously mentioned were. Let's face facts, he's probably sore in 19 places, all compounded and heavily taxed for good measure.

So you see, I spent 30 minutes trying to stuff his hooves into his Moon boots. So we could go on a Moon-walk (haha, get it? yes, lame. but I'm desperate here). And see if bruising was part of his soreness.
I was sweating by the time I finished. People in the barn informed me that they were probably too small. I love quality advice. : )

I finally jammed them on him. Threw his bridle on for the first time in two weeks (actually, slightly more!) and dragged him out to the arena.
Two little girls (6 and 8?) were having a lesson on a single pony. I hopped aboard Moon to try him out.
"WOOOOWWWW!" one little girl exclaimed, pointing at us.

I was certain he'd just piaffed across the arena and I'd missed it. I mean, she was in AWW.

"What?" Coach W asked.

"She's riding WITHOUT a saddle! She's amazing!" the little girl replied.

I don't know if any of you have ever won at Grand Prix Dressage, but I can assure you, I now know EXACTLY how it must feel when they hand you that 1st place ribbon. No joke. I seriously felt like an Olympian. I had an overwhelming desire to spur off into a beautiful gallop and lap her in the ring, body sitting motionless atop my sleek and shiny 17hh imported warmblood's back.

You know, except I was on a chunky QH who's been out of work for 2 weeks and is hopping lame. Oh, and I was in the same rubber riding boots I've owned since 11th grade and was meekly riding a walk all the while staring down at his face.

None of that mattered to this girl. I was AMAZING. I'd take it.

I smiled at her, giving Moon a pat. "If you listen to what W tells you and practice hard, it won't be long till you're riding like this too!"

She stared, clearly astonished that she was soooo close to being an Olympian too.

: )

I think she made my day.

So we went around. I asked for a trot and he was hopping. I turned him the other way, still hopping. I asked a little longer since the hopping wasn't as bad as before. And he smoothed out to ALMOST normal. I tried not to ride him too long, but I was happy with what I felt. He seems to be improving. Or seemed....comfounding factor I'll get to...

When I hopped off, I wasn't surprise to see Moon was sweating. The arena was HOT (I mean, I was warm in a t-shirt) and he's out of shape. Inside the barn where it was cooler I gave him another good grooming.

W wandered over and felt along Moon's neck.

"What's this lump?" she asked.

Alarm bells.

I ran my hand over it. Weird....Check the opposite side and suddenly a bright light flashes on beside those alarm bells.

FISKE'S.

Sheet.

Everywhere the BF had applied the Hoof and Hide balm yesterday was now an allergic swelling. About 1.5 to 2 cm (little less then a 1/2 inch) raised. EXACTLY where the Fiske's was.

Smack head on barn door. (not really, but I sure felt like it).

His neck and chest. Huge lumps. Plus some hives along his neck.
Sheet.

I borrowed horse soap and some hot water (and a bucket, because you know, why would someone with a horse own a bucket?) and gave Moon a bath. Rubbed ALL of that liniment off, rinsed scrubber and bucket, refilled and did it again. Then washed off the soap JUST in case he'd have an allergic reaction to that too.

He LOVED when I rubbed the sisal side on his hives, bottom lip twitching. Oh it must itch. Since YESTERDAY since it was now 19 hours after we had applied it to him.

So 18 hours of itching. No wonder I thought he was stiff and resistant in the ring. He was ITCHY! Oh, and who knows if he was less sore or just too itchy to give a horses-hide about it.

I checked back on him 3 hours later and it was no worse, maybe a bit better. W will check him before bed and I assume he's not going to pass away from this (not that it doesn't stop me from worrying about midnight anaphylactic shock or anything).

It of course, smokes me in the face that he COULD have gone into some sort of terrible respiratory distress last night BECAUSE of the Fiske's. And I COULD have lost him. And now there's ZERO way I want to apply ANYTHING topical to him. Test patches ONLY.

The BF of course, proclaims him to be my horse. We'll recall that I have an allergy to leather and periodic bouts of unexplained head-to-toe hives. Which last made their appearance just prior to a large presentation to visiting collegues from across the country. No biggie.

So why WOULDN'T I expect my horse to ALSO break out in hives when a product DESIGNED to treat hives and allergies is applied to his skin? I mean, it's not like I bought a QUARTER Horse!

__________________________

In other news, I DID make it out to H's in time to meet An for a trail ride. I rode Merlyn who hadn't been on the trails much this season and she was a doll all things considered. A bit pushy to start but by the end we seemed to have worked out who was leading and who was packing. An was a good riding partner and I look forward to riding with her again. I even managed to coerce her into doing the running and jumping bit of the relay at the next fun-show ; )

H toured me afterwards through my new space and I'm SOOO excited to start moving in! I wish W's was dry enough I could drive my car to the barn and mess with my tack trunk. H even set aside a beautiful collection of "blue things" for me, and I'm now clambering to get my trailer prepped! We gotta stick the boys in it and go for a ride! I mean, she met us with drinks and cute toddler in hand. I mean, how long till I can get HER to point and "Wow" like I'm an Olympian??! ; )

Speaking of which, my pa is going to help me do a bit of welding on the trailer next weekend for my birthday (yippee!) and getting it ready to go. Hopefully Moon keeps getting better and we can get back to where we were in our plans.

You know, just without any more "Import" moments : P

Fairly Farrier Friday

So Moon's farrier stopped by last night to trim up his hooves (since it was the 5 week mark anyway), and was gracious enough to have a look at his lameness to see if she could lend any assistance to identifying the problem.

She had me walk him around the barn for a bit, doing some tight turns. Then we headed into the arena for some trotting around. After I did a lap, she asked to lunge him. <hang head in shame>. My 13 year old horse still doesn't lunge. Oh, he was getting walk-trot-halt over the winter, but since he's pulled up lame it's gone from "decent" to "non-existent". And since I'm too much of a suck to push him when he's sore, he's sorta forgotten how to lunge altogether.

Well, my farrier's a horse gal. She grabbed a dressage whip and on his little lead rope started asking him to lunge. He was NOT going for that. Did a couple of cow hops pretending he might kick her (really Moon?!) and then finally started lunging like a proper horse. He outright refused the trot and when she pushed him he gave a single big cow-hop and then planted himself. Nu-uh.

I have to admit, she did a really nice job of it. I'd best get practicing myself. It was double embarrassing when I said he was 13 and she exclaimed she thought he was young, say about 6!!! A non-lunging 6 year old, okay. A 13 year old who can't lunge??? Yes, someone missed a couple vital lessons with this boy when he was a colt. It's hard to play catch-up on the basics while trying to train dressage, teach your horse what canter leads are, and get his head out of the sky : P Maybe by 30 I'll have the basics taught...

She was pretty sure she'd found the offending leg, the left hind.

It still fits with the diaganol pair that he'd been head bobbing on, but it's certainly not the hoof I soaked for the last week. : P

The only problem was, it kinda fit with what I'd seen the last two days and was starting to question...

Especially since I'd caught him resting it more then normal while grooming. The last time I had actually been a little concerned because his muscle was weird when I ran the brush over it, then I realized it was how and where his leg was. No biggie, horses always stand weird.

But last night he was standing the same way. I wondered for a second if it was that leg. You'll recall, that's our leg that's shown some sinovial fluid leaking, and we've seen some windpuffs in the past. What a bad leg.

The farrier said she was noticing him resting it and that in her honest opinion, that was the leg he's sore on. Especially since he wasn't noticeably sore at a walk. She dug around a bit to look for any possible abscess entry points, and while she found 2 "possibles", they were more of a fishing exploration then a "Ahah! Here!" sorta deal.

Regardless, we both agreed there's no harm in soaking that hoof and seeing if anything comes of it. I mean, why not soak ALL hooves?! I joked about pouring epsom salts into the mud puddles in the field, but she reminded me that soaking requires warm water. So I considered sticking the trough heater into the puddle...

The farrier did praise the changes that have been happening to his hooves since she started trimming him. For starters, when she first met him, he naturally liked to keep his toes long. She explained that in the past, his sole would wrap over his white line at this toe and all the way to his hoof wall. You can actually see now that it has receded to just barely over his white line, a huge improvement in just a few trims.

I asked her opinion on his frogs as well as the possibility of any thrush. She assured me that he's just shedding his frog (hence the chunkiness) and that's totally normal for this time of year. He was thrush-free as well. As for his whiteline, that I thought was pretty wide, she explained to me that this is "normal" for Moon's hoof. The way that his hoof wall grows so rapidly and naturally flares out actually causes the enlarged white line. It's possible over time it might diminish, but it's just part of how he grows. Apparently the way that he flares out at the ends helps him self-trim when he's not getting regular farrier trims. Probably a great thing considering his past hoof growth.

So where are we now? I've got a new hoof to focus on. And still know nothing.

I soaked his hind hoof after she left with warm water and epsom salts, and he stood without putting weight on it. Whether that was due to the boot or the hoof, I don't know. He certainly didn't mind it on a front hoof last week.

In2Paints has left me a comment about sometimes when your horse is out of commission, you get some of your best bonding moments. That hit home.

Standing there next to my boy in the barn, I was loving him up. He was so good I hadn't clipped him to the cross ties and left his lead line over his back. He was falling asleep, so I headed over to the stairs to sit and just admire him.

And the instant I sat down, he BOLTED down the aisle!

NOT a normal Mr. Moon at all! The boot would "SLOSH" and "SLURK" the whole time and he was trying to kick it off as he went. All the way down the alley to the barn door at the far end, sloshing and slurking.

Oye.

Thankfully he stopped at the door, even though it wasn't latched.

Thanks In2Paints. You're right. I totally had a bonding moment...I wanted to turn him into Bondo. Or some sort of glue product.

; ) Teasing of course.

He was well behaved after that instance, finished his soak and I coated him with Fiske's Hoof and Hide to see if I could get some of that hair regrowing for show season (assuming we'll get to go).


Then back into the field until I get out tonight to re-soak and hope I find something resembling a blown abscess...

__________________

On a blue note, I'm currently not going to Vegas, and just found out I haven't been approved for my other secret trip. Which was SUPPOSED to be to London, England! : ( Huge sad face there. Couldn't get it in with the impending job cuts across the government and huge fiscal restraint.

I'm just hoping I wasn't denied BECAUSE I'm not going to be here in May!! : O

My coworker already has his flights booked to Vegas and I'd feel bad demanding I get to go again instead. So I'm going no where. And worst, not to London. : (

Which wouldn't matter if I knew I was actually going to make it to the May Dressage Show, but right now, I don't even have that.

: (

Fingers crossed I at least am able to haul my trailer out to start working on it this weekend. Maybe it'll be ready for us to enjoy when Moon's feeling better, or for when I have to haul him for xrays and nerve blocks.

Boourns to sucky Fridays.

Just a video...

So this is all I've got for you today. A video of Moon walking, part of a little research project into how our horses walk and how their trims affect them. Hoping to head out tonight to find out about the hoof testing, else tomorrow. Will trot the Mr. out to see if he's sound yet...

Until then...who votes heel first, who votes toe first landing???

Well Um...It's Wednesday.

Yup. That's the news I've got for you. It's Wednesday.

I headed out to visit Moon, catching a glimpse of someone trail riding down the highway and my heart plummeted to my feet. : ( Wish that was me and Moon.

Regardless, seeing Mr. Moon, even if it was just to stand out in the sunshine and groom him, was enough to raise my spirits. I love that horse, ridden or just loved on. Cleaned him all up, rebraided his tail, checked all his hooves over and shined him up.

Then I brought him inside (this was about an hour later!), put an ice-pack on his spine to see if we can work on that sore back of his, and proceeded to give him a full massage.

I did the tail pull and heard a big "crack" from his back. Ditto on his right shoulder when I stretched it out. When I was massage his left shoulder he was making all kinds of funny faces, contorting his neck and gapping his mouth. Everywhere else he was pretty uninterested in the whole thing. Other then the fact that the lack of riding aka. physiotherapy has left him stiff through the neck. He really struggled to bend his neck left and right without taking steps. Oye. I'm sure he's losing finesse daily.

I tried trotting him out but couldn't get him to really go, plus the alley was too short. The arena had a lesson and I didn't want to interupt just to prove to myself he's still sore. So I loved a bit more on him and put him back in his field (which is pretty muddy at the moment).

I gathered up all my winter blankets for a good washing and sewing job this weekend, since I won't be riding the Moon. I might head out for a trail ride on Saturday with a borrowed horse, which at least will fulfil that craving.

W is gonna see if she can get ahold of a hoof tester, and I'm still trying to get ahold of Moon's farrier. It just rings and rings and rings...

That's the news. No news at all. The only cute bit was when my favorite cat leapt onto Moon's back, curled up and fell asleep, being carried around the puddles without getting his little feline toes wet. Buggers.

The only other thing I've been thinking about is how so many horses on the blogs right now have some sort of sustained injury. And a lot have mentioned that if their horse can't do what they want, they'd put them up for sale. Largely because they can't afford two horses, the one they love that doesn't fulfil their competition dream, and one that can.

Makes me wonder what I'd do if Moon wasn't able to do more then walk.

...okay, I don't even wonder.

He wouldn't go anywhere. I'd keep him, love on him, and let him rest in a nice field until our property is ready and then move him home for permanent retirement. Only THEN would I start searching for my next partner. And if that meant not riding for a year, two, or six, that's fine. NO ONE is ever owning my Moonpie, unless I'm deceased. And even then there's a short list! : P Which is a reminder of course, to everyone, to discuss with your family what you'd want to happen to your horse should something happen to you. Let's face it. Many folks aren't going to shell out the time or money to keep a horse they don't know or desire to ride. And it's very hard to find good homes for horses these days.

Suppose Moon and I are both lucky to have one another. And I'm very fortunate to have the ability to provide a retirement home in the next couple of years, and he's lucky to be in a situation where he'll never be rehomed. Though let's all hope he's not ready for retirement for many more years.

Time for a 2nd Opinion? (plus video)

Today's News Update
Staring: MoonSox
 __________________

Post-dated from yesterday (Monday) afternoon...

Anyone who really knows me, knows that I don't have an awful lot of faith in veterinary diagnostic skills. I think they're wonderful at treating things they know. But when it comes down to a "What do you think this is" scenario, I think you're getting a best guess. Which is based on experience. Much like the best guess you get from any horse person/vet tech or farrier.

This stems from a lot of experience, both as a client as well as working within veterinary labs. I've gone in with a dog with what I considered to be a bacterial skin infection, paid $400 in tests and walked out knowing it wasn't ring worm. And was told to purchase some polysporin and "give that a go".

I've been told my cat would require surgery to have his eye removed. I asked if there was ANYTHING we could try first. Two weeks of a topical ointment later my cat's eye is back to normal. And still in his head.

I have similar stories from others. Don't get me wrong. They're certainly doing their best to provide you with their best guess. And that often requires a lot of testing, poking and prodding.

But diagnosis sucks. In all medicine. The only difference is that human medicine is free for us. So yes, take as many blood tests, MRI's, CAT scans and such that you need to make a diagnosis. Though, 9 times out of 10, they'll just tell you what it's "not".

The problem is, at this point I just want to know that my gut wasn't steering my astray. That I'm not some terrible owner who's too cheap to pay for proper veterinary care at the FIRST sign of injury. I wanted someone to tell me to stop worrying. To say that he wasn't in fact on his death bed. And that my decision was not cruel or uncalled for.

So I wonder, has anyone local (Manitoba) done xrays on their horse? I'm thinking that if this doesn't resolve itself, I may as well get the vet out. And tell him to bring his xray machine, since I'm not settling for his half-hearted response of "um...maybe...an abscess??". At least with xrays I can have a look at any degenerative aging issues, future issues and risk factors.

But I know that's going to have a healthy price tag. For my peace of mind it's worth it.

But for nothing at all? THAT is what I don't know.

...maybe he'll be spontaneously sound tonight? : P

_________________________

Well, fast forward with me folks. To yesterday night...

I headed to the barn in the evening and met with H, future BO and lameness guru. She's seen a ton of leg/hoof disasters right down to the feared "founder". She's got vet tech experience, has been messing with ponies for years now (sorry, H, didn't mean to make you sound old...you're not!), boards horses at her own place, married a physiotherapist...let's just say she's a great resource and a great comfort.

So she dragged her little girl out to the barn with her and proceeded to give Moon a full physical.

She's got skill. I've tried to mimic her in the past but don't have the same knack for it. She manipulated, pulled, poked, prodded and twisted every limb, every muscle and such.

We found some things out. We didn't come to any 'determinations', but I certainly left the barn breathing a little easier and comforted that I'm not the worst horse owner.

But first, enjoy our screen shots and video (thanks to K for his awesome videography). I still chuckle about asking him to give me a hand and his automatic thought that I was gonna have him trot around the ring with Moon! I'm really okay doing my own physical labor! I just needed someone with a steady hand to capture it all (and without a toddler in the other!).

So first, screenshots...

 

I meant to have a match to the above ones showing his head drop as his left for came forward...I should mention, I really wasn't dragging on the line in most of these shots (occasionally he just wouldn't move). He was raising his head so high that he'd take up the slack.

And now for video...

On a circle:

In a line:
I've made one obvious observation....I need to continue to train my horse to lunge. No horse at 13 should not have a clue how to lunge on a circle. It's an exhausting process and I've slacked off since I got him last spring. Which was obvious by Mr. Stand-and-turn-to-me-on-the-line. And means I have to run a LOT to observe any lameness : P

Then again, how much does his pain and discomfort affect his willingness to move properly on the lunge? He's never been as bad as he has lately (he'd at least walk in a circle instead of just turn-on-the-fore : P ).

Of course, tell me your thoughts on the video. I left in moments where he's walking, as I don't see any lameness there. But maybe you guys see something we don't...
_________________
So the prognosis??

H found some very clear back pain in my boy. I admit, I already suspected he had a sore back. Mr. Cinchy is normally an indicator and with everything I've done to him, it's no surprise. What was a surprise was how bad it seemed. H could get him to completely hollow his back, all his little muscles tightening up. The whole thing just looked sore and awful.

We played a bit with saddle fit and I'll take up her suggestion to up his gullet plate a half-size from medium to medium-wide. There's no rock in his saddle, and a fair bit of clearance over the wither. No harm in the increase to give it a try. We both agreed that the merino half-pad was a good choice over a cotton dressage pad, which I'd swapped back to after his back rubbing.

She found what we think is a knot in his shoulders, and a bit of heat in his left shoulder. Not the offending leg, but still not comfortable. She pulled a bit on his fore legs, and he showed pretty clear discomfort on his right. He only did it once, but he was almost cringing (or if horse's had hands, clenching a fist) with his opposite hind the whole time. He just looked unhappy about it.

No real heat, maybe a bit in the coronary of the offending hoof. Maybe a touch of coronary swelling? So hard to judge. No digital pulse either. Joints all clear of heat and swelling.

Hooves fine other then a bit of white-line disease, which I've known about for awhile. Pain in the arse to treat, since trimming plays a big roll in rectifying it. What does one expect out of a 13 year old horse with irregular trimming in the past, lack of exercise, reduced nutritional feed quality and wet muddy fields? Oye.

So the best guess, is probably a muscle strain/ache. Abscess isn't off the table, just have to keep an eye on that one and see how it plays itself out.

Thanks H for quelling my worry and stress and taking the time to do that for me. And to everyone else who promptly emailed me good wishes, advice and guidance! I'm truly spoiled!
___________________


My game plan?

I'm calling it quits on the soaking. No success in the last week. Abscess? Maybe. But I don't want to make his hooves to brittle with all the soaking.

For the muscle problems, massage, icing and continued turnout with his little slow group of buddies. Movement is important to horse soundness, so I'll keep him moving. He only really walks around anyway. In the mean time, no riding. : (

I'm hoping like CRAZY that this resolves itself soon. I'll continue to be patient and give him the time he needs to hopefully heal. End of the month, I give myself a birthday present of a large vet bill and the accompanying (hopefully) piece of mind that he'll heal, should he still be unsound by then.

At this moment, I'm thinking that our practice show at W's won't happen. Likely ditto on our english riding clinic and maybe even our May show. I won't do anything that compromises him and I want him to have the time to work back up to our previous training level. All I hope is that he can get better, and does. That's all I want.

So we wait. And I love on him.

________________________
Speed onward to today... 

Now of course, all that is pretty depressing. Especially with gorgeous temperatures outside, the snow melting away, the show season imminent, a new game plan for our training, trail season reving up, my birthday on the horizon...

In all of that sadness and worry, comes a little ray of sunshine. And beside that ray, came another. Then another, and another and before I realized it, an awful lot of special people broke through my little cluster of storm clouds.

________________________

You see, a great many people follow Moon's story on this blog. Or my facebook page. And a great many of them are local.
_______________________

Ever wake up, after your heart melting a little the night before over the sadness of your buddy not being ride-able, to find a small mass of folks offering you access to their best-est buds?

I did.

It started with H and access to her studly black. And for a trail rides, a boarder who okay'd my borrowing of her gal, a steady-eddy I've been privileged to ride over the years before I found my Moon.

....and Moon's stall-neighbour, a new found horse-friend and pizza lover, emailing to say I'm more then welcome to enjoy her girl in lessons. And her girl is a beautiful dressage horse, I assure you.

And then, someone from the IRC's board. Who herself has a broken foot and hasn't been in the saddle for months. "The snow is almost gone and the sand ring will be ready. You want to borrow my boy? Seriously!". And he's the second love of her life, she's hand trained him and he's gorgeous.

Countering that, was another friend with a handful of polo ponies and a 1/4 mile to that park I love so much.

The sun keeps shining down. Yes, my boy hurts. Yes, I'm gonna have to wait it out, give him the best treatment I've got, and keep hoping like hell it all goes away.

But while I wait, I have a wonderful, incredibly generous group of friends who done something so special. Offering me the chance to continue to ride, to continue to hone my skills, and continue to believe that no matter what happens, I'll always have horses to ride.

Just no one tell Moon, or he'll decide to take an early retirement. And he'll ALWAYS be my number one, my first choice, my Mr. Moon.

But be assured, I am humbled and appreciate all of you and your offers (and very well might take you up on them should this last through the weekend...anyone want their horse in an English riding clinic in May?? Or practice show at the month's end??). I think you're all amazing people with huge hearts and I know I've a great set of new and existing friendships, with owners and ponies alike!