I don’t know why I’m posting here—maybe for some kind of catharsis or, like, commiseration. This is mostly just a rant about bad luck and possibly bad choices on my part.
Here’s some background info: I’ve had DG (dear gelding) for one year. He was purchased as a 3yo from my local track, I did a good vetting which he passed easily, but I did not do rads. In hindsight I should have, but whatevs. Too late now. Lesson learned. He’s beautiful, flashy, an excellent mover, three lovely-to-ride gaits, funny, quirky, pretty well-behaved for a baby, etc., etc., etc. You know, the unicorn.
Anyway, I worked all year to get him going and we successfully debuted at the beginner novice level in August. Everything was golden. No lameness, no training issues (other than being a now 4yo), and he has a good mind. Then, I bring him out of his stall one morning with a mystery swelling in a hind fetlock. I posed here about it. It sort of resolved, but due to the extensive diagnostics I ran, the vet also found some pretty concerning issues in both his hocks. We treated with Osphos, IRAP,and PRP, rest, time, and rehab. I was bringing him back to walk and trot work and he blew an abcess, resulting in a quarter crack that my farrier has patched and is keeping an eye on. So, a few set-backs but, horses… am I right?
Finally, I’m getting him back into semi-consistent work and am making plans for our eventing schedule next year. We’ve just started doing canter work again and a friend comes over for a trail ride at my place. We do a little fun ride, get home, I chuck him out in the field, she loads her horse, and my guy freaks out a bit because the other horse is leaving. He runs back over to the gate, slips in the mud, falls on his side and stands up, holding his left hind up. I panic. Grab the halter, grabs him, lead him out expecting to see exposed bone or immediate swelling from some horrible soft tissue injury. Nothing. He walks it off, he’s fine. Thank goodness.
10 hours later, I’m coming in from work at 1am. I see him standing at the gate waiting for his dinner. He isn’t moving much. He’s holding his leg weird. I have to drag him out of the pasture. His hock is hot and swollen. Get him to the vet as soon as they open and rads reveals he has an “acute fracture of the lateral mallelous of the tibia.” FML. Luckily, it’s fairly common, and it’s a piece of bone he can live without.
So… here we are. He’s on stall rest, obvs. Waiting for consult from surgeon to recommend surgery or conservative management. Vet feels he’ll recover 100% and get back to work in a relatively short amount of time. But here’s where I’m at: how many of you would just cut your losses now? He wasn’t exactly cheap, at least not on a cop’s salary, and I’ve spent a small fortune on vet bills already. I have more to spend, so that isn’t entirely the issue, but he’ll never be saleable with his hocks, at least not to someone who doesn’t want to do maintenance, and now, after reading everything about Osphos and its tendency to inhibit the healing process, I’m not sure he’ll recover from this fracture. I’m just lost.
Am I throwing good money after bad? How do you decide what to do, for the horse, for yourself? A good friend who is vastly more pragmatic than I says she would put him in the ground and start over. Another good friend says to do the surgery, see what happens, and WCS—sell him as a low level dressage horse because he’s flashy and a better than average mover, for an OTTB.
