Long-acting tranquilizer (talk to your vet about side effects) and Gastrogard. Both of my normally sane mares become nutcases when they have ulcer flare-ups. I needed the long-acting tranq to rehab my hotter older mare, even for hand-walking, some years ago when she tried to cut off her hind leg. Good luck!
I hear your struggles!
I’m knee deep in the re-hab game and have no time to actually progress. My normally lazy horse is a time bomb without drugs and then sometimes still a time bomb with them. You never really know which horse he’s going to be. Sigh. He also isn’t allowed turn out, which is I think the biggest problem.
I tried fluphenazine. That made him worse. 1 cc of Ace is usually enough, so I just use that. I hate doing it, but I also like being uninjured.
With my previous re-hab horse, we used Ace, but I also did alot of the initial stages of rehab with a weight surcingle. He tended toward explosive if not in full work, so there was no way I was going to get on him when he’d been only hand walking for months. The weight surcingle isn’t the best because dead weight is harder to carry than live, but it worked for us (it also gave me a physical outlet…all that running with him and I could trot him on hard ground, which was the best thing for him). I think I got him up to 2 or 3 minute trot sets before actually having to sit on him. That’s when the Ace…and the pro, came into play.
I agree with the ponying, but also know it’s hard when you don’t have a horse to pony from. I would love to pony the current one, but he’s kind of a grump and I just don’t know how it would go over, even if I could figure out a horse to pony him from.
Edited to add: When current horse is having an especially silly day, I do ground work before getting on him. He’s always had really good ground manners, so doing some of the ground work was easy to introduce. It amazes me how much it focuses him. He can go from leapy around me with me just holding on to the end of the line hoping not to die to fairly quiet and mannerly in 20 minutes of simple exercises. The other day he had decided his new neighbor was the bees knees and that being separated from him was absolutely NOT okay. 40 mintues of ground work later (that was a marathon day, sigh), he got with the program and hasn’t made a peep about leaving the new neighbor since. I’ve had herdbound issues with him before and before learning the ground work, the only way to get him over it was to move him.
Sedate him with something. Sedivet sounds like your best bet. Hell, my horse has a wild streak, even when ridden daily, and can be down right explosive after time off. I am not above giving him a tiny bit of ace (he’s a light weight and ace works well for my intended purpose) if he’s had an extended period of time off. We both stay safe, he remembers he’s broke, and life can go on without vet or doctor’s bills.
Lungeing isn’t the answer for every time a horse is up (would do absolutely nothing for my horse), and is just not something you do post soft tissue injury. And, frankly, I rather ride out silliness than try to control it from the ground.
I have ground driven a horse after 18 months off, but he was older and broke to death, though with the penchant to buck hard on occasion. We chose ground driving because it would allow him to develop some strength and fitness without a rider first, without putting pressure on his stifle (the complaint that sent him on his extended vacation). It worked well, but he wouldn’t have been a hooligan in the process. Wouldn’t do it with someone likely to play up.
With his time off and being young, does your saddle still fit? I also agree that you should speak to your vet about chemical help in this case. Rehabs like this are no fun!
P.S. never thought I’d get a mini chemistry lesson on COTH!
[QUOTE=billiebob;7954159]
With his time off and being young, does your saddle still fit? I also agree that you should speak to your vet about chemical help in this case. Rehabs like this are no fun!
P.S. never thought I’d get a mini chemistry lesson on COTH![/QUOTE]
Mini chemistry lesson LOL - I found it fascinating yet have NO clue!
I really appreciate the help here and the support… Layups STINK!!! I think a part of it is he got attached to his pals he was with in a large corral. After the first two rides I moved him “next” to his pals and he is walking the fence line and they just look at him like he’s a nut. I think Gastroguard is in order for Mr. Stressy-pants.
Today’s ride with the layup trainer was MUCH better. Still herd sour and tried a few antics but trainer seemed to understand his quirks now which was a big deal. I hope the trainer can continue this and hopefully I wont have to do the meds. I like watching so I can understand my horses brain. The trainer would talk about what the horse liked and didn’t like etc. and I thought that was really helpful to me. I mean I am the one that will have to take over at some point and need to be prepared.
It’s like we are starting all over training a “big, opinionated” baby…
[QUOTE=RugBug;7953970]
I hear your struggles!
I’m knee deep in the re-hab game and have no time to actually progress. My normally lazy horse is a time bomb without drugs and then sometimes still a time bomb with them. You never really know which horse he’s going to be. Sigh. He also isn’t allowed turn out, which is I think the biggest problem.
I tried fluphenazine. That made him worse. 1 cc of Ace is usually enough, so I just use that. I hate doing it, but I also like being uninjured.
With my previous re-hab horse, we used Ace, but I also did alot of the initial stages of rehab with a weight surcingle. He tended toward explosive if not in full work, so there was no way I was going to get on him when he’d been only hand walking for months. The weight surcingle isn’t the best because dead weight is harder to carry than live, but it worked for us (it also gave me a physical outlet…all that running with him and I could trot him on hard ground, which was the best thing for him). I think I got him up to 2 or 3 minute trot sets before actually having to sit on him. That’s when the Ace…and the pro, came into play.
I agree with the ponying, but also know it’s hard when you don’t have a horse to pony from. I would love to pony the current one, but he’s kind of a grump and I just don’t know how it would go over, even if I could figure out a horse to pony him from.
Edited to add: When current horse is having an especially silly day, I do ground work before getting on him. He’s always had really good ground manners, so doing some of the ground work was easy to introduce. It amazes me how much it focuses him. He can go from leapy around me with me just holding on to the end of the line hoping not to die to fairly quiet and mannerly in 20 minutes of simple exercises. The other day he had decided his new neighbor was the bees knees and that being separated from him was absolutely NOT okay. 40 mintues of ground work later (that was a marathon day, sigh), he got with the program and hasn’t made a peep about leaving the new neighbor since. I’ve had herdbound issues with him before and before learning the ground work, the only way to get him over it was to move him.[/QUOTE]
So sorry you too are having to deal with this… It sounds like this is a very common “bring the horse back” issue. I don’t think I have ever had to deal with one off for this long. He liked vacation and doesn’t want to go back to reality.
I agree with the sedative option. Sedate him… then lunge. Or Pony him. Or both, change it up on him. And slowly wean him off the sedation so in his mind… nothing has changed.
I would definitely lunge or let him run around and loosen up for a few weeks before you ride him. He is most likely very stiff, tight, out of shape etc from being off work. Not to mention that I’m sure that injury as its healing is giving him random shooting pain which could cause him to act up. Not only does he have to heal physically, but mentally. He has to remember what using his body feels like.
There’s no point in risking your and his life if it can be avoided!!
[QUOTE=RugBug;7953970]
Edited to add: When current horse is having an especially silly day, I do ground work before getting on him. He’s always had really good ground manners, so doing some of the ground work was easy to introduce. It amazes me how much it focuses him. He can go from leapy around me with me just holding on to the end of the line hoping not to die to fairly quiet and mannerly in 20 minutes of simple exercises. The other day he had decided his new neighbor was the bees knees and that being separated from him was absolutely NOT okay. 40 mintues of ground work later (that was a marathon day, sigh), he got with the program and hasn’t made a peep about leaving the new neighbor since. I’ve had herdbound issues with him before and before learning the ground work, the only way to get him over it was to move him.[/QUOTE]
THIS.
With a tendon injury, you don’t have a lot of options to (safely) tire him out physically since lunging and letting him run around like a loon are both off the table. BUT you can tire his mind out. Work on a variety of ground exercises/games - set up some obstacle courses, walk/trot/halt in hand and he must pay attention and stay at your shoulder, set up some poles at varying distances so he has to think about his footwork, long-line if you can do so safely, do a some lateral work exercises in hand and get him to focus on yielding his shoulder or his hip, etc.
All that said, you may also need to resort to some ace, and that is really not the end of the world. Better living through chemistry will allow you to get through this, hopefully with a sound horse and sound human!
You may also want to consider having a chiropractor or massage therapist out to give him an assessment. He may have some tender spots that are adding to his wild behaviour.
I think he is herd bound…, likes his buddies… Walking the fence line is a big tell tell and yes, effects focus on riding…
I would definitely suggest doing some ulcer treatment. In my opinion, with the various stresses on competition horses and their far-from-natural lifestyle, it’s something that we should all keep in mind all the time rather than just when they seem stressed. The stresses of being injured, stalled, not worked, and then put back to work away from buddies should not be minimized.
Check out Gastro Plus Pro by Equine Science Solutions. In my experience it works faster and better than Gastroguard and is not a drug - it supports the body’s natural ability to heal and protect against ulcers. I’ve seen it work miracles on about 10 horses. They also have a maintenance product to put them on after the more acute treatment.
Two things to always keeping mind are our expectations and whether we set things up for success. We want to be reasonable with our expectations and set things up for the best chance of success. If we don’t do the latter, chances are we need to modify the former.
Often in rehabs the best chance for success involves some type of sedation - for the horse’s safety and well being with regard to its injury and for the rider’s safety (and the other riders/horses in the ring who can be undone by crazy antics). If you don’t want to go that route, understand that you probably need to expect some antics - it’s just not reasonable to hope for otherwise except for those rare quiet horses.
IMO there’s a big difference between drugging for training or showing purposes, which is not acceptable in my book, and using something for rehab purposes when necessary, which in my book is just smart.
The last thing you want your now big, wild, feeling-good 6 year old who hasn’t been in training for a year to learn is how to lose a rider. Once the smart ones learn that, it can be a problem, so I like to be pretty careful with that. You ARE starting over in a lot of ways, especially with his mind, only he’s not 3 and uncoordinated now, he’s 6 and close to full grown and mature.
Avoid the drugs if you can, sure, say if in a couple rides he’s within what’s normal or easily sat. Just be smart about that line.
One more thought - if he is herd bound, I would add a second training session every day, but unmounted. Help him learn that leaving his buddies is part of the routine, and that he must focus and listen while separated.
Bring him in, groom him (expecting good behavior), take him on a walk around the property with plenty of halts, back ups, yielding from pressure, circles if it’s okay on the leg. Take him to the ring and do the same. Teach him that when he’s with you, he has to be WITH you.
I would expect the herd-bound issue to resolve quicker if you’re addressing it twice a day and not just from his back.
[QUOTE=Renn/aissance;7952365]
If you’re sure that these shenanigans aren’t a pain reaction, frankly I’d talk to your vet about sedating this creature to bring it back into work before its airs above the ground destroy the healing ligament and leave you with a never-to-be-sound-again 6 year old.
I was the layup rider (aka crash test dummy) for one of these. The horse had clean images and felt so good to be out and moving around that he did his best to kill himself. We sedated him for work under the vet’s supervision until he could bear to be in his own skin again and thus were able to bring him back safely- both for his healing suspensory and for my neck![/QUOTE]
Absolutely agree! I can’t believe your vet didn’t talk to you about getting him on some ace or reserpine or something.
I think OP has said Ace does not agree with this particular horse, believe she said he “imploded” when they tried.
IMO this is a crappy time of year to try to bring one back even in the relative warmth of the West coast, seems to me it’s been colder then usual out there recently too. Just doesn’t help. But I don’t see anything that unusual about this except Ace being out. Sensible use of sedation and daily handling away from his buds where he’s expected to behave and as many rides as a rehab rider can get in will get him on the right track pretty quick. Complete return, of course, is going to take months but OP is on the right track.
Many barns now have treadmills and/or European style walkers and they make early rehab much easier. Still need sedation when getting started but the things can give them a pretty good, continuous motion workout even just at the walk. Treadmills have the adjustable incline too, seen 10 minutes at a medium speed walk bring up a sweat on those just coming back. Obviously they were familiar with these things prior to lay up, would be inappropriate to introduce them to a rehabbing keg of dynamite, even with chemical help. But they sure are handy once they get comfortable with them. Swimming too, or so I hear. Just things to keep in mind for future needs.
I expect we will soon be hearing from OP about the “thrill” of counting out 16 straight sides each way walking the corners while staying awake.
Yes Healing Heart, your soo right… he likes his friends.
Backstage - Thanks for the ideas. Keeping his mind busy is a good thing. He is out in a pasture 24/7 that does seem to help a bit. He has very negative reactions to Ace and I do have regular chiropractic work on him and it has helped A LOT.
Eventinglady your spot on too… I have been watching him closely as far as pain.
Mac123- I started him on Smartgut and waiting for the vet to drop off the Gastroguard. I’ll check out the Gastro Plus Pro. As a kid I rode track horses without any sedation, I didn’t even know what sedation was. There is definitely a time when it’s needed and times it is not.
On Monday when the barn was quiet, the trainer and I the only ones there, tacked him up and he was much more relaxed. Today there were grooms bustling about and he seemed very uptight about that. Trainer noticed too and said he wants to work with him on learning to relax.
mpsbarnmanager - I have discussed the use of sedation but Ace doesn’t work for this horse at all. We have used Demosidan two times. The layup rider has ridden him four times without any sedation and he is getting calmer. 
findeight - THANK YOU!! I am thrilled that he’s getting better mentally and healthy.
In the cross ties he does get nervous and worried. Something else we need to work on. Today I held him after his ride with ice on his ligament for about 15 minutes in the cross ties trying to get him to understand life is okay.
We are starting over with a big baby like others have said - trying to find that balance between discipline, understanding and soundness is what this seems to be all about.
Thank you all for the thoughts and ideas as I adventure through this.
Out of the 6.5 years I’ve owned my horse I’ve spend about 2.5-3 of those rehabbing from major injuries. My horse is HORRIBLE at rehab. He’s broken my hand. He’s flipped over on me. I’ve gone for more rodeo rides than I care to think about. Even sedated (with hefty doses of Ace or xylazine) he can still explode.
The absolutely most life-changing rehab decisions I made were:
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Taking ground work lessons with a cowboy type trainer. All we did was hand walk but he also worked on getting my horse to pay attention on the cross ties and while I was hand walking him. He taught me hand walking/ground work methods within the rehab restrictions that made the world of difference and still serve me well today.
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The BIGGEST life changing rehab discovering was long-lining/ground driving. NOT spinning a horse around in a circle, but you do the moving too.
The last time I rehabbed my horse I brought him up to 25 minutes of trotting on the long lines and it was the one rehab out of 3 that I did not get injured. I refused to sit on him until he was on totally normal turnout (mine did not go on normal turnout until he was at the 25 minute trotting point).
Surcingle, bridle, two long lines. Walking behind my horse (think plow horse look) was the method I used for walking, and then when it was time to add trotting I did what is essentially like lunging, but having one line run behind him so I have control over the other side of the bit, and I jog a circle around the ring while he stays on the perimeter of the ring (which is accomplished because you can “lead” him back out on the track with the outside line).
We had never long lined or did ground driving before and my horse took well to it and it was really fun to learn something new. He came out of this rehab very fit - like the first week we were back under saddle he felt like we could go win a flat class at a show. I am even continuing the long lining this winter to keep him walking/marching/moving when the ground is too frozen to do anything else.
If you want more details on any of this PM me and I’ll be glad to type out more details or send video/pictures.
Sedate, and walking. Lots and lots and lots and lots of walking. Then more of the same… Make sure you’re giving what ever drug you use enough time to be effective. My guy worked okay with Ace which given IM is a 45min or so wait before you hop on. Then he walked. Check with your vet but we ended up having to build to 2 1hr walk rides a day before we added trot. When he was silly I had to hand walk until things were boring again. Hopefully your layup rider can give you that time, or maybe you can find someone who can? It is horribly boring walking laps around the arena for an hour! I wasn’t allowed to think circle til about month 6 and couldn’t work lateral until month 8 so it was literally just walking laps. Ear stuffies and a bonnet can help with noise sensitivity. I’d take horse completely off grain if you happen to be feeding it as well. Its tough with the wild ones- good luck!
Ear bunnies sound like a great idea for OP if hers is over reacting to distractions when the barn is busy or he can hear the rest if the gang outside.
Bet they’d help…if you can get them in to a rehab:lol:
[QUOTE=findeight;7960716]
Ear bunnies sound like a great idea for OP if hers is over reacting to distractions when the barn is busy or he can hear the rest if the gang outside.
Bet they’d help…if you can get them in to a rehab:lol:[/QUOTE]
Ear bunnies LOL!!!
I call them poofies but ear bunnies is awesome! The prior barn he was at ALL horses lived in ear bunnies (well every horse when ridden had them in)… so he is super good about having them in.
He also has been acting like a bone-head in the cross ties. Pawing, jiggling nervously around. I was taking him over near the grooms tie area everyday to eat his vitamins a few months ago when I noticed how nervous he would get around the grooming cross tie area.
I started taking him to the shoeing cross ties because I noticed he was calm for the farrier. So today I took him to the farrier cross ties for his grooming and he was perfect.
In the barn grooming cross ties there is a lot of activity and I think it is stressing him out. He seem so nervous around the grooms. Like he had some kind of trauma in his life at some point.
Any ides of how to help him trust and relax?
[QUOTE=event_ryder;7960665]
Sedate, and walking. Lots and lots and lots and lots of walking. Then more of the same… Make sure you’re giving what ever drug you use enough time to be effective. My guy worked okay with Ace which given IM is a 45min or so wait before you hop on. Then he walked. Check with your vet but we ended up having to build to 2 1hr walk rides a day before we added trot. When he was silly I had to hand walk until things were boring again. Hopefully your layup rider can give you that time, or maybe you can find someone who can? It is horribly boring walking laps around the arena for an hour! I wasn’t allowed to think circle til about month 6 and couldn’t work lateral until month 8 so it was literally just walking laps. Ear stuffies and a bonnet can help with noise sensitivity. I’d take horse completely off grain if you happen to be feeding it as well. Its tough with the wild ones- good luck![/QUOTE]
Thank you so much for your thoughts… great ideas.
He doesn’t get grain but off any alfalfa. I did walking for over a month back in September. Sometimes I would walk with a pal horse. Not so boring when you can chit-chat too
I hope to be able to do more walking… walking is great for them. We have a really big track that we have been taking him to where we can do a lot of straight riding… hope to be able to continue doing that… Everyday is an adventure…
