Sorry, Quietanne, when you said you had two days of pretty awesome work, I had visions of canter H/P, and flying changes. :eek: :eek: :lol: :lol:
Sounds as though you are being sensibly cautious. Easier to go slowly forward, than hurriedly back.
Carry on! :yes:
Quietanne, I am sorry that you are still having issues with your mare. SI issues are so difficult! Do you have any recent videos of her moving that you are willing to share? I love your video upates as I can watch Venture for similarities/differences, even though we have had very different situations.
Venture got away from me for the first time in 5 months two days ago. Took OFF into one of the empty pastures, took some joy laps, charged the horses in the closest pasture. I was terrified and FURIOUS. Cold hosed, ice booted, Surpass on the leg, and did not walk that night. Was on pins and needles but the leg did not react at all. Either we were lucky, or he is getting closer to being ready for turnout. Believe me I did not want to find out THAT way. We are up to 25 minute walking hacks per day, no more happy drugs eitherā¦
dbamford, eek! Glad to hear that Venture seems to be OK after his escapade. I have to say, one thing I love about Feronia is that while she does have a big spook, ābolt and runā doesnāt seem to be part of it. But there were a couple of times when she was at the same stage as Venture where she reared, or spun around me, and came down not wanting to put any weight on her bad leg.
Good news on the Feronia front:
Sheās not 100% sound, but the vet did another U/S today and it shows that she is continuing to heal, slowly, but itās happening. Heās cleared us for changing directions at the trot and large (25 m) circles at the trot, and wants me to work her up to 15 minutes continuous trotting over the next few weeksā¦ and if that goes well, we get to CANTER! Cantering is her very, very favorite gait. It should happen around the one-year anniversary of her surgery.
My videographer (AKA DH) is on strike until the weather warms up a bit, but I am hoping that will happen soon, and then I can post more videos. (In the meantime, hereās one from fall 2009: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiEOgha3HL8 ā¦ I was having some physical leg issues at the time so my eq is horrid, but you can see the little eventer in thereā¦ and so help me g-d, I will kiss the ground the first time we do that again, if/when it happens.)
quietann, she is too cute. I will be right there with you wishing for a full recovery. I hope all of our patience will pay off!! Glad that the exam went well, I need to schedule my next one for next month. We should be doing some trot in another month. I am taking it SOOO slow, walk only until 45 min under saddle.
Video from last night and a question
OK, here is Feronia video from last night:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkZgev8drdI&. we had a 2 day respite from winter, so I got my husband to come take a video or three.
Not bad at all and it feels like most of her issues are not in her leg, but in her pelvis/SI area; sheās a little crooked again (has chiro in 3 weeks but I may ask him to come earlier.) This was at the end of the second 5 minute trot.
Iād cut back on her robaxin but I think I need to put it back up, because sheās been very slowwwwww to warm up (like riding taffy!)
Question: that thing I do with my right (and only my right) lower leg is mostly a not so effective way to keep her from inverting when weāre going to the right. I used to have a pretty stable lower leg, but this heels-up-swingy thing started, hm, just before her lameness, way back in 2009. Any suggestions for getting rid of it?
Feronia looks quite even, and very steady. Lovely arena BTW.
Your lower leg might be helped by coming up a hole, allowing more bend in your knee. That will help your lower leg stay steady against her side, and the weight to drop down through your heels. When she starts to invert which in her case seems to be just quietly dropping the contact for a second, just ride her forward strongly from both legs.
vicarious, thanks for the advice. I didnāt get to ride today thanks to a nasty virus, but will give things a try tomorrow.
That indoor has been a lifesaver this winter. Weāre both sick of it, though, and it looks like I might be able to ride her outside soon.
Agree quiteanne, she looks good! Very even. Agree with vicarious, shorten stirrup, should reduce pivot on knee. Thrilled that she is doing so well. Vicarious, where is your horse at with progress? My vet is insisting that I start trotting, I have been a chicken. I am more worried about tendon sheath than the suspensory right nowā¦
:sigh: :sigh: The U/S went well. The veterinarian was pleased with the results. We are cleared for turn out.
Bigger :sigh:!!! Unfortunately, the weather here has not been very good for turning out a rehabbing horse. So weāre still on stall rest and hand walking.
Like you Iām cautious, I too worry more about the tendon sheath,than the tendon which looks great.
This is the first horse Iāve rehabbed from this surgery. Other horses have been plain old suspensories (if there is such a thing), and after walking and walking forever undersaddle, I gradually started trotting straight lines, on whatever flat level ground was available.
At this point, I am way behind you.
Vicarious, do you have any way to set up a small pen with stock panels? This is what Iāve done for Feronia, since she isnāt cleared for big turnout yet. Her little pen is set on a slight slope so it barely gets muddy.
Iām very pleased to hear that your U/S went wellā¦ I read back and you are not riding yet, right???
Vicarious, Venture has been in a very small paddock, about three times the size of a stall since december (that was following his 3 month U/S). Is this an option? We worked him up to a full day, first doing evening for a hour or so with lots of hay and Ace. Then to 1/2 day up to lunch when I had a girl to bring him in, and now full day. He is no longer on meds. Once we are trotting for the next month, I will start larger paddock turnout, we donāt really have any BIG fields here, or hills, so hoping it will be ok. We are now 6 months out, time has flown, rehab makes it go fastāthat and all the stall cleaning!
Thanks, we have a small pen, but are waiting for the weather to be little more stable.
Weāve had an awful lot of snow.
Weāre quite a ways from being under saddle. 
But thanks again for your input, will keep you updated as things progress.
One more update: maresy started dragging her hind toes last week after Iād upped her workload just slightly 
I had the vet out on Friday and we found that while her legs seem fine, she is back-sore. Getting her āengagedā at the trot is quite hard, but once sheās there, sheās quite happy to stay there.
Soā¦ next step is chiro+mesotherapy in a week and a half, but I am to keep riding her, just not increase the program and keep an ear out for her to start toe-dragging. I also took the front shims out of her half pad (which had been there because she had no muscling over her withers), and that made both me and her happier. Saturday and Sundayās rides were better.
Iāve been told that some of the issues sheās had since I started riding her ā SI, back, etc. ā are not uncommon in horses recovering from this surgery.
I am trying to keep my chin up, but itās hard sometimes! If the mesotherapy doesnāt help things, I am seriously considering just turning her out for a year. Her breeders would take her for pasture-boarding and have another mare they might be willing to lease to me.
Hmmmm! I would be curious as to the relationship between the surgery and SI problems. Things to look forward to?! Again, keep us updated.
As it is, we too have suffered a little setback. Having carefully watched the 10 day forecast, and observing the receding ice and snow in the small paddock,I had decided that Today would be the big day, the first day of beginning turn out time.
Snort! The latest miserable snow dump put an end to such a silly idea. Now back to watching the snow melt. Very much in the same line as watching paint dry, and grass grow!
Quietanne, sorry for the setback. I have done Chrio on Venture for the last year and a half, and it seems to have really helped him. Unfortunately my chiro person moved! Some folks have very good luck with injecting for SI, but it seems to be a more complicated procedure. I have heard that SI and hock issues seem to sometimes go hand in hand.
Venture and I just started trotting, he is very perky and happy, we have long straight hard packed sand roads all around the farm, and that is where he is working. All looks well so far. Real turnout is the next step, boy am I nervous about that, as that is where he re-injured himself last Sept which prompted the surgery in the first place.
oh heck, folksā¦ Feronia was back to cranky and uneven tonight. dbamford, you donāt know what I would give for hard-packed sand roads right nowā¦ the snowās melting and everything ā even the paths which are generally pretty firm ā is a mud pit.
The SI injections were done in December. Doing them right requires live ultrasound to get the needles placed right, which is what makes them complicated. They definitely helped Feronia, though. Itās just the one thing after another breaking with her thatās driving me nuts.
I finally did arrange to go try that other mare her breeders have, just to find out if sheās an option should I need to give Feronia time off. That will happen in 3 weeks. It feels terribly disloyal, though!
vicarious, I hope your horse can get turnout soon!
Please donāt feel as though you are being disloyal. You could be doing the most sensible thing at this time.You would be giving her time off,in a comfortable situation. You can do it knowing that you have done what you could do to help her back to soundness.
Before you make a decision I would discuss it with the vet who has been with you in all of this.
Meanwhile I shall look forward to another round of dismal, nasty snow/ rain.
Please donāt feel disloyal for thinking of turning her out in a secure comfortable situation. You have invested a tremendous amount of time, energy, and care into her welfare. Giving her some completely down time may be just what she needs.
In the meantime you will being keeping your skills from becoming rusty.
Meanwhile I look forward to another round of snow/rain. Mud would be an improvement.
[QUOTE=vicarious;5471912]
Please donāt feel disloyal for thinking of turning her out in a secure comfortable situation. You have invested a tremendous amount of time, energy, and care into her welfare. Giving her some completely down time may be just what she needs.
In the meantime you will being keeping your skills from becoming rusty.
Meanwhile I look forward to another round of snow/rain. Mud would be an improvement.;)[/QUOTE]
Thank you so much for the kind words.
The one-year anniversary of her surgery is tomorrow, and it is hitting me pretty hard. Iād made a bargain with myself ā that at one year, if she wasnāt noticeably better, Iād give myself permission to start looking at other horses (whether to buy or to lease.) And weāre thereā¦ she is better, but not sound and her progression towards soundness has slowed to nearly nothing. So I really, really, from the bottom of my heart, appreciate what you have said.
I longed her tonight since she was sore yesterday, and it was pretty badā¦ significant toe dragging with both hinds, when I could even get her to trot. Trot to the right was a fightā¦ with her leaping around, stopping, bucking etc. repeatedly before she gave me a trot, and one spectacular straight-up rear which came way too close to her flipping over, and when she landed she did not want to moveā¦ I really thought sheād damaged herself, though she eventually worked out of it. (She can be playful on the longe, but this was not playful behavior; this was serious āDONā WANNA!ā behavior on her part.)
Iām still going ahead with the mesotherapy as it would take at least a couple of months for me to make arrangements for her, get things worked out for a lease or purchase of a second horse, etc. And during that time, Iād like to keep trying to get her better.
Weāre going to get more rain, and hence more mud, here, too. Butā¦ for the first time since early January, the footing in the outdoor arena is visible, in a few small spotsā¦ so there is hope! You too will get there 
Gosh, quietann, my heart is just breaking reading your post!!! The scientist in me wishes I could put the pieces together and figure it out for you, but obviously I am NO vet, and you have some of the best helping you. It does sound rather like back is involved doesnāt it? Do you have any video of her lunging with the toe drag? I agree with vicarious, a good long rest might be the best thing for her, and no, you should not feel guilty at all! Thank god you horse has that option, some folks would have to euthanize, at least you have some other options. I have the same pact with myself about the ā1 yearā out. If things arenāt better for Venture by then, I may send him back to my parents farm for either short term break or long term retirement.
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