Sort of overwhelmed...partially horse related...advice appreciated...or maybe just a few hugs

[ParadoxFarm]

Okay. So it’s been a very rough week. My husband was riding his newer horse (got him in December). Horse had a week off because my DH was with me at a horse show, and we were just busy. So he riding and was trotting around just fine. He asked the horse to canter, and horse said, No. He didn’t want to go forward. Now, he did this when we first got him, just being barn sour. This is not a pain issue, etc. This is his MO when he’s not wanting to work. So, DH tapped him with the crop and had his outside leg on. Horse reared straight up. DH held on to the neck, but when horse came back down, DH came off hard. He landed on his hip. We had to EMS him to the hospital. Long story short, DH fractured his acetabular (hip socket). He finally came home yesterday, but is pretty much immobile right now. He’ll be non-weight bearing for I think 12 weeks. So, that is issue one. I have to now figure out how to deal with naughty horse. He’s not hard to handle otherwise. But I’m not as nimble as my DH and I can’t afford to get hurt. I think he’d be fine, but I could use advice on how to get a horse to move forward when he doesn’t want to – without a crop.

Issue number two is while this is happening, one of my other horses decides to have a cellulitis flare up. This is my most difficult horse to handle and I have been giving him banamine orally (per vet’s instructions) and wrapping his hind leg. He’s now keen to me coming with the meds and is getting hard to handle and medicate. (Plus he’s an almost 17 hh ottb). And now he’s agitated in his stall and I cannot safely change his standing bandage. He’s not being mean, but he will not stand still and I’m afraid he’ll simply run me over. Any advice on how to handle such a horse. He does NOT crosstie well when he’s full of energy. I am wondering if I should use Dorm to calm him down so I can handle him better.

Sigh. We have five horses at home, and I feel so stretched thin right now and basically stressed out over all this. I’m trying to work out some partial FMLA with work so that I can be here to help my DH.

I guess I’m mostly venting and feeling sorry for myself.

[endlessclimb]

First horse would go off to boot camp, pronto. That will take one off the roster while this all settles down.

Cellulitis horse - could you get away with longer cold hosing 2x a day instead of wrapping? Or go middle-ground with some of those quick wraps - not as good compression but faster to apply? I’d straight tie him in a stall - rope halter on a blocker ring - and give a good growl when he goes to act silly. “Yes, dear, I know this is unpleasant for us BOTH but I need you to suck it up a little.” If you don’t think that will work, I’d not hesitate to put him on some downers.

Do you have the facilities to just have these guys out 24/7? That will take a load of work off for a bit.

[Simkie]

Oh geez I’m so sorry.

Can the vet come out to handle the cellulitis horse? Or can you arrange something on the side with one of the techs in the practice? Or any other nearby horse people who can manage a tall and kinda cranky guy?

Rearing straight up would mean that horse would get moved along. Sell him. At the very least, put in full training for awhile to fully nix that behavior. But once they decide rearing is an appropriate answer, it’s often always in their bag of tricks. Don’t put yourself or your husband in a position to get hurt again, now that you know this guy thinks going up is an option.

Speedy healing for your husband (and a big glass of wine for you!)

[Mosey_2003]

I’m so sorry, that’s a lot to deal with!!!

I’d definitely drug the cellulitis case, you don’t need to take chances right now.

And I agree with Simkie about the new horse, perhaps that’s why he was being sold in December?

[ParadoxFarm]

Thanks, all. I’m just not thinking clearly right now, so reading your responses is helpful.

How we got the horse is a bit of a mystery. Too long to type at the moment, but I’ll talk to my trainer and see what he thinks. He started this horse as a five year old, but then he lost track of him for a few years.

I talked to my vet and we are going to try some banamine paste as opposed to liquid and get some reserpine powder (which I am not familiar with) for the TB. When he’s calm, he’s sweet. But when he’s not calm – it’s not fun to handle him.

[exvet]

My sincere sympathies for your issues. As they say when it rains it pours.

I agree with others that first horse should go to bootcamp with the back up plan of selling. I do have some thoughts but with everything else going on it sounds like you’ll have less stress and more success sending him to someone who has the time and fortitude to take things back to the ground and work with him slowly but consistently to teach him right from wrong by placing him in a graduated program that sets him up to only make right answers…that takes time and has no time or place for rushing or lacking conviction.

Horse two is reminiscent of my recent drama though we’re past it. I used to be able to rely on one of my two adult children to come out and help me if I was in a real pickle needing assistance to properly treat one of my horses. I no longer have those extra hands. My horse ended up with an eye injury and after the first treatment session became a bit of a drama lama and monster to try to treat going forward. I have endless access to drugs so I used them. It was far safer and I was more thorough with flushing out his eye and medicating. I was close to simply sewing in a lavage system but was also reticent because he’s a master at removing clothing no matter how ‘safe’ you think a stall is. I felt in his case that the risk of further damage if he should pull out a lavage set up was too great. Horses do fine with repeated sedation for the short-term. Luckily I’m a quick draw with administering such so none of my horses are needle shy. Oral sedation can be your friend along with a safe tying system and solid footing if your horse’s treatment requires wrapping. I would first explore options of alternate therapy with your vet if possible and if there’s no other solution, drug that puppy into submission gradually reducing the dosing so that he becomes accustomed to the process and expectations of good behavior are met. I have one now that I had to do that with who stays still with just the hay bag in front of him.

Also for the time being, determine what absolutely has to be done for minimum quality of care and your sanity. I’m guessing there are some chores that could be halted for a while or managed on a more intermittent basis if finding someone to give you a hand isn’t possible. Hang in there.

[cayuse]

Jingles for both you and your husband. Poor guy, I hope his healing is uneventful.
I’d try to get the vet involved to deal with the cellulitis horse, at least for a few days until things settle down a bit. Like you said, you can’t afford to get hurt and this will take some pressure off you. The other horse, I toss out to pasture until things calm down, then decide what to with him later. I personally wouldn’t ride him because rearing is a no go for me (i had a bad experience with a flipper) and this may be a trick of his like Simke said.

[luvmyhackney]

Jingles and more jingles.

Rearing horse needs to go to a good trainer and sold or PTS. That will get someone killed. No ammy wants to ride a rearer.

Cellulitis horse, drugs are needed. I’d ace and trazodone as needed to make him mellow.

Can you put an ad out or find a vet tech looking for extra work to help with the cellulitis horse and other horses to give yourself a break?

[NaturallyHappy]

I believe there may be some liability w selling a horse who intentionally reared and broke his owner’s back. We were presented w a horse like this years ago- neither my late DH or any of his friends wanted the liability of selling this horse. I’d sure rely on your trainer and take no chances with your safety.

Can you put your cellulitis horse on Trazodone? If they will eat it, it works very well.

[trubandloki]

Jingles for your husband and you!

@ParadoxFarm

I’m just not thinking clearly right now

This is 100% to be expected. Cut yourself some slack. Lots going on.

I am glad you reached out to the vet for help with treating your horse with cellulitis.
I think calling the trainer about horse that reared is a great plan.

Does either the vet or trainer know of someone who can help with basic horse stuff (stalls, feeding, etc) so you can use your limited time to deal with other things?

[Paint_Party]

Oh my gosh, what a series of events!

The reserpine powder has worked well for me in the past. Hopefully that, or a different drug, and the horse understanding the routine will help with that situation.

My husband had a bicycling accident and ended up with a similar fracture. Between the pain, the effects of the pain meds and an immobile husband who was usually physically very active… there were some stressful moments. But fortunately, it gets better as healing takes place and time goes by quickly.

Which brings us to the rearing horse. Decades ago I ceased dealing with anything that sees rearing as an editorial comment on the command to go forward. I’d send that horse away, pronto. As in never to come back again. Let your trainer deal with it. You have enough on your plate.

I hope that in a short time things will even out and you can exhale. Life sure can present challenges! But we’re here for you. (( HUGS ))

[Larksmom]

I can only offer jingles and great hugs for you.

[NaturallyHappy]

Jeepers! I forgot to say how sorry I am this happened to both of you. I went into “what could help” mode.

[ParadoxFarm]

All modes are appreciated! At the vet’s office as it is thundering and lightning out. Waiting a few moments to make a dash to my car.

Thanks, all!

[Dr_Doolittle]

Oh my goodness, you poor thing! And your poor DH!

Nothing to add to the good responses above – just best of luck!! and big hugs, you’ll get through this

[NancyM]

You are allowed to vent, and feel sorry for yourself (and for your DH). You’ve had good advice here already, I don’t need to add to it. All this bull manure WILL pass. And be solved. One way or the other. Do something nice for yourself, and for your DH. Start by taking a breath.

[chocolate_chip_in]

I’m so sorry, I don’t have anything constructive to add just wanted to say this really sucks! Any one of those things would be stressful, much less all of them together.

[risuenaVT]

That’s a lot to deal with! I think others might be right that it’s worth it to send DH’s horse to a trainer if you can, just so that’s one less thing on your plate while your DH recovers and while caring for cellulitis horse and everything else you have to do right now.

But otherwise I don’t have any suggestions but do have a lot of sympathy to offer

[clanter]

I would send that horse to either France or Italy where the people could enjoy it, there are too many really nice workable horses that want to be your friend to fool around with one that wants to kill you

[McGurk]

Piggybacking on everyone else:

A horse that rears to avoid going forward is a pro ride only.

A horse that rears straight up and threatens to go over is a horse no one should ride. Unclear from your post how close he was to going over, but the fact that it’s “his MO” and he just had the behavior reinforced; that is, he successfully used it to get out of work, makes me very concerned for his next rider.

Even if you got a good pro to work through this behavior, you and your husband shouldn’t ride the horse and you couldn’t sell him without full disclosure. The problem with the full disclosure is that anyone who is willing to take the horse isn’t capable of managing him, and anyone with the skills to manage him wouldn’t take him.

He’s either a pasture pet or a behavioral euth. I’m sorry. This is awful. But there’s no good resolution to this.