The injury prone horse

[cantstop]

It’s coming up two years since I first bought my mare (OTTB) and I don’t know what to do.

We’ve boarded at 3 different barns and she’s only kept sound at 1 where she’s been pretty much stalled for most of the day. This does not work for this horse mentally - the horse started rearing on handlers when brought inside. On top of that she is a difficult ride and requires a very experienced rider and being out helps her rideability a lot.

We brought her out to a full field board and she flourished massively. Rideability improved a lot. She actually put on a lot of muscle and her mental and physical health really improved. Now that I’ve figured out how to mentally manage this horse, I cannot keep this horse even pasture sound. People joke that she just loves the extra attention and that retired thoroughbred life or as my coach says “she’s not the working kind”. In the two years I’ve had her (large group turnout, small group turnout, single horse turnout - doesn’t matter):

1. Stone bruise - 6 weeks
2. 2 abscesses - each 2 weeks
3. Massive cut due to getting tangled in electric fence - 4 months stall rest
4. 4 pulled shoes and bruised soles - probably 2 months total
5. Splint that has not healed for almost 2 months. More rehab.

Vet asked to see if she’s still lame on her splint today. So I go see her and I found her 3 legged lame and swollen ON ANOTHER LEG tonight. Looks like a puncture wound. She’s out there with 2 other geriatric horses. I have no idea how she accomplishes this.

I have a full time job, small kids at home and I honestly don’t have time to keep rebandaging, cold hosing and the endless vet appointments. I just gave her some bute and left her at that. I am exhausted. Money is not so much the problem, but the time, the mental drain and unpredictability of it all just really weighs on me.

For the last year I have managed to ride this horse maybe 20 times and I’ve spent well over the purchase price in vet bills. Bringing her back into work is not fun because she loses muscle fast and is a bit of a dragon after stall rest (bucking and all).

I can’t “retire” her because riding is not a problem - she’d probably die if I just left her on a field within half a year. No limitations except her suicidal tendencies. She’s extremely talented and athletic but a very technical ride so would be a tough sale. I have met only 2 other people who can ride her OK. Some stable vices. Basically she’s an excellent candidate for ending up in a terrible situation.

Part looking to vent and part looking for actual advice. WWYD?

[Training_Cupid]

I have a similar OTTB, though luckily most of his incidents have been fairly minor. You didn’t say how old your horse is, but I got mine at 3 and the good news is the injury frequency lessened a lot around age 7, so hopefully yours will outgrow it too!
Mine used to lose shoes frequently in the winter, and often have sore feet/abscess type symptoms. I even had his feet xrayed to make sure there wasn’t a structural problem. But hopefully with good feed and shoeing your horses feet can improve. Are you confident in your current shoer?
Also my tips for when the feet problems do occur - magic cushion for sore feet/stone bruises, Clean Trax for abscesses (recommended by my vet).

[cantstop]

Sadly she is 10 already. Part of the appeal was to get a horse with a longer career on the track, because those are sturdier and more settled, right?!
I’ve actually had to pull the shoes as she was not growing feet at all and at some point there was just nothing to nail on. She’s been on Farrier’s Formula since Day 1. Can’t say it was the miracle people promise it to be She was in boots for a few weeks and that worked very well, but vet recommended against keeping her in boots 24/7 because she does get rubs (that knowing her luck will surely get infected). Now her feet have thankfully started growing much faster and somehow the angles just naturally improved too as well as her movement, so for now vet recommends to keep her barefoot to let the feet grow a bit more. She’s had 3 farriers, I’d say all three were good, and I didn’t notice any differences between them.

[Scribbler]

I would suggest going over to the Pete Ramey hoof health website and reading up on nutrition for hoof health, especially zinc copper and biotin. A good barefoot trimmer can keep her feet balanced and you can ride in hoof boots.

[cantstop]

thank you!

[RedHorses]

If I’m counting correctly seven of ten were hoof/foot problems and you said her feet are doing much better now. Have you considered Hoof Armour or glue on shoes/boots?

I totally get that it’s overwhelming and you’re still carrying the frustration from all the other injuries. I had one of those myself - he did get fewer injuries over time.

I’m wondering if excess energy is interfering with her sense of self preservation - possibly from too much or the wrong type of feed, or something lacking in her diet. Or perhaps not enough work mentally or physically.

It sounds like she may not be the right horse for you at this point in your life given your other obligations. If you can figure out what she needs (other than a giant hamster ball or full body bubble wrap) there’s a better chance of finding the right person and place if you can’t meet those needs yourself.

[Fiesta01]

@RedHorses

Have you considered Hoof Armour or glue on shoes/boots?

I would second glue-ons if your current plan doesn’t work out. I had to keep one of my OTTB mares in them for about 6 months to get really good growth to nail onto. She also was prone to stone bruises and abscesses. After she got the good growth, we only had to use the glue-ons very occasionally.

I’m afraid the other injuries (cuts, puncture wounds, etc) are just normal pasture injuries. As long as you have walked the pasture and not found any safety issues and have ensured that the herd is a friendly group with no bullies, I can’t think of any other solutions.

All of my OTTBs definitely needed to be part of a herd for their mental health, so I accepted that horses will be horses and adjusted my expectations and my goals as necessary. There were years when my training went really well and other years when we were in a holding pattern due to lay-up. (And to think, I coulda been in the Olympics. )

Sorry you’re going through this. Hang in there.

[No1]

My first thought is that lameness 1,2, 4, 5 are all directly or possibly related to the feet.

May be you need to do more investigating into that. Balance films (at least) if you haven’t, tweak her diet to help her feet, ask your farrier what his thoughts are on the state of her feet, possibly find a new one, depending on the outcome of those things.

Edited to add, if you have not already xrayed the splint and ultrasounded the suspensory, do so ASAP. If it’s fractured, you could spend a long time rehabbing her and still not have a sound horse.

Fractured splints often don’t heal well and have to come out. And sometimes the splint can impinge on the suspensory, the splint also has to come out in that case.

[ElementFarm]

I commiserate! I have one like this. WB mare I’ve owned for ~8 years. She’s had major abdominal surgery, two complex (requiring specialists flown in) dental surgeries, leg surgery, unexplained lameness, allergies, prone to skin crud/scratches, placentitis requiring a 2-week stay at the university’s ICU, and that’s in addition to the regular bumps, cuts, and scrapes that ‘normal’ horses get. DH and I joke that all of our good vet stories begin with “do you remember that time Zooby…”. We have 7-10 horses between the two of us. This mare has cost easily double in vet bills what the others have combined.

She’s wonderful though, aside from all that. Was my show-hunter until a workup (another hefty bill with a sports medicine specialist) showed some KS/back remodeling, and then did USDF dressage and now foxhunts. Grandma can ride this mare, but an experienced rider can enjoy her too as she’s game and has all the buttons. She’s pretty, sweet and lovable, and 100% easy to handle, clip, bathe, load, etc. But I could have paid for a really nice show horse and several actual shows for the cost of this mare’s veterinary maintenance.

In some ways, it’s easier to be faced with a bad colic or a shredded tendon, and know that 'this is it". The ones that have a little issue, followed by a medium issue, then 12 more little issues are tough. It’s like they’re nickeling and diming to death your motivation and hope. When is it too much ? When is enough is enough?
Spoiler alert: there’s no good answer for this. Sometimes the final straw is financial, sometimes it’s something less quantifiable, like your time and enjoyment.

Not all pasture board is the same. Are there places with safer options that the mare might stay sounder in? This could mean different fencing, smaller or larger pastures, fewer/more/different pasture mates, stall for feeding, different owners/energy, etc.
If the time drain is really what’s frustrating you now, perhaps a different barn that can handle more of the day-to-day treatment/care will help. You may just need a break from the constant stress of her care. It won’t be free but it could very well be worth it for your mental health.

Things like analyzing her nutrition and supplementing to maybe help with the chronic hoof problems will pay longterm dividends. A full care program that can manage her wounds, while simultaneously limiting new injuries by providing a safer pasture/stall environment may help her turn the corner. It sounds like you like this mare and really click with her. It’s okay to give up and take associated follow-on actions (sell, euth, give away, etc), but don’t make the decision when you’re depressed and exhausted. Try to find a better program for you both, or look into modifying what you’ve got now to make it safer. Then you can objectively look at the pros/cons, and make a deliberate and less-emotional decision about what to do next.

[StormyDay]

I’d say, welcome to owning thoroughbreds. I swear they could find a way to injure themselves in a padded room.

Sometimes this is just how it goes. Sometimes horses just have back to back injuries. Luckily IME the OTTB’s do grow out of it; sometimes it takes a bit longer than you’d hope though. I would also suggest doing the Pete Ramey diet for her feet. I would also suggest posting pics of her feet after a trim here or on the Facebook hoof rehabilitation group, since (except for the fence incident) all of those can be attributed to her feet. Even the splint, which can be caused by bad angles.

[NichtNixen]

She sounds like she’s busy and highly energetic - have you tried any trick/clicker training when she’s on rest and rehab schedules? It might keep the thoughts inside her head and a little tired instead so when she gets to go back to work she’s less likely to act the fool. Plus you can have some positive interactions instead of vet-bill resentment (and sometimes behavioral shaping can be super helpful for treatment/rehab).

I’m the world’s worst sick/injured person. My skin gets too tight, my brain whirls a mile a minute, and the second I get a hint of a green light, I push myself too hard and end up one step forward, two steps back - I have to have some kind of task. Every off track warhorse (or really any competitive/drivey animal) I’ve met is much the same. They need a job, no matter what.

[Warmblood1]

Yep. I just sold a horse very much like this. Had him for about 4 years and cut my losses. Honestly, I’m glad I did.

Some horses have genetically bad feet. You can throw all the supplements at them in the world and you may see some improvement but issues will still be there. A lot of TBs are prone to thin soles, thin walls and shoeing often affects the angles in a negative way - most commonly from the steel shoe causing friction on the heels which wears the heels down but allows the toe to continue to grow. They often improve angle wise when removing shoes but they are still very susceptible to stone bruising and abscesses. I’ve found with the crappy soled horses, pads can do wonders and prevent a lot of bruises. If you are able to do glue of shoes and can’t put on steel shoes with pads, I’d start with glue ons with as much sole protection as possible. If not, I’d still consider a hoof boot. There are some boots like the scoot boot where you can apply gators to protect from rubs. You could rotate hoof boots 12 hours on/off to help reduce chances of rubs and that would at least protect the soles for a greater period of time than without and decrease chances of bruising while the horse is wearing them.

Also, with these more anxious and easily stressed horses, they are just going to be more injury prone than a horse that thinks through it. I had an issue previously at boarding facilities with safe fencing. If you see issues with fencing, and go walk the fences, bring it up to the BO and ensure it gets fixed. For example, electric fencing should always be hot and you can get a simple fence tester to ensure so. Electric fencing without current is very dangerous.

I can’t say a great deal about the splint without more diagnostics, etc.

I will say this - life is too short to ride the wrong horse. Same horse I recently sold was hot, hot, hot and I just grew tired of it. Quite difficult on the ground and under saddle. It started to ruin riding for me. I finally broke down and found him a more suitable home (low level, low stress, trails, etc). I’m honestly very happy I did. The horses I have are much more sane, much easier under saddle, hardy, and way lower maintenance. You’re not a bad owner for realizing that maybe this horse isn’t the right match for you.

[candyappy]

Can we see pictures of her feet?

[cantstop]

Thanks all, I will see what I can do to improve the feet and will send pics after her next trim.

The splint was almost definitely a traumatic injury (i.e. she hit it somewhere), according to the vet after evaluating the x-rays. It’s quite an ugly image (not fracture) and for a while vet thought that we might need to do a surgery, but the surgeon after seeing the images said that for now, we could try to do shockwave + laser program and then reevaluate.

I’ve tried to have her in casts, but she pulled off 3 in a span of 2 weeks so that didn’t exactly work. I will see with my farrier if glue ons are an option.

I think her big problem is that she just has very little body awareness and a high pain threshold. For example, in the early rides when she’d get spun up and start backing up/prancing, she’d step on her own hind legs to a point of bleeding. I’ve ridden many green horses in my life but not one that so confidently stomps on her own feet and doesn’t learn.

All these injuries are in addition to scrapes and cuts that I’ve just largely learned to ignore as long as they’re not oozy or swollen.

Moving the mare to another place could be an option but quite honestly this is the healthiest place for horses that I’ve seen in the area and I’ve ever boarded in. Not a fancy barn by any means and if I could bring her home I would, but it is extremely horse-friendly design. Huge pastures, horses can see each other at the barn, generous, always available hay, max turnout. The owners are great. I already feed my own grain - she’s low starch which keeps her mood in check and 4x the volume of what others get - because that’s what it takes to keep her weight on.

Aside from the injuries, mentally she is thriving. In the prior barn she was keeping “sound” but absolutely miserable. She would just stand by the gate for the 4 hrs she was out daily and be destructive in her stall for the rest of the time. Hard to find full turnout places as I live in a major metro area and have to commute 40min one way, because I think turnout is that important for her.

Somebody mentioned too little work. The funny thing is that it is precisely when she starts to get into the groove of things and goes nicely that she gets a fresh injury - the big ones literally all happened when she was doing great and I thought we are finally getting to real work. Last one - literally a few days before our first show! The soundest she has ever been was when I was pregnant with my last one - literally injury free for 8 months.

My coach suggested giving her more work this summer and again it was absolutely the right move. I hired someone to put her on a lunge 3x a week, rode 3-4x myself and then miraculously found another person that could ride her 3x a week and wasn’t even charging. She would sometimes be worked 2x a day, be out 24/7 and it really helped her mentally and she was getting in the best shape I’ve ever seen her. And then the splint happened and we are back at square one

[wildlifer]

Just wanted to share my sympathy & empathy. I had one like this, finally had to cut my losses & found him a wonderful companion home where he is doing great. But I know not all of them are cut out for that. I’ve had multiple great ottbs, but this particular one couldn’t stay sound to save his life, even though he was extensively vetted & well built. It was hard for me to realize, but you can’t fix all of them.

[jherold]

You could try insuring her for major medical. It’s a Murphy’s law thing. If you have it, you won’t need it!

[cantstop]

Already insured, thank God!

[jherold]

Omg! Just think how bad she would injure herself if not insured!

[Libby2563]

With the injury-prone ones, I sometimes wonder if there’s a low-grade neuro deficit that’s causing poor proprioception, loss of balance, anxiety, etc.

[GraceLikeRain]

@cantstop

Part looking to vent and part looking for actual advice. WWYD?

I’d get a new farrier. Of everything you mentioned, the only thing that isn’t foot related was a fencing accident. It sounds like she’s mentally and physically doing great and trying to get around on junky feet. The question is whether the feet are genetically junky or if you farrier just isn’t cut out to solve the issues at hand. I don’t see any indication of an “accident-prone” horse.

Personally:

1. x-rays
2. ask a good lameness vet for a farrier referral
3. ask the farrier to shoe based on the rads (potentially glue-ons if the walls are trashed)
4. evaluate diet and ensure it is low NSC, low iron, high copper/zinc
5. put horse on a short cycle - maybe as low as 4 weeks to prevent unnecessary lost shoes and distorted white line
6. keep the feet dry and encourage movement
7. accept that it may take 6-9 months to really see improved hoof quality