I have a 10yo warmblood mare who has received, following extensive diagnostics[1], a presumptive diagnosis of EDM. She has Grade II neuro deficits behind and Grade I up front[2].
She has a home for life with me. Fortunately, being very pretty, she is well-equipped to be a pasture ornament, and I know she won’t weep for her lost career; she is, in fact, overjoyed with what she views as a recent upgrade to shoeless, feral eating machine with 24x7 turnout. As well, I am fortunate enough that I am in a position to be able to support a second horse, though it hadn’t precisely been my plan to do so.
But she’s very fancy (gone Prelim, done the 1.30s, and casually hops the fence for giggles), and I’ve been reliably informed that there are some people out there going Advanced on horses with mild neuro deficits. Which to me seems more than slightly insane! But we all have different tolerances for risk.
So I’m curious, COTH: what would you personally be comfortable doing with this horse in her current state? She doesn’t have compression[3], so there’s no risk of a sudden, catastrophic downturn if she takes a wrong step. (And yes, I have discussed this extensively with my vet team and have my own ideas/plan… but am curious as to how others would handle it.)
[1]: Trips to VEI and New Bolton; bone scan, neck/back X-rays, myelogram, spinal tap, muscle biopsy. Open to suggestions if anyone has some, but there’s not much left to do!
[2]: Neurologically normal at PPE 18 months ago, current grading agreed upon by two different board-certified IM vets, one of whom is also board-certified in neurology.
[3]: Confirmed by myelogram.