I also have a horse with questionable right front- from a small high bow,
and newly developed splints. I layed him up for nearly 5 months. He never
was lame in the corral or the arena when turned out, but still some swelling
just above the splint area.
Finally any sign of tenderness was gone, all swelling was gone, not even a
little bit puffy. So back to training after 2 more weeks off just for good
measure.. Oh, I think I may have started this horse just a little too fast-
I only got him broke a little over a year ago.
So I brought him back in the middle of December, slowly, and he was doing
great. no puffy and no head bobbing. So we tried to do a real slow ( 5
miles/hour ) troting mostly at the Fire Mountain ride the end of Jan.
After 16 miles and the 1st Vet check, I thought he was bobbing just a
little, but he vetted clean. So we started off for the 2nd half. I didn't
get 200 yards, and the bobbing was not in my imagination. So I went back to
the same vet and asked him to watch us trot off with me on him. Well he saw
it this time. We agreed to not continue. My partner had gone on. Jam was
just fine until we got back to the trailer, when he realized he was alone.
Then he went cavorting all over the portable corral. Just being a lunatic.
As soon as everyone got back, he settled down just fine, ate drank. No
problems. The leg was never tender to touch. The ride vet said it was not
his tendon.
The following Tue, had the home vet out. By this time, only a little puffy
above the splint, no tenterness. Negative to the hoof testers, negative to
the flexion test on either leg. Best guess, just a little too much on the
splint. Not quite healed enough yet. So now he is careening around with his
corral with his buds, doing great, all sign of puffy is gone again, so we
will go at it again, REAL slow at home for a while. same speed, but I wont
go over 15 miles ( mostly mountains )
by the way, his P & R's were GREAT and all A's on hydration and gut sounds-
etc.
Now my other little mare, we began endurance just over a year ago, she is now
almost 16, and bless her heart, never off once, just getting better and
better on her conditioning, but she does'nt drink and eat very well anytime,
but is getting better. I worry about her on longer that limited distance
rides, but since I am laying off Jam for a while, I think I am going to try
Gina for OUR first 55 miler at the end of the month. A friend that has a
nutsoid horse wanted to try endurance, so we put her on my Gina for the
riders first ride. Gina was a real pro- finished great, and got anothe rider
hooked on our sport. We think her own horse might have killed her or at
least turnned her off completely from ever coming again, but that is another
very long story.
Gina ( the mare ) also had a very mild case of tying up a couple of months
ago on a training ride. She stiffened up about 2 miles out, so we walked
back to the trailer and called the vet. She could barely step up into the
trailer she was so stiff. I had been trying to get some weight on her and
had been giving her grain even of her days off. Not any more. Decided that
was the only problem, that seemed to fix it and she hasn't done it again at
all. To get some weight on her, she is now on Equine senior, natural glow
and grass or oat hay. It's working when she will eat. The best way to do
that seems to be to put another horse on the same ration, and then they
compete a little. Bothe of the mares in question are too laid back when it
comes to eating, and it takes them all day to eat 6 lbs of senior, and that
is together!
Well, sorry this was so long, hope it helps a little. We are all trying to
get to and through the next ride.
Happy trails to you
Becky Hackworth
Alpine, CA
Jam and Gina ...Always have a pair of endurance horses, you can't not go
to a ride!