Not to long after that we had a bad serious of snow storms and she was laid
off for a couple of weeks. The first time I rode her after the ground
broke through I did not get 100 ft from the barn before she had another
mild episode.
After then, everytime I took her anywhere she became nervous, as if she was
anticipating another occurrence. I think her nervousness started bringing
it on as she would start to show symptoms nearly as soon as I was in the
saddle. She was a laid back traveler all her life and this nervousness was
very uncharacteristic.
This has been very depressing for me. She is now nearly 29, sound, and
still a beautiful flashy bay. The number of injuries/health problems she
has had in all these years could be counted on one hand, with the exception
of the tying up episodes.
A couple of years ago my vet suggested thyroid therapy. I did try it for a
while but didn't really have any proof that it was having an effect. Due
to its expense, I discontinued using it.
I still ride her occasionally around the neighborhood, but I never ask her
to go out with another horse (she's still very competitive) because I
don't want to bring on another episode.
While I have plenty of other horses to ride, I still miss the thrill of
riding this mare when she was in her glory years.
I would be really interested in finding a solution for her as there is no
other reason for her to be standing around doing nothing.
Sally Aungier
Powhatan, Va
aungish@unos.org