On Thursday Finn is headed to New England Equine Medical and Surgical Center. It's about 40 minutes from the barn and I'm prepared to do a bunch of diagnostics on him to figure out what is going on. While I do think some of his issues are behavioral, I know that he doesn't spend his days plotting to scare me. There's just been too much going on with him medically in these past two years for everything to be linked to behavior. Before the summer I was having a blast with my horse. Yes, he's a handful, always will be, but I have always had fun with him even when he was challenging. I can remember the summer before this one I took him out on the trails with a group and part of the trail was where he had to cross a beaver dam. The horses had to go down a steep incline, cross a little stream, and then it was an incline back up. Horses were either going down the hill, stepping into the dam and climbing back out, or jumping the whole thing and scrambling a bit on the way up. It was definitely scary. Finn was scared and kept trying to turn around to head back home. When he didn't get his way he would rear or cow kick at my leg. After 30 minutes of coaxing he ended up climbing a bit of the way down and jumping it. On the way home we had to cross it again and he didn't even bat an eye. Through his whole temper tantrum I was laughing at my baby. He wasn't being dangerous, just scared. Now, nothing he does is funny.
I also got in touch with the MSPCA. I told them that I was bringing him to New England, and if, after that, we still don't have a diagnosis, or if he has something wrong with him that makes him unrideable, he will be headed back to the MSPCA where he will find a home as a pasture pet. I DO want to find out what's wrong with him, especially after almost two years of wondering. I am excited and nervous and hope we get some answers. We will be leaving the barn early on Thursday morning and will most likely be at the hospital all day.
On Saturday the weather was practically summer like, 50 degrees and sunny. Finn got to be outside without his blanket for the first time in months.
Well Finn got his first acupuncture treatment last Wednesday. I thought it would go something like this: stick tiny little needles in my horse's back that he can't even feel while he stands on the crossties for half an hour and falls asleep, while I chat to the vet. But this is Finn we're talking about. The second he saw the vet he pinned his ears and started dancing around. She tried to put one needle near his withers and he practically jumped through the roof. We couldn't tell if he was in THAT much pain, or if he was remembering/anticipating the back injection attempt from the week before. She gave him a teensy bit of sedation, her assistant put a towel over his eyes, and the vet was able to get about 8 needles in-- not even the full amount that she usually uses. Once he had the needles in he did completely relax, and melt his head into her assistant. She is coming out again on Wednesday for another course of treatment. This past week we also had the farrier out to change the angles on his fronts slightly, as per vet's instructions post x-ray, and the dentist out on Sunday. The dentist said his teeth looked awesome, and it only took him about 20min (as opposed to the 2 hours it took him a year ago) to get his chomps looking perfect. All of this maintainence that will hopefully lead to a happy and sound horse...someday!
The vet came out yesterday to re x-ray Finn. X-ray's looked good, and vet recommended either a Sigafoos shoe, or a shoe that's called a flip-flop, which is basically a thick rubber pad that covers the whole bottom of the hoof, and then half of a shoe nailed to the front of the hoof, over the pad. The vet recommended we try the flip-flop shoe, before trying a Sigafoos. I can't find too much info on them online. My farrier ordered them, and Finn will be trimmed and shod on Tuesday. After shoeing, I can ride at the walk for a few days, then at the trot for a few minutes at a time for a week. If he is sound and going well, I can start to slowly put him back in regular work. Today we walked under tack in the indoor, and then worked on going in and out of the wash stall. He was an angel about everything. He was also very sweaty after a 20 minute walk under tack in the indoor, even though it wasn't hot out today-- someone is VERY out of shape!
OF COURSE he's sticking his tongue out!
I also got to ride Ben today-- my first non-lesson ride on him. I really wanted to work on getting him lighter. He is SO heavy, and the lesson kids that have ridden him have let him be heavy. We worked on a lot of trot-halt-trot, canter-halt-canter, transitions, lots of circles and figure eights, trot leg yields, extending our trot down the long side, and collecting it in the corners. He felt pretty stiff, and I don't think anyone's ridden him since my ride last Tuesday. We also played in the field and jumped a few of the jumps. My next ride, which will be Sunday, I definitely want to work a lot more on getting him to really use that hind end, and release the tension in his head and neck. A few pics from our ride:
Finn is still very lame. Yesterday I was working and wasn't able to make it up to the barn so Matt went up to the barn for me and soaked, rewrapped his hoof, iced his leg, sore-no-more'd him, and gave him a massage. He also talked to barn owner! A lot of things were cleared up that I was having an issue with. Finn is now on free choice hay, and barn owner was horrified that he didn't have any water . They are also hiring a barn administrator to make sure all horses are getting what they're supposed to get. His stall is also getting extra bedding while he's injured. Barn owner said that if we don't tell her what we're having issues with, she can't address and fix things. She's absolutely right. I know a lot of my frustration is stemming from his lameness.
I don't think Finn has a hoof abscess. After soaking hoof with epsom and hot water, and packing hoof with a variety of different things (flax seed, icthammol, animalintex), there have been no signs of an abscess, or any improvement. We walked him in the indoor a bit today and he is probably about 25% better than he was the other day.
Soaked his hoof (he's a champ with this), iced his leg, and rewrapped hoof with animalintex. Then Finn got to hang out in his BOT sheet, then he got a massage with his Equilibrium Massage Mitt. This thing was one of the best purchases ever. Finn LOVES it. I thought he'd be a bit nervous with the buzzing, but he's obsessed with it, and would stand forever while I give him a massage. He leans his whole body into it and closes his eyes. I think he's really enjoying all the attention, I just wish he'd get better.
The barn has a standing weekly appointment with a wonderful vet, and on Thursday Finn will be seen by the vet for some nerve blocks/radiographs/ultrasound. This guy is at the top of his field in diagnostics, and I need to know what's going on.
This video is from today. He has gone from extremely lame (unable to walk), to this. Head bobbing at walk, tripping. Both heel bulbs are a bit swollen on left front. His left hoof is a little warm. There is no heat/swelling/sensitivity anywhere on any of his legs or his shoulders. He was on bute for four days. I stopped the bute last night, and he is not acting like he's in pain. He's eating/drinking/pooping, and acting pretty normal.
I bought Finn a bag of Safe Starch Forage to keep him occupied while I work with his leg. He gets so excited when I show up to the barn with a bucket of it. He loves it!
Phew...It's all good! Talked to barn owner today and she has just been super busy! I really need to relax...We are all set to move on Saturday and I'm so excited. Me and Carole are planning on moving the boys earlier in the morning than we originally planned because it's supposed to be 90+ degrees on Saturday. Tomorrow afternoon I'll head up to the barn to give him a good bath, pull his mane, and trim him up so he's all clean and fancy for the move. Hope he likes it and settles in well!
I also got the results for Finn's vitamin E/Selenium testing back. I have him on a vitamin e/selenium supplement but because he tested high on selenium and on the low end of normal on vit e it looks like I'll have to take him off of it and switch him to a better vitamin e supplement. Vet recommended Elevate, but the only place I've found that carries it is Dover, and it's not in Smartpaks.
Results:
TOXICOLOGY
Vitamin E: 269 ug/dL
Comments: The reference ranges for serum vitamin E in horses vary with age. The following values are based on data in, Vitamin Levels in Animal Health, published in 1994 by Puls.
Neonatal foal:180 to 200 ug/dL
10 day to 1 month old foal: 120 to 800 ug/dL
1 month to 2 years old:150 to 1000 ug/dL
Mature horse:200 to 1000 ug/dL
Vitamin E is not stable and some sample characteristics and handling procedures may decrease the concentration of vitamin E present in serum samples. Factors that may affect vitamin E levels in a serum sample include hemolysis, contact with rubber stoppers, repeated freezing and thawing and exposure to light.
The NRC recommends that equine diets contain 80 to 100 IU vitamin E per kg of dry matter. Vitamin E is very safe to supplement and
vitamin E toxicosis has not been reported in livestock.
Blood, Whole, Edta
Selenium, whole bloodQuantity: 26.31 ug/dL Comments: The reference values for blood selenium in horses, based on Stowe (1998) are:
1-9 days: 9.80 to 13.5 ug/dL
10-30 days: 11.2 to 15.0 ug/dL
1 mo-1 year:12.6 to 16.5 ug/dL
Greater than 1 year:14.0 to 24.0 ug/dL
Blood selenium concentrations less than 6.0 ug/dL have been associated with white muscle disease in neonatal livestock. signs of selenium toxicosis are reported with blood selenium concentrations above 110 ug/dL (Puls, 1994).
Clinical
Vitamin E Alcohol, in serum This analysis was developed to determine the vitamin E (as alpha-tocopherol) concentration in serum samples. Analysis of an inappropriate sample, such as serum collected or stored in gel clot tubes, or plasma instead of serum, could affect the accuracy of the test result .
We have not been having the fun, enjoyable rides I envisioned for our week together. Instead, we've been dealing with a severe case of hives. After trying everything homeopathic...we now we need the vet out.
Well judgement day ended up happening a few days later than scheduled. Our appointment was supposed to be Wednesday afternoon but the vet called and said she was running an hour late. No problem, it happens. Then she called an hour later and said she was just called into a colic emergency. Also happens. We ended up rescheduling for this morning.
I asked barn manager to leave him in this morning so he wouldn't be filthy for our 8:00am appointment. I got there early, and tried to give him a good brushing. He was so mad that all his buddies were out running around with out him that he was basically piaffe-ing on the crossties. I didn't want him to be a complete maniac for the vet so I decided to let him play in the indoor for a bit. Usually if I let him play in the indoor it's a quick once around canter and he's good. Today he ran for a good twenty minutes before settling down. I've never seen him acting and feeling so good and I'm pretty sure everyone in the barn thought I was nuts for getting a lameness exam on him. Ha!
Vet showed up and I really, really liked her. She did flexions, his front legs look fantastic (even though I was concerned about some old, small, scarring on his knees), and he trotted off a little positive on both hind legs, but she said the change was SO small, that it was not something to worry about, and he could just be sensitive to the flexions. She didn't recommend xrays of hocks and stifles because she felt that they wouldn't show anything. She felt around his back and he was visibly very sensitive over his SI joint, which is exactly where we had the issue with his back last fall (per two chiropractors and massage therapist). Everything I explained to her-- poor impulsion, reluctance to engage the hind limbs (especially in the canter), and difficulty holding up hind legs for farrier for an extended time, point to SI. Although none of these things were really horrible and noticeable, I always felt that he was protecting his hind end a bit by overusing his front end. After reading more about the SI, it makes perfect sense. We decided to inject to help the inflammation. After getting sedated and injected, he is spending today in his stall. Tomorrow he can go back out, and he can return to work in 3 days. After coming home and reading more about injecting the SI there's a lot of positive experiences out there, and very noticeable differences in their horse's comfort/way of going. The only negative I found is that without using an ultrasound to guide the needle deep into the SI there's speculation whether the steroids even reach the SI, if given by just another equine vet. The vet I used is one of the top lameness vets in the area, and does lots of SI injections, so I definitely trusted her judgement. I guess I will know within a couple of weeks if it did anything. Here's hoping!
I've had a couple of great days with Finn. On Saturday I rode him for about an hour and a half and he was still ready to go-go-go! A far cry from six months ago when I needed a crop, spurs, and a whole lot of leg. On Sunday Michelle rode him and he still had energy to spare. She worked on lots of flat work, lots of over bending and getting him off her leg and more supple and less racing forward. She also set up a crossrail on a 20m circle with 9ft placing poles on either side and jumped that, focusing on the quality of the trot coming into the jump. I think the jump on the circle helped to keep his back up and keep him in the outside rein. He ended up trotting in really nicely with made his jump better, and his canter after the jump way softer. Finn got, and deserved, Monday off.
Today I was up at 4am to go into work super early. Luckily my schedule is extremely flexible...then I was up at the barn by 8:00, and on Finn at 9:00. Finn spent most of the day in yesterday due to bad weather, and I made barn manager keep him in this AM because I knew I'd be there shortly after she would have turned him out. I decided to put him on the lunge line and was afraid I didn't have much of a brain to deal with. He was a complete maniac on the lunge, bucking, rearing, squealing, coming into the circle, hollering at his buddies outside. Luckily there wasn't anyone else riding in the indoor!! I tacked him up as he pranced and pawed on the crossties, hopped on, and he was an ANGEL. I think I'm starting to realize that his sometimes negative ground behavior pretty much never transfers to how he acts under saddle. He very rarely acts poorly on the ground, but sometimes he gets so distracted that he just completely forgets I'm there. It only ever happens if he hasn't been turned out yet. I'm actually thinking that I'll keep him on 24/7 turnout this summer, as a few other of the geldings in his paddock are out all night. I think he'd really appreciate that, as long as the bugs aren't too bad! He also started day 1 of his 21 days of omeprezole today. I was able to distract him with a carrot, hide the syringe in my pocket, shoot the meds in his mouth, and give him the carrot. It all happened so quick he didn't know what hit him. I didn't realize that the liquid is a bright blue, which has stained his lips a lovely shade.
After a quick ride, the chiro showed up. When I first met the chiro about 5 or so months ago I really didn't take to her. She is a little rough around the edges, and called my horse parrot mouthed (he is slightly...), and that she wasn't sure if there was anything she could do to help him because she didn't have her Jesus shoes on at the time. Yikes. After a very long adjustment, which helped, she said she didn't know if he would ever be quite right. This was after his paddock injury, recently after we had moved, and I was in a very fragile state about my horse and his capabilities. I vowed never to use her again... Well, 12 weeks later I did end up using her again after Finn started picking up the wrong canter lead. She said he looked so much better, and two days after the adjustment, he was cantering just fine. I am STILL skeptical about chiropractors, but I do think she is helping him. Today, she said he looked fantastic and felt like a completely different horse. She said he was out in his C6 and C7 vertebrae (I think), and after a couple of loud pops, he breathed a big sigh of relief, and rested his head on her shoulder. My husband thinks the chiro is pretty much witchcraft, and I'm just not sure.
Tomorrow afternoon is Finn's lameness eval and radiographs. Because I have the best farrier ever, he's also driving up in case the vet suggests we do anything different with his shoeing, or if she wants his shoes pulled for radiographs. He's been moving so well lately, but I definitely want to make sure there's nothing going on his hocks/stifles so that he's very comfortable as the work continues to increase, and I can stop being paranoid.
Finn will get tomorrow off, then I'll be up there Thursday-Saturday, riding depending on possible injections, and then Michelle will be riding him on Sunday. I think hubby and I pretty much have our schedules figured out so that I will be able to make it up to the barn more than twice a week, it will just mean a few early mornings on my part. Not an issue to me, as long as I get to see this cute face:
Well, I haven't been riding much. I think I've ridden 3 times in the past two weeks or so, and seen Finn probably about 5 times. I have a whole bunch of excuses...
First, hubby crashed his car coming home from work a week and a half ago. Thank god he was totally fine, but the car was totaled. We thought it could be repaired, as it was just the front end, but the insurance adjustor said it was nearly $13,000 worth of damage. We bought this car last April and ever since we bought it it's been nothing but bad luck. I've never gotten a flat tire in my life, two days after owning it, I got one. We also got another flat tire, and a cracked windshield in under a year of ownership. Neither of us ever liked the car, so in some ways it was a relief that the doomed car was gone. We financed it, and after all was said and done we pretty much broke even on it and luckily didn't owe any money on it or a deductible. In fact we're receiving a WHOPPING $68 check. Rather than financing another car right now hubby and I have decided we're going to try and get by with one car. We work at the same place, and work opposite schedules, so it's not difficult to pass car and baby back and forth. It is, however, difficult to get to the barn often! Good news is, we're going to save up and get a truck and trailer...which I am so excited about! And, today, after all this stress, hubby's parents told us that they will pay for the three of us to come down to Florida to visit them for a week at the end of March. I'm pretty sure hubby almost cried. We need a vacation THAT much.
We were also hit with a monster storm last weekend making it even more difficult to get to the barn. It sure was a lot easier plowing the driveway with only one car in it though.
The few times I've ridden Finn all we've done is work on the basics. I've also decided to stop using the barn trainer for lessons and training rides. Every time I've had her do a training ride all she's basically done with him is trot him in circles for half an hour...barely any canter work or anything else. When she rides him I also have to tack him up, warm him up, cool him down when she hops off, and then untack him. If I wanted an exercise rider I'd pay one of the barn kids $10 to do so! Our lessons also haven't been progressing. I talked to Amanda, as she also takes lessons with former trainer, and she felt the exact same way and has also stopped riding with her. I love the barn trainer and think she's a wonderful person, and accomplished rider, but I'd rather save my money if we continue to not progress.
One of the other girls at the barn, Michelle, who is an amazing rider/eventer/jumper and trained her young warmblood agreed to hop on Finn one day. After watching her ride and seeing how well my horse took to her, and then having her give me a little mini lesson on Finn, she's agreed to help me out with him. She's been riding him 2-3 times a week and JUMPING him which I'm so excited about. The other night he did his first grid. She's also been working a lot on strengthening his canter. I also don't have to be up there when she rides him, so he's still getting that exercise when I can't be there, and then when I can get up there he's not a hot, uneducated mess. I also get full updates and videos from Michelle after her rides. I'm very happy with my decision and think Finn will really start to progress from working with her. I noticed after I rode him the other day how responsive he was to my aids, and his canter was so much more relaxed! Yay!
Finn will be getting a chiro adjustment this upcoming Tuesday. Then, on Wednesday afternoon I scheduled a full lameness evaluation and possible radiographs of his hocks and stifles. I've decided to use a very well known sports medicine vet that works with a lot of top sport horses in the area and is supposedly very good at pinpointing any issues. Finn is not lame, but I've always been a little paranoid that there's a little something going on and that he's not quite right. Not sure if it's a bit of arthritis in his hocks, a stifle, or SI issue. I want to get radiographs done and know if there's something we need to treat, especially now that he's really in work.
Finn's been super girthy and crabby on the crossties so I ordered him a month's supply of omeprazole from www.horseprerace.com. I was a little concerned about ordering off market medicine, but I know a lot of people who have had no issues ordering from them, so I really hope it helps with his girthyness/grumpiness!
I'll be headed up the barn tomorrow morning and hope to do a few crossrails with Finn and work more on his canter.
Here's a video of my munchkin doing his first grid!
