Walking with boots still on:
Walking without boots on.
Trotting
Trotting again
I hoped that I'd just let her toes get a little too long, so have trimmed her and haven't been able to get her to do it again, just leading around. But, I won't be climbing back up onto her for another three months at least, maybe even until next fall when it starts cooling down again. In that time, I'm going to have the chiropractor take a look at her (though we may skip the adjustment to keep from re-injury), I'm going to have her re-evaluated by the original vet (who's coming out in a few weeks for floats, etc.), and I'm going to save up for a full-on lameness evaluation from one of the bigger clinics in the area. The fact that she drug her toe and jammed it in the ground hints that something is going on further up. It could just be that she's out of riding shape, but that's not my luck. Happy, healing thoughts and prayers are appreciated.
How incredibly frustrating and I know how you feel. :( All the happy healing thoughts for Ruby! I really hope it's either nothing or just from something like a weak stifle that will get better with work.
ReplyDeleteShe looks great in the videos but I'm also not used to watching her move so I might be missing something subtle. Did you try having her trot in a circle (lunge or round pen) and different surfaces? Some subtle lamenesses will be more obvious on the circle. There's a general consensus that soft tissue stuff shows up more on soft surfaces (like sand) whereas bony/hoof stuff will show up more on hard surfaces (like dry ground or pavement.) It's not always like this (because it's horses haha) but that's one of the general things vets look for.
I'm so frustrated for you! Thinking of you and your girl.
I didn't lunge or walk her in a circle that day only because I was worried that if it isn't just an out-of-shape issue that I'd do permanent damage if I had to school her. It has been so long since we've done any lunging or round-penning that she'd need a refresher, which might also include an attitude check. Ugh, I find this all so scary - where is a crystal ball when you need one??? I can for sure say that she's never drug a toe under saddle (with me) before, but it could be because when I restarted her, we did a few weeks of lunging and round-penning before riding, so maybe she was in better shape than she is now. Or maybe she has some old injury that didn't heal correctly and ramping her up for endurance just brought it to light. Time will tell, I suppose. In the meantime, I'm sure I can expect some new gray hairs, lol.
DeleteOops, I forgot to add something! This is about her movement. In these videos, to my eyes, she is moving normally. She tracks up very nicely, hind foot in front foot's spot. I couldn't see any hitches or head bobs, but Heather thought that she wasn't picking her right hind up as high as her left. Each time she stuck her toe, it was a few steps after straightening out of a u-turn to the left.
DeleteYeah, if she might have needed schooling in the round pen or on the lunge, I totally understand why you didn't elect to watch her move on a circle on this day.
DeleteIt might just be stifle. I say "just" because this was something that my FL vet brought up a lot with the less-fit horses at our barn: the main drawback of FL's flatness for equines is that they need a lot more work to build up the same muscles a horse on rolling terrain would develop just walking around a hilly pasture. It's basically an issue of quadriceps development more than an issue of the stifle itself. Which means that after a lay-up period, owners often end up working through some degree of stifle weakness as part of the rehab as well as the horse's quadriceps become stronger with the gradually increasing workload. I hope the vet has some good answers for you next time he's at the barn!
Interesting, I've never heard of that but then none of the horses at my barn are performance horses. It makes sense though - I'm crossing fingers that's all it is. Her legs are nice, tight, and cold so I am hopeful that she's healing correctly.
DeleteThe vet was supposed to come out last weekend but had something come up last minute. I'm waiting so we can all split the farm call fee - but waiting is hard! Patience is definitely not one of my strong suits.