Ales front leg and other things.

MrA

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Feb 8, 2012
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So he is still on field rest as I wanted to give him time to recover from all his jabs and I'm not in a rush to try and work him again. I also want to get an opinion on his feet from a barefoot trimmer because I think he will be more comfy if we can improve them.

From the little I've seen of him in the field he looks a bit more comfortable but still not right. But his front leg is definitely bothering him too. The vet said he has some arthritis in there and he's slightly lame on it and doesn't pick it up as willingly as his other legs. I hadn't really noticed as he's been out of work for a while Now and didn't seem lame on it before then, perhaps a smidgen off but it's slightly more noticeable now. Hardly lame really just not quite right if you know what I mean.

He's only 11 but seems to have alot going on and with his old ligament injury to think about to I just think this will be for the best to just give him time to rest.

Will start him on something for his joints and get his feet sorted best I can and who knows in a year or so he might be up for light hacking. But if not he's settled really well to field life so would like to find somewhere he can live out year round to keep him moving a bit more and he's always been happier out than in.

I can't believe how quickly it all went wrong for us but I'm trying to do my best for him and just make the most of all the other horses I have been offered to ride.

He had a lovely bath yesterday which he enjoyed very much. IMAG0752_1.jpg
 
He looks lovely and clean!
I wouldn't write him off for riding just yet. Try some vet recommended supplements - there are quite a few out there that really do work.
 
He looks lovely and clean!
I wouldn't write him off for riding just yet. Try some vet recommended supplements - there are quite a few out there that really do work.

If I continue to ride will it aggravate it more though? It all depends I suppose on if his sacroiliac improves once his feet do. The arthritis I'm not too worried about for gentle walking but it's just the sacroiliac and feet issues at the moment. Thanks though trewsers
 
Also another problem that I have is if I move him somewhere with 24/7 turnout there is a good chance there will be no where to store tack or even ride. Such a dilemma as I can stay where we are but pointless if he never comes right and also all the issues with gypsies and turnout are not enjoyable.
 
I would probably try supplements first and give them a chance to work. Then decide if you want to move him somewhere, specially if you think there won't be any facilities / places to ride him. I know you might have already said, but what did the vet think about gentle exercise?
 
I think you're going about it all the right way :) just one thought, if his feet aren't right, especially if they are imbalanced, that could impact his back if he's not breaking over as well as possible etc so getting the feet sorted could help get the SI problem back on track, I'm a big believer in treating horses holistically :)
 
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Thanks all of you, nice to be able to talk to people about all this.

The vet said it's now a case of waiting and trying him and just seeing how he is. Basically ride and see how he feels or goes. Before I do that I will watch him from the ground and get a chiropractor out to see him also.

Thanks Jessey that's good to know as feel like I'm just bumbling along without a clue really. It could be a case of the back causing the feet or the feet causing the back (or making it worse at least) so it is my hope that sorting his feet, which I know will take time, will help his back in some way.

The problem is with waiting is that in October we get field hay and less turnout, which means ale will just stand all day eating, weight will balloon and not enough movement to help his joints etc. Really not ideal winter turnout for a horse out of work especially as he is almost at his perfect weight right now. If I could get him a nice little field for the winter I could strip graze and manage it properly so that his weight would stay lower. That puts us in a much better position next spring
 
Firstly he looks great, super clean and shiney. :)
I put Belle on fleximover 2 years ago as she was looking a bit stiff, she's just got better and better on it.
Our vet offers a very similar supplement but it's twice the price, the amounts and ingredients are almost identical.
Don't write him off yet Ale. Maybe you need to move here and he can bunk up with Belle, we are on livery but can have year round 24/7 turnout if we want too.
 
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At the moment my routine is a bit ridiculous. We have a portion of the field that is rested and the rest of the field is almost bald. Perfect for ale. So every morning I get ale in and he has soaked hay. Then I walk down the field and open up the rested bit. Then later in the day I shut the rested bit and catch all 6/7 horses that are on there and put them onto the bald bit, then ale can go out again. This is the only compromise my YO could come to for me. Everyone else is happy because they don't want their horses on the long grass all day and night but they won't do this themselves. Swear I must have mug written on my forehead but it's for ales benefit so worth it!

If I could get my own field I would move there in a second as I seem to do alot of the work for the other owners.

Anyway rant over, ale was just glad to go out today and he seems nice and slim and happy so the routine is working I guess :)
 
Firstly he looks great, super clean and shiney. :)
I put Belle on fleximover 2 years ago as she was looking a bit stiff, she's just got better and better on it.
Our vet offers a very similar supplement but it's twice the price, the amounts and ingredients are almost identical.
Don't write him off yet Ale. Maybe you need to move here and he can bunk up with Belle, we are on livery but can have year round 24/7 turnout if we want too.


Thank-you I will definitely look into getting him a supplement so the more recommendations the better! Your yard sounds amazing :)
 
Gave him a little trot round loose today. He does look a little more comfortable but he's still far from right.

I desperately need to find a yard where he can live out over winter or at least not have ad lib field hay.

It's all so stressful :(
 
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