We have always known that Ace was a bit precious, haven't we? Won't work when it's cold, bucks when he feels the tiniest little blip on a numnah, etc etc. Well I think we have some more proof of that :-)
I went to bed quite worried last night because he was lame again. The bute had completely worn off, last half sachet on Tuesday evening. As you know he was fine yesterday morning. But when I came to turn them out I could see that he was stiff in walk. I wooshed him up into a trot and he was quite clearly lame. There was no change to the leg to show for it and he is still on antibiotic cover, so I hoped that it was just the reaction to losing the last painkilling effect of the bute and that he was reacting strongly to having stood around all day letting it get stiff.
This morning I was dreading going outside, knowing that if he came in any worse, or even as bad, then we would be back off to hospital. I breathed such a sigh of relief when he looked sound in walk. I popped him on the lunge and took him out to the arena. With his bad leg to the inside he looked 10/10 sound. With his bad leg to the outside, he was 0.5/10 off, if that. It actually looked as if he was taking a lot of care not to kick the inside of the bad hock where the injury is, and that was causing the very slight loss of rythmn. He was carrying plenty of weight on it, bending the hock well and pushing off for a similar stride length to the other diagonal.
So I am very happy with him, and now completely certain that he took a really heavy blow to the lower part of his left hand inside hock, right where the bone is close to the surface. It's swollen and warm, but the real heat that was in it even a day ago is fading now. Hopefully it will just be a matter of time now before that bruised bone recovers completely.
It's been raining all morning so Radar has had no work yet. Later maybe.
C
Honest, not so wussy. I know how sore my knees can be when there is a little inflammation. I have much more sympathy for horses now that I know how uncomfortable that can be.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I also know that in most cases, moving around to get the circulation going--as long as the joint is not going to be compromised by exercise--is one of the best therapies.
Rain stopped here finally, so I mowed the ever growing grass and managed to cut tackle some of the weeds as well.
I don't think he's sore now Jean! They have been going BESERK tonight, running, bucking, rearing, biting. I think he'll need some work soon :-)
DeleteHis leg was smaller after a day in the barn today, that's the first time that's happened and it's quite an obvious change.
Radar never got ridden. The rain went to a drizzle but SH came home early and we went out to eat, much more fun!
C
Really sorry to hear all your news Caroline, I have been out of touch for a while dealing with a horse who tried to remove the side of her hock by falling on sharp gravel and we have spent the last 7 weeks doing the whole Robert Jones/Pressage bandage and hand walking thing. The wound was really bad although luckily there was no damage to the hock joint itself. Just shows how these things go sometimes with hocks as I would have sworn Belle's was a major injury but it just looked awful, and Ace's was apparently quite slight but was the more major/risky.
ReplyDeleteThinking of you, SH and the boys.
Tracey S Cloud_Cirrus