Woody had what I would call his first "real" hack yesterday. It was quite a step up from his previous work, and I lunged him today with some trepidation. I needn't have worried, he was, for the first time absolutely 100% sound. No doubt about it at all. Not even 99% - 100. I even brought the circle in very small to see if it made him hop, but there was no sign whatsoever.
In addition to that, the tendons and ligaments in his feet and pasterns are all stretching nicely and his pasterns have sunk. He now has a broken forward hoof pastern axis, where the pastern slopes less steeply than the foot. I knew that he was not as upright as he appeared (the vet commented on it) and I was confident that his pastern and shoulder angle would reduce as he got better feet, but this is quicker than expected by a long way.
What we are waiting for now is for him his to build his toes, which will bring his hoof angle back to the same as his pastern angle. (the more usual way of righting a broken forward hoof/pastern angle is to reduce the height of the heels, but his heels are fine, so that won't work in this case). At that point in time I think his movement will be very, very good. Dressage class, probably.
That will just happen all by itself now because it is clear that he has changed to a heel first landing, and also that the wear pattern on the road has moved back to his heels instead of showing as scrapes on his toe callous. Basically, he was landing toe first, which wore down his toes, but that is also an action that damages the deep digital flexor tendon and eventually also the navicular bone. Woody's xrays are fine, and the soft tissue damage is therefore not that advanced. For that we have to thank his previous owner, who spotted his problems very early and stopped working him even though he was only 1/10 lame and only then on corners.
To say I am pleased would be the understatement of the year.
To add to my happiness today, Radar and I had a lovely hack, as his schooling continues to carry though into his other work.
And Ace's issues begin to look clearer, and m ore in his head than in his body, but I need to write it down and think about it, so tomorrow will have to do for that.
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Amazing progress with Woody. He so easily could have been a "thowaway" horse. Now he's on track to be a superstar. What fun.
ReplyDeleteWasn't sure there was an issue with Ace and the shoulder-in but somehow, I was suspicious. He's a tricky character, that's for sure. It's one thing to train the body, quite another to train the brain. I'll think on it too.
Wait for tomorrow's blog Jean, it's got a couple of lightbulb moments in it. It all goes back to the first trainer I tried with him so I've had it wrong for nearly the whole time he's been here :-(
DeleteC
I'm at work, so It'll be later.
DeleteC
I meant so say, Woody might have been a "Throwaway" horse! *sigh* He's a keeper instead. *G*
DeleteLooking forward to your light bulbs. I love it when we have enlightening moments like that.
:-)
ReplyDelete:-) :-) :-)
DeleteC