Ponies and I
Zorro's soundness has got worse. It seemed the more space he had, the lamer he got. He got out with Cash and they seemed fine so I let them have the paddock together for a while, but after a couple of days he was coming in much more lame although he was quite happy. I restricted him back to a small strip and got the vet back.
On Tuesday my friend Anne gave us a lift down to the Liphook Equine Hospital in her trailer so he could have an MRI on his front legs. Zorro loads beautifully in a lorry but he hates trailers. He didn't want to go in at all, but a grumpy and reluctant cob not wanting to load for the trip out there was in some respects easier than a sedated cob who just. wanted. to. stand. there.
I got the results back yesterday. He has a serious tear in his medial collateral ligament in the coffin joint. The prognosis for coming back to ridden soundness is poor, particularly as he is a fifteen year old cob and there are also arthritic changes in the joint. Whatever else we try, it's going to need at least six months of box rest.
I doubt that I will ride him again.
Cash has had trials as well. Just this afternoon as I was poo picking I noticed movement over at the gate, which I had left my jumper hanging over. Cash had sprung away from the gate and was galloping across the field with my jumper in his mouth, terrified because it was chasing him. After a few strides he dropped it but then it caught around his back leg and that was even worse. Then it fell on the ground and Cash had to circle it, snorting and tossing his head. This progressed to sneaking up to it, reaching down almost close enough to touch it and then spinning away and trotting over to tell me how very brave he had been. The whole thing was very entertaining indeed.
Cash bravely approaches his maroon nemesis.
The jumper was scary on the floor, scary when I picked it up but he still wanted hugs when I was wearing it so I figure it's not all bad. Later, as I worked very quietly and gently on fixing that earshy problem I should have sorted a year ago ( Cash has been with me for more than a year now! ) in the field, a fox came up to about ten feet away and watched us for a minute, then scampered back the way they had come, pausing a little further off to watch us again.
I think Cash has had a sore back for a while, hence his problems with the saddle, and he's got a specialist coming to work on that on Saturday. Hopefully that will help me to be sure, one way or another.
On Tuesday my friend Anne gave us a lift down to the Liphook Equine Hospital in her trailer so he could have an MRI on his front legs. Zorro loads beautifully in a lorry but he hates trailers. He didn't want to go in at all, but a grumpy and reluctant cob not wanting to load for the trip out there was in some respects easier than a sedated cob who just. wanted. to. stand. there.
I got the results back yesterday. He has a serious tear in his medial collateral ligament in the coffin joint. The prognosis for coming back to ridden soundness is poor, particularly as he is a fifteen year old cob and there are also arthritic changes in the joint. Whatever else we try, it's going to need at least six months of box rest.
I doubt that I will ride him again.
Cash has had trials as well. Just this afternoon as I was poo picking I noticed movement over at the gate, which I had left my jumper hanging over. Cash had sprung away from the gate and was galloping across the field with my jumper in his mouth, terrified because it was chasing him. After a few strides he dropped it but then it caught around his back leg and that was even worse. Then it fell on the ground and Cash had to circle it, snorting and tossing his head. This progressed to sneaking up to it, reaching down almost close enough to touch it and then spinning away and trotting over to tell me how very brave he had been. The whole thing was very entertaining indeed.
Cash bravely approaches his maroon nemesis.
The jumper was scary on the floor, scary when I picked it up but he still wanted hugs when I was wearing it so I figure it's not all bad. Later, as I worked very quietly and gently on fixing that earshy problem I should have sorted a year ago ( Cash has been with me for more than a year now! ) in the field, a fox came up to about ten feet away and watched us for a minute, then scampered back the way they had come, pausing a little further off to watch us again.
I think Cash has had a sore back for a while, hence his problems with the saddle, and he's got a specialist coming to work on that on Saturday. Hopefully that will help me to be sure, one way or another.