Slowly but surely

It's been a while since I posted about the horses, but they are continuing to recover from their short bout of laminitis. Amongst the daily turmoil of deciding how much food and freedom they could have, Theoden has lost some condition. Their behaviour has been exceptional, quietly accepting any restrictions placed on them and making the most of any extensions to their boring routine. I have absolutely hated it. 

We have been following the vet and hoof trimmer's advice to the letter - box rest, restricted turnout, soaked hay, vitamins and minerals, and at last we are now in a position to turn them out for about an hour on some longer grass which has been pre-grazed by Pie and Patsy. Of course I have been worried that those two would also get laminitis from the grass which is still an irridescent green. The cost of all this has been quite high too. Hopefully our last expense will be rubber matting from the paddock gate round to the barn which is an essential hiding place from the sun and insects in the summer. 

Hardly beyond the gate before heads go down

To date we have had:

Vet bill £1,000 + - and another visit in October

Shavings £250

Boots £185 (interestingly Theoden's hooves have gone up a size since going barefoot five years ago

Pads £60

Additonal fencing: £200

Additional feed and vitamins: £50

Luckily we had some things in stock, like last year's hay, some sets of boots, fencing materials and so on - and three hours a day to look after them. We have been incredibly fortunate to have Nathalie to do the morning shift and at long last I am strong enough to do everything except the poo-picking. 

In the end I have concluded that the biggest contribution to this episode was the effect of stones on what have become thin soles due to the weird grass! 

Fitting dense pads into their boots

Our 'small' top paddock now divided into Wildebeest pens where the horses will eventually go back and forth once it has been pre-grazed. Hopefully, after that we can go back to a bit of normality for the winter.

Wetter than July

For over a year, organiser, Jodie Sloane, has been putting together the venue, route, and prizes for another Pass Wide and Slow Ride to take place in Winkton and Burton. Publicity, posters, people and ponies were all organised for this morning. Turnout was affected by the weather forecast, and a myriad of other things that suddenly get in the way, but by ten o'clock there was a decent field of supporters and the ride set off. This quiet demonstration passed without incident and will have made a few more drivers aware of the need to drive slowly and with care around horse riders and other vulnerable users on the road. Add this to over 180 rides which have taken place all over the UK this weekend, it will have highlighted the issue of poor driving and failure to follow the Highway Code which states clearly that horses should be passed at no more than 10 mph (no matter what the speed limit is on the road) and at no less than two metres distance. 

Not only are their surprised, careless, and  ignorant drivers about, but there are those who disagree with horses being on the roads altogether and use their vehicles as a weapon of protest putting the lives of riders young and old, and their horses in danger. Luckily the police are starting to take it more seriously and 33 police forces supported these rides today.

According to the British Horse Society, last year across the UK:

🔹 3,552 road incidents involving horses were reported

🔹 68 horses died and 125 were injured on the roads

🔹 139 riders were injured because of road incidents

🔹 26% of riders were victims of road rage and abuse.

By the end of the ride it was throwing it down with rain with big bangs of thunder too. Some stoic riders had to ride for half an hour to get back home. Anyone who rides on the roads should think about joining one of these rides and not leaving it to a handful of people to make take a stand on their behalf.

Fingers and hooves all crossed

Blue: Marchwood Perky

Cheyenne (Korbutt-Brown) came to see and trim the horses and ponies today. She has always been impressed with David's ability to trim but we felt that it was important for her to double-check his work and this appointment couldn't have been better timed. 

Blue had a small area of seedy toe and this was cleaned out, sprayed with sole cleanse, and packed with Red Horse Hoof Stuff which can be left in for a while before rechecking. 

These Red Horse products are fantastic for hoof repairs and recovery.

Theoden was an excellent patient for Cheyenne, especially considering he has been on box rest for two weeks. 

It was good to hear Cheyenne confirm the vets thoughts about Theoden, Dave and Jack. She agreed that the degree of laminitis and the changes in the big boys' hooves were very mild but that they had very thin soles. She was very clear that David's trim had unearthed an underlying problem rather than contributing to it. "It is impossible for a trim to make a healthy horse lame," she said. 

I felt a lot more positive having received her comments and she helped us move out all of the ponies so that Theoden and Dave could have a couple of hours of turnout. This period will be extended over the next few days/nights while we monitor them carefully. Both are wearing hoof boots but we couldn't put any on Theoden's fronts as yet because his hooves have become so much bigger than when he first went barefoot. I now have a pair of size 14 Equifusion All Terrain Joggers on order from Urban Horse to arrive tomorrow. Dave, who is one size smaller than Theoden, was able to have one pair of his hand-me-downs. Our shopping list also included some 7lb and 4lb hoof pads from Equine Podiatry UK, Thunderbrooks grass nuts and Progressive Earth minerals. The credit card has taken quite a hammering!

The additional ponies I had hoped to have as lawnmowers did not turn up in the drift yesterday so we will have to wait until the end of October for them. One set have not been seen for two years!

And finally, I heard that the New Forest Hounds, clean-boot bloodhounds, would be in our area on 7th October. The meet is at Janesmoor and will be all around Fritham. A simple, polite request, and they have agreed not to lay the trail in close proximity to my fields. That will be a relief to David who will be Chief Horse Keeper then.

Horsepital

 

News from the barn is that Jack is happily taking half a pink pill every day and long may that last. Lots of horses go off their food when they are given this drug. 

The two big horses are still on box rest and due to an altercation, they have been given separate compartments - it still gives them plenty of room but they can eat their limited food in peace. 

The two girls and Henrietta are on a similar regime but outside on restricted grazing. After two weeks I can safely say that they are all still compact and bijoux.

In the canteen today we have soaked hay...

Dried nettles (so not these yet)...

Blackberries, rosehips and banana skin...

and bunny (not Buddy) holly which isn't spiky. 

Despite everything they still seem to love me, but it is definitely cupboard love.

This is how their fields look at the moment:

The barefoot trimmer, Cheyenne Korbutt-Brown, is coming tomorrow to give us some more advice, and afterwards we are hoping to receive two extra mares coming in off the Forest while I try to find them a home. These belong to a friend. 

Cushions

 

An ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) test taken on Monday confirmed that Jack has Cushing's Disease. He has had that waspy waist look about his hips for some years, and been confusingly fat (pads) and thin (ribs) at the same time. However, his original test was negative.

Cushing's, which is also known as PPID (Pituary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction), is a hormonal disorder which affects the pituitary brain and causes symptoms in many older horses and ponies such as long curly hair, weight loss, laminitis, increased thirst and urination, and infections. 

Other than long, but not curly, hair which takes a long time to moult in the spring, and his general shape, Jack shows none of the other signs but his reading was very high. He will be retested in four weeks.  As he is bright and happy in himself, hopefully we can manage his condition with Pergolide, a tablet, for the rest of his life.

Ribs and no ribs - photos taken on the same day

While my horses and ponies are happy and comfortable then I will remain on this earth, but I don't want any of them to go through chronic pain like I have. 

Just off for another little cry...

A Reprieve

I've been quiet about my own horses for a short while because both Theoden and Dave went lame again and I had no doubt that it was laminitis. Last Friday night I phoned the vet in a panic because Theoden could hardly walk. This time is was straight on to box rest with a deep bed and soaked hay, and a packet of Bute in their morning and night time feeds. 

The vet came first thing Monday morning to take x-rays of all of their hooves, and to take blood samples for various tests including the test for Cushing's disease. He found little damage inside the hooves, thank goodness, although all four front hooves showed that the bones had sunk to a mild degree - otherwise known as founder. One of Theoden's front hooves had a very small degree rotation of the pedal bone and all of their hooves had thin souls. We have a management regime set up into the distant future which should save them from any further discomfort and degeneration of the hooves but only time will tell. Laminitis is one of those diseases that is irreversible.

So, after fifty-three years I have my first confirmed cases of laminitis, a disease which causes more distress and angst to owners than any other. It undermines your confidence in yourself, and makes you extremely worried about the weather and the condition of the grass, and even your hay. The vets tells us that there have been a phenomenal number of horses getting laminitis this year. 

Luckily, I may have a few of my friend's mares coming in for the winter, and along with the toothless ponies they can do the first cut of any long grass with Nelly and Blue as the second cut. Henry seems to be quite comfortable keeping the two horses company while they finish their prison sentences.  

This deep bed now extends all the way to the front door. 

On the bright side, the vet - Matt from the Barn and the Veterinary Nurse, Rachel - were very complimentary about my horses' weight, their manners, and their hooves. David was extremely relieved to be told that his trimming was nothing to do with the problem and that their hooves were in great shape. In any event, Cheyenne, the barefoot trimmer is coming next week and will no doubt be able to give us more advice based on the x-rays which will be sent across to her. 

As you can imagine, I cried myself to sleep on Sunday night, and David was especially glum at the thought that we might lose both horses all of a sudden. He kept his mind off it by tidying up. 

When the Mist descends

 

The grass may still be green but the field is shrouded in grey.