Timeline last 18 months

Timeline last 18 months

 ·        June 2012 - Remi was turned away  (not obviously lame, until blocked different legs, then showed pain in multiple places. Alerted by loss of movement, and muscle and appetite.) Shoes off.

 

·        December 2012 – Remi to Rockley to come back into work and strengthen feet

·        25^th March 2013 - back from Rockley, stronger feet, better angles, very crooked, very tight left shoulder, fairly footy, significant deviation on right front foot. He was lame on left fore the weekend we collected him – not sure if these linked to the spasmed left shoulder or the holes in his frogs. He came with back with deep holes (could get whole hoof pick end in) in both hind frogs, these closed over next 6 weeks.

·        April to September - Progressive improvement with lots of bodywork, hacking, gymnastic work April to August.  Progressively releasing his left shoulder, and working on straightness really improved his movement.  Battling paddocking, not wanting to be stabled and grass sensitivity.  Discovering the joys of solo hacking.  

Deviation on right foot increased, before eventually starting to break off and split in late June.  Interestingly it didn’t come back and his feet started to look more normal with mostly self trimming. Some glimmers of good movement, but also lots of intermittent footyness. August included successful dressage outing and endurance ride.  

September was spectacularly downhill – weight and muscle loss despite adlib haylage, and nothing in the grass, and nothing showing on blood tests. Initially I thought bruised feet from more hacking in August, but didn’t seem to be.  He had something fairly wrong behind from early September including a loss of power.  I think possibly he slipped several times in the field and sore feet, and sore muscles.  Loss of power behind.  And consistently sore SI area that didn’t hold after bodywork.

·        28^th September – saddler makes saddle narrower as has lost muscle :-( He is generally miserable, agitated to handle, unsettled in stable.
 
·        3^rd October Vet – physio on SI and back – v sore, vet said he lacked weight and muscle (despite having adlib haylage and regular work) and was damned sore on his feet (idea being that shoes would take feet pain out of equation and investigate SI area).

·        7^th October - shoes on (Epona’s in front), instantly much brighter and happier, but little improvement in power behind.

·        23^rd October - bodywork, and little obvious improvement from previous visits.

·        Ride / lunge – still lacking power behind

·        29^th October– vet booked for nerve blocks, and to investigate SI area – Remi trots and canters on lunge looking very sound (think delayed impact of body work – held this time now feet not sore)– vet says no SI pain, stifles, hocks, suspensories look good. Given the ALL CLEAR, just weak and lacking muscle. Agree 2 steroid injections to support building muscle

·        Returns to being happy to be stabled, and lying down in the stable (having not settled in stable July to October)

·        2^nd and 18^th November– steroid injections

·        16^th November  – second shoeing – Eponas in front again, as still bruising coming out of right front foot

·        23^rd November  – thermal imaging – all clear on back and SI :-)

·        30^th November– body work, and much improved, looking sound and moving well (but lazy), SI good, left quarter and left shoulder tight

·        30^th November  – video of landing shoes landing outside first in front, and really plaiting behind, and landing flat in front, heel first behind (similar to last barefoot landings)

·        10^th December– six weeks from ALL CLEAR and he is a good weight, happy and relaxed in himself, SI not sore, and good muscle over SI, have put saddle back to the original width (medium). He is a bit stuffy and does takes sometime to warm up. But I am reminding myself it is only six weeks that his SI area has stopped being sore for, and it is December, and I know he has some multi-joint arthritis and lots of wear and tear.

Now looking to see where 6 weeks of hacking, hillwork, polework, schooling work gets us, and see where his comfort level of work is. Fingers crossed.