Steady!! and a new capsule in 7 mo.

Improvements are more subtle now... Full body shakes after rolling instead of just the neck, kicking up his heels at me during liberty work, moving more and standing around less. He had a lovely massage from Ms. Keller and relaxed well. I have some new techniques to add to his therapy. Daily exercise is the best thing for him now. I left the boots on over 12 hours once, and sure enough, they rubbed the heel open on one foot. This round will be easier, I know better how to resolve it. Jester is loving the spring weeds in my backyard... he's a nice decoration... Buckskin looks great against a green background ;) Trim- I lowered the fore heels and hind toes as much as possible, backed up the fore toes and this time the shoe pull ring disappeared. That means in 7 months he has grown a whole new capsule on the fores. WOW!!!

Only good news

The heat in the feet and strong pulse disappeared entirely within a week. The magnet therapy finished, I began working him on the ground- walk and trot at liberty for 10, 15, 20 min. He always prefers to stand, but will go when urged. Last Friday he gave a teen a ride around the pasture. Well, he didn't go faster than walk and whoa, and mostly whoa. It was good for me to see what a babysitter he can be! I don't have to worry about him running away with any rider :) The next day I rode him out, here's my post from FB: Jester had 2 wks off for his intensive psoas iliacus therapy and he feels good. Still slightly choppy on the right but loosened up well on a one hour ride up and down little bumps "hills" in the park and across scary metal grating bridges (took some backing over them again). He softened into a lovely jog for me and picked up both leads. Lope isn't "there" yet but he tried hard and is no worse after trying. - about 10 strides right now, more left :-)....practicing stand on a loose rein while I text. Yesterday he was ridden by a young teen in the pasture. His favorite speed for her? Whoa. The tail swish and kick out when asked to lope is GONE. I rode him again last night, using a therapeutic configuration with the CorrecTor (http://www.thecorrector.net/id9.html) under the saddle, to help him with his asymmetry. I am going on the premise that he is right lead dominant, with a weak right hind leg. He wasn't very smooth- quite choppy at the jog and hitched his stride a couple times at the trot. I warmed him more and asked for canter. He did it! both leads! And did not pull up lame!! He still "pulls" to the left on the left lead, but when I rode in a two-point he moved up into a hand gallop. WOW! The more warmed up he was, the better he moved. By the end of a one-hour workout, including much improved bridge crossings (I didn't have to dismount and lead him over the first one this time ;) )and some leg yields he was jogging smoothly. This morning he is moving fine at the walk... haven't seen trot yet. His diet has changed again- I switched his pellets to plain alfalfa from Mountain Sunrise. No Molasses for this inflammatory sensitive guy. The Lakin Lite has just too much for him now. He has filled out well too. I'm happy to see him looking good, and can't wait to see his spring coat. He is already shedding. His eyes are doing fine. No flare ups. Hooves are 1 cm at the toe from a completely new hoof since last August. He will need another 2-3 months to grow out the laminitis rings from Sept-Oct. He wears Renegade boots at night and when ridden now. I don't anticipate any more heel rub wounds now that he is much more balanced. Time for a photo or two or three... It is curious to see all three with the hoof on the same side closest to the camera.

Just how sensitive can a horse be?!

Just when things are going along swimmingly.... Jester was responding very well to his magnets and laser and poultice... until the weather warmed up to over 80 last Friday. He displayed the sucked back posture while turning around in the stall, and he had sweaty patches- on the right side only, from the crest of the neck down across the point of shoulder and through the front legs to the elbow, and along the muscle crease in the hindquarters. Just those spots! I immediately checked the feet. Heat and digital pulse... My first thought was that he was reacting to the molasses in the pellets. So I prepared a paste of ground flax and activated charcoal and administered it orally. Then cleaned and poulticed his fore soles, protecting them with hoof boots. Poultice to the sweaty areas rounded out the inflammation first aid. By morning, he was much better. The heat in the feet has been intermittent since then, but he is comfortable and even sassy. I ponied him out for an hour's walk and a little jog on Sunday, with front boots. He had attitude, even trying to bite my Honey on the rump (only tried that once- I let him know that wasn't acceptable). Hopefully the attitude is "I'm feeling good" and not "I hurt". His eyes show enthusiasm so I am going with the former! Yesterday he got a little bit of spa love. I washed his mane and tail, and all the poultice off with a lovely natural shampoo made by my neighbor. He smelled so nice! He stood so nicely for the hosing off, I think he likes a bath, as long as his face isn't included! His movement is more and more fluid. I can't wait to start him back to conditioning. Another week of magnets and taking it easy ;)

6 months is that all?!

I started out telling myself I would give him 6 months and then re-evaluate. It really seems to me he's been here longer than half a year. Jester has enjoyed much daily attention, turnout, good food and supplements, and a variety of professional treatments. Most recently, his favorite bodyworker gave him laser and massage to his remaining tight spots. Right pectoral muscles, and psoas-iliacus muscle on the hind quarters. He has targeted magnet therapy for two weeks, in addition to with poultice on his chest and shoulder, and doing friction massage on scar tissue in the right hindquarter. We are anticipating a return to upright and free flowing movement in the hinds, and a return of his lovely lope. Giving it our best! And Jester really likes his massage. Re-evaluation? positive.Jester moves well on his feet- but he doesn't like it when there's a bulge of dirt and/or manure on the sole. He isn't getting worked now- just turnout 24x7, with company part of the time. He does wander the pasture more and more! Trim notes: every 2 wks, refresh fore breakover, lower medial heel on hinds, hind breakover refreshed. LF toe Sole abscess tissue nearly grown out- new sole completely covers area beneath it. Hoofs retain rippling from halfway point downward, but mushroom flares are nearly gone!! Another month max :) Looking forward to getting rid of that lamellar wedge and seeing the true hoof emerge. Diet: Just phased in Lakin Lite, (with much trepidation, since it contains molasses)... Added SmartFlex Senior (1x/day). Current bucket is 2 lb Integrity Lite, soaked, 2 lb presoaked Lakin Lite pellets, a handful of black oil sunflower seeds, CA Trace vites/minerals. He loves his twice a day bucket, and all day grass hay. Coat is shiny and soft! He has a little more energy since getting back to Lakin Lite (fortified alfalfa+bermuda pellets) With his favorite tree friend- it's hilarious how he likes its company. He'll stand by it when the mares are out with him. Security blanket tree? Today hooves today- hinds- note cracks in outer wall- still growing out old weak wall L fore with old abscess visible.

R fore better...

Looking better in the hairline and toe- took the breakover back a bit

Trim adjustment. time to call the bodyworker

Got working with the rasp on Sunday... backed up the right front toe, and took the heel down still more. Did some cosmetic cleanup on both fores... and backed the toes on the hinds. He was sore with the adjustment on the right fore, so I gave him more boot time for a few days, off and on. Lands flat on both fores now :) So now the focus is shifting to the lack of hindquarter coordination at the lope. Will get the bodyworker here soon.

The long awaited updated hoof portraits are here!

The following pics will show a typical high-low fore hoof asymmetry. The right heel is coming down slowly..... The heel shows the scar from the rub turned proud flesh which has healed. The forward flare is still present, and the angle change apparent when shoes were pulled (lower 1/3 of fores). Hinds have weak wall at ground level, probably extending as high as the rings on the outer wall... thus the chipping and exaggerated bevel. There is slight concavity at the tip of the frog, and frogs are beefier. Still a heel crack in the central sulcus- continuing NoThrush therapy. See if you can identify the laminitic rings which appear to be wider apart at the heel than the toe... Backing the toe to keep it out of active wear is normalizing this higher up. There are signs of sub-solar abscessing, and icky pockets of black goo behind the bars on one hind. Bars are beginning to stand up where they belong. Flares are mostly in the lower third of the hoof (which is what is left of the hoof he wore last August when he came to me. Collateral groove depth is good, sole is stable on hinds and only has a couple small spongy areas on the fores. I want to see the anterior/posterior balance improve... heels lower and toes higher... once he develops more concavity (movement, diet and trim!) I expect to see a more normal lateral hairline (aiming at 30 degrees for left fore, and right fore yet to be seen). The rear view of the fore hooves shows the heel rocker I keep on the right fore. On the hinds, I want to see the toes tighten up, with less forward flare (keeping toes backed up on hinds too). Left hind was negative palmar, so I have focused on exfoliating the sole around the frog ahead of the bars and keeping the toe out of weight bearing. Overall, lateral cartilages are relaxing, digital cushions are coming back, slowly, and he is comfortable and rideable. I never ride him faster than he moves at liberty. So when he galloped around the pasture, missing his buddy mares who had gone for a ride, I knew it was time to try loping him. Jester speaks... He teaches me to listen. And Jester, just being a horse... Yesterday I saw him roll on the right side, and get up and shake his whole body TWICE! He has only shaken his head and neck for so long... such a little thing but such a good sign!