Ok, it’s not officially the first day of spring, but it certainly feels it. This winter wasn’t an awful one in comparison to other years, but we did see a fair amount of ICE this winter which is not fun for anyone, especially horses.
Alfie came out of the winter pretty good. His arthritis has been bothering him a bit, especially with the hard ground. This was Alfie’s first winter without shoes, and my old man did pretty well. The thawing ground should make him feel and move much better.
Now for the update on Copper. About 7 weeks ago or so, we noticed that Copper started dragging his back left foot while trotting. He had been dragging it every now and then but during the cold winter, it became much more apparent and it was time for a vet visit. The vet came out and did a lameness exam on him, and found that he had a mild lameness in his back left leg. Based on that exam, she felt it was his hock that was bothering him. So she took X-Rays to see what was going on, and guess what we found…3 small areas of arthritis. Now if he has arthritis in one hock, chances are he’s got it elsewhere as well. I can now report that he is on the same arthritis treatment plan Alfie is on, and it’s working!
Within a matter of days, Copper stopped dragging his back foot, and he’s moving better every day. While the vet was here, I also had her take some blood so he could be tested for Lyme’s disease. When I purchased him, his former owner had told me he had been treated for Lyme’s in the past. Once horses have Lyme’s, it can flare up, just like it does in people. Well, Copper started to spook at very random things, cones, poles, jump standards, all things he sees all the time. Lyme’s can effect vision, can make arthritis worse and can make horses more edgy and paranoid in their behavior. So when his Lyme’s test came back positive – at a level that is considered “chronic” – he was started on the antibiotic immediately. He’s been on the medication 7 days, I rode him yesterday and could see a difference, he didn’t spook at all.🙏🏻
My journey with horses started over 6 years ago. Looking back from where I started to where I am now, it’s like night and day. I am very proud of all that I have learned and all that I continue to learn every day. I am grateful that the universe brought both my boys into my life, I’m honored that I was chosen out of everyone else in the world to be their owner. ❤️🐴❤️🐴
Confessions of an Equestrianoholic 