Shorty is doing well this year. We have done a lot of riding and are currently ready and fit enough to show dressage again. He is even helping me practice in a jump saddle to practice getting the basics of how it feels to go around in 2-point and strengthen my position.
He does best with Equioxx, one 57mg pill everyday. Last summer we began seeing a new regular vet when we moved to a new city (yes, again! The property was being sold and my group disbanded). Our lameness vet is quite a trek away from the new place and so I thought it would be nice to have someone close to use for continued care and all other regular services - the clinic is only 15 mins away!
I typically ride 4 days a week, plus or minus depending on the weather that week. He did seem considerably more comfortable on soft ground lately than harder ground, even grass, so I took him for a follow up and check up with our new vet before we began showing. We did re-do the navicular bursa injections early February.
All was going pretty well, we even went without Equioxx for 3 weeks or so, but it seemed he was slightly off going to the left at about that time. Equioxx resolved that in about 3 days. We also decided to add castle impak pads under his front shoes to help provide support across the heel and sole. The walls have begun cracking over the shoe again. When reviewing our last set of navicular rads, this vet showed me where she believes is evidence of a navicular cyst. She is sure he is navicular.
BUT it seems we can’t forget about his possible metabolic issues. I had almost dismissed that finding since neither vet had really confirmed it being an issue, rather they focused on the caudal heel pain. Well, it seems both HAVE been a factor over the years. The spring flush came in about the 2nd to 3rd week of March after that visit, injections, and shoeing change, when things were going well. The horses were being rotated on some abundant areas of grass and about 6 days of turnout this way, I had noticed he was ouchy again trotting on grass. He was still sound in the arena dirt and going really great, really forward, just wonderful really. But by the end of that week he was even worse on firm ground and so it finally occurred to me what had changed (his turnout areas). We pulled him off grass and after 5 days he is almost completely sound again, just a tiny bob going to the left.
So other than Shorty being a nightmare to manage, we’re still looking up and hope to show dressage this year! I get an opportunity to ride a couple other horses as well. Horses that I can jump when I’m ready!
Our farrier from last summer moved out of state but the guy she referred has been doing a wonderful job! His heels have moved back and are finally opening up and I only have a picture with the pads on
from recently, but there is virtually no “butt crack” anymore. After YEARS! I didn’t realize how underrun his heels they were until I have seen them recently!! His shoes will have to be wider or even go up a size on his next reset to accommodate his wider back of foot! All really good things to support and SLOW DOWN his navicular issues.
(Edit March 2020: all I have to say is 🤦🏼♀️ he absolutely did still have so much contraction here. His foot was so squished and these shoes too narrow. So much that it had all filled in probably trying to protect itself in any way that it could. But I’m not going to delete the above paragraph, as this is of my real time thought and opinion, and this is just where my knowledge base and belief was at the time. I see it sooo much in online discussions and I was there! I was perfectly fine with this and recognized improvement from where ever we were before. I had full support of vet and farrier with these decisions. But little did I know (spoiler alert!!) this would lead to our next round of rehabilitation coming up....)
