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Update on Jessie’s Lameness

June 25, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Update on Jessie’s Lameness

My 19-year-old Foundation Quarter Horse mare, Jessie, has been struggling with lameness since the first of the year. You can find out the background from a post in early May here: Lameness and My Mare Jessie

After going through the lameness evaluation process and taking it up to the point of an MRI, we decided on a treatment program. Jessie would get one gram of Bute morning and night. We would shoe her front feet with egg-butt shoes to increase her break-over angle. Additionally, we packed her sole with a gel product to protect her feet. The last part of her treatment program involved riding her 3-5 times a week.

Progress?

Well, it’s difficult to tell. The vet stated that her lameness score went from a “3” to a “2”. The doctor wanted us to move forward to the MRI. Jessie is an aged horse not used in competition. We enjoy trail riding and trail trials. We generally do both activities at a walk. There is no guarantee the MRI would provide a definitive diagnosis. The most prudent approach seems to enjoy her for as long as we are able. I suppose we could breed her. She has good bloodlines, a good mind, and the lameness is a genetic defect. It’s something to consider.

For now, we have changed her medication from Bute to Equioxx. I’ll still take her out for exercise 3-5 times a week. If she doesn’t improve, I may try swim therapy. There is a place in town that offers it may help.

I’ll keep you updated on our progress.

Join Us on this Journey

We want you to be a part of the show. Tell us about your horse. Share your challenges, triumphs, or just everyday items that make horse ownership unique. Create an audio file using the memo app on your phone. Or, contact me and we’ll set up a time to talk by Skype or phone. Perhaps what you have to share can help someone in THEIR horse journey.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast. We really love getting your feedback. Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show. Email us at John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening,

John & Ranae

Episode #148

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Let’s Talk Horse Vaccinations

June 11, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Let’s Talk Horse Vaccinations

What vaccinations do you give your horse? How often do you give them? What happens if your horse has a reaction to one of his vaccinations? These are questions I put to our listeners. As part of the dialogue we, got to hear from people in many parts of the United States. Some folks prefer giving their horses the 5 and 6-way combination shots. Some people spread the vaccinations over two weeks, lessening the chance or strain of a reaction.

A Source of Good Information about Vaccinations

However you add it up, your horse needs help from some nasty diseases out there. There is a lot of good information on the website of The American Association of Equine Practitioners. While there is no standard protocol for a vaccination schedule that fits every horse, the Association recommends a set of core vaccinations for most horses. Eastern/Western Equine Encephalomyelitis, Rabies, Tetanus, and West Nile Virus fall into this core category.

Then there are the Risk-based vaccines. Use these vaccines if your horse has a risk to exposure (not all horses do). These include rabies, equine influenza, leptospirosis, strangles and a few others. Check out the information on their website to see which shots work best for your horses.

Join Us on this Journey

You are a big part of why we do this podcast. We really love getting your feedback. Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show. Email us at John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening,

John & Ranae

Episode #146

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Get Your Horse Legged Up with Sam Finden

June 4, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Leg Up Your Horse with Sam Finden

Recently I asked listeners how they get their horse in condition, or legged up, after a winter’s layoff. It’s been a long, cold, and wet winter in much of the country. Here in California, we had snow in the nearby mountains and, as I write this, it’s Memorial Day weekend. We have only used our horses a few times in the last several months. With peak riding time around the corner, it’s time to get your horse “legged up”.

Sam Finden lives in Townsend, Montana working, riding horses, and writing novels. I asked listeners how they get their horse in condition, or legged up, after a winter’s layoff. An avid hunter, Sam uses his horses to ride and pack in on his hunting trips. He starts with short trips at the beginning of the season. Sam works his horses up to peak condition for rifle season in the fall.

Sam Finden’s Advice to Legging Up Your Horse

Keep it a positive experience. Your horse would rather sleep in instead of work.
Start with groundwork 15-20 minutes to get their bodies and mind back thinking about you.
After groundwork use short rides at the walk and trot to help both horse and rider get in shape.
Pay attention to your tack. Your horse’s weight and body condition may have changed over the winter. Make sure your tack is in good conditions and still fits properly.

Check Out Sam’s Books

We’ve invited Sam on the show twice before. He knows how to tell a story. After he published his first novel, Saddle My Good Horse, we talked about Sam’s journey to Montana. We caught up to Sam a few years later and talked about his horses and his writing. You can see more of Sam’s work at Samfinden.com

Join Us on this Journey

I’m not the best community builder. I need your help for that. I’m not the best at conversation. Let’s change it up together. I hope you will join me.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast. We really love getting your feedback. Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show. Email us at John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening,

John & Ranae

Episode #145

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Kellie Auld, Her Mare Little Girl, and Lameness

May 28, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

Kellie Auld, Her Mare, Little Girl, and Lameness

I’ve been asking you to share your stories about making medical decisions with your horses. Kellie Auld from California sent me this email of a story she wanted to share about her mare, Little Girl.

Kellie bought Little Girl as a 2-year-old. Her registered name is Skip to My Leaguer. Together they went all over California competing in little shows and eventing.

The Big Scare

Kellie and Little Girl had a good relationship. When Little Girl was 11, the two took part in an eventing clinic at their boarding stable. Little Girl had worked hard during the clinic and Kellie wanted to get her out for a hand-walk on the trail the next day to stretch her legs. This was a trail they had been on many times. Both of them knew about the free range peacocks living in the area. About 1/2 mile down the trail they ran into a male “paint” peacock. A big blue-and-white peacock. This was a first.

Little Girl is a high-energy horse, and she went into survival mode. Kellie had to hang on to the lead rope while trying to disengage her horse. The ground was hard, rocky, and uneven. They had only walked out about 10 minutes when this happened, but they took nearly 30 minutes to get back. So much for a relaxing walk. They both came back in a sweat. Poor Little Girl was lathered up.

The Diagnosis

Little Girl had a compound fracture in her right hind splint bone and had bruises on all 4 feet despite being shod and wearing protective boots. She was lame all the way around. X-rays and ultrasounds on all four feet showed nothing other than the fracture. The vet prescribed a month of stall rest followed by a month of hand walking. Little Girl finally got turned out for some light trotting. Ice treatments, poultices, DMSO, and water treatments usually followed.

Her splint calcified and resolved and her feet returned to their natural state. Finally, the vets gave the okay for tack-walking and lunge-line work. She was not back to 100%, so Kellie took it slow. Little Girl looked good except for the right front lameness. Six months and two follow-up vet exams passed and still there was no improvement. The vet advised Kellie to stay consistent with her exercise. Don’t increase the workload.

After another month, the lameness worsened. Kellie sought a second opinion. Of course, it was another thorough exam involving x-rays, blocking, and everything that goes with it. This vet said the only way to see what was really going on was with an MRI. Without insurance, it would have to come out of Kellie’s pocket.

About this time, Kellie got another job and moved. The move put her closer to a well-known equine podiatrist and lameness specialist with a standing MRI. The cost of the MRI was $2700, but Kellie had to know what was going on with Little Girl. She put everything on credit cards that were already under the strain of the first rounds of vet exams.

The Decision to Get the MRI

It was a full year after the initial injury that Kellie finally got an answer through the MRI. In all the commotion and chaos with the peacocks, Little Girl had come down so hard on that right front hoof she had internally lacerated her deep digital flexor tendon with her navicular bone. She had slightly chipped her navicular and bruised her bursa. This diagnosis meant stall rest for 6 months (no hand walking) and then light hand walking and stall rest for another 6 months. Telling a fit, high energy 12-year-old they have to stay locked up and can’t go outside was an extreme challenge.

Little Girl Today

Little Girl is now 15 and Kellie faces a tough decision. She has done everything the vets prescribed. Three different farriers and special shoes haven’t made the difference she hoped for. Does she retire Little Girl from riding for good? While Kellie would be okay if Little Girl spent the rest of her life with light trail riding and groundwork, the pain is clear even in those activities.

In Kellie’s words, “I am heartbroken for my own selfish reasons for I put money and time into 4 vets, thousands of dollars (I really don’t have). Now my horse tells me she wants to keep riding and having fun, but she just can’t. I feel for everyone who has to battle with lameness. There is no right answer sometimes. There is just us doing the best we can at the moment. Little Girl is happy, loving, and sound enough to be a pasture pony now. The day may come when she is not. We will cross that bridge when we get there. For now, I love on her and let her be, even though when I go out there she still wants to play games. She doesn’t understand why we don’t go for trail rides, because she likes them just as much as me, if not more.”

Join Us on this Journey

I’m not the best community builder. I will need your help for that. I’m not the best at conversation. Let’s change it up together. I hope you will join me.

You are a big part of why we do this podcast. We really love getting your feedback. Please let us know your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for the show. You can email us at John@WhoaPodcast.com

Thanks for listening,

John & Ranae

Episode #144

Support the Whoa Podcast with this Amazon Link.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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The Medicine Bucket

May 24, 2019 by John Leave a Comment

The Medicine Bucket

We have three horses. Occasionally, they have to take medicine by mouth. Sometimes that medicine is bitter. That’s where the medicine bucket come in handy.

One supplement we regularly give our horses is a mineral product designed to fill in the deficiencies of the alfalfa hay grown in our area. Our vet recommends it. Each horse gets 2 cups a day in pellet form mixed with a bit of water to soften it up. The minerals are not overwhelming. The consistency is like straight alfalfa pellets. All three horses enjoy getting it in the afternoon. As a matter of fact, when I am mixing up the medicine buckets, they hear me stirring the mixture and nicker.

Different Horses, Different Reactions

Scratch, the mustang, had to learn about the medicine bucket. Being out in the wild, he had no knowledge a bucket of goodies existed. He learned quickly. If there is a flake of alfalfa in his stall and the bucket on the fence, Scratch will start with the alfalfa. If I add medicine to the bucket, I better add some sugar or salt to improve the flavor, or he will ignore it.

Dusty is the most skeptical. If there is a hint of anything else in his bucket, he’ll hold out for his alfalfa. Bute, an anti-inflammatory, must taste bitter. For dusty, I have to start off with a low dose and gradually work my way up to the prescribed dose. He is the toughest of the three.

Jessie is the easiest. She lives for food. Jessie doesn’t think of treats as treats, she believes them to be essential. And necessary to her survival. And she better get them every day or she has a tantrum. Yeah, I spoil her. But, giving her medicine is a snap. If a medication is extremely bitter, adding a tablespoon of sugar is all that is necessary.

I made a short video of my bucket procedure with jessie. You can watch it below.