Whoa Its been so busy!! As I may have mentioned, Daisy has been slightly lame. Only in trot, and only on one leg, but as she has EMS we feared the dreaded Laminitis had struck again. So she has been in a small bare pen with soaked hay. After 2 weeks we began wondering if she had a abscess. So we had the Vet out for X-rays. Sadly we were right the first time and her Pedal bones have rotated slightly. This is so unfair. We are very careful with her grass time and she is not over-weight. However when Jo rescued her she was seriously obese and had had Laminitis several times. This had caused the EMS (which is similar to Type 2 Diabetes in humans). This means she is prone to Laminitis as she can't metabolise any sugar efficiently. We have had a very wet Spring and the grass has gone mad. Even though our grazing is old and established and very coarse and diverse with 'weeds', flowers, thistles, clover, dandelions and nettles, it has proven too much for Daisy. This is a huge problem all over Britain for people with Native Ponies. In the wild all our Natives would walk at least 20 miles a day, browsing on heathland or hills. No matter what we do with our paddocks, the grass is too lush at this time of year. No-one in this country has miles of grazing. And once the pony is lame, exercise is a out of the question.
So after the x-rays, we had the Farrier out again. Daisy had shoes put on back to front, then a temporary pad which was filled with...er filler! This will support the Pedal bone. She is still in her small dirt pen, with soaked hay, and seems happy enough. The rest of the herd ajoin her pen. We decided against stabling her, as she hates it, and gets stressed, box walks, destroys her bedding and is prone to ulcers.
While the Vet was with us, Charlie had a blood test to check his Testosterone levels. The Vet had a rummage which he enjoyed and could feel something, which may be scar tissue......or maybe something left. I am still waiting for the results. It makes no difference to me. But its just curiosity. Is He just a late cut boy with attitude or a rig? My old pony Paddy, had stem left, and while he sometimes acted like a Stallion, it caused him no harm.
Although this is Not a Weather channel, I am British, so am therefore compelled to state that this June has been a washout. Its rained, rained and then some. However (as I am British), I am not complaining. I DO NOT want a repeat of last years prolonged tropical heat. But.....And there is always a But with us Brits (we like to complain about the weather), it has made working the babies slightly less attractive!! But as everyone is a bit fat, we have utilised the double lunging trick to the max. Charlie and Lu are pretty good at it now.
Two days ago I got an Australian Stock Saddle for Charlie. Blame it on Karl Greenwood. If you don't know who he is, look him up on You Tube. He has a Horse Stunt yard, and also does stuff on Riding Confidence. Not only does he make sense, he is also very funny. So I was watching one of his videos, when he mentioned Aussie Stock Saddles. And how its almost impossible to fall out of one. BINGO. What a good idea for hacking the babies out!! So I trawled the selling pages.....and now I have one. Not only does it fit Charlie, it also fits Lu, so I will be riding her in it first.
And so. On Tuesday the Vet and the Farrier were meant to coincide at 2pm. I arrived at around 11.30am to find the Farrier had already arrived and Jo, caught on the hop had to leg it to catch in Daisy, Polly and Lu, as the Farrier wanted to get the shod ponies out of the way. Turns out it was a good thing, or we may have been there till midnight.
Although Charlie had Dora in the next field he was apoplectic at being without 'his' mares. He raced around in the mud and rain, got hot and rolled....and was absolutely caked in wet mud when I went to get him. Luckily he had enough time waiting in a stable to dry off a bit, and I rubbed him down with handfuls of straw and apologised profusely to the Farrier for his wet muddy feathers! I know a lot of people struggle in the Winter with Mud Fever in Hairy Cobs, and clip their feathers off. Believe me though, it is better to leave them on. They are natural protection against any bacteria. Constant washing of clipped legs causes the skin to weaken and the pores to open, which allows bacteria in. Scruffy as wet muddy feathers look, if you part the hair you will find nice clean, healthy skin underneath....so please leave them be. Lecture over.
Eventually the Vet arrived and started the ex-ray procedure with Sweet Pea. She was not too keen on standing on the blocks, and apparently at one point reared right up. She is very good at rearing vertically! I had buggered off to do the hay and water. When I came back the verdict was in. No arthritis at all and the feet were perfectly aligned with the Pedal Bone. And so.....back to soft tissue damage in the Fetlock. Mmmmm....thats what I suspected in the first place.
Box rest was advised. So after a long tiring day with the light fading we bedded down the biggest stable and popped both Shetlands away for the night. Sweet Pea would have had a nervous breakdown without Mini. They are surgically attached. Initially they seemed thrilled to be having a night out of the persistent rain, at a 5 star Shetland Hotel. I guess the mini-bar ran out too early......
The next day, we were met with very grumpy Shetlands. Sweet Pea refused her breakfast with pain-killers in. The only answer was to set up a very small pen outside again. It could be a long job!
Shaved Shetland leg after nerve blocks. As you can see she is not putting her foot flat on the floor.
Sweet Pea temporarily enjoying the 5star Shetland Hotel.
Happier in an outdoor pen.
So remember Lu was lame on the day of The Suffolk Show? Well its been intermittent. When we took her to the vet she was sound. So last week she was definitely lame so Jo called the vet out. After quite a lot of trotting up and down and lunging it finally showed up! It seems her adrenaline masks the pain....Tough ole gal! A nerve block proved it was in the foot somewhere so the vet returned for x-rays.
Lu was as good as gold, standing on the blocks. Charlie was stabled to keep her company, and for his own experience. The X-ray was really interesting. Lu has a crack in one hoof, and some bug had gone up the crack and was nibbling away at her pedal bone. Not an easy one to diagnose without x-rays!!!
Anyway she is on iodine (in her feed) and the farrier will be out next week to open up the crack.
It was also the worst day of Sweet Pea's life. She needed a passport (simple enough), oh and a micro-chip. Not so good, but the vet managed to get it in before she reared. While Jo and the vet were filling in the paperwork, I decided to lunge her which she hates. Next up was a grazing muzzle. As usual after her gigantic rears, as soon as I got my phone out to take pics, she allowed Jo to put the muzzle on! Typical.....Never work with animals!
Anyway...the reason for the passport? The minis are going to do unicorn parties for children. Apparently its all 'in' at the moment. There are actually websites to buy unicorn accessories for your pony! Strap on horns (P'naff P'naff), glittery hoof oil, mane extensions, glitter spray! Yes there are some dodgy sites if you google unicorns!!!! As with a lot of horsey equipment there are many double entendres!
