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Peeling the Onion
Layer by layer we are peeling away, trying to figure out what is going on with Axel and seeing if we can help him when we do.
We started with a few days off his back to see if that would make any difference. The first real ride back was for his saddle fitting with Jen at Happy Horse. He sadly, was not a happy horse. Poor lad felt pretty uncomfortable in any trot work regardless of whichever saddle he was put in. Some were less bad than others, but still, not the easiest of times to be trying out various saddles. Jen however really was very good. I appreciated the time she took, her willingness to discuss and listen and as an independent fitter, she wasn't there with one brand to sell me. In the end it was impossible to properly choose a saddle. He wasn't going in any way that would enable me to get a feel for them but we did have some positives. One of which was to start to figure out his shape/ measurements and also what kind of saddles he seems to prefer. Even though we couldn't get to the stage of picking one properly, he seems to prefer an upswept panel and a riders position slightly more forward than the slight driving seat that some of the saddle makes encourage the rider to sit in. All this is good feedback and allows Jen to get her thinking cap on and keep an eye open for something that may work.
In the meantime I kicked into gear on looking into Axels discomfort. I spoke with my wonderful vet Dr Tom Walters and we decided that we should get his back looked at. He managed to get me an appointment with a brilliant Vet, Dr French from #LittletonEquine. Today we spent investigating my pumpkin pony. The tricky thing is that he looks sound. No lameness. Both vets agreed that the horse looks pretty darn good all round. You can prod and poke him, even through his back and it is much the same, pretty good. The Vets agreed! So we went down the route of some more intense investigation. Dr. French decided to ultrasound Axels spine and neck to look for any bone, muscle or tendon concerns. He took his time and explained to me what he was seeing and looking for the whole way through. Overall he really wasn't too worried about anything. No kissing spine, no muscle tears, ligament issues etc. Once he moved up his lower neck he did manage to find some mild arthritic spurs. He says most horses would probably show some level of arthritis through the back somewhere so not a total guarantee but as he said, some horses can be riddled with arthritis and perform absolutely fine, some are a little (lot) more sensitive and react a lot to something quite small hehe! My princess and the pea...
So, the awesome Dr French injected some steroid into Axels neck using the ultrasound as a guide. I will add a photo of the ultrasound to the blog- you could actually see the needle and the liquid going into the joint which was pretty darn cool. Axels behaviour for the whole exam and treatment was exemplary. This horse is just the biggest sweetheart ever and I am so proud that he is mine! Now we have a week of rest, few days of light work then off we go. The injections can take anywhere unto 4/5 weeks to really take affect so we will be patient to see any positive response. If theres no change then we use it as a diagnostic tool and move onto new possibilities.
In the meantime, we are hanging out together in the field, grazing and chatting. Does anyone else talk to their horse all the time or is it just me... crazy freakin' horse lady...
We started with a few days off his back to see if that would make any difference. The first real ride back was for his saddle fitting with Jen at Happy Horse. He sadly, was not a happy horse. Poor lad felt pretty uncomfortable in any trot work regardless of whichever saddle he was put in. Some were less bad than others, but still, not the easiest of times to be trying out various saddles. Jen however really was very good. I appreciated the time she took, her willingness to discuss and listen and as an independent fitter, she wasn't there with one brand to sell me. In the end it was impossible to properly choose a saddle. He wasn't going in any way that would enable me to get a feel for them but we did have some positives. One of which was to start to figure out his shape/ measurements and also what kind of saddles he seems to prefer. Even though we couldn't get to the stage of picking one properly, he seems to prefer an upswept panel and a riders position slightly more forward than the slight driving seat that some of the saddle makes encourage the rider to sit in. All this is good feedback and allows Jen to get her thinking cap on and keep an eye open for something that may work.
In the meantime I kicked into gear on looking into Axels discomfort. I spoke with my wonderful vet Dr Tom Walters and we decided that we should get his back looked at. He managed to get me an appointment with a brilliant Vet, Dr French from #LittletonEquine. Today we spent investigating my pumpkin pony. The tricky thing is that he looks sound. No lameness. Both vets agreed that the horse looks pretty darn good all round. You can prod and poke him, even through his back and it is much the same, pretty good. The Vets agreed! So we went down the route of some more intense investigation. Dr. French decided to ultrasound Axels spine and neck to look for any bone, muscle or tendon concerns. He took his time and explained to me what he was seeing and looking for the whole way through. Overall he really wasn't too worried about anything. No kissing spine, no muscle tears, ligament issues etc. Once he moved up his lower neck he did manage to find some mild arthritic spurs. He says most horses would probably show some level of arthritis through the back somewhere so not a total guarantee but as he said, some horses can be riddled with arthritis and perform absolutely fine, some are a little (lot) more sensitive and react a lot to something quite small hehe! My princess and the pea...
So, the awesome Dr French injected some steroid into Axels neck using the ultrasound as a guide. I will add a photo of the ultrasound to the blog- you could actually see the needle and the liquid going into the joint which was pretty darn cool. Axels behaviour for the whole exam and treatment was exemplary. This horse is just the biggest sweetheart ever and I am so proud that he is mine! Now we have a week of rest, few days of light work then off we go. The injections can take anywhere unto 4/5 weeks to really take affect so we will be patient to see any positive response. If theres no change then we use it as a diagnostic tool and move onto new possibilities.
In the meantime, we are hanging out together in the field, grazing and chatting. Does anyone else talk to their horse all the time or is it just me... crazy freakin' horse lady...
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