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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
  
Location: USA | I got a horse in who was run, not all the time but enough to make an impact on her mind, in pain. She was sore in her hocks, stifles, teeth hadn't been done in forever . . . loads of stuff. I got her all fixed up, she's no longer hurting. BUT, we've got some issues now. I did a looooottt of slow work - like 2 months of slow work. She does great going slow. She's perfect. Anytime you add an ounce of speed, she loses her $hit and doesn't want to turn the right barrel. She's been turned out for a few months now, I was thinking of trying to leg her back up and try her again. Maybe start another discipline with her, but I want to try her back on the barrels. For those of you who've had to rehab horses, how successful were you on getting them back to running the pattern? |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
 
Location: Florida.. | could she be hurting again ? shes been in slow work few months and turned out few months.. did you have her injected? and if so was it before all these months? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | Well, I don't think she is. I've had her gone over with a fine toothed comb, I've even called animal communicators on her. She was injected prior to all of this, I did that as soon as I got her in. I wanted her feeling good before I took her back on the pattern. |
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 Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | With all those things wrong with her, even with rest and turnout, I imagine her back is a mess. Horses compensate for pain elsewhere eventually making everything hurt. She may need several rounds of chiro/massage as long as everything else is in order.
On a side note I had a horse that everyone said hocks and stifles were what was making him blow out of his 2nd barrel. Turned out he had broken his pelvis at some point and it was making everything else sore as he had healed asymmetrically. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | I was planning on taking her to a chiro/acupuncturist again - the first one I took her too I wasn't really impressed. Regarding message, there aren't any equine message therapists that I know of in my area or within 3 hours drive time, is there something I can use to massage her? |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| 2 months isn't that long.
I know one person she did slow work for an entire year on a blown up horse and it worked.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | cheryl makofka - 2015-01-01 1:25 AM 2 months isn't that long. I know one person she did slow work for an entire year on a blown up horse and it worked.
I've just had so many people tell me to get rid of her, that 2 months should have been enough to rehab her. It's so frustrating. I keep doubting that I'm doing the right thing, but giving up on her doesn't sit well either. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | cheryl makofka - 2015-01-01 1:25 AM 2 months isn't that long. I know one person she did slow work for an entire year on a blown up horse and it worked.
I also agree that 2 months isn't that long for slow work - not every horse will rehab quick. I turned her out 3 months ago. I was going to bring her back up and slowly start legging her back up, do some other stuff with her (western dressage), do some right handed turns around something other than a barrel. I want her to realize it doesn't hurt to turn like that, and then slowly reintroduce the barrels again. I'm so anxious to get her up and running! Patience isn't my strong suit. |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | It can be done. I have one now that went through the ringer. I spent a year putting that sucker back together. Came back around to being a solid 2D horse at the major shows. Of course, then he slipped at the first barrel at a show earlier this year and injured himself. Now, that year of trusting that setting down and turning does not equal pain is all out the window. Thankfully, I know how nice this one can be and as long as the owners are willing, I'm slowly but surely trying to get him right yet again. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | WrapSnap - 2015-01-01 2:07 AM It can be done. I have one now that went through the ringer. I spent a year putting that sucker back together. Came back around to being a solid 2D horse at the major shows. Of course, then he slipped at the first barrel at a show earlier this year and injured himself. Now, that year of trusting that setting down and turning does not equal pain is all out the window. Thankfully, I know how nice this one can be and as long as the owners are willing, I'm slowly but surely trying to get him right yet again.
Oh my gosh I need to hear more stories like this! Y'all keep em coming! I believe this horse can make a recovery and be a pretty jam up horse, but I keep having these doubts.
WrapSnap, how did you rehab that horse on the pattern? Just lots of slow work or taking them off the pattern for a while? |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| My trainer bought one that was totally blown up. I do not think pain was the problem. She saw something there and bought the horse. She still was kind of a nut csse but I have seen her be the only person in the 1D. The competition around here is unbelievable. At the Thanks giving barrel race 15.6 was 3D and this arena is not that small. In my drag the girls were laughing that it was sad that you had to have a $25000 horse to place in the 5D. The competition is tough. Yes horses can come back but you need to make sure there are no more pain issues and that you take your time. Lots of just cruising runs in barrel races that you actually entered. Your goal is not to go win but to get your horse working again. One other suggestion----buy the book and DVD---BEYOND HORSE MASSAGE. I do this on my horses it is amazing. Your horse will love you. |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | Dreamingofcans - 2015-01-01 1:16 AM I was planning on taking her to a chiro/acupuncturist again - the first one I took her too I wasn't really impressed. Regarding message, there aren't any equine message therapists that I know of in my area or within 3 hours drive time, is there something I can use to massage her? Everyone will probably think I'm nuts when I say this, but here goes....go to Sears, Wal Mart anywhere that sells automotive. Get a car buffer with a pad. If she likes it..she will really like it. Some love it some don't. We had 2 TB's that got sore in their shoulders and this is what vet told us to do. They both loved that dang thing.
Edited by total performance 2015-01-01 6:10 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | total performance - 2015-01-01 6:09 AM
Dreamingofcans - 2015-01-01 1:16 AM I was planning on taking her to a chiro/acupuncturist again - the first one I took her too I wasn't really impressed. Regarding message, there aren't any equine message therapists that I know of in my area or within 3 hours drive time, is there something I can use to massage her? Everyone will probably think I'm nuts when I say this, but here goes....go to Sears, Wal Mart anywhere that sells automotive. Get a car buffer with a pad. If she likes it..she will really like it. Some love it some don't. We had 2 TB's that got sore in their shoulders and this is what vet told us to do. They both loved that dang thing. Â
Ha! Good idea!! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 713
Location: ND | Have you checked for ulcers? |
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Regular
Posts: 70
Location: Somewhere between here and there... | I say switch directions. If she's a righty make her a lefty. If she's a lefty make her a righty. Start completely over and changer her brain. Maybe her mind is focused on the pain and it's not there. Change directions and see if that helps. Along with continuing the rehab through the pain ??
Edited by canchaser24 2015-01-01 9:53 AM
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Veteran
Posts: 264
| RidinOnFaith35 - 2015-01-01 9:21 AM
Have you checked for ulcers?
I had a horse that had a long list of medical issues, after 18 months of rehab finally got him back in the arena. Still wasn't performing to the best of his ability, so I went back through and got a lameness exam. Nada! Eventually someone mentioned on here it could be ulcers after the stress of rehab. Sure enough, that was it. Full month of meds and my horse was back! |
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
| My rocket mare used to be a rocket righty. Stifle issues led to ducking the second barrel. Had her worked on several times and kept getting a green light (per vets) to go ahead with her and she'd run 1, 2 times great and then duck again. I gave her at least 3 4-6 month time outs and still that pattern.
As a last resort I sent her off to be changed to a lefty. We've been steadily relearning each other and the left hand pattern (can be tricky for both human and rider to get the swing of a left hand pattern after running only to the right for many years).
This past year I had her stifles injected for the first time. That lasted one show and then she 'bucked' a pattern with me. It is so not like this mare to go RUN when she gets a chance. I made a decision to try running her on bute just to see what happened. It worked. I bute her the day before a show, and for as many days a show lasts (i.e., day before and day of for one day show, or day before and for 2-3 days for large 2-3 day show). I don't like having to 'drug' her to run, but I've already spent 1000's on diagnostics and other treatments on her with no big 'X' to fix. She'll only run for another couple years max before I retire her to brood and I hope the bute treatment will keep her happy. She won me some good money this year and our last show in November won 2D at a pretty sizeable day show again the horse and rider that won reserve 1D at the world finals.
I suggest no barrel work above a walk. Xena never even trots a pattern, just walking, except when we run a competition run. We work on lots of strengthening and flexing, no speed work. I also suggest trying to the left. Sometimes the change of direction is all they need - the pattern looks different enough that they don't have the same pain reference points.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | RidinOnFaith35 - 2015-01-01 9:21 AM
Have you checked for ulcers?
She's never been scoped but when I did the acupuncture, none of those ulcer points came up positive. However, I started her on some aloe Vera juice in early November. She's been on pasture but still getting grained with her aloe Vera juice and some herbs |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | canchaser24 - 2015-01-01 9:50 AM
I say switch directions. If she's a righty make her a lefty. If she's a lefty make her a righty. Start completely over and changer her brain. Maybe her mind is focused on the pain and it's not there. Change directions and see if that helps. Along with continuing the rehab through the pain ??
I have switched =/ she does the same thing on the same barrel. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| I would have her scoped gor ulcers or go agead and treat her for ulcers. Seems like I read if they didn't want to turn to the right, that ulcers could be the problem. |
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