Figured I ought to start writing this, as depressing as it is given this is meant to be my competition diary but I want to keep a thorough track of everything we have done so I can look back in the future.
Friday 25th May - got Monty in from the field to ride and was brushing his tail when I noticed his right hind tendon sheath looked very swollen. On closer inspection he had score marks across the front of his cannon bone which looked like they were from electric fencing. There was no pain on palpation of the swollen area, his tendons seemed fine and it just looked like a swelling in the tendon sheath. I trotted him up and lunged him and he seemed ok so I jumped on and did a quick session in the school as thought I'd be able to feel any lameness easier than I could see it and as he is a horse who swells quite easily and it just looked like a big windgall figured proibably wouldn't do any harm. He felt fine so cold hosed, applied witch hazel and arnica gel and put him back out. No bute as was secretly hoping he's be ok to event on the Sunday given he was sound.
Sat 26th May - Initial swelling was much improved, just a slight general puffyness to the tendon sheath. Cold hosed in the morning and at lunchtime then took him for a hack which was mostly walk with just one little trot and a few strides of canter and he felt fine and when we got back the leg looked almost normal. Cold hosed again. Arnica gel again.
Sun 27th May - due to run at Borde Hill BE100 but tendon sheath puffy again - diffuse swelling over entire back of leg behind suspensory. Odd as tendon sheath only goes halfway up the metatarsal. More cold hosing and arnica gel morning and evening.
Mon 28th May - leg 75% back to normal, just slight bump over DDFT approx halfway down metatarsal. All swelling in tendon sheath gone. More cold hosing and arnica gel in the morning.
Tue 29th May - 95% back to normal, just tiny tiny bump over the DDFT remaining - cold hosing and arnica gel morning and evening.
Wed 30th May - as per Tuesday in the morning so in the evening took him out for a hack up the ranges. Let him have a canter along the top on the way back but kept to the soft heather and kept it steady. Cold hosed morning and evening and arnica gel again.
Thur 31st May - cold hosed in the morning - all looking good. No change since Tuesday. Schooled him at lunchtime. Worked well - no concerns. Actually worked really nicely on the right rein and got some great walk to canters into the outside rein. Went back down in the evening to get him ready for event next day and tendon sheath was slightly puffy again - back to how it was on the Sunday (day3). Cold hosed again.
Fri 1st June - slightly worse than the night before. Whole back of leg behind suspensory puffy again. Cold hosed and scratched from Eridge BE90 plus the RC CT Champs meant to go to on 3rd June. Started Danilon 2 sachets twice daily. Cold hosed again in the evening.
Sat 2nd June - swelling gone right down again except the tiny bump over the DDFT. Cold hosed twice again. 2 sachets Danilon twice daily. Made Llewi's small paddock back up again and put him and his friend in there.
Sun 3rd June - bump over the DDFT still there. Cold hosed twice. 1 sachet Danilon twice daily.
Mon 4th June - leg filled up again. Cold hosed twice. 1 sachet Danilon twice daily. Swelling worse in the evening and had reports he'd been charging round the field so brought him in onto box rest with stable bandages. Did notice that when cold hosing if he was being a prat and jumping around he seemed to jump with both back legs together and not look very comfy.
Tue 5th June - leg back down again. 1 sachet Danilon twice daily. 5mins in-hand walking twice daily. Bandages on at night.
Wed 6th June - stop bute. leg almost normal, just the tiniest of bumps over the DDFT. 5mins in-hand walking in the morning. Arranged tendon scan at Liphook for 4.30pm with Sarah Taylor (locum replacing Jane Boswell). Trot up in straight line - sound although she did comment he moves slightly wide behind which I think is normal for him? Sound after flexion. Slightly irritating as he's meant to be lame after flexion and that's why that poxy leg isn't insured! Palpation - no pain but slight thickening in the DDFT halfway down metatarsal over the bump that I could see/feel. Scan showed hypoechoic area dorsal border DDFT exactly where the bump was. So subtle that she got Tom Hughes in for a 2nd opinion as there is a normal artefact in that region that causes a slight blackening of the tendon on scan. But they both felt there was a slight lesion there and despite being sound he needed extended rest if it were to heal properly. Both said very unusual area for an injury - trust my bloody horse. She recommended 3mths field rest - restricted area where he couldn't canter around. Ride him for 10mins in walk for first month, 20mins 2nd month, 30mins 3rd month then re-scan. Not to worry about stable bandaging and cold hosing.
Thur 7th June - leg looks amazing - hardly see the bump at all. 5mins in-hand walking twice daily. No riding today as weather awful.
Fri 8th June - leg still looking good. 5mins in-hand walking in the morning. 10mins ridden walking up and down the drive in the evening.
Sat 9th June - leg slightly puffy again. Repeated same as Friday but went further up the road and just turned round after 5mins which caused a bit of bouncing but nothing awful.
Sun 10th June - still slightly puffy in the morning - nothing huge but worse than it was the day after the scan. Tried letting him loose in the field at the top of the yard. Dog barked at him, he spun round, cantered about 3 strides with both back legs landing together looking very uncomfy, then came to a halt and held the right hind up before carefully putting it down. It obviously hurts him. Made the decision to send him to rehab. In the evening, leg was slight warm and more puffy. Took him here:
http://horserehab.co.uk/livery.html
Thur 14th June - update from spa. Been gradually working up to it but today got full bubbles and full height water over his tendon. Been going on horsewalker for 5mins twice daily from Mon morning and been very good about it.
Sun 17th June - went to visit at the spa. Leg looked really really good before the spa session - barely able to discern any lump at all over the tendon. After the 10mins in the spa there was definitely a tiny bump again. Not sure if this was due to the tendon reacting to the cold water - increased blood supply maybe? or any residual other soft tissue swelling disappearing so making the tendon bump more obvious. Difficult to know. Cant imagine spa doing any harm though - it's bloody cold water at 2 degrees C so tendon prob just reacting to that. Took him for a little nibble of grass although not overly interested. Leg did seem to buckle underneath him at one stage - not sure if he just trod on slightly awkward piece of ground - could do without that happening. Plan for this week - continue horsewalker 5mins twice daily and 10mins spa every day. Arrange farrier.
