Have mostly managed roughly 45mins walking every day this week. Mon and Tue did 30mins round the block then 15mins in the school as was losing the light - he didn't feel like he was liking the school surface very much - really ploddy. All hacks have been good though - all solo but back on 15 ACP a day and happy ploddy hacks with no explosions. Sunday he had 10 ACP and I rode him 2hrs later and that was a bit scary as he was rather drunk and nearly tripped over at one point so lesson learnt there.
Today I gave him 10 ACP as was planning on riding at lunchtime as on half day but had to wait until nearly 5pm due to torrential rain. He was full of it all the way round the hack, really marching forwards which is how I like him except when we got back to joining the main road and I could just feel he wasn't in the mood for standing still and because we'd had to wait till that time it was really busy. Turned him round and walked back the wrong way for a bit and then tried again but still constant traffic. He wouldn't stand at all, reared up and just leapt sideways straight into the traffic and only just missing a bicycle :(
Stupid me forgot to give him his 2days off the Cool, Calm and Collected both weekends so he had Mon/Tue off instead and went back on it this morning. Not sure if that will have had any effect or not. Spoke to Equifeast and they said maybe he needs more Mg, not less so sent me extra to try and also Optimax which is l-tryptophan so will start him on them tomorrow and see what happens!
He has been pretty calm to turn out and bring in this week since back on ACP even though it's not actually working by time he is turned out. Think just one morning where he had a bit of a leap but nothing major.
Leg still looking fine - cross fingers.
Another week of 45mins daily planned although he will miss Friday as I'm away at Burghley and he is also gonna stay out Thur/Fri night so will be interesting to see what his behaviour is like on Sat evening when I come back. Hopefully better for being out and having the extra Mg.
Wednesday 29 August 2012
Wednesday 22 August 2012
Made it to the end of week 3
Well, another interesting week in the world of the orange horse.
Monday was 2nd week of being on mag free version of CCC. If anything think his general behaviour has deteriorated. He has been utterly wild to lead out to the field in the morning snaking head and threatening to try and piss off. On Monday after having the farrier and being back to the annoying, impatient, rude horse I bought I turned him out and he leapt in the airs and turned himself inside out - fortunately just that and didn't then go mental. He was also awful to bring in that night, rearing then fly bucking :(
Put him back on 200mg ACP yesterday and have had 2 lovely calm rides. Actually he was also calm on Sunday because he had Sox with him and Sat because he had Winnie with him but last Fri/Thur on his own teetering on a knife edge. Pesky horse - cant keep him on bloody ACP forever! We ended up out for 50mins on Sunday as normal route blocked. Tried to get round and ended up going down the muddiest byway which has been totally wrecked by 4x4's using it for green-laning. Had to go so slow to try and pick through best of the ground - wont be going down there again in a hurry. Hopefully not done him any harm as due to go up to 45mins today anyway.
So, here we start week 4 and up to 45mins of walking although this week I might alternate 30 with 45 and then 45 every day from next week. Good news is the leg still looks all ok - cross fingers it stays that way.
Monday was 2nd week of being on mag free version of CCC. If anything think his general behaviour has deteriorated. He has been utterly wild to lead out to the field in the morning snaking head and threatening to try and piss off. On Monday after having the farrier and being back to the annoying, impatient, rude horse I bought I turned him out and he leapt in the airs and turned himself inside out - fortunately just that and didn't then go mental. He was also awful to bring in that night, rearing then fly bucking :(
Put him back on 200mg ACP yesterday and have had 2 lovely calm rides. Actually he was also calm on Sunday because he had Sox with him and Sat because he had Winnie with him but last Fri/Thur on his own teetering on a knife edge. Pesky horse - cant keep him on bloody ACP forever! We ended up out for 50mins on Sunday as normal route blocked. Tried to get round and ended up going down the muddiest byway which has been totally wrecked by 4x4's using it for green-laning. Had to go so slow to try and pick through best of the ground - wont be going down there again in a hurry. Hopefully not done him any harm as due to go up to 45mins today anyway.
So, here we start week 4 and up to 45mins of walking although this week I might alternate 30 with 45 and then 45 every day from next week. Good news is the leg still looks all ok - cross fingers it stays that way.
Wednesday 15 August 2012
Eventful second week at home
Another week been and gone - thank god!
Managed 30mins walk every day this week, although hasn't always been walk - fair bit of jogging, piaffe, passage and a few pirouettes thrown in for good measure.
He had ACP until last Friday but not had any since - not sure not having it has made a huge difference as he was still quite mad last week on it. He is now out all day and behaving very well in the field as far as I know - no sign of skid marks anyway! Still in at night.
Has been having 3kg haylage and 3kg soaked hay at night so planning on cutting out the haylage. Food wise is on handful on high fibre nuggets, big handful of good doer and a small scoop of Fast Fibre - think that should all be pretty low energy. He's also on Cool, Calm and Collected, plus chammomile and Valerian. He started CCC mag free on Monday having had Winning Edge Gold all last week (full mag version) and before that was on full mag loading version of CCC for 5wks. They sent me 5wks free CCC mag free to see if that improves his behaviour - not so far lol!
Riding wise he has lost the plot - unless he's with a friend in which case he's happy to plod along behind - but if he's on his own he's a liability. Spooking at everything and as soon as we pass the furthest point of the ride he's jogging and pratting around. God forbid we have to stop at the junction onto the main road because patience is very limited and before long he will just launch into the main road regardless of what is coming. Monday morning there was a lorry blocking the route and instead of just standing and waiting he leapt up onto a bank and then plunged into the main road - twice. He is trying to kill us both :(
Yesterday he kicked me because he is just so bloody wired at the moment. Followed Sox up from the field, went to put him in the stable, for whatever reason he pulled back and said no, pulling lead rope out of my hand. I went to bend down and grab it, for some reason changed my mind and just stepped forward to put my foot on it and he just let rip with a hindfoot catching me square on the hip. Thank god I didn't bend down to get it or that might have been my head :( He's always getting loose and I always just grab the rope or step on it to stop him so nothing unusual. Cant believe he actually aimed and kicked me like that. Not like him at all. Not sure why he has had such a personality transplant. He was better behaved when just on 100% box rest.
Managed 30mins walk every day this week, although hasn't always been walk - fair bit of jogging, piaffe, passage and a few pirouettes thrown in for good measure.
He had ACP until last Friday but not had any since - not sure not having it has made a huge difference as he was still quite mad last week on it. He is now out all day and behaving very well in the field as far as I know - no sign of skid marks anyway! Still in at night.
Has been having 3kg haylage and 3kg soaked hay at night so planning on cutting out the haylage. Food wise is on handful on high fibre nuggets, big handful of good doer and a small scoop of Fast Fibre - think that should all be pretty low energy. He's also on Cool, Calm and Collected, plus chammomile and Valerian. He started CCC mag free on Monday having had Winning Edge Gold all last week (full mag version) and before that was on full mag loading version of CCC for 5wks. They sent me 5wks free CCC mag free to see if that improves his behaviour - not so far lol!
Riding wise he has lost the plot - unless he's with a friend in which case he's happy to plod along behind - but if he's on his own he's a liability. Spooking at everything and as soon as we pass the furthest point of the ride he's jogging and pratting around. God forbid we have to stop at the junction onto the main road because patience is very limited and before long he will just launch into the main road regardless of what is coming. Monday morning there was a lorry blocking the route and instead of just standing and waiting he leapt up onto a bank and then plunged into the main road - twice. He is trying to kill us both :(
Yesterday he kicked me because he is just so bloody wired at the moment. Followed Sox up from the field, went to put him in the stable, for whatever reason he pulled back and said no, pulling lead rope out of my hand. I went to bend down and grab it, for some reason changed my mind and just stepped forward to put my foot on it and he just let rip with a hindfoot catching me square on the hip. Thank god I didn't bend down to get it or that might have been my head :( He's always getting loose and I always just grab the rope or step on it to stop him so nothing unusual. Cant believe he actually aimed and kicked me like that. Not like him at all. Not sure why he has had such a personality transplant. He was better behaved when just on 100% box rest.
Tuesday 7 August 2012
End of week1 at home.
So he has been home a week now and we have settled into a routine.
ACP every morning - 150mg
Has managed around 7hrs in the field each day. Day 3 he had about 9hrs and discovered a complete wreck when I got there in the evening - fencing everywhere, snapped plastic post with the bottom half nowhere to be seen and nearly uprooted 2 wooden posts. He must have got a leg stuck which is exactly how he did the original injury so not quite what we had planned in recovery. I thought by electrifying the fence we would avoid this but sadly not. Fortunately he is booted up to the nth degree and appears not to have done himself any damage - thankfully the fence did snap eventually but shouldn't have thought it came easily. So since that day have been making sure he gets his ACP in the morning then doesn't go out until 2-3hrs later and just spends the afternoon in the field before coming back in again. Cant really imagine this routine changing much until he is doing some trot work and I can risk opening up his field a bit bigger. Cant really expect him not to get bored when he's out in a field the size of a couple of stables. Fortunately lots of grass at the moment to keep him busy. Have got a snack ball for him for when he's eaten the grass down a bit.
Have ridden for 30mins in walk every day except yesterday and been very calm, not even a hint of badness. Been alternating walking round the block on the roads with a little loop on the ranges. Today however, complete nightmare - went on the ranges and he felt on edge from the word go. Remember thinking that he felt a bit like he might just let rip but I knew if I turned him round he surely would so wanted to get to where I could do a little loop round rather than just turn on the spot and go home but we did our little loop and as soon as we turned back towards home he completely let rip - was terrified of getting fly bucked off like Llewi did to me when he was coming back into work. Fortunately he didn't actually buck, just coiled up and leapt around like a total lunatic. I was shouting at him so much to get him to stop and then curled him round my inside leg and did shoulder in all the way home but he escaped from me a few times and leapt around a bit more. Not what his leg needs. Hope it is still looking ok tomorrow. Stupid bloody horse. I hate hacking him at the best of times and only do it because I feel I should.
Worked out his recovery plan last night and he wont start trotting till early October, cantering end of November and no schooling until end of December. That's 5 months of hacking every day which will be about 5 times more than I've hacked him out in the entire 2yrs I've had him. That horse is not a happy hacker - it's why I got him cheap - he is a total liability and has ditched plenty of people. He is currently on loading doses of Cool, Calm and Collected, Valerian liquid, Chammomile and the ACP - I cant give him any more calmers! Be lucky if we both survive this. Petrified of him getting me off and galloping home across the main road :( Cant walk him in the school - has to be flat, level surface so hacking it is and think we're in need of more ACP.
ACP every morning - 150mg
Has managed around 7hrs in the field each day. Day 3 he had about 9hrs and discovered a complete wreck when I got there in the evening - fencing everywhere, snapped plastic post with the bottom half nowhere to be seen and nearly uprooted 2 wooden posts. He must have got a leg stuck which is exactly how he did the original injury so not quite what we had planned in recovery. I thought by electrifying the fence we would avoid this but sadly not. Fortunately he is booted up to the nth degree and appears not to have done himself any damage - thankfully the fence did snap eventually but shouldn't have thought it came easily. So since that day have been making sure he gets his ACP in the morning then doesn't go out until 2-3hrs later and just spends the afternoon in the field before coming back in again. Cant really imagine this routine changing much until he is doing some trot work and I can risk opening up his field a bit bigger. Cant really expect him not to get bored when he's out in a field the size of a couple of stables. Fortunately lots of grass at the moment to keep him busy. Have got a snack ball for him for when he's eaten the grass down a bit.
Have ridden for 30mins in walk every day except yesterday and been very calm, not even a hint of badness. Been alternating walking round the block on the roads with a little loop on the ranges. Today however, complete nightmare - went on the ranges and he felt on edge from the word go. Remember thinking that he felt a bit like he might just let rip but I knew if I turned him round he surely would so wanted to get to where I could do a little loop round rather than just turn on the spot and go home but we did our little loop and as soon as we turned back towards home he completely let rip - was terrified of getting fly bucked off like Llewi did to me when he was coming back into work. Fortunately he didn't actually buck, just coiled up and leapt around like a total lunatic. I was shouting at him so much to get him to stop and then curled him round my inside leg and did shoulder in all the way home but he escaped from me a few times and leapt around a bit more. Not what his leg needs. Hope it is still looking ok tomorrow. Stupid bloody horse. I hate hacking him at the best of times and only do it because I feel I should.
Worked out his recovery plan last night and he wont start trotting till early October, cantering end of November and no schooling until end of December. That's 5 months of hacking every day which will be about 5 times more than I've hacked him out in the entire 2yrs I've had him. That horse is not a happy hacker - it's why I got him cheap - he is a total liability and has ditched plenty of people. He is currently on loading doses of Cool, Calm and Collected, Valerian liquid, Chammomile and the ACP - I cant give him any more calmers! Be lucky if we both survive this. Petrified of him getting me off and galloping home across the main road :( Cant walk him in the school - has to be flat, level surface so hacking it is and think we're in need of more ACP.
Wednesday 1 August 2012
Day one back at home. 2nd scan.
Scan showed not much change. Possibly a few new fibres but still looking pretty black in the tiny area that is damaged. Vet wasn't too surprised - said it was good it wasn't any worse, that he was still sound on trot up and swelling had gone. Said not much justification for doing anything other than try and bring him back to work and see what the leg does. So, 3wks of 30mins walking under saddle, then 3wks of 45mins then if all ok continue to bring back into work over next 3mths or so. No jumping till after xmas.
Took him home, gave him some ACP and then 2hrs later turned him out and he was fine. Had 3.5hrs out in the field and behaved himself. Then did 30mins round the roads and he was still half asleep so it was very uneventful thank god! Good to have him back :)
In the field:
Took him home, gave him some ACP and then 2hrs later turned him out and he was fine. Had 3.5hrs out in the field and behaved himself. Then did 30mins round the roads and he was still half asleep so it was very uneventful thank god! Good to have him back :)
In the field:
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