Update on Princess Lil

On Saturday I hopped on Lil to do some Dressage training, and she had so much forward that I considered whether I should feed her less.  It was a good kind of forward, but you don't want it to go too far especially when you train in a seven acre paddock.

She felt lovely and strong through the back, and we were actually able to canter within a 20m x 60m arena.

With some apprehension, I fed her her normal fare that afternoon.

On Sunday, she felt like a flat balloon.  That forward?  It was all gone.  Her back still felt strong-ish, although she did trip a couple of times.

So I think I might try feeding her more.  On the up side, I think her back is getting stronger, so the type of training I am doing is working.

The Good Horse

Often we allow the horses to graze on the driveway.  The grass is longer and "cleaner" there.  Usually we leave two horses in the paddock, and allow two to graze the driveway.  When they graze in the driveway they also have access to the hay shed, and to the machinery shed, where I make up their feed.  The machinery shed has doors so they can't wander in there uninvited - as long as someone has closed the doors.

The other day, Bess and Lil were grazing the driveway, and I went into the shed to make up their feeds.  Within seconds I could hear impatient hoof beats on the gravel outside the shed.  I poked my nose outside, and sure enough, there was Bess standing in the gravel, right outside the machinery shed.  But where was the "ever hungry" Lil?

Well there she was, standing in the yard (which was open), in the exact spot where I normally feed her.  Not pawing, not shaking her head, not walking impatiently around, but standing stock still waiting for her food to come.

Now, that is a good horse!

Saving Crownie

I've been busy.  Not riding.  Trying to save my horse.  My husband's horse.  Crownie.

She hasn't looked "right" for about a year now.  But with my own recovery from illness, I haven't had enough energy to do much more than standard care.  This year, in about April I got more serious though.

First, I ensured her diet was sufficient, and full of the right minerals.  But she did not improve.  Her worming program and teeth were up to date.

Then when she got what looked like an abcess in her eye, I called the vet out.  We looked at everything.  We reviewed her diet.  The vet checked her teeth.  We took bloods.  We took poo samples.  The vet left me with an oinment for her eyes.

Everything came back clear.  The bloods were excellent, except for low protein content.  The poo came back clear - that's right, no worms at all!

The eye ointment helped a bit, but the swelling around the eye remained.

I started reading.  Was it a Gutteral Puch infection?  Could it be Crohn's disease?  Or were her tear ducts simply blocked?

Then I started injecting her with vitamins.  25ml of vitamin C, 10ml of B complex, 10ml of vitamin B12 and 10ml of VAM.  I wanted to inject her with 10ml of B15 (DADA) as well, but this was very hard to get hold of.  That's a lot of needle pricks per day.  And on a poorly muscled horse you soon start running out of neck room.

I also washed out her eyes daily.  The whole routine took me about 1 hour.  I couldn't do it every day, but I did it about 4 to 5 days per week.

At night I paddocked her in the only paddock that has a stable.  And during the daytime I allowed her to graze the fresh, clean grass along the driveway.

After four weeks I called the vet out again.  He looked at her eyes, then started feeling further down her body.  Under her jaw, at her chest, in her groin.  In her groin?!  Panic!  He was checking her lymphatic system.  Finally, he called me over, and asked me to have a feel of a lump on her chest.  A lymph node.  It was enlarged.  Very enlarged.  "I think it's Cancer", he said.

I can't say that I panicked, or felt like crying, or felt gutted.  I had suspected as much.  And so, as much as I have tried, I may not be able to save Crownie.  There is only one way out of life for all of us, and Crownie isn't "young" any more.  She will be 20 in November.  Of course, many horses last longer than that, but she always seemed more fragile.  Even her coat was always softer than that of other horses, much to the delight of people who patted her.

For the time being I'll keep my routine of paddocking and feeding, although I will probably reduce the injections to once per week.  As my horses come back into work, I just won't have the time to do daily injections, and Crownie's a bit sick of them too.

When she is grazing the driveway she has direct access to the shed where I make up the horses' feed.  It is beautiful to be in the shed measuring out oaten and lucerne chaff, and to hear the click click of Crownie's shoes on the gravel as she comes to investigate.  It's priceless to hear her sniff the air as she approaches the shed door, and then to see the soft black nostrils poke gently through the doorway.

The Chiropractor

Jamie arrives to see Crownie. I haven't seen him for about 8 years. He doesn't seem to smoke any more, but otherwise he hasn't changed much.

He has a good poke around the horse. He presses just behind the wither and the horse tries to walk off. "She's out just behind her wither. That's causing pinching pain down her shoulder." Then he presses a spot on the hind quarters. Crownie's backside dips. "Because of the pinching in her shoulder, she is compensating with her hindquarters, and she's put herself out in the lower back too."

Jamie does some adjustments then rechecks. Crownie stands quietly still as he pokes her in the very same spots that a minute ago caused discomfort.

"Put your hand on the wither", he says. I do. "What do you feel?"

"Heat. But just in here, in this very spot."

"Good. The adjustment causes inflamation. That's what you can feel. That will go away in an hour or two. Then you can ride her."

Jamie also checks her over for arthritis, and gives her a pretty clean bill of health.

Finally, we talk feeding and he suggests adding comfrey to her food, using fresh garlic instead of the sulphur, and adding a nettle and rosehip tea.

Trust your horse

We're going out. It rained a lot last night, and the paddock feels too wet. After yesterday's taxing work out I think that a lot of walking would do us good.

My core strength feels good and engaged from the start, albeit somewhat sore. I imagine Crownie must be feeling the same. She is definitely stiff, and finds it hard to go down hill on the slippery surface.

We trot up one of the roads, then take a track I have never been on before. As we alternate between walk and trot I realise that I am exhausted, and so is the horse. Neither of us has eaten enough yesterday. I kick myself that I didn't think of it, but it's obviously all part of learning. On top of that Crownie is stiff. I am hoping that it's just stiffness of the muscles and not shin soreness.

The track weaves down hill towards a creek. I can see the crossing, and it looks a bit rutted but fine otherwise. Before the creek crossing, the track gets a bit steeper. Crownie slips and slides a bit, and refuses to go down it. I think she's a wuss, and so I jump off. The clay underfoot is as slick as ice, I slip and slide and grab onto Crownie for balance. Four legs good, two legs bad. Crownie turns away from the creek. I stop and take another look. I concede defeat. We retreat.

For the rest of the ride we mainly walk and trot. We do a nice canter/gallop up to Dead Cow, and then head home. I am really happy with that canter - it implies that she is not shin sore.

Back at the ranch, I double the size of Crownie's feed, and put her out in a grassy paddock. After two eggs, a sausage and two slices of toast I feel like I've eaten air. I decide to double Crownie's evening feed too.