My everything 😇
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Submitted August 26, 2017 at 12:06AM by MissSamioni
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I work on a rescue ranch for abused, old, and retired horses. The ranch owner had a few god awful hands for a few years that nearly destroyed the property and stole from her regularly. I'm trying to get the place in tip top shape. Only recently was I able to get the horses back at a decent weight, and got a few of the horses rideable again. I'm thinking about winter and getting her destroyed stalls back in shape. What else should I be doing for the horses health? I'm getting overwhelmed with this job. Any advice or help is appreciated.
My 17 year old horse tore his superficial tendon two summers ago, and has been in recovery for a long time...at first it was diagnosed incorrectly by one vet, we got a second opinion from a different vet and said that the tendon was in the healing process and would be good as of the first of last January.
He was turned out to pasture and has been recovering there.
I was away at school and the barn owner didn't tell me just how lame he was. When I came back over the summer he looked terrible, I pulled out the vet again, and she ultrasounded his leg. Apparently the tendon had healed, so the lameness was a mystery....we did a full lameness exam on him and through a nerve block test he seemed to have navicular pain. She didn't have a mobile radiograph machine so we couldn't see the extent, but she prescribed isoxsuprine, and some Pentosan just in case some arthritis has set in.
I just started the isox yesterday (I waited a few weeks because I was in the process of moving him to a different barn, as after the past year I don't think he was getting quality care at the old barn) and today he was walking better than he had in forever.
Out of curiosity I tried trotting him, and he was lazy, but sound. He was very stiff though, it almost seemed like he didn't trust that he was sound. Which is leading to my current question.
What is the best way to help with the stiffness, without working him too hard? I guess I'm a bit surprised since he's been turned out, it's not like he's been in a stall for two years, but I guess he has some sense of self-preservation there. i'm terrified of re-injuring him though the vet said anything he would do, would be a new injury.
I was going to start carrot stretches with him, but is there anything else I can do?