April Showers Bring Broken Ponies

Ok, so it's not April yet, but it's 3 days from April and it just rained a ton. But it never fails that roughly around April/late March, a horse breaks him(her)self right as I'm prepping for show season.

Well, this time around, it's Lexie. She got adjusted by a vet from the vet school last week, and I noticed she was more painful back in work. First ride, I assumed she was sore from the adjustment and took it easy. Second ride, I took the vet's advice and tried my Thinline on her instead of Beval wool pad to give her shoulders more clearance- still sore. Third ride, I asked Phil to film, and Lexie was at her worst. Braced against the bit, inverted, hollow, and, when I saw the video, stiff through her right hind.

So she's due to get her right stifle re-injected. My trainer thinks the adjustment may have inflamed her stifle, and we'll just avoid that area in the future. Hopefully, that's the end of it- maintenance injections.

She's 14 going on 15, and an ex-eventer so I'm not mad about Previcox and a little maintenance here and there (every 9 months or so- inject the right stifle). I am happy she "tolerates" me; I was warned she cow-kicked the vet when he tried to palpate her stifle last time; she was a little grumpy with me palpating, cold-hosing, and applying liniment, but one growl and a smack, and she put that leg back down and tolerated the rest of the "pampering" session (liniment, massage in her back and neck, various sprays and potions). COME ON, MARE, LET ME LOVE YOU.

"No.No pampering."

Candy has become a little creakier as of late, and it breaks my heart. His strides have really shortened at the walk, and he hikes his hip pretty hard trotting in his field. He's in good weight, good spirits,and happy as can be though, so I think his lameness bothers me more than him.

Overall, ponies are happy, healthy gimps, and I'm so lucky and grateful for both of them.

- K & C & L