And So...

" Dusty'

Our vet examined Dusty today and she will be laid up for at least two more weeks.  Her toe reacted to the hoof testers letting us know that she is still sore.  For the past few weeks she has been wearing Soft Ride boots to ease her pain and make her more comfortable walking. I would definitely recommend these boots for any horse with an injured hoof.  These boots can also be worn (according to their site) for riding, but I’m not sure how well that would work.  Even though she was measured correctly for the proper size, she still manages to leave one behind now and again. The boots are a great medical innovation for injuries and other foot issues, and I like that they sell orthotics that can be inserted into the boot depending on what type of injury the horse is recuperating from. They have enabled her to be relieved of the boredom of constant stall rest and have allowed her to graze in a small grass paddock with Mellon, who is also in rehab for a torn tendon.  I feel like I’m running a MASH unit here on the farm with all the injuries lately.

The vet recommended that Dusty be shod in natural balance shoes pour-in pads to help ease the pain of having a coffin bone rotation of about 5 degrees and a possible bruise.  We knew nothing of the rotation until she had x-rays and, even though it’s not much, it’s still there and has to be dealt with.  She may have had this for years and it’s just coming to our attention because of her soreness now.  Dusty’s always been a very stoic mare and never complains, so when she started limping, we knew it had to be bothering her quite a bit.  It could be that since it’s been so dry and her hooves were so hard she may have stepped on a rock and bruised her sole.  Regardless of how it happened the vet has decided to treat the rotation as a new injury. He’s contacted our farrier and they discussed her options and what would be best for her.  I think it’s a plus that the vet and farrier confer on cases.  Dusty will get her new shoes tomorrow and in two weeks will be checked and x-rayed again to see where she is and when she can get back to work. Our vet seems to think that she will return to normal with the proper shoes and should be as good as she always was.

Last night we had a saddle fitter out who had previously taken a tracing of Dusty for a custom saddle.  Since she is wither-deprived and very round, there are no saddles that fit her off the rack so to speak.  This girl sent the tracings to the company she works with in England and they sent her a tree.  Well, lo and behold, it fits her perfectly and as an added bonus it fits Blue perfectly too.  Now the only question will be whether or not I go ahead and buy it. I was pleasantly surprised when she told me the price of the saddle; it was nowhere near how expensive I thought it was going to be.  My Albion dressage saddle (off the rack) was much more than this custom saddle.  Thinking of that Albion saddle, I’m probably going to have to sell it because it doesn’t fit any of the horses we have now. It was Erik’s and the shame of it is I only used it maybe a total of five times before he died. Still, it’s classified as a used saddle and I’ll probably get a lot less for it than it’s worth.  Secretly, I think I just held on to it because I’m a pack rat and never get rid of anything, with the “hey you never know when a horse will come along that can use it” attitude.  In the meantime, I’m waiting for the next set of x-rays and diagnosis before making any sort of permanent decision on Dusty’s saddle.

Until next time
Quote for Today
EQUINOMIC$ - The distribution and depletion of a large percentage of a horse owners cash flow.