When I went to get my pretty filly out of the back field the other day she was slow and sluggish. usually shes bouncy and happy the other day… not so much. At first I figured it was the heat. The sun was shinning hot and the humidity was high. I took her to the field trough and let her drink before I took her in for our daily lunge work out. Standing at the trough she was holding her left hind awkward. She didn’t seem to be limping at all but on the sharp turns to get her out of the filed gate she was definitely having trouble with the back left. I had one of the trainers at my barn look her over with me and it looked like it might be an abscess. Not Again! I called my barn manager and we were all in consensus that it was likely an abscess. Lucky for me my awesome farrier was going to be there in an hour to work on a bunch of horses and when she showed up she looked over my girl. Yup its abscess and in the same hoof as 2 an a half months ago only this time it’s deeper and we couldn’t get it poked to drain. Looks like I was going to have to call the Dover people and cancel the saddle fitting appointment I made for this coming Sat. The fitting it took me 3 weeks to schedule since they are in VA and I’m in MD. Can’t do a saddle fitting with a lame horse. Ugh!
I began the ritual abscess care starting with soaking her foot, which she doesn’t like for several reasons.
1. she is not happy in the wash stall
2. she doesn’t like to stand sill in cross ties that long
3. she is not happy in the wash stall
Worse then soaking her foot, which I can accomplish is wrapping her hoof. Yeah she pretty much hates it and has no issues letting that be known. Last time I went though it she cow kicked me. This time I’m more prepared (and faster).
Day one of wrapping went really well! I was so pleased, she let me pack it and wrap it. It wasn’t pretty but it was on and I was relieved. My farrier said to just let her go out with the herd in the field, that this one looked like it was probably going to come out the coronary band and not the toe like last time, it was pretty deep and that walking around will help the process. The next day, she was in the field with her wrap on and in pretty good spirits and happy to see me and not really favoring the left hind too much. I started the process again. Soak, walk around, soak again and wrap. We did really good until “wrap” She was having none of it. I got as far as packing the hoof and getting the vet wrap on. The duct tape pad? Yeah that wasn’t going to happen. I got it part way on then the fight really started. My monster horse was back, kicking, unhappy, uncomfortable and 1100 lbs of protesting. The hoof wrap was a mess but it was on.. sorta. It was misaligned and looked terrible. She wouldn’t put her foot down, she was holding it high and tight. I began to second guess myself. Was it on too tight, did I do something wrong, why wont she put her foot down. I got my scissors and cut it off. I was defeated and I also threw my back out. Awesome. So instead of fighting with her I put her in her stall and told her she was going to have to pretend she was in the wild tonight where horses don’t get their hooves wrapped for abscess.
I resigned myself to coming back the next day and starting all over. Every day is an opportunity for a fresh start. This is going to be a long and ouchy process for her and it looks like its going to be one for me too.