Vet came back today

So the vet came to review Paddy today - trotted him up & he's less lame, but not sound, so wants Paddy to go back to the clinic so that he can have another injection into the navicular bursa. He will then reassess in 2 weeks time.

Meanwhile Paddy has settled in well and is enjoying life at the new yard. He has a new best friend - Murphy......2 Irish boys together!!

Paddy has moved house

Over this past week I have moved paddy to his new yard in fulbourn. Decided to leave him in for a couple of days, but then turned him out & of course he hooned about like an idiot, but eventually settled down to eat. Since he has changed yards and since getting is diagnosis, I have been reading anything & everything about navicular syndrome, biomechanics, feet and diet and have decided that I will probably take his shoes off and try to rehab him barefoot, as this seems to be the most effective way to get the hoof functioning correctly. I did mention this to the vet when I saw him, but he said rather vehemently that there's no way he should go barefoot......we'll see!!!

Meanwhile paddy enjoying his new surroundings!!

Not good news

Paddy has been to the vets for the past couple of days and he has been nerve blocked. They have found that he has a problem with the caudal area of his foot and it blocked to the bursa area. He had x rays done and they showed that he has reverse rotated pedal bones.

The vet has injected the bursa to see if this will make a difference, but has said that with this type of problem he would recommend remedial shoeing to raise his heels, which will then take the pressure off his heels. If that does not work, then an MRI scan and probable neurectomy.

This was devastating news, as I bought Paddy to event, and it is unlikely that he will ever be able to do any of this.

I am going to do some research on navicular problems to see what would be the best way forward.

On a more cheerful note, I have found a lovely new yard in Fulbourn, with a lovely yard owner, who is sensible and knowledgeable and we are to move in before Christmas.

I have managed to get Paddy out in the field also over the past week with his mate Lordy, which he seemed to enjoy!

Paddy no better

Paddy is still just as lame as he was - there has been no improvement and so I have
Ve arranged for him to go for a lameness work up at the vets next week. He is perfectly happy in himself, but getting a bit fed up with being on box rest.

The other news is that I am looking for another yard to move Paddy to. I have come to the conclusion that he is much happier if he can be turned out every day, which does not happen on my current yard, and I will be able to have much more say in what I do with him and have more control over his management. I am looking for something nearer home so that it will not cost me quite so much in fuel and time also.....so the search is on!!

Paddy still lame :(

Paddy is still lame, he's had a couple of weeks rest and when I trotted him up he was very clearly lame, so got the vet out. The vet asked for  him to be reshod, making sure the toes were short in order to improve the breakover and to have another weeks rest and to give him bute for a week - if he's still lame, the. He will need to go for a lameness work up.

So he's been reshod, though I am not really happy about the shoeing and am starting to read more about the biomechanics of the foot/leg. Just hoping he is better when I trot him up again.

Given that he appears to have dodgy feet, I have also decided to track his progress by taking photos of his feet at intervals to see if there is any improvement/ deterioration.

Paddy lame :(

Had a lesson after our dressage outing and Paddy went really well....fast forward 2 weeks and Paddy is lame intermittently on his right fore. Don't know whether he's bruised his foot or tweaked something, but there's no heat or swelling and no raised digital pulse.

For the moment I am going to give him a week off and then if he's still lame, get the vet out.

It's such a pity because as soon as we start going out and doing exciting things, something goes wrong!!

Paddy & Lordy do dressage

So it was with great trepidation that Gillian and I decided that we would take both the boys to the College of West Anglian to try our hand at some dressage at a proper show, rather than at the equestrian centre where we keep them.
This was their first show where we were hoping to do a little more than just walk round in boring circles with us leading them and to say that we were both terrified was an understatement!

Managed to get there in one piece, they were both excited - probably thinking that they were off racing! Managed to warm Paddy up ok and then went in for the first test - just did two walk trot tests to start off with.

Well Paddy was mostly good - apart from the calling constantly for Lordy and being google eyed at the two Shetlands that were in a paddock right next to the arena.  Then pretty much went straight in again to do the next test & he was better - less gawping and calling and a little more concentration.

The comments were good, apart from Paddy needing to be much more engaged behind, though this was not really my aim - all I wanted was for him to behave, get through the test without having a hissy fit and for me to manage to stay on board!

Lordy was also very well behaved and they both surpassed our expectations so we were over the moon with them both. After they had finished they stood by the box very chilled out munching their haynets, as if they did this sort of thing all the time......what good boys!!