Recovery update 6 - first time out

It was time for 'Mr F' to get used to being turned out again. Very slowly and calmly. No silly behaviour. I was given the OK for this by 'Suzie' our equine Vet. His first time out would be limited to a very short time, perhaps half an hour or so, while I muck out. 

At the back of his stable was a tiny orchard that could be blocked off so 'Mr F' couldn't get into the main field. 'Little Sam' and 'Molly' would be on the other side, waiting for him. He would not be alone and therefore it should be a calm turnout in a tiny paddock space, for 30 minutes or so. As I wasn't sure how he'd react being out after 2 months I didn't want to endanger another horse, no matter how small it was.

I prepared everything; the two ponies in the main field at the back were waiting for him behind the gate. His last nights stable companion was still in the stable so he wouldn't have a fit when I brought him back in.

It was now time to hold on to my stomach which was about on the way out ... I opened the back door to 'Mr F's stable and asked him to come out.  Well, he sure was everything but calm!
A tirade of rolling, bucking, snorting and head shaking ensued. It was like watching a ship that was about to keel over. 'Mr F's movements where very wobbly but sure effective. "Why am I in here on my own?! ON MY OWN???". He looked at me and then at the two ponies who both were watching the spectacle from the other side of the gate.

'Mr F' went off in blind anger for yet another round of most unhelpful behaviour.  As he stopped to get some breath I called him very calmly and he came dashing towards the back entrance. I stood my ground and of course he stopped. I wouldn't let him charge into the stable just so he could slip again! He stood there with me, huffing and puffing ... but eventually calmed down enough and I let him back indoors. Once he was safely inside I shut the stable door behind us. His body movements were too loop-sided to let is crazy behaviour continue. That was enough exercise for a while! This  needed a different approach. Next time I shall require the kindness and calmness of 'little Sam' and put him in small paddock with 'Mr F'.

I let things settle for a few days. Then, one calm and sunny morning I called 'little Sam' in the small orchard bit so he would be there waiting for 'Mr F'. 'Little Sam' is a smart little pony and is not interested in any fights. He just wants food. 'Little Sam' is 'Mr F's little pal, they have been in the field together for months. And although 'Mr F' some years back didn't like 'little Sam', they since our return to 'Buttercup Farm' have accepted each other. I opened the back stable door and stepped outside, inviting 'Mr F' to follow me.  He wasn't so sure about things this time and was peeking through the stable door, watching 'little Sam' out there. 

When 'Mr F' saw 'Little Sam' out there  he finally felt 'safe' enough to come outside. Of course he straight away proceeded to boss 'little Sam' around. The two trotted around the tiny orchard for a little while, with 'Mr F' doing some little bucks and head shaking while pushing 'little Sam' on. The little pony however is smart enough to just walk out of 'Mr F's way. I knew he would but just in case I stayed with them. 

'Little Sam' doesn't resist 'Mr F' , he just moves out the way a little and 'Mr F' soon looses interest. Eventually they settle and begin grazing. 'Mr F' hasn't had any grass for the past 3 months except on our short walks along the drive. Although there isn't much grass in this tiny spot and I also put out some haylage which I purchased.

'Mr F' a little wonky on his feet but getting better. 

'Little Sam' is a great companion, he is calm, clever and kind. 'Mr F' in the middle and in the back is 'Molly'.

I repeated this a few times over the course of a week until it was clear that the two of them would be fine out there unattended.

So far so good. 

The first full day out they were locked out of the stable just to avoid any quibbles inside. The next day I let them go in and out as they pleased. The stable is quite big and leaves enough room for 'Little Sam' to move out of 'Mr F's way if he has to. All was clam. I brought them back inside for the night.

On the third day 'Mr F' seemed to have overdone it. I am quite sure he was being too full of it during the day. As I arrived in the late afternoon after work, he came running into the stable and made a big point of presenting me his injured leg / hip. 'Ok, I get it. You have been silly again I bet.' I took him for a very short leg stretch to see what's the matter and he sure enough was rather hesitant putting weight onto that leg. 'Well young man, it's time for some more stable rest.'

I updated 'Suzie' with the happenings and she confirmed that it was best to keep him indoors for a few more days until he was OK again.

After 3 days and nights in he seemed quite sound again and I let him back out with 'Little Sam'. This time it was all calm straight away but he does do an awful lot of rolling accompanied by lots of groaning - he's always made a lot of noise when rolling.

Well, so far so good. Let's see how we progress.

Recovery update 5 - Ultrasound

It was time to check out how 'Mr F's bones were recovering. 'Suzie' had recently invested in an additional, stronger ultrasound scanner allowing her to penetrate deeper and hence scan a larger body mass - such as a horses' hip. 

First off 'Mr F' had to be sedated so that he would stand still not only during the scanning but also prior so that his coat could be shaved where we had to scan. I am never comfortable when sedatives are administered, it seems to me a great shock these huge bodies are exposed to.

The sedative took effect quickly and 'Mr F' was off to another world. 'Suzie' shaved his rear end and prepared it for the ultrasound scanner. 

I had never seen anything like it and was most intrigued by this machine. We scanned for quite a long time and took several scan screenshots. However, all that white mass is rather difficult to interpret for me. This picture below is one of the more clear ones. The thick white elongated 'blob' is 'Mr F's hip bone and you can see where it is fractured. The view is somewhat from above, but not quite.

If you look at the horse itself it is clearly noticeable that his hip point (the bit that 'sticks out', just like ours does) is now dislocated, as though it has broken off. That is another reason why he had to be totally calm at the very start of his recovery, to make sure that nothing is injuring any internal organs. 

This is also when we discovered that 'Mr F' actually suffered two fractures. 'Suzie' also recognised on the scan the beginning stages of arthritis in 'Mr F's lumbar spine. Which would explain much of his stiffness. 

It will be time for me to work out whether to start giving him medication. However, I am not all that keen on further feeding him bute as it is not doing his stomach any favours. Joint supplements will certainly be an option to go forward with. 

And of course the question: should he be ridden again? Personally I will miss the riding of course but I equally enjoy going for walk or just spending time together. 'Mr F' has done a lot of hard work in his early days as race horse. Over the past months I have learnt his stoic side. He coped with the injury extremely well and is still full of life spirit.

One of the ultrasound scans showing the farcture(s)

'Mr F's half shaved bottom - you can see how asymmetric his hips now are.

'Mr F' will have some working out to do when he is allowed to be turned out again.

I suppose a person with loads of money available would have dealt with this situation very differently. But even if I had loads of money to hand, I would not have done things differently in the way I chose his recovery route. There are many things to take into account and while the medical side is quite easily figured out, the horses character and 'mental' needs also must be considered. The route I chose catered both and it worked well, 'Mr F' stayed very calm throughout (unlike me - I have sure lost my temper with others who were making things very difficult quite a few times!)

Another 3-ish weeks of being inside before he is allowed out totally calm. The letting him out part will be easy ... it's the keeping him calm bit that is causing me some concern ... 'Mr F' is easily, lets say ... stimulated ... 

Recovery update 4 - Getting reacquainted with the outside world

I spent much of April re-introducing 'Mr F' to the outside world.

The stable was a safe place, warm, dry, food, water, comfort, entertainment.

Outside of course evil lurks behind everything. I got the 'OK' from 'Suzie' after I asked her if I could start taking 'Mr F' for very short outings to start building up his muscles and to get him used to being outdoors again. He has had his minimum of 2 moths box rest and will still be on box rest for another month but a little bit of change of scenery will be good.

I begin our outings by letting him into the yard. To occupy him I place his hay bag near him. 'Mr F' isn't quite so sure about being outside at first but soon relaxes and munches his hay while I muck out.

'Mr F' first time out in the yard after 2 months indoors.

You can see the changed shape of his hip on the left side - also note the 'lump' on his thigh which is the displaced muscle.

I repeat the above for a little over a week. He is still quite unsteady on his legs.

There way out of the yard goes up a slope and at first it was a bit tricky for us to navigate over it but it went better by the day. We didn't go out for long, just some 10 minutes of so.

After a while we slowly increased the distance and length of our outings. It was most interesting to observe. It was quite clear that 'Mr F's body was adjusting, he struggled for some time to have stability with his legs. Putting down his neck all the way to the ground to eat some grass was quite challenging at first.

'Mr F's  companion, the 'Buttercup Farm' beast, is never far away.

This cat has always followed me around and has been with 'Mr F' for most of the day when he is in the stable. 

As his movement improved we spent longer time outside. It all was new to him. After having been inside the stable 'Mr F' was spooking at things that didn't bother him before. It was like at the very beginning when we met ... and he relied heavily upon me. There was one occasion when he spooked at a bush with white blossom, it was a windy day and somehow, even though this same bush was there the previous days, today it was very scary. He looked at it and made a big leap towards me and remaining very close, snorting like a dragon. I burst out laughing; all I had in my mind was this big horse wanting to hop into my arms!

The weather had been rather mild and the grass was already growing nicely. 'Mr F' was most pleased to finally be able to eat some grass again.

Another month or so and he will be able to go out into the small padock ... calmly ... hopefully ...