well dammit

Waaaaahhhhhhhh :( Just when she was getting FUN!

Kelli and I had scheduled a vet visit with Dr. Marquez for Dan and Marvin. I decided to have him look at Lyric too as I was worried she was still having some issues. She's been fussier lately again and losing her hind end on occasion. Nothing major, but... she's also never had a real true lameness evaluation done. So.. why not!? 

I'm really glad I did. The horses were in all day because it was an all day affair. And Marvin was here too, so that added a little bit to her stress. Maybe stress isn't the right word, but her routine was definitely off! And that makes her nervous. We did Marvin's vet visit first, then Dan, and then it was Lyrics turn. 

Dr. Marquez started off with a physical exam and palpating her. He noted how knock kneed she was. I know... I know. Basically he found that she was super sore in her pelvis at the tuber sacrales. And then he found stifle effusion. She was also a bit reactive in her suspensories in the front limbs bilaterally. We took her out to jog and he suggested a chain. I told him she would be good, but I did grab a chain. Didn't need it, but I had it. She jogged nicely for him. I didn't get to hear what he saw, but I do think the flexions made her left hind worse. So then he had me tack her up. 

At this point she was a little frazzled. She had been in all day. Marvin was there. I tacked her up with no grooming (they were all clean and really were fine without a grooming). Then I rode her up to the arena and Dan couldn't come join us because he was locked up, so she didn't have her emotional support buddy. Then I didn't do any pillar work or warm up.. just walked a figure 8 or two and then picked up the trot. I was a bit embarassed because I knew she was going to look like she had only had 8 rides instead of 800 (or however many it's actually been), but... oh well. So then he asked me to canter and I picked up the left lead and she cantered a stride or two and then pulled her head down and went to bucking. Luckily they were straight lined, but I think I sat about 8 bucks with her head between her toes before I could pull her up. It took a minute because I literally had the reins at the buckle. All I could do was kick my feet forward, sit up, and wait it out. I finally was able to get enough leverage to turn her nose and then lift and get her head up. Thank goodness I didn't fall off! That would have added to my embarassment from Dan! (He got loose during the flexions and toured the neighborhood). Dr. Marquez was like "stay safe... no need to canter more if you don't want". So... I took a deep breathe... gave her a minute to chill and then picked up a nice relaxed trot again. Well, relaxed given the situation. Then we cantered the other way without any explosions. So then I trotted... walked.. and then picked up the left lead canter again. And she was good. Phew! So we quit and headed back in. She was kind of a nervous wreck at this point. Poor girl. I'm so sorry. This definitely solidifies my thought that I cannot go fast with her. She is just way too emotional. Which was kind of nice because it is hard to not get in my head... I've had her for a year and a half and she's still going around hollow and inverted mostly....But I just... I can't go fast with her. 

So he said that it was definitely the left hind and likely the stifle given that it's a swing phase lameness. So we ultrasounded her stifle. I suggested drugs as she's touchy and was already amped up. He agreed. And I realized that I had lost my pony tail holder. She bucked my pony tail band off!!! ha ha. She was good with her drugs and we got a good ultrasound of her stifle. And.... she has a hole in her intermediate patellar ligament. DAMMIT! :( Sigh... I mean, yay it's not torn in half... but that was a legit hole. We even checked the other one.. no hole there. Sigh. I asked what that meant and he basically said "Like any other tendon/ligament injurty". Yeah... but I have been lucky enough to not have had one of those, so...  I'm guessing he'll clarify in his discharge instructions, but... he did say no riding for a long time... but luckily no stall rest (other than tonight). So phew! But yeah.. I'm guessing 3, to 6, maybe 9 months off. WAAAAAHHHHH. Like I said... she was just getting fun. 

So we injected her stifle ligament with PRP and she'll... just be a feral pasture pony for a bit. I'm hoping that I can use this time to do some postural work, bodywork, and maybe... later... even a little tiny bit of lunge work, but... I know I'll have to be patient. But we can do pillars and body work and postural work without risking things. So, while it sucks... really sucks... this is but a moment in time... it'll pass and I should (I think) have a good prognosis. And this is forcing me to back off and do the groundwork to get her body better suited to carry me more correctly and build up the correct muscling. Which I kept saying I should do, but just kept riding instead. I'm sorry baby girl! I am guessing she did it when she was 3 legged those multiple rides (but she was only 3 legged for 10-30 seconds and then would trot off sound!!). But I do feel terrible for continuing to ride.. and then after her rest, making her jump the BN olympics at chatt! I'm so sorry girl. 

I am hopeful that she'll make a full recovery and maybe she won't kick herself in the other leg anymore. Maybe that's because she's changing her biomechanics just enough to avoid pain that it's making her smack herself. And this gives her time to get her angles better in her feet and build up her body. But.. bad timing with the saddle fitter. :( But I guess better than making the saddle fit her and not Dan. 

She was pretty decent in her stall overnight. And luckily she didn't bolt out this morning or do her occasional random shenanigans. At least not while I was home. I suspect that they mostly hung out in their stalls under the fans today given the amount of poop and pee I had to clean. And after dinner tonight... Dan and Fleck went to the middle field... Funny was nosing for grain.. and Lyric came over to say hi while I was feeding the dogs. She hung out for a good bit and just... hung out. We snuggled a bit. I tried to explain to her what the deal was and it didn't mean anything personal. It was nice to snuggle. And then she finally wandered off to eat. 

Vet visit

rodeo broncing due to trigger stacking

hole is middle patellar ligament

dammit