Winter Woes

It has been a while. My bad. Life is really busy when clearing land, trying to figure out building a house and barn, putting utilities on property, etc. Who knew? (Everyone).

Things have also been really quiet on the riding front. Mort and I have had a pretty tough winter.

It started with the ulcers. We got those cleared up and his energy levels are great again.

He had a strange spot on his eye that never took dye and didn't respond to traditional treatment. I took him to the vet and spent some monies when a second small spot appeared. After scraping his cornea and more intense treatment things seem to be going well. Essentially he must have had the tiniest of objects on his eye that wouldn't come off with flushing/ointment/etc. He now has a permanent small scar but he seems happy and comfortable.

The last month or so he's been on-and-off lame. He got a hot nail the last week of January. We flushed it, soaked it, and put him on antibiotics. He got sound again fairly quickly and things seemed fine. I rode him a handful of times and he felt 100% sound. But several days after I thought we were in the clear (and had the OK from the vet) he went almost 3-legged lame again. Another call to the vet and back on antibiotics and we were heading back uphill. After some time I was, again, able to ride him and he felt 100% sound. Then it all happened again. I put him back on antibiotics (for the third time). We put in a call to the vet for anther appointment (third one in less than two months so please pity me).

After hoof testing, a lameness exam, blocking the hoof, and x-rays we found the culprit. He had a small gas pocket in his hoof. We had been hitting the bacteria with antibiotics and it would help, but nothing could fully relieve the pressure he was feeling. He got it dug out and we got instructions for taking care of it. After a week of stall rest and soaking/wrapping it every day things seem to be looking up. He's got shoes back on and he is 100% sound. I got to ride him for the first time last week and he was wonderful. No lunging and no porpoising into the canter. I even hopped on him bareback on the second day back while a giant machine was pushing down trees across the street. Most importantly though, is that he seems to be comfortable and happy.

Now, of course, Missouri has decided to turn into a puddle and we're getting rain dumped on us in very large quantities. So while I got to ride him twice last week, I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to ride this next week. But I'll spend time hand-walking him, grooming him, and playing with in-hand stuff. I'm just glad that my boy seems to be back on the right track and I can't wait to get us both back in shape.