Recovery week 21 - 29/6/15

I am really pleased that todays blog is another positive one, that's 3 weeks in a row now woop!  It really feels like Jacks confidence is building back up with every ride and lunge and he is actually enjoying his work again :)

The week started well with a lunging session in the pessoa and I decided as things had been going so well it was time to introduce some pole work again.  I put out 3 poles 1 stride apart on a 20m circle and then warmed Jack up in walk, trot and canter before moving on to using the poles, I watched him closely as he walked over the poles to see how he was using his back end, before his last physio treatment he was struggling behind with poles but now there was no sign of any difficulty so we moved on to trot and again he was moving well with no signs of any difficulty or discomfort.  As things were looking good and Jack was happily taking the poles on in a lovely forward rhythm I decided to try canter too and was soo pleased with his attitude and ability, he popped though over and over again adjusting his stride as necessary to meet the poles right without needed any interference from me and kept a lovely forward rhythm throughout.  It was the same on the left rein so before he got tired or made a mistake which could knock his confidence we stopped on a really positive note :)

The next day we had a little hack on our own just through the village and back down the canal path, Jack behaved beautifully and we had a really confidence boosting ride which is just what I wanted!  We had 1 really testing moment which could have spoilt things, as we were enjoying a nice canter back along the canal path home we came to the corner about halfway and were met by 2 other horses cantering along the other way, they were right on top of us so I quickly had to pull Jack up and move onto the path to let them past, they did slow to a trot to pass us and then cantered off again as soon as they had got passed us.  Jack did understandably become a little upset by this and for a few seconds he stopped, snorted and thought about taking off after them!  Luckily for us we were on the home straight and I think the desire to get home helped him decide to keep going in the right direction rather than turn round and give chase!  I was so proud of how he coped with this situation he was really grown up and he trotted the rest of the canal path and home without any issue.  If there was any moment he could have napped and reverted to being a rearing, bucking spinning monster it was this one and he did give it some though but he didn't do it, this feels like a huge accomplishment :)

He had the Wednesday off in the field with his mates.

Thursday I decided to try him in the ménage again, once a week is all I'm doing at the moment, this again was a bit of a test for him as there were tractors and bailing machines in the field next to the ménage bailing haylage into its plastic wrapping!  The noise and sight of the huge bales spinning round and round and the big plastic sheeting peeling off the roll would be enough to make even the most placid horse have a bit of a look!  Jack did find it all a bit much to start with so we kept to a 20m circle at the far end of the ménage at first and slowly worked our way down the ménage until he was going the round the full ménage without reacting too much!  We stuck to walk and trot again and did a few poles in walk as they had been left out but he felt great and the trot work especially was the best it has been in a long time, he felt forward, strong and started to get a bit of spring back in his step :) I was thrilled but just kept to half and hour not wanting to push too far and risk spoiling the great work we'd had.

On the Friday I didn't have enough time to ride so I lunged him in the pessoa again and this time did 4 poles on the circle 1 stride apart.  After a good warm up we did the poles in walk, trot and canter on each rein and the work Jack produced was just brilliant!  He was really taking the poles on stretching and using his back end much better than ever before.  I managed to get some videos and took some stills from these which really show how well he was working over the poles in trot and canter :) what a massive difference!

I am absolutely thrilled with the strides forward we have made lately, Jack seems to be enjoying his work, not restricted by any pain or discomfort and is gaining in confidence every day.

He has had the weekend off in the field as I went to Hickstead for the weekend to see the Derby for the first time, I had an amazing time and am inspired once again by the horses and riders I saw, maybe one day soon Jack will be ready to jump again!

Fingers crossed for another good week with my boy!         

Recovery week 20 - 22/6/15

I am really pleased to be able to write a blog post this week that is full of positives for once!

We have had a really good week and I actually feel like we have made huge progress in Jacks recovery both mentally and physically :) which is very exciting!

We started the week with a really good lunging session on the Pessoa with no silly or naughty behaviour and lots to like about Jacks way of going.  A huge improvement on last weeks pessoa session which involved Jack spinning around and buggering off in the wrong direction more than once!

We had a lovely surprise on the Tuesday when 2 fellow liveries were down at the same time as me so we got to hack in company for a change!  As the weather was nice and warm we decided to head down to the river and have a splash in the shallows to cool down.  I was really pleased that Jack went straight into the river at the first time of asking and had a good splash about, I think all that rehab in the aqua treadmill has done wonders for his confidence in water as well as his physical recovery.  We have not been that way for about 8/9 months but used to regularly go down and canter/gallop round the rivers edge last summer to help build Jacks back muscle up.  He does not appear to have forgotten that fact as once we came out of the river he was dancing and jogging about and felt like a coiled spring all the way back across the fields to the road.  I just about managed to keep him under control, but there was several occasions when I thought eek here we go as Jack bounced about on the spot getting more and more excited!  It was an exciting ride and Jack felt fantastic with not the slightest hint of pain or discomfort!  He lead all the way home and seemed to really enjoy himself!

He had Wednesday off in the field and we were happy to have company on another hack on Thursday, we had plenty of short canters and lots of trotting along the canal tow path and again Jack felt happy and comfortable taking the lead when asked and never hesitating :)

I decided as he had been feeling so good all week to take him in the ménage for the first time in over 3 weeks on the Friday afternoon to see if he felt any better in there.  He look a while to warm up and feel himself, he felt quite hard work and dead to my leg for about 20minutes but once he got going he did feel really good and there was no hint of a buck, rear or plant all session which I was thrilled with.  We only did walk and trot but I was very happy.

On Saturday again we had company in the afternoon (3 x in a week - that never happens!) and went for another longer hack,  we went on a route we have not done in about a year and again did lots of trotting and several canters with no problems.  Jack was keen, pulling me along the whole way and felt strong and comfortable.  He had a day off in the field again on Sunday and enjoyed getting filthy so will be in need of a bath!

Fingers crossed for more of the same this week :)     

Recovery week 19 - 15/6/15

The last weeks has been pretty good actually with more highs than lows so I'm feeling pretty good about Jacks recovery at the moment - it may not last but we are making the most of it and enjoying ourselves while it does!

We started the week with introducing a little bit of lunging again having done over a week of just hacking following Jacks last physio session.  The weather was pretty awful with high winds and heavy rain showers so riding was out anyway.  I popped the pessoa on and aimed to maybe do 15/20minutes gentle lunging not wanting to push him too hard as he has not been on the lunge for a few weeks.  We started out well and he warmed up fine if slightly tense, after a few minutes I attached the pessoa and he seemed to settle much better and concentrate on what he was doing.  unfortunately the wind really picked up and a gust caught under the saddle pad lifting it up and flapping it up and down on his back, Jack did not appreciate it and leaped about for a few minutes!  Once he settled down I changed the rein still planning on not doing more than 20 minutes, however at this point Jack did something he has not done since I first brought him nearly 4 years ago - he spun round on the lunge back on the left rein and then refused to stop! I was caught off guard and wasn't quick enough to stop him as he has not done this in years!  When I first got him he used to do it, he had not been lunged since he was backed so he was out of practice but he soon got the hang of it and has never offered to do it since, even the first time after several months off when I had my son or the first time after his KS surgery so why he suddenly did it now I've no idea.  All I can put it down to is the wind hyping him up.  Once I stopped him I put him back on the correct rein and off he went for all of about 1/2 a circle before he tried it again and despite me getting behind him with the whip he still spun and then just went backwards!  So once I had stopped him and untangled him from the line I was not going to let him get away with it again so I got right behind him with the whip and managed to keep him going in the direction I wanted!  So the whole session ended up being more like 30minutes instead of the planned 20minutes.  I have no idea where the spinning came from after so long but I will be ready next time, I stopped him doing it before so I'm sure I can again!

Anyway after this we went for a nice hack the next day with a friend and had no issues other then Jack feeling a little footy across stoney ground, he had a farrier appointment booked for the Friday anyway so I wasn't too concerned.

He had a day off Wednesday and then Thursday we did something we have not done in ages, we went for a run with my other half, he jogs and Jack and I trot along next to him!  We used to do it quite often but have not in ages so we took it a bit easier and had plenty of walk breaks as it was hot too but Jack coped fine and we had a lovely ride.  He still felt a bit sore on his feet over stones so I was glad he was having his shoes back on the next day, he's been without them for about 9 months so I think he's done pretty well!  The only thing that spoilt the ride slightly was a very rude bus driver that would not wait and give Jack and I room when passing despite my requests for him to stay back and wait, am email was sent to the bus company complaining so hoping to receive and apology and for them to educate all their drivers on the safe way to pass a horse and rider.

He had a full set of shoes on on the Friday and although he did struggle to lift his near hind and seemed a little uncomfortable while having that shoe on he wasn't too bad.  I decided after to give him a little loose school and attempt join up with him and was pleased with how forward and loose he was moving - he certainly didn't appear to be uncomfortable once the shoes were on!  We even managed a bit of join up which usually Jack just ignores me and walks off so I was pretty chuffed.

He has had a quiet weekend in the field and will be lunged again tonight - hopefully he can stay on the rein I put him on this time!

Recovery week 18 - 8/6/15

This week has brought up yet more challenges as I continue to try to find a way to help Jack use himself correctly, without pain and recover fully from his KS surgery in Feb.

We are now just over 4 months into his recovery and its fair to say it's been a roller coaster of a journey so far - the 6 weeks full box rest went largely uneventfully and both Jack and I coped far better with it than I expected, his hydrotherapy rehab was very successful as was lunging/long reining.  With everything appearing to go so well hitting problems under saddle was unexpected but unfortunately Jack found ridden work in the ménage difficult and it appeared very little had changed in this respect from before his surgery.

Following on from his physiotherapy just over a week ago which found him in pain behind the saddle the plan for the last week has been to work him long and low at a slow pace in straight lines to try to keep everything relaxed and stretch out the muscles which he was struggling with.  Unfortunately the horrible weather rather spoilt the plans as Jack isn't the best in windy weather especially on his own so he ended up have a few days off until the weather settled back down as I didn't fancy having a argument unnecessarily.  I have discovered on this journey rehabilitating a horse is definitely a marathon not a sprint and it will take as long as it takes so a few days off while frustrating is not the end of the world!  We managed to get some company for our first venture out since the weekend and although Jack was a little fresh he behaved and we had a relaxed and enjoyable walk down the canal towpath and back through the village.  The next day we were alone so I decided to keep things as simple as possible and take the same route we had done the night before, as we set out Jack was very relaxed and I thought we would have a nice ride although the wind had picked up a bit again.  As we got to the bridle path down the canal I popped Jack into trot on the grass to see how he was feeling, he showed no resistance to going up a gear and as we trotted along I was thinking just how lovely he was feeling, he was forward and making a nice long and low shape, stretching over his back and pushing evenly behind when all of a sudden from nowhere he stopped dead and refused to move.  If I pushed him on he reversed and several times tried to spin and go home.  If I gave him a stronger kick he would rear.  This went on for 15minutes and we were getting closer and closer to being back at the road!  I was starting to think we might be there all night when as quickly as he stopped he started again and once he was going in the right direction it was like nothing had ever happened, he completed the rest of the 30 minute hack without putting a hoof out of line!  Looking back I realise that at the weekend I only went halfway down the bridle path before turning round and going home (something that I've never done before but my mum was walking with me and struggling to keep up so we turned round instead of going the usual route.)  I think this may have been why he hit the brakes this time as it was at the same point we had turned back the last time he had gone that way on his own.  Anyway we got through it in the end and neither of us were hurt. 

The next day was Saturday and I had hoped to take him back down the same route again to reinforce the fact he can't just stop and have a strop whenever he thinks it time to go home.  Unfortunately the weather had picked up again and it was extremely windy all day, we didn't have a hacking buddy so in the end I decided it was not worth taking him out in those conditions as it just makes him jumpy and spooky, I don't feel the need to risk taking him out in conditions that are more likely to lead to us having problems.  As I had use of a car with a towbar and I had been asked to move my trailer I thought it would be a good chance to do a bit of loading practice instead.  Since the only time Jack has been in the trailer in the last 18months is to go to the vets he has become rather negative about it and although he doesn't do anything wrong he takes ages to decide he is going to load.  So I hitched up the trailer pulled it out on to some flat ground opened both ramps and the jockey door to let in lots of light and got a bucket of food and the pressure halter out.  It took Jack about 10 minutes of being planted at the bottom of the ramp before he loaded the first time, he had a few mouthfuls of food then I unloaded him and tried to load again, this time he went on in about half the time so again he had a bit of food and was unloaded again.  The 3rd time he only planted for about a minute and after that he loaded about 10 times with no hesitation at all - hurrah!  He even loaded without the lure of a bucket of food so good progress made :)

Sunday was a lovely day so I waiting until the cooler evening weather to ride, grateful there was no wind we tackled a hack on our own.  I did the reverse route going through the village first and then back alone the canal path, I prefer this way as the return along the canal path is slightly uphill so gives a better workout, I also thought the spot we had trouble in would be on the way home so shouldn't be an issue, I was right he hacked beautifully all the way round and we have a lovely trot along the last part of the canal path. 

Jack is still having bute but I have now cut this down to 1/2 a sachet a day and I continue to do his carrot stretches and pelvis stretches before each ride to help him be as relaxed and supple as possible.

Now our week of straight lines is done I can start to bring in some lunging and schooling to see if any improvement has been made.          

Recovery week 17 - 1/6/15

The last week has been both interesting and frustrating in equal measure!

As I felt Jack was not as comfortable and confident in the ménage as I would like and after discussions with my vet we have just been hacking until my physio could get out to see us.

He has done so well so far and an easier few days will certainly not do either of us any harm despite my desire to get back to normal (whatever that is....its been that long since we were 'normal' I've forgotten what normal feels like!)

We have been taking it nice and easy and on a hack Jack feels fine, he is forward and keen with no sign of any discomfort unlike in the ménage where he is stuffy, reluctant and generally hard work!  Although he shows no sign of lameness and is level he has been doing something slightly worrying with his left hind while I pick that hoof out.  This was first witnessed while he was still at rehab several weeks ago and I mention it in my blog at week 12 at the time a physio session found him to be tight in the hamstring and once loosened off was fine for a few weeks but it has slowly started to show itself again.  It is only apparent when he has been stabled over night.  I have to admit I was a little concerned as it was very similar to a horse with shivers however I was assured it was not this as he could perform the other tests of shivers without difficulty i.e turning on a tight circle and backing up.  The other possibility was fixation of the patella but again the symptoms didn't really fit.  As the physio was already booked I felt confident she would again be able to find the issue and help resolve it for Jack.

Mostly our hacks have been uneventful except one, we ventured out alone for a 30 minute stroll around the village and all was fine until we turned for home and had to deal with a very very loud motorbike, a lorry setting off its air brakes, a man dragging his pukka pie sign, a cardboard box blowing under our feet and 3 other horses trotting past a speed all in the space of about 500 yards!  This blew Jacks mind a bit and he jogged all the way home tossing his head and whinnying like mad!  It could have been much worse!

Saturday morning was a day I had been looking forward too for over a week as Tamsyn our new physio from the rehab centre was coming to give Jack a once over.  I felt sure he would be sore in places and feel better for a treatment.  I told her what we had been doing since she last saw him just before we came home almost 5 weeks previously.  She started by watching him picking up his feet and he demonstrated the near hind issue beautifully for her!  We next walked and trotted up in straight lines then on a large circle, confirming he is sound :).  After that he was turned on a tight circle and backed up again demonstrating he can do these with ease and confirming he is not a shiverer!  She checked his patella too and found no issue there again as expected.  She then checked all down his spine and found him very reactive in the sacroiliac on both sides and set about releasing the tension in this area.  Jack was finding it very uncomfortable and spent a lot of time trying to kick, buck and spin away from her as she got the tight areas moving.  Poor Jack had been in quite a lot of discomfort, no wonder he had been so reluctant in the ménage.  As she worked out his tight muscles we chatted and she assured me that it is quite common for them to get referred pain following surgery and not to worry about how bad he seemed.  Once she had finished Jack was totally relaxed and she was able to palpate the area with no reaction at all and the muscles were soft.  We then worked out a plan for the next few weeks.  As advised previously by my vet I am going to give Jack some bute to help work him for a few weeks this will help him work through any muscle tightness and soreness, we are doing another week of gentle hacking before trying the school again.  After the first week lunging can also commence again.  I have been given some stretches to do with him before and after riding.  He will also be having a nice hot water bottle on his sacroiliac muscles before work to help warm and soften up the muscles.  Tamsyn will return in 3/4 weeks to see how we are getting on.

While I'm disappointed and frustrated with myself for pushing him too hard I feel so relieved and glad that we have been able to find such a fantastic physio to support and work with us through the rehabilitation journey, she is so knowledgeable and gave me a lot of confidence that the problems we have experienced are totally normal and nothing to be overly concerned with.  I am now more confident that with Tamsyn's support we can rehabilitate Jack successfully.  I just need to be mindful that this is a long journey and will no doubt be an up and down one along the way.  We have an awful long way to go and I must be patient.  It is a catch 22 situation, you have to push them to work the muscles correctly but in doing so the risk is making them over use muscles that have not been working correctly for a long time and making them sore and uncomfortable and then the more you do the tighter and more uncomfortable they become so they then can't use the muscles.  Luckily with correct physio, short term pain relief and the correct work we should be able to break the cycle.

The positive news is he is showing no pain or discomfort in the area where his kissing spines were!  He was also a lot more comfortable bending to the left which had been an issue Tamsyn had had to work on with him previously.  The carrot stretches must be working :)

Rehab is a real eye opener for me and such a steep learning curve!

It all sounds so easy on paper but I suppose you cant anticipate what will happen along the way.

So having had the day off after his treatment in the field Jack felt really up for it on his hack the next day!  I am struggling to get him to eat the bute and thinking about a change of feed, he's currently only fed dengie hifi lite and speedy beet with a broad spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement, a joint supplement and oil but he is leaving a lot of it so I think I shall change him onto a lite balancer and a different chaff, I can then cut out the vitamin and mineral supplement and oil and hopefully he will find it a little more interesting and palatable.

I'm also hoping that we get our towing car back this week after it was crashed into a few weeks ago by someone being chased by the police in a stolen car!  Once that's back I hope to take jack back over to the fabulous Bennett equine rehab centre for a top up session on their aqua treadmill.

He is looking in pretty good condition for a good doing 1/2 native