Thursday, April 24, 2014

Tia's Toes

The small gravel looking rocks are actually copper sulfate crystals to help get rid of the fungus.

This girls feet are going to be the death of me!

Left Front Foot

Right Front Foot

Sigh.

Monday, April 7, 2014

A day at the barn!

Tia's foot is looking better! She is walking much better on it as well! I have been soaking it everyday and that seems to really be helping.

On another note, Mia has proven herself to be a bit of a bulldozer again. Twice now, when I take Tia out to soak her foot, Mia decides that there isnt a fence in the world that can keep her from being able to SEE Tia. Sigh. So, I have started bringing them both up while I do Tia's foot.

Friday night, we decided to play a little bit. First we played with Mocha, and then with Tia and Mia, since Tia was feeling much better!

Enjoy the pics!!!

Friday, April 4, 2014

Follow Up - Farrier Visit

My trusty farrier came out last night to take a look at Tia's foot. The verdict so far is that, yes, she did tweak the existing injury. This injury is a pain in my butt! Sigh!




I am going to be soaking her everyday to help keep the area clean and free of anything that may try to wedge itself up in there. With it being so wet here, wrapping her may or may not be an option. IE - if she steps in mud, there is a good possibility the wrap will come right off. But, I am going to experiment with wrapping tonight and see how it goes. 

I am also going to put her on a hoof suppliment to help it grow out a little faster and promote healthy growth. 

Her front feet are pretty bruised. Not sure if its just from over compensating, or if she has been running around like a loon and hit a rock, or ten, somewhere! 

In the meantime, can everyone say a little prayer that this injury heals correctly and my girl feels better?

Thank you!!!!



Thursday, April 3, 2014

Saddles, Blankets, and a Huge Resounding Disappointed Sigh

In my last post, I talked about going to the Amish tack shop to look at new saddles for Tia. Well, my plans changed a bit.....

First, the trip to the shop didn't happen. We ended up getting a late start and I had to be in Virginia for lessons at 4. Never gonna happen if we went to the shop.

Second, in talking to Mom, and thinking a bit about it, we decided it was better to possibly look at a different pad instead of a saddle first. Its much cheaper that way, and it MAY solve our little problem.

So this past Saturday, we made it to Elams! Yay! We stopped to get horse feed first and while I was there, I got to take a little chick out to see my little Chi!

She was very excited!!!!

We ended up spending a lot of time with Elam, which we do normally, but I was really picking his brain on this one! In looking at the pads, and then showing Elam what her back and withers look like, we both decided that not one single pad is probably going to work, but we could try the Professionals Choice Pro Ride (I believe that's what its called). My Mom has an older version, and with the newer versions being $200.00 a pop, we decided to try my Mom's pad before dropping that much cash on something that may not work! So there was the new plan!

Then I decided that since I had Mom's work saddle at the barn for Mocha, I would try it on Tia just to see if it fit her any better then my trail saddle does....

Looks nice right?!

Left Shoulder - fits nicely, no pinching

Right shoulder - also fits nicely with no pinching
it does, however, flare out on this side, but I think its just the saddle

The back..check out that butt!!!
And yes, she is leaning...more on that in a minute.

So, the end result is that the saddle seems to fit her nicely. Once I put the pad on, it yet again bumped the back end up in the air a bit. I know this is common for some saddles, but with her it seems like every saddle does it. And I know it will not be up like that when I am in the saddle, I just don't want it to be uncomfortable on her shoulders! Sigh. So, I have my Mom coming to the barn to check all three of my saddles for proper fit. 

Now, remember I said she was leaning and we would talk about that in a minute...yeah. I have the farrier coming out tonight to look at her feet. Basically, last night when I brought her up, she seemed gimpy. But, with her stifle issue, it wasn't any more gimpy then normal so we carried on as usual. When I picked her feet out, she was touchy about her front feet, especially the front right. I chalked it up to her friend was throwing a hissy fit about being by herself, oh the humanity, and her being funny about her feet sometimes. Her back feet were no issue. She still has this "injury" to her back right hoof that is still being rehabbed. She has been sound on it for a few months. The only issue we have noticed is that its growing in a little funky and the blood vessels are close to the sole, making trimming a bit hard on that foot. I took her out and lunged her. Dead Lame. FML. 

Took her back into the barn, untacked and basically had a spa day with her. Clipped her woolly bear whiskers so she looks less like a Yak, clipped her bridle path and cut her mane. While we stood there I paid close attention to how she was standing and what she seemed to be most sensitive on. Have you guessed it yet? Yep...Back Right Foot. Damn.

I hurried to finish her mane because she had started to hold that foot up in the air and then only rest it on the toe. Even when I walked her back to her stall, she half hoped so as not to put to much pressure on that foot. She is off a bit on the right front as well, which I think is from compensating for the hind end. 

I gave her bute and left instructions for the BM to give her a gram in the am. I checked all four feet for heat, nothing. My worst fear at this point is that we will have to do reconstruction on that back hoof. My second worst fear is that she is throwing laminitis into the mix with the front end. 

Honestly, I am hoping that maybe she tweaked that back foot a little and needs a bit cut off and that she is just over compensating with the front. I will even take an abscess in the front! Either way, just please don't let this be major. I'm not sure what I will do. 

I am going to take pictures of the hoof tonight. See you all tomorrow with the update!! Wish us luck!