I decided to go ahead and pull Hoss out today and see if he was any better. If it's just a bruise, by now he should be improved. He's been in the 24x24 since Saturday night. I haven't even taken him out for walks. He's been looking like he's feeling a little cooped up, and hasn't been favoring his right front, so it was worth the test.
My husband trotted Hoss out for me. With the unevenness of our dirt driveway, it was tough to be entirely sure, but Hoss looked fine. I lunged him in some small circles in both directions and he showed no sign of lameness. So I decided to take him on a short ride on the roads.
I changed in to my brand new pair of jeans-type riding tights I had purchased from Evelyn Allen of Just for Horsin-Round They are very comfy and feel quite sturdy, although riding on my home roads isn't exactly a test. I imagine I will be investing in another pair or two of these.
Hoss was truly happy to get out. Around home it's pretty normal for him to be a little out of hand. He's gotten accustomed to just going fast and getting home. I wanted this to be a mostly walking ride since we're coming back from lameness. We went out in a different direction than we usually would so we wouldn't be cantering up the hill.
When we headed off the property, the goats started calling, a lot like they do when I'm taking Hoss in the trailer. They finally came running down through the pasture and came along with us. It was a warm afternoon, and it wasn't long before they were both panting. If I have to ride around home a bunch, those two are going to end up very fit!
I didn't have a huge amount of trouble keeping Hoss from running away with me. I want him to learn to behave around home. Still, it was a little worrying that he was so willing to behave.
I moved Hoss in to a trot on the hill, and he was nice and smooth. I slowed him back down, not wanting to push him so soon after being so lame. Besides, the goats would never be able to keep up. When we were trotting, the goats started hollering in great distress. Of course, when they got ahead of us, Hoss kept nearly walking over them. He's so used to having them close around him he wasn't paying enough attention to them.
We went past the llamas, which all ran over to the fence to check us out. I don't let Hoss get close to them. Most horses carry some form of Equine Herpes Virus, and llamas are extremely susceptible to it. They'll die. I therefore try to be respectful of my neighbors and don't let my horse touch them, no matter how much the horse and llamas would like to touch each other.
After passing the llamas, we started down the hill, and it quickly became clear that Hoss is still lame. When this whole thing started, he was having the most trouble on downhills, so I'm not surprised it started again on this downhill. We made it to the bottom of the hill and we turned around.
Once we'd walked down the last of the hills toward home, I pushed Hoss into a trot on the flat part of the road, and he's clearly head bobbing lame. I slowed him back down and we walked back home.
Once home, I untacked and got my tools out of the truck. I wanted to get a good check on his foot. I pulled the right front shoe and ran the hoof testers over the foot. Nothing. Of course, hoof testers are a bit crude. Even if you do get a reaction, you can't be sure which side of the pincer the horse reacted to. They're not the most reliable diagnostic tool. They'll tell you where a horse is responding, but give you little idea why or the exact point of the issue. I nailed the shoe back on, and spent some time palpating his legs. I found absolutely nothing to tell me why he's having so much difficulty.
This being the case, I've decided we'll be loading up and going to see the vet. I'm going to use the opportunity to have Mary the Mama Goat's cancer frozen. Lately her melanoma has been ulcerating badly and her butt and back legs are spotted with blood. Her tail has gotten so caked the hair hangs down. I can't imagine she's particularly comfortable.
I expect Hoss's problem will either turn out to be a really nasty bruise that will take a long time to heal, or a ligament issue. I'm hoping we don't end up with a six month rehabilitation, but I'm prepared to deal with it. I mentioned after the ride that, sometimes it's better to just go ahead and lame the horse. When lameness is amorphous or inconsistent, it's a great deal harder to determine what's going on. So, I'm not too concerned about having lamed Hoss up. I'm sure he'll be just fine with appropriate treatment.
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