Surprising Diagnosis, Please Help

 Last Friday we had the vet come and check out Ember, who conked his head, and DaVinci for all his issues. The vet pretty much thought DaVinci's neurologic symptoms and facial paralysis was caused by melanomas on the brain stem and further down his neck. But to cover the bases he took bloodwork.

Today he called to say DaVinci has EPM. On one hand we are glad it is treatable, on the other we are in a position that the money is tough. The gold standard treatment is $1600 for four tubes. The next step down is $925 for an oral med for 30 days. 

After my dad's heart attack, Griffyn's attack and all my health issues this is hard. So if anyone is willing to donate to DaVinci's treatment, we would be extremely grateful. We really want to give him a chance to recover which is why I am even asking.

With help we can get Magna Wave to help with any inflammation caused by fighting off the bugs, which may need additional meds too.

 Please send via Paypal friends and family NVasil

Where There is a Will

 DaVinci has been maintaining so far. We will have to watch him once the heat sets in. I did manage to pull his shoes a few weeks ago. But I have not been able to trim him. 

He is the type to grow a ton of toe. He has not worn off much since I pulled his shoes. With his balance issues, long toes are a problem. 

So I kept looking at the area to see where he could stand while I trim. Could he stand on the edge of a raised mat and give me enough room? 

After work on Monday, rain prevented riding. I was determined to try to trim him while he stood.  How?

Step 1 Sit/Lay on the ground

Step 2 Dig the pea gravel out from around his hoof

Step 3 Begin hack job, put nippers under the toe and cut what you can.

Step 4 File the rough edges and avoid getting hit by his knee

This worked better than I ever expected and he only kneed me once. The Cob boys were racing around doing airs above ground almost the whole time and DaVinci stood still.

He is definitely walking better. 

Where there is a will, there is a way. Such a relief especially since we found out our retired farrier has not fully recovered from Covid. Treasure every day and make them as good as possible. That is where we are at.

Wave Bottoms

 In life we have highs and lows like waves. Recently there have been a bunch of wave bottoms, so I decided to get them all out in one post. Most have following highs.

Well I mentioned after camp the repercussions were ongoing. When I rode Roscoe there was a bit more resistance than normal. Now if you have been following us for a while you know that he can object quite loudly when learning new things. As the objections increased, so did my doubts. Was I too in his face? Was I pushing too hard?   

So I looked forward to my next lesson and a trainer ride. The lesson was seriously rough with tons of attitude. My trainer forgot she was going to ride, so the fun was all for me. Roscoe was throwing his head around, bucking and generally not happy. The trainer thought he needed draw reins. Those scare me, since I have seen them abused in the past. Hopefully I can use them correctly with her help. Even with all the steps backward, she still thinks we can show 1-3 and 2-1 by summer, eek!

As we drove home Mom and I thought he was also in pain. She scheduled him and DaVinci was a chiropractic adjustment the following week.  

The next hit came when the saddle fitter checked my saddle. A big fat NO. The tree size will work, but the gullet narrows too much at the back. This probably caused some hard nodules to develop on both sides of his spine. Roscoe is a tough fit, short backed and wide. We went through all our Isabels and found one she was able to fit to him by way of a Mattes pad with shim pockets she filled with wool. So my Bates is for sale and I have to start saddle shopping.

 

Wondering why someone was kicking the stall

Then a week after the lesson, a collection was requested for one of the mares that did not take last year. We had made and canceled so many appointments by this point we were wondering if the mare would ever be ready. Roscoe seemed ready to go and did all the expected actions…but nothing came. The vet tried different things with the phantom and mare placement, but nothing. Eventually we had to call it a no go so he would not get sore. That was an awful call to the mare owner. Luckily she had some frozen she could use for the mare. Unfortunately that cost me $70 and we did have to do a trial run before his next collection which cost me $135. Fortunately Roscoe did provide the goods. I worried since the handler was a small female and he was way quieter than he normally is in the breeding shed. I think he had to realize he was allowed to be a stallion with her. The collection was pretty dang smooth. Never thought hearing the word "ejaculating" would be such a relief. Of course a few days later heading to a requested collection, the same mare owner called to say cancel. The mare had ovulated. Ah well now we are even.

 

After the lesson and collection drama, we were happy to have our chiropractor come the next day. She worked Roscoe over and did find an issue with his right hind. As she had him lift and flex his back he did not want to load the right hind. Fortunately after her magic, Roscoe was so much better. That afternoon he was doing stallion stuff and we told him he was a day late. His under saddle work was night/day difference. I had my pony back. Such a relief. He got Magna Wave the next Tuesday to help lock in the chiro adjustment. He is getting more frequent Magna Wave mini sessions just in case prior to collection or lessons. 

Happier Boy

 

The relief of Roscoe was numbed as we brought out DaVinci. For about four months now we have noticed an instability in his gait. He cannot really stand well for me to do his shoes. He even has to walk a bit as he pees. Mom saw him fall down after missing the railroad tie. He is not well, but nothing we could point at say “there, fix that.” Our dread was confirmed by the chiro vet. Most likely he has something neurologic going on in his neck. She said a vet would not hesitate to put him down that day. We are heartbroken, but will continue palliative care. Hopefully we can see the right time before a crisis point is reached. DaVinci has been better since the adjustment and acupuncture. Way more mellow than he has been in a while. He actually could stand still and pee. He got Magna Wave this week and we could tell he enjoyed it because he stood still.

Must be careful he doesn't fall

Somewhat improved posture 

 When I typed this post, I did not realize the biggest low was to come. My Dad had a heart attack. If he had done the typical male thing and waited to call 911, we would have lost him. Fortunately he did call, the rescue station is a mile from our house, the hospital about 15m, so when he coded hospital staff was there to provide resuscitation. Two visits to the cath lab, three stents and lots of stress later, he was on the mend. Three days in the hospital,  two days home and then an emergency room visit which showed additional issues, had us on edge. Now two weeks later, he is much improved. He and Griffyn have Magna Wave appointments together. They commiserate about their pain. 

You never know what life will bring. The wave bottoms make us appreciate the highs even more. A happy post will be next, 2021 Foal Pool.

• 
  

Updates

Thank you all for keeping DaVinci and us in your thoughts. We needed them. As we expected DaVinci did colic Thursday night, but since the vets took my mom seriously they were on top of it. Friday we waited anxiously to hear whether or not he would need surgery. His fracture was not repairable, so it would depend on the fragments and his eye.
Added to the wait we had the worry of having the ability to pick him up. Larry had a trip to TN scheduled, but their Acura ended up having a bad break. So Peggy said he needed the truck, which we need to pull the gooseneck. Well we ended up sending our truck with Larry but we had to clean it before because it somehow got moldy.
When we finally got the call to come get DaVinci, traffic was a mess. Dad and I were originally going to go to empty the trailer, but we could not make it. We went to the vets and found out the trailer was traveling like crap. Not great considering it was 1.5hrs away from the barn.
DaVinci was ready to leave and the vet was okay letting him go for his health. The walk from his stall to the trailer was reminiscent of his walk when he arrived to us 12yrs ago: I was the one being walked. Bless him, he walked right on.

hospital tag

Getting belly scratches

Peggy and I started bringing him home. It was hellish. The truck shook so bad. If anyone remembers the Indiana trip where we had a trailer tire blow, this was worse. We made it to within 10 miles of the barn before Peggy felt something give. We both jumped to look at the trailer and found nothing. We turned around and saw the truck tire was flat. We did not think that would be an issue since my Dad was following.

Nope our bad luck continued. It took over an hour to get the spare out of the under carriage. Then it was difficult to get the jack placed and up. Finally we could get the lugs off. And the tire decided it was not coming off. The trailer jack saved the day by lifting the tire enough to let it release. By this time the darkness was coming. I worried about DaVinci who was quiet on the trailer, but had not pooped. My farrier kept messaging me and asking if we were moving yet. He was all set to come and help if he could. Finally by 830 we were on our way.

We pulled up to the barn and was greeted by Comrade on the front lawn. Oh shit! I jumped out to see if his merry men were out too. Some good luck, they were still in the field. Comrade had pulled the eye screw out of the board and walked through the people gate. He knew he was wrong because he booked it back into the barn and to his gate. Peggy set to securing a new eye screw and I went to get DaVinci.

He trotted around the little turn out, taking small nibbles of hay. His face was a bit puffy and sore. That day and all weekend he wanted nothing to do with wet food. I think they tried to hide meds in it at the vets. We had to put him with Dottie because he would not settle alone. I was kinda freaked on Saturday because his swelling felt crinkly. He looked little a wrinkled old man. The vet said he has air under his skin due to the fracture involving the sinus.

We all have made it to his follow up today and he is looking better. Our vet was pleased with his progress. His face is looking more normal too. He has to finish the antibiotics and then we watch.

As for the trailer, it is totaled. I cried when I saw it. Now I am beginning the fight for its value.

Grey Horse Curse

This winter I noticed some changes in DaVinci. He is a grey who unfortunately has the curse of melanomas. He has them in his mouth, sheath, tail and anus. Those are the same spots that Barry had them in too. Another grey I knew had one massive one by his ear. I love grey horses, but the melanomas are a sad part of owning them. Winston was the only one to not have them, but he did get seasonal carcinomas.

DaVinci wearing fence paint

So my heart dropped a bit when I saw melanomas developing on his eye lids. His right eye has a pea sized one that causes a gap between his eye and lid. Already he has rubbed it the wrong way and had blood come streaming out and he has gotten dirt down inside to irritate his eye. We keep a fly mask on him 24/7 to help keep irritants away.


Not long ago he managed to roll in the mud and get dirt in the gap. Then he rubbed the hell out of his eye causing an abscess. I flushed it with saline and put some antibiotic ointment in the night he did it. The next day the vet came to confirm. He had a fair size abscess on his eye. We all worried the melanoma caused it, but hoped it was just the dirt. The vet made a serum from his own blood right at the barn. 3x a day he needed antibiotic ointment and the serum.

We had to make sure his eye stayed dilated. She wanted him on stall rest during the sunny times, but that only lasted a day. DaVinci is not one to be kept in a stall. After he did not drink or eat much the first full day in, we double fly masked him and let him out. Better he had a sore eye than colic.

Looking good now!

The problem gap

The vet rechecked him a week later and was happy with his recovery. We can breathe easy for now. Later he may still lose the eye. That will be a scary time. DaVinci did not handle going to the hospital well the last time. Finger's crossed everyone that it will be awhile before he needs that surgery.












Keep posting your foal guesses! So far this year Ember has a new nephew and a new half brother, who is bay. I asked Ember why is he not bay! Ah well maybe someday we will get a bay.

A grey boy cross stitch to go with my post

Chopped Hay, Chaffhaye And A Third Meal

We have had a slight breather recently, but we have two shows coming up. The last VA Welsh show is Saturday and the dressage show is the 17th. I am taking the leap to Training, fingers crossed, and I convinced my Mom to ride Rosemary in the show.

During the break we were able to take a look at our older horses. Dottie has been battling diarrhea for awhile now. Nothing has completely cleared her up, but she is doing better. The vet said that older horses have trouble absorbing fluid. We added diatomaceous earth, pysllium and pro bi to her meals to support her system.

For awhile now, we have chopped soft hay for the older horses. We use a leaf vac/cutter to chop the hay to a length easier for them to manage. During the worst of Dottie's diarrhea we soaked the hay to reduce the scratch factor.

The vet also recommended feeding her chaffhaye. This is also called "pasture in a bag."

Chaffhaye is premium, non-GMO, bagged alfalfa that mimics the characteristics and nutritional benefits of fresh pasture.  It is carefully cut and harvested to retain its natural plant juices, preserving the natural probiotics of the feed.  It is lightly sprayed with molasses to initiate natures fermentation process and compressed into air tight bags within hours of being harvested.  This process locks out dust, rain, mold, rodents and other undesirable elements to maximize nutrients, palatability and 
digestibility.

It is very strong smelling, but Dottie and DaVinci love it. We worried when we found white spots in the bags, some bigger than a hand. So we carefully picked out those spots. We feared it was mold. But the vet relieved that fear when she came back out for Ember by telling us it is yeast. The horses can safely eat it. It seriously still turns my stomach to feed though.

And finally Peggy gives Dottie a third meal in the afternoon. DaVinci protests that he is the oldest and should get the same privilege, so he gets some chaffhaye. After about a month of wet chopped hay, chaffhaye and third meals, Dottie is looking the best she has looked this year. She even walks away from the chaffhaye. I guess she is full. She has even been more active in the field. So great to see :)

DaVinci has been looking good without having fluid on his belly, but he has been flaring. Mom scheduled his next chiropractic appointment for next week to help him prepare for winter.

Senior management is tough sometimes because you don't always realize how far they have slipped and getting them back is a long haul. Luckily we caught Dottie before winter. The way she looked, I don't think she would have made the season.

Now we just need to get her past this abcess she has developed... and DaVinci past his swollen eye. Gotta love the vintage ponies. They keep you on your toes as much as the young ones.

Green and Vintage

Picture taking boring, Stained glass interesting

After riding Connor and having my revelations about my right shoulder, I rode Roscoe to work on that point. The first ride was more of an energy burning, "I will outlast you," "you will listen" and "we will finish on a good note if it kills me" five year old, green pony kind of ride. Thank you first cooler day of the summer. I made him canter since he had so much energy. For once I did not have to work really hard to get the transition. He did include a few bucking comments, but I just pushed him on. Lot's of lateral moving of the feet later... I finally had a thinking, working pony. But it was not a ride to work on me at all. So the next day I rode him again.
This time he went right to work. He seemed to sense that the ride was not about him directly and gave me his lazy trot. I let him within reason. Meanwhile, I used the whip to place across my thumbs after making sure my reins were even. This gave me a more visual cue if my shoulder drifted. As Roscoe and I awkwardly continued on I could begin to see a difference in him. He also slowed down because oh yeah he was working correctly, ie, harder. By restricting myself, I placed boundaries for him to work within. And by focusing on me, I left him to figure out himself how to handle those boundaries. Roscoe amazes me sometimes with his problem solving and situational awareness. The answers he found were the right ones. He relaxed his neck, reached into the contact and began to travel a straighter path. I purposely kept my reins slightly longer, but he found the contact.
I really need to get out of his way more often and maybe he will fix himself :)
By the end of that ride, I could drop the inside rein and ride with just the outside. Roscoe was starting to figure out how to carry himself and not counter bend. He is still far away from perfect carriage, but the blocks for a solid base are developing.

Someone is getting more solid too

"Let's Go"

Not many days after that ride, I had thought to ride Roscoe again but my oldest decided to act cranky. Last time DaVinci acted that way, Peggy rode him and we had a few days of happier pony. So I tacked him up and actually worked him in the arena. DaVinci would prefer to walk the trails, but he is still fun to play with in the arena. If you ask him for shoulder in, half pass, walk pirouettes and haunches in, you can gain his attention. His trot is super bouncy now that his back has dropped, convincing me to try a walk to canter transition. So I set him up with a shoulder in and then asked for the depart. At 28 years old, with no work in months, vintage DaVinci stepped smoothly into a wonderful canter. I love that I can play when I ride DaVinci. His right lead is his tougher side, but he still managed an above average depart. He had a happy swish to his tail as we left the arena after working about 20 minutes.

Stand about as well as Roscoe

While I won't work Dottie and DaVinci in the heat and crazy humidity, they do get worked to maintain some old pony muscle. I want them to be able to get up for a while longer. Plus they both still have so much to offer. When I need a break from riding my green boy, the vintage boy is always refreshing. As long as they are happy and able to work, they will be on the roster.
I always find it a sad fact of the horse world that vintage horses are under appreciated. I know everyone is not as lucky as we are to be able keep them, but I still feel bad for the horses. Having a mix of young and old keeps the herd active and the dynamics are fun to watch. I can't wait to see how Ember integrates.

Even vintage ponies prefer to eat grass

Good News!!!

Life has been a series of hot, humid days with a lack of riding. I'm still deciding what classes to do at the show next weekend if it is not raining :(, but the horses shined during a family visit. Rosemary, Dottie and DaVinci pulled pony ride duty, plus Rosemary gave carriage rides. My niece was much braver and decided to ride by herself on Rosemary. Dad walked her around the trails and the arena. We tried a little trot, but she was nearly bounced off. Rosemary gave me a look like "I told you she was not ready" since pony girl hesitated to trot. Meanwhile my nephew rode Dottie. Mom lead him out on trail, but we cut him loose in the arena. Dottie is a super babysitter and will just follow someone on the ground or Rosemary. We did give him tips on how to steer her and get her to walk on. Surprisingly, he picked it up and got her moving where he wanted. It was so cute to see his little feet kicking at Dottie. If you ride with clear intent, Dottie will listen and answer. He had a blast riding the big girl.

DaVinci says "I'm retired, you know that right?"

When he got on DaVinci, he said he walked too fast and he wanted Dottie back. I think part of it was he could not be cut loose with DaVinci. Rosemary was a star dealing with my fur nephew running in front of her and my niece flapping her "reins." We are so lucky to have such adaptable horses. Here is a video of them riding the girls.

 After, my nephew was thrilled to become a member of Manure Pickers of America by helping with the evening clean up.

"He is my favorite"

My niece was more interested in when she could get a horse. The question of little girl's throughout time. She laid claim to both Rosemary and DaVinci.

I have also started working on Alanna's Foal Pool prize. I should say I have started again. The colors were not right when I worked on it during the trip to Indiana, so my sister reworked the pattern. Now I am making progress. It will be the biggest one so far and uses the most colors too.

And finally I received good news over the weekend about Roscoe. Remember the collection at the end of last month? Well it seems the breeding took and there is a possible 2017 foal coming! Roscoe kept to his pattern of first cycle successful breeding and now his first by AI. I think it was meant to be considering how smoothly everything went that collection day.