Long time, no post!
The Adventures of Huckleberry Friend keep getting more and more interesting. Finn's little attitude problem just kept getting worse. He would completely refuse to move forward at the trot in the arena without pinning his ears, kicking out, and sometimes throwing in a mini-rear from time to time. I don't do rearing horses. Period. Finn was completely fine hacking in the field and out on the trails so I figured it was time for Dr. B to come take a looksie.
Sure enough, Dr. B found a whole slew of things making Finn uncomfortable: beginning stages of osteoarthiritis in his right rear fetlock, some right SI joint pain, some left fore heel pain, and weak stifles. SHEESH! She recommended giving him 30 days turn-out, put him on Previcox, and suggested shoeing him with a 2 degree wedge pad.
I followed through with all of the above plus had the chiro pay a visit, and now Finn man is back to light work under saddle. JK is riding him a couple of times a week and I am riding him the remainder of the time, and I am happy to report that Finn seems to be feeling better. The nasty attitude has definitely improved, but he's still having some problems with his stifles locking up. The locking up happened occasionally coming out of his stall in the morning, but now he is locking up consistently under saddle. JK suggested we do quite a bit of walking and some trot work up and down hills to get him into shape and hopefully strengthen those weak areas. JK also seems to think his case is a bit more severe and suggested talking with Dr. B about having his stifles blistered. I've made an appointment to discuss treatment options with Dr. B, so hopefully I can get Finn man feeling much better here very soon.
