Eager landing heel first in just 2 weeks!

It's now been 2 weeks since I took Eager B to Rockley and she has had her first Rockley blog entry

Http://rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/eagerly-awaited.html
 

And I have just had an email from Nic this morning telling me she is being a good girl and has settled really well..... Also that she is consistently and clearly already landing heel first with every stride. Wow!  In two weeks! I am over the moon :-) 

So she will now be worked on more challenging surfaces.  As she is now landing heel first and using her foot correctly I can only assume the inflammation in the foot will start to go down and the pain should diminish. 

Over the last week or so I have acknowledged in my head that there is no doubt in my mind she will come sound. So I am already looking forward to next year and the work involved to build a solid base of work for Eager to continue with her soundness.  This will be mainly based on hacking and building muscle and fitness. As I recently put in an email to Becky 'like in the olden days'.  

Sitting here on the train I have a big smile on my face.  All is becoming clearer to me what I should do.

Also, it has now made me doubly annoyed with the insurance company for not paying out.  Not just for me, but all of those people who do not have the money to pay for this treatment.  Because, it is a lot of money. I am now formulating in my mind a letter to the head of SEIB and the insurance ombudsman.  It absolutely needs to be done! 

Eager the 'Rockley' dude.

So I started typing this in the car park at Rockley.

The journey took us 6 hours, including about 30 minutes of stoppage time.  Eager travelled like a dream.  Barely leaving a moment without munching on her hay. Which made it very stress free for me and David. This is also aided by the fact I could see her munching on her hay on the camera in Jacqui and Andy's fabulous little lorry.  I really couldn't have done it in the Landy!  The last bit of the journey being the most stressful around the windy roads.  But this literally was the last 30 mins.

 

So I've just been told she settled in amazingly well last night. Bless her cotton socks. She has always been such an easy horse to have and be around, it would appear other horses think so too.  I hope this doesn't change.

I have just walked around the tracks with her and she seems fine, maybe a bit perplexed but not unhappy.

 

Nic's taken all of her photos and has said there is a lot to like about her feet.  Just the media lateral twist that would be the problem. She thinks she'll progress really quickly.  Which is great.

So that's it!  She's here.  I am very excited to see the blogs about her progress.

Huge massive thanks to Jacqui and Andy for lending me their horse box. It made the journey a pleasure for all concerned and obviously saved me some much needed pennies. 

Thank you Marian for being one of the only people in the last few weeks to make me feel better about myself and having the balls to tell me I was doing the right thing (even if it was just to make me feel better)

Also, a big thank you to David for supporting me on the long drive up there and staying at Faulty Towers.  Taking over driving on the way home, when I finally crashed and burned (not literally) and lastly but certainly not least, covering the cost of Rockley because the insurance company wont.

Miss you already Miss Eager B. X

Rockley T+5

Approximately, 11 weeks ago after Eager was showing very intermittent lameness.  She was to my shock at 5 years old and barefoot, diagnosed with Navicular Syndrome.  Told almost there and then the prognosis wasn't brilliant, but maybe able to do light work and possibly a bit of dressage after remedial shoeing.  Not in line with buying an eventer! 

Approx. £3.5k, 2 visits from my vet, 1 visit to Rossdales, 1 X-ray, 1 MRI scan, steroid and huyaloric acid injections, a tildren drip and a few differences of opinion later I am finally 5 days away from my trip to Rockley with Eager (which is where I decided she was going the day I was told the diagnosis) She is still shoeless!

In those few weeks I have remained mainly positive, because my dreams for her are still very much alive (if a little extended). I no longer feel ridiculously unlucky.  Infact, I feel fortunate.  Yes, I had already had two horses diagnosed in their prime to retire.  But, they are still with me and I was fortunate enough to have the money (just) and the space to get Eager.  I am aware and reconciled to the fact she, for the foreseeable future will be my final horse.  But they are all still with me and will spend the rest of their lives with me, in as much comfort as I can offer.  I have not had to make any decisions because I can only afford to keep one on a livery yard or equally have had to give up when Conor retired in 2007. I have had 3 good attempts and learnt so much in that time.  I still carry on learning everyday.  I simply cannot imagine a life without Conor, Zulu, Eager and even Bess. I don't regret a moment.

I have taken advantage of the recent time off and tried to do a combination of house stuff, yard and relaxing :-)  A small glimpse of what normal people do.  I even went to IKEA yesterday and this morning  made and waxed a table! 

Becky sent her dates out for next year, last week and I literally do not know what to do.  I am a little fed up with planning.  I have spent the last few years planning my riding a year in advance... And I'll be honest it hasn't really worked for me.  What I will actually need to do is just get on and ride! Whenever and wherever I can! If I am lucky.......

So, I have had a few blips in the last couple of days because last chance saloon is a week away.  Its easy to function when a dream is still very much attainable.  I very fleetingly allow myself to question what I will do if it doesn't work? But it's so fleeting I don't have an answer.  I'll cross that bridge if and when the route means I have too.  But preferably, I'll jump that river on a cross country course :-)

I remain to live by my motto "you only regret the things you don't do".

Sometimes, I feel its just me

Struggling to fight my corner for Eager to go to Rockley has actually been quite hard and I can totally understand why people do as they are told.  Especially if you are not as confident as I am that I'm doing the right thing.  Even 10 years ago, I may have done what I was told.....  Mmmm well you never know :-)

Equally, I have questioned whether I have just been pig headed.  Am I one of those women that just argues, when in reality I don't have a clue.  I know I like to play devils advocate in a lot of situations.... Sometimes I just can't he help myself.  I just like to see both sides of the coin before I make a decision. Although, I guess if one side of the coin looks particularly attractive you are going to do what you can to make it land up every time. That may even involve sticking blue tack over the less favourable side (I have no idea if this would work, but you get what I mean)

I suppose it may be reasonably easy to trawl the internet to find people that agree with you.  I have tried to be as objective as I can and have even tried to google navicular and prognosis trying to be 'pro shoeing' and I'll be honest while there are good stories.  There are not too many and they appear to be short lived success.  But you try and google navicular on a forum and it not end up with Rockley being the success route.  You'll be very, very hard pushed.

So why, do barefoot people get such a bad name?  and in my opinion, its a few things.. 

Firstly, I think a lot of people do it badly and unsuccessfully.  They don't research, they just take their horses shoes off. Proclaim to be barefoot and carry on as normal....  They don't condition the foot.  When I took Zulus shoes off I hand walked up the road, everyday for a month. By week two he was crippled and I was wondering what the hell I had done.  By week four he was completely sound on the road and walking across stoney fields! Another thing is diet, which I won't go into now but can be crucial.  But thankfully is pretty much what I was feeding anyway. The next is a brilliant trimmer or now I realise lots of hacking (over 10 miles a week) to keep the foot functioning correctly and by all accounts they self trim.

Secondly, people who go barefoot successfully have generally really looked into the whys and wherefore of what they are doing and apply the above diet, trim, lifestyle (of the horse, not the owner!).  We totally understand (or try too) it's how the foot should function and how it hopefully should lead our horses to live a longer sounder life. If you have applied a lot of research into something and it resonates within you, it becomes part of your belief system. This makes people passionate!

Thirdly, from the day we start riding, researching, loving, training to be a vet, farrier, etc,etc we invariabley see a horse with a shoe on.  No one even thinks of a horse without a shoe on.  Its ingrained in us.  Hearing a horse clip clop up the road still inspires the urge in me to run to the window and have a look. Having read a post of Nics recently there is even a photo in a veterinary book of a hoof cut in half so you can see inside.  It still has the shoe attached!  They aren't born with them on! She mentions barefoot is not even covered in the prospectus of a vet?  It's just what happens.  You're on a yard people you do what everyone else does.  You put shoes on every 5/6 weeks.  How many people, question why you would put a rigid metal on a living flexible thing?

Anyway, I can't even remember why I started writing this post now.....  I'm sure I've digressed.

But, what I must mention is that clearly there are many horses that last for years with shoes on, with no ill effects.  If it isn't broke, why fix it?  Maybe these are the horses with perfect conformation?

I also know one person who in her heart is totally barefoot, but for medical reasons (laminitis) her horse has shoes on and this is how she has incredibly successfully managed a near impossible situation for years.  I also know she gets very upset about our passion and feels she is being ostracized .  This is so not the case, your amazing and you've done an amazing job. 

I for the record do not consider myself pro-barefoot.  I am pro your horse moving as soundly and as ethically as possible.  For some this may mean shoes, for others it doesn't.  I'm pro people doing the best they possibly can with the information they have available.

I think for this reason, vets are not going to easily (aha I've remembered my point of this post) recommend barefoot therapy for caudal heel/foot/navicular/DDFT (the list could become long) problems.  Because, quite simply a majority of horse owners will not be prepared/have the education or have inclination to change THEIR lifestyle in exchange for their horses for the rest of its life. 

But, what they haven't taken into account is that some people do and will.  They don't know the circle of amazing people I have the pleasure of knowing and sharing my horse journey with. :-)  I am truly blessed.

 

MRI Scanaroo

So.... the MRI was last Friday!

Since then I have spoken to Rossdales twice.

Eager was her usual chilled amazing self.  Travelling well and seemed pretty unfazed by arriving at Rossdales Equine hospital.  Maybe helped by me being unfazed as well, being about my 6th visit there over the years. Well, I say unfazed.... Until they led us both to stable no.1 which was Zulu's stable for our last visit there for his final prognosis. The emotion and the feelings of how I felt last time I stood in the stable sobbing into his neck, hit me like a train. Thankfully, I am not in the slightest bit superstitious. So I got over it.

We then met Matthew who was the assistant of the person I was supposed to see Sarah Powell. Who was apparently at a conference in Canada.  After my initial, bugger that's not good.  I decided that I was only here for diagnostics so it didn't really matter.

Matthew then asked me to talk him through what had happened (as the vets hadn't yet sent anything) so I did.....  I told him about Rockley etc.  To which there was only a reaction of that Sarah was aware of Rockley and the work they were doing. I could feel I wasn't having too much effect on him with what I was saying until I said that from what I could gather shoeing etc was only putting a sticking plaster over the wound and wasn't really solving the problem.  I didn't care if she wasn't sound in the next few months, what I wanted was long term soundness that would last us years.  If this meant I couldn't ride or do what I wanted this was fine, if it meant I would be doing what I wanted in 5 years time.  Finally I got a reaction and i think he then realised the sort of person I was. He then commented that I was then very different to most of he people who went to Rossdales.  Thinking about this now, what a sad state of affairs.  Horses another example of I throw away society.

So off I went with Marian to Cambridge for the day whilst Eager B had both of her feet scanned.  

At 4pm I picked her up and took her home.  Unfortunately, Matthew had to deal with an emergency and would call me later.

So he phoned about 6.30 and I then phoned back again on the Monday to clarify a few things.  It basically equates to this.

Firstly, the damage on her navicular didn't look nearly a bad as it had on her x-ray.  Which is good news. There are no holes in the DDFT or damage to the collateral ligaments.  

There isn't really a main problem.  But the is a lot of inflammation around the coffin joint and the elongated navicular bone is putting pressure on the impar ligament and the sesmodian collateral ligament. 

It is a confirmation thing.  Her feet just aren't perfect enough.  I haven't done anything wrong.  It's not due to bad trimming, unshod feet, bad management, over work, under work or bad management. It would have always happened. 

He said Sarah agreed with sending her to Rockley as a good therapy. Also, look into IRAP therapy which would be injected through the DDFT and navicular bursa into the coffin joint. This would work as a more natural anti inflammatory than steroids.  Anyway, I did some research on this over the weekend and whilst I don't disagree with it I wasn't too keen on keep injecting into such a risky place.  The whole thing became irrelevant on the Monday though as he said I needed to do one or the other, not both.  Either send her to Rockley or do the IRAP and put her in shoes in a stable for 3 months.  Lol he said he already knew my answer to that.  Unfortunately, he did backtrack on saying they would recommend Rockley as a treatment for me (to help with insurance) apparently they can't be seen to favour a specific alternative therapy in case it got out on a forum etc.... Well here it is on a blog. 

So, there it is.  Not as bad as we thought was the overall prognosis and Matthew couldnt see after treatment that she shouldn't go back to normal athletic work. :-)

Also, I must say a huge massive thank you to Marian for offering and coming to support me.  Totally unexpected and meant a huge, huge amount to me.  It's not very often I get an offer of help emotionally.  The down side of being capable and strong is that everyone ACTUALLY thinks you are...... 

How to sell the dream?

Eager is booked in to have her MRI scan this Friday.  I was quite chilled about this until I actually read the letter and it advised that remedial farriery would be done on site before the horse goes horse (if required).....  here we go again.....

I will again have to explain why I want my horse to be barefoot, why I think its best and why I want her to remain barefoot and go to Rockley.  All in a lovely way that doesn't sound like I'm telling them what to do! and I anticipate there will be much shaking of head and disagreement with my reasons.

Its so tricky as these vets clearly know what they are doing and I cant imagine they take too kindly, after I have taken my horse there for diagnosis that I then tell them what I am going to do about it.  Because, obviously as banking management I know far more than them.  Which couldn't be further from the truth!

I may be lucky and they may surprise me...

But, I remember when I told the vet last year that I was taking Zulu's shoes off to help his with the proprioception of where is back feet were.  The vet disagreed with me and said it wouldn't help at all.  How could it not help????  I still totally disagree with her! and she was lovely....

I did ask for the same vet and they said they would of complied if it wasn't for the fact she was still on maternity leave :-) and :-( for me.

So, I need to be at my most diplomatic.  Which means I will need to have eaten before I get there (first and foremost).  I need to ask them to try not to openly disagree with me on the analysis unless of course it is something totally different.  Otherwise, I assume the insurance company are going to totally get the 'ump with me for going against advise.

There is a tiny part of me that thinks 'sod it' maybe I should just go with what they are saying.  Maybe she will come slightly sounder (for a while) with shoes?  maybe I will get Loss Of Use and then I'll send her to Rockley with the money?  But, I just cant!  I am now so convinced this is the best long term solution and I'm afraid that I cant help but think the sooner we get this sorted, the more chance we have of long term soundness? or am I just being pig headed?

The rehab reunion

On Saturday.  After Nic inviting me, I drove for 3 hours to the Boomerang Equestrian facility to gate crash the Rockley Rehab Reunion RRR.  It had been a camp Thur-Sun for any previous Rockley clients.  It was an open day on the Saturday for people to go along and ask questions, etc, etc.

I was taking this opportunity to find inspiring stories!  I didn't get to talk to as many people as would have liked.  But, the two people who I did talk to are both now eventing and were great.  Again all were shocked when I said Eager was already barefoot.  It made me quite hopeful that her rehab may go a bit quicker due to the fact her feet are already conditioned to go barefoot unlike probably 95% of other people that go.

I did ask if it hadn't worked for people and the answer is yes.  But mainly if they have something else wrong too and if they do not follow Nic's instructions.  Again, I guess most people are having to change so many things diet, management and riding. Whereas, having had all of my horses barefoot now for sometime.  I may have already addressed some of these factors.  But, LOL we will see.

My main concern is the amount of on going roadwork/hacking I am going to have to do afterwards.  Pretty much everyone has reiterated the more work the better and all seem to do at least 10 miles a week.  Whilst I am sure this is achievable.  It will be tough for me.  Especially, as at the moment as she wont really hack alone.  She is going to have to woman up a bit!  Also in the winter it is all going to need to be done at the weekend.  This is two lengthy hacks each day of about 8km.  This is a good 3-4 hours riding!

But the main thing is, it has worked for other horses and they are all out doing the stuff I want to do!