Sleeping Beauty
I have been busy all day and just got back at 9.30pm, when I had to refill Campo's water bucket because the automatic waterer is frozen up - in MARCH!!!!
But the nicest picture met me as I turned on the light. He was curled up in bed fast asleep. In addition to him being completely relaxed and happy, he had at least half the haylage in his rack left to last him the rest of the night. I am so happy with how he has settled in, it's been incredibly successful so far. I was worried about him being on his own, but he attacked Buttie when I let him have him for company, and he was very argumentative with Jazz and Radar over the gate, wanting to be top dog. Which is funny, because around people he is not dominant at all, quite the reverse. In the end, he has not only seemed happy on his own, but it seems to have relaxed him not to have to think about where his place in the heirarchy should be. He knows he's not alone, he can often see the others and talk to them twice a day, but he doesn't have to defend his space or compete for food and I think both those things are working in his favour at the moment.
He has lost the hardness of his crest and though I still can't feel his ribs he is slowly losing a bit of weight, which is what we want, not some mad crash diet. The best thing is that he is eating almost everything he wants AND losing weight, and that's just fantastic! I am more and more impressed with the low-calorie high-fibre haylage that I bought from my neighbours this season.
This morning he was very confident on his feet coming out of the stable. Neither stiff from the tendons or feeling the uneven surface underfoot. He's already lost the hind leg stiffness that was making him rock right back on his heels when he turned corners. The toes in front are already looking shorter so I suspect the callouses are reducing in height. And he is going to have the most extreme change of foot angle on the front feet that I have ever seen. It will be a fantastic photo once it has grown down a little way.
He's ready to work and I'm hoping to get time to do that tomorrow. I have a choice between hills on the straight, or 20m bends on the flat. I think the flat might be the better option, though the bends won't be good for him yet, because hills might cause him to land toe first and that's the last thing we want for the healing tendons inside his feet.
I am so glad that I took him on. He's such a sweetie and so worthwhile.
C
posted by cptrayes @ 10:13 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Every day the news gets better and better. Interesting that Campo seems to prefer being alone like that. Perhaps you are right and the stress of being responsible for/in a herd was causing him anxiety. Now he can just relax and think about himself.
Interesting about the new research/information about navicular. I honestly had not read much about the syndrome in years. I knew the tendon was affected but back when Russell had it, it was treated as an arthritic bone condition.
Campo seems to be responding really well to your treatment.
Glad he's doing so well. Resisted the temptation to look all weekend!
Think you are right re him wanting company, but at a distance. He likes his own space, and own food. Am afraid his mum was like that and made them all in her ilk. Bar the last one that is, but then Mum was PTS when she was only 6 months old so her influence was not so great on that one.
Looking forwards to seeing foot pics and hearing of some riding. He will love that! He does like to have a 'job'. :0)
Better still :) What a lucky boy to have landed with you! Look forward to the hoof photos.
It took them until MRI scans were routine to realise that "navicular" is actually change to teh navicular bone AFTER damage to the Deep Digital Flexor Tendon (DDFT ) Jean. Up until then, all the treatment had really been wrong but they didn't know it. No-one was dissecting dead navicular horses to find out. A guy called Rooney did, and found it, and then someone else did a much more publicised MRI study.
NIkki I was beginning to worry that I'd upset you! He's a lovely boy and I am so thrilled with his progress and my own understanding of his problems.
Photos tomorrow Danni, of me on him too if I can persuade SH. (Who is worringly fond of him already!!)
C
Post a Comment
<< Home