Ground Work, Conditioning and The Vet
Doug and I went to the barn this morning. The vet was coming to float Rogo's teeth (Savanah and Dan will be done when we get them home in April), and check the lump.
We got there early and set up a lowish jump on one side of the arena and three ground poles on the other side, then brought in Savanah and Rogo together and free lunged them. They are getting good at this. Rogo knows the routine and tries to herd Savanah around the circuit. Savanah knows it too, but she thinks it's fun to try to duck out every few turns around. Her trot over the poles is amazing! Big bold steps with lots of suspension and very proud and strong. Rogo is more about floating forward - also pretty but perhaps not as showy as she is to be honest :) It was hard to get any good shots because it was quite dark in there today, but here's a shot of Rogo.
After that we put them back in their stalls and brought Dan in. He was a character, but soon settled down and enjoyed the jump and poles, licking his lips and going through things beautifully.
Then Rogo got his teeeth done:
He had a couple of rough spots and had recently bitten his cheek, so that may be why I had the incident of head throwing a couple of days ago. The vet said he has wolf teeth, but they are very firmly seated (?) so he recommended we just keep an eye on them and take them out if they start to cause problems. We'll get them checked again when the horses are home in April and the vet comes to do Savanah and Dan.
I don't know what to say about the lump so I'll say nothing for now. It's a wait and see situation. A biopsy has the potential to make things worse so that's out. If anyone has any advice on strengthening horse immune systems I'd love to have the advice / information.
We got there early and set up a lowish jump on one side of the arena and three ground poles on the other side, then brought in Savanah and Rogo together and free lunged them. They are getting good at this. Rogo knows the routine and tries to herd Savanah around the circuit. Savanah knows it too, but she thinks it's fun to try to duck out every few turns around. Her trot over the poles is amazing! Big bold steps with lots of suspension and very proud and strong. Rogo is more about floating forward - also pretty but perhaps not as showy as she is to be honest :) It was hard to get any good shots because it was quite dark in there today, but here's a shot of Rogo.
After that we put them back in their stalls and brought Dan in. He was a character, but soon settled down and enjoyed the jump and poles, licking his lips and going through things beautifully.
Then Rogo got his teeeth done:
He had a couple of rough spots and had recently bitten his cheek, so that may be why I had the incident of head throwing a couple of days ago. The vet said he has wolf teeth, but they are very firmly seated (?) so he recommended we just keep an eye on them and take them out if they start to cause problems. We'll get them checked again when the horses are home in April and the vet comes to do Savanah and Dan.
I don't know what to say about the lump so I'll say nothing for now. It's a wait and see situation. A biopsy has the potential to make things worse so that's out. If anyone has any advice on strengthening horse immune systems I'd love to have the advice / information.
Comments
Sure would like to jump your horses! It appears that the green ones are my specialty for some reason! OH FOR a dead broke WB jumper... :)
~Mindy
I hope there's nothing to worry about. For what it's worth, regarding the immune system, I use a product called Seabuck with Val. It's high in essental fatty acids, antioxidants and comes from a plant known for centuries to promote health in horses (and humans). All natural + smells delish - he loves it.
While I can't find any scientific "proof" on their website, I have seen Val become calmer, his digestion is sterling and his coat, main and tail have gotten very shiny - not always easy to see on greys :)
And just a personal note... I think many horse owners have a few things we watch on our horses, hoping that it won't develop/become a problem/ hurt our horse. For me, because Buckshot is an Appaloosa, it is blindness, as well as his legs for arthritis. It stays in the back of my mind, but I have learned some about it so I know a bit more and am not helpless to help him. But in the rest of my mind, I go forward with the day to day wonders of having him in my life, and with the riding and groundwork things we are working on. Just hope it helps you to know that you are not alone with this worrying thing. And you are doing great with Rogo- I so enjoy reading about your experiences with him. Here is a big hug for you!