Wow! I've missed out!

[Brianna]

Hey, guys! It finally occurred to me to check and see if the EC boards were up and running again, and lo and behold...they are! I have found my way back!

-Brianna and Promise

[babytigger]

Hey Bri!

Yah, they've been back up for a little while now. But very very quiet on the board.

[Kaleena]

Yep, very quiet. I check in every few weeks but not much happening around here lately!

[Brianna]

Yes, I see it's very quiet. I'm glad you two are still here!

Wow, Cirrus looks great, Kaleena! What have you been doing with her?
BT, what are you up to? Still causing trouble?


I've been having nothing but trouble with Promise for the last several months. She's been seriously accident prone...she strained the collateral ligament in her right hind stifle, way back in October. She was on stall rest for about 10 weeks (8 beyond the prescribed 2 weeks with a regimen of bute). Then she was on limited, solo turn out for several weeks after that.

Around Christmas time, she was sound enough to do our walking under saddle. In January, she was 90-95% sound and we started doing some light trot work. But around that time, she developed an ulcer - I guess from the stress of going back to work, plus being on bute for two straight weeks - which resulted in a horse that was terrified of everything, including her own feed. She lost 200-300 lbs very quickly, on top of what she'd lost from being on stall rest. We treated the ulcer, and put her on an ulcer maintainence supplement. Once it was gone, she quickly returned to her sweet, laid-back self. But it took until April or so to get all the weight and muscle back on her.

She'd been sound since January, but this past week, it seems she re-injured the stifle. When I let her out with her buddies Saturday evening, she was visibly lame at the walk, and head-bobbing lame at the trot. I'm hoping she tweaked it, and didn't re-strain it, but only time will tell.

I'm terrified she's done permanent damage to it, but I refuse to put her back on stall rest unless she starts acting crazy in turnout or she gets worse. She was so miserable last fall. And, I haven't called the vet to come look at her again, but I'm 99% sure I know his diagnosis and his solution. Not a fan, so putting it off for now. The barn owner has been giving her an herbal anti-inflammatory, rather than bute, and has kept to the normal night-time turnout, as I've requested. I sent her an email this morning for an update, but otherwise have not heard from her. As always with horses, no news is good news.

[Kaleena]

Sorry to hear about all your troubles with Promise Bri! I hope the vet has good news for you when you have them out next. Stifle injuries are the worst. I went through a bunch of problems with Cirrus' stifles when she was younger.

Cirrus and I have been doing really well over the last year or so. She'll be 8 this month which I can't believe since she was only 14 months old when I first got her!

I decided to take her out to her first show in May last year. Having never really been off the property I wan't expecting too much, just wanted to get her out and about, so we entered the two W/T classes at a Dressage show down the road. She was really good and trucked around like a pro and we came home with 2 firsts. We went back for the Aug show and did the W/T classes again as well as one training class and came home with 2 firsts and a third.

The plan was to try a few more shows this summer but it turns out now that she'll probably end up having the summer completely off instead since I'm pregnant Due in October. I'm still riding right now but I'm not sure for how much longer and showing is definitely out.

And that pretty much sums things up!

[Brianna]

Yes, I vaguely remember all your trouble with her stifles. Congrats on the baby! That's so exciting!

I went to see her yesterday and she was stepping short with the right hind at the walk and trot but was nowhere near as lame as she'd been on Saturday - she was just off. Then the barn owner sent me an email this morning saying she was dragging it a bit. She was feeling pretty full of herself and was acting sassy while I was there, so I'm wondering if maybe she just wore out the muscles/ligaments when she was turned out last night.

After seeing her yesterday, I think she probably just tweaked it afterall. <fingers crossed!>

[babytigger]

Holy crap Bri, that is a lot to contend with. Poor Promise. Hopefully it's nothing major & she heals up just fine.

I'm not causing much trouble. Haven't been up to much...got a new job that I start next week, had a baby (yes, another one) in Aug last year, so she's 9 mths now. Brings the total kids up to 3. Got a new rescue dog about a year & a half ago Rexx, who is a handful, but we're working on him. Other than that....who's got time for trouble?

Kaleena- congrats!!!!!!!!! Boy? Girl? Do you know yet? Do you want to know? Just make sure you get time to yourself, and get out to the barn after baby comes.

[Kaleena]

Your last update sounds promising Bri...hopefully she just wore herself out rather than reinjuring it.

BT - Thanks! We're pretty excited. We want to find out if it's a boy or a girl and hope that baby cooperates at the ultrasound this week! And I definitely plan to be spending a lot of time at the barn after the baby arrives even if he/she has to come with me! (my mom still spends her days at the barn so it's like a build in daycare centre lol).

[Brianna]

I haven't heard from the barn owner since, so I am assuming, again, that she's not any worse.

It occurred to me a few hours after speaking with her that I had rubbed Promise's stifles with liniment while I was there...I may have inadvertently contributed to making her worse, while trying to make her feel better. Note to self: no liniment.

[pmc]

The plan was to try a few more shows this summer but it turns out now that she'll probably end up having the summer completely off instead since I'm pregnant Due in October. I'm still riding right now but I'm not sure for how much longer and showing is definitely out.

And that pretty much sums things up!

Congrats to you and mr kaleena! That's awesome news!

[jax]

Kaleena - congratulations!!!

[Kaleena]

Thanks guys, we're pretty excited