Trapper's big day out

We took Trapper to Te Awamutu yesterday to be assessed by a vet who regularly deals with horses.
His leg has been quite bad for the past 10 days or so and it was starting to bug me..
That and I had Dean encouraging me to get his tendons cut after the wonderful results with one he had done a year ago.

So we got there nice and early and the lad had a spell in a loose box along side some expensive polo ponies.

The vet arrived and after looking at one other horse he gave my dear wee Trapper the most thorough going over I have ever seen a vet do.
He found the area in his neck that was manipulated by Tommy B a while back, still a bit tender as was the area over the top of his hip on the side he again was manipulated on.
After much massaging, walking him out in hand and looking at Kylees's pictures on the laptop he thankfully said that the tendon cutting was not something he thought necessary, YAHOO!!!!!!!

So the plan for now is to put him on a short course of Bute, continue with the massage and include some stretches.
And he thought he would benefit from doing some gentle work. YAHOO!!
Then we can review him at the end of the year.

After I got home, I spent some more time researching on the internet. I love the internet!
Found some more useful info including a new method of dealing with chronic stifle problems. In the past they would have just severed the tendon. Now they are using a sharp scalpel and splitting the tendon many times and the horses that they are doing it too heal quicker and have a better long term prognosis. So if it comes to that I now know there are options.

I also found another study that showed how a lot of horses with stifle problems benefit from putting on some weight. The thought is that as the fat pad behind the patella enlarges, the likelihood of the ligament catching on the bone is reduced.

That really rang some bells for me as Trapper was quite poor in condition when he arrived here. As he put on weight, the locking improved. Just recently he has lost a bit of weight. Mid winter now and the grass has disappeared and his leg is locking again.
Something in it maybe?????

Now we need for the weather to clear up so the gentle work can start.