Maverick has been suffering with a hoof abscess for the last 10 days, and it has been hard to watch him suffer through it. His physical suffering was paralleled with my own internal worry about whether or not it really was a hoof abscess, or maybe something else more serious.
However, with his history of hoof abscesses, I still was pretty sure that’s what it was. I wrapped the bottom of the hoof and the entire back of his pastern with animal lintex on Saturday, and by Sunday, he was moving demonstrably better, so despite some lingering doubt, I felt better about what was happening to him.
When I checked him on Sunday, there was heat all the way from his coronet band to the bottom of the cannon bone on the medial side of his hoof, seemingly more evidence of an abscess festering.
Despite his physical pain, he followed me all around the barn while I was readying my trailer for our trip to Halletsville with the Carpenters this week. I took a break, sitting in the observation platform adjacent to the front turnout area. Mav got right next to me and the stairs that lead to the platform, lifting his head high over the ledge to get as close to me as possible. That just wasn’t good enough for him, so he started to try and climb the stairs to join me, and my cookie bag, up on the platform!
It sure looked like an invitation to play, I just had to decide what we could do that wouldn’t stress his hoof too much, but would satisfy his play drive. I decided that if he wanted to climb something, he could try getting on the small pedestal in the outdoor arena.
First, we did some walking stick to me along the rail, but I could tell he was getting bored fast. So I then asked him to do some circles in addition to staying on the rail, definitely more of a challenge for me to keep him connected, but he did two of them, so it was time to move on to the pedestal.
He had no problem at all with his front feet, only something that took me about 3 months to accomplish with Walker. Feeling the need to be progressive with him, I asked for the back feet up next. He wasn’t sure what to do. First, he started pounding the pedestal with his left front hoof. I gently asked him to back up slightly to let him know that wasn’t the answer to the puzzle.
I then gently asked him forward with the rope and tapping him gently on this back leg until he moved ever so slightly forward. Then he walked over it without stopping, a good effort that I rewarded with scratches and cookies and a licking break. I led him back around to start over again.
Pounding with the front hooves, gentle backwards pressure on the rope, slight movement forward, then, one back hoof lifted on the pedestal, but without standing on it, great progress! He was really thinking his way through. Cookies in hand, of course.
Then, full weight on the back hoof momentarily, loss of balance and falling off the side, still a good effort, more scratches and cookies. Back around to start again…
And then, pounding on the pedestal with a front hoof, slight pressure backwards, asking with the carrot stick for the back hoof up on the pedestal, and, yes! a third hoof with full weight on the pedestal. I asked him ever so slightly forward with the rope, and yes again! all four feet on the pedestal; big “Whoop!!” in my heart, and a big grin spread all over my face.
I think, “I have to get a picture of this, quick, get my iPhone out of my bag, activate the camera, feed Mav a cookie, drop the rope, back up slowly…” and there it is:
However, with his history of hoof abscesses, I still was pretty sure that’s what it was. I wrapped the bottom of the hoof and the entire back of his pastern with animal lintex on Saturday, and by Sunday, he was moving demonstrably better, so despite some lingering doubt, I felt better about what was happening to him.
When I checked him on Sunday, there was heat all the way from his coronet band to the bottom of the cannon bone on the medial side of his hoof, seemingly more evidence of an abscess festering.
Despite his physical pain, he followed me all around the barn while I was readying my trailer for our trip to Halletsville with the Carpenters this week. I took a break, sitting in the observation platform adjacent to the front turnout area. Mav got right next to me and the stairs that lead to the platform, lifting his head high over the ledge to get as close to me as possible. That just wasn’t good enough for him, so he started to try and climb the stairs to join me, and my cookie bag, up on the platform!
It sure looked like an invitation to play, I just had to decide what we could do that wouldn’t stress his hoof too much, but would satisfy his play drive. I decided that if he wanted to climb something, he could try getting on the small pedestal in the outdoor arena.
First, we did some walking stick to me along the rail, but I could tell he was getting bored fast. So I then asked him to do some circles in addition to staying on the rail, definitely more of a challenge for me to keep him connected, but he did two of them, so it was time to move on to the pedestal.
He had no problem at all with his front feet, only something that took me about 3 months to accomplish with Walker. Feeling the need to be progressive with him, I asked for the back feet up next. He wasn’t sure what to do. First, he started pounding the pedestal with his left front hoof. I gently asked him to back up slightly to let him know that wasn’t the answer to the puzzle.
I then gently asked him forward with the rope and tapping him gently on this back leg until he moved ever so slightly forward. Then he walked over it without stopping, a good effort that I rewarded with scratches and cookies and a licking break. I led him back around to start over again.
Pounding with the front hooves, gentle backwards pressure on the rope, slight movement forward, then, one back hoof lifted on the pedestal, but without standing on it, great progress! He was really thinking his way through. Cookies in hand, of course.
Then, full weight on the back hoof momentarily, loss of balance and falling off the side, still a good effort, more scratches and cookies. Back around to start again…
And then, pounding on the pedestal with a front hoof, slight pressure backwards, asking with the carrot stick for the back hoof up on the pedestal, and, yes! a third hoof with full weight on the pedestal. I asked him ever so slightly forward with the rope, and yes again! all four feet on the pedestal; big “Whoop!!” in my heart, and a big grin spread all over my face.
I think, “I have to get a picture of this, quick, get my iPhone out of my bag, activate the camera, feed Mav a cookie, drop the rope, back up slowly…” and there it is:
What a smart, calm, brave horse, and just a four year old; already a good puzzle solver. And our partnership is well on its way.
When I got the news that his abscess had blown today, my emotional relief was palpable. It was obvious when I saw him today that he was feeling so much better, his spark was back. It will be fun to start playing with him full tilt again soon.
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