30 Mar 2009

So after the great lesson on Thursday, I was really looking forward to a lesson from a visiting friend on Saturday but...

For only the 2nd time in 4 years (and the first time was a field injury which needed no treatment) my pony is broken

I was really looking forward to having a lesson from a visiting friend on Saturday evening, but had to call it a day after about 10 minutes as Pinto was Not Quite Right.

It was probably highlighted as after warming up we worked on spiralling in from a 20m circle and he was very resistant any smaller than about 13m.

I got off and my friend got on, and it was immediately apparant that he was very stiff through his left hip, which he kept dropping, and was coming up about 10cm shorter on his left hind than his right. he wasn't lame, or gimping in any way, but he was definitely Not Quite Right.

On Sunday we walked out of his box extremely stiff, but we did some liberty work in the manege and after a few minutes he loosened up some. This time he was worse on his right side

Theories abound as to whats happened...

1) he tweaked something on Friday when he was with my sharer.
2) he's tweaked something in the box
3) last weeks osteo treatment has left him sore due to using himself in a new way after the manipulation
4) he is suddenly feeling his age (he is 15 this year)

Anyway the osteo is coming back out on Thursday for a follow-up, and I've asked my sharer not to ride Pinto, just either to walk him out or to gently loose school.

If all else fails the vet is coming in 2 weeks for follow-up vaccinations, and I'll ask for a longer appointment to do a lameness work-up.