„Relajada“ has the most satisfied look you can imagine when she is painless.
2020
2023
Her story began to get wild right after the purchase, after arriving at my home:
She moved unwillingly from the first day, often just stopped in the middle of walking, carried her head incredibly deep and the hindquarters moved stiffly and the steps were short, the neck immovable.
After the first examinations of the Ilio sacral joint and the first physiotherapeutic and osteopathic treatments and exercise series, she only slowly developed a better sense of space and movement. Her facial expression changed from moderately satisfied to dissatisfied as soon as a large step was practiced, or the bend became too narrow.
Over the next two years, she was further examined in several places suspected of pain, and if the daily condition allowed her, she was just walked for stretching, kilometers of walk.
She could carry my little son on good days, me only absolutely rarely, rather actually never truly.
Until we finally found what we were looking for. After a long search, veterinarians discovered a change in the cervical spine C6-C7 on X-rays. Can it be true to find a noticeable change in a cervical in a young horse (5-6)? Unfortunately, yes. It may be that the slightly blurred contour of the vertebra in the picture shows an unfavorable condition, which was either caused by an accident or that it is simply a genetic malformation (ECVM). What we know is that the variety of gene variants in breeding horses is getting smaller and smaller.
It may even be that this genetic change produces missing soft structures in the area of the cervical vertebrae/thoracic connection lamellas and takes away the entire stability in the chest.
Now I already know the limited movements of my mare so well that I can imagine such inner images very precisely. Due to the silent pain (nothing there with: finally ride her!) she has become unsightly due to stress.
Stomach ulcer was the answer. Fortunately, nowadays, some veterinarians have portable gastroendoscopy devices that can display the exact health conditions in the stomach. The additional diagnosis of the stomach ulcer was not pleasing but understandable and revealing.
Now I knew even more, I was able to relieve the pain in her stomach through targeted medication.
While I was a bit smarter in terms of nutrition, I finally got my hay analysis and was able to make a ration calculation after a multi-week (24 hours of roughage treatment) and thus an obese phase in order to adjust it better. She was visibly better, the relaxed look was temporarily back. Now we have found a golden middle in terms of nutrition and exercise. But due to the limited possibilities in movement training, I have decided on an abrupt change of location. She should receive 24 hours of self-determined movement. Although I never have the horses in stables or a narrow padock posture, I wish for them the maximum of improved circumstances.
She will go to the community land, together with her friend (her friend also has a stomach ulcer, we are still looking for the reason for this one ). The two are acclimated and observed. If they like it, they can stay there.
Why don’t you inject cortisone? Many ask me.... Because this is not the solution in her case. Cortisone does not replace hypermobile or missing structures and it probably does not cure an overloaded forehand with arthrotic changes in different places.
What does it mean to keep/care for a horse in a healthy state in the long term? In any case, it does not mean ignoring pain and illness. Or it also does not mean to interpret the expression of discomfort as disobedience.
I try not to punish an emotional expression of my horses. Not taking your horse’s behavior personally is sometimes not easy, admittedly. And not every horse life has such a difficult course, fortunately. Let’s listen, feel, try to interpret signs..... so we keep the beautiful satisfaction in the eyes of our horses for longer.
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