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| Video still of Harv from this spring |
Except...
Bob stopped by while I was working last Sunday, and he watched the boys in the pasture. "Harv was leaning under the fence to get grass outside the pasture," he told me, "and as he got back up he damn near fell down. It was strange." I wanted to make light of it, but I've seen some variation on that instability for a long time. It's getting more noticeable. As you lead him around, and esp. around corners or variable footing, he struggles for his balance. A month or so ago, he actually fell while I was handgrazing him on uneven terrain.
I've done the neuro tests on him (pull tail while walking) and he does fine. I suppose some of it is just aging -- he is 25 years old.
Is it worse?
Today I gave Harv his first bath of the season, and I noticed hoof damage on his inside RF. I assumed Ri had stepped on him, it was a concave area, as it was clearly a hoof print. I mentioned it to the barn manager, who told me he'd done it in his stall. One of the workers was trying to pick his feet (part of the barn's service) and he lost his balance. She dropped his foot and it landed on the other hoof, causing the damage. Yet another worker has been leaning him against his stall wall to do his feet -- apparently she worries too.
Harv's summer bath
It was a gorgeous day today, and I gave Harv a spa day. For three hours I bathed, grazed, scraped, combed, primped, pulled, scissored, clipped, and brushed him. He has not been handled this much in months, and I could tell he enjoyed it. He stood like a rock, even to have his mane pulled, and as I clipped his lower legs (he gets spring crud if I don't) I looked up at him. It was like he was smiling, eyes half closed.
I've never had an old horse. Maybe I've glimpsed what will ultimately be the end of my Harv, or maybe this is just old age and he'll go on for years teetering around but mostly okay. Today I realized that I need to spend more time with my old geezer. He enjoys the attention and I love being around him and you never know how much time you have (no matter what their age).
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Hi,
ReplyDeleteHave you checked him for Wobbler's syndrome? It can be caused by arthritis in the neck in older horses. Steroids may help if it is mild.
AMEN. AND I COMPLETELY AGREE!!!!! The falling does not sound normal to me. Old horses don't just "fall." They get stiff and arthritic ... which, if it is in the neck, can lead to falling. But, the simple act of aging does not generally lead to falling.
DeleteThis post brought tears to my eyes. He looks absolutely gorgeous in the trotting picture! Enjoy every moment with him. We all should.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy every moment you have with Riley, you never know when it will be the last. I lost my old man in Jan this year and miss him every day. Please give Riley a huge hug from me.
ReplyDelete"...this is just old age and he'll go on for years teetering around but mostly okay." I think it's more than likely exactly that. I've had old dogs and old cats, no old horses yet, but I've worked at and ridden at barns with older horses. You adapt, they adapt. I agree with Michelle to rule out anything you should have a diagnosis for. Besides, aging is a good time to develop that relationship with your vet to anticipate needs and challenges ahead.
ReplyDeletePaula
I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH MICHELLE!!!!!! Getting old = normal. Falling = NOT NORMAL. He should NOT be falling randomly like that. Is his neck pliable? He had a pretty good show career ... a lot of older ex-show horses start to get cervical spondylosis and this can press on nerves that affect coordination. Get a cervical x-ray, at least. A myelogram will diagnose definitely but is kind of risky for an older horse as they have to lay him down and anesthetize. They thought mine had ramping in the cervical vertebrae when he was falling and he was tested.
ReplyDeleteAlso, get him tested for Lyme's, please. You are in a Lyme-heavy area. One of the symptoms a friend's horse had was weakness, random lameness and incoordination. He was 25 too.
Just another reason to hate rollkur. Cervical arthritis leading to nerve damage and incoordination. Happens all the time in those horses ... but is not talked about enough.
Old age does take its toll on all of us. Just monitor Harv as much as you can.
ReplyDeleteChiropractic or acupuncture might help some issues if it's an option.
you take super care of your boys and will always to right by them. Harv will let you know when he's not happy any more and you will know what to do. He's a lucky boy to have you.
Gosh, I know just what you mean about never knowing how much time you have, and how much the oldsters seem to love the attention. My guy is 24 and seems to be doing great... but who knows. I never expected to have this much time with him, so I am grateful for every day I get.
ReplyDeleteI'd suggest an EPM antibody test as well - most horses have been exposed, but given his age, it may have taken root.
ReplyDeleteI have a 29-year old who had a scary fall back in November. She spun around multiple times in pursuit of my young Corgi, who had gotten loose and was in some kind of crazy herding mode - not trying to herd Salina but one of her donkeys - and she just spun around one too many times.
ReplyDeleteShe has arthritic knees and I have her on Previcox now as a result of the fall. I held off as long as I felt we weren't dealing with chronic pain, but when she fell and the vet came out, we agreed it was time to go for the Previcox.
It's a journey - some days she looks like she might be 15 years old - sometimes when she trots she looks stunning and I wish I could ride her again. Other days she looks like a swayback old mare. But every day she has a wonderful appetite, she bosses all the boys around, and she waits at the gate to be turned out with her herd - so - we keep taking it one week at a time. Like you, I try to spend time grooming her every day and giving her some special attention. She won't leave our farm - if anything happens that would require a vet school trip, we won't choose that for her at this point. So every time anything looks even remotely off, I hold my breath and try to prepare myself. The last time she seemed truly off I asked her if it was time and she swung her butt at me and pinned her ears! Turned out she had an abscess and I was way off base with my serious question!
All I can say is that Harv looks great - you are taking wonderful care of him, obviously. Here's to many more years with these senior treasures!
A great reminder to enjoy every day we are lucky enough to have our horses in our lives. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteStacey,
ReplyDeleteI just put my old guy down about 6 weeks ago, about a month shy of his 30th birthday. He was with me for 15 years. I completely empathize with your feelings for Harvey. My Alfie struggled with his balance off and on for around the last year and a half. For me what it came down to was the quality of life--and I knew my horse best. As long as I felt that he was enjoying life, I was okay with babying him through his ouchie times. Alfie was alert and eager to go out with his mares right up to his last day. His will to live helped us both through his "wobbly" moments until we both decided that he was ready to be done.
May Harvey have many more years to come!
Erin
Stacey,
ReplyDeleteI put my old guy down about 6 weeks ago, about a month shy of his 30th birthday. He was with me for 15 years. I completely empathize with your feelings for Harvey. My Alfie struggled off and on with his balance for around the last year and a half. For me what it came down to was his quality of life, and I knew my horse best. As long as I felt that he was still enjoying life, I was okay with babying him through the ouchie times. He was alert and eager to go out with his mares right up to his last day. His will to live helped us both through his "wobbly" moments until we both decided that he was ready to be done.
May Harvey have many happy years to come!
I put my old guy down at the age of 36. He started suffering stroke like symptoms, recovered, then one day just couldn't get up again (we had the vet out every time). It was heartbreakingly painful. But he was a superb horse and friend to me for almost 15 years. He taught me how to ride. Spend time with your guy.
ReplyDelete