Shedding is the universal sign of spring for equestrians, and it has begun in Pennsylvania. It is the time of the year for only the brave to wear Chapstick while grooming and it marks the beginning of our show season preparations. The major thing that is different for me this year is following up at the vet for our repeat injections.
Our visit to the vet was very different than last time. Last year we went in blind, no idea if there was a problem or if it would be easy to find or if we could even fix it. This year was a lot less stressful. We made our appointment for March 1st, so we had some time to start riding after our winter break was over and recovery time before our first show.
This appointment started out with a repeat lameness evaluation to see where Stinger was at and if there were any changes from last year. There were some good changes and he mostly improved, although the major problems areas were still there. He still has some positive lameness noted in his lower left front and his right hock. He was quite the character this time, he wasn’t afraid of the vet and was very excited to trot off after every flexion. After all the repeat lameness tests were done, Stinger was taken in for the injections. He received injections in his front coffin joints and his hocks. There was some fluid that came out of his coffin joints, and it was more runny than normal, so he definitely needed the injections again. He was a very good patient and then was put into a stall until the sedation wore off. We appreciate our vets so much for everything they do, and we wanted to give them something to show it, so we took homemade sugar cookies that were decorated like horses and horseshoes.
For his recovery after the injections, he wasn’t allowed to be ridden for three days, then only light riding for three more. After a week he was allowed back to regular work, and he picked up right where we left off. Although in true spring fashion we have been riding in between snowstorms and endless rain. We are powering through, getting in better shape each day. This week we are going to put the barrels back in the arena and work through some drills and see where our starting point is at. If the weather stays good, we are looking at going to our first show at the end of the month. Fingers crossed!
The Barrel Racer's Journal 