Wednesday, February 1, 2023

"let the tigers take me!" -- charles, probably

Hokey dokey, folks. Come and join me for a nice little review of Charlie's most recent hoof trauma, and the continued fallout!

houston we have.... another hole
You may recall, the horse got a bit of gravel stuck in his foot right around New Year's, and really did a number on himself. Suspected deep bone bruise, plus an abscess at the site of the trauma. 

We *hoped* (tho didn't really believe) that would be it, that we'd just wait out the bruise and he'd get better in a more or less linear fashion. To THAT, however, Charlie said "Ha! Hold my beer!"

that special sort of feeling when your horse's foot blows bubbles
Everyone who works at Charlie's barn has been taking his condition on a day-to-day basis for 4 weeks at this point, and generally they've made pretty good choices about whether to turn him out or keep him in. But... The funny thing with abscesses is... They get VERY acute, VERY fast. 

And poor Charlie... He might not have made the best choices of his life upon being released to the wilderness anyway. And then, by the end of the day, found himself unable to keep up with the herd when they migrated back down to the gate for dinner.

full notes for the curious
In other words, Charlie allowed himself to become separated from his group, and basically just stayed out in the far reaches of his pasture... hoping for the best, I guess. 

Generally, I tend to think of that sort of behavior as... a very very bad sign. Basically a horse has to have given up, possibly even accepted death, to willingly be left behind. Tho. Let's not get dramatic here, guys, LOL --- Charlie is that certain sort of Sir who just KNOWS he will be rescued, of course!

she was a ripe one, y'all
And rescued he was, by my poor beleaguered barn mate who was scared half to death that she'd have to get a trailer out into the pasture to transport his lame ass back into the barn. Because naturally.... the one day Charlie goes DEFCON 1 was the first day I couldn't go to the barn in like... ugh, a while. 

Luckily, tho, he eventually accepted my barn mate's hand-delivered invitation to walk in under his own power on all four legs. Slowly, sadly, clammy and sweating and frankly exhausted from pain. 

So... My extremely pragmatic and practical vet, upon hearing this news, determined that it was time for x-rays just to be sure. Like... Yea, we kinda already knew he might abscess again. And this was probably an abscess.... But, ehhhhhhh let's just be sure, yes? 

believe it or not, this stance is actually an improvement -- he's actually putting some amount of weight here vs holding the whole thing afloat
And ya know. It IS an abscess. Bc it turns out, critical injuries like broken bones or ruptured tendons don't generally have "good" and "bad" days. Abscesses do, tho. And this abscess, confirmed via radiographs, is a real doozy. It's basically the whole foot, with every expectation that he'll end up with that bizarre "false sole" situation before the whole thing sloughs off. 

the abscess is basically everywhere, and he'll eventually slough off his entire sole
Charlie was super relieved too, when we got the shoe off and the thing instantly ruptured, spurting out blood and puss and all manner of ooey gooey rank nastiness. 

Like he's still super lame and super sore, and super disinclined to do much in the way of moving... But you could literally see the quivering tension in his muscles and posture melt away as the thing started draining. Poor guy, honestly not sure I've ever seen him in this much pain :( 

plz stay clean!!!
We'll get through it, tho, following the protocols outlined in the notes above. And hopefully avoiding any complications like infection along the way. Bc ya know... We do what it takes for this sweet pony. 

It's funny bc one of our newest barn mates has only really been around since this summer -- since right after Charlie got caught up in that high tensile wire fence. Meaning, she's seen a lot of Charlie being out of commission, and requiring high maintenance care, etc, and.... Not a whole heckuva lot else from him (tho as you know, we did squeak in a couple shows last fall!).

flashback to just a couple weeks ago <3 <3 <3
And this friend, who knows her stuff, has good judgement, is a trusted, valued resource.... Basically said to me, "You're spending a lot of money to not be riding." Charlie's new farrier hinted at a variation of the same thing, riffing on folks who turn themselves inside out for a horse that isn't really even great to ride.

Another long time horse friend, Charlie's chiro / acupuncturist, who herself breeds horses, suggested that maybe I need a second horse, or should at least think about succession planning -- and would I maybe want her to breed something for me? 

Which... Ya know. Yea, obvi I wish I could ride right now. It would be awesome to have a second horse. And... Ok, agreed, I probably *do* need to think a little bit about succession planning for Charlie, who is 14 this year. And maybe a homebred bebe would be fun?

But damn, guys. Charlie is kinda the best, ya know? He's my favorite horse, he's the animal I describe when I talk about "what I'd want to breed for" or "key criteria in a young horse" or whatever. Sure, it's been a rough six months for him... but I'm pretty confident he's got more to do, more to give. 

It's just an abscess lol. He'll be fine. Probably lol. Might just take a while haha, plus a few pretty pennies along the way.... But c'est la vie, right? So if you need me, I'll be shopping around for appropriately sized hoof boots, and NOT for fancy baby horses haha... (probably).



30 comments:

  1. Poor Charlie! That looks so painful.

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    1. i feel so badly for him, ugh, here's hoping we made a dent in the discomfort!!

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  2. As someone who blithely entered into buying a youngster... my advice would be... don't. I didn't realize the vast difference between bringing along a baby and bringing along an ottb. Unless you really truly enjoy and have experience with the young horse journey and/or have a lot of money to pour into professional help with a youngster, I would strongly suggest thinking long and hard about it. Feel free to email me and I will share in more detail!

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    1. ha i've occasionally been called overly analytical to the point of being obsessive, and an overthinker too lol... but not very often has anybody tagged me as blithe! so ya know, any advice to "think long and hard" about literally anything is probably preaching to the choir around these parts! and anyway, the final sentence of this post reads: "I'll be shopping around for appropriately sized hoof boots, and NOT for fancy baby horses haha... (probably)"

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    2. I feel you on the overthinker part! That is me to a tee. As someone who was encouraged and supported by my trainer and community to buy a youngster, I just have *thoughts and feelings* about how much it was not entirely what I expected. So whenever I see people contemplating it, even jokingly, I feel compelled to share ;)

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    3. ugh yea there's a lot of allure and excitement and temptation around the "upper level prospect" or the "future super star" or the young horse with scope and talent anything! it was fascinating to watch the recent goresbridge auction and see so many younger unbacked horses sell for more than the horses actually going under saddle, presumably bc people attributed any defects or mistakes or imperfections of the going horses to the rider (no doubt convinced, "well that rider kinda sucks, i'll do better!" lol...). and yea, i understand how rewarding it might be to bring along your own horse from the very beginning, and i won't rule that out of my future. but.... eh.... my happiest horsey memories, and the things i most look forward to, involve going out on adventures and DOING FUN THINGS with the creature lol, galloping through open fields, jumping things.... and ya know. i'd love to do that again, sooner than in 4yrs (hint hint, charlie, get better soon!)

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    4. Oh I was not talked into an "upper level prospect" or "future super star". The youngster I bought was very very easy and ammy friendly and very appropriate for what I was looking to do. And yet, it still had its surprising challenges. And very very different from bringing along a green ottb, which was all that I was familiar with.

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    5. for sure -- definitely super diffferent !

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  3. As someone who adopted a puppy because she had big ears and sad eyes and has subsequently spent major cash to diagnose her issues and continues to spend an absurd amount to maintain said issues, sometimes we just bleed money for the things we love.

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    1. ugh, ain't that the truth, tho. realistically, just about everything on this green earth costs money.... might as well spend it on what we love <3 <3 <3

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  4. Poor Charlie! I would have got my back up a little at those comments, even though I know they meant well, cause Charlie is the guy! Also, as another baby horse succession planner here...ya agree, don't do it. When the day truly comes for Charlie to step back a little, I'd just start shopping for exactly what you want and take the time to be super picky and buy what you need for whatever that point of your life and goals look like. I know that's unasked for advice, but the baby horse thing is such a money pit in itself and you don't even know if you'll enjoy riding them when the day comes #dontaskmehowIknow

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    1. ha yep -- agreed esp on the breeding thing, i've definitely counseled many many folks against it!

      to clarify, i'm using the word "succession" as referring to sequence, ie, what comes "after" charlie. similar to how it's used in a business setting -- like leadership succession planning. it is not meant in a biblical sense lol. charlie's successor could be a homebred. could be a former 5* horse. could be anything -- it will be his successor bc... it will inherit his role as my horse.

      anyway, for anybody else worried bc i typed the words "shopping for a baby horse" (even tho they were immediately preceded by "NOT"), here are a couple past pieces i've authored on my thoughts around what makes a good riding partner:

      http://fraidycateventing.blogspot.com/2017/06/whose-journey-is-it-anyway.html
      http://fraidycateventing.blogspot.com/2017/11/what-is-fancy-why-does-everybody-care.html
      https://fraidycateventing.blogspot.com/2017/06/economic-case-study-tb-v-wb-v-ottb.html

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    2. Those were super interesting posts to read! And such great points. As the owner of a fancy horse who is not always the most ::ahem:: brave and rideable soul, I can attest to the fact that many days I would just love to go for a hack without possibly getting taken off with or dumped by a sideways leap. Constantly being on guard is not super fun. And he's HONEST and GENUINE and wants to do the right thing and still we have these struggles.

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    3. Also, poor freaking Charlie!!! I felt so awful when Ben was shaking with the pain when he did his 3 legged thing. It is the worst when you just want to actually pick them up and hold them and make it better. Except they're 1200 pound animals and we can't even support them a little bit to help. UGH! I am also super curious for updated photos of the sole sloughing.

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    4. glad you enjoyed reading them! pretty sure they're all quite a few years old at this point, so some of my opinions may be slightly more refined at this point... but honest, only slightly. the general thrust and tenor still stands, and i'm a pretty huge proponent of focusing first and foremost on having a horse you can *enjoy* *doing* things with. what that means will look a little different for each individual rider, and there is an entire spectrum of horses who can fit nicely into each use case.....

      and yea omg i'm pretty curious about what that sole sloughing situation is going to be like, too. i hope it's basically as uneventful as like... losing a toenail when the new one has already grown in lol. but we shall see, and you better believe i'll try to get pics!

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  5. Oh Charles - UGH! I'm glad he's feeling better and it's "just" an abscess but geezus. Heal quickly! I mean to blog about this but around this time last year, we thought Mae (my ottb) was at the end of her riding career. Fast forward to this year, she's feeling and looking better than ever. Aaaand now I have Dalton too, who is a completely different ride and a fun project to bring along with a lot of professional help. Do I sometimes regret having two horses that have to be ridden and cared for? Yes, it is a lot more time than I originally signed up for. Am I happy I have both of them? Yes as well. Insert biggest shrug emoji here

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    1. ugh for real tho, yea it's "just" an abscess but charles never does anything halfway, does he haha! and yea i hear you on that "time" factor with two horses for sure. wayyyyyy back when charlie had his splint surgery, i did a full financial audit to see if i could maybe swing two, since he was out of commission so often.... and... yea, what i found was that financially i could mayyybe swing it, but time-wise, i'd end up having to sacrifice the amount of time i spent individually with charlie, which i have not yet been willing to do... if only i could just cut down on that whole 'work / job' thing LOL!!! a girl can dream....

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  6. Oh gosh, poor Charles. I can't imagine how horrible that must have felt until it started draining. What are the red spots on his sole?

    Also the gory part of me is really hoping you'll share pics of that sole as it sloughs.... I'm so fascinated by this process. Sorry to be so fascinated by your pain, Charlie.

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    1. 1) omg yes 1,000% be prepared for the full extent of whatever photo documentation i can capture, bc i'm here for the gory details too, let's be real!

      2) uh lol the red dots are MS Paint, my attempt at highlighting the full extent of the abscess location. in retrospect, 'red' was maybe not the best color choice, and probably should have been more explicit in notating that on the image itself lol

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    2. Upon closer image review, I figured that's what it was. Oof, that's gonna be a nasty one.

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    3. it's pretty friggin giant, that's for sure. luckily tho he's already a million times better just 24hrs later!

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  7. Val and Charles on unfortunately parallel foot paths. During routine cleaning before applying drying out spray (ahead of stupid endless rain) - I punctured a secret abscess with the hoof pic. Scary fountain of blood but also Val was instantly comfortable. Had to make the executive decision to pack with sterile cotton + povidine after cleaning as he would likely be standing on a poo pyramid all day, or prancing around in the bacteria puddles. Four days out and all is well. Horses...

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    1. oh my god, Val! not gonna lie, for like the last week or two i admit to being a little, uh, *forceful* with the hoofpick, jussssssssst in case it wanted to sink in anywhere and open up a geyser (ew lol). alas, no luck for chuck. glad you found it for Val tho! it's amazing how painful all that pressure gets to be inside the hoof, and then how happy they are when it's released! glad he's recovering without complication so far! charlie is too -- we are gonna be a little aggressive with anti biotics jussst to be sure, esp given the full month of trauma etc, but hopefully this is the last big hurdle!

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  8. Shoot, those subsolar abscesses can be nasty!! Poor dude. I didn't realize he was 14, for some reason in my mind he's still so young!

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    1. ugh i can't believe he's already 14 too... definitely a bit of a jolt! i wish he could be 7 forever <3

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  9. Oh man, CHARLES! Poor dude. I'm glad it's draining now at least! Hopefully this clears up better and faster than expected.
    As for new horses... I mean I always joke that "THIS IS WHY WE NEED MORE HORSES!" (I mean... you've read my blog...) but at the moment, extra horses are even more pricey to keep than they normally are. So uh... maybe hold off. Plus, though these latest issues have been very time consuming, they aren't the types of injuries that haunt you. Once they heal, they're better. So I wouldn't lose hope on Best Boy Charlie just yet. Of course it never hurts to be brainstorming what you want next. Right?

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  10. Poor Charlie! Poor Emma! This sounds like it's going to get expensive in both time and foot wrapping costs. Is there an ETA as to how long before Charlie should be feeling pretty good again?
    If he's going to be off for an extended amount of time and you are getting itchy to ride, any chance there would be a part-lease option? Much cheaper than getting another one!

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  11. Thing is, Charlie might not be "worth" the amount of money you put into him, but what does it matter? There's only one Charlie. He's YOUR horse. He makes you happy. There are lots of expensive horses out there who wouldn't be able to do that, simply because none of them are him, and he's yours and you two belong to each other. Your love for him is not based solely upon his performance and his dedication to you comes from trust and kindness. And I don't think there's anything more perfect in the whole horsy world than that <3

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