Category:

Colic Season

10/9/2018

Fall can be a tough time for horses in Central California. Our mornings have just now begun to be cool, and by just now, I mean Saturday. While this week is forecast to be fantastic, we're not out of the hundred degree wood yet. We could still get some really hot afternoons before the end of the month.

Spring and summer are absolutely glorious here in the California's central valley.

That means it's colic season here in Bakersfield. With temperatures suddenly twenty degrees cooler, our horses often quit drinking as much. This of course leads to tummy aches. I am being ultra vigilant of my boys' water intake during this week of cooler mornings.

On Friday afternoon, which was pretty warm, Speedy stood sweating as I tacked him up. His winter coat is coming in quickly, so I wondered if he was just hot, or if he was not feeling well. I pulled out a thermometer and gave him a quick check.

I use a basic human thermometer that you can pick up at Target or other drug store.

A horse's normal body temperature runs between 99℉ and 101℉ , but after a workout or on a hot day, it can be several degrees higher. Short thermometers like the one I use also read a bit cooler as they don't reach far enough to get a true internal reading. My thermometer gives me a good idea of where he is though. The display topped out at 99.3℉, well within the normal range. I knew it was safe to ride.

Good time to give it a once over.

As fall makes its appearance here in my neck of the woods, I like to reevaluate my guys' feed, winter coats, and even the health of their skin. I also took a peek in my Med Kit to see if anything had cracked, oozed, or leaked. Everything looked good so I cleaned my thermometer and tucked it back into it's little pouch.

Hopefully that will be the last and only "scare" of the season. Anyone else starting colic season?

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A Hoof Update

2/21/2018

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In late September, Speedy sliced open his coronary band and separated the hoof capsule from the coronary band in the process. I've since written at least six updates, most of them can be found here, and a follow up to that one can be found here.

I don't want to gross you out with the original photo, you can back track to find it on your own. Instead, I'd like to show you what the hoof looks like now, five months later.

Damaged area is seen in the bottom half of the hoof wall.

While the coronary band looks "rough," it's just typical peeling and flaking like you'd get on your own dry cuticles. The damage is now just slightly below the middle of the hoof. If this injury had happened across the front of his hoof, we'd be looking at four to six more months for complete grow out. Because the damage happened on the short side of the hoof wall, I am guessing it will be gone after two or three more farrier visits.

Considering he was on the disabled list for nearly three months, it looks pretty good. In truth, he was only a little sore on it for a few days. Since then, it hasn't bothered him at all.

It might not be pretty, but it's holding up well.

2 Comments

Welcome, Bakersfield Large Animal Hospital

2/16/2018

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Wait. What? Who? Yup, that's right, we have a "new" vet hospital in town. As of the beginning of this year, Bakersfield Vet Hospital (large animal) is no longer.

I'll miss this place.

No need to panic though, Dr. Tolley has us covered. As of January first, Dr. Tolley, Dr. Gonzalez, and vet tech/office manager, Kathryn Kelly, have reincorporated as Bakersfield Large Animal Hospital.

Speedy "enjoyed" his hospital stay a few years ago.

For the next few months, they will still work out of the Wible station, and the phone number will remain the same.

Dr. Tolley (left) working with Dr. Gonzalez.

Sometime in the early summer though, before the end of July, the team will be packing up and moving to a new-to-them facility.

Kathryn's current lab. I hope her new one is just as welcoming!

Since Dr. Pipkin is retiring, the team of Bakersfield Large Animal Hospital will be taking over her facility and combining the two practices.

I am sure Dr. Pipkin's clients will miss her.

Moving a practice and creating a new hospital involves a lot more work than I imagined; Dr. Tolley listed at least 25 forms, licenses, or agencies that need to be dealt with before they pack their first box. While the team isn't necessarily enjoying that aspect of the move, Dr. Tolley is looking forward to the wide open spaces of the new facility. He's also looking forward to the quiet that they'll get. If you've been to the Wible station, you know what he's talking about.

I am pretty sure Rudy will make the move as well.

If you're fond of the old BVH hospital, schedule an appointment quickly; the team won't be there much longer. I am looking forward to all of the changes they make with their new hospital and practice. You can bet I'll be tapping on the window chanting, open, open, open!

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Spring Vet Visit in Winter

2/15/2018

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If you show at all, you're familiar with US Equestrian's rule requiring Flu and Rhino vaccinations at all US Equestrian licensed events. The way I understand the rule, it is only at US Equestrian-rated shows that the vaccinations are required. I normally do our spring vet visit in March, but since my first show of the season is in March, I decided to get everything done a bit early. The first show of the year is only CDS-rated, but I like to be covered.

I love how bored Speedy looks.

For the first time in forever, I didn't have three million extra things for the vet to treat. Nobody is lame or has a sliced up leg or has any weird bumps. Although, Izzy tried to get extra time with the vet with his shenanigans from the week before. Dr. Tolley gave Izzy's dried up cuts and scrapes a glance, but it was obvious that they were nearly healed. Try again, dude!

Speedy in the "chair."

While Izzy had to wait out in a stall, the gray pony got a once over by Dr. Tolley. Speedy has a "thing" in one eye that Dr. Tolley likes to check, and I wanted him to see where Speedy's hoof was in terms of growth. Everything checked out normal.

Even though Speedy gets his teeth done annually, Dr. Tolley had to do quite a bit of work on his mouth. Speedy had developed some sharper edges that needed to be smoothed out, and his canine teeth had some plaque. That was a new one for me; I didn't know horses got plaque. Dr. Tolley explained that it is probably because a lot of saliva gathers around those canine teeth. After giving Speedy his spring vaccinations, he was done.

Big brown horse's turn.

Izzy got the same once over, but I had Dr. Tolley look more closely at the two sarcoids that he has on his sheath. I explained how the upper sarcoid has been disappearing over the past few months. Dr. Tolley explained that sarcoids don't go away by themselves. He agreed with my hypothesis that an immune response had probably been triggered by twice treating the first sarcoid.

He likened it to immunization - by using the Xterra paste the first year and following it up with cryotherapy the second year, Izzy built up enough antibodies to the virus that causes sarcoids that he was able to fight off the second one on his own.

Izzy's teeth had fewer sharp points than did Speedy, so his dental work was very minor. And with that, he was done.

Two drunk dudes headed home.

With both boys still feeling a bit drugged, it was a super quiet trip home. Normally, there's a lot of screaming and hollering when the first one gets on or off the trailer, but not on Monday. I think both boys could use a cocktail now and then. They're pretty friendly drunks!

2 Comments

Wrong Side of the Bed

2/5/2018

3 Comments

The main reason that I left my last barn of more than five years was so both horses could have even bigger living areas than they had before. And it wasn't like their last stalls/paddocks were small either. While neither boy could get up a gallop or anything, they could play pretty hard. At the ranch, they can gallop. They can also woohoo or amble. Just being able to stroll from here to there all day long seems to prevent any build up of excess energy.

He has this side as well as the other side of that cross fence. There's a a pass through gate to the left.

Even with all of that room, Izzy has adopted one particular section of dirt right next to a fence as his sleeping area. I'll admit that the footing there is softer, but that's primarily because he has spent a lot of time digging and rearranging the dirt.

This fence.

Over the past two weeks, I've caught him getting stuck when he rolls or takes a nap. He's dug quite a big hole (just to the left of the photo) that he likes to lay in. The problem is that it's rather difficult to hoist your 1200 pound self out of a hole once your legs are higher than your head. I recently had to rescue my brown turtle by rearranging his legs to give him better traction. Another day, I waited anxiously as he grunted and groaned but finally heaved himself upright.

Slice to the thigh.

Sometime during the night or early hours on Sunday morning, Izzy laid down in or near his hole and got stuck. By the time I showed up on Sunday morning, he had managed to right himself but not before gouging up his right hind and left front legs.

Hot, swollen, and banged up.

As soon as I saw the damage Izzy had done to his legs, I texted the ranch owner. She came out and looked Izzy over with me. I cold hosed his legs and then walked him out while she looked for any wonky steps. Other than having two hot and swollen legs, he looked fine. He was eating happily and looked sound at the walk.

We locked Izzy in the far side of his turnout and hashed out a plan to encourage him to sleep somewhere else. Today, the ranch hand will drag all of the soft dirt to the middle of the paddock and re-stabilized the fence, lifting it out of the dirt in the process.

Why Izzy needs to sleep right next to the fence is a mystery to me. Sometimes, I think they like to hurt themselves just to spite us. I am pretty confident that the swelling will be down by the time I get out there this afternoon. And in two or three days, he'll be good as new minus a bit of hair.

Next time, Dude, get up on the right side of the bed!

3 Comments

Another Sarcoid Update

1/22/2018

2 Comments

This makes three, four ... ten updates? I've lost track. Suffice it to say that Izzy has been dealing with two sarcoids on his ... junk. One, we've treated twice - first treatment; second treatment. The other, we've let be until spring.

Our strategy, Dr. Tolley's and mine, has been to wait until spring where we could freeze the second sarcoid. Because it was so big (the sarcoid, not his wankie), Dr. Tolley said we'd have to knock him out (Izzy, not Dr. Tolley) on the lawn to really get to it. Our plan was to do it when I next take the boys in for their annual dentals and vaccinations.

I don't want to jinx anything, but I kid you not - the thing has almost disappeared! Again, the sarcoid, not his who dilly.

Both look worse than they are.

The one we treated (twice) is the lower patch of light skin. While it looks ugly, it feels like scar tissue. I am not sure if it's growing back or not, but it's still flat and thin.

The upper one, the one I am pointing at, used to be a good two inches or more in diameter and was at least as thick as a quarter and just as hard. Over the past few months, I've been noticing that it has gotten flatter and flatter.

When I poked at it this weekend, there was no depth to it at all. It is now simply scaly skin on the surface. I am not sure what happened to it. I am wondering if the trauma we caused to the first one created an immune response to the area, clearing up the second sarcoid in the process.

While it is a little worrisome that it has changed so dramatically (for the good), it looks like we won't need to freeze it off after all (the sarcoid, not his thingy)!

2 Comments

Coronary Band Injury: 3 Months Later

1/19/2018

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If you'll remember back to October, Speedy separated his hoof wall from the coronary band while doing who knows what. He was on vacation for nearly three months but has healed up quite satisfactorily. In fact, he's back to work, obviously, and just as sassy as ever.

Facebook reminded me the other day of this little gem of a post. Check it out real quick - I'll wait ... Did you notice anything? Yep. Speedy did nearly the same thing back in 2011, although not as severely.

Here's what he did in July, 2011:

Ouch	6 months later

Here's what he did in October, 2017:

OUCH!

3 months later

I am not positive, but I think the first one was a front foot, the right, and the second one is a hind foot, also the right. It is growing out well with no issues. As the damaged portion of the hoof gets closer to the ground, we'll see if it remains sturdy enough to ride on. So far, it's been fine.

Quit doing that, Speedy G!

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Hoofin' It

12/21/2017

6 Comments

This past October, Speedy hooked his hoof on something, tearing the hoof capsule away from the coronary band in the process. I've shared quite a few updates along the way (click here, here, here, here, and here).

Just after Thanksgiving, my vet gave Speedy the all clear. While the injury site has long been healed, the hoof still needs to grow out. Right now, the undamaged portion of the hoof below the crack is not connected to the new growth that has appeared over the past three months.

For now, the hoof is pretty stable, and Speedy is working on it just fine. As it continues to grow out, I'll need to keep my eye on it, especially after the next two trims. As the damaged portion reaches the ground, it might begin to chip away, leaving Speedy with an unsupported hoof.

I don't think that is going to happen though. For now, he and I are back to work. Just this week we started dipping our toes back into the Second Level pool. We've worked on the shoulder in and rein back, and done a bit of collected canter. I haven't quite asked for a walk to canter yet, but he offered to try on Tuesday.

As long as the hoof holds, we should be ready for a show in March. I've sure missed riding him!

6 Comments

Yet Another Coronary Band Injury Update

11/13/2017

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This past Thursday, I posted an update, but as I was uploading some progress photos, I realized that in the most current photo, Speedy's hoof didn't look as good as it had just two weeks before. I called Dr. Tolley that day and scheduled an appointment for Friday morning.

Dr. Tolley (standing) and Dr. Gonzalez in consultation. I love getting two for the price of one!

I can't say enough about how much I appreciate the top notch care that Bakersfield Vet Hospital provides its clients. No matter what questions I have, or what problems I bring to the hospital, the entire staff jumps in to consult or help. While I was waiting for Dr. Tolley to finish with another client, Kathryn ran fecal tests in her lab while letting me hang out to watch and chat. It's like getting three or four for the price of one!

Tool #1

Dr. Tolley started his exam by using a stiff brush to knock away the dirt. It was clear that the wound had healed over, so he moved on to scrutinize the coronary band and hoof.

Tool #2

Using what looked like a Dremel tool, he next filed away excess growth from the Coronary band. He also opened up the damaged part of the hoof a little to remove what looked like dead tissue.

Tool #3

Although he probably should have used the clippers first, I know he pulled them out to really clean up the site to make sure he hadn't missed anything.

Tool #4

When the damaged area of hoof looked smoother, he tackled the bottom of the foot. Here's where it gets interesting. The coronary band is producing new hoof faster than the old hoof can grow down. Remember that the hoof wall became separated from the coronary band and is no longer connected at the top.

The coronary band is prolapsed, meaning it is bulging out. With nothing to pull it down, the new hoof wants to grow out and over the old hoof. Normally, the new hoof growth pushes the existing hoof down as it grows because they're connected. It reminds me of an adult tooth pushing on a baby tooth. Sometimes one or the other is not lined up correctly, and the adult tooth will grow at a crooked angle if it doesn't have enough room to drop into place.

The next day.

To give the new hoof room to grow downward rather than outward, Dr. Tolley cut an arch into the portion of hoof directly beneath the damaged area so that the old hoof can sink down out of the way.

The red lines show the direction of growth.

Over the next two weeks, Dr. Tolley wants me to use a rasp to file away any hoof within the red lines that touches the ground. Leaving a gap there encourages the old hoof to fall down as the new hoof pushes in from the top.

Two days earlier.

Dr. Tolley assured me that even though it looked hinkey last week, it was growing just fine. All he did was clean it up a little bit. In fact, he said that I can probably put Speedy back to work in two weeks. I am to send him a fresh picture before he gives the final go ahead.

By late November, there should be sufficient new hoof to provide enough support for riding. The only concern will be whether the old hoof is strong enough to resist breaking away. If it's not, we can put on an eggbar shoe to support it while more hoof grows.

While I want to ride, I don't want to mess around with expensive shoes when I can get the same result by waiting a few weeks longer. I should know more in a couple of weeks, but it all looks good for now!

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Coronary Band Injury Update

11/9/2017

4 Comments

In late September, Speedy hooked his coronary band on something, separating his hoof wall from the coronary band.

He's been very patient.

The treatment has been time off to allow the hoof to grow out. If you've ever watched a hoof grow, you know it takes up to a year for new hoof to grow from top to bottom. Fortunately, we won't have to wait that long.

Here's a series of photos showing Speedy's progress.

September 28

September 30

October 11

October 15

October 21

November 8

While he's been sound on it since the first day, I am not thrilled with how the coronary band looks over these past few weeks. The damaged piece of hoof is definitely coming down, but the coronary band itself is looking pretty jagged where it had been smooth before.

In real life, it actually looks pretty good, but even so, I am calling Dr. Tolley today to ask him to check out the photos. It might be that we need the farrier to step in, or it might be that we need to just keep waiting for the hoof to sort itself out.

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About the
Writer & Rider

I am a lifetime rider.
I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010.
Welcome to my dressage journey.

Photo by Lori Ovanessian

Email Karen

About Speedy G

Speedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse and occasional trail horse. He is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.

May 2018

About Izzy

Izzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are schooling the dressage basics. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand Zweibrücker gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.

Second Show - July 2016

Bakersfield Dressage approved!

National Awards

USDF Second Level Rider Performance Award - 2018
USDF First Level Rider Performance Award - 2015
USDF Training Level Rider Performance Award - 2013

Stuff I'm Working On ...

Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Scores
Second Level Scores:
Score 1: 63.485%
Score 2: 61.282%
Score 3: 62.879%

CDS Championship Qualifying
Second Level Scores:
Score 1: 63.485%
Score 2: 61.282%
Score 3: 62.879%
Score 4: 61.970%
Score 5: 62.973%

CDS Ruby Rider Award
Training Level Scores:
Score 1: 70.179%
Score 2: 72.600%

First Level Scores:
Score 1: 66.093%
Score 2: 68.750%

Second Level Scores:
Score 1: 63.485%
Score 2: 62.879%

USDF Second Level Rider Performance Award
Score 1 - 62.879%
Score 2 - 61.970%
Score 3 - 64.242%
Score 4 - 64.268%

USDF Bronze Medal
First Level - 70.179%
First Level - 72.600%
Second Level - 62.879%
Second Level - 61.970%
Third Level -
Third Level -

2018 Show Season

Show Rating
(***) CDS/USDF/USE
(*) CDS
(s) Schooling
(c) Clinic
(t) Ride-a-Test Clinic
(Q) Must Qualify

2018 Pending …
Season over

2018 Completed …
1/14/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
2/10/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
2/24/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
3/17/18 Hurtado Clinic (t)
3/18/18 GEAHS (*)
3/31/18 Hurtado Clinic (c)
4/14-15/18 El Sueno (***)
5/27/18 Tehachapi (*)
6/16-17/18 El Sueno (***)
6/24/18 Tehachapi (*)
7/22/18 Tehachapi (*)
7/28-29/18 El Sueno (***)
8/11-12/18 RAAC (Q ***)
8/26/18 Tehachapi (*)

Colic Season

A Hoof Update

Welcome, Bakersfield Large Animal Hospital

Spring Vet Visit in Winter

Wrong Side of the Bed

Another Sarcoid Update

Coronary Band Injury: 3 Months Later

Hoofin' It

Yet Another Coronary Band Injury Update

Coronary Band Injury Update

About the
Writer & Rider

About Speedy G

About Izzy

National Awards

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About the Writer & Rider

About Speedy G

About Izzy

National Awards

Stuff I Read

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About the
Writer & Rider