Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
Things got so busy around here (finishing up the school year ... being out of the country) that I forgot to give you an update on Izzy's leg. The last one was a month ago! No, it's not completely healed, or maybe it is, but I am just being ultra cautious this time as I think about how to finish with the bandages. When I left for vacation three weeks ago, the wound looked really good, but it still needed a bandage. I don't have a photo from the day before I left, but here is one from May 21st, one week earlier. It was tough leaving such a big job for someone else to handle, but my oldest friend in the world stepped up to the plate and re-wrapped it every other day while I was gone. I didn't take a photo when I got home last weekend, but it looks the same today as it did on Sunday. ![]() As of now, the wound is completely epithelialized, meaning there is skin across the tissue. It is still a bit "scabby" in the middle, which is where it burst open when I quit wrapping the first time, but everything is dry and tight. To help Izzy's leg cope with the loss of pressure that the big bandage created, I am following a new wrapping protocol. Since there is no longer an open wound, I have ditched the white lotion soaked telfa pad. I am now wrapping the leg with three or four layers of thin cotton bandage followed by three or four layers of Vetwrap, wrapped just tightly enough to keep everything from falling off. This bandage is not a pressure bandage like I was doing before, but it does apply some pressure to the leg. To "re-teach" the leg to function without the pressure, I take the bandage off each morning for three to four hours. This gives the leg's circulatory system a chance to function "normally" without the pressure of the Vetwrap. But since I replace the bandage after several hours, the circulatory system isn't over-whelmed by the increased blood flow. Since the bandage is off when I ride, I wrap both hind legs with polo wraps to protect the delicate tissue that has epithelialized. Dr. Tolley is on board with this bandaging protocol. My plan is to continue the daily wrapping/unwrapping through the end of the month. Ideally, I would like to eventually remove the bandage for twelve hour cycles, but that would mean twice daily trips to the barn. If it's only for a few days, I think I can manage it.
It's been almost six months since the original laceration happened. The end is finally in sight (again!). 6/24/2015 07:02:33 am
Thanks, Austen, but maybe not as good as I could have. I actually forgot to rewrap it yesterday afternoon when I left (face palm), so it was pretty puffy this morning. Comments are closed.
|
About the Writer and RiderI am a lifelong 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. About Speedy GSpeedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
About IzzyIzzy 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 showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
National Rider AwardsState Rider Awards
State Horse Awards
Working Towards:
CDS Sapphire Rider Award Third Level: 63.514% Third Level: 62.105% Fourth Level: Fourth Level: 2023 Show Season
Show Rating (***) CDS/USDF/USEF (*) CDS (s) Schooling (c) Clinic (r) Ride-a-Test Clinic 2023 Show Schedule
TBD 2023 Completed … Pending 2023 Qualifying Scores
Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Training Level 3 Scores/2 Judges/60%: Score 1: Score 2: Score 3: Archives
|