I’ve got the winter blahs…January is almost over—one more real winter month to go, and it is a short one. I sure hope we don’t have any more of those big storms. Winter is such a drag.
I have been working Cruiser in the indoor arena, and it’s better than not riding at all, but I sure do miss the trail. No one has gotten out on the trail much until the last few days. The driveway has been a sheet of ice. We did have a good thaw that even melted the river, but we are going to have very cold weather, again, so it will probably start to freeze up, again. I decided to pull Cruiser’s shoes this last time to give his feet a break, so I just plan to keep him inside until I get the shoes put on next month. (If it wasn’t for the whole bowed tendon issue, I wouldn’t worry—we always pulled his shoes in the winter in the past.)
Mingo is status quo. The vet gave me a month’s worth of pills. We have been hand walking him, and he is doing fine—getting playful—just like his old self. All those irritating things he used to do, like grabbing the lead rope, I now welcome.
My boyfriend is babysitting Friday and Saturday, so I will be on my own. It will be a very relaxing weekend. I hope to get a little caught up on chores and maybe even some reading done. I will make a nice meal for Dad on Saturday. Sunday, Dad talked me into going to a Packard Meet at a restaurant. Their events are pretty boring for me—most of the people who are there are in their 70’s or above. It is an aging club. The women talk about grandchildren and health problems. The men talk about cars. I have known them my whole life.
I will still have time to ride in the morning and will get to visit my boyfriend in the evening.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The latest on Mingo
The sun came out today—the first time in a couple weeks.
We switched Ming’s pain medication on Monday from Bute to a pill they give dogs for arthritis. It is easier on his system. Since this whole thing started, whatever it is, Mingo has only laid down or rolled when he is on 3 grams of bute. When we switched to the dog pills on Monday, he still didn’t lay down. I got a call from my sister this morning. She cleaned his stall, went to dump the wheelbarrow and came back to a very dirty and happy horse. He rolled.
Either the dog pills build up in his system over a number of days, or better yet, he has actually improved enough on his own this week to allow him to lay down.
Things are looking up.
He is moving soundly under the medication. We are only handwalking him at this time.
We switched Ming’s pain medication on Monday from Bute to a pill they give dogs for arthritis. It is easier on his system. Since this whole thing started, whatever it is, Mingo has only laid down or rolled when he is on 3 grams of bute. When we switched to the dog pills on Monday, he still didn’t lay down. I got a call from my sister this morning. She cleaned his stall, went to dump the wheelbarrow and came back to a very dirty and happy horse. He rolled.
Either the dog pills build up in his system over a number of days, or better yet, he has actually improved enough on his own this week to allow him to lay down.
Things are looking up.
He is moving soundly under the medication. We are only handwalking him at this time.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Plan for Mingo
I talked to my vet this morning and gave her a full update. Ming’s neck is much better, but something is still hurting him in the hindquarters. He is not lame, but here is why I think there is still something wrong. When he was on 3 grams of bute, he would lay down, but not on any less. When I brought him to 2 grams, I put fresh shavings in his stall. He wanted to roll, but when he got down on his knees, he paused and got back up. Also, he doesn’t want to lift that foot up. He will, but doesn’t want to bring it back.
Since we have poked and prodded everything on his body, and he hasn’t reacted, it is something that is deep in his body—and I would have to take him back to the hospital for further diagnostics. Since that went so badly last time, I really don’t want to do that.
We are going to keep him on pain meds, long term, but we are going to switch to something that is more expensive, but less harmful to his gut. I am just going to make him comfortable and give him a lot of time. Whatever it is, I am sure that would be what we would have to do, anyway. The only thing is I don’t know is if it is the kind of thing that will get better or not. I will just wait and see. When he is getting enough painkiller, he is not suffering, he eats well and rests well. In fact, he is starting to get obnoxious, again.
Our plan is to do some hand walking and work more on our clicker training. We both enjoy it—and who knows—maybe if he heals and I can ride him again, he will listen better?
Since we have poked and prodded everything on his body, and he hasn’t reacted, it is something that is deep in his body—and I would have to take him back to the hospital for further diagnostics. Since that went so badly last time, I really don’t want to do that.
We are going to keep him on pain meds, long term, but we are going to switch to something that is more expensive, but less harmful to his gut. I am just going to make him comfortable and give him a lot of time. Whatever it is, I am sure that would be what we would have to do, anyway. The only thing is I don’t know is if it is the kind of thing that will get better or not. I will just wait and see. When he is getting enough painkiller, he is not suffering, he eats well and rests well. In fact, he is starting to get obnoxious, again.
Our plan is to do some hand walking and work more on our clicker training. We both enjoy it—and who knows—maybe if he heals and I can ride him again, he will listen better?
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Cruiser's training
I have been feeling so down about Mingo that I can barely write. Silly me. I know from long experience that writing improves my mood—big-time. Yet when I get down, I can barely do it. I decided to force myself to write—and about something good—Cruiser.
Cruiser had his share of health problems with his bowed tendon and the insulin resistance that caused it, but he has been going strong, now for almost 2 years.
Nine months out of the year, I am riding him on the trail. In the winter, we are forced to work in the arena—actually get serious about what we are doing. I get sloppy with my riding over the summer, so I spend a lot of time trying to get my riding back into shape. It is amazing how when I want to circle to the left, my body tries to tell him to circle to the right, instead. Riding well in the arena takes so much concentration. It can be mentally exhausting, at times. When I get it right, Cruiser will reward me.
He has finally started to settle down and pay attention. I have decided that our main focus of the month is to get him perfect on transitions—and try to lighten my cues as much as possible. On trail, I tend to just use vocal commands for my upward trans—he is such an enthusiastic trail horse, that that is all I need. In the arena, he thinks vocal commands are optional. He is now going from a halt to a walk with the slightest of pressure. I’m really proud of that. He has never been so good in his 22 years of sporadic ring work. After some practice, he gets light with the trot transitions, too. Canter transitions have never been a problem, but when we get real good with the trot transitions, we will practice the canter ones, too, for good measure.
Downward trans in the arena have always been very easy for Cruiser. All I need to do is sit still and exhale. That doesn’t help me when I’m out on trail and he gets into a hyper situation. I then need to cue him with the reins—and he doesn’t consistently listen to them. I decided to work on our downward trans with the reins in the arena instead of the exhale. It surprised me to find that he was ignoring the reins in the beginning in the arena, too. I guess he really did need a refresher course on basic downward transitions. He is now listening to the reins 95 percent of the time.
Currently, he is traveling nicely on the bit most of the time and in a round frame. Sometimes he gets a little slow in the hindquarters, so I decided he is finally going to learn to speed up on command. I have never been successful with inter-gait transitions, but I think it is because I never tried hard enough. That is my new project this week. (I couldn’t start this one until he settled down.) When he slows down the hindquarters, I squeeze lightly and hold until he responds. It is working, though he doesn’t keep up the speed for that long. I figure if I am consistent and correct him each time that he starts to move soggy, he will get better and better. I’m just glad he is responding at all. This really is a first. I’m sure it is all the regular trans that I have been doing that has helped my inter-gait trans.
We’ve got about 2 more months at the most that we will be working primarily in the arena. I am looking forward to the trail, but this year, I am confident that we will not be wasting our time in the arena.
Cruiser had his share of health problems with his bowed tendon and the insulin resistance that caused it, but he has been going strong, now for almost 2 years.
Nine months out of the year, I am riding him on the trail. In the winter, we are forced to work in the arena—actually get serious about what we are doing. I get sloppy with my riding over the summer, so I spend a lot of time trying to get my riding back into shape. It is amazing how when I want to circle to the left, my body tries to tell him to circle to the right, instead. Riding well in the arena takes so much concentration. It can be mentally exhausting, at times. When I get it right, Cruiser will reward me.
He has finally started to settle down and pay attention. I have decided that our main focus of the month is to get him perfect on transitions—and try to lighten my cues as much as possible. On trail, I tend to just use vocal commands for my upward trans—he is such an enthusiastic trail horse, that that is all I need. In the arena, he thinks vocal commands are optional. He is now going from a halt to a walk with the slightest of pressure. I’m really proud of that. He has never been so good in his 22 years of sporadic ring work. After some practice, he gets light with the trot transitions, too. Canter transitions have never been a problem, but when we get real good with the trot transitions, we will practice the canter ones, too, for good measure.
Downward trans in the arena have always been very easy for Cruiser. All I need to do is sit still and exhale. That doesn’t help me when I’m out on trail and he gets into a hyper situation. I then need to cue him with the reins—and he doesn’t consistently listen to them. I decided to work on our downward trans with the reins in the arena instead of the exhale. It surprised me to find that he was ignoring the reins in the beginning in the arena, too. I guess he really did need a refresher course on basic downward transitions. He is now listening to the reins 95 percent of the time.
Currently, he is traveling nicely on the bit most of the time and in a round frame. Sometimes he gets a little slow in the hindquarters, so I decided he is finally going to learn to speed up on command. I have never been successful with inter-gait transitions, but I think it is because I never tried hard enough. That is my new project this week. (I couldn’t start this one until he settled down.) When he slows down the hindquarters, I squeeze lightly and hold until he responds. It is working, though he doesn’t keep up the speed for that long. I figure if I am consistent and correct him each time that he starts to move soggy, he will get better and better. I’m just glad he is responding at all. This really is a first. I’m sure it is all the regular trans that I have been doing that has helped my inter-gait trans.
We’ve got about 2 more months at the most that we will be working primarily in the arena. I am looking forward to the trail, but this year, I am confident that we will not be wasting our time in the arena.
Clicker for physical therapy
I found a new use for clicker. Mingo is terrific with targeting. Ever since he hurt his neck, I wanted to monitor his ability to turn it in the sore direction. In the beginning, I would just lure him with a treat and he would tentatively reach for the treat. I did that for a few days until he did it confidently. I then got his target towel and worked with that. He will now willingly turn is neck to any angle and any height that I hold his target without any problems. He thinks it is a fun game.
He is also turning his neck on his own in the sore direction.
When I lead him, he still goes with his neck to the outside of the circle in the hard direction, but I can gently get him to walk with it on the inside of the circle for a half dozen steps without him reacting painfully. At that point, I click and let him stop for a treat. This is a big improvement. I see clicker helping him a lot with his physical therapy program.
The only time last night that he reacted painfully in his neck was when he got startled and moved quickly. I think the neck will be fully healed in time. I’m worrying more about the leg. He is sound as long as he is on the bute. We are phasing him off on it, and then we will see what happens.
He is also turning his neck on his own in the sore direction.
When I lead him, he still goes with his neck to the outside of the circle in the hard direction, but I can gently get him to walk with it on the inside of the circle for a half dozen steps without him reacting painfully. At that point, I click and let him stop for a treat. This is a big improvement. I see clicker helping him a lot with his physical therapy program.
The only time last night that he reacted painfully in his neck was when he got startled and moved quickly. I think the neck will be fully healed in time. I’m worrying more about the leg. He is sound as long as he is on the bute. We are phasing him off on it, and then we will see what happens.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Latest on Mingo
Well, let's see, where were we...Last Monday, the vet came out to see Mingo because of his very strange, anti-social behavior. We determined he had a sore neck. He wasn't lame anymore. She was very perplexed. Just to eliminate it off the list of possibilities, she took blood to test for Lyme disease. Horses don't get it here, but he was showing many signs of it. He doesn't have it.
She went back to the office and discussed his case with the other vet. She remembered us telling her that he was no longer laying down, and the only time he did was the few days we had him on 3 grams of bute. They feel it is possible, though there is no way to prove it, that he suddenly fell asleep, fell and hurt his neck. This happens with horses that are sleep deprived. It would also explain why the whole side of his body was tender for the first few days after his personality change. It may have been bruised.
A couple days after she visited, he started to limp again, but that started to improve the next day. His attitude was quickly getting better as his neck seemed to improve, and he was starting to like people again.
I called her up to see what we should do next..
This is when she suggested that we try to get him some rest. On Saturday, we started him for 4 days on 3 grams of bute, 4 days of 2 grams and then 4 days of 1 gram.
Of course, there is no limp, now. He is laying down to rest, too. He can turn his neck quite well, and will even do it without a treat to lure him. He can't walk with it to the inside of the circle on that side, but he will walk with it right in front of him instead of looking outside the circle. He is trotting sound.
So, now I'm just waiting to see what happens when he is no longer on the bute. The very infected sore on his pastern--the possible cause of the swollen leg and initial lameness is now completely healed. If that was the problem, then we just need to wait for his neck to feel better, and it might be fine by then. My gut says it is something else, and he will probably go lame when we are done with the bute.
The vet says that eventually we will find out--for better or worse.
I am getting so discouraged. Fortunately, Cruiser is doing very well and has been a lot of fun to ride in the arena. My visits to the barn are not complete unhappiness because of Cruiser. I wish I could get down the trail, but I no longer take Cruiser out in the bad conditions--and it has been so very, very cold and snowy. Besides, the river is frozen.
I wish I had better news to share...
She went back to the office and discussed his case with the other vet. She remembered us telling her that he was no longer laying down, and the only time he did was the few days we had him on 3 grams of bute. They feel it is possible, though there is no way to prove it, that he suddenly fell asleep, fell and hurt his neck. This happens with horses that are sleep deprived. It would also explain why the whole side of his body was tender for the first few days after his personality change. It may have been bruised.
A couple days after she visited, he started to limp again, but that started to improve the next day. His attitude was quickly getting better as his neck seemed to improve, and he was starting to like people again.
I called her up to see what we should do next..
This is when she suggested that we try to get him some rest. On Saturday, we started him for 4 days on 3 grams of bute, 4 days of 2 grams and then 4 days of 1 gram.
Of course, there is no limp, now. He is laying down to rest, too. He can turn his neck quite well, and will even do it without a treat to lure him. He can't walk with it to the inside of the circle on that side, but he will walk with it right in front of him instead of looking outside the circle. He is trotting sound.
So, now I'm just waiting to see what happens when he is no longer on the bute. The very infected sore on his pastern--the possible cause of the swollen leg and initial lameness is now completely healed. If that was the problem, then we just need to wait for his neck to feel better, and it might be fine by then. My gut says it is something else, and he will probably go lame when we are done with the bute.
The vet says that eventually we will find out--for better or worse.
I am getting so discouraged. Fortunately, Cruiser is doing very well and has been a lot of fun to ride in the arena. My visits to the barn are not complete unhappiness because of Cruiser. I wish I could get down the trail, but I no longer take Cruiser out in the bad conditions--and it has been so very, very cold and snowy. Besides, the river is frozen.
I wish I had better news to share...
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Problems with Mingo
Things seemed to be going so well with Mingo, and then he got strange. We are talking about a serious personality change. He didn’t want anything to do with people—especially me. He seemed to be very sensitive to the touch—trying to bite me if I touched him in the area of the leg that had problems. A couple times, he kicked out. When walking, he would suddenly pull up in a ouchy manner. Time to call the vet.
We determined he couldn’t comfortably turn his neck in one direction. He pulled up when walking with his head bent towards me—this is probably why he formed an aversion to me. I would lead him in a normal manner out of his stall—and it hurt him.
My vet feels there is definitely something wrong—that it’s not all a behavior issue—but she can’t figure out what it is. His bad leg appears to have made a complete recovery. He is walking and trotting fine.
She took blood and is going to test him for Lyme disease. It is a real long shot. Lyme disease is nonexistent in Northern Ohio, but it would explain all the problems he has had the past few months. It would connect all the symptoms that he has had. She used to work in PA, and she encountered it there.
He is still eating, but not quite as enthusiastically as before. Also, he won’t eat if anyone is staring at him. He will just stand in the corner and bob his head.
I am at a loss.
We determined he couldn’t comfortably turn his neck in one direction. He pulled up when walking with his head bent towards me—this is probably why he formed an aversion to me. I would lead him in a normal manner out of his stall—and it hurt him.
My vet feels there is definitely something wrong—that it’s not all a behavior issue—but she can’t figure out what it is. His bad leg appears to have made a complete recovery. He is walking and trotting fine.
She took blood and is going to test him for Lyme disease. It is a real long shot. Lyme disease is nonexistent in Northern Ohio, but it would explain all the problems he has had the past few months. It would connect all the symptoms that he has had. She used to work in PA, and she encountered it there.
He is still eating, but not quite as enthusiastically as before. Also, he won’t eat if anyone is staring at him. He will just stand in the corner and bob his head.
I am at a loss.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Trail Training Newsletter - #108 - A Happy Starry
A Happy Starry
Kevin has owned Starry D for a few years, now. He is a really good horse for Kevin. He’s friendly, gentle and usually listens well. Ellen and I have both taken him on trail rides. He has a slow walk, fast and bouncy trot and a gorgeous canter. There is only one problem. He does this “head thing.” When you go faster than a walk, he twists his head out to the side and fusses a lot.
We noticed he does it more when he is with other horses, so we thought it was a behavior thing. We used to think it was a Kevin problem, until we found out he did it with us, too. Sometimes it was worse than others. We thought it was about bugs, until he did it when there weren’t any bugs.
Kevin rode him in a snaffle, but since he needed just a little more stopping power, he switched him to a Kimberwicki. He stopped better, but he still did his “head thing.” Finally, I came to the conclusion that it was about the bit. One day, when Ellen rode him, she realized that his bit was much too tight. She loosened it. Not 10 minutes down the trail, Starry had his tongue over the bit and was acting like an idiot about it. She reluctantly tightened it up.
We tried to get Kevin to try our mechanical hackamore. Ellen got one really cheap at a used tack sale. She liked to use it on Mingo when she took him on rides. My mild 3-piece bit that I use on him only stops him when he wants to stop. It works fine for me because he nearly always wants to stop—but Ellen just felt more comfortable with something stronger.
It took a long time to convince Kevin that a mechanical hackamore has more stopping power than the bit he was using. It bothered him that there wasn’t a bit. Ellen was going to take him out for a ride by herself on a day that Kevin couldn’t get out to ride, so she took the initiative. She didn’t get to give it a good test because she ended up with some riders that only wanted to walk, but she did give it a few good tugs to make sure he wasn’t surprised by the different feel. Starry took it all in stride. He also didn’t fuss with his head a single time.
This convinced Kevin to try it. We had it all adjusted for him to make it easy. They went out on a ride and did a lot of trotting. Wouldn’t you know it—Starry went perfectly, and Kevin was one happy rider.
We aren’t sure if it was the bit that was the problem or if it was the tightness of the bridle on his poll. It could have even been both.
Kevin bought his own hackamore, and I can’t imagine him ever using a bit, again.
When you have a problem, sometimes it takes a little experimentation to find the answer.
Kevin has owned Starry D for a few years, now. He is a really good horse for Kevin. He’s friendly, gentle and usually listens well. Ellen and I have both taken him on trail rides. He has a slow walk, fast and bouncy trot and a gorgeous canter. There is only one problem. He does this “head thing.” When you go faster than a walk, he twists his head out to the side and fusses a lot.
We noticed he does it more when he is with other horses, so we thought it was a behavior thing. We used to think it was a Kevin problem, until we found out he did it with us, too. Sometimes it was worse than others. We thought it was about bugs, until he did it when there weren’t any bugs.
Kevin rode him in a snaffle, but since he needed just a little more stopping power, he switched him to a Kimberwicki. He stopped better, but he still did his “head thing.” Finally, I came to the conclusion that it was about the bit. One day, when Ellen rode him, she realized that his bit was much too tight. She loosened it. Not 10 minutes down the trail, Starry had his tongue over the bit and was acting like an idiot about it. She reluctantly tightened it up.
We tried to get Kevin to try our mechanical hackamore. Ellen got one really cheap at a used tack sale. She liked to use it on Mingo when she took him on rides. My mild 3-piece bit that I use on him only stops him when he wants to stop. It works fine for me because he nearly always wants to stop—but Ellen just felt more comfortable with something stronger.
It took a long time to convince Kevin that a mechanical hackamore has more stopping power than the bit he was using. It bothered him that there wasn’t a bit. Ellen was going to take him out for a ride by herself on a day that Kevin couldn’t get out to ride, so she took the initiative. She didn’t get to give it a good test because she ended up with some riders that only wanted to walk, but she did give it a few good tugs to make sure he wasn’t surprised by the different feel. Starry took it all in stride. He also didn’t fuss with his head a single time.
This convinced Kevin to try it. We had it all adjusted for him to make it easy. They went out on a ride and did a lot of trotting. Wouldn’t you know it—Starry went perfectly, and Kevin was one happy rider.
We aren’t sure if it was the bit that was the problem or if it was the tightness of the bridle on his poll. It could have even been both.
Kevin bought his own hackamore, and I can’t imagine him ever using a bit, again.
When you have a problem, sometimes it takes a little experimentation to find the answer.
Trail Training Newsletter - #108 - Shaping Behaviors
Shaping Behaviors
You may recall that last month Mingo developed a case of cellulitis caused by a “who really knows at this point.” At the time, we assumed it was the hoof abscess that started to drain a few days before. His leg became very swollen and painful—so painful that he didn’t want me to touch it. This was a big problem because I had to soak his hoof. I would ask him to lift his foot, and he would fly around his stall on 3 legs. I then would try to catch it with the soaking boot. It was a very bad scene. It sometimes took 10 minutes before I got the soaking boot on his foot. After soaking it, we had to repeat the whole routine to get the soaking boot off his foot.
He went to the vet clinic for all of his diagnostics and to treat the cellulitis. He came back, and a few days later he was abscess lame again. It was back to soaking and the problem was even worse—even though his leg was no longer painful to the touch. He was afraid it would hurt. As soon as I walked near that foot, he would lift up the opposite hind foot and start tapping the ground with it—putting all of his weight on the bad foot.
I learned that if I put him on a lead rope and asked him to back up and I was quick, I could catch his foot. Sometimes he would panic, and sometimes he wouldn’t. This is how I managed to soak his foot.
I really needed to solve this problem—absolutely before my farrier could come out, not to mention for Mingo and me. The following weekend, I had Ellen to help me. We decided to approach the problem using the clicker.
This is where “shaping” came in. We took Mingo out into the aisle of the barn. I stood by his leg. Of course, he started to tap the ground with the opposite foot. When he stopped and touched his toe to the ground, Ellen clicked and treated. We did this for several minutes. When I would attempt to lift his foot, it would be tap, stop, click, treat. Then, Ellen decided to up the ante. She would only click when he set the whole foot down. Once he was doing that, she clicked when I pushed him and he would put more weight on to opposite foot. When he was doing that well, she clicked at any sign of lifting his hoof. Finally, he lifted it up for us four times straight! I was so happy! This all took less than 10 minutes.
Sunday, we did the whole procedure again. This time, she moved from one phase to the next much faster.
I’m on my own on the weekdays, but since he was doing so well, I was able to do some clicking on my own. Now, I would insist I hold his foot for a little bit before I clicked. Ellen was back on Thursday to help. We trained him in 2 separate sessions that day, because the vet was coming out the next day to examine his hoof since he was lame again. By his second session, I was feeling pretty confident she wouldn’t have too much trouble.
She didn’t. At first, he did his toe tapping, so I just moved him and she caught his foot. He didn’t panic, but she told me he was shaking. She was able to pick up his foot a number of times and spent a long time looking for the hoof abscess. Unfortunately, she didn’t find it. She poulticed up his foot in hopes that it would drain on its own.
The next day, I realized I was picking up his foot with just tapping his leg. This was awesome! I did some clicking and treating, but not for every time he lifted his foot.
Two weeks later, when the vet came out to examine him again, we reviewed the routine while she was rummaging in her truck. By the time she got in to examine him, he was ready. He behaved for her beautifully.
Clicker saved the day. I’m sure he will be fine for the farrier. I actually haven’t clicked him for lifting that foot, since, and he does it very readily.
Shaping is teaching one behavior and then asking for a slightly different behavior until you get exactly what you want. You don’t need to do it with a clicker, but by using a clicker, he figured out quite quickly what I wanted. Clicker is definitely something I will be using with horses from now on!
If I wasn’t convinced that the clicker was a great tool for my training toolbox before, I am 100 percent sure of it now. By shaping Mingo’s behavior with the help of a clicker, we turned a terrible situation into a positive experience for everyone.
Ellen started clicker training Ranger that weekend…
You may recall that last month Mingo developed a case of cellulitis caused by a “who really knows at this point.” At the time, we assumed it was the hoof abscess that started to drain a few days before. His leg became very swollen and painful—so painful that he didn’t want me to touch it. This was a big problem because I had to soak his hoof. I would ask him to lift his foot, and he would fly around his stall on 3 legs. I then would try to catch it with the soaking boot. It was a very bad scene. It sometimes took 10 minutes before I got the soaking boot on his foot. After soaking it, we had to repeat the whole routine to get the soaking boot off his foot.
He went to the vet clinic for all of his diagnostics and to treat the cellulitis. He came back, and a few days later he was abscess lame again. It was back to soaking and the problem was even worse—even though his leg was no longer painful to the touch. He was afraid it would hurt. As soon as I walked near that foot, he would lift up the opposite hind foot and start tapping the ground with it—putting all of his weight on the bad foot.
I learned that if I put him on a lead rope and asked him to back up and I was quick, I could catch his foot. Sometimes he would panic, and sometimes he wouldn’t. This is how I managed to soak his foot.
I really needed to solve this problem—absolutely before my farrier could come out, not to mention for Mingo and me. The following weekend, I had Ellen to help me. We decided to approach the problem using the clicker.
This is where “shaping” came in. We took Mingo out into the aisle of the barn. I stood by his leg. Of course, he started to tap the ground with the opposite foot. When he stopped and touched his toe to the ground, Ellen clicked and treated. We did this for several minutes. When I would attempt to lift his foot, it would be tap, stop, click, treat. Then, Ellen decided to up the ante. She would only click when he set the whole foot down. Once he was doing that, she clicked when I pushed him and he would put more weight on to opposite foot. When he was doing that well, she clicked at any sign of lifting his hoof. Finally, he lifted it up for us four times straight! I was so happy! This all took less than 10 minutes.
Sunday, we did the whole procedure again. This time, she moved from one phase to the next much faster.
I’m on my own on the weekdays, but since he was doing so well, I was able to do some clicking on my own. Now, I would insist I hold his foot for a little bit before I clicked. Ellen was back on Thursday to help. We trained him in 2 separate sessions that day, because the vet was coming out the next day to examine his hoof since he was lame again. By his second session, I was feeling pretty confident she wouldn’t have too much trouble.
She didn’t. At first, he did his toe tapping, so I just moved him and she caught his foot. He didn’t panic, but she told me he was shaking. She was able to pick up his foot a number of times and spent a long time looking for the hoof abscess. Unfortunately, she didn’t find it. She poulticed up his foot in hopes that it would drain on its own.
The next day, I realized I was picking up his foot with just tapping his leg. This was awesome! I did some clicking and treating, but not for every time he lifted his foot.
Two weeks later, when the vet came out to examine him again, we reviewed the routine while she was rummaging in her truck. By the time she got in to examine him, he was ready. He behaved for her beautifully.
Clicker saved the day. I’m sure he will be fine for the farrier. I actually haven’t clicked him for lifting that foot, since, and he does it very readily.
Shaping is teaching one behavior and then asking for a slightly different behavior until you get exactly what you want. You don’t need to do it with a clicker, but by using a clicker, he figured out quite quickly what I wanted. Clicker is definitely something I will be using with horses from now on!
If I wasn’t convinced that the clicker was a great tool for my training toolbox before, I am 100 percent sure of it now. By shaping Mingo’s behavior with the help of a clicker, we turned a terrible situation into a positive experience for everyone.
Ellen started clicker training Ranger that weekend…
Trail Training Newsletter #108 - Update on Mingo
Update on Mingo
We left Mingo last month with a poulticed hoof for an abscess and a bottle of antibiotics “just in case.”
Good thing I had those antibiotics. I knew that his abscess would probably get worse before it drained. I waited my 5 days, and nothing happened. That day, I took off his poultice, and then I started soaking his hoof. He started to get worse each day. He was limping and walking slower and slower. It looked like the swelling was coming back, too. By Thursday, his leg was swollen like a balloon, and he wouldn’t let me touch it, again. He was back to spinning around his stall on three legs rather than let me put his foot in his soaking boot.
I started him on the antibiotics that night and called my vet the next morning. She told me to give him a big dose of bute, keep up with the antibiotics and see what happened.
The following day, he was much better, but the swelling seemed worse. He did allow me to touch his leg, so I was able to soak it. Leading brought the swelling down some, but the following day it was back. By the third day, he was walking poorly, again. Still no abscess. I called the vet, and she said to give him another dose of bute.
Everything followed the same pattern. Three days later, he was very lame. One very odd thing happened—he starting eating his hay with gusto again. That didn’t even make any sense. Here he has a very sore foot/leg and he is eating better than ever!
The following Friday, the vet came out to see him, again. By now, she didn’t think it was an abscess. To make sure, she did a nerve block. Sure enough, he walked just as poorly after the nerve block as before. Since the bulk of the swelling was above his hock on the inside of the leg, she thought that was the source of the problem. She told me she sees leg swelling like this with horses that have broken their femur, not that she believed that was the problem, but that’s just how bad the swelling was.
She said the whole thing was bizarre.
She said to keep him on the antibiotics and give him 2 grams of bute a day to see if we could just get the swelling down. If we could get the swelling down, maybe we could determine the problem. We hand walked him each day, too.
By Monday, he was walking fast and acting goofy. Each day, the swelling went down a little bit more than the day before. Another thing happened on Monday. A bump that he had on the front of his pastern on that leg—about an inch above his coronet—burst. Yes, it was infected. By now, my head was spinning.
Now this bump showed up late last spring. I had our other vet out to see it shortly after when his leg started swelling. The vet said the bump wasn’t the problem—that he had a hoof abscess in his heel. Sure enough, the next day it started to drain, and then he was fine.
I figured this bump must be ringbone. That hoof is the one that had 2 operations for that bad abscess some years ago. Since then, the hoof has grown odd, and I figured it put strain higher up causing ringbone. I watched that bump all summer. It never was hot or caused lameness. I tried not to worry about it.
When the clinic x-rayed that foot last month, to my surprise, I could see it absolutely wasn’t ringbone. At that point I stopped worrying about it entirely. That’s why I was so surprised when it popped.
Could it have been infected all along? Could a chronic leg infection that didn’t cause lameness have made him lose all that weight? Is that why he acted so sick at the end of October? Is that why he started feeling better when they originally put him on antibiotics for the cellulitis at the clinic? Did it cause the cellulitis and the more recent swelling? Did the long-term use of antibiotics finally helped enough that he wanted to eat his hay again?
All I know for sure is we have to get this thing to heal, too.
I don’t know, and my vet doesn’t know, either. It makes sense, but what about the nerve block? Now, I am just working on healing it up. He is walking as good as ever. He is even trotting sound. We have reduced his bute but kept up the antibiotics. I will call the vet again next week to give her an update and see where we go from there. Right now, things are looking better than they have in a few months. I should have my horse back in the spring when I need him the most. We have nieces we are teaching to ride…
We left Mingo last month with a poulticed hoof for an abscess and a bottle of antibiotics “just in case.”
Good thing I had those antibiotics. I knew that his abscess would probably get worse before it drained. I waited my 5 days, and nothing happened. That day, I took off his poultice, and then I started soaking his hoof. He started to get worse each day. He was limping and walking slower and slower. It looked like the swelling was coming back, too. By Thursday, his leg was swollen like a balloon, and he wouldn’t let me touch it, again. He was back to spinning around his stall on three legs rather than let me put his foot in his soaking boot.
I started him on the antibiotics that night and called my vet the next morning. She told me to give him a big dose of bute, keep up with the antibiotics and see what happened.
The following day, he was much better, but the swelling seemed worse. He did allow me to touch his leg, so I was able to soak it. Leading brought the swelling down some, but the following day it was back. By the third day, he was walking poorly, again. Still no abscess. I called the vet, and she said to give him another dose of bute.
Everything followed the same pattern. Three days later, he was very lame. One very odd thing happened—he starting eating his hay with gusto again. That didn’t even make any sense. Here he has a very sore foot/leg and he is eating better than ever!
The following Friday, the vet came out to see him, again. By now, she didn’t think it was an abscess. To make sure, she did a nerve block. Sure enough, he walked just as poorly after the nerve block as before. Since the bulk of the swelling was above his hock on the inside of the leg, she thought that was the source of the problem. She told me she sees leg swelling like this with horses that have broken their femur, not that she believed that was the problem, but that’s just how bad the swelling was.
She said the whole thing was bizarre.
She said to keep him on the antibiotics and give him 2 grams of bute a day to see if we could just get the swelling down. If we could get the swelling down, maybe we could determine the problem. We hand walked him each day, too.
By Monday, he was walking fast and acting goofy. Each day, the swelling went down a little bit more than the day before. Another thing happened on Monday. A bump that he had on the front of his pastern on that leg—about an inch above his coronet—burst. Yes, it was infected. By now, my head was spinning.
Now this bump showed up late last spring. I had our other vet out to see it shortly after when his leg started swelling. The vet said the bump wasn’t the problem—that he had a hoof abscess in his heel. Sure enough, the next day it started to drain, and then he was fine.
I figured this bump must be ringbone. That hoof is the one that had 2 operations for that bad abscess some years ago. Since then, the hoof has grown odd, and I figured it put strain higher up causing ringbone. I watched that bump all summer. It never was hot or caused lameness. I tried not to worry about it.
When the clinic x-rayed that foot last month, to my surprise, I could see it absolutely wasn’t ringbone. At that point I stopped worrying about it entirely. That’s why I was so surprised when it popped.
Could it have been infected all along? Could a chronic leg infection that didn’t cause lameness have made him lose all that weight? Is that why he acted so sick at the end of October? Is that why he started feeling better when they originally put him on antibiotics for the cellulitis at the clinic? Did it cause the cellulitis and the more recent swelling? Did the long-term use of antibiotics finally helped enough that he wanted to eat his hay again?
All I know for sure is we have to get this thing to heal, too.
I don’t know, and my vet doesn’t know, either. It makes sense, but what about the nerve block? Now, I am just working on healing it up. He is walking as good as ever. He is even trotting sound. We have reduced his bute but kept up the antibiotics. I will call the vet again next week to give her an update and see where we go from there. Right now, things are looking better than they have in a few months. I should have my horse back in the spring when I need him the most. We have nieces we are teaching to ride…
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