I just organized an exercise for Mr. Spirit to build up the muscles around his stifle joints, especially his right rear.
History: Before I bought him he fell off a cliff in the Kispiox valley (wilderness, BC lol) while living his past life of pack horse. I knew about his injury before he came to be with me, it was described as a 'hock injury' and the vet checked him over and pronounced it a soft tissue injury, no joint injury.
Since then I have spent quite a lot of time massaging him after rides, with lots of focus on his hind legs, hips, etc. and done T-Touch and Reiki and recently Quantum Touch. Earlier on this year, somehow, he reinjured. After the research I have been doing, I would say in the deep mud in the paddock. Soooooo, he would seem fine, we would go for a ride, after untacking and being released he would pull up really lame and then walk it off on his way to the paddock. I slowly stopped riding him and the final ride, when he pulled up lame 400 yards in, well, it became clear to me that I needed to be doing something different.
I have contined to hot linament him before ponying him with my other horse (my daughter's) and also walk him up and down this hill on my road.
Recently, I have included cold linament after exercise and have been implementing a formal exercise plan. I also have had him on a joint supplement powder for about a month.
Here's the exercise plan for any who want to know (slightly modified from
http://www.myhorse.com/health/natural-holistic/hands-on_help_for_arthritis_in_horses.aspx#top):
Mr. Spirit's Exercise Program
Check the do’s and don’ts for exercise, and use all the other available tools for support (therapy, heat/cold and massage). If your horse was recently diagnosed, or had a recent flareup of an old problem, check with your vet to be sure the horse is ready for light exercise.
Days 1 – 3: Hand walk for 5 minutes.
Days 4 – 6: Hand walk for 5 minutes twice a day.
Days 7 – 9: Hand walk for 10 minutes twice a day.
Days 10 – 13: Hand walk for 20 minutes a day.
[I am currently lungeing him at a walk for about 10 minutes each way and then hand walking him for another 20 minutes.]
Days 14 – 21: Lunge or round pen 20 minutes a day, both directions. Let the horse walk. Do not ask for a trot. If he wants to trot, limit it to no more than a minute or two.
Days 22 – 28: Same as above, but increase to 30 minutes, either all at once or in two 15-minute sessions.
At this point, if the horse is doing well, you can begin riding under saddle, no more than 15 minutes a day to start and only at the walk. Increase by five minutes every three days. When the horse is walking for 30 minutes comfortably, you can try short trots, a minute or two at a time.
Eventually, 30 minutes of riding per day, 15 to 20 minutes trotting and the rest at a walk will do wonders for keeping the horse more comfortable. Days you can’t ride, you should at least try to make sure he gets round pen or lunge time. Daily formal exercise is definitely best. The horse should be exercised at a minimum of every other day if you expect to see any benefit.
If the horse is doing very well with this light exercise plan and you want to try to make him more active, consult with your vet for specific advice on devising a plan to increase the work safely.
My neighbour, who had knee surgery, would like me to ride her horse, Red (Canadian breed). He hasn't been ridden for years but he's a really good boy, so I am looking forward to that. And eventually my neighbour will be able to ride Red and I'll be back to riding Spirit. Yippee!
Happy Trails!
