Long reining or Inhand... or what?

[calekio]

So my little old lady (cushingoid, arthritic, ems, laminitis....) is feeling a bit up and down... she is seeming to bounce... goes from dull and depressive to i've let her go out with the herd yesterday and definately seemed happier... only out for hour or so while i muck out as bigger field.. although grass is somewhere under the mud and wet! lol But she is struggling with her hind legs.. arthritis in the hocks.. i'm saying at a guess... muddy small field is not helping.. she is stabled at night and last sunday i honestly thought i was going to have to call the emergency vet as she came out of her stable and couldn't move! Like her back legs had seized up and she was shuffling! She did loosen up and i mention it to vet the next day who said monitor her.

But thought maybe some gentle work might help? She's been very sluggish and not very interested in walking out in hand lately... so thought maybe long reining might make it more interesting for her if she has to use her brain.. (she knows how to long rein)
However she is also prone to explosive fits of bucking and cantering on the spot.. (effects of increase pergolide! we had this last time!!) and the thought of walking behind 'that'... doesn't really appeal to me!! lol So any other ideas of walking in hand (till i know i'm not going to end up kicked in the head! lol) whilst making it more.... interesting... lol

[Caroline]

Would it be possible to let her be out with a herd 24/7? That should solve her depression issues and I would have thought would also solve the arthritis issues as she would be able to move around as much or little as she wants.

[calekio]

Unfortantly they are on 3 acres.... which i know i discussed before and it was decided not a good idea to have chronic laminitic out on 3 acres... they've mostly eaten all the grass down... but get a little bit of hay in the day but its not soaked which she gets soaked... and she has to be stabled overnight at least all year round as find it helps her lammi side of things being in on deep bed to rest.. normally in summer she is with them all during day as they on lammi paddock... and i'm hoping now to slowly increase the amount of time she can spend out with them but doing it slowly as to not upset lammi issues... and she is so set in her ways she is getting confused now bless her.. goes out happily and about 30 minutes later she is stood at the fence to her little paddock, waiting to come in and get her soaked hay... (she did this when we orignally got her out of the box.. she can't quite understand change bless her! lol)

But hopefully she can start spending more time out there with them but very slow process... as it is today is only second day out there... and this morning one of the youngsters (terrors! lol) came over to get her to play and she had a little.. short.. canter and a buck then i think she regretted it in the mud! lol

[nich]

Calekio, my senior girl - also cushingoid and arthritic - has been a lot better since I remembered to put her bio flow magnetic boots on at night. I do occasional lunging ink and groundwork to keep
The blood flowing but the boots make a big difference.

[calekio]

Yer i'm going to work on putting magnetic boots on her nich... see if helps.. problem i'm finding in wet muddy legs... and can't get turnout socks small enough... :/ thinking be worse to put her to bed with legs having been hosed off and washed with freezing cold water...