UPDATE ON MOLLY

[debandmolly1]

Not sure whether i should be happy or sad at this moment, ive been to the vets to see molly this morning and i cant get my head round it! i walked into the stable block and she stood there as quiet as a mouse. shes not like this at home she is pushing at the door let me out!, they came in tacked her up!, no kicking out when they put the saddle on, no kicking underneath when they did the girth up nothing! walked her out to the field she was quiet, stood in the field just held her rein loosely! no fidgetting no getting wound up nothing, they legged the girl up and molly just stood there!, not surging of nothing, she WALKED away slowly and fine, i couldnt believe my eyes, the girl i should just add was a LOT lighter than me, she walked, trotted and cantered her round on both reins and molly was fine, a bit stiff at the back in my opinion, the girl said that when she first got on molly seemed to tense but then relaxed and felt a bit lame and stiff, they brought her in, nerve blocked her ligaments on both her back legs and untacked her then left her in the stable for 30 minutes, molly stood there as quiet as a mouse, they came in again, tacked her up, nothing she never moved, took her out again same thing she just stood there, rode her again and molly looked great, she moved freely she never put a foot wrong!,they are now going to sonic wave he ligaments 0nce a fortnight for 6 weeks, now im blaming myself! is it me, am i to heavy for her, is it the mounting block, what is it, does she associate me with the pain, i dont know, i just know i feel sick all the time and im terrified that when i get back on she will know its me and do it again,

[mandal]

Right one or two things to bear in mind... Molly is in a strange place with strangers...horses often react by being quiet when uncertain. Has she had any sedalin etc. today or it could still be in her system.
I think the main things is for them to finish their tests and get a diagnosis then you know what you are dealing with.

My lot often make me out to be a liar!! This is where the help of an RA comes in...tbh in my experience the RA will help you to help the horse and it sounds like you need some hands on support and a confidence boost!! Just talking it through with an RA will help you feel better, I know!

((((((((hugs)))))))

[debandmolly1]

thanks mandal, i said to the vet is she drugged ad he said no, she had sedalin yesterday and she was extremely tired you could tell, the vet said, and i surpose hes got a point because he has seen me put the saddle on molly at my place and she kicked out so he knows what she does, she is like a child, your child if anything like mine! can be a right monkey at home but when they go to somebody elses house they are as good as gold, as soon as you get them home they are monkeys again! he said she has been a wonderful patient, stuck needles in her and everything andshe hasnt put a foot wrong, im praying im not to heavy for her, i feel its the mounting block situation thats winding her up at the beginning but im to old and too fat to have a leg up so how else do i get on her? i will get somebody in when she can be ridden she has to have 2 weeks rest from 2day before i try, do you know of anybody in my area i live in loughborough, leicestershire

[Cameo]

Hullo!
I remember being worried about being underhorsed for various horses I have had - so I did some research on how to check.
It is of course only guestimates and of course there are all those other factors to take into account like horse's build, our riding style, the length of back (short=stronger, long=weaker), strength of loins (the wider= the stronger, the muscley-er=the stronger etc)...but what I did was these measurements...

• Measure around the cannon bone just under the knee.
  
  
• Take the weight of the horse (use a measuring tape around the girth area).
  
  
• Add to this figure, your weight (clothed).
  
  
• Now add the weight of your tack.
  
  
• Divide the answer by the cannon bone meaurement.
  
  
• Now divide this answer by two.
  
  

As a rule of thumb - if your answer is in between 75 and 85, then you are okay. If it is over 85, then you may be underhorsed. This is though for hard competitive riding. For casual leisure riding it is more. However, if I got my result up to about 93 for example - then according to the guidelines - I should be looking to either reduce the weight, or look ofr a bigger horse.

Of course there are all the other things as well - like pain somewhere (as in Molly's case) that may be exacerbated by having a certain amount of weight on her back as well...my old mare by these measurements could carry much more than me - but her conformation and other issues, meant that she actually wasn't as happy carrying the heavier weights she "should" have been capable of.

There is also the 20% rule of thumb (the horse supposedly can carry 20% of their own weight - provided the horse isn't over weight)or the horses weight in pounds divided by 6.

(Going out to measure my own horses now!)

Modified becasue I wrote it down wrong!

[mandal]

Click on the Intelligent Horsemanship main web site link at the top of the page then on Specialist horse training to find an RA in your area debandmolly.

[mandal]

Any news Deb??? How are you both?

[tomrabbit]

Deb, I'm not surprised you are taking her behaviour so to heart - I'm sure anyone would. Who knows why she was so well behaved for the vet?
Have you thought any more about getting an RA out for Molly? It would really help if you could hand the problem over to someone else who isn't personally involved, and take a little step back. As Mandal says, even talking it through might help. I can't speak for all RAs, but the one I contacted was happy to have a long chat on the phone about the problem before I decided to call him out. I also think that if an RA believed you were too heavy for the horse, they would let you know. Is it possible that Molly still needs to develop stronger muscles in her back, and then she will be able to bear weight more easily? That was the case with my daughter's horse. She is very light, but when his back was sore and undermuscled, he still couldn't tolerate her weight on him. Or maybe your weight has no bearing on her behaviour (you don't sound like the sort of person who would ride a horse obviously too small for them), but it would be good to hear that from an expert!
Hope you find the support you need.
((((hugs))))

[stybba]

Deb, I have just caught up with your story.

Firstly I have to say, I think you are a brilliant owner to be taking so much time, money and trouble to help your horse. So many people would have just blamed the horse and done God knows what to try to get her to submit.

So for goodness' sake, you have nothing to beat yourself up about.

It may be that she needs some remedial work to help her back muscles strengthen, and to encourage her to use them properly, particularly if she has been in pain for quite some time.

I can really recommend long lining to help with this. This will also give you an opportunity to work with her from the ground and build up a good relationship without the stress of potentially putting yourself at risk.

If you get an RA out they can show you how to do this if you don't already know.

I really hope that things improve for you both. Good luck! ;D

[Cameo]

Hi, Just wondering how you were getting on.

I'm glad Stybba and others ahave said the same that I said to you on the telephone in the summer - you have nothing to feel bad about.


So many people would simply have said the horse was "being difficult" and that was "just her" and that perhaps all the horse needed was "sorting out".
So - well done you for listening to your horse and spending so much time and effort on her.

She is lucky to have you looking out for her. Take a pat on the back! How is it going?

[vics]

Debs pc has broken but as soon as I can I'll get her to give you an update as soon as poss, she hasn't forgotten you all!

[mandal]

Thanks for that vics...tell Deb we're thinking of her and Molly please.

[debandmolly1]

hi everybody, im back lol, thanks for asking about us both we are fine at the minute, molly is due in the vets again on thursday for more shock wave treatment, i called the vet last monday as molly wasnt walking properly in my opinion and she was so quiet something didnt feel right, he told me to trot her up so this is what i did, well as i was doing the running i couldnt see but my dads comments were enough to scare me to death, he said he had never seen anything like it in his life!!!!!!!!!!!!, my heart sunk and i felt sick to the pit of my stomach, what was wrong?, i think dad was so scared he ran with her for me, bareing in mind molly is a 15/1 arab cross connermara who carrys her head extremely high and dad is a very old 70year old and about 5ft3 haha, fortunatley molly worships him so she was a good girl, anyway he troted her away from me and i couldnt believe my eyes, her back legs were litterally crossing over each other as she ran, i dropped to my knees and cried,what had they done to my beautiful mare, i rang the vet immediatley, he was superb, got some bute for me to give her straight the way and arranged to come out the next day, well dad turned her out for me in the morning and he said when she ran up the field she was as straight as anything, i couldnt believe it , seems as though when she had rested at night she was fine but come the end of the day she wasnt, the vet came and he checked molly over thoroughly i must admit his is very good and i trust him with her, he agrees her action has changed a lot but he said that was caused by the pain of the shock wave treatment so bute was the best thing for her, so i kicked myself again for allowing her to be in pain over the weekend and not doing anything about it yet again, she is fine now running free and in all fairness she looks great when she is charging round the field her back legs are extending lovely which they didnt do before, i brought her in the other day for a massage and i couldnt find the usual swelling thats in the saddle area at all, she showed no sign of pain at all in her back and that is a first, i can always tell when her back hurts and i can honestly say it didnt, i was thrilled to bits i think its working, i also layed accross her the other day and she never batted an eyelid!!!!!!, fingers crossed im getting there god knows im trying, still absolutely terrified of getting back on but a lot more optimistic that i will, as i say she is due in the vets again on thursday morning so ive creeped to my gooood friend vicky to help me get her in the trailer and then i have to gently ride her after that so ill get an RA when i get the go ahead and we will see what happens, thanks to all you kind people, you have all kept me going through this and i really appreciate it, your kind words mean so much to me sometimes ive had tears in my eyes as ive been typing

[mandal]

Hang on in there Deb and forget about the riding bit till Molly is fit...you've enough to worry about. Sounds like things are changing dramatically with this shock wave treatment. How does it work and where are they applying it?
Good luck for thursday.

[stybba]

I must admit, I know absolutley nothing about shock wave therapy, and you have got me curious now!

Definately don't rush getting on her. It sounds like you both need time to heal, and even when she is fully better physically, she may still have a few hang-ups with remembered pain.

Take it easy, we want both of you to stay in one piece!

[vics]

I think the vet has asked for her to be sat on quite soon, thats all.
Deb, I'm happy to get on for you if your ribs aren't up to it yet, have got my body armour at the ready or I'll come and hold her while you sit on. xx