We've had a tough couple of weeks :(

Hannah trotted up lame over two weeks ago so rather than waiting to see whether it got better, I called the vet and asked him to come up and have a look at her. He couldn’t be exactly sure where the lameness was coming from but from the flexion tests he thought it could be something in her hock or higher up. She was prescribed Quadrisol for two weeks and then a reassessment on the third week.

She has been on the Quadrisol now for just over a week. I was a little anxious about following the vet’s instructions to light hack her while she was on it, so I decided to field rest her instead. When she was still lame after taking the anti-inflammatory for seven days I called the vet back and was told to field rest her (which she had already been doing!)

Andrea Johnson (nee Morris) my instructor suggested she should be box rested as that sometimes just gave them the time to heal if it was muscular. Therefore I kept Hannah in on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

The farrier and physio came out on Tuesday afternoon too. Simon (farrier) didn’t think there was anything in her foot that would cause her lameness, but we all know how low a pain threshold my horse has, so it could just be that the shoes were starting to rub a little. The physio then thought she trotted up sound after she had her shoes done, and the spasm in her back she had found on her last visit had settled down and improving nicely.

I decided to take her on a short hack last night because she was looking so fed up. We went with Sue Williams and her new chestnut TB gelding, Fiddy. Hannah was very jumpy all the way around, but it was nice she see her back in action and striding out. I am trying not to get too positive about it as I do know she is still on the Quadrisol and that will be helping any aches and pains that could be causing the lameness.

It was a memorable hack though… Sue and I had a larger and lime on our way home, and Hannah had a half of Guinness. Well, they say it’s good for you when you’re pregnant!

Over 100 days now...

Well, we have made it to this stage at last! Hannah is now starting to show being in foal and is looking very well. The only problem is that she has become lame on her back left leg, either caused by a problem in her hock or something muscular further up.

The vet has put her on an anti-inflammatory that is suitable for mares in foal and she is to be ridden on light hacks for the next two weeks. If there is any sign of lameness in the third week he will then nerve block her and go from there.

Just to be on the safe side I have organised for a horse physiotherapist to come over tomorrow afternoon. She works closely with the horse chiropractor who has seen Hannah in the past, so hopefully she might be able to detect something in her muscles which is causing the lameness.

I have attached several pictures that were taken of her at just under 100 days in foal… there is a definite bump there now!