I'm delighted to report that both Drifter and Pie seem to be making great progress - it's day 19 of their treatment for EPM. Drifter was much less nervous today, despite the stiff wind, and we had a great session. His walk work was very good, loose and relaxed, with nice softening. So we trotted - and there was no balking, not even a bit - the balk is gone and there were no attempts to trot-a-lope - I expect he was trying to tell me something with the weird behaviors. At first, his trot was somewhat tentative and a bit lurchy. We did some straight lines at the trot, with walk around the turns. And, then, suddenly, Drifter's big trot was back! Drifter has had an exceptionally fine trot - huge impulsion and lift and the beginnings of extension, and full of fire and brio. I hadn't felt that trot for a long time, and then, today, it was back in spades! He really seemed to be enjoying himself - every time I asked for trot, he sprang into it and offered the most amazing, engaged, round trot - it was probably the best trot we'd ever done. It was almost as if he'd figure out that it no longer felt weird to trot and that it was OK - he seemed relieved and delighted. It was hard not to overdo things - we stopped after about ten minutes of trot work and we didn't do any tight turns, but the boy is back!
Then Pie and I went on a short trail ride with Charisma. He led most of the way on a loose rein, and his ears were up and he was interesting in, but not alarmed by, what we encountered, including barking, lunging dogs and suddenly appearing school buses. His walk was swinging and he motored up the small hills without any trouble although he was clearly having to use muscles that were out of use. He seemed very happy about the whole thing and it was the best trail ride we've had in a long time. This boy is back too!
And not to neglect Dawn - her tender toes seem to be be better and we had a gentle walk work session in the arena, and she was very good.
It was a very good day with horses . . .
And tomorrow, I'm getting a delivery of another 14 tons of pea gravel for Pie's paddock . . .
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
The Dangers of Fall Grass
Many people, I expect, know that, when the grass starts growing vigorously in the spring, horses can sometimes have problems, ranging from mild footsoreness to full-blown laminitis and even founder with rotation of the coffin bone. A caveat - I am not a vet and this post is based on the information I have learned over time. The mechanisms that cause high levels of available sugars - particularly fructans - to trigger damage to the laminae that attach the hoof capsule to the inner structures of the hoof are not completely understood, but it appears to relate to a restriction of circulation followed by excess blood flow - think migraine headache and you've got the basic idea. This article gives a brief overview and includes some ways to avoid triggering laminitis in horses who are on grazing - they all involve restricting the amount of grazing. Ponies and certain breeds such as Morgans, and horses which tend to gain weight easily or who are "cresty" are at particular risk, and some of these horses may not be able to graze at all without risk. And horses who are insulin resistant (who may not have the typical grass-sensitive body type - many racing TBs have been dosed with lots of steroids and this can predispose them to later problems - Dawn falls in this category) or senior horses can also have problems. The most accurate indication of insulin resistance is a cortisol blood test repeated at different times during the day - blood glucose levels can be indicative but are not determanitive.
But the article also points out that there are other circumstances besides spring where horses may be at risk. Any time grass is rapidly growing - such as after a drought breaks - can be a problem. And then there's fall and frosty nights - it isn't the temperature of the grass (in itself) or the frost/moisture on the grass - it's the result of how grass grows. Grass, like any other plant, uses sunlight during the day to manufacture food for itself - and in the case of grass this includes carbohydrates like fructan. And there are factors that affect how much fructan the grass accumulates - for example, more will accumulate on a sunny than a cloudy day. (Also, different grass types are more or less prone to accumulating high levels of fructans, and many commercial horse feeds also have inappropriately high levels of sugars.) And then the grass uses the stored carbohydrates during the nighttime hours to grow - grass grows at night not during the day. In the fall, when nighttime temperatures are colder, the grass has less chance to grow and use up the accumulated fructans from the day before. When nighttime temperatures fall below 50F, I begin to restrict the grazing of my horses, bringing them into dry lot paddocks in the early afternoon - fructan levels rise throughout the day and are typically highest in the mid to late afternoon. I shorten things up even more as nighttime temperatures fall into the 40sF, bringing my horses off pasture in the late morning. Dawn is somewhat insulin resistant, and Pie's had one prior episode of spring laminitis, so I'm extra careful with them, and although Drifter has never had a problem, I keep him on the same schedule as it's easier for me and can't hurt him.
And then we get frosty nights - once that's happening, and particularly if the subsequent day is sunny and warmer, which often happens in our falls - it fact it's happening today - I make sure my horses are off pasture after only a few early-morning hours. Even a longer day in the big "dry" lot - where there are still plenty of grass nibbles although not a huge amount of grass - was enough to make Dawn somewhat sore-footed the day before yesterday. She was a little bit better yesterday after a much shorter grazing period, and is even a bit better today - there's no heat in any foot except a little bit on the inner side of the left front, and it's not bad, and she's never had strong digital pulses (Pie did last spring), which is good. I think she's going to be OK, but I'm keeping a very close eye on her. Once daytime and nightime temperatures are below freezing more consistently, and the grass stops growing, and rain and snow have leached the fructans from the standing grasses, sensitive horses are likely to have less trouble grazing.
A horse's being prone or not prone to being "footy" or worse from grass is fundamentally a metabolic/nutritional issue, not a hoof structure/trimming/shoeing issue, although a horse's metabolism does affect how its feet grow and perform. Both Dawn and Pie are on a custom magnesium/chromium/selenium/vitamin E to help with glucose metabolism. If a horse is in shoes, that can sometimes conceal a metabolic problem with grass until it's more advanced - it doesn't mean that the shoes have solved the problem just because a horse is footy without shoes and not footy with them. This is the first fall that Dawn's been completely barefoot, and I think that she might well have had these issues in the fall in the past but they were concealed by the front shoes. Any horse with abnormal hoof growth patterns or hoof "rings" should be suspected of having some metabolic issues. And it's important to have a feeling for what's normal for your horse - both in terms of how their feet are looking/growing, how warm/cool the hooves are depending on the time of day and what they've been doing (although cold hooves don't necessarily mean things are OK, since the first stage of laminitis is restriction of circulation - that comes before the excess circulation that produces hot hooves), and how they move on different surfaces. And it's important to learn how to take a digital pulse and to know what your horse's normal is - here's a video showing how to do it - the stronger the digital pulse the more likely there is to be a problem.
There's a good resource for horse owners out there - it's called safergrass.org. Grazing is good for horses . . . but then sometimes it isn't.
But the article also points out that there are other circumstances besides spring where horses may be at risk. Any time grass is rapidly growing - such as after a drought breaks - can be a problem. And then there's fall and frosty nights - it isn't the temperature of the grass (in itself) or the frost/moisture on the grass - it's the result of how grass grows. Grass, like any other plant, uses sunlight during the day to manufacture food for itself - and in the case of grass this includes carbohydrates like fructan. And there are factors that affect how much fructan the grass accumulates - for example, more will accumulate on a sunny than a cloudy day. (Also, different grass types are more or less prone to accumulating high levels of fructans, and many commercial horse feeds also have inappropriately high levels of sugars.) And then the grass uses the stored carbohydrates during the nighttime hours to grow - grass grows at night not during the day. In the fall, when nighttime temperatures are colder, the grass has less chance to grow and use up the accumulated fructans from the day before. When nighttime temperatures fall below 50F, I begin to restrict the grazing of my horses, bringing them into dry lot paddocks in the early afternoon - fructan levels rise throughout the day and are typically highest in the mid to late afternoon. I shorten things up even more as nighttime temperatures fall into the 40sF, bringing my horses off pasture in the late morning. Dawn is somewhat insulin resistant, and Pie's had one prior episode of spring laminitis, so I'm extra careful with them, and although Drifter has never had a problem, I keep him on the same schedule as it's easier for me and can't hurt him.
And then we get frosty nights - once that's happening, and particularly if the subsequent day is sunny and warmer, which often happens in our falls - it fact it's happening today - I make sure my horses are off pasture after only a few early-morning hours. Even a longer day in the big "dry" lot - where there are still plenty of grass nibbles although not a huge amount of grass - was enough to make Dawn somewhat sore-footed the day before yesterday. She was a little bit better yesterday after a much shorter grazing period, and is even a bit better today - there's no heat in any foot except a little bit on the inner side of the left front, and it's not bad, and she's never had strong digital pulses (Pie did last spring), which is good. I think she's going to be OK, but I'm keeping a very close eye on her. Once daytime and nightime temperatures are below freezing more consistently, and the grass stops growing, and rain and snow have leached the fructans from the standing grasses, sensitive horses are likely to have less trouble grazing.
A horse's being prone or not prone to being "footy" or worse from grass is fundamentally a metabolic/nutritional issue, not a hoof structure/trimming/shoeing issue, although a horse's metabolism does affect how its feet grow and perform. Both Dawn and Pie are on a custom magnesium/chromium/selenium/vitamin E to help with glucose metabolism. If a horse is in shoes, that can sometimes conceal a metabolic problem with grass until it's more advanced - it doesn't mean that the shoes have solved the problem just because a horse is footy without shoes and not footy with them. This is the first fall that Dawn's been completely barefoot, and I think that she might well have had these issues in the fall in the past but they were concealed by the front shoes. Any horse with abnormal hoof growth patterns or hoof "rings" should be suspected of having some metabolic issues. And it's important to have a feeling for what's normal for your horse - both in terms of how their feet are looking/growing, how warm/cool the hooves are depending on the time of day and what they've been doing (although cold hooves don't necessarily mean things are OK, since the first stage of laminitis is restriction of circulation - that comes before the excess circulation that produces hot hooves), and how they move on different surfaces. And it's important to learn how to take a digital pulse and to know what your horse's normal is - here's a video showing how to do it - the stronger the digital pulse the more likely there is to be a problem.
There's a good resource for horse owners out there - it's called safergrass.org. Grazing is good for horses . . . but then sometimes it isn't.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Once a Week Rider
The weather and my schedule finally cooperated and I got in rides on all three horses. We've had rain, and wind, and more rain and wind - yesterday we had gusts to 50mph - so the last time I rode was a week ago. That's the downside of having my horses at a place with no indoor. As we get further into winter, riding will become more occasional, until sometime in December or January where there's about 6 to 8 weeks where I can't ride even on the trail. The arena becomes unusable earlier due to freezing of the footing.
Today wasn't bad at all - temperatures in the upper 40s/low50sF, with on and off sun and not too much wind. When I went to the barn after lunch, Drifter and Dawn were both napping in their paddocks, and Drifter got up first so he got ridden first. He was a ball of energy - several of the mares are in heat - and easily distracted, but we got some good work done and he didn't do anything untoward and relaxed a bit by the end of our session. We worked primarily on him stretching into a nice walk, going over poles and then a bit of trotting. He was perfectly happy to trot but his trot doesn't feel completely normal yet - he's still feeling it out a bit and it got better the more we did.
Dawn was next. She's a bit "footy" on hard surfaces right now - I think she got a bit too much grazing yesterday even in the (almost) dry lot, so today I pulled her into a paddock after only two hours. She had a bit of bute yesterday and today, and I think she's going to be fine. We had an easy session at the walk, just working on some lateral work, some poles and some stretching down. In contrast to Drifter, who was a bundle of nerves, she was very relaxed and even stood completely still for mounting (rather than trying to back up - we may have this one fixed).
Pie and I had a nice short walking session, working on him using himself at the walk, and going over poles - his walk isn't 100% right yet under saddle but very close, and he seems completely comfortable and happy. We also did a few short excursions outside the arena.
Keeping fingers crossed for more riding days soon . . .
Today wasn't bad at all - temperatures in the upper 40s/low50sF, with on and off sun and not too much wind. When I went to the barn after lunch, Drifter and Dawn were both napping in their paddocks, and Drifter got up first so he got ridden first. He was a ball of energy - several of the mares are in heat - and easily distracted, but we got some good work done and he didn't do anything untoward and relaxed a bit by the end of our session. We worked primarily on him stretching into a nice walk, going over poles and then a bit of trotting. He was perfectly happy to trot but his trot doesn't feel completely normal yet - he's still feeling it out a bit and it got better the more we did.
Dawn was next. She's a bit "footy" on hard surfaces right now - I think she got a bit too much grazing yesterday even in the (almost) dry lot, so today I pulled her into a paddock after only two hours. She had a bit of bute yesterday and today, and I think she's going to be fine. We had an easy session at the walk, just working on some lateral work, some poles and some stretching down. In contrast to Drifter, who was a bundle of nerves, she was very relaxed and even stood completely still for mounting (rather than trying to back up - we may have this one fixed).
Pie and I had a nice short walking session, working on him using himself at the walk, and going over poles - his walk isn't 100% right yet under saddle but very close, and he seems completely comfortable and happy. We also did a few short excursions outside the arena.
Keeping fingers crossed for more riding days soon . . .
Friday, November 11, 2011
Encouraging News
Pie and Drifter had a visit from our vet/chiropractor today. She did neurological exams on them to check their progress - they're on day 15 of their treatment for EPM - they've completed the full 10-day paste treatment with Oroquin-10 (decoquinate plus levamisole) and are now 5 days into their 90 days of feed supplementation with a lower dose of decoquinate.
The bottom line is that both boys are greatly improved - in fact I've noted sustantial improvement even in the past 5 days. Pie now does the turning test in both directions without any difficultly, and crosses over with both hinds, although the reach on the left hind is still slightly reduced - this is a big change even from last Sunday, when he still had some difficulty with his left hind. His backing is also improved - he uses both hinds equally and can easily back straight. And his spinal nerve responses were dramatically improved - in fact in certain areas he was hypersensative, which apparently isn't unusual as the nervous system recovers from EPM. He was his cheerful, inquisitive, interactive self again too, and was running and bucking in his paddock this morning.
Drifter is also doing very well - his crossing tests are very close to normal - there is still a very slight delay with the right hind, but his left hind is moving very well - it no longer toe drags and there's no swinging out. His backing is greatly improved - he lifts both hinds well and there is no pulling/dragging backwards of the feet. He does have somewhat reduced spinal nerve reflexes generally, although this is also likely to improve. The only downside of Drifter feeling better is that he is very feisty, wanting to bite and play, which is a good thing but makes him somewhat more challenging to work with.
Both horses also had normal responses when the vet tried to put one hind foot behind the other - both horses resisted and wouldn't put their hinds in that abnormal position, whereas both had had abnormal responses before - Pie had left his left hind behind his right hind indefinitely, and Drifter had difficulty correcting his hind foot placement. They both clearly know where their hind feet are and are able to control where the feet go.
I couldn't be more delighted - it's clear the treatment has made an enormous difference and that both horses are greatly improved. Now if the weather and my schedule would cooperate, we could do some riding . . .
The bottom line is that both boys are greatly improved - in fact I've noted sustantial improvement even in the past 5 days. Pie now does the turning test in both directions without any difficultly, and crosses over with both hinds, although the reach on the left hind is still slightly reduced - this is a big change even from last Sunday, when he still had some difficulty with his left hind. His backing is also improved - he uses both hinds equally and can easily back straight. And his spinal nerve responses were dramatically improved - in fact in certain areas he was hypersensative, which apparently isn't unusual as the nervous system recovers from EPM. He was his cheerful, inquisitive, interactive self again too, and was running and bucking in his paddock this morning.
Drifter is also doing very well - his crossing tests are very close to normal - there is still a very slight delay with the right hind, but his left hind is moving very well - it no longer toe drags and there's no swinging out. His backing is greatly improved - he lifts both hinds well and there is no pulling/dragging backwards of the feet. He does have somewhat reduced spinal nerve reflexes generally, although this is also likely to improve. The only downside of Drifter feeling better is that he is very feisty, wanting to bite and play, which is a good thing but makes him somewhat more challenging to work with.
Both horses also had normal responses when the vet tried to put one hind foot behind the other - both horses resisted and wouldn't put their hinds in that abnormal position, whereas both had had abnormal responses before - Pie had left his left hind behind his right hind indefinitely, and Drifter had difficulty correcting his hind foot placement. They both clearly know where their hind feet are and are able to control where the feet go.
I couldn't be more delighted - it's clear the treatment has made an enormous difference and that both horses are greatly improved. Now if the weather and my schedule would cooperate, we could do some riding . . .
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Pictures of (12) Hooves
All three horses got trims today - Dawn's was minimal in front as she's only out of front shoes for a couple of weeks. All were good for the trims - Dawn always is and both Drifter and Pie were much improved, although Drifter was still a bit fussy with the left hind and Pie had to take a rest break with his left hind.
I thought that, since they were newly trimmed, it would be fun to take pictures of their feet to record where they are and document any progress in developing better hooves. So, without further ado, here they are:
Dawn, left front:
Dawn, right front:
For a horse that's been in front shoes probably continuously since she was very young - she was a racehorse - her front feet aren't too bad - she's got a decent frog, decent depth of sulci, but is still lacking in sole convexity and her heels are still somewhat contracted - but not too bad at all as a place to start.
Dawn, left rear:
Dawn, right rear:
Dawn's been out of rear shoes for about 10 years, and her hind feed are doing pretty well - decent heel development and sole convexity.
Drifter, left front:
Drifter: right front:
Drifter's fronts are a bit odd - the left front is quite round but the heel is fairly contracted. The right front is very narrow to the back. His front soles also lack convexity. I attribute his lack of heel development and sole convexity to the fact that he hasn't had the opportunity to develop a competent foot - he wasn't ridden much if at all for over two years before I got him and only was on soft surfaces.
Drifter, left rear:
Drifter, right rear:
Drifter's rears aren't too bad - decent heel development and good proportions.
Pie, left front:
Pie, right front:
Pie, left rear:
Pie, right rear:
Pie has amazingly nice feet - good substance and convexity, and nice, broad frogs and well-developed heels with good sulci. Pie grew up on a ranch in Montana and then spent a few years in a hilly pasture in Minnesota with lots of exposed rock, and has never worn shoes. This is a good illustration of the importance of the surfaces a horse's feet are exposed to.
I've just gotten 14 tons of pea gravel installed in the lower end of Pie's paddock - he and Drifter will each be spending a half day in there and a half day in dry lot, and PIe will stay in there at night. I expect this will help Drifter's feet develop heel structures and more convexity. Pie loves his gravel - he has moved his bathroom area out of that area and whenever he takes a nap, he can be found curled up on his comfortable, conformable gravel.
I'll try to document the 12 hooves over time to see what changes occur. (And many thanks to our wonderful p.m. barn lady who helped out by holding hooves.) It should also be noted that both Pie and Drifter are completely comfortable walking on all surfaces, including hard surfaces and irregular gravel as in our barn parking lot.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Improvements
I rode all three horses today - it was a beautiful day in the 50sF with almost no wind and we're supposed to have a lot of rain starting tonight. Dawn and I continued her lateral work at the walk; she was great - focussed and responsive. She's getting a trim tomorrow, and assuming she doesn't have any soreness from that, we should be back to trotting shortly.
Drifter continued to show me how good he's feeling by trying on some stuff on the ground - there was one attempt to nip and some pawing while I was asking him to back in hand (both of which got immediate corrections), but we worked through it. Our goal today was to work over some poles to strengthen his hind end and also have him really lengthen the walk, and if he felt very good, to try a bit of trot in short, straight sections. We did all of that - and when I asked him to trot there was no resistance or balking, which I also take to mean that he's feeling good again. And the trot was pretty good too - he was a bit tentative at first but there was no unsoundness.
Pie did well too - we had the same exercise agenda as Drifter, but I wasn't going to trot him yet. Before I got on, we did the turning test and this time he crossed over a little bit immediately in both directions, which is a big improvement even over yesterday. And he was able to back straight under saddle without a lot of support with my left leg, which was also a big improvement. After our short session of arena work, we took a little trail excursion, which he seemed to enjoy.
Drifter and Pie are getting trims tomorrow, too - I had deferred that for a week to allow them to complete their Oroquin-10 treatment. Pie particularly had a lot of trouble holding his feet up for the farrier last time, and it'll be interesting to see how they both do this time.
I'm encouraged . . .
Drifter continued to show me how good he's feeling by trying on some stuff on the ground - there was one attempt to nip and some pawing while I was asking him to back in hand (both of which got immediate corrections), but we worked through it. Our goal today was to work over some poles to strengthen his hind end and also have him really lengthen the walk, and if he felt very good, to try a bit of trot in short, straight sections. We did all of that - and when I asked him to trot there was no resistance or balking, which I also take to mean that he's feeling good again. And the trot was pretty good too - he was a bit tentative at first but there was no unsoundness.
Pie did well too - we had the same exercise agenda as Drifter, but I wasn't going to trot him yet. Before I got on, we did the turning test and this time he crossed over a little bit immediately in both directions, which is a big improvement even over yesterday. And he was able to back straight under saddle without a lot of support with my left leg, which was also a big improvement. After our short session of arena work, we took a little trail excursion, which he seemed to enjoy.
Drifter and Pie are getting trims tomorrow, too - I had deferred that for a week to allow them to complete their Oroquin-10 treatment. Pie particularly had a lot of trouble holding his feet up for the farrier last time, and it'll be interesting to see how they both do this time.
I'm encouraged . . .
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Some Videos - Lateral Work and Hind Legs Crossing
My (long-suffering) husband was persuaded to come to the barn this afternoon so we could experiment with doing some videos.
The first video is of Dawn. First there are a couple of square turns - this is the first stage of teaching her to do walk pirouettes. It was extremely windy so she wasn't as relaxed as I'd like, and you'll notice that there is a bit of head bobbing and tail swishing, but she's doing it pretty well. Now we can work on increasing the impulsion and maintaining the softness - right now keeping the forward is important. Next there's a short clip of her transitioning from a walk to side pass - this also isn't perfect yet - you'll note the front end is a bit "stuck" and isn't swinging over yet and she doesn't make it all the way to a full side pass, but I'm pretty happy with where she is at this point. And the last clip shows her transitioning from a small circle into shoulder in - this is also a work in process as she's still a bit over bent in the neck and her shoulders are slightly too far to the inside resulting in four tracks instead of three. But the work is coming along pretty nicely and Dawn seems to like the challenge.
And in case any of you were curious about how Drifter and Pie were doing in the hind leg crossing test that is a good gauge of neurological issues they've been having due to EPM - our 10th and last day of treatment with Oroquin-10 paste was today and now we're on to the 90-day feed top dressing - we did some video on that too. First, for your viewing pleasure, is a brief clip of Drifter being fractious - he was excited by the wind and the change in routine - he loves his routines - and was trying to be nippy - I wouldn't allow it - so he decided going up would be fun, although I noted that he was careful not to get in my space. I moved him aggressively backwards to make the point that his behavior wasn't OK and he settled down and we took some videos.
As recently as last week, Drifter was dragging his left hind when doing this test. As you'll see, that no longer happens and his cross over is excellent with both hind legs (obviously his hind end is feeling pretty good since he was able to rear just fine). Drifter is the horse with no white legs, and Pie has the one white hind foot. Pie, on the other hand, still is struggling with this, although he's moving pretty well in the pasture and even jumped a large puddle when galloping in yesterday. He has great difficulty crossing over with the left hind - he sidesteps, then steps behind, then finally manages to eke out a few small crossover steps - this is the best he's been in a while. Turning the other way, when the right hind is supposed to cross over, he initially has trouble getting the left hind out of the way but once he figures it out he's able to cross over somewhat with the right hind.
My conclusion is that Drifter's impairments are pretty much gone, and Pie's still are lingering - it may be that Drifter only experienced neurological inflammation and Pie has some actual neurological damage. The good news is that with time, since his impairments are fairly minor, Pie should recover as his nervous system "relearns" how to move. He's already making progress on that as shown by his improvement.
The first video is of Dawn. First there are a couple of square turns - this is the first stage of teaching her to do walk pirouettes. It was extremely windy so she wasn't as relaxed as I'd like, and you'll notice that there is a bit of head bobbing and tail swishing, but she's doing it pretty well. Now we can work on increasing the impulsion and maintaining the softness - right now keeping the forward is important. Next there's a short clip of her transitioning from a walk to side pass - this also isn't perfect yet - you'll note the front end is a bit "stuck" and isn't swinging over yet and she doesn't make it all the way to a full side pass, but I'm pretty happy with where she is at this point. And the last clip shows her transitioning from a small circle into shoulder in - this is also a work in process as she's still a bit over bent in the neck and her shoulders are slightly too far to the inside resulting in four tracks instead of three. But the work is coming along pretty nicely and Dawn seems to like the challenge.
And in case any of you were curious about how Drifter and Pie were doing in the hind leg crossing test that is a good gauge of neurological issues they've been having due to EPM - our 10th and last day of treatment with Oroquin-10 paste was today and now we're on to the 90-day feed top dressing - we did some video on that too. First, for your viewing pleasure, is a brief clip of Drifter being fractious - he was excited by the wind and the change in routine - he loves his routines - and was trying to be nippy - I wouldn't allow it - so he decided going up would be fun, although I noted that he was careful not to get in my space. I moved him aggressively backwards to make the point that his behavior wasn't OK and he settled down and we took some videos.
As recently as last week, Drifter was dragging his left hind when doing this test. As you'll see, that no longer happens and his cross over is excellent with both hind legs (obviously his hind end is feeling pretty good since he was able to rear just fine). Drifter is the horse with no white legs, and Pie has the one white hind foot. Pie, on the other hand, still is struggling with this, although he's moving pretty well in the pasture and even jumped a large puddle when galloping in yesterday. He has great difficulty crossing over with the left hind - he sidesteps, then steps behind, then finally manages to eke out a few small crossover steps - this is the best he's been in a while. Turning the other way, when the right hind is supposed to cross over, he initially has trouble getting the left hind out of the way but once he figures it out he's able to cross over somewhat with the right hind.
My conclusion is that Drifter's impairments are pretty much gone, and Pie's still are lingering - it may be that Drifter only experienced neurological inflammation and Pie has some actual neurological damage. The good news is that with time, since his impairments are fairly minor, Pie should recover as his nervous system "relearns" how to move. He's already making progress on that as shown by his improvement.
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