A borrowed freedom when we rode

Whenever I am sad, I like to watch the Horseware Rugs for Life commercial.

It is by far one of my favourite commercials of all time, and it also sums up how I feel about Walker.  Every word.

The vet came on Friday and the results are in with regards to Walker's lameness.

I have written this post a hundred times already.  Sometimes it is sad.  Sometimes it is uplifting.  Today, I have decided to go with simply the facts:

Walker is never going to be 100% again.

According to the vet, we are in "management mode" now.

His feet are bad.  It's all in his front feet.  It just seems to be a myriad of things that combined have just crept up on us and grown out of control.  He has low heels, long toes, thick soles, minor navicular changes, feet that are toed in and which he prefers to keep too close together, and feet that he likes to point like a ballerina into the sand.

There is significant deterioration in his right front coffin bone which is present just since his last x-ray 6 months ago, and since we have ruled out infection, she can only assume that it is from "repetitive and chronic stress".  I like to think that one person cannot singlehandedly do so much damage to a horse in such a short stretch of time, but if there has been repeated stress on that foot, then I can only blame myself.

On Friday, before her report on the x-rays, I took the news really well, probably since I already suspected it.  With time, I have gone through waves of emotion since then and pretty much broke down completely after I got her x-ray report today.

I never thought we were superstars, but I thought we might accomplish more.  Sometimes I still think we will.  Sometimes I'm doubtful.

The vet and I have discussed our options.  We are putting him on Previcox as an alternative to constant bute, and he is off work until he is feeling better.  He can still be turned out, but there are some serious changes that need to be made.  He needs double the stall mats, extra thick bedding as support, and he will wear pads with his shoes from now on or else he's going to need to wear something like SoftRide Boots any time he is turned out or ridden.  I will be getting the pads and buying the boots regardless.  He will need another set of x-rays in about 3 months time.

As for riding, the vet says that he can still work.  Once he is better, she wants us to decrease our riding to about 4-5 times a week.  I have pressed her on the meaning of this, and I frankly think that she is dancing around giving me worse news - which is that he probably won't be able to tolerate even that.  I asked her "how lame is too lame" to work, and she pretty much described Walker 90% of the time.  Unless these pills truly do make him more comfortable, that's that.

I have not decided if I'm going to ride him at all or what we are going to do.

All I know is that I intend to create a life for him which he can enjoy.  He has been a constant friend to me these last few years, and I expect him to continue being a constant friend to me for years yet.