[blackcat95]

I guess it's true bad things come in 3's... it's been one heck of a week.

A couple of days ago I got to the barn and Punchie was pawing. Really bad. Turns out he was colicing, dosed him up on Banamine and walked him. He was ok, but it was scary. That was Bad Thing #1.

Then yesterday he got stung by a bee in the pasture, bolted, tripped, and skidded on his shoulder and rolled over. He got up ok with nothing but a big surface abrasion- road rash if you will- on his shoulder. He trotted sound so we figured he was ok- a little bruised and beat up, but ok. That was Bad Thing #2.

Bad Thing #3- this morning we went over to check on him and he was lame. Can barely walk lame. He was so stiff and sore from falling, and on top of that he was pretty lame off of his right front, but more in the shoulder rather than the leg. We called the vet, and she came and ultrasounded. She's not sure, but it looked bad enough for her to make a pretty good assumption that it's a fracture in his right shoulder. He's going in to the clinic to get x-rays on Thursday, and is on two days of stall rest and bute, as well as the anti-inflammatory the vet gave him when she was here.

So my show season is shot, and I don't see riding Punchie in the near future. If it is a fracture and it's bad, they may have to do surgery, which means more recovery time. And he'll probably have to stay up here in Maine while I go back to Maryland, because he can't trailer 500 miles with a fractured shoulder. It's really upsetting- we were doing so well, showing and riding, up til now.

Why do horses have to do stupid things?

[2DogsFarm]

Why do horses have to do stupid things?

Sorry for your bad news, but really "stupid"?
To me that means knowing something will end badly & going ahead & doing it.
I hardly think your horse injured himself on purpose.
Hope Punchie heals quickly and ends up sound enough to ride, if not show.

[kookicat]

Sending jingles.

[blackcat95]

Sorry for your bad news, but really "stupid"?
To me that means knowing something will end badly & going ahead & doing it.
I hardly think your horse injured himself on purpose.
Hope Punchie heals quickly and ends up sound enough to ride, if not show.

Thanks.

No, I don't think he injured himself on purpose, but did he really have to bolt from a bee? Couldn't he just have jumped? Seriously.

[Coreene]

Hang in there. Fingers crossed for good news.

[baysngreys]

Consider yourself lucky if you can do anyting at all. I lost a very special horse to a pasture fall, he tripped over a root and went end-over-end, shattered his shoulder. Couldn't save him.

Jingles for your guy's outcome.

[Antaeus]

Jingles that Punchie will have a speedier than anticipated recovery from his injury.

I've had the "things in threes" with my guys, but it was always one thing for each horse within a period of time.

A BIG HUG for you.

[ctanner]

Jingling!!!!!

[blackcat95]

Thanks everyone... he is MUCH better today. Barely lame at all, but his shoulder is still swollen and sore to the touch. Of course, we don't know if he is actually feeling better or if it the drugs the vet gave him and the bute. Maybe the jingles are working...

[DressageGeek "Ribbon Ho"]

Hope he heals fast!

[mkevent]

Sending lots of jingles your way!!

[tikihorse2]

Jingles from Wisconsin!!

Kim

[Serigraph]

Consider yourself lucky if you can do anyting at all. I lost a very special horse to a pasture fall, he tripped over a root and went end-over-end, shattered his shoulder. Couldn't save him.

Jingles for your guy's outcome.

Ditto this. I also lost a very special horse due to a shattered shoulder. I really hope your horse is OK!

[mvp]

Thanks everyone... he is MUCH better today. Barely lame at all, but his shoulder is still swollen and sore to the touch. Of course, we don't know if he is actually feeling better or if it the drugs the vet gave him and the bute. Maybe the jingles are working...

Awesome!

But please keep your Xray appointment.

Similar thing happened to a very nice leased pony. She looked bad and then "ok enough" but stopped getting better. 10 days later, her owner insisted they Xray and found a fracture. Surgery happened and yada, yada, yada, the mare retired and was sorta walking-around sound.

But don't let him stand around too long if he gets to the same plateau my friend's pony did.

[Rider in Training]

Just a few jingles and a comment. When my old gelding cracked his shoulder he was 3-legged lame (literally hoping on 3 legs) immediately not a day later. So maybe it's some hope but to me what you describe matches a soft tissue injury better than a cracked shoulder.
Lots of jingles and good luck.

[Alterrain]

Also- IME, "the drugs the vet gave him" and bute don't usually cover up a broken bone.

[Rider in Training]

Good point, my boy remained 3-legged even on the bute he was on, which was A LOT of bute to control his pain! (he was 30 y/o we controlled the pain until X-rays were done, the next day we sent him on- so the amount of bute he was on for this day and a half could be huge! Yet he was 3-legged to the end)

[Valentina_32926]

Once you confirm that his shoulder is NOT fractured wait about 1 week then have the chiropractor look at him. My mare fell on concrete (BOTH stifles) never swelled but ended up 3 legged lame, Chiro couldn't raise hurt hip so lowered good hip. (Was VERY careful about doing too much adjusting this early after the injury).

Mare immediately went from 3 legged lame to appearing 100% sound on concrete. A few more adjustments as her soft tissue injury healed and viola - no more issues.

Good Chiropractors are worth the horses weight in gold!

[KateKat]

such big animals yet so fragile. Jingles for his speedy recovery!

[jetsmom]

Hopefully it's not a fracture. We lost a horse at the barn to a fractured shoulder. Horse was also still 3 legged lame even on pain killers. So maybe the fact that yours isn't is a good sign.