Frustrated with Finnegan.

[Tami]

So I'm a little bummed out today. I purchased a horse (Finnegan) in early September, and since then he has had one misfortune after another. Granted, I didn't pay much at all for him - but this is getting ridiculous.

When I first got him, he colicked bad THREE days later. I'm talking bad. He should have died, his gut was twisted and he was given like a 20% chance of making it through the night. Well, he made it. While he was in pain, he threw himself down in his stall and ended up being lame for several days after that. That healed up but I was left with $600 worth of vet bills to pay.

Ever since then I've noticed that he isn't RIGHT. He is all sore in his hind leg and just doesn't look comfortable when he moves. He looks awkward and stiff. I have a chiropractor appointment for him this Thursday, but she has seen him before and thinks that it is in his stifle. A stifle is like a human knee. It is hard to diagnose when something is wrong, and it takes a lot of rehab to repair any problems with it. I don't know what to do, because he is just costing me tons and tons of money. I don't have the cash to be throwing at a horse that requires this much expensive care.

I don't really know what to do right now, but I guess I'll see how his chiro appt goes on Thursday and make decisions after that. Perhaps time will heal it and he just needs months of layup. We'll see. *sigh*

[jody rooney]

I think that's good news actually. I think he is stiff and sore from being out of alignment. That explains everything you were seeing. I bet you will see a much more relaxed and comfortable horse with in a week or two.

I would have her check him again in a month or two to make sure he is on the right track, but send us a lunging picture in three weeks and I bet we can all see it.

[Louies Momma]

hang in there. i think personally the chiro had decent news a least! who knows maybe regardless there's a reason he came into your life even though it gets frusterating!

[MyMagic]

The horse wrote about on the old forum that I'm rehabbing also showed neurologic symptoms which had us worried. This was not a cheap horse and we were just sick about it...as it turned out, he was just really really REALLY sore in his back, sacrum and hips, his neck was tight and one shoulder was pretty messed up. Now that we have had several adjustments, he is doing GREAT! He feels like a totally different horse. Keep your spirits up!!

[Tami]

Alrighty, just got back from the chiro.

She said he was extremely extremely misaligned. She adjusted his sacrum and his sternum and ribs and said it's obvious that his front end is completely 'disconnected' from his hind end. She didn't find anything weird by his stifles or hocks which was really surprising to her, because she expected them to be horrible. He also wasn't tender in that area. He did have a really tight neck, and like I said his sternum was touchy. She thinks that he has taken a trauma at some point, probably quite a while ago and he's been compensating ever since. She also thinks he may have some minor neuro issues (like a 1 or 2 on the scale to 10) because he does act like he forgets where his hind legs are at some times.

She wants me to have the vet out for a good evaluation to see if maybe they'd recommend some antiinflammatories. I'm going to stay off his back for awhile and try to get this pinned down to something and start a good treatment for him. She also recommended putting him on a joint supplement (he's on MSM right now) to see if that helps.

[jody rooney]

So what did the chiro say?

[Ajinx]

My friend just got a free TB gelding - the original owners paid $60000 for him as a yearling- turned out he had all the pedigree in the world but when it came to the track he had no interest in running. He was then used as a trail horse for two years for a young boy. Funny thing is he's just a doll. Has a huge english trot and a ton of lilt to his movement but he's got the slightest hitch to his stride- and a horse expert said he thinks its his stifle. The gelding doesn't move sore, has a ton of heart, but he'll never be top form ever. Instead he'll be a nice trail horse, maybe playday show horse, and the person who got him free will love him to death. That's just realistic and if your goals are similar with Finnegan then you maybe be happy with what you got after you let it settle into your thoughts. On that note though- since he does appear not quite right its good to check into it and assess the situation & his pain level.

[Tami]

Thanks Ajinx, I was having a frustrated moment. I've always only wanted a pleasure horse out of Finnegan - something for riding and relaxation. I don't expect him to be a show horse by any means :) I just needed to vent, looking forward to my appt tomorrow.

[Ajinx]

Tami,

I can understand some of your frustration. Just take it easy and relax and don't make any decisions until after you talk to the chiro. You might be surprised. :D At least then you'll have an idea of what's going on. He may always have a slight stifle issue, but that might not be the problem now. He could still be sore from his episode with the colic and getting down. And then think realistically about what you want to accomplish. If you just want a decent riding horse that you can explore and learn off of- take the opportunity, but if you want something that's going to let you reach class A jumpers than that might be a different story.