Julius Update

Jules recovering in his paddock :) Loving life I'm sure!

If you have been following the story of Julius and his kissing spine surgery, and now lameness, the last you will know of is that he was off to the vet for a lameness assessment to get a diagnosis. Well, he has been to the vet, and we now have a new plan of action to help him get back to where he used to be.


I miss you Jules :(

I know things are getting sorted out with him, but I miss him like mad. I feel like such a bad mother for not being there to hold his hoof through all of this. Julius is the most special horse I have ever had, and I hold him extremely close to my heart. We ventured to the otherside of the world together to see what it held in store for us. So far, it hasn't been so great for him, but we have stuck together through everything, and no matter how many people say he isn't talented enough/will never make it, I don't care, he is my baby, and he is definitely good enough for me. I am just so thankful that he is in the best place possible, with Sue and Gary at Cheltenham Dressage, where I'm sure they love him just as much as I do! God, I am tearing up even as I write this! Better get on with what the vet said...



The happier days when we were together....

When the vet looked at him lunged, she said he was lame enough for her to do a nerve block on the right hind. They found that the hock was the problem, because he significantly improved after it was blocked. The next day they blocked the high suspensory ligament too, as if this was a problem the way forward would be completely different. The blocking of the high suspensory showed a similar improvement to the blocking of the hock, so the vets decided to address the athritis in the hock first.
His hock has been injected with steroids, which will be built up over 6 weeks, with a reassessment at 4 weeks. The good news is that he can still be out in a small paddock for the first two weeks (so no box rest - thank God, as Julius does not cope well without his paddock!). Whilst on Bute, he will be walked for two weeks, then start trotting on the lunge in the third week, and start pole work on the lunge in the fourth week. Then the vet will come, reassess, and we will be told what to do from there.
Further things we can do to help him is give him acupuncture and physio sessions, as that will help his back which is sure to have some muscular soreness, and put him on Equitop Myoplast (for his muscles) and Synequin (for his joints).
I hope when the vet comes back to reassess they will say that his suspensory is fine... that kind of injury is the last thing I want to happen! God knows why or how... He hasn't had a day of over-working in his life! He has always been ridden on good surfaces too, except for when I take him through the fields or hacking on the road. But every horse can do that, if anything surely it strengthens his tendons and ligaments?! I guess it is just age, and wear and tear. He is 12 and has been through a hell of a lot, so I can't expect him to be in perfect condition really. But please, just anything but a suspensory!!