Judgement call

This is never a look you want to sport before a show.

Yes, someone is clearly ready for his promised July break.  On Tuesday I had a fantastic jumping lesson.  He was just wonderful and not showing any sourness due to his long trip to GMHA.  I noticed a small scrape on the inside of his hock.  I slapped some ointment on it, used a file on the sharp edge of the opposite hoof that caused the scrape, and called it a day.  Wednesday didn't work out due to work so papi got the day off.  On Thursday he had a massage.  I got a call saying that his hind leg was all swollen and I needed to come out.

Low and behold, the leg with the scrape looked like a stovepipe.  I trotted him off and he was sound as a bell, but that little scrape now had swelling around it.  Damn it!  So I clipped and cleaned the scrape, followed by a short work out in polos and some cold hosing.  It went down and he was moving great, so I threw a standing wrap on him and kept him in a stall.  I don't put horses in turn out when they're in wraps.

Next day, repeat.  Worked beautifully, but leg was still big.  I had my lesson and ran through my First Level test.  It looked good, so he spent the day in turn out then came in for his wrap.

This morning, it still looked sucky.  His lower leg looked good, especially after work and cold hosing.  He had tendons again!  But it still makes me nervous that he's having fill problems with that stupid little scrape.  And the bugs got him in turnout so his sheath blew up and that affected part of his upper leg!

Since he was still working beautifully, I'm all braided and prepped for the show. 

He's klutzy but attractive.  I, on the other hand, need to keep my pale legs out of sight.  His leg looked much better after spending the day in turn out, so I decided to take the risk and let him stay out tonight with a poultice on his booboo.  He's in a new field with established grass, so he's grazing and moving constantly.  With any luck, his leg will look good in the morning between a long night of moving and a poultice pad.  There's no heat anymore, his immune system is just being as delicate as the rest of him.  He's one of those horses that blows up when he gets scrapes.

Wake up call is 4:15am.  Fingers crossed that my horse is fit to show in the morning.  After that, he gets his promised mid-summer break.  I think we're both looking forward to it.