Check Ligament Scare

So yesterday was my big fun ride where I pushed my horse and myself past our limits and broke through our plateau to what I would consider the right track toward the FEI levels. We've been coasting for a bit now and I finally figured out how to get him to the quality of work that I've been dying for him to have since I first got him all those years ago. 

I'm never satisfied, am I?

All that's left to do is do rides like this every other day, build up his strength, and enter him in a show, right? WRONG. Last night I went out to see Rico and take off his back-on-track wraps to put on his normal standing wrap for his right front (just to keep the spongey mass that is now his tendon down). His check ligament was blown up. Not as bad as it had been when he injured it a year ago, but it wasn't pretty!

For reference: the check injury

I freaked out, but decided that I would deal with it tomorrow (today) and just gave him a standing wrap on that leg so that he could have some support just in case it was an injury.

This morning I went to see one of my friends without checking on him and it stayed in the back of my mind. On the way home I started to plan out what to do about the check re-injury: bute, cold hosing, surpass, standing wraps, hand walking, trotting in a couple weeks. By the time I walked up the slope to the barn, I had a full rehabilitation plan.

Get ready for some cold hosing, horse...

I was close to tears and not because I didn't want to do another rehab, but not because of the actual rehab. I'm really good at rehabing horses! It's the middle of winter! A few days off is fine and having to rehab through winter isn't a bad thing with a horse as good as Rico is.

What I was upset about was how careful I am with him already. He doesn't jump, he has a special warm up routine and work schedule, he gets wrapped every day, he doesn't get to trial ride that often... he's basically as protected from injury as I can get him. What another injury would mean to me is that I'm not doing a good enough job to keep him safe OR he is just not cut out for this level of work. Both are depressing.

Rehab means no more trail rides... 

I was so scared...

... About nothing. His leg was totally normal. I don't know why his leg blew up, but it's certainly not the same injury. I'm going to take it easy on him today, and honestly it could still be swollen since I took off his wrap and left him for a few hours, but the point is- if it is an injury, it isn't the check ligament.

PHEW

That was horrifying! I have ideas as to why his leg blew up, but I'd rather not get into it. The point is that he CAN handle the work I did yesterday, which to me was where I wanted his gaits to be at for PSG. So hopefully this is a sign that PSG is do-able, he just needs to get fitter :)



Update tonight:
With his leg looking completely normal and him looking like he was seriously considering jumping out of his 5' paddock, I rode Rico for about a half hour this evening. I had intentions of it being just a quick walk-trot-canter ride where he could get his blood pumping and get his sore muscles stretched out.

Rico had other plans. He was high as a kite tonight! He immediately gave me the fancy trot from yesterday, and his canter got bigger and bigger (but controllable) with the most correct, expressive lead changes I've ever felt him do. It took everything in me not to put him right to work and push him again! After today's scare though, I was cautious and put him back earlier than I normally would have. Tomorrow though... tomorrow will be fun.

I love this horse so so much, and I'm glad that he is good to go. Tomorrow we'll revisit some of our breakthroughs from yesterday, but maybe let's back off a little bit :) PSG is still miles away!