Rehab

Cupid has been looking better each day on the longe line!  He is up to 10 mins/side at a walk and trot.  I keep his circles very big to lessen the stress.  The first day he bucked and tried to canter, and I wasn't sure if he was in pain or excited.  The second day he did the same thing, but in the other direction.  But he's been behaving well since then.  I plan to longe his with a saddle on a few times, then substitute some rides for longing.  He also started his joint supplement, MSM.  I read that it can make some horses spooky, I hope it will not have that affect on him!
I tested pulling Cupid's mane and he didn't seem to care.  I feel a little bad doing it, but if we end up showing someday he'll have to get used to it.
It's hard to take pictures when I'm longing, so instead here is one of Cupid admiring himself in the mirror.  What a handsome boy!

Adjustment

Last week a chiropractor came out to adjust Cupid.  She gave him a thorough examination before starting the work, taking a lot of time to analyze his movement.  Cupid was very well-behaved, but bucked when asked to canter on the lunge because it hurt him.  The chiropractor adjusted his problem areas, primarily his neck and pelvis.  She said that, despite the current problem, Cupid is actually in quite good shape considering his race record.  She also complemented his sweet temperament.  As long as he is not lame I can start lunging and riding him at the walk and trot, no cantering for a while.  Gradually we will add hills and cavaletti to strengthen him.  So, I am cautiously optimistic and looking forward to riding Cupid again!

Bath Time

Not much new to report with Cupid.  He is still on stall rest but is looking and feeling very good.  We've had a few walks where he decided it would be fun to jump up and kick out his hind legs, then try to run off.  He also misses being rolling in the dirt, so during his walk I let him get down and roll.  He found a very dusty spot, so I decided to give him a bath afterwards.  He is very good about baths.

A chiropractor is coming out for Cupid later this week.  Hopefully that will help make him more comfortable and he can be back out in pasture soon!
  

Boredom relief

Cupid has been a very good patient during his recovery, but he is starting to act a little more restless.  I thought he might enjoy having some toys to play with.  I didn't want to wait to order something online and have it shipped, and the tack stores in the area have a pretty limited selection and even more limited hours, so I tried the local pet store instead.  I found a jolly ball to hang in his stall, and a large Kong.  Worth a shot.  I put some pellets in the Kong and he loves to nose it around and find the treats!

Still Recuperating

Cupid has been on stall rest for 10 days, and is looking a lot better.  Still short striding a bit on the affected leg, but if you didn't know to look for it you would hardly notice.  The vet recommended continued stall rest and to start gradually increasing his walks, on flat surface only and no deep footing.  I go out before and after work every week day and am there pretty much all day on the weekends.  Cupid is a very good patient.  He learned to beg for treats by tilting his head sideways.  One of the boarders told me another horse a few stalls down does the same so he may have learned it from him.

We go visit his old pastures buddies along the fence.  I hope they don't forget Cupid and he doesn't get hazed again when he goes back out, we had just finally gotten over that when Cupid got injured!  Here's Cupid (on the right) with his big brother/twin Bruno.

Xrays, stall rest

Cupid was x-rayed on Tuesday.  The good news was no fracture or bone cyst.  The bad news is we still don't know why he is lame!  The vet still believes the problem is coming from the stifle.  The recommendation was to put him on stall rest for about 10 days and see where he's at and decide if ultrasounds are needed.  Cupid is a pretty good patient, he doesn't mind being in the stall but then is a little pushy when I bring him out he sometimes doesn't want to stand still.  I've been going out in the morning and after work to let him out to graze and very minimal walk.  Unfortunately it gets pretty warm in the stall during the day.  I need to get him a salt lick, and maybe a stall toy.

Lame :(

After my great lesson with Cupid last week, I was really excited to keep building on it.  Unfortunately the following day he was totally lame on his left hind leg.  He wasn't lifting it all the way and the toe was dragging on the ground.  There was no swelling, heat, or tenderness anywhere.  At first I thought maybe his foot was bruised, since he got trimmed the day before the sole was more exposed.  But it looked more like it was coming from the stifle.  At first I thought the stifle was just locked, after doing a bit of reading online I tried backing him up to see if that would unlock it but it didn't help.  The vet came out today and also suspected the stifle was the cause but he could not determine what specifically the issue was.  The options were to either put him on stall rest and see if there's any improvement in about 2 weeks, or more diagnostics.  I opted to have xrays done so the vet will be back tomorrow.  I'd rather know for sure what the cause of the problem is, and then have a better idea how to treat it.  So fingers crossed we figure it out tomorrow, and it isn't anything serious!