Due to recent set back with Kingsley I've decided to video him and post it on here for all you out there who read and maybe would want to share their opinions. Please do let me know what you think. We are trying to fix him but the truth is that even vets don't quite know what's the problem. Officially, he is being treated for SI strain and serious muscular asymmetries.
I recorded him playing in the indoor arena today as I knew I had a similar video from September 2009 so conditions would be alike. I watched him as he ran around thinking 'what on earth are you doing with your body little horse'.
As you will see it is hard to say what's wrong and where but he is not truly sound. I will try to get a video of me riding him too but as I can only really do so after work when it's dark so there is little point. When under the saddle he loses about 50% of balance you see on video from today and the crookedness increases up to 80% (% are a bit of a guess work to give you an idea). Transitions are the worse as he seems not to know how to use back legs for breaking. He runs himself on the forehand and to bring him down from trot to walk you go through an odd variety of tolt, then walk.
As some of you know, he improved his way of going under the saddle but subsequently deteriorated, dropped behind the leg and started rearing and/or attempting to. He was OKish off the leg yesterday but still tried to hop up.

Anyway, here are the videos.

25th February 2010


If you thought that was bad watch the next video.

September 2009 (video taken sometime in between visits of 3 different vets. He wasn't ridden, turn out only).


After watching that September footage I must say I thought we've come a long way! If he seems uncoordinated now then he looked disjointed back in September.
Will his balance and coordination improve further with more regular physio/chiro and Vet care? Or are we wasting time on some unfixable neurological problem?
There is the option of £3k worth of body scan of course. But will it give us the answer we need to know?
Now what about the rearing? Is it behavioural? Fear induced? Pain induced? Dominant streak?
How long do we try for until we call it a day?

KINGSLEY'S FULL REHAB STORY SO FAR can be found on: http://freelanceinstructorsdiary.blogspot.com/search/label/Kingsley...

Right, time to catch some sleep. Teaching in Middlesex tomorrow, then full on weekend.