I realize I have missed talking about so many things that have gone on between the time we bought Gus home and now. However, this is weighing heavy on my mind. We had another amazing lesson with my daughter's trainer yesterday. I was super proud of both of them, as they did their best. Towards the end of the lesson, Indya's trainer voiced a concern he noticed during the last two lessons. Gus seems to be lame when being ridden. It's not that he is noticeably lame, it is just something that is off when he tracks to the left when being ridden. He feels off and he (for lack of a better word) jerks around a bit.
We thought that perhaps his discomfort may have been from saddle fit, so we put a shim pad on him and it leveled out his saddle very nicely. There were no indications of poorly fitted saddle on him. No uneven sweat patterns, no crushed or broken hair, no rubbed spots, etc. And, it's only when he goes to the left! Without a rider, he has nice smooth gaits in both directions. Both my daughter and her trainer rode him, and it was the same each time. Without a rider, he was fine. With a rider, something is just not right.
So, we are going to call the vet back out to do a lameness test and see if we can find out what's going on. I am so worried that there is some type of permanent damage that will render him completely not able to be ridden. He had a really rough and abusive life before we found him and we will never know the extent of abuse he has gone through. I know, I know, why didn't we get a vet check before we bought him? Well, we were told, because he was so inexpensive, not to worry about it because it would cost more for the exam than he cost to purchase.
None the less, if it is the worse case and he is no longer usable, Gus will not be sold or pawned off to a rescue. Gus will continue to have a home with us until he is ready to cross the rainbow bridge. He is family and we love him.
No comments:
Post a Comment