6 Weeks On

THURSDAY 10th MAY

Yesterday was vet day. After a horrific day at work with OFSTED in, everyone running around like headless chickens and feeling like I needed 3 clones of myself to get things done, I made it to the yard in time for my vet to visit.

Sarah, the fantastic vet who has dealt with Chico throughout, greeted us happily and was eager to see how her 'little man' was doing. A quick examination of his incision site gave good news, the external wound has fully healed and the underlying muscles was knitted together in all but one small spot that wasnt far behind the rest.
The vet explained how the sheer weight of a horses abdominal contents is the worst factor for recovery following colic surgery, it puts so much downwards pressure that it is imperative to ensure the muscles are fully healed and capable of withholding the enormous bulk. After discussing the pros and cons of putting a horse through colic surgery and a further discussion about the status of Chico's sarcoids (that we had just finished treating before he had his emergency op) we then decided to have a scout around the yard.

What we were looking for was somewhere suitable for Chico to spend his first turnout. There were a few conditions; condition 1 was that it had to be small enough so Chico couldnt get up any speed, condition 2 was it had to be secure and finally condition 3 was that it had to have at least some grass! After considering several locations and chatting with the yard manager we eventually decided upon sectioning off a small part of what we call 'the track'.
The track is a surfaced route that leads down the side of the stables land, post and rail fencing of the paddocks to one side and grassed bank to the other, to the muck heap at the end. Chico will have approximately only the first 20 meters roped off so he has room to roll and trot but wont be able to canter.
The concern with cantering and galloping is the extra extension through the horses body in these gaits that could potentially stretch the healing muscles and tissue and cause a set back.
The section Chico will have only has a small amount of grass but a large patch of weeds and plants. Not all the plants are suitable to stay so over the next week (before he can go out at week 7) I will be getting my hands dirty sorting it all out for my boy. Tonight already saw the start of it as I pulled out some stalk like plants before accidentally grasping a bramble stem and puncturing my finger, loves required tomorrow.

Once the area is ready Chico will be on a strict routine. Week 1 of turnout will be for 1 hour only, week 2 for 2 hours and so on. After 4 weeks of this limited space turnout he will be allowed to graduate to his normally paddock, but I will cover that in more detail closer to the time. It is a relief that I now have a plan for the next few months, all of which I have typed up into a spreadsheet, so I can look forward to the next step in Chico's recovery.