I write this sitting in Melbourne airport reflecting on an eventful Melbourne 3 Day Event. I travelled down as a private vet for my clients, essentially there to help in any way possible to get their horses safely through the event. Thankfully they all did, and after showjumping I was thanked for my help during the event, to which I replied “No worries, it was my pleasure”. And it truly was - I absolutely love helping my clients achieve their goals.
Allowing an equine athlete to achieve their maximum potential through intelligent and appropriate use of veterinary medicine is the most rewarding part of my job. I'm the type of person that loves being given a problem to solve in order to achieve a goal. Truth be told I find it a little boring when I ask "So what does this horse do for a living?" and the reply is "Oh, nothing - it just lives in a paddock". Please don't get me wrong, I fully respect the human animal bond and the importance of pets in providing companionship and bringing happiness and joy to people's lives - but what I truly love is a pet that does a job. And a rider that has a goal.
Any goal, large or small - I don't mind. I thrive on the challenge of achieving a goal for both the horse and rider. I get a massive kick out of treating the world’s most elite equine athletes, but as much as I enjoy ultrasounding $40 million racehorses, I want to share with you the story of one of the most rewarding cases I've ever had...
It was in the UK several years ago and I was sent out to see a client that I had never met before. It was a mother and daughter who usually saw my boss but he was busy. I was presented with a super cute 19yo welsh pony gelding who was lame in the left fore and hadn't improved despite three days of bute and box rest. At the trot he was 2/5 grades lame in his left fore with subtle effusion of the coffin joint and fetlock. There was no reaction on hoof tester but mildly positive to flexion tests of the lower limb. I discussed my findings which the owners and asked what he did for a living - the answer was that he was a pony club eventer. This season was to be his 10th and final season eventing with the daughter as she was soon to leave home for University to study arts/law (at Cambridge no less...). He had no previous history of lameness in that leg and it was 10 days before the regional pony club championships at Tweseldown. Needless to say the daughter was pretty upset. This was meant to be her and her pony’s last ever event, and now he’s lame. One last run as a beloved eventing pony before being retired to spend the rest of his days munching grass with his mates in the back paddock of the owners stately Berkshire home (for those of you who don't know the UK, Berkshire is super posh)
So there I was - I had a problem, and I had a goal. Perfect.
I ran the owners through the ideal way of getting to the bottom of the lameness - starting with nerve blocks then X-rays and ultrasound if needed. Asses the findings and treat accordingly. The owners were more than willing to go down the diagnostic pathway, so we stared with nerve blocks. My first nerve block was a palmar digital (blocks pretty much all of the foot). This improved the lameness by about 50%. I then placed an abaxial nerve block which completely resolved the lameness. This suggested that about half of the lameness originated in the foot and the other half from somewhere in the region of fetlock and pastern. Radiographs showed moderate osteoarthritis of the coffin joint with mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the fetlock. The foot was in pretty good conditions but medial-lateral balance wasn't quite perfect and the sole was a little thin.
So I advised medicating the fetlock and coffin joints with cortisone, and getting some remedially farriery done. Ever so conveniently the owner had already scheduled the farrier to arrive about an hour after me. I discussed my findings with the farrier, I showed him the radiographs, we looked at the foot together and decided to go with natural balance shoes with a rolled toe and a pad. I prescribed three days of bute and a mini rehab program. I left the yard after trying to reassure the daughter that all was not lost, and that I would see her at Tweseldown (I was already booked to be the vet for event).
Ten days later I was at Tweseldown – it was a lovely day and my first time at the event. Wow! Honest to golly goodness I had never seen so many ponies in one place, at one time, in my entire life... I tried to find my pony from 10 days prior but with no luck. The mothers’ phone was going straight to voicemail. I carried on with my day wondering how the pony was going. I had told the mother to call me if he was still lame, so I assumed that he was OK – but I wasn’t sure.
I had been at the event since early morning, and by mid-afternoon I found a great spot on top of the hill looking over the course when I heard a voice calling my name - it was the mother of the pony and daughter. She pointed to a brown speck hooning around the cross country course off in the distance. "That's her! She's leading! If she goes clear she wins!" I was so excited. Never before had I ever been so invested in the athletic career of a horse - let along the athletic career of a 19yo welsh pony gelding…
And sure enough the pair came charging through the finish - clear and under time! It was as if she had just won Olympic gold. There were tears of joy, hugs and so much excitement. It was amazing to watch.
And on reflection, that event was the daughter’s Olympics. It was the culmination of everything that she had worked towards. There was no tomorrow. It was the be-all and end-all. A goal. A goal that 10 days prior looked unachievable…
A willing owner, a textbook lameness work up, a quality farrier and veterinary medicine led to a very happy daughter. And a very happy veterinarian. A veterinarian who will never forget that fluffy little brown welsh pony.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that everyone has goals. And regardless of how big or small they are, whether they be complete one last time at pony club, successfully complete all phases of a 3 day regardless of position, win a 3 star, or Olympic gold - every goal is just as important as the next.
We as sport horse vets get job satisfaction by assisting our clients in achieving their athletic goals. If you have the opportunity to find a vet that is invested in your horses’ success just as much as you are, I think you might be surprised how successful your partnership can be.
My clients absolutely kicked arse at Melbourne! Some came home with ribbons, some didn’t - but each of them achieved their goals and drove home very happy eventers!
Job done.
Happy vet flies home…
Please stay safe out there.
Chris
