7 weeks later...

Well, it’s 7 weeks to the day since Zano’s fall. It’s been a rollercoaster of recovery and setbacks. The dressage competition we were planning to go to is in 2 weeks time and I’m still not back on board. But, the good news is, we’re just about ready to start work again – hip hip hurray! The pressure sore on the back of Zano’s knee is healing nicely, the heat has left it (you could fry an egg on it a week ago!) and the swelling’s gone down. It looks like the hair may not grow back on Zano’s knee, but that’s the last of my worries. As long as his movement is okay (I’ve seen him trot in the field and it’s still awesome!) I’m happy. I don’t have any plans to sell him, so it’s only me who’ll have to put up with that!

Now, I’ve got to know Zano pretty well over the last 8 months and I know that, once I could start working him again, we need to go right back to the beginning. So, yesterday I led him into the school in his head collar and we walked over the poles, just like Jo the Physio had taught us. This is Zano’s foundation and it’s something that he’s confident doing and he remembered it hoof perfectly! Today, I repeated the same exercises, only this time I added the saddle. Well – that was fun! He launched himself in the school and spent the first five minutes bunny hopping and bucking on the end of the lead rope. I led him over the poles, ignoring his antics, waiting for him to settle. A couple of times he was sideways, but he managed to sort himself out. I halted him, asked him to step back a few strides, and then move sideways from me. After that we walked on again over the poles. After about five minutes he suddenly relaxed and walked round like an old hand. PHEW!

Tonight I led him over the poles with his saddle on again, and he was so well behaved that I couldn’t resist seeing what he’d be like with the mounting block. So, I stood him next to it. He didn’t dance away, so I just leant over the saddle to see what would happen. He stood like a rock – awesome! He did have a quick peek round to see if any sugar cubes were forthcoming. They weren’t but that didn’t seem to bother him. He had three huge carrots chopped up when he got back into the stable, so I think that made up for it! I was so happy I couldn’t stop smiling! Yay! Just the thought of getting back on board properly is soooooooo exciting. I can’t wait and I’ll tell you all about it! Fingers crossed we’ve had our fair share of setbacks now – no more please! I’m hoping that it’s onwards and upwards from here. If all goes well he’ll be loaded in the trailer in the next couple of weeks, then taken for a couple of short trips. The aim is still to get to our first competition (Zano’s first competition ever!) this winter.

Oooh, and I’ve got some even more exciting news to share with you, too (besides Zano getting better!). There are two brand new Pony Detective stories coming out next year! Yipeee! I can’t wait to get back to Blackberry Farm and see what the girls and their ponies get up to next – hope you’re all excited too!

The vet visits again...

Alice came three days in a row to repeat her antibiotic injections. In the end Zano got fed up and bucked when she jabbed the needle into his bottom! But apart from that he was very well behaved really. The only thing he hated was being cooped up in his stable. And he moved around so much that keeping his bandage up and covering his wound proved really tricky. Still, we managed to keep it really clean and it started to heal well. He had big Swedes hung up in his stable to play with and munch and he learnt how to demolish them very quickly!

Zano looking incredibly scruffy after making
the most of his time out in the field. The farrier took
all Zano's shoes off just after this. He might as well
have a break from the nails going in while he's off work!

Alice came back weekly and was happy with the progress the wound was making. But after three weeks there was a new concern. Zano was producing too much tissue, and this was going to make it difficult for the skin to grow over the tissue. A new cream was prescribed and his grazing was cut down to a tiny paddock to restrict his movement. If that didn’t work, he’d have to have a minor operation to remove the excess tissue (proud flesh). I waited for another week and a half, applying the cream, before Alice returned and pronounced herself happy. The aim was to continue bandaging the wound to keep it clean and help it heal.

But, as was the pattern – all did not run smooth. Keeping a bandage on so long created its own problem – pressure sores. Zano’s point of knee (the knobbly bit that pokes out the back!), where the bandage slipped over, began to get sore and when I went to lead him out, he was lame. The wound at the back had become infected, and another course of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories were prescribed. Now we had no option but to keep the bandage off, and just hope that he wound on the front could take him getting up and down on it (horses go down on their knees first to roll, or lie down for a rest). His comeback was put on hold, again.

November update - The vet arrives

The first thing I did after Zano’s accident was ring the vet. We were still about 20 minutes from home, but as I rang I knew that I had to get him home. His knee was bleeding, but there were no major blood vessels around there, so I knew it would be safe for him to walk on it. The blood flow stopped as we walked. Zano seemed surprised at the fall, and a bit shocked, but as we walked back he didn’t seem very bothered – maybe that was the adrenalin kicking in. Anyway, the vet said to cold hose him when we got to the yard until she could get there.

The vet – Alice – arrived within the hour. While my boyfriend held Zano and the hose, I untacked Zano and put a light weight rug over him to keep him warm. His near fore brushing boot was lacerated almost right through. If he hadn’t been wearing that his leg would have been even more damaged.

The vet examined Zano carefully. The wound, thankfully, was clean – flushed by the cold hosing. Alice then flushed it herself with a syringe and then she gave Zano antibiotics straight into his jugular (intravenous) and into his hind quarters (intramuscular). He was bandaged up, given anti-inflammatories and granule antibiotics for his feed, and led to his stable. Zano, unsure what all the fuss was about, protested about being kept in. He wanted to be out in the field next to Chico and told us in no uncertain terms!

The vet told us to keep him in. The next 24 – 36 hours would be critical. If Zano’s knee joint had been damaged in the fall, fighting the infection in the joint would be difficult. It would be a very long road to recovery. I went home, exhausted and worried, keeping everything crossed that his joint capsule was still intact. Alice said she’d be back the next day.

After almost no sleep, the next day I rushed to the yard first thing. Zano had obviously had an unsettled night too – his shavings bed was a mess, with his dropping swirled everywhere. All I could do was give him plenty of hay, a groom and lots of fuss as I waited anxiously for Alice to arrive. A minute felt like an hour. I watched the time tick by, with Zano pacing restlessly in his stable. When her car pulled up I led Zano out and I held my breath while she examined the wound closely.

“I think we’ve just about got away with it.” Those words are etched into my memory! I was over the moon. When she thought I might be back on in a week, I was even more happy. But, on her visit the next day, she’d revised that estimate to 2-3 weeks. Still, it didn’t seem much in the scheme of things.

Zano looking fed up and grumpy in his stable

November update - Disaster strikes (again!)

Well, I’ve been very busy over the last couple of months, that’s why it’s all been a bit quiet recently on my blog. And what’s been keeping me so busy – or should I say who? It could only be one thing – yup, you’ve guessed it – Zano!

We were just getting going with our schooling and he was starting to move awesomely. He was really relaxing in his jaw and swinging through his back. His canter was coming along beautifully, too – he’s like an armchair to sit on! In fact, Zano was going so well that me and Jo, my riding instructor, planned his first outing to a dressage competition. It was in 9 weeks time, which would give us plenty of time to get him up into the trailer and taken to a few shows just to soak up the atmosphere, and be led round. And he’d finally stopped dancing away from me when I got on. Normally, even if I was going for a hack, I’d have to get on in the school so I could move the mounting block round as he moved. But, for the first time ever, he’d stood still enough for me to get on him out the front of the yard, ready for our hack. I was so proud of him and so pleased with life in general – it felt like we were finally on our way!

Zano in his lesson - his neck's huge!

But then, on that hack, disaster struck! It had been a busy ride. Zano and Chico, his best buddie, had met ponies and traps and cyclists and lots of cars. When we were three quarters of the way home we headed down our usual lane. It’s a bit of a slope, but nothing too dramatic. Another cyclist was hovering behind us and I think that’s what distracted Zano. He turned his head just a bit and, in true Zano fashion, got a bit caught up with his hooves. He slipped and before I knew what was happening he went down on his knees, then fell right over onto his side!

It all happened so slowly I almost stepped off, but as Zano got back up to his hooves, I saw at once that he was injured, seriously. His near fore knee was glistening white – he’d taken all the skin off down to the bone. The hole was about 3cm in diameter and, as he stood there, it started to spurt blood. Blood started to trickle from his other knee, too, and from his near stifle and fetlock. Standing there, looking at my beautiful, stricken horse, it felt like the end of the world.