An update on Hobo, since my last piece on my grieving over him. I know that many are waiting for the next biomechanics piece, but right now all I really think about is Hobo. In truth my boy did not cope with retirement and neither did I. He was bored, angry, frustrated, and causing a lot of trouble in the field. So in March I began the painstaking process of bringing him back into work and trying to keep him sound or at least produce either a lameness that was manageable and still allowed him some stimulation, or a prognosis so clear that a tough decision could be made.
I brought him back into work thinking I was signing his death warrant and to start with every time he shoved his head into the bridle I cried. However with a lot of work and obsessive monitoring he became sound, pretty much stayed sound, managed to return to hacking and a little jumping, and became a relaxed, happy horse once more. He was a little intermittent and I was very cautious, but underneath I allowed my little hopes to soar again. Out came my favourite phrase: nothing is difficult because the steps are so small. He attended a clinic in April (clip below), where Blyth Tait declared him “probably the best five year old in the country”. Hobo’s 12, but I didn’t correct him; everyone likes a compliment. He went back into the ring (video also below), just over little jumps, because subconsciously I’m still saving him for some glorious future. Excuse the videos’ brevity & quality, my cameraman is 11.
A couple of weeks later, in May, Hobo developed a serious hoof crack when the ground suddenly hardened and I was reluctant to push him in case an altered movement affected his ability to cope with everything else, so he was back on holiday. That break cost me 3 rugs and a fence, and his waistline ballooned dramatically in only a couple of months. He came back into work last week and we’ve had to switch from the fat girth to the ridiculous.
At the same time there was a lump. A little lump on his shoulder that had done nothing all his life began to grow in about February this year. Nobody likes lumps, and I certainly don’t like change. Whilst Hobo was already against the odds I pretty much ignored it, and pulled out my second favourite phrase: not the crocodile nearest the boat. A couple of different vets passed through, had a look and we all agreed to ignore it together. We ignored it for months but it didn’t go away. In defiance of my dismissal it has continued to grow, now rapidly. It’s on the shoulder of the leg that has caused all the trouble, the leg with the tight tendon, with the sore navicular bone, with the giant splint, with the serious hoof crack, and these things are not unrelated. Once one part of a linkage causes a limitation other parts must compensate and will eventually struggle or even break down, particularly in a horse that doesn’t do rest, even under sedation.
On Monday Hobo had his annual vaccination and a terrible reaction has made me worry that his immune system is already struggling. He and I have decided that we are ready. Tomorrow morning (Friday) he will go under the knife and we will see what is there, how long he has, and if there’s anything else that can be done.
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