Of course, right after we started treating Freedom for Lyme, winter returned with a vengeance. The temperatures dropped from low 60s to less than 10 degrees overnight and then we got about a foot of snow.
I was able to get two short rides in, and they’ve left me feeling very hopeful. His back is still tight, but he’s no longer flinching away from touch or striking out when you try to groom him. He is more like himself under saddle — no more head flipping, no more hollowed back. Not sucking back. The second day I rode, I trotted him over a small pole and he willingly landed on his left lead . . . and held it. No anxiety, no hopping.
It’s so nice to have my horse back. I just hope he stays.
The tricky thing with the treatment is that many horses feel better when you put them on doxy. Since it’s an anti-inflammatory as well as an antibiotic, it’s possible that the drug is fixing something that we didn’t know was wrong. However, I previously tried giving him bute and that had no effect at all.
Fingers crossed that when the snow finally melts that he is still feeling better.