Hi Everyone,

Jester is doing pretty awesome! We went for our second trail ride on Saturday around the big pasture that has the trails in it. He gets pretty spooky in it, but it has a lot of hills that are perfect for building his muscles up again, so its really good for him.
His hooves are practically perfect again! He still needs to grow his heels out and has a little bit more work to do on his right front frog. He is almost sound again. He still limps a little at the trot, but his walk and cater are perfect:) He will be trimmed on Thursday by Jan.
His rain rot hasn't returned ever since we used the shampoo with 2% captan in it. I got it on Sunday since it will forever be my holy grail with his rain rot:) its called Paragaurd Shampoo by Priority Care. Its an anti-ringworm, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial therapeutic shampoo for dogs, cats, and horses. When I don't use that, I spray him with a Listerine mix.
That's pretty much it. If you have any questions, i would love to answer them:)

Hey everyone,
Jester got another trim from Jan today just to keep him in shape. His toes were getting a little long and he was getting some splits. Jan was impressed with how far his hooves have come and will start recommending the stuff I'm using (the ToDay) to everyone.
On another note, I am changing Jester's joint supplement. Right now he is getting the Vita Flex Combo with HA. His new supplement, which should be here tomorrow, is called Absorbine Flex+Max. It is an overall much better supplement with much higher concentrations of the main ingredients Jester needs. I can't wait to try it out, I'm sure it will help Jester out tremendously.
His rain rot is gone thanks to the captan shampoo bath. I will get some shortly. I have also been using a 50/50 mixture of listerine and water to help with his rain rot.
Other than that everything is pretty much the same.
Steph

Hi everyone,
Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I just got back from camp. Jester has improved a lot ever since i started using the Today every time I'm out there. i bought it a few weeks ago and it has done wonders for his hooves! His back hooves are perfect and his front hooves are almost there. He got a trim from Jan two weeks ago. I will try to get Marion out there soon to check up on him. As his hooves are almost 100% percent again, another problem has arose. Jester battles rain rot every year in the summer time, but this year it is so much worse. I bathed him in an anti-fungal shampoo a couple times a week and put an anti-fungal spray on him too. It just kept coming back and covered his entire back and backside. While I was gone at camp, Mrs. Cheryl bathed him in an anti-fungal shampoo with a main ingredient of Captan (a rose fungicide). When I got to see him this week, I was surprised that it was almost completely gone and his hair had grown back. So I have a few more weapons to fight it, so we will see how that goes. We think it might be because of a weak immune system. I will be out today to hopefully soak his two front hooves in Cleantrax.
S

Hi everyone,
So funny story with the temporary boots. I found them 4 days later out in the pasture trashed. Yeah, so those didn't work as well as I had hoped. I found a tube of the Today stuff and I was able to get two applications out of it. I don't know how well that is working since I only was able to put it on all of his hooves twice. One of his hooves I have noticed is getting better. His frog is starting to open up, which is what we want. I will try to get his hooves trimmed again this week to keep them in shape and see how we are doing as far as treating them goes. So I will look into getting that done.
S

Hi Everyone,
Jester's temporary slipper/boots arrived yesterday. They came with foam comfort pads too. I will put them on his front hooves instead of the duct tape. They are really strong so they should stay on really well. I will get the easy boots either today or in a few days. I am also going to get a product for cattle mastitis called ToDay. It was recommended by the farrier for Jester's thrush. It is supposed to be good stuff so we will see what happens. I will let you guys know how it goes tomorrow.
S

Hi everyone,
Jester had his hooves trimmed today. I am very pleased with the work our new farrier did! She is here to stay. She said everything the vet said but in so much more detail. Jester's hooves are looking so much better. I have measured for the boots and I am waiting for a reply from Miss Cheryl (I wanted to double check that I got the size right:) Once I get a reply, I will order. I may start trimming Jesters hooves every 2 weeks to make sure we are staying on the right path and things are working. I also bumped up his food to a scoop and three fourths since he is eating again. I will check up on him again on Saturday.
Steph

Hi everyone,
Jester is getting settled in well. He now has a stall with a window (he's very happy) and spends most of his stall time chewing on his Uncle Jimmy's Hangin ball (a big treat in the form of a ball that hangs from a hook). I will be getting him feed on Saturday. He is up to a scoop of feed with 1 ounce of vegetable oil and 1 ounce of a high fat supplement (40%) every feeding. I'm so happy he has his appetite back! His limp has gotten significantly better. He still has a little trouble turning and coming out of his stall, but he is walking much better. So that and the fact that his appetite has returned has told me that his white line is healing, although it dosent look like it. The farrier will be out tuesday to trim one of the horses, I don't know for sure if she's trimming others, but hopefully she can trim Jester and I can finally get him sized for boots. Overall, Jester is staying pretty clean. He has some spots of dirt and such on him, but he is staying pretty clean. His coat has a shine and is smooth and silky (all thanks to the fasttrack!). Let me know if you have any questions!
~Steph

Hi everyone,
Jester is back at the rescue. He was moved over yesterday and is still going to be on his summer turnout schedule. He is back in his old stall near the back of the barn. I will see him today after my tennis match and get everything settled in. I will schedule an appointment for Jester to get his hooves trimmed so that we can measure for the boots. That should be it for now!
S

Hi everyone,
Just a quick update on the situation with Jesters hooves. I will be getting him 2 easyboots for his front hooves. I have to get his hooves trimmed since they are long. Then, I will measure them and buy the size boots that he needs. He will be going back to the rescue this week so hopefully he can get them trimmed soon. We have to be out by Saturday so it's going to be a hustle trying to get everything out in time! I'm hoping I can be there when we move Jester back so I can help him settle. I got an equine deluxe slipper so I am going to use that to pack his hoof while he is in his stall. Because the rescue is so much dryer than ducktown, his white line should go away quicker. So I will keep you guys posted!
S

Hi all,
Jester isn't doing to well:( We got the vet out today to figure what has been making him limp so much. Dr. Amanda said that his hoves are in pretty bad shape. They have no heel and are putting way to much pressure on his sole. This is causing bruising, separation, and white line. He has severe white line on his front right which is causing a lot of pain. I feel so bad since I had no idea that he had it. All of the previous farriers (except for Fred who was an eye opener) said that his hooves were in good condition. To sum it all up, he is in enough pain that it is all he can think about. He thinks about it so much that he won't even eat:( So Dr Amanda said that shoes with wedges, to allow his heel to grow out, or special boots. He would a few cycles of shoes to help get him right again. So I am looking into boots at the moment and if those don't work I will go to shoes. It's a hard decision since both alternitives are expensive. But I'll do anything to get Jester right again:). Until we get the boots, I will be making a ducktape boot with extra cushioning for both his front hooves (those are the worse). So I will keep you guys updated as the process moves forward.
S

Hey everyone,
First off, Jester does have stone bruising. He has two on his front right hoof. One is a really big one and one is smaller. When Fred ( our farrier) trimmed him, he said his hooves were in prety bad condition. Not beachase of deseases, but beacause of the way he was trimmed before. Because Jester had years and years of incorrect trimmings, it offset the balance of his hooves and totally messed him up. I am not going to go into detail right now beacause I have to make this fast, but if you would like to know just let me know. But I soaked the hoof with the stone bruises on it in espom salts for 15 minutes and then wrapped it up in cotton pads, guaze, vet wrap, and duct tape forming a boot. I will be doing this every time I'm out there until he is better again. One all of his problems are clears up in his hooves ( which is going to take several months) his lameness issues should be gone! I'm very excited about that. It pains my heart to see him limping and having know idea how to help him. But now I do and I will be taking care of it every time I'm out there!
Also, the lease of Ducktown has been extended a month:)
Steph

Hi everyone,
I have been doing some research concerning Jesters soreness. He had seemed to be getting worse, but now he is getting better. I'm going to have him treated by Brooke soon (we are currently working out a date). But I have been researching stuff about hooves. If you spend time around horses, even for a month or two, you will become very familiar with the very famous quote "no hooves, no horse no kidding". So the root of all problems (most of the time) is with the hooves. So my sister (who is very knowledgeable in this area) and i have been looking at various things. And there was one condition that Jester showed all the symptoms for. It's called stone bruising. As the name states, it's bruising of the frog and sole because of rough terrain containing stones and rocks. TB's are notorious for their thin soles, making them extremely prone to bruising. So he has stone bruising and split frog (which is caused by thrush). His hooves are in pretty good condition. I treat them every time I'm out there. Now that I know what he has I can treat him effectively. Ever since I knew him he has had a split frog, it has gotten better over time. The farrier will be out Saturday and hopefully he will confirm my thoughts. I already have a plan and once I get the ok I will start. Hopefully this is the root cause of his lameness and it will clear up within a few weeks:)
If you have any questions please ask.
Steph

Hi everyone,
The lease of ducktown will be ending this month:(. It has been really good for Jester. He has built up a lot of muscle and has been enjoying life so much more. He will be going back to the main barn at the rescue in a week or so. The winter that we had was the coldest it's been in years, so with all of the grass it has kept weight on Jester. He looks really good right now. He still has to build more muscle along his topline but it is going to be hard to do that. Because an ill-fitting saddle was used on him for so long, it had compressed those muscles so they can't develop. That and his older age. But it has filled out some and hopefully will continue too. I will try to upload some pictures of him out there soon!
Steph

Hi everyone,

So there's not much to update about. We are usually out at ducktown 3 times a week. Jester is looking great. I learned a move that I can do on Jesters shoulder to help loosen them up (that's where his main problems are). I have been doing that the past couple times I have been out there. It has been working wonders! I will still use the the liniment when I dont have time to loosen up his shoulders. I did worm him last Saturday too. My sister and I are planning on going out for a trail ride soon. Jester is going to have a lot of fun exploring his pasture! There are trails that run along the outside of his pasture next to a creek. It is surrounded by woods so its going to be intresting! Jester was an arena horse so he has very little experience trail riding. But its going to be good for him.
steph

Hi everyone,

Jester has settled down now. He is pretty much back to his normal, quite, slow self! He still gets excited and is no longer a LBI (left brain introvert) but is alternating between a RBE (right brain extrovert) and a LBE (left brain extrovert). It depends if he is with the herd or if he is separated.
I got him a few things from horse.com (I love that place!). I got him Hoof Cut Heal, a liniment, and a bareback pad. The Hoof Cut heal is fantastic stuff. It creates a seal around the hoof, which blocks out bacteria and excess moisture. Plus it makes his hooves shiny:) The liniment is ok. I have used it 3 times on his shoulders and i have noticed some difference in the way he walks out to the pasture in the mornings. So I will continue to use it. The bareback pad is very nice. It has a deep navy blue color and black stirrups and girth. I am looking forward to using it on him in the near future.
The farrier came out again today. Jester's hooves are doing well. He dosen't have thrush, white line, or any major splits and cracks. He does still have that disease in the central sulcus. It can be hard to make it go away, but I have been working on it every time I get him out (which is a couple times a week). Jester also got a visit from Brooke. She is an Equine Massage Theripast. They target the soft tissues of the horse. It really works too! Thats it for now
Steph