Horse: Lily -16 year old Trakehner/Hannover

Occupation:  3 day eventer

Companion: Helen

Veterinary Diagnosis: gastric Ulcer with slight hemorrhage, chronic cough, arthritis
in hocks and fetlock joint.

Location: Greece

Aug 28,2009

I got Lilly 6 and a half years ago, when she was 10 years old. Half Hannover
and half Trakkener, she was always considered to be a very hot horse. I was
just new in riding and didn’t care about anything just wanted to have her. I
was told that she was a two time European champion in the 3-day event. She
came to Greece 7 months before i bought her and I came to the conclusion
that she had been severely abused. Just when they were discussing of sending
her to Italy for meat, I came in the picture and by instinct alone, my husband
bought her for me.

We train athletically and we have come a long way, but I decided to no
longer go to competitions as she gets extremely nervous when she gets in the
truck or when she unloads. I believe that she thinks that going anywhere but
home means danger and pain (I don’t blame her). So I just follow her lead.
Last year however, there was a big grand prix show at our club, and my
trainer thought we could try a small class just to check her psychology, and
she won three classes!!!! She loved it! But she is older now and I don’t
want to burn her, so we are just taking it easy, doing mostly dressage and
jumping.

Four years ago, we went at the beach for the first time. She got scared a
bit in the beginning but was the first horse to go in the water. We went
again and again, until the day a horse spooked, kicked her, I fell off, and
she run off along with two other horses. No idea where they went, but half
hour later when we found them, Lilly was all red, covered in her own blood.

We assumed that she must have been tangled in barb wire fences. Thankfully,
her injuries were not very serious. Lots of stitches, and tons of medicins.
About three months after the accident we slowly started working again. I
could tell that something was not right, but everyone was telling that i am
being over protective. I followed my instincts and left the club where she
was boarding and moved her to a smaller club where she and I could go out
hacking. I believed that not training as athletes just yet and just taking
some time off to regain the trust and having fun would be the best medicine.

But to my surprise, she just hated hacking out. I was gently trying to
“force her” to go, trying to explain that this is so much better than
training in the arena with all these stressful factors. She would sweat a
lot, she started losing weight, and she would colic sometimes after a hack.
I decided to give that up. If she would be happy stabled in and in the arena
I would give her just that.

But she was not well anymore. No one could find out what’s wrong with her,
or why she had lost all 150 kilos!!!! I spent hours every day with her just
being there and trying to communicate. Stopped riding completely and was
giving her time out in the paddock. I followed my instinct again, and
against everyone’s advice I decided to take her to the clinic for endoscopy.
My vet was furious with me but… oh well! I was right, gastric ulcer with
slight hemorrhage. Vets suggested I put her to sleep. This is the point,
where I decided to go solo.

This is the point, where I decided to go solo. Started reading dozens of vet
books, psychology, hollistic treatments, homeopathy (in which I believe
deeply as I myself do it for more than 10 years). I had to do something, to
get her detoxed out of all the chemicals she was on after the accident.
I keep on treating her with homeopathy when needed, feed her good quality
hay (not alfa alfa), about three kilos per day of organically grown oats and
a little barley in the winter. Feed her fruit and vegetables, and give her
ALoe Vera with chondroitin, glucosamin and MSM for six weeks/three times a
year.

Aug 29,2009

There is one thing that I have forgotten to mention and it is very
important. Ever since I got her, she would cough a lot, especially when
taken out of the box and started to work, for the first 10 minutes she would
cough a lot. The cough was shallow, something that I said was from the upper
respiratory system and not serious and deep from the lungs. We did back then
an endoscopy and there was indeed nothing serious. I assumed it is all the
dust, we changed box to an area that is open and it stopped. But now she
does it again, and it is really frustrating for the both of us. Something
between a sneeze and a cough. When she does it she pulls her neck really
hard along with the reins and of course my hands, shoulders, back… Ouch!
After the first 10-15 minutes of trot she will stop. What do you suggest I
do now?

Lily began program on September 1, 2009.

November 2009
Lily’s shoes were removed and she is feeling much better. She is moving out
more fluidly ..