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I wasn’t sure how Riley’s leg was going to be after injuring it

Arriving at the stables on Monday morning I wasn’t sure how Riley’s leg was going to be after injuring it on Saturday. Upon inspection, I could see that it was swollen, and it had some heat in it, so I thought it best not to ride him and simply groomed and turned him out.
Riley seems happy enough to spend a few days doing nothing. I’m not sure he even knew he was injured… This week he has been walking to the gate to greet me when I come to bring him in from the field. It’s hard to describe how happy this makes me feel and I can’t stop smiling all the way back to his stable
When I returned to the yard later that day it was wonderful to see him walking towards the gate to greet me.  He has done this a few times recently however I never want to take this for granted and always remind myself how special it is.

I decided it was about time that this behaviour was addressed

On Tuesday morning I had a riding lesson booked and so checked Riley’s leg to see if I could ride him. Unfortunately, his leg was still swollen so it wasn’t to be, and I instead turned him out for a relaxing day in the field As there was still heat in his leg, I tried to cold hose it, however he didn’t like the hose, so it wasn’t as successful as I had hoped.  He dances around the whole time the hose is on, so I decided it was about time that this behaviour was addressed.   Riley isn’t always keen on things initially but will become more accepting with consistency and repeating the process a number of times.  So, by the end of the week there was less dancing and more standing still, although more work is required. His leg was swollen for the next few days, luckily, he seemed fine when walking and it didn’t seem to be troubling him at all.  Anyone looking at him grazing in the field would have had no clue his leg was injured.

I had heard of Theraplate and its benefits although hadn’t seen one first-hand

I was interested to see how Riley would benefit from using the Theraplate although was nervous that he wouldn’t stand on it. I needn’t have worried. He seemed to enjoy it and was very relaxed.
On Friday, the big news on the yard was that the tack shop next door had just purchased a Theraplate and were taking bookings.  I had heard of Theraplate and its benefits although hadn’t seen one first-hand and thought that it would be helpful for Riley and his injured leg.  With this in mind I headed to the tack shop to have a chat with Sally, the owner.  As good luck would have it there was a free slot available at that moment, so I headed off to the field to fetch Riley. Whilst I thought it would be beneficial, I was concerned that Riley wouldn’t stand still on the plate for twenty minutes.  Sally assured me that was fine, and he could step off and on as required.  He completely took me by surprise and stepped on straight away and only stepped off about three times and that was mainly because the frequency went up.  Towards the end he looked very content and sleepy. If you want to find out more about TheraPlate for yourself, you can read more at https://themulberrytree.co.uk/rileys-theraplate-experience  

Riley trots up and gets the all clear

On Saturday, his leg was looking so much better, however as the swelling hadn’t gone completely, I decided not to ride as I wasn’t in any rush, so just turned him out.  When I brought him back later that day, his leg was looking almost back to normal and so I asked Joy, one of the ladies on the yard who has wealth of equestrian experience if she would look at him for me whilst I trotted him up.  She kindly said yes, and after the trot-up said that he seemed fine, which was good news. When I returned to the yard on Sunday, I pondered over riding him but decided another day off wouldn’t do any harm so turned him out.  When I returned to the field that evening, he was waiting at the gate for me and I walked him back to his stable with a cheesy grin on my face.  
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Sharon Howe

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Hi! I am Sharon Howe

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Hello My name is Sharon Howe and I am horse mad. This site is my place to scribble away my…

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