Well, we finally moved Elvis to another rehab facility closer to my house over the Memorial Day weekend. He is now in the very capable hands of Kim Clark and J.K. Adams at Leighton Farm in Upper Marlboro, MD. Kim and J.K. re-purpose Thoroughbreds who didn't make it at the track. Some of them need to be laid up for a bit before they can get back into training and others just need to be shown that there are other things in life besides going fast around an oval with a bunch of other horses. Kim and J.K. are skilled horsepeople and have seen and handled all types of horses. From Elvis' demeanor, I can tell he trusts these folks and the other horses tell the same tale. I'm so glad they had room for us!
It's a small place, much smaller than Fair Hill where Elvis was, but it is quiet and laid back and Elvis is settling in very nicely. He is going out in a larger round pen for at least 2 hours and usually longer. He introduced himself to his neighbor and they get along just fine. I think the extra turn-out time in a larger space has encouraged a bigger range of motion in his injured leg. When he first comes out of his stall, he's pretty stiff, but after a few yards of walking, his stride looks pretty even and he is landing flat-footed. No more toe first landing. His hock still looks big but nowhere near as big as it did a few months ago.
It's nice to have him closer so I can be more involved in his day-to-day physical therapy. Well, I should qualify that. Rick, my husband, has become more involved in his physical therapy lately. Earlier this month, I had to have major surgery and am just getting back on my feet. Without boring you with details, ladies, make sure you get your annual gyn check-up. There are real reasons for doing this. You neglect this easy "preventive maintenance" at your own risk.
So, Rick takes Elvis out and hand-grazes him for about 20 minutes and then walks him purposely around the farm for about 20 minutes. Elvis has a naturally long stride so we are trying to encourage him to keep that up. After his workout, we put ice on his hock and then hand-graze him for another 40 minutes or so. It's not quite as glamorous as the cold seawater spa at Fair Hill but it serves it's purpose. And Elvis certainly enjoys the extra grazing time.
We will start long-reining him soon and once I get the go-ahead from my surgeon, I hope to get back in the saddle. Chuck Arensberg, Elvis' vet up at Fair Hill, had told me that it would be fine to do that as long as I keep it slow and steady. Elvis seems happy to have a job again and I am happy to see him more often than just on the weekends. One more month down...
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