ENOUGH IS ENOUGH “I was riding him one day and suddenly Romme began to grind his teeth. Instantly I knew what I had to do. I hopped off of him, returned to the barn, removed his saddle, had the blacksmith pull his shoes, and I turned him out in his pasture. To this day I have never gotten back on him. His riding career was finished.” Although the story is a heartbreaking one for this
Linda Smith and Romme complete a nice ride in Wellington in 2009. Photo by Shannon Spies/Bluedog Photos
thickening of the synovial pad in the front of the fetlock joint. The veterinarians told her that this is common in jumpers in the front fetlocks; however they’ve been noticing it more and more in dressage horses behind. By now it’s November 2007 and Romme has his third
surgery to remove these pads which required keeping the fetlock joints lubricated with hyaluronic acid injections. “It was another long slow recovery period and, in 2008, I started riding him again, making more progress with his training,” Linda says.
ROMME’S COMEBACK Excited that Romme felt good again, Linda and Romme took the Wellington 2009 winter show season by storm. They showed first and second level, winning eleven straight classes in a row averaging over 70%! “Even though Romme was by now approaching eleven years old, he seemed like a young horse since his actual hours under saddle was low. I was hoping and praying we were out of the woods with all of his issues,” says Linda. Towards the end of 2009, she stepped up his training and asked for more collected work as well as started his flying changes. But she hit another roadblock. “When I would collect up his canter, he would stiffen up and could not be pushed out of the collection,” she remembers. “This isn’t normal, so this time I asked the vets to x-ray him from ears to tail.” The vet began x-raying from the top of his neck on
down to his withers, and when they hit about four inches behind the withers on his back, there it was. Vertebrae in his back were touching or rubbing, a condition known as “kissing spines.” The vet recommended injecting it and Linda was able to ride him about six weeks until he needed a second injection, which they did.
Romme enjoys retirement with Linda. Photo by Valerie Lazzara 50 March/April 2011
dressage professional, Linda remains true to her horse. “I never want my horses to be in pain. They have to be happy in their work. Romme gave and gave so much that I would never want to force him to work while uncomfortable. Now he’s content, grazing and playing in his own pasture,” Linda says with a smile. “Even when we were actively working and showing, I had massage therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and all kinds of alternative therapies to help Romme stay comfortable. It took a city, not a village, of people to treat this horse!” “We’ll probably never know what started this whole
thing. He could have had kissing spines from the beginning, or possibly it was an accident during his transport from Europe; I’ll probably never know,” she solemnly says. But one very important lesson Linda learned from her experience is, “I’ll never purchase another horse without x-raying his back first. No back, no horse.” Some horses aren’t happy when they are out of work.
“Because of his constant breaks with surgeries, recoveries and light work, Romme never got used to being in a constant training program. So for him, life is good just hanging around,” Linda says. “And if he’s content, then I’m happy. Romme’s heart was there for me; his body wasn’t. There are always other horses to ride.”
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