The National Standardbred Show at the Horse Park of NJ was three weeks ago. It's a two day event that covers a variety of classes in pretty much every discipline you can think of. Despite the fact that it's called the National Show, it's pretty low key and laid back, so when Jess expressed interest in taking Gunner for the second day, I strongly encouraged her to do so. Gunner has never been to a show, but he has been off the property for all kinds of events, including trail rides and parades. It would be a great opportunity to school Gunner at the Horse Park and try a handful of classes. With plenty of other standardbreds, many of whom are fresh off the track, there would be plenty of pacing and flailing, and Jess could get a good idea of just how well she and Gunner are doing together. I think she underestimates herself sometimes.

Just a general assortment of what I've been up to this month. Contains some spoilers.

Herbie started physical therapy two days after I got home from Maine. I have been taking her to V-Crest, about an hour away from home.

When Herbie first came up lame, I knew she had a torn CCL. I also suspected she had a luxating patella. I did all the standard diagnostic tests for knee injuries myself. I was fairly confident she did not have any meniscus damage since she passed tibial compression with no signs of pain. There was some swelling, but no heat.

When I looked into getting Herbie formally diagnosed, I was immediately faced with sticker shock. I don't normally question vet pricing, having worked in the field. However, I knew that a torn CCL wouldn't show up on x-ray, and I wasn't about to pay $1500+ for an MRI to tell me what I already knew.

Herbie turns 7 this year, and she had seizures as a puppy. I do not want to put her under anesthesia if I can avoid it. So I reached out to my sport dog friends for PT recommendations. I'm so glad I did!

So far, Herbie is four sessions in to her physical therapy. The first session was a consult and evaluation with a fully licensed orthopedic specialist. We arrived early for our appointment, and didn't have to wait. The vet and her staff were all friendly, professional, and kind. They happily explained everything they were doing and discussed a broad spectrum of options for rehabilitation. Not once have they been condescending or pushy.

As I suspected, Herbie was formally diagnosed with both a CCL tear and a luxating patella (with no way to know which came first, the chicken or the egg). The good news is that her other knee seems to be holding up really well so far, which was my biggest concern. One leg we can rehab. Two would almost definitely require surgery (at about $2000 per leg).

Herbie got a massage, which immediately put her to sleep. I have never seen her this relaxed away from home and it was really funny to watch her go from bouncing all over the place to laying down with her eyes closed within seconds of the vet starting the massage.

Then, she got cold laser therapy, which she was initially suspicious of. Now she seems to realize that it makes her feel better and she falls asleep for that too.

After that, we did a handful of PT exercises, and I was given homework to do between sessions. During the initial consult, Herbie was being shy (for the first time ever, but I think she felt vulnerable in a strange place without her brother and with a bum leg). She also hates the vet's treats (lamb lung!) so I have to bring my own. Since then, however, she has come out of her shell and does her exercises with lots of enthusiasm. The cavaletti are her favorite and she has progressed rapidly!

Finally, we finished in the "wet room" with the underwater treadmill. Herbie is convinced that bath time and exercise at the same time are my personal way of tormenting her, but with the help of a tennis ball, she figured out how to walk on the treadmill. She is now up to almost 10 minutes at a time, and she does a great job using the bad leg all the while.

The first session left her completely wiped out, but now she breezes through therapy and has energy left afterwards. She has been cleared for leash walks as long as she uses the leg, and she has been doing better and better with that. Inside the house, she uses the bad leg pretty consistently and is bearing more and more weight on it as the days pass. She is bored out of her mind and it can be hard to keep her from running and bouncing, but I found her on the bed the other day, so I know she's getting stronger.

I have also started her (and Julio) on Omega 3 oils, which also seem to be helping with Herbie's ears and skin.

I'm going to talk dollars and cents for a minute, too, because I think this is really important for people to know. It was $180 for the initial consult, which included a diagnosis, start of treatment, and a plan to go forward with. Now, it's $80 per session. Each session includes massage, laser, PT exercises in the dry room, and the underwater treadmill. There is also the option to do either the wet room or the dry room for $40 per session. Granted, the $80 per week will add up pretty quickly, but it's much cheaper than traditional diagnostics and surgery, and without nearly as many risks.

There is, of course, no guarantee that Herbie won't need surgery down the line or that her other knee won't develop problems, but for now I'm thrilled with her progress (only one month in) and I am hoping she'll be back to her old self without the need for anesthesia.

In the mean time, Herbie is enjoying her weekly trips without her "idiot brother". She walks into the lobby with her tail going a million miles an hour and absolutely loves the staff. She is a tough little girl, and I'm hoping that will work in her favor.

I highly highly recommend V-Crest for anyone with a dog who has an orthopedic injury or degenerative condition. (They also offer conditioning programs for sport dogs! If I'm not bankrupt by the time Herbie is done with her appointments, I might take Julio to run on their treadmill!)

When I posted my Vermont photos on FB, I included the one of me looking super enthused, while Dee stood next to me with her ears at half-mast. One of the first comments I received was from Jen T. Jen is a local-to-me endurance rider who knows my landlord and frequently rides with Sandy. I have known her name for years,  but she hasn't been competing for the last few years, so I've never met her, even though she lives twenty minutes from me.
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The comment read, "I will need this kind of enthusiasm in Maine. Want to come crew for me for a week?"
She wasn't serious, but I'd been looking for an excuse to go to the Pine Tree Pioneer, so I replied, "PM me." Apparently, I surprised the heck out of her when she found out I was serious.

Originally, Jen and her husband, John, were going to to leave on Sunday, but I was photographing Muckleratz, so we decided to leave super early on Monday morning instead. I rearranged my schedule and agreed to travel 400 miles away from home with two strangers off the internet for a week.

Don't worry, I won't break down every minute of the seven day trip. My memory isn't that good.

Look! An endurance story that doesn't end in any kind of tragedy. Go me!

As always, my ride season is completely unpredictable. I crewed for Holly at Old Dominion 100. She told me that she had another two hundreds lined up, and would decide how she felt about Vermont 100 after that. In the end, Holly decided she would do the 50 with Poetrie and have me ride with her on Epic.

As most of you already know, it has been an intense couple of weeks (hence the lack of blogging). Mike and I crewed the 75 in Vermont. We had one weekend "off". The next weekend, we went back out to photograph the Muckleratz CTR in Pennsylvania. We came home Sunday afternoon. I quickly edited and posted the ride photos. At 3am on Monday morning, I was on the road again, heading to Maine for a week of crewing. There, I snuck in a surprise LD on a horse I'd never ridden before (and that will obviously be its own entry at some point). It was awesome to get away from everything for a whole week and I came home really refreshed (not that it lasted long). In the mean time, I haven't had any time for posting anything. Instead, I come bearing photos from the last month or so.