White flag, or war horse?

So, that mild intermittent lameness Lance was exhibiting? It blew up to a persistent hobble this Tuesday. We had gone for a mosey on Sunday. Monday both Lance and Ollie were acting frisky in their stalls/paddocks, so I decided a romp in the arena was in order. It was too late in the day for good light, so all I got was this,

but they ran and bucked and rolled and had a jolly good time.

Tuesday I went down to ride, and Lance was off again on that right front – more so than ever before. Wednesday morning Brian came up from doing chores and commented that Lance was lame; if the teenager notices, you know it must be obvious! So that night, Rick set about diagnosing the problem.

First he blocked the foot, then the fetlock, with no improvement. (Interesting that Lance had noticeable digital pulses in both front feet, although he wasn't tender to hoof testers.) So he got out the ultrasound machine 

and found a torn suspensory at the medial head. REALLY? How does a horse doing such low-stress exercise DO that? (And no, it didn't happen during turnout the day before.)

Rick treated the injury that night with shockwave (poor Lance was even more lame the next morning, which he says sometimes happens); now we wait two weeks to see how it looks then.

I feel that I'm being told – loudly and repeatedly with both Lance and Russell before him – to just GIVE UP, to wave the white flag and stop riding. But mama didn't raise a quitter (and even though my mom is afraid of horses, she knows how much I love them, how I live to train and ride, and supports me fully). So a thought that I've had for several months was brought forth, dusted off, and proposed. My dear friend Debbie has been saving her pennies to get Baby Girl, her Percheron mare, started by someone.

I wasn't sure I had the time to commit to a month or two of training so haven't offered, but now I have. Debbie is excited about the possibility, and would even be willing (nay, eager) to swap out Ollie*. That way her recently retired Thoroughbred mare would have company at her house, and we wouldn't have increased chores or boarding expenses at our house. This morning I talked to Rick about it; now the ball is in his court and I must be patient while he ponders.

*Okay; that's not quite accurate. I actually talked to Debbie about putting the little cutie pictured below at her house, not Oliver, but that's all I'm going to say about that for now!