The detailed version.

So all this started just over a month ago. Someone who used to board at the barn was taking care of the evening duties for the BO since I was working at my real job that day. Well this girl turned Midnite out with all the geldings. Obviously Poncho is very protective of Miss Nite so sometime in during the night he got his nasty cut on the inside of his knee. Now I understand accidents happen and all but there was a note left for the girl about who was a mare and who was a gelding even still she denied that she messed up until the BO really pushed. WOW. Especially because I saw her the night I was out for Poncho's emergency vet call and she told me she had no clue what could have happened. But that's not the point.

In retrospect I wish we had done x-rays that night because then maybe we could have caught this all a lot sooner and maybe had a different outcome.


Over the following 2 weeks he was on solo turnout and was cold hosed everyday, until he got so cranky with it he kept ripping out the cross ties. But after all that the swelling was still there. He was sound at least for a time. I rode him twice just short rides, barely did anything. But with my knee problems there was about a 2 week gap from his last ride and the vet visit on Wednesday.

Wednesday he was NOT sound. Of course. X-ray machine comes out immediately.

I must say though I am super duper proud of Poncho he used to be a complete terror to do anything with but he was perfect for all this. Even the vet said something. (I've been using the same vet with him since he was 3 so she's seen him and his absolute worst - in fact the first time she met him I was sure she would reject us as clients!)

The x-rays weren't horrible per say but they weren't good. Luckily he missed damaging the joint but only by millimeters - had he hit the joint he wouldn't be here today. However the cut was so deep that it appears it hit the bone which is causing it to try and repair itself. Which is where the swelling is coming from and that probably will never go away completely. But we are just worried about getting his range of motion back in that knee because it is quite a bit off from the other.

Unfortunately because I'm poor our best plan of action is time and a BoT knee wrap. Fingers crossed.