We pride ourselves on offering the highest quality of service, placing emphasis on quality of care and continuity. We are also an RCVS Accredited Practice.
11/04/2025
🐎CLEVEDALE CASES – REAL CASES – REAL STORIES🐎
💚🖤💚JEORGE💚🖤💚
Jeorge had always been a bit of a handful from the moment he came off the track, but he was handsome and dynamic and his adoring owner worked hard to bring him on. Despite some issues with gastric ulcers initially, Jeorge went on to develop nicely and was working well until the spring of 2024, when he started to be marked down in his dressage tests. He began to struggle to maintain the correct outline and resented being asked to work on the bit.
Jeorge came to the practice to undergo a thorough assessment with Alistair, our RCVS Recognised Advanced Practitioner in Equine Practice. Jeorge was thoroughly examined to rule in or out several different possible causes of his poor performance.
Alistair felt that Jeorge had neck pain and that this was the likely cause of Jeorge’s reluctance to work correctly. Jeorge’s owner, who always has her horse’s best interests as her number one priority, did not want there to be any chance she was asking Jeorge to work when in pain and so she agreed for Jeorge to undergo CT myelography of his neck.
CT myelography is the gold standard in imaging of the neck and it has revolutionised our ability to diagnose and treat conditions of the neck, many of which cannot be diagnosed any other way. Jeorge was referred by Alistair to the brilliant Jonathan Dixon (Recognised Specialist in Diagnostic Imaging) at Rainbow Equine Hospital, which is one of the few places in the UK to offer this type of imaging. Alistair and Jonathan discussed Jeorge’s case together to make sure no detail was missed.
The findings of the CT confirmed our suspicions with Jeorge having widespread osteoarthritis of his neck alongside narrowing and instability of his spinal canal, causing pressure on the spinal cord in places.
No wonder Jeorge was reluctant to do his job, with taking the bit and working in an outline likely to be very challenging for a horse with these changes.
A long conversation was had between Alistair and Jeorge’s owner to decide what was best for Jeorge. Jeorge’s owner did not want to give up on him, Alistair discussed working with a physio and using a water treadmill to help build Jeorge’s core strength to support his neck through his core musculature, he also had his neck medicated and went onto systemic medication to help alongside this.
It had been a long and challenging road for Jeorge and his unbelievably dedicated and caring owner. Jeorge now does work he can manage; he enjoys his work again and his owner makes sure that Jeorge is happy, safe and pain free.
❤️As recognition of their commitment, dedication, resilience and hard work, Jeorge was Clevedale’s very first Horse of the Month in January 2025. Jeorge probably doesn’t realise but he’s incredibly lucky to have an owner willing to go above and beyond for him.
