Bringing Up Baby!
Still super cranky this am.... but not nearly as hot or humid... even a little bit of a nice breeze. Rode in a sports bra...
better ride... tried really hard to have a better attitude. Still rooting some and still not really willing to go into the bridle, but much better.
Pinning his ears at the "intruder" in the mirror. confused about where he was hiding...
Argh... hot and cranky... but wanted to ride... shouldn't have... annoyed that my mirrors don't work well.. annoyed that I'm hot and miserable... annoyed that Dan is hot and crusty and the bugs are bothering him. He was fussy... also worried that he's broken... and we're done... he didn't feel super... not a great ride... rooting... wouldn't go into the bridle...
just want to cry.
Trail ride with Peri.... had to get a lift from her... hot and jiggy ride
These two CRACK ME UP!!! They are hilarious heathens!
This morning Dan and I went for a ride with Peri and Aurora. Peri had to pick us up because my trailer still wasn't ready. Sigh. It was so hot and today is the first day I was allowed to ride Dan after his rest. So I decided that I would wear shorts and go bareback and use his nathe bit. ;) Ha! The heat must have addled my brain. But he was fine. He was a little bouncy but nothing major. Which was good because Aurora was also a little bouncy, so I made Dan behave. He even let her lead for a good bit. We played in the lake a tiny bit but not too long. So, while it wasn't a very effective "training" ride or a "strengthening" ride, it was a great ride with a great friend and so nice to catch up. Plus it's too hot. It was a "feels like" of 100 to 105! And it was probably good that Dan rested a bit more. We did some hills too, so it was a good power walk. Aurora had her motor on so there was no dawdling today. :)
Then when I got home I was filling the water trough and this happened. I'm so bummed because I thought my phone was recording when they were both in the water trough and pawing and splashing, but alas, it was not. They crack me up though. They are so similar!
So.... what a day! Today was a day off, so I actually slept in a little bit! It was foggy when I woke up and even a hair cool. HA! Not for long! By the time I fed it was humid and muggy. I even got to eat a bowl of cereal! Then I called the vet to see about getting Funny and Fleck looked at. Of course her leg looked better this morning but I figured I could always cancel my appointment if she was better after another day or two of SMZ's. Then I messaged Keelin again and she said she could see Dan August 3rd. Which.. isn't too far away, but... I was still worried about the hind end. So then Dr Barrows called back and said she could come this afternoon. So okay. :) There yah go. I also called about my trailer and never got a reply. Sigh. So then I went and lopped limbs off the fenceline. Sweet Sassy Molassy it was hotter than heck. I literally sweated right through my shirt. I couldn't even wipe my face off because my shirt was so wet! Then I moved all the jumps out of the arena and drug it. Yay! So pretty! Then I headed back in to change out of soaking wet clothes, hydrate, and eat lunch. And then... Dr. Barrows showed up! Luckily I had changed and been fed. So we looked at Funny and... good news! Her SAA was 0 and she didn't think there was a broken splint or anything. So she suggested I just keep up the SMZs and that it was probably scratches. I asked about the other wounds but she said that she though those were older and thus, healed. She said she sees it a lot. Fair enough. And there was no heat today. And it did look less swollen already. Poor kid may just have an SMZ deficiency! Luckily she eats them in her grain! So then we x-rayed Fleck. YAY! His fracture has healed beautifully. And the gash in his jaw was actually not at the fracture site, but that part of his jaw looked good too. Hee hee. So then we were talking about Dan and whether she thought PRP or IRAP or Noltrex would be better..or just steroids... And she said she thought that Noltrex may work although she had never done it in a steroid, but that she felt like it didn't have any pain relieving effect as far as active inflammation, so she often did steroids too, after the fact. So we decided given the AEC's, we should do Dan with steroids first, then go later and add the PRP or noltrex. We also talked about renovo. And then I asked if she's look at him and maybe we just do him now. I just... didn't want to wait another 2 weeks after my ride yesterday. I feel like he was legitimately sore yesterday. So, she palpated and said the right stifle definitely had effusion. But then she checked his suspensories and he wasn't sore on the right. She got to the left and he was super reactive and sore! Consistently! Yikes! My heart sank... did I just blow a tendon in my poor horse by insisting he keep jumping and jump from his hiney? Or even the dressage lesson where I insisted that he keep trying to sit and rock back? Ugh... and to be honest, I was upset at the timing. Again... before AEC's. Sigh.. but I prayed... and figured if it was an injury... then it was. We'd rehab and see what we could do when we came back. AEC's isn't the end all be all.. especially at beginner novice. But luckily... thank GOD!... there were no tears. The suspensory itself looked pretty good other than being thick. But, it was really thick. And then the tissue underneath it was also thick. So she said she suspected "compartmentalization" disease... basically the thickness/swelling was squishing it and making him tender. So.... okay! That sounds promising. How do we treat it? She said laser (or bemer, since my laser is smoking!), rest for a week, then light riding (no jumping) for another week at least, and equiox. We made a plan to recheck the Tuesday before the Golden Oldy league challenge, so... hopefully I can get a jump lesson that Tuesday if he checks out and then we can go run XC that weekend. EEEKKS, but.. he'll be fine. He knows his job. Maybe I can get a lesson at Ashland and pop over some XC and stadium. So then... I figured, since he was going to be rested for a week... why not go ahead and inject his stifles now too. That way I didn't have to give him time off again in 2 weeks. So we did.
So.. no riding for a week. Ugh. But.. that's okay. It means I can go to the lake with Mike on Sunday and get the arena mirrors and electric fence done Saturday. And next Tuesday... I'll find ways to entertain myself. Besides, I don't have my trailer anyways. ;) So... fingers crossed we can manage this long term too.
Poor guy. He really is such a good boy for trying and doing for me despite being ouchy. I love him!
quick jump session after work.... straight!!! jumped the upright barrel with v poles.. knocked one... jumped it with one v pole. feeling something behind though.... :(
It is definitely an El Nino year! It has rained the last 47 days it seems! Which is great for the pastures... we've got grass galore! I need more ponies ;) Anyways, today was a big full day! My plan was to get up, enter AEC's, enter Chatt, enter Full Gallop, and then go to my lesson at 11 am. Then come home and meet Taylor to get Funny and Fleck trimmed and then take my trailer back to Athens to leave it for servicing. Except the other day Rana said she had a doctors appointment and couldn't do 11. We opted to try for 9 am. Which is great... but meant for an early morning. I actually went to bed early last night. But then Emma woke me up twice whining because she had an upset stomach. So I let her out. The second time I was so tired I just left her out there. Then I got woken up a third time with her barking at the horses and Danny pawing the gate. ARGH! So I brought her back in. All 3 times it was raining. And then when my alarm went off at 6 am this morning, it was still raining. HARD! Like POURING hard core. To the point that I was a little convinced my stalls were going to be flooded and thought perhaps I should bring the boy dogs in. Not exactly something I want to haul, tack up, and then ride in. I mean, yes, she has the covered, but... So I went back to sleep til 6:15 and then laid there for a bit. It was still raining hard. I was so torn. I was tired and sleeping so well... with the rain on the tin roof. But then I realized that if I didn't ride with Rana, I wasn't likely to have time to ride otherwise, nor was Ashland likely to be open. Then I wouldn't have my trailer tomorrow.... and I might not even have it Thursday. So I checked the radar... and it actually looked like a window when I'd be hauling and riding. And then the rain stopped. So... fine! I got up... got dressed... fed ponies.. and loaded up. Dan was pretty nasty, but I was running out of time to give him a quick rinse first. Plus it was fairly chilly still. (HA! not for long!). Oh well.. I figured it was what it was. So off we went. I got gas. And it rained a little on the way but not bad. It sprinkled while I tacked up, but that's okay. And then we were in the covered, so it was fine. However, the humidity was insane! And it got warmer. And Rana worked us hard. I sweated a big huge sweaty stomach mark and probably the same on my back. Gross!!
It was a good ride... but a little bit frustrating too. We basically worked on the canter again and getting quick hind legs. Rana basically said that his biggest issue was that he didn't get quick behind and engage, therefore the front end fell apart. He needs to stay round, all the time. He gets straight in his neck and then he immediately inverts and braces against me. And at the canter, he then props/swaps/falls out of gait/whatever. So... we worked on that. I must keep him round at all times. I must also NOT dig my inside spur into him. It happens without me noticing. So, we spent the whole lesson on getting him round and bent to the inside and maintaining a canter. But we were able to make a little bit of progress and worked on shortening the canter, then letting it open up in the stride, but not lose the roundness. It was hard. Hard work!!! My core is going to be sore I think. Tracking to the left, he kept throwing that right shoulder out and throwing his haunches in. But I was doing the same thing. So Rana had me look at her in the middle of the circle which did help bring my inside shoulder back and rotated my hips a bit better. Ohhhh!! That makes a difference. And going to the right.. heaven help that darned right leg of mine. I cannot keep my spur out of his side and every time I touch him, he props and swaps. So I have to get inside bend with my upper leg and thigh not my spur. And my seat! And we also worked on keeping him up in the canter... and up in his neck (vs diving down, even if he's still round). That was accomplished by half halting while applying leg or whip aids and keeping the bend. And by half halting/holding through my back and core.. not my hands. My hands are just an extension of my back and shoulder blades. Okay, I KNOW this, but it's a hard habit to break when I'm trying to do multiple things at once and he's hanging on me. BUT... it got better. He felt very much like he was softer in the bridle. I was even able to let go some (at least *I* thought I was letting go) and maintain self carriage.
So phew... Both Dan and I were basically dripping sweat and lathered. And basically I've got to insist... every step.. he cannot blow me off or invert or brace. He can do it. Rana had me look at my canter a bunch and showed me how nice it was getting! She said he had a good bit of 3rd level canter today so we know he can do it. She said that he even had some moments of a 4th level canter so she told me to not get frustrated and keep at it and we'd get there!
Then I got home, ate some lunch, and... entered AEC's!!!! FINALLY!!!! 4 years in the making or so?? Ha. But yay. Then I cleaned stalls, unloaded the hay we got on the way home from Rana's, and then Taylor showed up to do the non-shod crew. Then after that I pulled all my tack out of the trailer and hauled to Athens again. And you know what sucks?!?! I didn't realize until this morning but... I'm working tomorrow and have a short day... I'm finishing at 4ish... basically right across the street from Rana! Sigh.. I could have done my lesson, left Dan there... dropped my trailer off (and saved myself two trips to Athens) and then taken riding clothes tomorrow and ridden there after work... then gone back Thursday for another lesson and hopefully pick up my trailer and bring him home. Sigh. I suppose I could have still done it, but... it would have meant going back to bring his food and stuff. And then I'd worry he'd be stressed as would Funny and Fleck. And honestly, I'm not sure either of us have 3 straight days of hard dressage in a row in this heat and humidity in us! Weaklings!! ;) So... oh well. It would have been handy though. Because if I decide to ride tomorrow, it'll have to be at home because I don't have the trailer. And I'm pretty sure my arena is soupy! Especially if we get more rain. Oh well. Maybe we'll just hack the neighborhood.
Just some random photos as I don't have any lesson ones.
