So many blessings

 God is so good. I'm so grateful He put Jacel into my life!

Today was lesson day and she was so kind to be willing to teach me at Ashland and then on her way home, stop and teach me on a second horse at the farm. I opted to ride Dan because Funny was still out as I hadn't had a chance to adjust her and shockwave her yet. And I'm so glad I did because Jacel is brilliant!

I told her what happened at the groundpole clinic and how I was a little disheartened because of hormones. And that I was starting to question whether I should just turn him out for 6 months because I was afraid that maybe I was encouraging him to use the wrong muscles because... how can he use his scapular muscles. I told her that even if we didn't do much of a "lesson" I still wanted her opinion on him and her thoughts. And Dan was so happy to see her too!

Before she got there I had done some pillar walking and then some walking around on a loose rein to warm up. So after we talked she watched him walk. He was acting like his hind end was stuck leaving the shady spot but once he got going, he was okay. He was a bit of a slug. So then she had us trot three loop serpentines and watched. She noted a few things. Then she had me do trot to halt to trot transitions. And then we talked. 

Basically her take was that he looked pretty good overall but weak. She thought that he had an easier time on a nice training level/beginner first level frame vs when I let him have his head and stretch. He was lifting his tail and tracking up and over. He was occasionally dropping his right hip slightly more than his left and occasionally would drag his right hind toe but not consistently. She did see him occasionally not get his right front moving and out of the way. She explained that the reason she asked for the trot halt trot transitions was based on what she learned from Faith. (Faith is her daughter who has had 4 brain surgeries!). She explained that her understanding of neurology and nerve involvement made her think that by asking Dan to do rapid fire transitions... quick transitions... was going to stimulate his neural pathways quicker and more effectively than anything else. She said that when you toss a baby up in the air, you're actually stimulating their nerves to move faster and it's been proven that those kids develop faster as a general rule. Okay... I can get that... neuroplasticity and such. We talked through it and decided that... basically.. .he's starting completely over. We cut through his scar tissue... so he no longer has that holding him together. We took away his pain (hopefully and in theory) so he can now use himself effectively and correctly. But he's not been doing that, so he's weak. And all things that I knew and others had mentioned, but... instead of focusing so much on rehabbing the scapula and building muscle and encouraging stretch and reach... perhaps, we focus on his nerves being rebuilt. Because quite frankly, if we focus on getting him to accomplish the same thing without the scapula muscle to be able to do it, we're just teaching him to compensate. And... while we may have to resort to that... ideally, we teach him how to sit and use his hind end and carry his front end more biomechanically correct... and train his brain and nervous system to try to stimulate those nerves to regrow/heal because that... will help him stay more correct. And once the nerves are working, those muscles will rebuild. It's not so much muscle he needs as... correct work. Okay.. makes sense to me. I was starting to notice that the bulge behind his scapula is getting way bigger. Sigh.. I don't want that. That's not correct. And by encouraging a stretch, that isn't done by the proper muscles... I'm inadvertently teaching him to keep pulling himself along... instead of asking him to sit and push. 

So... we did 4 minutes of trot to halt to trot each way. And it was freakin' brilliant!!! Dan was HAPPY!! There was no tongue coming out. He was enjoying himself and Jacel said his eye got soft. His tail lifted. And he suddenly (without me having to manipulate him) got straight in his neck, straight out from his withers. He got softer in his barrel and more supple. He got rounder and lifted his back and got swingy. And he got sounder! And more responsive to my aids. And it was easier for him to trot. I didn't have to kick every stride. He got even in the rein contact and had a nice soft connection. It was lovely! 

So.. that's the new plan for a bit. For the next week or two... I'm going to do arena work and do 5 minutes of trot halt trots each way and then build on it. And I can still go for hacks and I can still do the water treadmill, but I will focus on this. And I think this will help train his brain and bring back his muscle memory. And then we'll go from there! 

So yay! My heart is happy again! And Dan is happy again. And you know... he really tries. He really really tries his big ol' heart out for me. Even when it hurts or he's unhappy. And yes, sometimes you have to grit your teeth and tough out some not fun parts, but... if I can be effective while keeping him comfortable and happy and not take advantage of his willingness, why wouldn't I?! And (at least right now in my brain) I do think this plan will be effective. I do think I can retrain his brain and body and then... the shoulder muscles will eventually fill in. 

Good pony!

Pillar homework and a balm to my anxiety

 Ugh. Today was an unhappy Holly day. I've just been cranky all day because... well, quite frankly, I didn't get to do what I want. Sigh.. yep. I'm cranky. Today has felt wasted because I didn't get to do what I wanted or "accomplish" much yet I also didn't really hang out with Mike... my food was not good and I was hungry... and... Funny's broken. Sigh. The weather won't cooperate but isn't actually raining... just keeps saying it will. So.. ugh. Just not a good day for me. 

So finally I gave up and decided to take 30 minutes and go do groundwork with Dan. I figured it would be too much effort and time to ride and he worked hard yesterday so.... plus, if he really is finally able to use his muscles correctly, I want to make darn sure that he's using himself correctly vs compensating, so... some pillar work seemed like a great plan. 

 

But because I was cranky... I decided to help my heart an soul out a little bit so I hopped on bareback and rode him up to the arena. Just in the rope halter with the one line. And he was great! He rode mostly off my seat and a little bit of neck raining. We played a little bit in the arena. Ha ha... Not so good in there. But... not horrible with the neck rope. 

 

So then I got off and we did a few laps of pillar work. We got some good releases and worked on engaging his thoracic sling and pillar 3 to work those scapular muscles. We also walked over the 10 poles 3 times, once while I was on him. And then we finished with having him straddle and walk the pole. He did great.

So then I rode him back home too because... I'm lazy. ;) We were just about to go over the mound when something spooked him. Hee hee. He was so cute with his little whinny. Good pony!

That helped. I wasn't nearly as cranky after. Thanks bud!

Blessings

 Today was Beths' clinic day at Ashland. She did a XC grids one but also mentioned she had time to do a groundpole one in the arena if anyone was interested. I asked her if she could do the timing for me, I would ride in both. My original plan was to bring Lyric to the XC one and Funny to the arena one. And I was quite excited about it. BUT.... after Funny felt so bad Thursday, I decided it wasn't worth pushing her today so I brought Dan instead. And I figured it would be good for him anyways and fun for us both. I figured I could always bow out early if it got to be too hard for him. But, as usual, God saw ahead and it was a brilliant plan! It was a great outing for Dan and made my heart happy. 

  
I had enough time to get Lyric hosed off and home and then luckily Dan was right there by the round pen so I was able to snag him. He was FILTHY though... like black caked dirt on him. So I sacrificed some time and "pressure washed" him with the hose. It was still pretty bad but I literally only had 30 minutes til we started when I loaded him on the trailer. And.. it takes 30 minutes to get to Ashland. Whoops. But Beth knew I might be a hair behind. 

We got to Ashland and I threw tack on and put my helmet and gloves back on and we headed up! We actually made it on time as Kelli and Celeste were still walking their ponies around on foot. It was them and then Sarah, Judy's daughter. So a super fun group. Beth had set up two sets of 4 poles on a circle at 5 and 7 o clock roughly. Then in the middle of that circle, she had 3 single poles. So we warmed up by walking over the group of 4 a few times. She had me slow Dan's tempo so he had to reach rather than just run through them. Then we trotted them and it was the same thing. He had to sit in the hind end and reach with the front end. It was great because he needs to reach with that right front especially but he always has a tendency to run and pull himself along rather than sit and push. 

 

So then, two at a time, we trotted around the circle hitting both sets of 4 and worked on cadence and balance. It was pretty good. Dan was a little worse going to the right, which actually surprised me at first. I figured because his right front would have to reach more on the outside it would be harder. But in retrospect, I think it was easier for him to fling it than it was to lift when he was bearing more weight on it. ahhhh. 

So then we changed it up. She had us trot the four poles, then come inside to the smaller circle and do the 3 single poles, then finish over the second set of 4 poles. Ahhh... that made it more obvious that they were drifting through their outside shoulder. All four of them did it to some degree. So we worked on riding inside leg to outside rein and really holding them with the outside rein. It was great! Going to the left was easier but going right... hard! In the beginning Dan was sort of fighting me and overbent himself in the neck. Of course that made him upset so he stuck his tongue out and was fussy. After a bit, I got myself figured out and rode him straighter in the neck base by riding my inside leg and outside rein and focusing on the straighter neck and then... he was able to make the circle more correctly and his tongue quieted down and he was happy. Ugh.. that stresses me so much though. We did that a couple of times and Beth made the comment to me that just... helped my heart. She said that while he struggled, she honestly thought that was the best he's looked ever. She said that he was going more correct. And her thought was that in the beginning, when he was fighting me, he was overbent and he was creating pain or trauma or.. just difficulties for himself, and therefore his tongue came out. But when I got him using himself correctly and he was able to balance, he was able to focus on the job and do it comfortably and his tongue went back in and quieted down. She said that she also saw him fatigueing. She felt like he was really quite weak. She said that she suspected that he's been compensating for such a long time and now that he's finally able to move correctly.. he's just not used to using those muscles (and add in the atrophy) and therefore he's weak and it's hard. BUT... she said to keep doing this but be cognizant of his fatigue and to ride him up to it, but not push past it.  Oh how I needed to hear all of that! Because, my brain was starting to panic about his tongue. And, I'm sure it will again. Maybe even it is now. And I'm sure that if it stays consistent, it'll panic me even more. BUT... for now, I'm agreeing that it is fatigue and it's hard work for him, so his tongue comes out. That doesn't mean he is broken still.. it doesn't mean I need to give up. It just means I need to be empathetic to him and kindly but effectively do his rehab work. 

So we took a little break and then we added a little canter. We trotted the four poles, then cantered around and trotted before the second set of 4 poles and then kept the trot for the 3 center poles and then trotted the 4 poles out again, then cantered until we got back to the four poles and repeated. Dan did well with the canters. He was weak. So weak. And he picked up the left lead once instead of the right lead but only once. We quit after a few circles each way. Beth said that for the future, the next step would be to trot the four poles and then canter the rest of the exercise, but... Dan's not ready for that yet!

So yeah... it was really nice to get Beth's perspective and thoughts and it was fun to get back out on my best boy and let him play. And then most of us hacked to the lake for a little splashing. Dan did bottom out once or twice on the way to the lake so he was definitely tired. But he splashed and even pawed with his front right multiple times, so yay! We hacked back home through the woods so we got a tiny bit of hills. I was so tempted to do his water treadmill but figured that was enough hard work for the day. 

   

Later that afternoon he came to say hi while I was fixing the bird feeder post and then snuggled a little bit after dinner, so... I think he's happy and I think he knows that we're both working hard to help him get better! I just adore him. He really does try his best. He's puts in the work with minimal complaints. He stuck his tongue out but he didn't quit.. he didn't buck... he didn't get naughty. He just... kept working at it. So much heart! 

 

 

We got our wheels back

Finally!! Between getting brakes on the trailer, then new tires and alignment on the truck and then it not starting.. ugh! Not only am I super poor, but I was unable to go to Ashland. But that makes me extra grateful for arena and neighborhood!

However, I got Ricky Bobby back and we are back in action!! Yahoo! I celebrated by taking Dan to Ashland for a ride and hydrotherapy. 

    

We met Kelli and I let her try my thorowgood saddle and she gave me back Dan's horrobin. With all the rain the arena's were closed but Lucy said we could use the jump arena, so we headed up there. Dan actually felt pretty darn good! He was still a hair short in the right front but he was happy to trot and even cantered on the right lead multiple times! Short canters, but still! I'm guessing it's not because I'm in the saddle instead of bareback but because I shockwaved his pelvis two days ago. Which.. maybe that's good, maybe not?! I feel like it was injected not that long ago... although that was prior to him being hung upside down and hoisted around four times. And, in theory, if all it takes is routine shockwave... I can do that! But it is a little worrisome. And, he's still fairly weak because he lost his hind end repeatedly! And one time he lost it so bad that he grunted and made massive skid marks in the arena. It was kind of scary for a second or two. And he bottomed out quite a few times during the ride and on the trails. But, he recovered after each time and wasn't sore. So... I'll keep rehabbing and doing our hills and poles and water therapy and then he'll go see Keelin in two weeks and we'll see what she says. 

   

After our arena work we went to the xc field and did some walking and then trotting in the water complex. It was a bit deeper today so he had to work hard. Plus he was a little tired already. But we still got three circles each way at the trot! Then we went for a walk and I tried to find a few hills for him. We're not gonna fail for lack of trying that's for darn sure! We may fail... but it won't be for lack of effort. 

 

It was a great day! And so pretty out. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and earlier today, I rode Lyric at home, who was clearly in heat. 

Fitting it in between storms

 Well... finally got word on my truck. It needs two new batteries... which isn't cheap. Sigh. Cheaper if I did it myself, but let's be honest. I'm not that kind of girl. It also needs some maintenance but... for the moment, I'm tapped out. So... batteries it is and then I'll take it to Lead Foot in the next month or so for the maintenance. After I can save up some money. Or atleast make some money. (Two weeks off for Ireland was not good for my bank account). Of course this all meant that by the time I got it figured out it was after noon and then of course... I was going to be lucky if they got it done in time to ride. So.... I rode Dan at home. 

 

 

The good news is that it rained before and after I rode. And I timed it beautifully as I got on when it wasn't as extremely hot because the breeze had picked up and was hosing him off as the rain started and as I turned him loose, it started pouring. It also meant though that we only had a short ride and we didn't get to hack around the neighborhood. But oh well. 

   

At least we got it done. We rode bareback again and I took him into the arena. We had those ten trot poles set up so I took him through those quite a few times. He was pretty good and actually felt quite floaty and springy! Except for the one time he tripped and almost face planted. Doh! Sorry dude! Although he was quite lazy and didn't really want to trot today. I had to really ask him to do it and then he wanted to fall out of it pretty quickly. So.. not sure what to make of that. He felt fine once he was going. We did some leg yielding at the walk but nothing steep and only a little bit. And I did have him canter on the left lead for about 1/2 a circle. Then we hacked homeand... we were going to go to the lake but we decided not to because of the thunder and the way the skies looked. And like I said, good call.

 

After the storm was over I pulled him back out and I shock waved him. I did his shoulder/neck base and a little bit over his scapula. And then I did his SI joints and lower back again. And... I'm going to need to replace my trodes again asap! I'm pretty sure the majority of usage was on my own ponies. Whoops! Hopefully I can start making some more money on that machine! He was a good boy though. I also put him back on pentosan and then put him back on equiox. I skipped it last night and I'm wondering if that was some of his laziness today? Of course it could have just been a bad day... could have been the humidity/heat... who knows? 

 

Guess I'll see how he feels Thursday. I'm planning to take him to Ashland and do a little arena ride and then another field ride and some hydrotherapy. :)