Poor Daniel. He really is trying!

Today was a rough day. Long story short, but I had to adult this morning and ended up having the ATM eat $17,000 worth of checks that I deposited into the business account. I'm hopeful that it will get resolved.... eventually, but... gah! That's stressful. So... I finally did all my errands and ate some lunch and then grabbed Dan for a ride. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day but, it was very cleary not going to stay that way. There were some ominious dark clouds in the distance and the radar was not looking good. But I figured it was a decent enough chance and since we were at home, I could always head back in if we had to. So... we rode. 

I put him back in the expensive bosal to try it and see and put my roller spurs back on. We headed up to the arena and did a hill or two while Jean was finishing up and exiting the arena after her lesson. Then we did some walk work and he was much bendier today!

We did the gate and.. man, that's a tough one. It's like... sometimes I can nail it and other times.. we let the cows out! I'm so glad that I can keep practicing on it, because I need to get a "technique". But he's getting better about not helping. Then we did some trotting and he felt pretty decent. He tripped once or twice but was more forward. But he's still dragging that right hind. I can hear it. We cantered too and he's more forward for sure and hasn't tripped/fell out of the canter in the last ride or two. BUT... he got a little proppy and I think I'm jabbing him with my spurs! So I took them off. Sorry Buddy! I think my leg isn't as stable in the western saddle with the longer stirrups and then the long roller spurs are more pokey! So, I took them off and he was still pretty forward and bendy but not as goosey. Okay... I hear yah! I'll either have to get proper western spurs or try my nubs again. I need to ride in jeans with the paddock boots and my nubbin spurs to see if that works too. Or just go back to no spurs. But he definitely struggled at the gate without the spurs. Or... *I* struggled more. So.. hmmm... gonna have to figure something out. We also played with the sidepass. I decided NOT to drill the obstacles today. Mostly because Mackenzie had moved some of them for their lesson, but... also because I felt like maybe I needed to give him a break. Even the intro division is a lot of tight turns. So we worked on our western dressage.. just suppleness, circles, etc. He felt pretty decent but was a bit forward and maybe not as soft in his topline today. 

We finished our ride with a tiny bit of turn on the forehand and then I noticed he had stuck his tongue out and flailed it a tiny bit. It's not as obvious when he has a bit in.... and he didnt seem quite as stressed, but... it's there. And then I felt horrible. I really do think it hurts him to bend his right stifle. And I'm asking him to do all sorts of sitting and engagement... and he's trying. Bless him, he's trying. And.. honestly... this happens everytime I put him back to serious work.. he starts to look like crap again. His neck is getting that sag at the base of his withers... his traps are maybe filling in, maybe not... but.. his neck looks awful. Sigh... I wanted to cry. Bud... I'm so sorry. I just wanted to find a job that you could be comfortable in and enjoy and... now I've turned it into something that isn't. Ugh. And I don't know how much of it is the saddle itself... but my gut is it's more likely the stifle creating all the issues. Ugh... I should be mad at Funny, but I really am not. In the same way I'm not mad at Dan for breaking Fleck's jaw. It's just.... sad. And.. I'm mad at me.. because I can't just enjoy something... I have to be all competitive about it. And while I tell myself, Dan likes to be the center of attention ... he likes to show and show off..., maybe he does, but... it doesn't mean he still can't hurt too. So.... maybe he'll be okay. Maybe the noltrex will really make a difference soon. Maybe I can do some more "things" to help him out. Maybe I just need to back off and give it some more time. Maybe not.. maybe I need to realize that his comfortable place is the trails and only the trails. Or the occasional obstacle challenge. Sigh... But it's so hard to tell. Am I just emotional today and putting too much into one ride? Or is this something I"ve been ignoring in spite of the obvious signs for ... heck, probably years? I don't know. Maybe both? I signed up for a lesson with Kelly Eaton on Sunday so I'll see what she thinks. I guess at this point, I might as well continue to do the whole buckle series show and just take my foot off the gas pedal about trying to win it. I'll just go and do the series for the fun and joy of it. We'll go and have fun and maybe we'll walk the ten meter circles instead of trotting them. And we'll just have fun and enjoy it for what it is... a weekend with my bestie who's trying his heart out for me. And in the meantime, we'll simmer down on drilling and just do more hacking. 

I just pray that I hear him and put him first. I know that I do... but sometimes I think I stop listening for a bit so I don't have to hear. Because I just want him to be happy and comfortable SOOOO badly. So hopefully he'll get a nice trail ride before our lesson on Sunday. Or two. :) 

Oh, and poor guy... during our ride today I didn't realize that my get down rope had come loose and he stepped on it twice and stopped short twice before I realized what had happened. Ouch! Sorry buddy! My bad! When we left the arena, I let him shut the arena gate with his nose... to make him happy. :) Then we headed home and I untacked. Poor guy was sweaty! It's so humid though. It was starting to look pretty dark when we were finishing our ride and sure enough, the skies got real dark as I was untacking. I just managed to get him untied and was walking to the wash rack when it started pouring. Like.. my timing was SPOT ON!! ha ha.. Just like with Lyric yesterday. :) 

 

I hosed him off anyways cause he was dirty and still hot and turned him back out. Good pony. Thanks for trying. Then later tonight after dinner... he snuggled. Or used my face as a napkin. Whatever. ;) But we snuggled a bit. I hope he forgives me. 

Birthday Boy!!!

Happy Birthday to my baby boy! Who is somehow now 15!!!! What?!? I remember that email post with the first photos of you... and then meeting you and scratching your bum at 10 days old! My how time flies. But we've had some fun haven't we??!

 

I'm so grateful your mine. Even though God's plan was not for you to be my Prelim 3 Day horse. You've taught me so much. And we've had so much fun anyways. I really hope that the next 15 years hold more adventures and trail rides and beach rides and shenanigans galore!

 

To celebrate today we rode at home. I probably should have taken you on a trail ride with Baylor and had a pool party, but... I really wanted to play with our new gate. And mess with your saddle. So... sorry bubs! We'll trail ride soon. I promise. 

   

I started with checking his saddle fit. I think it's too wide for his angles but then too narrow for his barrel. If that makes sense. But with the shim pad on, it seemed to fit quite nicely. I took photos and sent them to Mark. And at first, I thought he was looking worse than he did almost 1.5 months ago, but... I do think he's actually filling in some trapezius. His neck just looks worse. I don't know how much of that is saddle fit vs going back to hard work. Because I feel like every single time I bring him back to work and come out of the bareback pad.. he gets like this. Every time. Sigh... Mark said he thought he looked better and is hopefully sending me another shim to use. So then i put his expensive bosal on and played with it and got it fitting a little better. 

 

So we headed to the arena in hand. I wanted to do some in hand work and set up another ground pole to serpentine over. When we got to the arena I tossed his reins over his horn and let him wander. While I was getting another pole, he wandered over to the new gate and immediately investigated. He took the rope part and pulled it off the post and went to open the gate. No way?! You are sooooo smart sir! Except when he did that, apparently we didn't have the gate weighted enough on the outside so it tipped. ooops! So then I had to go get two things to put on the other side of the standard to help keep it from falling over. Good boy though Dan! Then he wandered around and was at Jean's end of the arena. They were apparently riding around their farm and had come up the backside and saw Dan there without a rider. She yelled for me. Awww, sweet! I'm fine!! Just letting him wander while I set something up. :) Once I got everything set up, I grabbed him and we played with the sidepass pole. He can go left way better than he can go right. Which, I think makes sense with the right stifle. Maybe?? Anyways, he did a pretty decent job and got cookies. 

 

So then I got on and we rode. It was a pretty good ride. His canter felt quite good and forward, although I do wonder if I'm goosing him with the spurs! I didn't see any marks after my ride though, but doesn't mean I'm still not goosing him. And we were bendier. And the gate was so much fun! I'm so glad I have it. We tried it and the first pass was pretty darn easy. Like... okay, why do we need to practice this? And then the second pass... I totally forgot "how" to do it. Ha ha... Okay... yep, this is why. Then we did a few more tries and it's definitely going to take us a minute to find a technique. I can't do the two steps back, turn, and two steps back thing because... it doesn't work with him. He's long, the gate isn't bendy, it stabs us...  But I can get it fairly consistently if we halt, then back up almost to the hinge letting my hand glide along the gate (drop the rope), then we turn through and then half pass back over. This also, in theory, keeps the cows in! But it's also way easier right handed vs left handed. And it definitely isn't consistent yet. So I am very grateful that I have it to practice. We played a bit more and got some nice work in and then we headed out. 

 

I figured... the weather is cooperating.. let's take a walk through the neighborhood. It's your birthday... let's enjoy it. So we did. We had a nice ride and there was only one dog who did not follow us. And then another neighbor saw us coming and put his dog in the house. I thanked him and we chatted briefly, in a neighborly way. It was a lovely ride. 

    

Happy Birthday Dan. Thanks for being you and being such an amazing guy!

 

RAIN!!!

 RAIN!! We finally got rain! Of course it happened while we were hacking at Ashland, but I don't even mind. :) 

 

We had Patrick come to do feet this morning and I asked him if we could try Dan in the 3d pads instead of the big full frog support pads. So we did. Not sure it'll be any better, but... we're gonna give it a whirl. Then I hopped on Lyric for a quick ride.. then I took Funny for a lesson with Jacel at Barbaras. And then I headed home and swapped ponies and headed to Ashland with Dan. Knowing that it was likely to rain on us, but hoping that it would wait just long enough. It's been "scattered storms" that have just missed us for days, so... we desperately needed the storm to actually hit us today, but you know... 6 pm or later would be fine. ;) On the way to Ashland I got an emergency broadcast alert of 60 mph winds and large hail possible in certain areas. Greeeeeaatttt!

 

Anyways.. I got to Ashland before Sharon and groomed his filthy butt. He was nasty! And hairy! We got tacked up and hopped on. It was rumbling in the distance and the skies were getting kind of dark. So we opted to stay in the woods mostly. We hacked down to the lake because I figured Dan would want to splash. It's been so hot and humid this week. He splashed a tiny bit but not that much. He was more interested in snacking than hacking today. Ha! It had started to sprinkle a bit by then. And the thundering was still rumbling here and there. We then headed back to Raccoon loop and up the cross country field backside. We got to the top of the field and the rain had kind of stopped and the skies cleared a tiny bit. So we debated.... We decided to go around the small lake and then as we got back towards the parking lot... it still wasn't really raining. I told Sharon I really wanted to keep playing and even do a little trotting but that I wasn't sure if the weather would cooperate. I looked on the radar and it showed a light green for the moment but pretty quickly the red spot would be upon us. And looking out towards cross country again, it was getting quite dark. So we decided we should probably be smart and head home. 

  

We untacked and I hosed Dan off since he was so filthy and sweaty and wet. And while I was doing that, he grabbed the sign that asks us to unhook the hose when we're done and pulled it right off the post! Daniel! He was chewing on it briefly but I couldn't get my phone out quick enough to take a photo. Oops! Luckily he didn't break it.. just pulled the nail through it. Whooops! I stuck it back and then we headed back to the trailer. At this point it was starting to rain again so we loaded up and headed home. On the way home it started raining hard and then there was a LOT of lightning. Big streaks! Yikes. We definitely made the right call. I got home and let him out and he galloped up to the hay feeder with the girls. 

   

And then it rained pretty steadily for a good few hours tonight. Yay!! And we might get a little more in the wee hours of the morning. Thank you God! My pastures were getting crispy.

 

I took some photos of Dan's back as I do feel like he's filling in. But... when I tried to do comparisons, he almost looks worse! I think it's my positioning though. Sharon offered to help me next time we ride together so we can get the same positioning and have a fair comparison. BUT... I do wonder how much is related to his stifles and hocks too. I really do need to do some focused bodywork and rehab on him again. Arghhh..