Fun random day

 Today was a weird day. But a good one. Steaming hot though!! Ugh. I woke up super early and fed ponies and took Funny to the cavaletti clinic. Then when I got home, I turned her out, made a hot dog and then grabbed Dan. 

We headed to Ashland to meet Kelli for a quick ride before our vet appt. It was so hot, but we knew we weren't going to be riding long. I almost went bareback, but... wanted to check my saddle fit again and the fit of my new breastcollar. I got there a hair earlier than Kelli and put my saddle on. It's definitely a hair too wide but otherwise it fits well. And with the shim pad, it seems to fit pretty darn good. I also made sure I was placing it properly again. I watched a video yesterday and it was saying to make sure that the conchos (tree points) were just behind the edge of the scapula. So, that's what I did today. It's definitely a hair farther back than what I had been doing more recently, but he seemed happy and with the shims, it seemed to fit well. But the breastcollar is way too tight. I mean.. it fits, but it's super snug. And on the last holes. I might be able to figure out how to make it work if I swap out the tugs, but I'm not sure that the chest piece is going to be long enough even with longer tugs. Ugh... why is it so hard to get western tack to fit him??? And match?!! 

Anyways... we went for a short hack. We just walked to the lake and back. He didn't spend too much time in the lake because Anna was there walking her dogs and he was intrigued. But it was fine because we were short on time anyways. We walked back and then headed to the arena for Kelli to do her two minutes of trot (rehabbing). I figured I'd play a little bit too. Plus I wanted to practice the turn on the forehand for the show next weekend. And he was pretty good. He felt nice at the trot and our turn on the forehands were decent! Especially since you do it with their nose on the rail. His leg yields sucked today though. He was bracing. And my hands are apparently very high, which.. might be why he's bracing!?? We didn't have much time, so we didn't do a ton. But we did get in some canter too. I tried a lengthen on the right lead and he swapped behind. So... nope, not ready for 1-3 in Western Dressage yet. But we got some nice canters otherwise. 

He got hosed off and then we loaded up and headed to our vet appointment. He was just getting his feet x-rayed to see how his angles were and how much sole he had. Because, while I do think the reluctance to walk on the trails and feeling icky are more related to stifle fatigue... I do also know he is tender on the rocks, so... I wanted to see. I also wondered if his angles were off or good, because maybe if we helped his angles, we could help his stifle. So... off we went. Kelli called after we left Ashland to chat more and then another friend called and then texted that she was behind me and my trailer latch wasn't shut properly. I know.. it's bent! But thanks for letting me know just in case. :) And the photo of Dan's butt! 

We got there and the girls told me that Dr. Connolly got called out on an emergency but they would happily take the foot rads. No problem. It meant *I* kind of got to play vet. Ha ha. They did a great job and they good got rads. And... His front feet aren't bad, but... he's a bit broken back at his fetlock angle. I'm not sure if he needs wedges?? He's got enough sole that we could maybe trim it up better. It's not bad, but.. not perfect. And then his hinds look pretty decent except he doesn't have much sole depth. BUT... Kim just posted about using shock wave to increase sole depth and funny enough... she was behind me today when Funny and I left High Point and called me and told me to pull over. She had a 20 mm trode with her she was going to let me use for a bit. And, he conveniently gets his shockwave tomorrow, so.. I might as well go ahead and shockwave his coronary bands too tomorrow to see if it helps his sole depth. Anyways... I ended up having the girls take stifle rads too. Because we had only x-rayed his left one last visit, and... the noltrex really didn't seem to help his right stifle this go round. And.. they aren't great. I mean, they took good rads but his stifle isn't great. There's definitely less joint space and more arthritic edges. Bummer. But, they did have a bottle of osphos handy that they sold me. She was super nice and gave it to me almost at cost. So I'll skip his previcox for the next 6 days and give him the osphos in 3 days. And maybe, that will kick in before we see Dr. Barrow on the 24th and get reassessed. 

Anyways.. after that we headed out to the trailer and then Mary Stuart asked me a question and we ended up talking for a good 15 minutes and Dan was just grazing and then just standing there hanging out quietly. Like.. he wouldn't even load up, he was just happy to stand there and chill. Good pony. Weird.. but good pony. :) I do adore him and his weird little self. 

So... then I forgot to shockwave him tonight and ended up riding Lyric after the storm, so.. shockwave tomorrow!

Beat the heat

 hit the trails bareback. marching more today, though still slower. so...not likely his feet. at the end of the ride, after trotting some, he got a little "stoppy" so still likely stifle fatigue. but have appt for foot rads on friday. 

met missy and kirsten at the lake and dan was so thrilled with seeing indy. splashed and played a bit. need a bit for that because that hackamore gave me zero control. then hacked them back home. wouldn't leave them so had to go to the barn. 

trotted home some. felt decent. good boy

photos: 6-26 beat the heat

Heart of Gold!

 Despite the crankies ;) 

We got up early this morning. Me, earlier than Dan. ;) 

Our lesson was at 7:45, which... oooof, early, but... helps get us done before it gets too hot and lets me lesson two and ride a third. And... apparently, bush hog too. He was filthy as of last night, and still filthy this morning so I knew he would need a quick rinse off, so we did that and then headed to Ashland. Unfortunately I didn't have time to go for a warm up hack so we just went to the upper arena and warmed up there. I adjusted him last night and put butacort on his stifle, so I was hoping he was going to feel better today. And he did. I didn't feel that uneven feeling. So yay!

 

Kelly asked how things were going and I ... kinda slumped and sighed. She said I looked so defeated. I told her.. no, actually, but I was worried that he was hurting more than he was letting on. She gave me an awesome pep talk and basically said that I would know when he was done. He would tell me. And that while he didn't look super buff like he did 3 years ago.. neither did she. And she said he didn't look as bad as I thought. His hind end wasn't undermuscled compared to his front end. His gaskins weren't huge and his forearms weren't huge from dragging himself along. And while his upper neck was puny, his lower neck wasn't horrible. She said she would watch him go and tell me the truth, but she suspected that he was doing okay and since he was game and having fun, enjoy the ride. He'll tell me. So that helped alot! And he felt pretty darn good. There were a few steps here and there, and he obviously wasn't a fan of loading that right hind and tried to not do it, but he didn't get naughty or even try too hard to not do it when I insisted. The big thing I noticed though was that he fatigued. Towards the end of my lesson, he was requiring a lot more help from me. And Kelly saw a few funky steps here and there... she saw that he needed my help more. And then, after my lesson, I tried to go for a hack and he just... didn't want to. He kept stopping. And after a few minutes, he was fine and carried on but he was definitely not speed walking and was slow. We did just a very short hack and by the end he was much more like his usual self, although still slow. So, I think I just need to recognize that he may need some rest after he works and that my hacks probably need to be before my arena rides or on separate days. And Kelly pointed out too... don't back off on what I ask, but give him lots of rests and breaks to recover from the fatigue. So... we'll do that and see if that helps him out. 

 

Anyways, back to our lesson. He was really good. He was much happier to stay rounder today and had some nice balance. We worked on really getting him round and stretching so he was stepping up and under with the hind end. Kelly pointed out that it is hard for him but to think of it as a stretch more than loading. Because while he is loading that right hind, he's more stretching the hip and lower back and he needs to do that. So get it.. and then let him have a break, but don't let him cheat because I'm worried about him. Tracking right he wants to fall in, so I have to almost ride him haunches out. And keep a steady connection with my outside rein so he can have the support. He got quite nice! Tracking left he bulges that right shoulder so I have to ride shoulder in. But both ways we got some lovely bend. I need to make sure that when I'm posting, my elbows remain mine but also that I don't "bounce" out of the contact by being too soft with my elbows. Because when I do that, I lose the elasticity and just bounce in and out of the contact and that makes him look lame. 

 

We played with the serpentine and he gets quick instead of bending, so... I had to make sure that I ask for bend, but keep his tempo the same. And it works, when I can coordinate my aids. Then we played with leg yields and he sort of cheats. Kelly said he gets nice and floaty but he's on the verge on not leg yielding... more of a diagonal line. His body is positioned correctly but he's not really crossing over. Ahhhh... So at home, I need to practice keeping him moving sideways and not getting quick but not letting him get hollow and shut down. So, if I need to bring him down to walk and really insist he go sideways, then go back into the trot, do it. (At home while schooling.. not in the show!). And I should aim for more steep lines to make sure we're going sideways. 

 

We did a tiny bit of canter but were running out of time. But, Kelly said the canter looked quite nice anyways, so yay! Our upwards are still a bit of him slinging himself into it with his front end, but his downward was better. And his canter felt quite nice today.. very round. I still have to ride his shoulder in going left and ride his haunches out going right, but he was quite nice today. 

 

So yay! He felt good and looked and felt happy. He was a tiny bit funky here and there but usually only one or two steps and then back to good. Kelly said she saw nothing other than a little bit of fatigue at the end. And she said he looked happy and willing. So yay! But yeah... then we went for a hack and he was like "I'm done mom..... I'm tired!". So.. we sat for a minute... then we walked.. then we grazed.. then we walked.. and then we were walking okay again. But I kept it short. Later today though he was cantering around in the field when I was bush hogging... and I think he started it! So.. he can't feel too horrible. Although I am going to surpass his stifle for a few weeks I think... and hopefully the osphos will arrive soon. I'll call tomorrow. And then I'm going to call and schedule Dr. Barrow for an appointment soo to see. Maybe he needs double dose noltrex... or maybe he needs steroids.. or maybe it's not the stifle (Although I can't imagine it's not not the stifle). Unfortunately I think the earliest she has available is mid July... but hopefully we can sneak in before we go to the beach so he can recover while I'm at the beach. And maybe... it's nothing... or just a little foot sore and needs shoes... or ??? I don't know. But I'll do my best to find out and make him happier. Because... he is trying his heart out and I am grateful but also don't want to take advantage!

 

Oh how I love him!

Well that was fun! Todays weather turned out to not be that bad either! I mean.. it was hot, and poor Dan was literally dripping sweat, but.. it wasn't that miserable I didn't think. Maybe because I wasn't working as hard as Dan. 

 

This morning we had the farrier and poor Dan was struggling when he picked up his left hind to trim. I couldn't decide if he just wasn't balanced.. if he didn't want to lift the left hind because it hurt the left hind, or if he didn't want to stand on the right hind. He wasn't ugly about it but couldn't get settled and was wiggling and pulling on Patrick. And he's still got those significant toe drag marks, and much worse on the right hind. And he's been walking super slow recently on the trails and not doing as much shenanigans out in the field. It worries me. But I've ordered the osphos so maybe that will help. 

 

After I got back from my chiropractor, we loaded up to meet Sharon and Baylor at Ashland. We hacked around the little lake (heron lake) and then headed to the arenas to play. Dan was a really good boy and seemed much more happy to go round for me today. He didn't feel as braced. And he felt very willing but he felt like he was coming down harder on one leg more than the others. I couldn't quite tell if it was a front leg or a hind leg and I think it was only noticable tracking left. Sharon watched and said she didn't see anything. So.. that's good I guess. He kind of sort of warmed out of it, but then I'd feel a twinge of it every time we changed direction again. But, he did everything I asked willingly and happily. Even turn on the haunches and reinback. Although our reinback is still a bit inverted. 

 

We watched Sharon canter and did some videos for her and then she offered to video us. I wanted to try to run through the Western Dressage test but wasn't sure I remembered the test correctly. I did NOT. ha ha. But oh well. I remembered most of the pieces so we practiced it out of order. He's getting good at those darn serpentines.. the ones that took me about 6 rides to figure out. And his canters felt pretty good today. Although his left lead wanted to swing a little wide. (The left lead... I think!). So I played a few more minutes and did all the movements. He had some nice stretchy trot, some nice baby lengthens, some nice canters (even 15 meter circles) and nice leg yields. Oh, and he was even super round feeling in his canters! We even got a decent halt without him trying to lengthen through it. Really, the only thing that was really not up to par today was the reinback. So... good pony!

After that we went back to the trailers and untacked and I took off my boots and socks and Sharon put on shorts. We hopped back on bareback and headed to the lake. Poor Dan was literally dripping sweat. I'm sorry dude! We walked through the woods to the lake and poor Dan was a slug. I don't know if he was just tired... his feet were tender because of the fresh trim... or most likely.. his stifle hurts. I'm so sorry buddy... I felt so awful. But, he never said no... or even "I don't want to". I don't deserve him. He really does have a big ol' heart!

 

He got a little more pep to his step as we got closer and then they had a great time splashing and pawing and snorkeling in the lake. I was trying to get Dan to swim out and he kept wanting to just splash instead. And then Baylor just... went in and did a little swim! Fun! So then I convinced Dan to go out. He never swam, but he went deep and snorkeled with his nose. Hee hee. He sounds like a hippo or the loch ness monster. We splashed a bit more and then hacked home. Good pony!

  

On the way home I swung by Dr. Barrow's clinic and drew his blood for a chemistry. His numbers were all normal other than his globulins being slightly high. But his kidneys and liver all looked good, so.. once I get the osphos, I can give it. But I did ask about a lameness exam. Unfortunately Dr. Barrow is out of town til July 6th week, booked solid that entire week, and then gone the week after too. So then I called UGA to see if Dr. Ellis was available and she's gone til mid July too! Well drats! So... I think I'll adjust him hopefully tomorrow... hopefully acupuncture him too and do some myofascial work.. and then k[-tape too, and see. I may also call Kim and see if I could sweettalk her into seeing him. Just because I'm not entirely sure it's his stifle. I would assume... based on his history and the toe drag and the resting of the right hind, but... maybe it's the left hind that's bothering him again. Or his sacroiliac joints. Or his neck. Or maybe he's unhappy in the 3D pads up front and needs the frog support pads because of his pedal osteitis tendencies. I don't know. It's hard because he looks like he doesn't feel great but then he moves decently and is happy to work. Thanks bubs... You're the best! I hope I don't take advantage of your big ol' heart.

Gorgeous day for an Ashland day

 The ponies got their coggins drawn this morning so they were a little cranky at having to stay in for an extra 20 minutes or so. But I turned them out after and let them meander for a bit. Just a bit though because then I went and got Dan to go to Ashland for a nice ride. 

   

We got there and tacked up and went for a spin around the little lake while we waited on Kelli. Then she decided that she wanted to do an arena ride instead of a trail ride, so we did that. (I was going to do both.. it just didn't matter which I did first). 

 

Dan warmed up with some walking and lateral work and then we started trotting. He felt pretty decent but took a few lame steps here and there. After about 15 minutes or so, Kelli wanted some help so we stopped and watched her and Marvin go. Then when she was done, she watched us. Dan had been sitting for a good ten minutes so I had to pick him back up and put him back to work, and he wasn't quite as soft. I was telling Kelli that he feels like he's going well under saddle but his neck tells a different story. And I wasn't sure if I was just not getting him like I thought I was... or if it was his saddle... or just his poor stifle couldn't hold up.... or ??? So she watched us go a bit and said that he is just a bit too long and he's bracing in his jaw. He's nice and forward and out but he's not quite loose. He's holding himself up with his underneck and bracing. So, I asked him to go a bit more round, and he got better. She said he let go and started swinging. And I could feel it. But then he'd curl behind the vertical and/or shut down some. So it was a delicate balance. But I managed to get him in the nice swinging spot a good bit of the time. I picked up the canter and he was much rounder in the canter, even his hard way. However, he couldn't turn very tight to the left and we kept spiraling out of the arena. I'm not sure he could have pulled off a 15 meter circle. So we'll definitely have to figure out which tests we are going to do at the July horse show. Anyways... I was able to get him fairly consistently round in the trot without curling and Kelli said that he was using his neck correctly then and lifting his back and his footfalls got lighter. So yay. Maybe if  I can remember to keep this up, his neck will start changing. I think I need the eyes on the ground to help me develop my feel better. Because while he feels good, he's not always as good as he can be. So, maybe I'll start doing pivo rides again.. if i can keep my phone from overheating!.

   

After that we chatted for a bit longer and then I took Dan on a cool down hack to the lake. He splashed around a little bit and then we headed back home. We passed a lovely black snake on our way. I'm not sure Dan even saw him. But we didn't step on him so that was good. And he was quite polite to let us pass without getting all angry. 

 

So all in all, a good day and a good ride!

 

Oh, and I forgot this gem from last night. Ha ha...  But then tonight he was silly and making faces at me when I was sitting there on my phone while they finished eating... okay fine... you earned cookies :)