Oh yeah baby, gotta love the crazy New England weather! There was a rumor that a tornado touched down in the middle of the state, but I don't know if that's true.
Anyhoo! The heat this past week was killer. It reached 100 degrees one of the days, and the humidity never let up. I rode UK bareback on Tuesday, as it was too hot for a saddle. I didn't get to ride him again till Saturday morning because of the heat.
Friday night my phone starts buzzing that I have a text message:
Jean: trail ride in the morning
Me: Not if it's this hot. UK's a mess just being in the paddock
Jean: 730 am
Me (my phone didn't get me the new text till 11pm): Just got your text with the time. I'll try to make it. Just got home.
Jean: Call me in the am. let me know.
Me: Ok
So I am not a morning person, never have been. I think God thought it would be decidedly funny to make me a horse person who's not a morning person and allergic to horses, hay, mold, grass, dust, pollen, etc. I bet every time I get a rash from touching my horse he/she falls out of his/her chair laughing.
Anyhoo, I called Jean in the morning and we both dragged our sorry selves to the barn. We were tacked up by 8:30am and heading out. UK was a nice mis-mash of western and english tack. My western pad again, western bridle, rope halter with leadrope attached, ear net, english saddle and english breastplate and a borrowed pair of bell boots. Jean was taking Rebel this time.
Now then, I had a theory that the reason UK tries to turn around is because walking gives him too much time to think. So the plan was to trot a lot and maybe canter.
I really think us horse people should know better by now... plans never work. Plans are made to be ruined....
The bugs were horrendous! The sky was cloudy and it was humid with almost no breeze. After trotting for awhile I looked at Jean and we both agreed to canter. We cantered, and cantered, and cantered. Uphill, downhill, through the woods and past water. It was wicked. Jean and I just going down the trail, laughing and joking around. We eventually walked and let our poor ponies cool down. Our calm was short lived however as the bugs then swarmed us again. A good chunk of our ride home had to be trotted, in order to try to keep the bugs at bay.
UK lead through the water on the way home again. Jean said I should trot it, and I told her no, he'd jump it. She laughed at me and I reminded her that I want him to be an eventer, he needs to go through water, not over it!
UK got a nice long hose down when we got back to the barn. I'd ridden with super long stirrups again, and my ankle was pissed at me for doing that. Next time I need to ride with normal length stirrups if I want to be able to walk the next day.
I rode UK bareback Sunday night again, and I plan on riding him tomorrow. It's been raining the last two days. The cooler weather is nice, but I'm getting sick of being soaked...
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Adventure!
Saturday I went out on a trail ride without UK, instead riding his pasture mate, Rebel. Rebel's a nice little chestnut AQHA gelding who has a wonderful unflappable attitude. The goal was to accompany my friend Jean while she tries to get her mare, Maggie, to cross water.
We put UK's rope halter on under Maggie's bridle and clipped a long cotton lead rope to it to have ready to pony her with in case of trouble. Maggie is smart and had been pretty brave so far, so we weren't expecting too much trouble.
It was a bit hot out so I left my gloves at the barn as I was riding Rebel western. Didn't think much of it, silly me. Horses didn't care about the tractor tedding a field full of hay, and everything seemed to be going well. We got to the river crossing and Rebel decided to be reluctant which didn't help Maggie. She ended up being scared and tried to turn around in a spot too tight to do that. Jean ended up falling off, getting a horn in the side in the process. Everyone was ok though, Maggie just having scraped some hair off a stifle.
We decided to try a different plan of attack and headed for a water crossing that was shallower and with less of a bank leading to it. We could come back and try the river another time.
Maggie didn't want to do that either, but we had better footing and this time I had the lead rope to pull her along. That's where me not wearing my gloves comes in.... I got some killer rope burn when Maggie panicked about getting her feet wet. I didn't let go however, and she soon followed us pretty calmly. We rode farther up the trail till she had forgotten about the water and then turned around and headed home.
This time she tried to jump the water and ran up poor Rebel's butt. That wouldn't do, so we made her cross the water a couple more times till she walked through it calmly without leaping or charging.
Pleased, we headed home. Jean and I chatting and the horses walking happily. I always tell my students that no matter how relaxed they are or how much they trust their horse they should always be prepared by having their weight in their stirrups and being balanced in their seat. I practice what I preach, and a good thing too! I clapped my hand against my thigh and Rebel jumped out of his skin, making Maggie do the same. Jean and I laughed at the silly horses.
Chuck came out that evening and put shoes on UK.
So this afternoon Jean texts me that she wants to trail ride again, and I agree to come up to the barn and go with her. This time I tack up UK, borrowing Rebel's western saddle to make my life easier (too hot for half chaps!). We both make sure to have halters on under our bridles and I clip the long lead rope to the saddle.
UK's great about going down the driveway, and has no problem with the assholes who fly past us in their cars, never bothering to slow down. His first fearful bit was about a root that resembled a snake that we needed to step over. He'd get real close and then chicken out. So Maggie then lead and he followed her over it. She spooked at a bird and he stayed calm which made her feel better.
Eventually he got nervous and tried to turn around. Jean ended up having to pony us behind her, as UK would go forward when ever she'd pull him along. When he was feeling brave he'd want to be in front but have to settle for being alongside Maggie. When Maggie got scared, UK would be brave and visa versa. When he'd get scared he'd drop back and hide his head behind Maggie, it was pretty funny.
Then we got to the little water crossing. Maggie and UK both had a heart attack. Jean and I decided one of us would have to get off, and she was nice enough to volunteer (her horse is shorter). She lead UK and I pulled Maggie behind us by leading her with her reins. Jean got back on and we rode farther up, UK occasionally needing to be ponied when he got scared.
We turned around once they both were behaving well and headed back for the water. UK didn't like it but he responded when I told him to lead across as Maggie was scared again. Without needing to be led, UK stepped slowly and carefully through the water, and Maggie followed!
We're both pretty proud of our ponies! We may be a bit crazy to take two green horses trail riding but it worked in the end! UK and Maggie seem to balance each other pretty well, as they're both scared of different things. UK actually led the rest of the way home once we got towards the end of the trail.
I'll probably give him tomorrow off it's too hot and then work him in the ring on Tuesday. If it's not too hot I'll ride him in the ring tomorrow. He got a whole week off, so he'll be fine. We only walked today, as we wanted them to just relax.
Oh, I didn't forget my gloves today! ^_~
We put UK's rope halter on under Maggie's bridle and clipped a long cotton lead rope to it to have ready to pony her with in case of trouble. Maggie is smart and had been pretty brave so far, so we weren't expecting too much trouble.
It was a bit hot out so I left my gloves at the barn as I was riding Rebel western. Didn't think much of it, silly me. Horses didn't care about the tractor tedding a field full of hay, and everything seemed to be going well. We got to the river crossing and Rebel decided to be reluctant which didn't help Maggie. She ended up being scared and tried to turn around in a spot too tight to do that. Jean ended up falling off, getting a horn in the side in the process. Everyone was ok though, Maggie just having scraped some hair off a stifle.
We decided to try a different plan of attack and headed for a water crossing that was shallower and with less of a bank leading to it. We could come back and try the river another time.
Maggie didn't want to do that either, but we had better footing and this time I had the lead rope to pull her along. That's where me not wearing my gloves comes in.... I got some killer rope burn when Maggie panicked about getting her feet wet. I didn't let go however, and she soon followed us pretty calmly. We rode farther up the trail till she had forgotten about the water and then turned around and headed home.
This time she tried to jump the water and ran up poor Rebel's butt. That wouldn't do, so we made her cross the water a couple more times till she walked through it calmly without leaping or charging.
Pleased, we headed home. Jean and I chatting and the horses walking happily. I always tell my students that no matter how relaxed they are or how much they trust their horse they should always be prepared by having their weight in their stirrups and being balanced in their seat. I practice what I preach, and a good thing too! I clapped my hand against my thigh and Rebel jumped out of his skin, making Maggie do the same. Jean and I laughed at the silly horses.
Chuck came out that evening and put shoes on UK.
So this afternoon Jean texts me that she wants to trail ride again, and I agree to come up to the barn and go with her. This time I tack up UK, borrowing Rebel's western saddle to make my life easier (too hot for half chaps!). We both make sure to have halters on under our bridles and I clip the long lead rope to the saddle.
UK's great about going down the driveway, and has no problem with the assholes who fly past us in their cars, never bothering to slow down. His first fearful bit was about a root that resembled a snake that we needed to step over. He'd get real close and then chicken out. So Maggie then lead and he followed her over it. She spooked at a bird and he stayed calm which made her feel better.
Eventually he got nervous and tried to turn around. Jean ended up having to pony us behind her, as UK would go forward when ever she'd pull him along. When he was feeling brave he'd want to be in front but have to settle for being alongside Maggie. When Maggie got scared, UK would be brave and visa versa. When he'd get scared he'd drop back and hide his head behind Maggie, it was pretty funny.
Then we got to the little water crossing. Maggie and UK both had a heart attack. Jean and I decided one of us would have to get off, and she was nice enough to volunteer (her horse is shorter). She lead UK and I pulled Maggie behind us by leading her with her reins. Jean got back on and we rode farther up, UK occasionally needing to be ponied when he got scared.
We turned around once they both were behaving well and headed back for the water. UK didn't like it but he responded when I told him to lead across as Maggie was scared again. Without needing to be led, UK stepped slowly and carefully through the water, and Maggie followed!
We're both pretty proud of our ponies! We may be a bit crazy to take two green horses trail riding but it worked in the end! UK and Maggie seem to balance each other pretty well, as they're both scared of different things. UK actually led the rest of the way home once we got towards the end of the trail.
I'll probably give him tomorrow off it's too hot and then work him in the ring on Tuesday. If it's not too hot I'll ride him in the ring tomorrow. He got a whole week off, so he'll be fine. We only walked today, as we wanted them to just relax.
Oh, I didn't forget my gloves today! ^_~
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Progress!
So Sunday afternoon I girded myself for war... I mean for a trail ride. It was pretty hot, in the upper 80's but there was a breeze to help balance it out. I brought one of my western saddle pads up, as it's made to let the horse's back breath. So I saddled him up with my english saddle on the western pad, breastplate, rope halter under his western bridle with the clip on reins and a lead rope clipped to my saddle. Ample fly spray was applied and an ear net put on.
Now because it was so hot I was in denim capris and flip flops. Yes, I wear flip flops to the barn. I'm a bad, bad example. I changed into my Ariat terrains and then put my half chaps on my bare legs and over the bottoms of the capris. Felt a bit funny but it was better then overheating.
UK actually stood to let me get on after a few tries. This is one of the other problems we've been having, as he's been too anxious to stand still if we're not in the ring. I double checked my cell phone was in my back pocket and then off we went.
Our goal was to ride down the driveway and then the road for about a 1/4mile to meet Selene on her horse Marty and Sylvia who is leasing her other horse, Romeo. We would then attempt to trail ride. We made it down the driveway and UK didn't really give me any attitude tell I asked him to step out on the road. We'd ridden down the road in the past, but at Betsy's.
I'm not going to bother going into detail, I rode him for a bit on the road then decided to get off when I noticed exactly how much poison ivy was growing on the side of the road (I'm highly allergic!). I then dismounted and walked till we met up with the others.
UK had some attitude/fear issues when I went to mount him again, and I ended up getting off again. I hand walked him down the trail a ways and then got on again using a handy stone wall.
About halfway into the trail ride a lightbulb blinked in UK's little brain. Maybe this trail riding thing wasn't a form of torture, maybe it could be FUN. He was still nervous most of the ride, but started to trust me and the other horses a bit more that we weren't leading him to his death. We rode over a wooden bridge, through the woods, up and down rocky hills, through water multiple times and even behaved when Romeo started getting fresh. We trotted a lot, which was harder for me then it was for him as I had my stirrups extra long in order to be more secure while walking. We cantered too, nice forward canter and a nice collected canter. He didn't care if I was ducking branches while we cantered either. We even did a bit of canter downhill.
UK was willing to keep going even once he started getting really tired. His natural curiosity was starting to outweigh his fear by this point. When we reached the trail head next to Selene's I got off so he could cool down on our walk back up the road to the barn. That was when I noticed he was missing a front shoe. Damnit! The farrier was already supposed to be coming out as he'd grown so much foot that he was due a couple of weeks earlier then usual.
UK was perfectly calm for the walk home, and didn't even realize that was where we were going until we were half way up the driveway to the barn. He can be so blond sometimes.
Overall I learned some important things about UK.
1. Once he gets over his fear he's all in.
2. He is pretty sure footed, not as sure footed as Jake was, but still more sure footed then the average horse.
3. The SmartBug-Off I've been feeding him works! The other horses were being swarmed by deer-flies every time we slowed down, while UK and I never had more then 2 bothering us, if any.
4. He will stop is asked even when excited when following other horses.
And I learned that I'm in better shape then I could have hoped. I had no problem staying off his back while cantering and I still had energy by the end of the trail ride. I still have a long ways to go, but it's good to know the muscles are still there and still can do what I need them to. The only problems I had were due to trying to deal with my too long stirrups while trotting super fast.
Well the farrier will be out Saturday. Till then UK's been having a little vacation, only broken up to re-wrap the shoeless foot every other day. And of course because my horse is unrideable the weather has been awesome yesterday and today. Oh well!
Now because it was so hot I was in denim capris and flip flops. Yes, I wear flip flops to the barn. I'm a bad, bad example. I changed into my Ariat terrains and then put my half chaps on my bare legs and over the bottoms of the capris. Felt a bit funny but it was better then overheating.
UK actually stood to let me get on after a few tries. This is one of the other problems we've been having, as he's been too anxious to stand still if we're not in the ring. I double checked my cell phone was in my back pocket and then off we went.
Our goal was to ride down the driveway and then the road for about a 1/4mile to meet Selene on her horse Marty and Sylvia who is leasing her other horse, Romeo. We would then attempt to trail ride. We made it down the driveway and UK didn't really give me any attitude tell I asked him to step out on the road. We'd ridden down the road in the past, but at Betsy's.
I'm not going to bother going into detail, I rode him for a bit on the road then decided to get off when I noticed exactly how much poison ivy was growing on the side of the road (I'm highly allergic!). I then dismounted and walked till we met up with the others.
UK had some attitude/fear issues when I went to mount him again, and I ended up getting off again. I hand walked him down the trail a ways and then got on again using a handy stone wall.
About halfway into the trail ride a lightbulb blinked in UK's little brain. Maybe this trail riding thing wasn't a form of torture, maybe it could be FUN. He was still nervous most of the ride, but started to trust me and the other horses a bit more that we weren't leading him to his death. We rode over a wooden bridge, through the woods, up and down rocky hills, through water multiple times and even behaved when Romeo started getting fresh. We trotted a lot, which was harder for me then it was for him as I had my stirrups extra long in order to be more secure while walking. We cantered too, nice forward canter and a nice collected canter. He didn't care if I was ducking branches while we cantered either. We even did a bit of canter downhill.
UK was willing to keep going even once he started getting really tired. His natural curiosity was starting to outweigh his fear by this point. When we reached the trail head next to Selene's I got off so he could cool down on our walk back up the road to the barn. That was when I noticed he was missing a front shoe. Damnit! The farrier was already supposed to be coming out as he'd grown so much foot that he was due a couple of weeks earlier then usual.
UK was perfectly calm for the walk home, and didn't even realize that was where we were going until we were half way up the driveway to the barn. He can be so blond sometimes.
Overall I learned some important things about UK.
1. Once he gets over his fear he's all in.
2. He is pretty sure footed, not as sure footed as Jake was, but still more sure footed then the average horse.
3. The SmartBug-Off I've been feeding him works! The other horses were being swarmed by deer-flies every time we slowed down, while UK and I never had more then 2 bothering us, if any.
4. He will stop is asked even when excited when following other horses.
And I learned that I'm in better shape then I could have hoped. I had no problem staying off his back while cantering and I still had energy by the end of the trail ride. I still have a long ways to go, but it's good to know the muscles are still there and still can do what I need them to. The only problems I had were due to trying to deal with my too long stirrups while trotting super fast.
Well the farrier will be out Saturday. Till then UK's been having a little vacation, only broken up to re-wrap the shoeless foot every other day. And of course because my horse is unrideable the weather has been awesome yesterday and today. Oh well!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Insomnia makes for late night updates
My husband has been in Maine since Tuesday morning. Guess who hasn't gotten any decent sleep since then? I'm wide awake at the moment, I know I need to sleep but my body isn't cooperating. I don't begrudge Neil his vacation, but I do look forward to his return home tomorrow.... or should I say later today. Heh.
UK has pretty much settled in at the new barn. He's got all sorts of new girlfriends and hates being parted from them. I think I'm going to have to do something about that soon, as his screaming for them while I try to brush him is getting old.
He's also done with the doxy, thank goodness. Wednesday was his last dose of the yellow stuff, which is good as the coffee grinder was about to bite the big one.
His energy level is still recovering, but otherwise he's starting to get back to normal. Each time I ride him he gets just a little bit better, and that's all I ask for. We've pretty much stuck to the ring, as I wanted to get his confidence back before we tried anything new. This approach seems to be working, as we finally made it down the driveway bareback last week without rearing. He struggled and we doubled back a few times but in the end we made it all the way. I'm hand walking him everywhere too, forcing him to go new places constantly.
Undersaddle he's been pretty excellent. Like I said before, he doesn't have much energy but while he has some we make the most of it. The ring at the new barn is much larger then the one at Betsy's, which is nice as we can really work on going straight at the canter now. He tends to be less balanced when tracking right, so we've been doing a lot of work that way, just trying to keep him even. It's starting to pay off!
Before I get on him we play with a couple of the jumps in the ring. UK didn't want to jump some barrels so I started walking over them and making him follow me. We do the same thing with the big round plastic brush jump. Now he'll pop over them from a standstill without a second thought.
Thursday all that prep work paid off, as UK jumped the barrels undersaddle from the trot, twice. We trotted up to them and he stopped the first time, got smacked on the butt and then we tried again. He almost chickened out again, but then sucked it up and made a huge effort and jumped them like they were four feet high. I was prepared for this, and stayed with him no problem. Huge praise was given and I let him walk for a couple of minutes before trying again. The second time was much smoother, he still slowed down and jumped big but with less hesitation. More praise was given.
UK has pretty much settled in at the new barn. He's got all sorts of new girlfriends and hates being parted from them. I think I'm going to have to do something about that soon, as his screaming for them while I try to brush him is getting old.
He's also done with the doxy, thank goodness. Wednesday was his last dose of the yellow stuff, which is good as the coffee grinder was about to bite the big one.
His energy level is still recovering, but otherwise he's starting to get back to normal. Each time I ride him he gets just a little bit better, and that's all I ask for. We've pretty much stuck to the ring, as I wanted to get his confidence back before we tried anything new. This approach seems to be working, as we finally made it down the driveway bareback last week without rearing. He struggled and we doubled back a few times but in the end we made it all the way. I'm hand walking him everywhere too, forcing him to go new places constantly.
Undersaddle he's been pretty excellent. Like I said before, he doesn't have much energy but while he has some we make the most of it. The ring at the new barn is much larger then the one at Betsy's, which is nice as we can really work on going straight at the canter now. He tends to be less balanced when tracking right, so we've been doing a lot of work that way, just trying to keep him even. It's starting to pay off!
Before I get on him we play with a couple of the jumps in the ring. UK didn't want to jump some barrels so I started walking over them and making him follow me. We do the same thing with the big round plastic brush jump. Now he'll pop over them from a standstill without a second thought.
 |
| UK viewing the barrels we just jumped. |
Those two big efforts wiped him out of energy so completely that he wasn't able to trot a crossrail afterwards without knocking it over. Because of that I was nice and gave him yesterday off to recover.
I rode him tonight... I mean last night, and planned on just letting him hack around and chill. Somebody had moved everything in the ring to practice for a trail class so we played around the obstacles. One of them was a small wooden bridge that someone had put the flower boxes on it's sides to form rails. I figured UK would be terrified of this. He really wasn't. A bit cautious but he followed me right over and even walked over it with very little urging once I was on him.
The mailbox however was terrifying and he seriously considered fleeing when I stopped him next to it and opened it from his back. Maybe he thought there was a tarp hidden inside it? Hehe!
I pretty much rode him on the buckle the entire time, letting him have a break from all the bending and flexing we normally do. He cracks me up, as he can be so balanced on the left lead that he'll be cantering with his nose touching the ground, hind end engaged and going straight all at once and with no urging from me. Can't do that on the right lead as well yet, but we'll get there.
Because he was so good I took him for a hand walk in the woods to find the field out back where Sally said there was jumps. UK ranged from being excited and wanting to explore to leaning on me because he was nervous. Silly horse needs to make up his mind! He had no problem climbing over the small stone wall or a few fallen branches. Good to know.
Tomorrow... um, I mean later today I'm going to possibly try to go trail riding again. I'm really hoping he'll be ok just to go for a nice long walk. I'm sick of being in the ring and I know once he gets over his fear he'll love being on the trails!
So cross your fingers, knock on wood and say a prayer that UK decides to be brave and good for me!
Because he was so good I took him for a hand walk in the woods to find the field out back where Sally said there was jumps. UK ranged from being excited and wanting to explore to leaning on me because he was nervous. Silly horse needs to make up his mind! He had no problem climbing over the small stone wall or a few fallen branches. Good to know.
Tomorrow... um, I mean later today I'm going to possibly try to go trail riding again. I'm really hoping he'll be ok just to go for a nice long walk. I'm sick of being in the ring and I know once he gets over his fear he'll love being on the trails!
So cross your fingers, knock on wood and say a prayer that UK decides to be brave and good for me!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Colic, moving and drama
Yup, the dreaded "c" word. Thursday evening I went back up to the barn to give UK his dose of doxy. After dosing him I he kept acting funny, and looking a bit glassy eyed. Concerned, as he'd been fairly normal during the morning, I inspected him closely. If I didn't know him so well I would not have noticed how tight his midsection was. He wasn't in distress, but he wasn't normal either.
I lunged him, and managed to get one poop out of him, but his mid section was still blown up tight as a drum. He was angry that I took away his dinner, which was reassuring. We went for a hand walk down the road, got lunged again, but was still blown up with no gut sounds at all. I gave him some banamine, and waited.
Hours passed and he still wasn't better, no worse, but no better. I ran home and changed into more appropriate barn wear and ate something. I got back to the barn and settled in for the long haul. Mineral oil was my weapon of choice, and UK didn't enjoy getting a whole syringe of it forced down his throat. In the end though it did the trick. I didn't get to bed till 3am, but my horse was much happier after farting up a storm and pooping some more.
Friday dawned with me feeling very sleep deprived but needing to start packing up my stuff for UK's move to the new barn. Cleaning out my trunk always proves emotional as I there are always some items that have fallen to the bottom that used to be Jake's.
Leaving Betsy's was very bittersweet. I loved being there, but I was also looking forward to going to a barn with trails and lots of people to ride with.
Anyways... before I make myself all teary.
UK has been settling into his new home fairly well. He's been very excitable, and it took him a whole day to stop looking for Dacharia. I rode him bareback last night, and it was rather nice. The doxy is really starting to effect the Lyme as he moved forward easily for the first time in weeks.
Today was supposed to be relaxing and fun. Sally, who owns the barn, offered for UK and I to join her and some others on a nice relaxing trail ride. I figured since he's settled in well and was so good last night that we'd be ok as long as we didn't have to lead. Silly me.
I got on him and he started worrying on the bit and overreacting to everything. We started to walk down the driveway, in the middle of the group, and he starts jigging. The farther down the driveway we got, the worse he behaved. Then he reared. I stayed with him and tried to get him to move forward. Then he went up a second time and my right stirrup started to come off my saddle. My thoughts focused on the phrase "Oh shit". I was falling off the back of him. I'm not sure how, but I managed to almost step off him and ended up on my own two feet still holding the reins in my left hand. He proceeded to freak out more and spin around me as some brush had gotten stuck in his tail.
I got him to chill long enough for me to remove the offending branch and pick up my stirrup from the ground. I then decided that we're going on this damn trail ride hell or high water. So I hand walked him the whole bleeding way. UK was lather from head to hoof from nervousness and excitement. It was a miserable experience for me, but a good one for UK. I ended up sun-burnt, exhausted and dehydrated. UK never ran out of energy, despite sometimes trotting sideways while I walked. I think he has the stamina for eventing after all. Ha ha.
Depending on the weather, I think we'll do some ring work and maybe even jump a bit in order to get his brain back and give him some confidence.
I'm going to sleep now... I wish I didn't have to be up so early!
I lunged him, and managed to get one poop out of him, but his mid section was still blown up tight as a drum. He was angry that I took away his dinner, which was reassuring. We went for a hand walk down the road, got lunged again, but was still blown up with no gut sounds at all. I gave him some banamine, and waited.
Hours passed and he still wasn't better, no worse, but no better. I ran home and changed into more appropriate barn wear and ate something. I got back to the barn and settled in for the long haul. Mineral oil was my weapon of choice, and UK didn't enjoy getting a whole syringe of it forced down his throat. In the end though it did the trick. I didn't get to bed till 3am, but my horse was much happier after farting up a storm and pooping some more.
Friday dawned with me feeling very sleep deprived but needing to start packing up my stuff for UK's move to the new barn. Cleaning out my trunk always proves emotional as I there are always some items that have fallen to the bottom that used to be Jake's.
Leaving Betsy's was very bittersweet. I loved being there, but I was also looking forward to going to a barn with trails and lots of people to ride with.
Anyways... before I make myself all teary.
UK has been settling into his new home fairly well. He's been very excitable, and it took him a whole day to stop looking for Dacharia. I rode him bareback last night, and it was rather nice. The doxy is really starting to effect the Lyme as he moved forward easily for the first time in weeks.
Today was supposed to be relaxing and fun. Sally, who owns the barn, offered for UK and I to join her and some others on a nice relaxing trail ride. I figured since he's settled in well and was so good last night that we'd be ok as long as we didn't have to lead. Silly me.
I got on him and he started worrying on the bit and overreacting to everything. We started to walk down the driveway, in the middle of the group, and he starts jigging. The farther down the driveway we got, the worse he behaved. Then he reared. I stayed with him and tried to get him to move forward. Then he went up a second time and my right stirrup started to come off my saddle. My thoughts focused on the phrase "Oh shit". I was falling off the back of him. I'm not sure how, but I managed to almost step off him and ended up on my own two feet still holding the reins in my left hand. He proceeded to freak out more and spin around me as some brush had gotten stuck in his tail.
I got him to chill long enough for me to remove the offending branch and pick up my stirrup from the ground. I then decided that we're going on this damn trail ride hell or high water. So I hand walked him the whole bleeding way. UK was lather from head to hoof from nervousness and excitement. It was a miserable experience for me, but a good one for UK. I ended up sun-burnt, exhausted and dehydrated. UK never ran out of energy, despite sometimes trotting sideways while I walked. I think he has the stamina for eventing after all. Ha ha.
Depending on the weather, I think we'll do some ring work and maybe even jump a bit in order to get his brain back and give him some confidence.
I'm going to sleep now... I wish I didn't have to be up so early!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Lyme disease and Rodeos
So I rode UK again, as I was planning to after the last time and he was really off. Not lame, just not right. He had no energy and knocked down a crossrail at the canter, which is so not like him. Then he started to not finish his breakfast in the morning. He'd been loosing weight, which at first I thought was due to the heat and the bugs. What really scared me is when he'd just stand listless in his stall, almost looking depressed. Normally he has to be watching everything, he's very nosy.
My gut told me he had Lyme disease, now I just need the vet to confirm that suspicion. I love my vets, they're a long way away but I've known them for years. Now I have the added bonus of having my mother working there as well. I emailed her with a summary of UK's symptoms and waited. Very soon I heard from one of the vets and he agreed that UK had Lyme. I went and picked up the massive amount of Doxycycline and prepared for the three week stretch of twice a day dosing.
UK is so mad at me. I gave him a chance, I tried to see if he'd eat the doxy in his grain but no go. He's so picky he won't even eat applesauce on it's own. So now I have the twice a day ritual of prepping his meds and then dosing him. He fights, tries to evade but in the end I always win. UK has been punishing me by rolling in the dirtiest spots he can find, giving me the silent treatment and always managing to get some doxy on my clothing.
Now I'm trying to balance taking care of him and going back and forth from the Goshen Stampede. I'm helping my friend Robin who is a vendor at the rodeo. The barrel racing was last night and I so wanted to compete. I miss going fast in the worst way! I have no idea if UK has any speed yet. I think he'll be a good distance runner but I'm not so sure he'll be a good sprinter. Jake was stupid fast, make your eyes water from the speed fast. Boy could that horse launch! Hold him back, then lean forward and say "git pony!" and he'd take off like a jet dragster!
Oh well, I need to get going. Lots of things to do and places to be!
My gut told me he had Lyme disease, now I just need the vet to confirm that suspicion. I love my vets, they're a long way away but I've known them for years. Now I have the added bonus of having my mother working there as well. I emailed her with a summary of UK's symptoms and waited. Very soon I heard from one of the vets and he agreed that UK had Lyme. I went and picked up the massive amount of Doxycycline and prepared for the three week stretch of twice a day dosing.
UK is so mad at me. I gave him a chance, I tried to see if he'd eat the doxy in his grain but no go. He's so picky he won't even eat applesauce on it's own. So now I have the twice a day ritual of prepping his meds and then dosing him. He fights, tries to evade but in the end I always win. UK has been punishing me by rolling in the dirtiest spots he can find, giving me the silent treatment and always managing to get some doxy on my clothing.
Now I'm trying to balance taking care of him and going back and forth from the Goshen Stampede. I'm helping my friend Robin who is a vendor at the rodeo. The barrel racing was last night and I so wanted to compete. I miss going fast in the worst way! I have no idea if UK has any speed yet. I think he'll be a good distance runner but I'm not so sure he'll be a good sprinter. Jake was stupid fast, make your eyes water from the speed fast. Boy could that horse launch! Hold him back, then lean forward and say "git pony!" and he'd take off like a jet dragster!
Oh well, I need to get going. Lots of things to do and places to be!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Just a quick update
So I rode UK yesterday, which was very brave of me! The wind was whipping around with 30mph gusts, but for me it felt fantastic after all the heat. UK is somewhat spooky as it is, but add a massive temperature change to cooler weather plus the wind and it's a recipe for disaster. Thus I put him on the lungeline before getting on him. Good thing! He had a whole little temper tantrum which included bucking.
Then with a prayer to the heavens and a determined attitude I mounted my crazy beast. His whole body was tense, and just waiting to explode. I swallowed my nerves and buried them in the back of my mind. Lots of forward trot, and lots of circles while working on being balanced. Every step I had my weight sunk as deep into my heel as possible, letting my very long legs keep me anchored. My torn left ankle makes this a bit painful, but I preferred enduring that little bit of pain to the potential pain of being thrown. Eventually UK focused and started to relax a tiny bit. I rewarded him every time he relaxed, trying to get it into his head that paying attention to me and not the scary things outside the ring was best.
I had changed the big oxer from free jumping him the day before to a nice big crossrail that we could pop over if he continued being good. I knew he'd jump it, as it was a little bit too high to just trot over. However I was not expecting the massive jump that he gave me. We trotted up to it, with me holding my leg and then BAM he jumped it like it was the big oxer from the day before. Thank goodness for muscle memory! I admit, I wasn't able to catch up with him quite as fast as I would have liked, but that was mostly due to the fact I still had my stirrups long for flatting. Thus I caught his mouth for about a second before I let the reins slip through my fingers on the landing. I made him keep cantering afterwards and then walked to regroup.
We attempted to jump it again, but now he was scared off it and stopped when we approached it again. So I spanked him once with my hand. I think the reason he was acting off about it was the shadows were making it seem like there was something in front of it, thus making it look wider then it was.
Not wanting to fight him, I changed tacts. I made him pick up the canter, we did a couple circles and then went back to trot. Then I changed directions and trotted the crossrail tracking left. He was reluctant, but moved forward when asked. Lots of praise was given and then we cantered it, more praise after doing it perfectly. Then we turned back to tracking right and successfully trotted it that way a couple times. Then we ended on that high note.
I gave him today off, but I plan on doing something with him tomorrow as I dragged the ring today. All that fluffy footing is just begging to be ridden on!
Then with a prayer to the heavens and a determined attitude I mounted my crazy beast. His whole body was tense, and just waiting to explode. I swallowed my nerves and buried them in the back of my mind. Lots of forward trot, and lots of circles while working on being balanced. Every step I had my weight sunk as deep into my heel as possible, letting my very long legs keep me anchored. My torn left ankle makes this a bit painful, but I preferred enduring that little bit of pain to the potential pain of being thrown. Eventually UK focused and started to relax a tiny bit. I rewarded him every time he relaxed, trying to get it into his head that paying attention to me and not the scary things outside the ring was best.
I had changed the big oxer from free jumping him the day before to a nice big crossrail that we could pop over if he continued being good. I knew he'd jump it, as it was a little bit too high to just trot over. However I was not expecting the massive jump that he gave me. We trotted up to it, with me holding my leg and then BAM he jumped it like it was the big oxer from the day before. Thank goodness for muscle memory! I admit, I wasn't able to catch up with him quite as fast as I would have liked, but that was mostly due to the fact I still had my stirrups long for flatting. Thus I caught his mouth for about a second before I let the reins slip through my fingers on the landing. I made him keep cantering afterwards and then walked to regroup.
We attempted to jump it again, but now he was scared off it and stopped when we approached it again. So I spanked him once with my hand. I think the reason he was acting off about it was the shadows were making it seem like there was something in front of it, thus making it look wider then it was.
Not wanting to fight him, I changed tacts. I made him pick up the canter, we did a couple circles and then went back to trot. Then I changed directions and trotted the crossrail tracking left. He was reluctant, but moved forward when asked. Lots of praise was given and then we cantered it, more praise after doing it perfectly. Then we turned back to tracking right and successfully trotted it that way a couple times. Then we ended on that high note.
I gave him today off, but I plan on doing something with him tomorrow as I dragged the ring today. All that fluffy footing is just begging to be ridden on!
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