Happy New Year!

I will be out of town as of tomorrow morning, so figured I'd get my Happy New Years in early! I hope everyone has a safe, happy and healthy beginning to 2011. 


We've had quite a cold front since Christmas Day evening. We actually had a hard freeze overnight on Sunday and it's just beginning to stay out of the 30s tonight. While I loved having the cold weather for Christmas, it has been tough being off this week, because it's been too cold to ride. Well, let me clarify...I no longer have the winter riding gear I would need to be warm and not get sick, riding outside in 30-40 degrees. So...unfortunately, Miss Promise was ignored this week. But, supposedly it's going to begin warming up tomorrow, and get somewhat back to normal in the next few days, so maybe next week I'll be able to get back on her again.


In the mean time, I have been looking for boots for her hind legs, because they would offer more consistent support for those tendons the vet was worried about than what I can realistically do with a polo wrap. I really love the Classic Equine Legacy (see photo), in purple of course. They have great reviews and seem to be one of the better "tendon boots" out there from what I've read. Now I just need to come up with the extra money to buy them. That duck really set me back. :(

Merry Christmas!

Finished Product

And here is the finished product...hand-painted frame, and personal photo. My grandmother had better like it!!

I forgot to mention that this photo is Promise sucking up after threatening to buck when I got on her. My mom was with me, to take the photos, and was picking on me for putting my helmet on, when I spent 30 minutes straightening my hair before we left the house (not that you can tell, because despite the cold, it was humid and rain clouds were looming overhead).

I looked at her and said, "Have you met my horse?" Well, good thing I put it on to get on her and let her walk and trot around a bit...because when she had gone about 5 steps from the mounting block, I felt her whole body gather beneath her and she was going to buck. I exhaled, sat deeper and said, "NO."

She listened, but after a couple seconds threatened again, so I firmly said, "No. No. No. Don't you DARE." She relaxed a little. "You can stand here as long as you like," I said, scratching and applying pressure with my knuckles to her withers, "But you are NOT going to act like a 3 year old. You're too old for this crap, cold or not."

So, we stood for a few seconds, I asked for her to release to the bit, by moving it around in her mouth, getting her to focus on something OTHER than her back, and then gently squeezed my legs and asked her to walk. She went a few steps then stopped, feeling less tense, but still thinking about bucking. I'll take standing over bucking, any day. I let her stand, fussed with the bit for a couple of seconds, and then asked her to walk again. Few steps, stop, give, walk. Then she was fine, and started jigging a little, so I let her trot around the ring a few times...after all, I needed her to stand still for pictures, and I needed to be able to take my helmet (and t-shirt covering my dress shirt) off.

I did spend quite a while massaging her before I tacked her up, and she was quite flinchy. I think the next time I go that it is that cold, I will throw a cooler over her while I am grooming and massaging, and give her muscles a little extra time to warm up...because I have a feeling it was mostly stiffness/coldness causing the exaggerated sore reactions, and that I didn't let her back warm up enough on the lunge line before I mounted. But, I will definitely be keeping an eye on it.

Christmas pictures!

What the duck?

My uncle and I took my grandmother to the mall last night to help her finish her Christmas shopping. On our way back, I went through McDonald's and got her a Big Mac meal, since her dinner would have been sitting for at least 45 minutes by that point, if they hadn't already picked it up...and then we drove down the street to bring her back.

I'm driving along, minding my own business, when I see this big Muscovy duck take off from the other side of the road. You know the big ugly fat (and mean) ones? The thing probably weighed 25 lbs easy.



Anyway, I jokingly said, "Don't hit me duck, get some lift!" Thinking I had more than enough room to get by him, and he would want to preserve himself and wouldn't hit me. Yeah. I was very wrong. The stupid duck flew right into the side of my car. He smashed the driver's side mirror, and cracked my window. Thank god I have laminated safety windows (made of the same glass they use for windshields), or it would have shattered and I would have spent the night in the ER.

So, $304.95 later, I at least have a new window (insurance company said I have a $500 deductible). I have to work on getting the mirror fixed, because I didn't realize that even though the casing was fine, the piece that actually attaches the glass to the casing is gone.

I think this qualifies as a "Bah Humbug" moment.

Rain, rain, go away

On Friday afternoon, I spent my Christmas bonus with Promise. Sounds weird, right? I work for a not-for-profit, so my Christmas bonus was a half day. My raise is the week after Christmas off. It'll do, I guess. :)

I headed straight to the barn, excited to have the place to myself on a perfect day. It was cool, but no wind to add to the chill, and when the sun came out, it was just amazing. I dressed Miss Promise, and away we went. I decided to lunge her for a couple of minutes because it had been a week, and the temperature had dropped considerably in that time. She only bucked once, lol. So, about 10 minutes later, I hopped on, and away we went.

I decided to continue working on straightness -- I was also trying to discern whether I was sitting straight in the saddle, was the saddle straight, etc. because when my chiropractor adjusted me last week, she said my tailbone was out, plus my left hip was out again. So, my homework was to check the straightness of the saddle and my body. It felt pretty straight, but without eyes on the ground, or mirrors, it's hard to know for sure. I will have my mom check it out next weekend when we go to take some Christmas photos for my grandmother. 

Anyway, we did a lot of walking and changes of direction, and then I started adding in big looping serpentines to build suppleness. Bear in mind, I am not asking for collection or really even to fully use her hind end at this point, she's not fit enough. But, I do ask her to maintain a soft contact with the bit, and to be giving -- then I try to remember to ride her into my hands. The rest will follow in time. 

I forgot to put my watch on, so I am not sure how long we walked, but I would guess about 20 minutes. And then I asked her to trot on a straight away. My goal with the trotting was to keep my reins short (I tend to let them go when she's being good) and to maintain a firm, but soft contact with her mouth while encouraging her into the bit with my seat and legs. She wasn't a fan at first, and had a temper tantrum (...in each direction!), which included tossing her head, trying to stop, and pretty sure she threw in a kick or two also. Geez, barn owner wasn't kidding when she said Promise was definitely doing better, because her attitude was back! lol. She didn't do anything awful...and mostly stopped when I told her to quit and squeezed her forward. When she settled into the contact and stopped fidgeting with the bit, I praised her and released for a few seconds. We went around more to the right than the left, because she was worse in that direction and it took longer to get her to settle, then she'd break the contact to toss her head and we'd have to basically start over to end the trotting on a good note.

Note to self, I have to work on my downward transitions, I cannot stand it when her response to slowing down is to throw her nose out in front of her and fall on the forehand. I know, partially me, partially her strength. We'll work on it.

After walking around for another 10 minutes or so, I went to halt by our stuff so we could call it a day. But, she gave me one too many nose-out-halts for my liking, and I decided to push the issue a little. After all, we were walking. So, we did half the arena and worked on halting without looking like a giraffe. She didn't have to be perfect, just soft -- no pulling, etc. I used the fence to help me...mean mom. After 5 or 6 tries, she stopped without grabbing the bit or having an attitude, so I made a huge deal out of it, dismounted, untacked her and let her roll in the arena while I went to go put her stuff away. Maybe she got the hint. :)

~*~

Since it started pouring buckets when I was about 10 miles away from the barn, I wasn't able to ride yesterday. So, instead, I hung her stocking so Santa Pony would fill it and then I spent quite a while currying and using my hard brush on her to really try to get the dirt out of her coat. (I won't be able to give her a bath before the aforementioned photo shoot, as it will be too cold. So, I'm making do and starting early!) Then I sprayed her neck, legs, hindquarters, mane and tail with ShowSheen and wiped the hair flat with my hands before turning to my next task while waiting for it to dry: a massage!

Her back was pretty good, actually, not too much flinching or moving away from the pressure of my fingers when I checked for soreness. Still, I held the muscles away from her spine for a minute and then began to work through them with my little golf ball massager tool from the chiropractor. 

On the left side, I went down from where the saddle would sit, to where her shoulder meets her belly, and she flinched, and pinned her ears and swished her tail. Now, I'm not certified -- although I have been considering it recently -- but, I am pretty confident in listening to my horse. So, I figured what the hell. And, I gently felt around a little, trying to pinpoint the exact area of discomfort. She was pretty clear about it, and when I began working the spot with my tool, she tensed at first, but when the muscle started to loosen, she slowly began to relax, stopped swishing her tail, etc. I worked it for a minute or so, and then went back to her back for a bit. She would turn and nudge me like, "But, mom...that spot still hurts!" I massaged both areas alternately, working down to her hip, and around her ribs, also, until she finally heaved a big sigh and started licking and chewing. Then, I checked for soreness again. Still a little flinchy, so rinse and repeat until the flinching diminished even more.

On to the right side. The soreness seemed to be in adjacent spots, which is a good thing. I haven't noticed any patchy sweat marks when I take the saddle off, or any real resistance from her when I am on her (I don't think her temper tantrum counts, in this instance, it was more of an "I don't WANT to!"), so I think it fits well still. I repeated the same process on the right, until she stop flinching. And when the flinching stopped, the yawning and stretching started --- she would stretch her neck as far as it would go and would yawn for several seconds, then shake her head around -- she did this many times. Yay, for a relaxed horse!

When I had finished massaging those areas on both sides, I brushed her with the soft brush to remove the dirt I had stirred up. I stood behind her, and asked her to lift her back three times, which got a huge sigh and she began stretching her nose down to the ground to continue the stretch through her spine. Good mare! And then went on to her hindquarters to continue my massage. Then she started doing this:

She hasn't done this in years -- used to do it all the time on the crossties. But, unless my memory fails me completely, she hasn't done it since before we moved to Florida. Today, I'm pretty sure this was her way of thanking me for the massage!

I ended by stretching her legs when I picked out her feet, and then spent a while longer brushing her entire body with the soft brush before doing her carrot stretches. She seemed to enjoy it all. :)

What a day! She was phenomenal!

Some people would think, wow, you got on your horse and all you did was walk for 15 minutes and trot for 5, and you're all excited? Why?! Well, because it's been at least 8 months since I could even get on her, I would tell them with a big grin.


I wrapped all 4 legs, to offer the tendons in that left hind some extra support, and then let her do her carrot stretches so she'd have a chance to adjust to having her hind legs wrapped for the first time in ages (I usually only do the fronts). Then I massaged her back and started tacking her up. 


Miss Piggy needed the girth extender again, but just barely. I probably could have forced it to go, but didn't want to cause any trouble...especially since the barn's "Winter Festival" was going on today and there were a bazillion people there. (I haven't been getting their newsletters, so didn't know about it!) Really, she was about 1 hole short of it being comfortable without the extender, so a couple of weeks and we shouldn't need it. 


I did toss her on the lunge line for a few minutes to let her warm up, get any sillies out, etc., and she looked great to the right and a bit sticky to the left...and surprisingly enough, had no sillies! I blamed the stickiness on the circle and decided I was getting on her anyway, damnit. 


I couldn't find the plastic mounting block anywhere, so had to try to get on from the 4 stair wood monstrosity that doesn't move. True to form, she kept swinging her butt away from me...it's really hard to try to convince a horse to move their butt back toward the mounting block you're already standing on. Boo. I tried a few times and decided that rather than continue to fight with her, since I couldn't move the block, I would just bring one of the jump standards over, to block her butt in. Success. She knew I wasn't playing around anymore and stood like a perfect angel (ha, I know the truth!). She walked off calm and relaxed, only tensed up once a few steps out, but when I told her she was fine and rubbed her neck, she sighed and continued on her way.


We walked...and walked...and walked...and walked some more, changing directions often with long diagonal lines. She felt amazing. She was soft and giving with her mouth, tracking under herself reasonably well, and moving through the hips with a nice swinging back. I alternated from asking for some connection through the bit and dropping my stirrups to stretch my legs down, to giving her the reins on the buckle and asking her to stretch and relax, while I worked on keeping my knees in, with feet in the stirrups. 


All in all, we did nothing exciting at the walk, but it felt fantastic to be back in the saddle again! I had planned to only trot her on the straight sides, but the arena is relatively short and so by the time I got her to walk again, I figured we'd already be halfway through the short end. So, instead, I tried to make the short end as long as possible, didn't ask for any bend at all, but just focused on keeping her as straight as possible all the way around. We did twice in each direction, then walked one more time around before calling it a day. 


She felt a little sticky and slightly off in both directions at the trot, but her ears were forward, her tail was swinging, she was relaxed and forward, and she was having a great time, so I told myself to ignore it unless it suddenly started to feel worse. When she'd gone about halfway through her first lap in each direction, she started to feel looser, almost like she had to change the way she was moving to accommodate the extra weight of me and the saddle, and once she did, that slight gimp she'd had before started to work itself out. 


Years ago, if she'd had this much time off, she would have been an absolute demon and I wouldn't even have considered getting back on her without lunging for at least 30 minutes. I think I lunged her for maybe 10 minutes today and she was just so laid back (even with the cooler weather we're having!). Since I want to minimize circles, I can probably get away with skipping the lunging altogether and just do a few laps around the arena to let her back warm up or longline/drive her before I ride if I can find another lunge line or borrow one. We'll see. But, I think it's safe to say she's old enough and broke enough that she's probably not going to try to kill me anymore!! :-D

And...she's sound!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We did. It was uneventful (meaning my grandmother behaved herself), and the food was great. Mom and I spent 3 days cooking and baking, so everything on the table was homemade.

My boyfriend and I have spent the last couple of days getting his truck fixed up, so it runs better and is safer to drive (so he can come down here more often, and I don't have to drive up there, yay!). Pretty much all that's left is to get him some new tires. So, he's in town for one more day. I know my mom is getting sick of having a "house guest," but I am enjoying having the extra time with him.

I dragged him up to see Promise yesterday to see how she was doing, and took some video. I feel really confident in saying she was feeling great! Here's a video from when we first started on the lunge. You can see she's a little stiff starting out, but other than that, she looks really good. I wouldn't say she's 100%, but she IS sound enough to ride.

I apologize for these being a little "Blair Witch" :)

And to the right...she looks better here. I think, too, that the circles don't help. Duh. She picked up the right lead the first time I asked, cross-cantered behind, but switched for me in two strides. Yes! And then she wouldn't stop, lol. This is a pony that is feeling GOOOOD!

Then, I let her loose to see what she'd do.

I think some of what is going on here is lack of muscle tone and being strung out behind, as she rushed into a canter.

Playful...

Anyway, she was feeling great, and was downright cheerful and really full of herself. The barn owner commented on the change in personality. She hasn't been unpleasant, in fact, post-ulcer, she's been generally a very happy pony. But seeing her now, she wasn't *this* happy.

And, I wasn't either! I think she is sound enough to ride, as long as we take it slow, so I'll be getting my butt back on her sometime this week. It's going to be great, even if all we do it walk and walk and walk and walk. I have really missed riding!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for many things today, and every day... 

I have a wonderful, albeit somewhat dysfunctional, family. 

I am thankful to have at least one more Thanksgiving with my grandmother. 

I love, and am loved in return, an amazing man. As I like to say, he's not perfect, but he's perfect for me.

My beautiful horse is still very happy, and possibly sound again, this year. I don't know what my life would be like if she hadn't been a part of it all these years.

I am thankful to have had a dog like Harley in my life for 12 years. (Happy belated birthday, Harley puppy!) And, of course, to have a little mush like Kris to take up that empty space in my heart after losing her.

And, I'm thankful to have a roof over my head, a car that runs great and a job that pays enough to pay the bills. Wishing everyone that isn't so lucky a change for the better.

There are many more things, but that covers the essentials.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

OMG! OMG! OMG!

I literally cannot sit still, and wish more than anything that I had more daylight to play with and fewer desserts to make for Thursday!


I went to the barn after work, to see how Promise was doing, if there was any improvement, etc. She was already outside by the time I got there, so I let myself into the paddock and said hi. I then proceeded to be a rather mean Mommy and chased her away from her hay. At first, she walked off and stopped, then looked at me like, "You can't be serious." I shooed her again, and had to finagle my body language so she didn't go into the runoff ditch, but rather went to the larger area of paddock so I could see her move. She trotted away from me, and looked sound from behind. 


Then she went around the corner and it was hard to tell anymore. So, I made her turn and asked her to trot off again. She trotted away again, but this time I was able to see her from the side. It could have been the light, but I don't think my eyes were playing tricks on me. I think I know my horse well enough even at dusk to see the truth! 




Shhh! I don't want to jinx it. But...I *think* she might be sound!

2 days later

The pony is definitely feeling better after the stifle injection. She looks fantastic at the walk - and she willingly and easily stayed beside me walking to the arena. Yes!


However, while she definitely looks A LOT better, she is still pretty off at the trot. When I let her off the lunge line and shooed her away, she willingly took off at a pretty forward trot. She looks better on a straight line than she does on a circle. Not surprised, circles are tough, especially with arthritis. But, she was off, even in a straight line, so I can't get on her to eliminate the lunging on a circle factor...yet. She also cantered all by herself, ON all four legs. She kept it slow, and did about half the arena two or three times, before stopping and holding the right hind up for a couple of seconds. She cross-cantered to the right, and switched without me asking her to after a couple of strides.


Still...all of this is progress. Previously, she wouldn't canter at all if I let her loose, or if she did, it was on three legs. Today, she cantered with the same amount of pressure I use to make her walk around. A good sign...she clearly wanted to do it. Also, she was tossing and rolling her head -- she REALLY wanted to play and buck. But she seems to know her body isn't quite there yet. When I went up to her to bring her back to the barn, she rolled her head around three times and looked at me with a hairy eyeball, as if saying, "Mom, if I felt just a little better, I'd make you work to catch me!" I had to laugh, and I actually hope she does just that in the near future!!


I haven't lost hope yet. I keep reminding myself it has only been 2 days since the injection. And, she may need longer to feel the full effect. I hope in a week or so I will be able to report that she's sound enough to ride. 

Cross your fingers!

This vet was interesting and challenging. I think he's probably the type of person you have to get used to...meaning that he's a bit of a smart ass when asking you to tell him what you see before he gives his own opinion. Not in a mean way, just in a smart ass way, lol.


First, he asked me about the history of the injury/lameness. So, I told him that it was diagnosed over a year ago as a strained collateral ligament in the right stifle. He laughed and wanted to know how that was diagnosed without x-rays or an ultrasound. Fair enough dude, but that's what I was told. I said she was sound last Christmas, after 16 weeks of stall rest. In the spring, she was not quite lame but not quite sound. In August, she restrained it, or tweaked it, or something, and has been lame since.


He watched her walk, and then examined her hocks, and stifles. He says he can feel the arthritic changes in the hocks without even seeing an x-ray of them, and had me feel what he was talking about (the trainer was holding her so that I could be more interactive). He was more concerned about the windpuffs than my normal vet (which I am considering changing now), and said we could certainly call them that, and asked if I knew what a "windpuff" was. I said, well, I have read about them, and according to that, they are basically caused by strain to the tendons. He agreed and said there was a good possibility they would cause lameness in the left hind eventually.


Fantastic. Not.


So, the right hind. He had the trainer trot her out, and then asked if she would lunge. I said yes, so the trainer lunged her. He asked what I saw. I said, she's stepping short, hiking the hip, twisting the leg and not reaching or swinging through the stride. He said, ok, she's also stabbing with the toe as she lands. 


After the lunging we brought her back to the driveway and he manipulated the stifle and had her trot off. It didn't help. He commented that although she's definitely not sound through the hocks, he didn't think that was the root of the problem...he agreed that the stifle is the issue, especially since she was shaking the entire time he was holding it up. Also, she was more than willing to stretch it back, and usually they want to protect the hock, so won't stretch the leg behind them. 


So, he asked what I wanted to do. I asked what he recommended. lol...I feel like most of the visit went this way, which is not a bad thing, necessarily. I appreciate being asked for my thoughts, since it's my horse. Even though I am not a vet, nor an expert, I do know my horse. And I definitely have opinions about her care. And, I feel like he kind of caters to that mentality. SO...he said, well, without doing x-rays or an ultrasound, I can't honestly tell you what's going on in the joint. If you want to x-ray it, I can come back another day (his tech had the x-ray today). Other than that, your options are to rest her more, or to inject the stifle, and/or the hocks. He commented that injecting her hocks might be difficult because of some of the bridging that has happened between bones, but it was possible.


Since there is no wrong answer, really, I have no problem being honest. I don't like injections, and I told him so. I have seen them work for 2 weeks and work for a year or more. I don't like the vagueness, or the dependence on how the body reacts. However, I said, I do think that injecting the stifle might be my only option at this point. But, I don't want to inject the hocks. I said, she doesn't seem to be in actual pain because of the arthritis, it seems to be stiffness, and she is still working out of it, even being lame because of the stifle. So, let's do the stifle and see what it does. So, he doped her up, spent 20 minutes scrubbing leg, and 20 seconds injecting the steroid into the joint. Then he gave her the vaccines she needed. 


He said I didn't need to go back to hand walk or anything tonight, to just let her be. She could be sound tomorrow, depending on her body, it could take a few days. If she's sound, there's no reason not to get on her. If she's not, let her rest. But if she's sound, there's no need to wait. Don't waste the injection. 


So anyway. The stifle has been injected. I will go up tomorrow night or Saturday morning and see how she's doing. I have my fingers crossed that this will work. Obviously, he can't give me any real concept of how long it will work, if it works, because it depends on how her body reacts to the steroid. He also took a look at the joint supplement she is on and commented that if it really has all the stuff it claims to, then it's great, but there's no real way to tell because it's not a regulated product. He recommended giving it a bit longer (she's been on it about 3 weeks) - and then possibly considering going back to corta-flx. He also thought that since hind shoes had worked for the arthritis before, it might not be a bad option to try it again. But, I am not sure if the barn would be kosher with that due to the group turnout situation. I'll hold off on that discussion to see how she does.

Vet

Promise is sharing a vet appointment with another horse on Thursday. It's not our normal vet, but the barn owner says he's just as good and suggested that maybe another opinion wouldn't be a bad idea, since he'd be there anyway. I don't disagree, plus we all love to share barn call fees, so who am I to argue? :) 


So, he'll give her the shots she's due for and hopefully do a lameness exam and/or x-ray or ultrasound.

A long update: Calling her bluff? Or...?

Last week, I was beginning to think Miss Promise was bluffing. It had been 2 weeks since her adjustment. I lunged her for 15 minutes the next day and 15 minutes two days after that. Then, unfortunately, I was unable to get to the barn for several days: I was away the following weekend, had to visit my grandmother on Monday and we had a little family get together in hospice for my uncle's birthday on Tuesday. 


So, on Wednesday last week, I headed back to the barn to see how she was doing. I spent a while brushing, massaging and stretching her. I have not skipped a day that she's going to work with the massage technique the chiro showed me. She seems to enjoy it - doesn't take long to get a sigh and some licking and chewing. It's also taking less time for the sensitivity to go away when I run my finger across her back on each side. Yes!


We headed to the round pen (the arena was buzzing with lesson kids) to spend 15 minutes or so on the lunge line. She looked ok to the left. She was really kind of paddling with the RH when it was on the outside, but I attributed that to muscle weakness and stiffness. After some trotting and a couple of laps of canter, then more trotting, she began to visibly loosen up. By this time, the lesson kids were leaving, so we moved to the arena for more level ground. To the right, she looked considerably better. So much so, that I couldn't resist the urge to trot her a couple more time around to the left, on the flat ground. About the same. No biggie, I know it's going to take time.


We finished up, and walked around a few times to let her catch her breath, and then I remove her halter and the lunge line. I shoo her down the hill to the arena so she can roll. She takes off at a canter...on three legs (literally, right hind IN THE AIR). 


What the hell is THAT maneuver? Freaked me out completely, and I had a mini panic attack as I tried to think back over our work and decide if I pushed too much, or what. I ask her to trot off and she uses all 4 feet, but looks awful. 


She wouldn't roll, and I saw one of the next lesson kids coming toward the arena, so I rehalter her and bring her back up to the driveway to finish cooling her out. She was moving slow, and dragging that RH toe again - which was not helping my sudden insecurities about her soundness. I hosed her legs and chest off, and then we walked...I think we walked for about 20 minutes - it was in the 80s and she is fat and unfit and hadn't eaten dinner yet. The strange thing is, she seemed ok on the cement part of the driveway, and more lame on the sand. I wondered if she was struggling some with the depth of the footing. I kept trying to convince myself the muscles were tired. They probably were. Plus, about a week off.


The barn owner came over to ask how she did, and when I told her, she spent a few minutes showing me the pressure points I hadn't been able to see during Promise's adjustment, because I'd been at her head...how to get her to lift and stretch her back by pressing the pressure point at her hind end, and also how to stretch her tail to elongate her spine. She suggested incorporating these exercises into our new routine.


We walked some more after that, and she seemed slightly better again. So, when we came back to the barn, I cross-tied her, groomed and massaged her, and then rubbed both her hocks and stifles with some liniment gel. I figured it couldn't hurt, especially if she was already feeling sore from having a few days off.


~*~


Thursday night, I headed to the barn feeling a little worried. It had been raining all day long at my office, and although the radars showed it being clear at the barn, I knew it wouldn't last. The cold front that was heading in promised lots of rain with it. Sure enough, the sky went from dark to blue and sunny back to dark, the closer I got. 


Promise had already eaten dinner and been turned out by the time I got there. So, I brought out the lunge line and my brush box, grabbed a couple of mints and headed out to get her, halter and lead draped over my shoulder. I whistled and she looked up and started walking toward me. Good mare! She looked pretty good at the walk.


Brought her in, brushed her, stretched her legs, massaged her back and hips, did 3 back lifts, and 3 tail stretches, then did our carrot (*ahem* mint) stretches. Then we headed to the arena. 3 minutes walk to the left - not too bad. 5 minutes trot, all the while I am walking with her to give her as much area as possible to work in - she gets better as she loosens up, which includes a spook as her herdmates take off running, and a pretty floaty and sound trot when she forgets I'm watching. 


"Promise, I think you're bluffing." I say to her. She starts paddling with the right hind again. I let her canter a couple of times around and then more trotting. She doesn't get any worse with the paddling, so we change direction. She looks better to the right. The paddling seems to magically disappear and her stride gets a bit more fluid. She has a hard time picking up the right lead. I make her come back to the trot when she's wrong, and we try again. Eventually, she either gets it right, or switches for me. I'd rather she get it right. After a couple of times around, I ask her to trot, let her trot a few times around and then ask for the canter again. She gets the lead. I make a HUGE deal out of it, and let her trot. By the end, she is tired, but looks pretty good. 


I'd say 85% is fair. It's certainly not 100% but it is good enough to be doing what we're doing. 


As an aside, I had this conversation with my vet after the initial hock arthritis conversation several years ago when she was recommending injections. I don't like hock injections, I've seen them work for months, bordering on a year or so, on some horse and barely last 2 weeks on others. That's too much of a gap for me. We opted to put shoes on her hind feet then since she was on solo turnout, and that helped maintain much of her soundness with a fairly simple solution. As the vet and I discussed - and surprisingly enough, she didn't disagree - I would rather have 85% 9 times out of 10, than push too far with maintenance too soon. However, since coming to this farm, she's had no hind shoes, as she goes out in a group.


~*~


Anyway. Friday, I decided to go pick on her again, and then take Saturday for myself, and let her rest. It was chilly (50s or low 60s), so I dragged out her cooler - I didn't want to chance she'd break a sweat and catch a chill on the way back to the barn, with the sudden weather change. And, hey, it's hers, she might as well carry it to the arena for me!!


After removing it, we started to the right, and she looked good. She was visibly stiff. We did a LOOOOOOONG walking warm-up about 10 minutes in each direction. Then we started to trot to the left. She looked pretty bad. Hip-hiking on the right, but no head bobbing. She definitely loosened a little more after a circle or two of canter, but I didn't make her do as much to the left because watching her made me feel awful for making her trot! She wasn't unhappy, ears were alert, and listening to me, no tail swishing or anything, but...I guess I am unsure just how much to push and I obviously don't want to do more damage. I'd rather take it slow and err on the side of caution. Trot work was ok to the right, but she wouldn't pick up the right lead at all. I let it go, knowing that at 16, I'm not doing any permanent damage to our training by not pushing the issue. I'd rather let it go and not have her over exert herself. 


Afterwards, I did our normal routine of massage, and rubbed her hocks and stifles with liniment again. 


~*~


On Saturday, around 1 p.m., the barn owner called me to tell me that Promise had come in looking lame on both hind legs. With a high of about 50*F, that didn't surprise me (now before you pick on me, remember we are used to 85-90*F, so it FEELS COLD!), but was still really upsetting to hear. I opted to not drive out there unless she seemed worse later on, so the barn owner said she'd call me back after her next round of lessons and let me know if there'd been any change. Around dinner time, the woman who had been lunging her for me last spring called. She said she looked about the same, and hadn't moved much, but didn't look unhappy. I told her to leave her in overnight, and I would be up in the morning as planned.


~*~


Sunday morning, I pretty much have the barn to myself. I talk with the lunging lady for a few minutes before she heads out -- her horse is lame, too -- and we both suspect arthritis is the majority of the cause for both mares. I take Promise out, do the new routine with her, and we head to the arena on the lunge line. She walks out to the right looking incredibly stiff. I encourage her to be forward and just relax, and after 5 minutes or so, she starts to swing with the left hip a bit. The right is still pretty short. I have her walk for about 15 minutes to the right, during which time, she tries to trot on her own a few times. Finally after the 15 min. warm-up, I ask her to trot. It's pretty ugly. I let her go around a few times, and bring her back to a walk and switch direction.


15 minutes of walking. It takes her another 5 for the left hip to start swinging again in this direction. The right hind does eventually start to reach a little more, but is still falling short. She offers to trot a couple times here, too, but I make her wait the 15 minutes, and then only let her go around twice. It's even uglier in this direction.


Finally, I let her loose, hoping she'll roll. And I encourage her to free walk around the arena a few times in each direction by keeping some pressure on her, but not enough that she feels compelled to go faster than a walk. She does trot a little on her own on the grass just outside the arena. And, she doesn't end up rolling, even when I leave her alone for a while and go clean up our stuff, get her some hay, etc. She comes to the gate to greet me when I come back for her, and keeps up with me as we walk back to the barn.


~*~


So. I'm at a loss again. The majority of the stiffness is her hocks, and she's walking and trotting out of that. But now the actual lameness from the stifle seems to have come back. I am pretty confident in saying she is not "out" again, so don't want to call the chiropractor back. She is due for some shots, however, so either I or the barn owner will be scheduling an appointment in the next couple of weeks for that, and I will be taking a sick day to be there for the lameness exam I want the vet to do while he's out.


I feel like the hocks are minor enough, since she's still working out of it pretty quickly, that they are the least of my concerns at the moment. I really just want this stifle healed. I probably will opt for an ultrasound and/or x-ray, and perhaps do a stifle injection, if my vet does that. (I am not sure I can afford this vet visit, but on the bright side, they will bill me and do installments for payment!)


Otherwise, I'm at a loss of what to do. 


I am admittedly well beyond my realm of horse knowledge here, and don't honestly know what the problem is anymore, beyond that it is the stifle causing the problem. She could have arthritis in the stifle now, from this injury. It could be torn, or a bone chip, or...who knows without those in-depth looks into the joint? I can't keep wondering why, though. I need to know more. I really need to stop feeling like I'm muddling through doing the best I can with this, because unfortunately, the adjustment only lasted two weeks, and now I'm back to square one. 


I am against putting her back on stall rest, and I feel it does more harm than good for her. So, unfortunately, if he recommends that again, I may need to seriously consider moving her to a place with some acreage where she can be on pasture 365 days, and really only come in to be wormed and have her feet done. I'm not sure my current barn can accommodate this type of pasture board, as they don't have quite the space I'd like her to have to move around. She'd probably have to go to Ocala to get it. 


But, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Same goes for the other, not-so-good-option, that has also been weighing on my mind again. 


Is she bluffing? Is it the cooler weather?

Appreciation

One of my friends asked me today, Why horses? I've always wondered about the attraction.


I did my best to explain to her briefly, but in some ways, it can't be explained to someone who doesn't understand - or who doesn't have the "horse bug." Somehow, a bond with a horse is different from a bond with a dog or cat. Why? I can't say. 


I love my dogs. 


I can't picture my life without the influence Harley had in it. 2 years after losing her, I still think about her and miss her on a regular basis. I am not sure I can say that about the family members I have lost - if only because I didn't spend every day for 11 years with them consecutively. I certainly can't picture not being able to laugh at Kris every day when he does something stupid, silly or otherwise ridiculous. He's not the brightest crayon in the box, he's certainly not the most obedient in terms of training, but he's sweet and he's a great dog.


To the same token, I can't imagine life without Promise in it, which is why I've held on so much and worked so hard to keep her through the years.


While all depend on us humans in their domesticated state, and in many instances, I think we depend on them just as much -- it's just different with a horse. Why?


I hope, after Promise, there will be other horses. At this point in my life, if something happened to her, it would be several years before I could justify purchasing another. But, even though I think I will always have horses in my life, in some capacity - I don't know if I will ever have the same bond with one. Promise is my "once in a lifetime" horse. 


While horseback riding in Jamaica, I tried to explain to a fellow rider, who said she'd had horses for years, but never had a mare, why a mare would be my first choice after owning one for 12+ years. I don't know if I succeeded in explaining that although I have bonded with many geldings before, and even had one that would literally do things for me that his body made very difficult, and then flat out refuse to do them for his owner -- those relationships don't even come close to comparing to what Promise and I have. 


Is it because of how our relationship began? Perhaps. I was probably the first human to show her that she could trust, and actually gave her a reason to want to. Could it be the time that has elapsed? Maybe. 


Beyond that, I think we just really and truly clicked. I think through the years, we have learned to work with each other. Sure some of it has been trial and error. But in our own way, we have a conversation only we can understand, when we're together. It's kind of like being with your best friend and finishing each others sentences. I have never been unkind, I hope I have never been unfair, and I have done my absolute best for her and with her - stumbling only over my own ignorance with only the best of intentions. Somehow, I feel like she knows that. I think she trusts me completely as her leader. I am her herd - and her safety net. I know that she would do anything for me, and she has proven it time and time again, that as long as I am clear, and fair, in my request, she will try as hard as she can to do what I ask. 

Chiropractic Update

I finally got the business card of an equine chiropractor that works in my area from the farm where I have been buying Promise's herbal pain supplement, STP. I called him on Wednesday, and he was very quick to get me on his schedule for today.


He was 30 minutes early - in fact, beat me to the barn, because we'd agreed on between 12 and 12:30 for our appointment. I was about 20 minutes away when he called to say he was there. He wasn't concerned at all about waiting for me, and was very pleasant, personable and knowledgeable when I finally got there.


He didn't want to see her move before he began, said he wanted to watch for pain without bias and adjust her, then see her move. Here's the breakdown of what he saw:

• Her withers were out of alignment, creating an irregular "s" shape
• Several vertebrae were out of alignment through the middle of her back
• Her left hip was lower than the right (I saw it the other way around, but at least I'm not crazy and one of them was lower!)
• No trouble with the jaw, neck, poll or front legs and knees or ankles
• Her hind end was sensitive and tight
• Her last vertebrae (at the end of the tail bone) was out, and her tail was very tight, also creating an irregular "s" shape
• She had some muscular swelling through her withers, back and hind quarters

Promise stayed relaxed and cooperative throughout her adjustment. The only time she got tense was when he worked on her spine (he was on a stool above her) but she relaxed when she began to feel better. And, she was unsure of him when he worked on her from behind to get her to lift and stretch her back. But again, she relaxed into it when she felt the release it created for her body and started licking and chewing.


He started with her withers, and after the initial adjustment, got a huge sigh and some licking and chewing. He made 3 or 4 more small adjustments there and then got on his stool to do her back. Then he had her stand square and manipulated her to lift her back (like a cat stretch in yoga) which allowed her spine to stretch, accentuating the adjustment he'd done on the top. 


To do her left hip, he had his daughter hold Promise, while I went to her right hind, and put my leg under her hock, to guide her leg behind her, and get her to stretch toward the ground. He pressed on her left hip while her right leg was extended and got a release from the joint pretty quickly. He did that twice, and then squared her up to check. He was amazed it took that little of an effort, and commented that he wouldn't adjust her even an inch more, because the alignment on the hips wouldn't get any better.


After that, he had me take her to the paddock and walk her back and forth for him. Her hips looked level, she was swinging through the back and fully extending both hind legs under her, tracking into the print of the front foot. He then walked her back and forth for me, so I could tell him what I saw in her gait, since I know more about her.


I was completely amazed -- she looked SOUND! She still takes the occasional short step with the right hind, but at the walk, she is SOUND!!!!


After walking a few times, he had her stop on level ground and handed her back to me. Then, he went to check out her tail. He tried to lift it, and she clamped it back down. So (don't try this at home, kids, lol) he pulled it three times, using most of his body weight behind it. At first she looked back like, WTF do you think you're doing, buddy? But when he released it after the first pull, I could see her kind of mulling things over. After the third pull, she sighed and he was able to throw her tail all the way over her back. 


We then went back into the barn, and he showed me how to loosen up the muscular swelling in her back and hind quarters. When he ran his finger down her back, she flinched and moved away. So, he gently pulled the muscle away from the bone and held it with both sets of fingers, for a minute to loosen it, and then massaged into it with a golf ball attached to a t-screw type handle. He said I would feel the muscle begin to loosen and give, and after 5 or 6 days of this, muscle memory would set in, and would help maintain the adjustment. He repeated this massage at her withers on both sides, on the other side of her back, and along her hips. When he finished, she no longer flinched when he ran his fingers over the muscles.


As he was doing that, I very hopefully asked if he thought she might be sound at the trot now. He said he thought it was a good possibility and when he was done, we could try it out.


So, he finished the massage, and held her while I went to get my lunge line. The four of us walked to the arena, and I let her out to walk and trot to the left. She was still hip-hiking to the left at the trot, but definitely looked better than the last time I had let her go that fast. I switched direction, and to the right, I'd say she was at least 85% sound. In both directions, she was happy and relaxed, ears forward, tracking under herself in a nice, forward trot. 


He took over so I could watch her from outside the circle, and let her go to the left. He had her do a really nice extended, forward trot and as she went around a couple of times, she started to look a little more sound. He let her canter a couple times around and then brought her back to the working trot, and she looked slightly more sound again. Basically, the more she worked, the better she looked.


When he brought her around, she looked happy and like she could have gone forever. She seemed trilled to move like that and not hurt doing it!


So, we talked for a while about how to maintain the adjustment and get her going better. He agreed that she wasn't 100% sound, but seemed to think that she'll benefit from lunging and/or riding several times a week, to rebuild muscle and let her body heal from the inside out (we all know blood flow helps!). So, he recommended lunging with or without tack, mostly at a forward, working trot, and mostly to the right, since the left hind (which he says is actually the weaker one) will have to do more work on the outside. And, if I could, or wanted to, to ride her. He said there was no need to restrict her to walk and trot undersaddle - if she was willing to canter, to let her - but made the good point that you can canter all day long and not build the same muscle you'll get with trot work. I am also to massage her with my own little golf ball contraption before and after working her. And, I am also to continue with my stretching of her legs, and asking her to reach for her shoulder, ribs, and hip, to keep her flexible. She was able to touch her hip after he was done!


So, the prognosis, it seems, is good, now that she's realigned. He told me to call with any questions, or concerns, and, of course, if I thought she was out again, we'd schedule another appointment. He didn't think she was terribly out in the first place, but said it was definitely enough to affect her ability to heal herself.


I am SO excited that she's this sound after one adjustment. She's not 100%, but some of the lameness we're seeing in her hind end COULD be her arthritic hocks, in conjunction with the stifle. So, I got the new joint supplement/herbal concoction from the farm, instead of the pain supplement this time, so with any luck, it will be perfect timing to maintain, and heal those aging joints. And, I guess I will be back to officially having no life between hospice and Miss Promise, as I will be trying to get there at least 3 times a week to get her out and about on the lunge line - and maybe even hop on her in the next couple of weeks - woohoo!!! 


And, I totally forgot to ask him if I could take pictures while he was working, so unfortunately, anyone who has never seen a chiropractor adjust a horse, will have to settle for youtube:


 

I'm back! Sort of!

We had a great time on our cruise. Been back since Saturday and still sort of playing catch up. I have not been to see Miss P yet, but got an email from the barn owner on Monday or Tuesday while we were away saying she looked good, and was feeling good with the cooler weather - I guess she RAN into her stall for breakfast!

No changes. And thoughts.

My story hasn't changed in several weeks. 


Promise is about the same. I've been severely lacking in the time and motivation to get there to even hand walk her, but she has been going out with two of the older boys at night, so she's not really missing out when it comes to me walking her. It's been hot and miserable and super busy. And to be honest, when Saturday rolls around, I just don't WANT to! 


The barn owner has been great, and communication has been low, because there have been no changes for the better or worse.


The no changes for the better has me concerned. When I was there last, she was perky, happy and energetic, but still stepping VERY short on that right hind. Besides that lameness, she's fine. Since she's going out, she's not losing weight, she eats all night every night. And generally speaking, she looks pretty good. 


It saddens and worries me that she was not healthy enough this summer to get her normal dapples in. :(


Anyway, I took myself to the chiropractor yesterday for a consultation and have an adjustment scheduled for tomorrow. While waiting for my appointment to begin, I was watching a slideshow in the waiting area, and began to think that maybe I should have an equine chiropractor come evaluate Promise - or at least have a phone discussion with one. I started to think that perhaps - just maybe - these injuries have been caused by, or maybe are causing, a misalignment due to compensation. I know K had recommended a massage therapist a while back, but I think that maybe a chiropractor evaluation would be more beneficial right now. If her spine and/or hips are out of alignment, perhaps that is exacerbating the injury, and maybe preventing her from healing properly or at all. Worth a shot.


So, I emailed the barn owner to see if she knows any chiropractors, or has a friend of a friend type thing. I don't know anyone that does it here, haven't needed one in many years, and not since we moved to Florida. If she doesn't, I will call the vet and ask them for a recommendation. The barn owner says she thinks she might know someone in the process of completing a certification or such, that might take Promise on as a study case for little or no charge. How perfect if that comes through!