Lots of Horse Happenings!

So much has happened.  I feel like my life is in a whirlwind--a happy whirlwind.  Yay!

Rosie is doing SO great with her cart training.  I punched more holes in the straps of my harness so I could raise the tugs to better balance the cart.  I think it looks much better.



She is pulling the cart around with me ground driving from the side and in back of the cart.  No fear and no more than very brief moments of confusion when I do introduce a new element to the routine. She always keeps her head about her.  If I can get my butt moving to work with her more frequently, she should be ready for me to get in the cart very soon. I want to make absolutely sure she is solid and comfortable before I do that.  About the picture.  She is tied to the barn by her halter.  Technically, I know I'm not supposed to be out of the cart without someone at her head ... but I'll warn you, I'm breaking a lot of rules with Rosie.  Get used to it, lol.  I'm on my own most of the time and I have to make do.  I've also been around horses most of my life, so I'm pretty good at sensing if things are headed south and can intervene--not always, of course, but although I'm new to driving, this "ain't my first rodeo" with horses in general.  I'm also not planning to use a bit or blinders--that will really freak out the driving folks, but that's what I'm doing with her because I think it's best for her and makes her more comfortable with the whole process.  That's what's most important to me, not following the traditional norms.  Don't I sound like a rebel???  LOL

Some Rosie news that's not so good:  She developed an eye infection several days ago.  The vet came out, much to Rosie's dismay.  She is afraid of anything that says "vet" to her.  They smell funny, they have needles--not a good thing.  Poor girl.  The vet and a student were trying to examine her and they did manage to do so, but it's never easy with Rosie.  She just hates vets and decides no good can come of this  no matter how many treats they offer, no matter how many times they say hello to her at visits when she is not the target of their visit.  I feel bad because my vet really IS kind and nice to her.  Rose just thinks she is the enemy.  The good news is that she didn't have any cornea scratch, which I was so sure she had by the symptoms--just a conjunctivitis kind of thing going on.

I was given antibiotic ointment (3X day) and they left. I wanted to start her immediately so there would be enough time in between that dose and the night time dose.  That was a mistake because Rose was upset about their visit--I really should have given her more time to calm down.  Long story, short, I went round and round trying to get the eye ointment in her eye.  One time was bad--she reared and jumped forward.  Happened in a nano second and the end of the tube went in her eye and I heard and felt a snap.  OMG!!!  I thought I punctured her eye.  She kept it closed after that too, which made me more fearful.  I called and asked the vet to come back.  She did and examined the eye.  She didn't see anything bad.  She thought maybe it caught the third eyelid and that's the snap I felt.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  I decided to leave well enough alone and wait until the bedtime dose, which went MUCH better.  She was calm by then and just tossed her head a bit.  Subsequent doses were no big deal--I'd just squirt the medication in the eye and that was it.  No fuss, no muss.  I should have given her time to calm down after the vet ordeal.  Lesson learned.

I was feeling particularly cocky one day after I medicated her without even putting her halter on--just out in the pasture.  I kind of cuddled her head and asked her to hold her head still ... and she did!  I've medicated her two more times that way without any problem.  I thought--to all the people who think I spoil her too much and let her get away with too much pony-tude stuff, I say "Take that bitches!"   ha ha  (I mean this in a joking way, but I really did say that to Rosie out loud when I finished with her just standing there cool as a cucumber.)

Rosie's eye is looking great now and I only have today's medication and I'm done.  I'm free!  I really hate making that bed time medication visit late at night when I'm all settled inside cozy and comfortable after a busy day of work and everything else I have to do around here when I get home.  Not that I don't want to see the horses, of course, but it's cold, dark ... not a fun time.

Rosie's eye at its worst



More on the vet medical front--I'm still battling Babe's scratches on her left hind pastern.  I think I may be making some headway, though.  Even though she doesn't have much hair on her leg, I decided to shave it down with clippers.  That has helped a lot, I think.  Last evening the scabs came off more easily and I could tell the liquid medication I use (lime sulfur dip that I mix with water dispensed by the vet--works better than anything I've used before) was getting to the skin better.  If our weather can just stay dry for a few days, I might have it licked.  But with all the rain we've had this summer and early fall, that's asking for a lot.  At least the scratches are not getting worse.

Babe is SO patient for treatment.  I scrape off as many scabs as I can, and I know it is painful for her.  I don't even have to put her in the stall or put a halter on her--she just lets me do it, with no more objection than occasionally picking up her hoof and holding it in the air for a few seconds or turning her head around to let me know when it's too much.  Babe is so patient and tolerant.  She has always just seemed to understand that she has to tolerate uncomfortable things for short periods of time occasionally.  If you exceed her "short period of time," then she starts fussing.  Until then, she will tolerate a lot.  What a good girl!

Jerry is doing well.  He's always doing well.  He is a totally trouble free and always a good boy.

Back to some good news.  I'm taking riding lessons!  I'm riding a horse named "Chocolate."  He's a very sweet older horse.  Very well behaved and kind.  He's big and his gaits are rather rough, but I think he's perfect otherwise.  I feel very safe and my body is getting used to riding again.  Really, there is no exercise that simulates riding--you just have to do it to see if you CAN do it.  My body seems to be holding up really well.  I get a Charley horse kind of cramp in my hip/leg when I first get on.  I just wiggle my leg around, stand in the stirrups, or whatever to get it to go away.  It sometimes comes back a minute later, but it's the same type of cramping I get when my leg gets torqued in a weird way doing other things.  I have talked with my surgeon about it and he thinks it might just be some scar tissue around the hip prosthesis that causes a muscle to kind of pull for a bit.  I can work with it, so I'm not interested in pursuing any further treatment.  I've been through enough.  Once I get that hip/leg thing sorted out, I'm good to go.  I'm not even that sore when I get off dear Chocolate!

Chocolate's gaits are rather clunky.  Kind of like riding on a logging truck on a bumpy road.  He's rather lazy, as well, so it's actual work to ride him.  First lesson I didn't do much more than walking.  The trotting I did do, it was difficult to keep him trotting.  He is used mostly for beginner, walk riders.  His rough trotting and the starting/stopped threw my back around.  He must have been able to tell I didn't feel confident.

I had my second lesson yesterday.   After working out my hip/leg kink in the beginning, things went very well.  Chocolate seemed to sense my increased confidence.  We did a lot of trotting and once he started to pay attention to me--"she is serious!"--he was much smoother.  Still rough compared to many horses, but smoother for him.  He is such a kind horse.  I'm lucky to be able to ride him.  The great thing is despite doing more work at the lesson, I felt really good when I got off.  I still feel good today.  Next lesson is a group on Wednesday and I'm going to join another group that rides every other Saturday morning.  I met some fellow riders yesterday--Saturday, so more activity.  Everyone was welcoming and friendly.  I love my instructor.  She is young and easy going.  And, one of the best things about her is that I know she loves her horses.  She looks at Chocolate with total love and admiration for what a nice horse he is.  I like that.  I think I found a good stable.

I'm beginning to think this riding gig will work again!!!!  That is such good news.  As I said before, I LOVE my mini's and will continue to work with Rosie on driving.  This has been such a great addition to my horsie world.  I also want to ride if I can ... and it looks like I CAN!  I feel like I've hit the horsie lottery--my wonderful mini's and driving, AND riding.  I still might not be able to ride hours and hours like I used to--in fact, that is unlikely--but I'm OK with that.  If I can only ride for one or two hours at a time, even mostly at a walk, for the rest of my life, I'm OK with that.

Oh, my mind is spinning thinking of possibly buying another riding horse in the future.  Nothing that I will do right way.  If all continues to go well with lessons, maybe next year.  Yipppeeee!!!!!

Mr. Chocolate and me:

Inspiration Can Come From Unlikely Places

I watch a lot of Youtube videos.  Some to learn new skills and information and others purely for entertainment.  I don't have "regular" TV--I have Roku hooked up through my internet, so I can watch videos on my TV with the bigger picture.  I love nature.  Lately I've been watching quite a few videos of thru hikers on the Appalachian Trail.  So interesting to see the progression of the hikes and the terrain in different states along the way.

One hiker said something recently that was very inspirational for me.  She is a 50-ish (I think) first-time hiker and is having trouble with her foot.  She had to take some time off to rest the foot.  When she resumed hiking the trail, she spoke of getting very discouraged.  The foot pain was getting in her head and making her question whether she could finish the hike.  She decided to re-frame how she was talking about the hike and change the way she did it.  She decided to keep going but hike shorter days and take days off if needed.  Her new mindset was that as long as she was making forward progress overall, that was good enough.  She couldn't keep going the way she had been, but that didn't mean she couldn't still do it.  Rather than thinking/saying *if* she could finish the trail, she changed it to *how* she could finish the trail.

That change in wording and thinking make a big difference to her, and I found it did to me as well.  As you know, I have been hoping to start riding again.  I found myself saying *if* a lot when I thought and talked about it.  Well, that has now changed to *how* I can ride.  I decided things were probably never going to be perfect again and I was going to have to make some changes in *how* I hope to accomplish this feat.

Last time I tried riding several years ago, I did everything my usual way.  This time, I've been thinking about what changes I need to make to my riding style, position, my expectations, etc.  Heels down and putting a lot of weight through my leg into my heel will probably not make my bad ankle happy--so, that will have to change.  I have a bum knee that won't like having a big bend and won't want to absorb a lot of shock through it--so, that means I may have to lengthen my stirrups.  I may not be able to do more than a walk until my body gets used to it again--or maybe I'll never be able to do more than a walk and be comfortable and not re-injure a body part--fine, I will walk the entire time if need be.  It's better than not riding at all.

I have a lesson scheduled for Thursday afternoon.  I already discussed my challenges (not problems!) with the instructor to give her the heads up and get a feel for how she would respond.  Everything was "Hey, no big deal--we will work things out."  That was encouraging.  Last thing I want is to go to a stable where I'm viewed as a lesser being just because I can't hop on and ride like the good old days.

I'm going to be constantly listening to my body as I ride during each lesson.  If I need to take a break to dismount and walk around, I will.  If I need to stop and stretch my legs out of the stirrups to rest my back, knee, and ankle, I will.  I'm going to be grateful to even be back on the horse in any capacity, so if I have to change the way I do things, so be it.

No more putting off riding until I'm perfect ... until I've lost a significant amount weight ... until my body is markedly stronger ... until I can ride like I used to do.  Although that is sound thinking in one sense, it's also just making me postpone riding longer and longer.  I've decided I'd rather adjust my expectations and work with what I have now than to continue to put it off until things are closer to perfect.  The bottom line is that I really miss riding and I haven't felt like myself since I gave it up years ago.

Don't get me wrong.  I've been working on increasing strength and endurance by hiking with my dog Heidi, doing a lot of more farm work without needing help, and working out with a yoga video here and there (I admit, that one falls through the cracks).  I feel myself getting stronger and will continue these things, as well as work very hard on losing weight.  But, the wait for everything to be perfect is just not cutting it any longer.  Horses in general are a big part of what makes me, me.  Riding is also part of who I am.  I love my mini's and I think driving Rosie will be a lot of fun.  I will continue her training.  It's just that riding has always been my escape from life stressors and it just plain makes me feel alive.  I want to do it.  So my new way of thinking:  It's not *if* I can ride, it's *how* I can ride.  I'm so glad I watched that hiking video to get this piece of inspiration.

Here's a picture of the last time I rode Babe.  The strong heels-down got me in trouble and re-tore my ankle tendon.  When I look at the picture, I see there is no reason I need to have my heels down that far, so that adjustment should take a lot of stress off my ankle.  The stirrups can come down a hole too and I think I'll still be fine.  Part of the *how* I'm going to make riding happen.

A friend I haven't seen in a long time came to visit today.  She had never met Rosie and Jerry.  Rosie gave her the sniff and "oh, big deal--you seem pretty boring" response that I expected.  She is just not into other people very much.  I got some of my desensitizing toys out--hula hoop and the big ball.  She yawned through my "show off" performance (lol).  Here is the ball in mid air getting ready to bounce off her back.  She looks very impressed, huh?  lol  Babe also seems to think it's not a big deal although it did get an ear to flick sideways. 

We did it!

I hitched Rosie by myself and ground drove her pulling the cart!  Yay!!!!! 

She was great!  I led her around for a while and it just felt right to move forward.  I drove her from the side at first, staying close to her and leaving the lead rope connected just in case I needed to grab her quickly.  I progressed to ground driving her standing in back of the cart.  I was so pleased with her!    Here's a picture of her hitched.  Note Jerry in the background looking very impressed.



Now drivers--I realize I'm breaking a lot of rules here--She is wearing a halter not a bridle with a bit, I'm not in the cart while she is hitched, and there is no header.  If she wasn't so good about everything and I didn't know her so well, I would be more conservative with my approach.  She's not ready for me to be in the cart, and I don't have a header who can be here when I work with her in between my lessons with Melody.  If I waited for a header to be available, I'd hardly ever do training.  That's just the way it is.  And--this will blow concerned drivers' minds--I'm planning to drive her with a side pull unless she shows me she needs a bit.  She is super sensitive to pressure and turns and stops when I just wiggle my fingers.  I'm not planning to show her so I can do anything I (and Rosie) want.  I also know the cart and harness need more adjustment.  I'm working on all of that and will have everything squared away before I climb in that cart.  It really helped to have the picture to see things from a different view.  I could pick out the problems more easily than when I'm standing by her basically looking down at everything (because she is so cute and short!).  OK, housekeeping done :-)

After we were finished and I left her, I looked back to see her standing at the gate with a sad look of  "You are leaving me?  I want to do more.  Come back, Mom!"  OK, I say it all the time--that pony is just SO adorable!!!!!!!



More big news!  One thing you will learn about me if you stick around (and I hope you do!) is that I may adjust my plans from one post to the next.  It's not that I'm indecisive, it's just that things evolve as I think more, research more, etc.  OK, here it is:  I have decided to start riding lessons sooner, rather than later.  I'm having trouble with motivation to get in better physical shape.  It's not going to happen over night.  I live in NY state where winter won't be far behind.  I don't want to waste the beautiful fall weather we have coming up.  It's the best time to ride. 

I've been in touch with a stable, told the instructor my whole life story, and asked about very low key riding lessons.  She said she can accommodate me and my issues.  Another Yay! 

I'll likely do just walking with a little bit of trotting to start--I don't want to injure anything and my body needs to get used to it.  Riding is different than anything else I do.  I haven't ridden in, gosh, 6-7 years and my body has been through a lot of slicing and dicing during that time.  I'm not the rider I was before all this happened.  We haven't set up anything firm yet because she is out west right now, but we'll talk again as soon as she gets back. 

I ordered a pair of Ariat Terrain boots today.  I have a helmet.  I'll soon be good to go!  I'm really looking forward to riding again.  I'll keep you posted about new developments in this area, along with continuing Rosie driving updates. 

If it works out and my body can hold up to riding, I'll be so happy.  If not ... then I'll be disappointed, of course, but I can't just give up and never try again.  Like the Nike ad says--Just Do It!