I wrote in an earlier post that I change my mind a lot. Well, I did it again!
Last post, I said I wasn't going to canter Chocolate at my riding lesson any more. Next lesson I cantered him. Don't say I didn't warn you, lol .
The lesson was going well. It was cool and Chocolate had some spring in his step ... well, as much spring as he can muster. He's a pretty laid back horse. Part of his charm. I was feeling extra confident--I decided to do it. At first, he cantered a couple of strides and then broke into a trot. Lumber wagon thing big time!!! But, I wasn't willing to give up. I tried a few more times, fine tuned my cues, got better able to catch him before he slowed down, and he managed to canter the whole way around the arena. You may think this is no big deal, but on Chocolate, it is. I've cantered a lot in my life, but I don't think I have ever been more proud of myself for riding a canter.
At my lesson last evening I rode Drifter, who is a barn favorite. I've seen him being ridden by others, but this was my first time on him. He is a saddlebred. He's very well trained, responsive, and is what I would call an over achiever. He was so willing and compliant. He was a very easy ride. He would occasionally bend to the outside and get his body out of whack a bit like many horses do in an arena or change his way of going a little bit, but he was so easy to correct. He operates in the "how may I serve you?" mode. His trot is delightful--smooth and cadenced. Cantering him was interesting. Being a saddlebred, he has been ridden ultra collected with a high headset. He needs to be in that position to canter. Once the rider starts taking up the reins and collecting him, he knows what is coming and pretty much steps into a canter with the slightest cue. (I told you he was an over achiever.) I cantered him quite a bit last evening. I noticed I was using different muscles than other gaits. It was good for me physically to do a sustained canter like that to build better balance and strength. As part of his over-achieving ways, when we were waiting in the center of the ring with others while each horse was cantering individually, he always had this look and feel of a horse wanting to do something. Chocolate? He falls asleep or entertains himself by watching whatever is going on and has no interest in getting out there to work. I don't think you could find two horses more different from each other.
As much as I loved Drifter's gaits and willingness, I have to admit I missed my boy Chocolate who makes me work for everything he gives me. It's such a feeling of satisfaction to get Chocolate to get out of his sluggish ways and do things he doesn't really want to do--things that take some energy and concentration. He's all for conserving energy and he loves to gawk at anything going on. So, when things come together riding Chocolate, it's a very big deal and feels as great as if I did something really big--like climbed Mt. Everest (and sometimes it feels that way from all the energy I have to use).
I've been thinking about which horse I'd rather ride. My answer is both. They each have gifts to offer. Drifter is a easy horse who wants to please, is super responsive, and has nice gaits. He is great when I just want to work on my position and relax more about what the horse is doing. I don't have to stay on top of him every minute. I kind of set him in a gait and forget about it ... well maybe a little reminder here and there, but he really is super easy to ride. Chocolate is a "good old boy" type of horse who is a sweetie but he really doesn't want to do any more than he has to and wants to make sure you really mean what you ask for. This makes me stretch to use every bit of skill I have in my riding arsenal. Not that I'm all that skilled of a rider, but I definitely have to use the tricks and skills I do have to bring out the best in him. And when he responds to that and I see the results, it is a great feeling of accomplishment.
So, riding is going well. My body is holding up. I feel like my legs, especially, are getting stronger. Yay!! I'm SO glad I decided to try it again.
Rosie, Jerry, and Babe are all doing well. Babe still has scratches/mud fever on one pastern, but I think I may be on to something. I found a new sulfur-based cream called Nu-Stock
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/pierces-nu-stock
It says to apply it every three days, but I've been doing touch ups every day to keep the product on the bad spots. Tonight the scabs came off super easy with gentle scraping with my fingers. It was more like just rubbing the scabs off. Things look better after just a few days of treatment. Fingers and toes crossed this works because I'm running out of options. The lime sulfur dip I got from the vet worked wonders the past couple of years, but this year all it is doing is keeping it from spreading. I've tried so many products through the years that I've kept the tack shops and feed stores in business.
Babe is also prone to rain rot once her winter coat starts coming in and then she gets wet. I bought her a new rain sheet that covers everything other than her head. It's also in *her* color--teal, so she looks especially pretty. It was on sale and I hesitated to take a chance on it being waterproof, but I took the plunge. Seems OK so far. This is the one I bought her.
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/jeffers-combo-neck-rain-sheet?via=5338848b9fa2600f00000196%2F5338848f9fa2600f000001ea%2F533884909fa2600f000001f0%2F57fd030ef2131d2b520000c0
My only complaint is that it runs a little small. I bought her the usual 78, but I think an 81 would have fit better. This isn't a good sheet for horses that are hard on their clothing or in a pasture with a lot of things to poke holes in it, since it's only 600 denier, but Babe is easy on her clothes so I think it will work fine. For $59, I think it's a steal of a deal.
I'm enjoying my horsey world. Riding has given me back a huge part of what I enjoy most in life. It's such a gift. I love the mini's and retired Babe. Life is good.
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Friday, October 12, 2018
A week off work for horse time!!!
I've had this week off work. It has been SO nice. I can't wait until I can retire, but that's going to be a few years. I am trying to focus on the positives of my job--flexible time off, no mandatory over time, no schedule changes unless it's my choice, security, good pension plan ... gee, it's starting to sound pretty good. So why do I complain? I'm like everyone else who wants to do whatever they want, whenever they want to do it--that is my definition of retirement and heaven on earth. Plus, as I get older, I just don't like dealing with the work place politics and crap. I work for the state government and there is always crap going on. I swear they go around trying to fix what ain't broke so much that it becomes the new normal for management. Oh well ... I will just focus on the things I love about my life outside of work. Retirement will come some day.
I've been working with Rosie quite a bit this week. It started off hot and humid, totally unseasonable for upstate NY. The mini's have a pretty heavy winter coat already and they were so hot. I couldn't work with Rosie Sunday or Monday, but then the humidity dropped and Tuesday and Wednesday were tolerable. She was wonderful. I say this all the time ... but I just love that pony!! She has a bit of an attitude (OK, more than a bit), but she will do ANYTHING I ask her to do. Well, unless it involves pain or discomfort--the vet!--then she has no tolerance at all. She just loves doing training work. I worked her pretty hard Wednesday hitched to the cart. It was still pretty warm and I'm sure not ideal for a hairy mini. She was near perfect and never showed any sign of wanting to quit. She was just happy we were doing things together. What a girl!!!
I still haven't gotten in the cart and some people have told me she is ready. Everything I do with Rosie comes from gut feeling. My gut is telling me to do more ground driving, more complex things with the empty cart so she is even more solid than she appears now. She trusts me and I don't want to rush things to make her doubt that trust. Trust is the reason she is so willing to try new things and lets me do so many crazy things to her without batting an eye.
Wednesday I worked on trotting her pulling the cart. She wasn't quite sure about that. I don't think it's the noise because that kind of thing doesn't bother her at all. I had her drag six plastic milk jugs in front of the cart basket right in back of her legs and that doesn't even faze her. I think it was that the shafts in the harness had a different feel. She trotted a little here and there but was reluctant to keep going. Just kept giving me the "Mom, I'm not so sure" look. So I want her comfortable with that. I also want her to pull the cart outside of our safe 1/2 acre paddock I've been working in--the big pasture. I know driving people won't agree with me for ground driving her hitched in that situation, but my gut tells me this is the way to go with her. If she becomes unsure, I can quickly go up to her head to give her reassurance. I also want to set up some cones and drive her around them. She is already doing great turns--she is learning to kind of side step into the shafts and can make some pretty tight turns. Ideally, I would prefer to have wider shafts that Patty's Pony Place in Canada makes to add to existing carts, but Kelly, the builder, is backed up, and I have to work with what I have for now. It's OK, but not what I would consider ideal. Most drivers wouldn't think anything needed to change. I'm just picky, I guess. I think Rosie would feel better if she had more room to move within the shafts. She's a wide mini with a big butt especially. She needs more room to move and groove.
Riding lessons are going well. I'm still riding Chocolate. I have come to realize Chocolate does not like riding in the heat. I rode Tuesday early evening and he was obviously wanting to quit a lot. He was also heavy with the reins and was blowing off my attempts to use more subtle cues. He just wasn't into it. My next lesson is tomorrow--Saturday. It cooled off dramatically over night, so he will have more energy--I just hope not too much. I like that happy medium that everyone else likes as well.
I like riding Chocolate because I feel safe ... but, his gaits are rough, he's a lot of work to keep driving forward when he is having a lazy day (which is often). I cantered him for the first time a week ago and it felt like I was going to fall off! His canter is big and rough--I felt like I was being tossed around the saddle big time. Holy crap!!!! He is easy to get into a canter, but is very difficult to keep him going once he gets to the short side of the arena. I decided it's not worth it to risk falling off just to canter him down the long side of the arena. I told Rayann I would hold off cantering until another, smoother horse becomes available. I've cantered horses plenty in my life time. I don't need to canter this very minute to prove I can ride again. I know beginners get so excited when they are finally cantering in their lessons. I'm just not at that place where it's a big deal to me. I'm just grateful and excited that I can ride a horse again and still walk the next day--and then go back for more!
I posted on facebook my description of my perfect horse. Kind of like declaring to the Universe what I want so it will open up to come into my life. Of course, my horse friend enablers found me some ads. (You knew they would, huh? :-)) I contacted the seller about one by facebook messenger. I couldn't resist--she was a gorgeous palomino!!! I know, you can't ride color--but wouldn't it be great if I found my ideal horse in my ideal color! I explained my story and what I'm looking for. Does her horse fit what I'm looking for? She got snippy, started talking about that I'm scared and won't be able to find any horse that won't react to my fear ... blah, blah, blah, followed by "You need an old, old, old horse!" (Yes, *3* olds) This horse was three hours away. I'm not going to even entertain the thought of driving to try her out if she doesn't have the qualities I'm looking for. It's called screening horses before wasting everyone's time. That, of course, pissed me off. OMG--is this what I'm going to encounter over and over until I find that jewel of a horse I need? I know they are out there. I've owned a couple in the past that would be perfect for me now. I just have to weed out the frogs to find my prince (or princess).
Ideally, I would rather wait until Spring/Summer of 2019 to look seriously. I'll have more money saved up. I'll have good weather to immediately be able to start riding the new horse--I don't think it's a good idea to buy a horse now, have it sit for most of the winter, and then try to get to know it after it's sat all winter. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. But, a girl can dream. Who knows? But I'm willing to stick my neck out there to get the ball rolling.
I've been working with Rosie quite a bit this week. It started off hot and humid, totally unseasonable for upstate NY. The mini's have a pretty heavy winter coat already and they were so hot. I couldn't work with Rosie Sunday or Monday, but then the humidity dropped and Tuesday and Wednesday were tolerable. She was wonderful. I say this all the time ... but I just love that pony!! She has a bit of an attitude (OK, more than a bit), but she will do ANYTHING I ask her to do. Well, unless it involves pain or discomfort--the vet!--then she has no tolerance at all. She just loves doing training work. I worked her pretty hard Wednesday hitched to the cart. It was still pretty warm and I'm sure not ideal for a hairy mini. She was near perfect and never showed any sign of wanting to quit. She was just happy we were doing things together. What a girl!!!
I still haven't gotten in the cart and some people have told me she is ready. Everything I do with Rosie comes from gut feeling. My gut is telling me to do more ground driving, more complex things with the empty cart so she is even more solid than she appears now. She trusts me and I don't want to rush things to make her doubt that trust. Trust is the reason she is so willing to try new things and lets me do so many crazy things to her without batting an eye.
Wednesday I worked on trotting her pulling the cart. She wasn't quite sure about that. I don't think it's the noise because that kind of thing doesn't bother her at all. I had her drag six plastic milk jugs in front of the cart basket right in back of her legs and that doesn't even faze her. I think it was that the shafts in the harness had a different feel. She trotted a little here and there but was reluctant to keep going. Just kept giving me the "Mom, I'm not so sure" look. So I want her comfortable with that. I also want her to pull the cart outside of our safe 1/2 acre paddock I've been working in--the big pasture. I know driving people won't agree with me for ground driving her hitched in that situation, but my gut tells me this is the way to go with her. If she becomes unsure, I can quickly go up to her head to give her reassurance. I also want to set up some cones and drive her around them. She is already doing great turns--she is learning to kind of side step into the shafts and can make some pretty tight turns. Ideally, I would prefer to have wider shafts that Patty's Pony Place in Canada makes to add to existing carts, but Kelly, the builder, is backed up, and I have to work with what I have for now. It's OK, but not what I would consider ideal. Most drivers wouldn't think anything needed to change. I'm just picky, I guess. I think Rosie would feel better if she had more room to move within the shafts. She's a wide mini with a big butt especially. She needs more room to move and groove.
Riding lessons are going well. I'm still riding Chocolate. I have come to realize Chocolate does not like riding in the heat. I rode Tuesday early evening and he was obviously wanting to quit a lot. He was also heavy with the reins and was blowing off my attempts to use more subtle cues. He just wasn't into it. My next lesson is tomorrow--Saturday. It cooled off dramatically over night, so he will have more energy--I just hope not too much. I like that happy medium that everyone else likes as well.
I like riding Chocolate because I feel safe ... but, his gaits are rough, he's a lot of work to keep driving forward when he is having a lazy day (which is often). I cantered him for the first time a week ago and it felt like I was going to fall off! His canter is big and rough--I felt like I was being tossed around the saddle big time. Holy crap!!!! He is easy to get into a canter, but is very difficult to keep him going once he gets to the short side of the arena. I decided it's not worth it to risk falling off just to canter him down the long side of the arena. I told Rayann I would hold off cantering until another, smoother horse becomes available. I've cantered horses plenty in my life time. I don't need to canter this very minute to prove I can ride again. I know beginners get so excited when they are finally cantering in their lessons. I'm just not at that place where it's a big deal to me. I'm just grateful and excited that I can ride a horse again and still walk the next day--and then go back for more!
I posted on facebook my description of my perfect horse. Kind of like declaring to the Universe what I want so it will open up to come into my life. Of course, my horse friend enablers found me some ads. (You knew they would, huh? :-)) I contacted the seller about one by facebook messenger. I couldn't resist--she was a gorgeous palomino!!! I know, you can't ride color--but wouldn't it be great if I found my ideal horse in my ideal color! I explained my story and what I'm looking for. Does her horse fit what I'm looking for? She got snippy, started talking about that I'm scared and won't be able to find any horse that won't react to my fear ... blah, blah, blah, followed by "You need an old, old, old horse!" (Yes, *3* olds) This horse was three hours away. I'm not going to even entertain the thought of driving to try her out if she doesn't have the qualities I'm looking for. It's called screening horses before wasting everyone's time. That, of course, pissed me off. OMG--is this what I'm going to encounter over and over until I find that jewel of a horse I need? I know they are out there. I've owned a couple in the past that would be perfect for me now. I just have to weed out the frogs to find my prince (or princess).
Ideally, I would rather wait until Spring/Summer of 2019 to look seriously. I'll have more money saved up. I'll have good weather to immediately be able to start riding the new horse--I don't think it's a good idea to buy a horse now, have it sit for most of the winter, and then try to get to know it after it's sat all winter. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. But, a girl can dream. Who knows? But I'm willing to stick my neck out there to get the ball rolling.
Sunday, September 30, 2018
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:
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:
Sunday, September 16, 2018
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
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!
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!
Friday, August 31, 2018
She's Herdbound ... But Only to Me!
Rosie is attached to me much more intensely than the average horse. That is wonderful in many ways. When I do work with her on her driving or lead her away from the other horses, she never even looks back. She is so happy to be doing something with me and has an "Nah Nah--mom loves me best!" attitude about her.
But, I'm noticing that Rosie's attachment to me is detrimental in some ways. Obviously I can't be with her all the time. Don't get me wrong--She's not a nut case--she can stay by herself in the pasture and barn alone or with Jerry and she is fine. But, when she leaves home, she has to ride in a horse trailer--and I have to drive the truck. She can't fit in the back of my SUV like my dog (although, maybe if she hunches over, lol). She is perfectly happy to walk in the trailer and will stand quietly--as long as I am in there with her. The second I leave, she is pawing, anxious, pooping, peeing, sweating, whinnying.
I had surgery on my knee two years ago. I couldn't go out to the barn for a couple of days and had my trusty teenager friend, Michaela, care for the horses. Rosie was OK for the first 24 hours, but after that she paced the fence line looking at the house all the time. I went out on the porch and talked to her, but that wasn't good enough. The second day, I asked Michaela to set up some lawn chairs on the path to the barn. I figured I could walk out with my cane, stop and sit along the way, but eventually make it there. And I admit, I was having horse withdrawal too--you know how it is when you are used to touching horses every day and suddenly ... don't.
I hobbled out to the barn and thought that Rosie would be happy to see me. She met me at the gate as always, but she behaved as if it wasn't any big deal. Hey, I hobbled all the way out to see you, you ungrateful little runt! But I know she was happy to see me because she stopped pacing the fence. I still only walked out once a day for the next few days, but she was fine as long as she saw me that much.
May of 2017 I went on my first vacation since I've owned Rosie. I'm generally a home body but I had an opportunity to go out to Colorado and Wyoming and had a great time. I called Michaela to check on things after the first couple of days. "Rosie won't warm up to me. She walks away when I try to pet her." Sigh ... I hadn't thought she would do that because she knew Michaela and previously had been comfortable with her caring for her after my many surgeries and when Michaela helped me around the farm. But, it was different this time--I was no where in the picture ... not even talking to her from the back porch or hobbling out and visiting her once a day. When I returned, she was depressed and kind of "out of it" acting. It took her 24 hours to get back to herself. The difference was dramatic.
So, that attachment is great because she lets me do anything to her, trusts me when I do training with her, and is just plain fun to be around because it's so clear she loves me and wants to be with me. That is so special that I can hardly put into words how great that feels as a horse person. Where it is difficult is when I need to trailer her, leave for vacation, leave her tied to a trailer or in an unfamiliar stall at clinics or events. When she is in unfamiliar territory she wants ME.
I'm going to do more things with her to increase her confidence and show her she can handle the unfamiliar even if I'm not right there--I'll tie her somewhere safe and walk a short distance away and come back--approach and retreat in reverse. I did that with her in the trailer last evening and that didn't go well. She never seemed to get much better. So maybe it's best to stay away from the trailer because she already has a bad association with being left inside the trailer. Maybe neutral turf is a better idea.
Rosie is doing great with her cart training. I hitched her to the cart by myself the second time and led her around without any problem whatsoever. I'm waiting for my new adjustable cart footmans loops to arrive from Patty's Pony Place in Canada. I can't hook up the breeching correctly until I get them. The footmans loops on my cart are placed too far back for the breeching to work properly. Once I have them I can start ground driving her without worrying about controlling the cart when I have her hitched--I've been worried about the cart running up on her without the breeching so I have to be right beside it to grab on when we stop. Should be soon. I'll post a pic of her hitched. She looks absolutely adorable!!!
Babe is doing well but she has her usual wet-weather scratches problem on her white hind pastern. I have a lime-sulfur dip solution that I mix up and apply 3 x week and it helps, but really nothing will make them go away until the weather dries up. She is just prone to them and all I can do is keep it from getting worse. At least the dip keeps them from spreading. She's had them so bad before that she had to take antibiotic tablets and I had skin scrapings done and consulted with the dermatologist at Cornell vet school just to make sure we were treating her appropriately. It loves her and hangs on for dear life. She's healthy, not immuno-compromised ... she is just prone to picking it up, probably from the soil when she gets a cut or scrape.
Jerry ... oh Jerry ... he is such a peach. That little guy's goal in life is to always be a good boy and never rock the boat. He's so easy. He just looks cute, behaves like a prince, and puts up with Rosie all day. He's in his 20's and I'm glad I can give him a good home in his senior years.
I better knock on some wood when I say this but I haven't had a body part break in over a year--this is a record for me since this all started in 2011-ish. I'm thinking of trying to ride again. I LOVE the mini's and they will always be in my life, but I really do miss riding. Especially trail riding. I've never been one to want to ride for hours and hours or ride fast, so I'm thinking I might be able to work myself up to easy 1-2 hour trail rides, which will be perfect. I'm really hoping my body can handle it. Hmmm ... What do you think??
Unfortunately, while my body was falling apart and I kept hoping to ride ... eventually, Babe's knees were becoming arthritic. Now when I think I can try riding again, *she* is the disabled one and is retired to the pasture. She does fine out there where she can decide how much she wants to walk, but I think it would be pushing it to ask her to carry a rider and go on my terms. She definitely couldn't do the hilly trails around here safely and comfortably.
So, my attempt at returning to ride will take some planning sans my trusty steed Babe. My first plan of action is to get in better physical shape, lose weight, and get stronger. Riding when my body is weak and out of shape is likely asking for an injury, or at least for it to be painful and then I'll get discouraged and disappointed. After I feel I'm stronger, I'm going to hunt down a place to take casual riding lessons or find someone with a beginner-type horse to start out with. I want a very safe horse and someone to guide me along when I start out. Things aren't what they used to be in my riding world, so I have to be smart and thoughtful about this if I want success. If riding lessons work out ... then it's time to go horse shopping.
I'm excited about the possibilities. Life should be pretty interesting the next few months! Stay tuned!!
But, I'm noticing that Rosie's attachment to me is detrimental in some ways. Obviously I can't be with her all the time. Don't get me wrong--She's not a nut case--she can stay by herself in the pasture and barn alone or with Jerry and she is fine. But, when she leaves home, she has to ride in a horse trailer--and I have to drive the truck. She can't fit in the back of my SUV like my dog (although, maybe if she hunches over, lol). She is perfectly happy to walk in the trailer and will stand quietly--as long as I am in there with her. The second I leave, she is pawing, anxious, pooping, peeing, sweating, whinnying.
I had surgery on my knee two years ago. I couldn't go out to the barn for a couple of days and had my trusty teenager friend, Michaela, care for the horses. Rosie was OK for the first 24 hours, but after that she paced the fence line looking at the house all the time. I went out on the porch and talked to her, but that wasn't good enough. The second day, I asked Michaela to set up some lawn chairs on the path to the barn. I figured I could walk out with my cane, stop and sit along the way, but eventually make it there. And I admit, I was having horse withdrawal too--you know how it is when you are used to touching horses every day and suddenly ... don't.
I hobbled out to the barn and thought that Rosie would be happy to see me. She met me at the gate as always, but she behaved as if it wasn't any big deal. Hey, I hobbled all the way out to see you, you ungrateful little runt! But I know she was happy to see me because she stopped pacing the fence. I still only walked out once a day for the next few days, but she was fine as long as she saw me that much.
May of 2017 I went on my first vacation since I've owned Rosie. I'm generally a home body but I had an opportunity to go out to Colorado and Wyoming and had a great time. I called Michaela to check on things after the first couple of days. "Rosie won't warm up to me. She walks away when I try to pet her." Sigh ... I hadn't thought she would do that because she knew Michaela and previously had been comfortable with her caring for her after my many surgeries and when Michaela helped me around the farm. But, it was different this time--I was no where in the picture ... not even talking to her from the back porch or hobbling out and visiting her once a day. When I returned, she was depressed and kind of "out of it" acting. It took her 24 hours to get back to herself. The difference was dramatic.
So, that attachment is great because she lets me do anything to her, trusts me when I do training with her, and is just plain fun to be around because it's so clear she loves me and wants to be with me. That is so special that I can hardly put into words how great that feels as a horse person. Where it is difficult is when I need to trailer her, leave for vacation, leave her tied to a trailer or in an unfamiliar stall at clinics or events. When she is in unfamiliar territory she wants ME.
I'm going to do more things with her to increase her confidence and show her she can handle the unfamiliar even if I'm not right there--I'll tie her somewhere safe and walk a short distance away and come back--approach and retreat in reverse. I did that with her in the trailer last evening and that didn't go well. She never seemed to get much better. So maybe it's best to stay away from the trailer because she already has a bad association with being left inside the trailer. Maybe neutral turf is a better idea.
Rosie is doing great with her cart training. I hitched her to the cart by myself the second time and led her around without any problem whatsoever. I'm waiting for my new adjustable cart footmans loops to arrive from Patty's Pony Place in Canada. I can't hook up the breeching correctly until I get them. The footmans loops on my cart are placed too far back for the breeching to work properly. Once I have them I can start ground driving her without worrying about controlling the cart when I have her hitched--I've been worried about the cart running up on her without the breeching so I have to be right beside it to grab on when we stop. Should be soon. I'll post a pic of her hitched. She looks absolutely adorable!!!
Babe is doing well but she has her usual wet-weather scratches problem on her white hind pastern. I have a lime-sulfur dip solution that I mix up and apply 3 x week and it helps, but really nothing will make them go away until the weather dries up. She is just prone to them and all I can do is keep it from getting worse. At least the dip keeps them from spreading. She's had them so bad before that she had to take antibiotic tablets and I had skin scrapings done and consulted with the dermatologist at Cornell vet school just to make sure we were treating her appropriately. It loves her and hangs on for dear life. She's healthy, not immuno-compromised ... she is just prone to picking it up, probably from the soil when she gets a cut or scrape.
Jerry ... oh Jerry ... he is such a peach. That little guy's goal in life is to always be a good boy and never rock the boat. He's so easy. He just looks cute, behaves like a prince, and puts up with Rosie all day. He's in his 20's and I'm glad I can give him a good home in his senior years.
I better knock on some wood when I say this but I haven't had a body part break in over a year--this is a record for me since this all started in 2011-ish. I'm thinking of trying to ride again. I LOVE the mini's and they will always be in my life, but I really do miss riding. Especially trail riding. I've never been one to want to ride for hours and hours or ride fast, so I'm thinking I might be able to work myself up to easy 1-2 hour trail rides, which will be perfect. I'm really hoping my body can handle it. Hmmm ... What do you think??
Unfortunately, while my body was falling apart and I kept hoping to ride ... eventually, Babe's knees were becoming arthritic. Now when I think I can try riding again, *she* is the disabled one and is retired to the pasture. She does fine out there where she can decide how much she wants to walk, but I think it would be pushing it to ask her to carry a rider and go on my terms. She definitely couldn't do the hilly trails around here safely and comfortably.
So, my attempt at returning to ride will take some planning sans my trusty steed Babe. My first plan of action is to get in better physical shape, lose weight, and get stronger. Riding when my body is weak and out of shape is likely asking for an injury, or at least for it to be painful and then I'll get discouraged and disappointed. After I feel I'm stronger, I'm going to hunt down a place to take casual riding lessons or find someone with a beginner-type horse to start out with. I want a very safe horse and someone to guide me along when I start out. Things aren't what they used to be in my riding world, so I have to be smart and thoughtful about this if I want success. If riding lessons work out ... then it's time to go horse shopping.
I'm excited about the possibilities. Life should be pretty interesting the next few months! Stay tuned!!
Friday, August 17, 2018
Putting the Cart Behind the Pony
I have been neglectful about Rosie's driving training all summer. I lost one of my dogs to hemangiosarcoma a couple of months ago and that knocked the wind out of my sails, and my motivation to do anything other than go to work and do the basic household and barnhold chores went down to almost nothing for quite a while. Lucy was a special dog--but really, aren't they all? Here's a picture of my Lucy (on the left) and Heidi, still with me and was a star in my last blog post.
Lucy was a dog that was what we would call "a piece of work." A "Calgon, take me away!" kind of dog. She was very intense and felt a huge sense of responsibility to keep order in her home. There were a lot of "But Mom, you aren't doing it right and the world is going to end!"complaints. My cats do things now that they would NEVER have dared to do when Lucy was ruling the roost. Scratch the furniture?? Not on Lucy's watch! Control freak!!! Lucy loved people--she never met a stranger. She would practically turn herself inside out to go greet people everywhere we went. My front door has holes in the screen where she would plaster herself against it jumping up to say Hi to someone on the other side of the door--"Mom, let them in!! They must pet me or I will die!" That was her motto.
When Lucy got sick, she got sick fast. One day she was normal ... the next she was near death. I rushed her to Cornell Vet School Hospital early in the morning. She was diagnosed within an hour and was euthanized. She was full of tumors, a large one (or more) had burst, and she was bleeding out into her abdomen causing her a lot of pain. I couldn't believe it was happening. My precious Lucy, lover of all, keeper of all ... was gone. It was the most heart wrenching time I've experienced in a long time. So, it took me a while to grieve and gain back energy to do productive things.
Back to Rosie. Rosie and I are working with a wonderful driving trainer--Melody. I come from the riding world--I know nothing about driving other than what I read or get by pumping someone's brain until I'm sure they want to escape to the nearest bar for a drink.
Melody has been here twice. The first time was back in the late winter after I bought Rosie's Comfy Fit harness and I needed some help with how to put that thing on. All those straps. Egads--a simple saddle and bridle never looked so good. I thought I would never learn to do it. We introduced it to Rosie gently and adjusted all those crazy straps. She handled everything so well. Rosie trusts me and she figures that anything that's attached to me is OK, even if it is the weirdest thing she has ever seen.
Melody also got me started with ground driving that day. Rosie picked up on it very quickly. Within just a few short sessions after that lesson we were ground driving all over the paddock, she was stopping straight, standing still after stopping, walking with no turning around--all big accomplishments for a young driving pony in training.
After that handful of sessions, combined with Lucy's death, I kind of fizzled out. For the first time in over 2, maybe even 3, months, one day last week I put the harness on Rosie and ground drove her again. She was great! She remembered everything. Next I got the cart out--this is something Rosie has only seen a couple of times. Again, introducing things gradually, we worked up to her between the shafts, walking with the cart in position while I held the shaft on my side and pulled it along. She took to that so quickly.
Now, OK--my next session with Melody--it was Wednesday of this week. Melody brought a friend, Karen, who has a couple of mini horses and wanted to meet mine. Cool!! I put the harness on Rosie, showed Melody how she ground drove, and then Melody asked Karen to pull the cart all around Rosie while I was ground driving her. At first Rosie needed to just stop and stand to watch it whizzing around her (Karen is very well trained to pull a cart, lol), but she was fine with it after the first couple of minutes and then we were back to ground driving with the cart still going.
Next we put Rosie between the shafts like I did last week and I walked her around with it tagging along behind her. Everything we did got Melody's blessing. It was time to kick things up a notch. After another 15 minutes or so of working her up to it--Rosie was in the shafts, hitched to the cart, and pulling it around the paddock! I was SO proud of her. She handled it like a champ. It just amazes me what that pony will do for me. I feel so blessed that I about explode with happiness when I'm working with her.
I know I favor Rosie--I admit it. My other mini, Jerry, is a real sweetie. He's the kind of horse whose goal in life is to be kind and cooperative--all the time. Rosie thinks he's rather stupid. Jerry is quiet and unassuming, and always a favorite with visitors. He has this way about him that attracts people like a magnet. He spent much of the time we were working with Rosie getting brushed and pampered by Karen and Melody, watching with great interest, and sometimes following the cart around--now that was really cute to watch--me leading Rosie, cart in back, Melody in back of the cart keeping it from running up on Rose (need to make a cart modification to put the breeching straps in a better place), and then Jerry as the caboose. He loves to watch what we are doing, and it's good for him because he can be a little shy and nervous. He's an older guy who I suspect hasn't had the easiest life. After living here for over 2 years, he is finally learning to trust that bad things generally don't happen here and he can relax a bit. I was told he was trained to drive. I need to make time to test that out and see what Jerry can do. Dear Jerry ...
After we were done and were given our homework assignment, it was time to play. I have a few toys I've used for desensitizing when Rosie was younger. I got a couple of them out, OK--I admit, to show off how solid and trusting she is. First, I shook hula hoops with rattles in them all over her, tossed them on her butt, and flopped them over her head. Second--the one that really amazes people--the beach-ball sized rubber inflatable ball that I bounce around her, over her, throw at her from a distance, and bounce off her body from every direction. We even played a little "catch" game by throwing it back and forth over her back. (Melody thinks Rosie would make a great volleyball net.) All this while she stood in front of the barn without a halter or lead. Didn't blink an eye. What makes this even more amazing is that she hadn't seen that ball in at least a year. They were just blown away by how Rosie deals with things I do to her that would send most horses running away in fear.
But, although I think Rosie is perfect <smile>, she does have her challenges. Rosie was accepting about the scary things we did that evening--the cart, hula hoops, ball bouncing--she does have things that scare or overwhelm her. She is a HORSE, after all. Because she is very sensitive to changes in her world, she gets overwhelmed maybe more than some horses. She doesn't like change in her environment. She's gotten upset because I moved the fencing around and changed the size of her paddock. When I say upset, it's a look of "OMG--what has happened to my home!" when she sees the changed paddock fencing and running around for a few minutes with a look of "I don't know if I like this!" Then she settles down and forgets about it. As I wrote in my blog a couple of posts ago, she HATES being in the trailer after I tie and leave her. Just to name a couple of things we need to work on. She just needs more exposure to the big world outside her home.
Rosie is different from a lot of horses I've worked with and there is a very fine line between gently pushing her along and over loading her and setting her back a ways--which I try very hard not to do. Since she is so calm about most things I do, it is very easy to want to push ahead too fast. I have to be mindful of this even more than when working with the average horse, I think. A big part of the reason she is so easy to train is that she and I have a tight bond. She trusts me and looks to me for direction. I owe it to her never to make her question that trust. I strive to keep it that way. Some people think I baby her, coddle her too much, and cut her too much slack with her pony-tude, but the proof is in the pudding: She will do almost anything I ask her to do--willingly and the first time I ask, tries SO hard to learn new things, and truly wants to work for me. Isn't that what we all want in our horse/handler partnership?
Melody asked me after the lesson if I was now motivated to really get going on working with Rosie regularly with her driving training. Well, yes, but really, I love doing anything with Rosie. She is truly my pony of a lifetime.
Lucy was a dog that was what we would call "a piece of work." A "Calgon, take me away!" kind of dog. She was very intense and felt a huge sense of responsibility to keep order in her home. There were a lot of "But Mom, you aren't doing it right and the world is going to end!"complaints. My cats do things now that they would NEVER have dared to do when Lucy was ruling the roost. Scratch the furniture?? Not on Lucy's watch! Control freak!!! Lucy loved people--she never met a stranger. She would practically turn herself inside out to go greet people everywhere we went. My front door has holes in the screen where she would plaster herself against it jumping up to say Hi to someone on the other side of the door--"Mom, let them in!! They must pet me or I will die!" That was her motto.
When Lucy got sick, she got sick fast. One day she was normal ... the next she was near death. I rushed her to Cornell Vet School Hospital early in the morning. She was diagnosed within an hour and was euthanized. She was full of tumors, a large one (or more) had burst, and she was bleeding out into her abdomen causing her a lot of pain. I couldn't believe it was happening. My precious Lucy, lover of all, keeper of all ... was gone. It was the most heart wrenching time I've experienced in a long time. So, it took me a while to grieve and gain back energy to do productive things.
Back to Rosie. Rosie and I are working with a wonderful driving trainer--Melody. I come from the riding world--I know nothing about driving other than what I read or get by pumping someone's brain until I'm sure they want to escape to the nearest bar for a drink.
Melody has been here twice. The first time was back in the late winter after I bought Rosie's Comfy Fit harness and I needed some help with how to put that thing on. All those straps. Egads--a simple saddle and bridle never looked so good. I thought I would never learn to do it. We introduced it to Rosie gently and adjusted all those crazy straps. She handled everything so well. Rosie trusts me and she figures that anything that's attached to me is OK, even if it is the weirdest thing she has ever seen.
Melody also got me started with ground driving that day. Rosie picked up on it very quickly. Within just a few short sessions after that lesson we were ground driving all over the paddock, she was stopping straight, standing still after stopping, walking with no turning around--all big accomplishments for a young driving pony in training.
After that handful of sessions, combined with Lucy's death, I kind of fizzled out. For the first time in over 2, maybe even 3, months, one day last week I put the harness on Rosie and ground drove her again. She was great! She remembered everything. Next I got the cart out--this is something Rosie has only seen a couple of times. Again, introducing things gradually, we worked up to her between the shafts, walking with the cart in position while I held the shaft on my side and pulled it along. She took to that so quickly.
Now, OK--my next session with Melody--it was Wednesday of this week. Melody brought a friend, Karen, who has a couple of mini horses and wanted to meet mine. Cool!! I put the harness on Rosie, showed Melody how she ground drove, and then Melody asked Karen to pull the cart all around Rosie while I was ground driving her. At first Rosie needed to just stop and stand to watch it whizzing around her (Karen is very well trained to pull a cart, lol), but she was fine with it after the first couple of minutes and then we were back to ground driving with the cart still going.
Next we put Rosie between the shafts like I did last week and I walked her around with it tagging along behind her. Everything we did got Melody's blessing. It was time to kick things up a notch. After another 15 minutes or so of working her up to it--Rosie was in the shafts, hitched to the cart, and pulling it around the paddock! I was SO proud of her. She handled it like a champ. It just amazes me what that pony will do for me. I feel so blessed that I about explode with happiness when I'm working with her.
I know I favor Rosie--I admit it. My other mini, Jerry, is a real sweetie. He's the kind of horse whose goal in life is to be kind and cooperative--all the time. Rosie thinks he's rather stupid. Jerry is quiet and unassuming, and always a favorite with visitors. He has this way about him that attracts people like a magnet. He spent much of the time we were working with Rosie getting brushed and pampered by Karen and Melody, watching with great interest, and sometimes following the cart around--now that was really cute to watch--me leading Rosie, cart in back, Melody in back of the cart keeping it from running up on Rose (need to make a cart modification to put the breeching straps in a better place), and then Jerry as the caboose. He loves to watch what we are doing, and it's good for him because he can be a little shy and nervous. He's an older guy who I suspect hasn't had the easiest life. After living here for over 2 years, he is finally learning to trust that bad things generally don't happen here and he can relax a bit. I was told he was trained to drive. I need to make time to test that out and see what Jerry can do. Dear Jerry ...
After we were done and were given our homework assignment, it was time to play. I have a few toys I've used for desensitizing when Rosie was younger. I got a couple of them out, OK--I admit, to show off how solid and trusting she is. First, I shook hula hoops with rattles in them all over her, tossed them on her butt, and flopped them over her head. Second--the one that really amazes people--the beach-ball sized rubber inflatable ball that I bounce around her, over her, throw at her from a distance, and bounce off her body from every direction. We even played a little "catch" game by throwing it back and forth over her back. (Melody thinks Rosie would make a great volleyball net.) All this while she stood in front of the barn without a halter or lead. Didn't blink an eye. What makes this even more amazing is that she hadn't seen that ball in at least a year. They were just blown away by how Rosie deals with things I do to her that would send most horses running away in fear.
But, although I think Rosie is perfect <smile>, she does have her challenges. Rosie was accepting about the scary things we did that evening--the cart, hula hoops, ball bouncing--she does have things that scare or overwhelm her. She is a HORSE, after all. Because she is very sensitive to changes in her world, she gets overwhelmed maybe more than some horses. She doesn't like change in her environment. She's gotten upset because I moved the fencing around and changed the size of her paddock. When I say upset, it's a look of "OMG--what has happened to my home!" when she sees the changed paddock fencing and running around for a few minutes with a look of "I don't know if I like this!" Then she settles down and forgets about it. As I wrote in my blog a couple of posts ago, she HATES being in the trailer after I tie and leave her. Just to name a couple of things we need to work on. She just needs more exposure to the big world outside her home.
Rosie is different from a lot of horses I've worked with and there is a very fine line between gently pushing her along and over loading her and setting her back a ways--which I try very hard not to do. Since she is so calm about most things I do, it is very easy to want to push ahead too fast. I have to be mindful of this even more than when working with the average horse, I think. A big part of the reason she is so easy to train is that she and I have a tight bond. She trusts me and looks to me for direction. I owe it to her never to make her question that trust. I strive to keep it that way. Some people think I baby her, coddle her too much, and cut her too much slack with her pony-tude, but the proof is in the pudding: She will do almost anything I ask her to do--willingly and the first time I ask, tries SO hard to learn new things, and truly wants to work for me. Isn't that what we all want in our horse/handler partnership?
Melody asked me after the lesson if I was now motivated to really get going on working with Rosie regularly with her driving training. Well, yes, but really, I love doing anything with Rosie. She is truly my pony of a lifetime.
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