Sleuthing

I got back from Texas Monday in time to help with evening chores. I said Lance's name and his beautiful head shot up and he came right to his stall door. Yep, I like him every bit as much as I remembered. :-)

Yesterday I turned him out in the arena for a couple hours to roll and run and play. Today I tacked him up with lunging surcingle and worked him in side reins. At first he had a lot of energy (for him), but by the end I was having to remind him that it's his responsibility to maintain whatever gait I have asked for.

When I pulled his tack off, there was a slight bump on the right side of his backbone in the same ol' place. Rick says he's going to ultrasound Lance's back to investigate further, but I don't know when he'll get around to that. I've called and left a message for the saddle maker/fitter I've used, but still don't anticipate him making a trip north anytime soon. Laura has offered to bring me her saddle with the interchangeable gullet to try, and Theresa just sent me photos of an Ortho-Flex dressage saddle she has for sale. The latter sent me searching through old emails to see if I still had any info on an Ortho-Flex saddle I tried on Russell years ago . . . and I found something very interesting. Almost nine years ago I sent the inventor of the Corrector (AND Ortho-Flex) the photos below, showing a swelling I was seeing on Russell's back after every ride when using the Corrector.

Wow, that is eerily similar to what I am seeing on Lance's back after riding!

In his email response, Len said, "I know what the problem is, thanks for the pictures. Give me a call and keep riding with whichever combo balances you best concerning shims or not. Keep riding with the Corrector and expect the lump. I'll explain when you call, it's easier that way." I do not remember what he said when I called; I do know that I eventually discontinued using the Corrector on Russell because he seemed happier without it.

Last year I used the Corrector for every ride on both Larry and Horton for months, and neither of them ever got a bump or showed any other adverse reactions to the Corrector. How very strange that both Russell and Lance, two very different horses with very different back conformations, have reacted to it in the same way years apart!

To be continued....

Onward!

Having rides videographed is a great tool when you work by yourself the vast majority of the time. (I should find my old tripod and bribe my son to do this every once in awhile!) Between the videos of our rides and the score sheets from the show, I have some solid directives to work on in my schooling sessions with Lance, and it feels like we are already making progress. Better contact, better energy. With the show over, we're doing more canter work, and the improvements are carrying over into that gait as well. Before late last October (with Horton), I'd never shown a horse at Intro Level, and I don't intend to stay there long now. In fact, maybe just one more show....

Last night I was looking at local schooling/League show options on the Oregon Dressage Society website. There's a League show in Salem on March 10, and then nothing nearby until early May. Why not see how much progress we can make in two weeks?

I'm sending in my entry tomorrow.

Now we are so happy, we do the dance of joy!

(Did anyone else love that show?)

Rick checked out Lance today, ultrasounding the area of the suspensory tear in his right front and performing flexion tests on his right front and both hind legs. Everything checked out fine, and we are cleared for regular work – commensurate with Lance's level of fitness, of course. I confess to some excited hopping around, and I might have hugged and kissed my vet. ;-)

Tomorrow I will mail in our show entry, and we will continue to work on the basics of walk-trot, trot-walk, and walk-halt transitions, as well as going truly forward. Since Lance is greener than Horton was and less fit than Larry started out, this show will be a lot more about giving Lance some exposure to a show environment and very little of seeing how well we can do. There will also be the fun of having people try to figure out what breed he is. ;-)

And Lance is all about having fun; I've fished his Jolly Ball out of the stock tank and from the other side of his paddock fence numerous times.

Official stall plate notwithstanding, he really is just a great big red lovable goober!

Magic trick pony

It must be the pixie dust!

Okay, so Lance just can't stand still. :-)

The temps have warmed and the footing has thawed so we're once again able to do more than just walk. I even turned Lance loose for a little frolic yesterday when a friend came by to meet him. That was probably not the smartest choice, but he didn't rip-snort too much . . . I hope. Rick has mentioned wanting to do a follow-up ultrasound; I'm hoping he'll do it Sunday. If everything still looks good, I'm going to enter our dressage GMO's League show in February. I have a free class entry for winning a high-point award on Horton; I figure Lance and I can handle a walk-trot class without too much embarrassment. :-)

Lest you think he's perfect...

Lance didn't get out yesterday, thanks to our going to church, having company for lunch, and the frozen state of affairs outside. After cleaning his stall last night I turned to leave – and heard a sound behind me. I turned just in time to see Lance coming at me. Whether he was being playful or aggressive I can't say, but it mattered not. My reaction was instantaneous; I roared and lunged back at him with the plastic manure fork, sending him scrambling for his paddock. After I finished mucking, I went back into his stall and asked him to come to me on my terms, which he did. Point taken; I will keep my guard up.

Frosty hoofprints

Frozen cobweb

Fuzzy rascal

Today, regardless of the frozen footing, we went for a walk. I expected him to be obedient and polite – and carried a dressage whip to reinforce my expectations. That's the upside of having a out-of-condition, pushy young horse; you can accomplish a lot with just hand-walking when you don't have a safe place to ride!*

*Not that I wouldn't enjoy using that lovely arena in which Sylvia is riding Horton....

Baby steps, giant strides

When I awoke to rain this morning, I was a little bummed. Getting out nearly every day has helped Lance's behavior so much, I didn't want to get sidelined by the weather. But the drizzle quit this afternoon, so I headed out to exercise him, grabbing my mailbox key on the way out so we could ride down the gravel lane to get the mail.

It's hard to explain why I thought this was an okay thing to do. I mean, I've spent very little time with this horse, and he's young and green as grass. I've only ridden him a handful of times and only once outside of an arena; that was with a group and while he was in regular training. But I feel like I know and can trust Lance more than I ever did either Larry or Cohort. "His" song – our song – comes to mind. He is definitely a "heart horse"....

Not that I was a complete fool about it, mind you. I wore my helmet, had my cell phone zipped into my vest pocket, and dismounted to retrieve our mail from our locked mailbox. We encountered lots of scary things on the ride down – black plastic caught in the trees, a real estate sign, a big green trash bin blown over on its side – and he held it together pretty well. After I had the mail in hand he spooked at something, slipped in the mud and actually went down on one knee, reinforcing my earlier decision to lead him the quarter of a mile back home. Once there, I mounted again and rode him in the arena another 15 minutes or so, where he was a good boy.

An interesting tidbit: Lance tends to lean on my right leg a bit, and his mane lays to the left – both of which are opposite of Horton.

Be it ever so humble...

Horton at home

I'm surprised Horton didn't stage a walk-out while at my house; his usual accommodations are MUCH nicer. Sylvia said he practically jumped into his blanket last night, poor boy; here I only blanketed if he was still damp and I didn't want him to chill while drying out. I know I could get spoiled by the nice, big, covered arena with excellent tanbark footing; it was lovely to school in!

As planned, I returned to school Horton at his home barn one more time today. Sylvia said he recognized the sound of my car! And even though he bucked impressively on the lunge line, Horton was very good under saddle both for me and for Sylvia. I trust this is a new beginning to a long and happy relationship between them!

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Oh, baby! You'll never guess what was waiting in my inbox when I got home this evening. I'll show you tomorrow!

Home is where the horse is

Last night

This morning

Not great photos, but I just had to show you who's HOME!

Given the rock-hard footing of my frozen arena and no thaw in sight, Sylvia and I decided I might as well haul Horton back to her barn where he could actually stay active. I took my tack along so I could ride him "at the scene of his crimes," hopefully demonstrating the progress he's made. I have to admit that I wondered how he would act; would he remember that he unloaded people to get out of work there? Well, not only did Horton do me proud, Rick came along to watch how he's moving and reported that he looked more relaxed and fluid, with his tail centered, than he's ever seen him move before! Huzzah! I'm going back up this afternoon to ride him again, just to help keep the good times rolling.

Speaking of rolling, I figured since I had the trailer hitched, I might as well roll on down the road and pick up Lance last night. As we gathered up his feed, the barn owner regaled us with his antics. "He's SUCH a brat!" she said over and over, laughing with delight. (She said she loves his type of personality.)

When we got him home, he and Sam met quietly over the pole gate dividing their paddocks, and Lance discovered the battered gallon milk jug hanging in his stall. We put it there for my Morgan over a decade ago, and Brian had never seen a horse play with it – until last night. Yes, I have a big, playful puppy of a horse – and just like a BIG, playful puppy, he will have to learn some manners and self-control! Now to get his stall plate ordered. Call me trepidatious, but I didn't want to take that step until I actually saw that cute face hanging over the stall door!

New Year's Day report

There's no photographic evidence, but I started my new year out right. :-) Went over to where Lance is stabled with some oats to mix in with his HorseGuard and daily wormer, gave him a good grooming (including working some tangles out of his mane with Cowboy Magic), hand-walked him for awhile, then saddled him up and walked him around some more. I marveled at how opposite he and Horton are; Lance is naughty (busy, mouthy, always moving) on the ground but calm and polite under saddle, while Horton is an absolute gentleman on the ground but can be less than cooperative under saddle.

I left Lance with a happy glow in my heart, and headed home to work Horton after his "snow day." Since it's been cold, I led him out to the arena to let off some steam if he needed to – and stopped. The sand was still frozen, hard as concrete and definitely not safe for turn-out, lunging or riding. Disappointed, I led him back to his stall. Rick and I both want to evaluate how he's moving after the last injections before taking him home to Sylvia; let's hope it warms up!

Come a little bit closer....

In a surprise move, Lance is now ten miles away instead of 50! Happy New Year to me! I should be able to get over to walk him every day while finishing up with Horton. Shoot, I might even be able to properly welcome the new year on him!

Rick had suggested we run over to Lincoln City this weekend so I could see Lance and Brian could play with his friend. When I called Lance's breeder yesterday to see if she and her daughter would be at the barn, she told me she hadn't gotten Lance out at all last week. He had been so fresh in his stall that she didn't think she could handle him; she was going to recruit her trainer, who was there yesterday giving lessons, to help her. She said if we came today he would at least get walked two days in a row; she has taken a second job and would not be able to get him out again the rest of the week. That was no good; that was no good at all. But what to do? There's no room at the inn here until Horton leaves. Still, it made sense to pick up Lance while we were there today instead of driving out again next Sunday, so last night, Rick and I put our heads together. Rick thought to call a client of his with a small boarding stable in the area, and she said she could make room for him short-term. I'm a happy girl!

Drunk with sunshine

What glorious weather we are having – such a nice break from dodging raindrops!

I rode Horton this afternoon. He was sticky and snotty for quite a long time, but I finally managed to get him past it and ended with some very nice canter work. He might have been protesting the flash attachment (I added it back to the bridle at Julie's suggestion), even though it was very loose – or he could have just been having one of those days. Interestingly, he pooped under saddle today....

Rick and Brian started stripping stalls while I rode, so when I was done with Horton they turned Ollie and Breezy out. Horse "TV" for Horton!

Don't do what comes naturally!

It was another dry winter day in the Willamette Valley, so of course I rode this morning! It was great to review the things Julie had Sylvia and me work on in our lessons before they flew from my middle-aged mind.

Some of what I have been doing with Horton is spot-on, like circling immediately when he braces or gets bratty. But I also have to remember to go right back to being calm and encouraging after a correction, giving him the chance to take the bit forward and down softly, so he can lift his back and swing in the walk and trot, and flatten out in the canter (he tends to brace and "climb"). This means pushing my hands forward (Jane Savoie's "short reins, long arms") while keeping my body upright and core strong. That latter point was a particular challenge for Sylvia, who has more history with Horton – including an involuntary dismount herself, and witnessing that of others. Interesting, isn't it, that when we are most insecure, our self-preservation instinct draws us into the most vulnerable position – collapsing our mid-section and leaning forward – while gripping the reins with unyielding contact?

Both of us needed reminding to keep our hands on either side of Horton's withers. As Julie noted, he is a workout for the rider's left leg because he tends to fall left. And while it is natural to try to "help" with the left hand, crossing the withers with the left hand actually has the opposite effect. I was thinking of that while riding this morning. "Crossing the centerline with my left hand means I need more leg – but I'm using my left leg as much as possible. Crossing the centerline with my left hand has the opposite effect – so what would have the desired effect? An opening hand?" BINGO! Horton moved over to the right immediately!

Another aid for keeping Horton on the rider's chosen track is "the eye in your bellybutton." Imagine that you have an eyeball in your bellybutton. Point that eye in the direction you want to go and the horse will follow!

YeeHaw, Horton!

Horton is not usually a big "cavorter." But when I turned him loose in the arena before our lesson with Julie today, he played quite a bit. I captured just a bit of it –



– before tacking him up and lunging him. He was definitely improved over last week, although he did try a bit of 'tude here and there. Nothing a verbal reprimand and a small circle couldn't fix, though.

Our pulling truck is in the shop, so Rick hauled Horton and me to Newberg with his vet truck. He unhitched the trailer and took care of a patient while I rode, then came back and picked me up. Horton and the trailer, however, are spending the night at Suzi's to ensure that Horton is there at the appointed time tomorrow morning for Sylvia's lesson. I'll drive over in my car early enough to tack Horton up and lunge him first. Then Rick will pick us up as soon as he can after the lesson ends and bring us home.

Last Thursday, Rick injected Horton's hip again, focusing that time on the S/I joints (the first injections focused more on the lumbar/sacral joints). To best evaluate any changes this might make in Horton's gaits and/or behavior, it was decided I should continue riding him for at least two weeks following the injection. The other benefit in waiting to take Horton to Sylvia's barn is that I will be able to ride him there the first time or two for Sylvia. If he went home tomorrow, I wouldn't be able to do that. So the plan now is to take Horton "home" on January 6, and possibly pick up Lance that day as well.

Happy to have made it there and back

I pulled out this morning in a driving rain mixed with wet flakes of snow after Rick rolled my truck down the hill to start it. The batteries (two; it's a diesel) were dead, so I knew that after my lesson with Julie I would be dependent on a jump start or Rick showing up with two new batteries. (It was the latter, so Merry Christmas to me, I guess!) Unfortunately, the truck needs some other work, so it may not be available next week for the next two lessons. Hopefully Rick will be free to haul us there with his big vet truck, which is supposed to be out of the shop by then. We're playing musical chairs with vehicles these days.

Anyway, Horton and I didn't blow away or melt, and I quickly forgot the weather once I was in the saddle and focused on making improvements under Julie's direction. Horton was a good boy in spite of limited schooling this week and the new environment today. We worked on keeping him soft and long through his neck and relaxed through his back, circling whenever he braced and lifted his head. Julie noted that he didn't want to load his left hind leg as much as his right, which fits with what Rick saw when he ultrasounded Horton's pelvis. We ended with some really good stretch work at the trot.

I'm looking forward building on today's work next week, and watching Sylvia have a good ride on Horton, too.

Bah humbug!

Okay, now the weather is seriously messing with my plans. If the forecast for snow continuing through Wednesday and Thursday is correct, I won't be hauling Horton down the hill for our first lesson this week. :-/

My son thinks the snow is GREAT.

Horton think my son is SCARY.

I think the timing of all this STINKS!

Wait-a-minute weather

The weather forecast this week is rather abysmal for outdoor riding, but there's always a chance for a break in the weather to coincide with a break in my schedule – and when they occur I know I have to act!

This morning while I did chores it was raining, but by the time I finished a pale winter sun was peeking through the clouds. I threw the lunging surcingle and bridle on Horton and hurried to the Land of Many Lakes, otherwise known as our puddle-filled little outdoor sand arena, to exercise the boy. Before long the clouds closed up and soon Horton was adorned (quite festively, I might add) with teeny little snowballs with a name that auto-spell-check won't let me type – which changed to cold raindrops. By the time I finished with our short lungeing session, we were both quite wet.

Today's notes:
1) No poop.
2) No evasive movement during back lift rump tucks.
3) No mysterious "goosing" incidents.

The clinician I've used for Russell and Larry is in town for the holidays, so I'm setting up three dates with her – two for Horton and me, one for Horton and his owner. After the last ride, I plan to haul Horton back to Sylvia's barn. Then I'll be off to Lincoln City to pick up my Lancelot!

May both Sylvia and I be blessed with long, happy, safe and sound relationships with our respective dancing partners. Amen.

Same song, second Sunday

Today it is RAW outside for NW Oregon – cold, wet, windy. Yesterday there were snowflakes among the raindrops! But it was a "must exercise Horton" day since he got Friday and Saturday off, so I lunged him in surcingle and sidereins.

I should have ridden him Friday; it was mostly dry that day and would have followed on the heels of a good ride on Thursday. But after reading something cryptic about Connecticut on someone's blog, I turned to the news, which left me stunned and stumbling through my indoor to-do list while watching updates on TV.

Anyway, back to today. I wondered if Horton might be a little stiff or sore, because I'm pretty sure he got cast in his stall Friday night. Rick heard banging in the barn in the wee hours and went down to check it out. He didn't find anything amiss then, but the next morning while picking stalls I noticed packed bedding right next to one of Horton's stall walls, vertical scrapes on the upper half of that wall – and boards loosened at the end. And normally neat Horton had wet bedding across the top of his back (although no scrapes or swellings). But he moved out fine and worked normally for me . . . to the left. When I asked for canter to the right, he acted once again like something goosed or bit him, tucking his tail and rump, kicking out with his right hind, and bucking as is to rid himself of something. Once he stumbled badly in the hind end doing this and I thought he was going to fall, but he caught himself. Eventually he worked out of whatever it is that bothered him, but I'd sure like to know what it is!

Back in his stall, I tickled his tummy and got a good back lift. But when I asked him to tuck his rump, he did it while stepping sideways to avoid more of the same. He also pooped once while I was getting him ready today. Filing it all away as part of the puzzle....

Today's haul

Tummy and rump tickles still effective. Because I had limited time, I just got on and rode this morning. Horton was a little sticky trotting left, never getting consistently soft and forward, so I didn't ask for canter. Reinbacks are definitely straighter. And Horton gave me another piece of the puzzle. Actually he gave it to me yesterday as well, but confirmed it today.

Horton is a pooper. I think he has pooped every single time I have worked with him, sometimes two or three times – while I'm grooming or tacking him up, while I'm leading him out to the arena, while I'm working him on the lunge line or under saddle. Yesterday he didn't poop once while I was around. I thought maybe it was a fluke; maybe he had pooped just before I started grooming him. But he didn't poop again today, so this is definitely something the hunter-gatherer in me noted. I think it indicates that he's not stressing as much over – what? anticipated discomfort? At any rate, I think it's positive.

Off to Lincoln City to walk Lance!

Hunter-gatherer

That's what I am; always hunting for clues and gathering information on Horton, trying to figure out what makes him tick/tock/balk. Each bit of data adds to the picture, even if it isn't readily apparent how.

Today's pieces of Horton's puzzle:

1) I tried the "butt tickle" (see yesterday's comments) for the first time since his injections. He tucked his rump, lifted his back – and DIDN'T sashay side to side to avoid a repeat tickle! Tummy tickles were still effective, too.

2) He was very mellow – almost lazy – on the lunge line. He might have worn himself out good yesterday. Or . . . maybe he's sore from using his muscles differently now that he's not falling to the left. Or both.

3) Everything was normal when he was tracking left on the lunge line. But going right at the canter, he repeated a weird little behavior from yesterday. All of a sudden he would clamp his tail and tuck his rump – looking for all the world like someone just goosed him, and he was not at all happy about it! Yesterday he bucked sometimes when this happened; today he just looked on the verge of bucking. I checked his tail both yesterday and today to make sure nothing was caught in it; nada.

4) He continues to carry himself ever straighter on the circle under saddle, and shoulder-in on the circle and down the long side of the arena seemed easier for him than in the past.

5) I contemplated not cantering him to the right under saddle because of #3, but things progressed well and I ended up getting nice canter work both directions. He did pick up the counter canter the first time I asked for the right lead, though – and wasn't inclined to come back to the trot.

6) Oh, and he's backing straighter now, too!

On my feet, not my seat

Twas a horse-filled day, but my riding muscles went unused. I got plenty of exercise, though!

It started with Horton this morning. As usual, I started with lunging to make sure he was both obedient and forward. I don't know if it was the brisk, windy weather, the barn cat racing across the arena, Horton feeling his oats or not feeling his hip, but after a working nicely awhile he spooked, exploded, then raced around on the end of the lunge line.

That wasn't the end of it, either. He stayed on the muscle, occasionally clamping his tail, tucking his butt, then bucking again. I decided that keeping my feet on the ground was the sensible thing to do! At the very end, he did settle down for a cool-out walk.

One interesting development worth noting. After tacking up Horton today, on a whim I tickled his tummy to see what he'd do. Larry would arch his back like a cat when I did this, the most reaction I've ever gotten out of any horse. But Horton has never lifted his back in response to tummy tickles – until today. I checked again after I untacked him, and he responded modestly again. I can't help but wonder if this new responsiveness is a result of the injections....

Next, I headed toward the coast to exercise Lance. I took my saddle and bridle just in case, but when I found myself at his barn all alone, again I decided that staying grounded was the prudent choice. So I put on his leather halter – no stud chain – and spent 40 minutes hand-walking him while working on R.E.S.P.E.C.T. I made it clear that he had to stop when I stopped, walk when I walked, back up when I backed up, and keep his mouth off the lead rope – and me. He's a smart boy, and a quick study.

Finally, we went caroling with a group from our church this evening. One of Rick's clients brought a team of Shires and a wagon to carry most of the carolers and we wound our way through the neighborhood near our church. I left the straw bales for those who needed them and used my legs, voice and camera. It was very enjoyable!