Lily had a her fifth ride finally. I hadn't really had time to do anything with her for a week or so and you could really tell the first time back at work. I didn't ride her that day as she was clearly not that tuned in. Two days later it was a completely different tune. She was fantastic on the lunge -- really listening and relaxed.
She was slightly less cooperative when I hopped on; she really doesn't want to turn left at all and she didn't want to trot to the left either. She crow hopped a little in protest, but straightened out when I growled at her. We worked a little in the ring then walked out around the farm a little. She's really doing great and we're going to keep taking it slow.
Megan has been kind of tense and flailing about lately so I've really been concentrating on making sure I'm not contributing to the tension. I put out some ground poles and just trotted and cantered around the ring with no contact, then started picking her up a little and asking her to go round and soft. I was actually chanting out loud, "I'm asking but not holding." So clearly I sounded like a moron, but it did help a lot. I stayed soft and asking and she responded beautifully so I cut it short and went out to walk around the farm for the rest of the ride.
She's signed up for her first outing with me in the saddle at the end of the month. Any costumes idea would be really welcomed!
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Wheeee, in which Lily Trots
Lily's fourth ride was so good we tried out second gear and went for a little trotting. It was our first ride outside the covered arena and she was a little star -much more forward. She's so funny. I didn't have time to do anything with her on Saturday after I rode Megan and she was quite put out about it. She came barging out of the gate ready to go for her turn. So, today she got to go first and then she got extra special butt scratching after I was done with both of them.
Megan is coming along super. We ramped up to 45 minutes of walk and trot work today with a little bit of canter. She still can't canter in the arena worth a hoot, but I cantered her outside a little and she felt pretty good on straight lines. Tomorrow I'm going to get some poles and set up some caveletti to really get her working from her hind end. We'll do that once or twice a week and see if we can get her strenghtened behind. We're going to ease into it though. I'm a little sore from the riding we've done this week, so I imagine she is, too.
I'm so tickled with both girls. I love that they both really enjoy being worked with and having a job.
Megan is coming along super. We ramped up to 45 minutes of walk and trot work today with a little bit of canter. She still can't canter in the arena worth a hoot, but I cantered her outside a little and she felt pretty good on straight lines. Tomorrow I'm going to get some poles and set up some caveletti to really get her working from her hind end. We'll do that once or twice a week and see if we can get her strenghtened behind. We're going to ease into it though. I'm a little sore from the riding we've done this week, so I imagine she is, too.
I'm so tickled with both girls. I love that they both really enjoy being worked with and having a job.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
A Year and A Week
I just browsed back through the archives and realized that yesterday marked 1 year and 1 week since Lily joined the family. What's really kind of weird is that I actually rode her for the first time exactly one year after seeing her for the first time. dee do, dee do I had no idea when I decided to climb on her, the significance of the date.
Last night was her 3rd ride and she was once again just super. This time we had Tempo in the ring with us to provide a lead. She followed him around the entire ring and did a couple of little patterns. She felt like she thought about objecting once or twice, but never did. The coolest thing is that she walked right up to the mounting block and stood quietly for me to get on. It took me weeks to get Megan that cooperative and that was after she had been ridden for 2 months by a professional.
I hope she stays this easy!
Last night was her 3rd ride and she was once again just super. This time we had Tempo in the ring with us to provide a lead. She followed him around the entire ring and did a couple of little patterns. She felt like she thought about objecting once or twice, but never did. The coolest thing is that she walked right up to the mounting block and stood quietly for me to get on. It took me weeks to get Megan that cooperative and that was after she had been ridden for 2 months by a professional.
I hope she stays this easy!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Back to Work with Megan
Life with this horse is definitely a roller coaster, but we're riding up again! After a year of muddling with her, we went to see a big dog and finally got some answers that make sense. It was a 7 hour trek up to Lexington, KY and the Beast gave us some drama by dripping (small) puddles of fuel whenever we stopped, but Megan did great.
She should have been happy as she was staying in nicer digs than we were! The Taj Mahal of vet clinics it was. She was taken off Sunday evening for her spa treatments and we went to find our Courtyard Marriott and some food.
Our 9 a.m. appointment came and went as the vet had been delayed with mechanical problems on a flight out London the night before (feel the dollar signs adding up, yet?) We were called in at noon, but had to cool our heels another 45 minutes or so in the lobbying drinking their private labeled water, surfing the net on the complimentary connection, and watching the news on the flat screen tv. Yep, Miss Megan was in high cotton! We watched several horses getting lameness exams and each was lovelier and more athletic than the next. Finally it was our turn.
Megan held her own in the classy company. She comported herself as very much the lady and walked and trotted about while 2 video cameras (ours and theirs) recorded her every move. The vet, who is quite renowned on dealing with Wobblers Syndrome, was SUPER nice. He took all the time in the world with us and listened closely (there's a novel approach) to my descriptions of her behaviors/issues. After hearing me out and observing her, he felt very comfortable taking a conservative approach to her treatment and seeing if fitness and maturity would resovle the issues.
We took some more x-rays of her neck and he went over each of them with me and explained in detail what he was looking for in doing measurements to determine if there was any narrowing of the channel for the spinal cord. He explained that he was looking for factor of less than 50 and did the math on each of her neck vertebra. The narrowest two sites each had a factor of 51. He also went over the myelogram that the other clinic had done with me and showed me the area that had him concerned and explained why and also why the film wasn't conclusive in his mind.
All that said, he DID see neurological deficits during the walking/trotting tests with Megan, but he didn't feel that she presented like a typical Wobbler. Sooooo, the program is to treat her for EPM again and also to put her back into work and push her to develop fitness - Lots of riding out up and down hills and work in heavier footing. Doing this will not hurt her or make her less fixable if it turns out that she can't work out of her weakness. She can always have surgery at a later date if we decide to try to pursue that option. But he really felt like she'd be able to be the event horse that I had hoped she would be. I wanted to hug him, but settled for a handshake!
I also got the green light to breed her if I want. She would need to be suplemented with trace minerals in the last trimester of her pregnancy to help the foal store copper and zinc in its liver that it can then draw on while it is nursing to maintain strong bone development.
So to recap, in the course of year we've gone from put her down, she's going to fall and kill you to she needs a $10,000 surgery to ride her and get on with life with a few ups and downs in between. I think the vets that looked at her initially were very well intentioned, but there is no substitute for the experience of decades of working with and observing horses with a particular malady to have a better grasp of the implications of that malady in terms of degree/severity. It was worth every penny and every mile of the 14 hour round trip drive to gain the benefit of that experience.
When I climbed on Megan last Wednesday after not sitting on her for 2 months, I wished with all my heart that she would be cleared to be rideable. It just felt like coming home to sit on her; she suits me to a T. My wish came true; we're back on track and now I have TWO lovely girls to ride. I'm still pinching myself a bit after all the gloom and doom...
She should have been happy as she was staying in nicer digs than we were! The Taj Mahal of vet clinics it was. She was taken off Sunday evening for her spa treatments and we went to find our Courtyard Marriott and some food.
Our 9 a.m. appointment came and went as the vet had been delayed with mechanical problems on a flight out London the night before (feel the dollar signs adding up, yet?) We were called in at noon, but had to cool our heels another 45 minutes or so in the lobbying drinking their private labeled water, surfing the net on the complimentary connection, and watching the news on the flat screen tv. Yep, Miss Megan was in high cotton! We watched several horses getting lameness exams and each was lovelier and more athletic than the next. Finally it was our turn.
Megan held her own in the classy company. She comported herself as very much the lady and walked and trotted about while 2 video cameras (ours and theirs) recorded her every move. The vet, who is quite renowned on dealing with Wobblers Syndrome, was SUPER nice. He took all the time in the world with us and listened closely (there's a novel approach) to my descriptions of her behaviors/issues. After hearing me out and observing her, he felt very comfortable taking a conservative approach to her treatment and seeing if fitness and maturity would resovle the issues.
We took some more x-rays of her neck and he went over each of them with me and explained in detail what he was looking for in doing measurements to determine if there was any narrowing of the channel for the spinal cord. He explained that he was looking for factor of less than 50 and did the math on each of her neck vertebra. The narrowest two sites each had a factor of 51. He also went over the myelogram that the other clinic had done with me and showed me the area that had him concerned and explained why and also why the film wasn't conclusive in his mind.
All that said, he DID see neurological deficits during the walking/trotting tests with Megan, but he didn't feel that she presented like a typical Wobbler. Sooooo, the program is to treat her for EPM again and also to put her back into work and push her to develop fitness - Lots of riding out up and down hills and work in heavier footing. Doing this will not hurt her or make her less fixable if it turns out that she can't work out of her weakness. She can always have surgery at a later date if we decide to try to pursue that option. But he really felt like she'd be able to be the event horse that I had hoped she would be. I wanted to hug him, but settled for a handshake!
I also got the green light to breed her if I want. She would need to be suplemented with trace minerals in the last trimester of her pregnancy to help the foal store copper and zinc in its liver that it can then draw on while it is nursing to maintain strong bone development.
So to recap, in the course of year we've gone from put her down, she's going to fall and kill you to she needs a $10,000 surgery to ride her and get on with life with a few ups and downs in between. I think the vets that looked at her initially were very well intentioned, but there is no substitute for the experience of decades of working with and observing horses with a particular malady to have a better grasp of the implications of that malady in terms of degree/severity. It was worth every penny and every mile of the 14 hour round trip drive to gain the benefit of that experience.
When I climbed on Megan last Wednesday after not sitting on her for 2 months, I wished with all my heart that she would be cleared to be rideable. It just felt like coming home to sit on her; she suits me to a T. My wish came true; we're back on track and now I have TWO lovely girls to ride. I'm still pinching myself a bit after all the gloom and doom...
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Lily's Second Ride
Lily's quiet acceptance of being ridden was no fluke. After a couple of days off to think about things, she was ready to go again. I hopped right on and with a Zita there to provide some encouragement to move forward, we were off. She was much less sticky about going forward and we didn't have a single inkling of any resistance.
When I get back from Kentucky we'll get Tempo, her buddy horse that we were leading her off of, into the ring with her and she'll learn to go more forward from following him. She's being a great pupil!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Lily's First Ride
Miss Lily has progressed in leaps and bounds for the last month. From ponying to lunging with side reins, she's taken it all in stride... with the exception of continuing to view the deck/observation area next to the arena as where the devil lives. For the last few days, I've been standing in the left stirrup and letting her get used to the feel of weight. She certainly didn't seem to care, so tonight I eased on over and sat up... to which she said, so what?
Getting her to actually move was a little trickier, but she finally started walking freely forward and thinking over the new experience. Lots of pats and praise and cookies -- the baby girl is officially on her way to being a sport horse.
I also rode Megan for the second day in a row. She had the last 8 weeks or so off. She was so unsteady and unhappy after her myelogram that I couldn't ride her and then I just got busy with Lily, but with her Rood & Riddle appointment coming up next week, I wanted to see how she was. She's such a good girl -- despite not having the saddle on for 2 months, she was quiet and happy as could be to have a job again. She feels a little wallowing, but she also has put on at least a hundred pounds during her "vacation" so it could just be that she's so out of shape. We'll know more next week finally.
Meanwhile, YAY Lily!
Getting her to actually move was a little trickier, but she finally started walking freely forward and thinking over the new experience. Lots of pats and praise and cookies -- the baby girl is officially on her way to being a sport horse.
I also rode Megan for the second day in a row. She had the last 8 weeks or so off. She was so unsteady and unhappy after her myelogram that I couldn't ride her and then I just got busy with Lily, but with her Rood & Riddle appointment coming up next week, I wanted to see how she was. She's such a good girl -- despite not having the saddle on for 2 months, she was quiet and happy as could be to have a job again. She feels a little wallowing, but she also has put on at least a hundred pounds during her "vacation" so it could just be that she's so out of shape. We'll know more next week finally.
Meanwhile, YAY Lily!
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Lily Up to Bat
With Megan on the disabled list, Lily is getting a crash course in big horse life. Last Thursday we stuffed her on the trailer (with the aid of 2ccs of ace and about 2 hours of convincing) and transported her to the barn where Megan is.
In the course of 72 hours, she learned about coming in and out of a stall, standing on cross ties, bathing and grooming on a wash rack, ground driving, the indoor arena and saddling. She's truly getting the whirlwind course and she's lapping it up! I would bet that I'll be on her in another week. If she gets overwhelmed of course I'll slow down, but for now she's simply eating up the attention and everything I'm asking of her is no big deal. I swear she looked at me yesterday and said just get on already.
Thankfully both of my saddles fit her. I had to have the new jumping saddle reflocked (stuffed with wool) slightly but the saddle fitter thought they would both work for her which is so funny since she and Megan look so different. I'm just relieved I don't have to worry about saddle shopping.
The other big revelation besides just how wonderful her mind is, is how darn BIG she is. I just didn't think she was very big. She's still skinny and lanky and in the field she seemed small. Well, from the perspective of 2 feet behind her honking huge butt when I'm ground driving her, sister is NOT petite. Once we get some more meat and muscle on her, she is going to be even lovelier -- all but a bonus since I'm most in love with her willing generous nature.
Megan is also happy to have her back and they are loving being turn out buddies. They are obnoxiously attached to one another, but not so much that Lily doesn't focus on me when I'm doing something with her, so I'm not bothered by it.
In the course of 72 hours, she learned about coming in and out of a stall, standing on cross ties, bathing and grooming on a wash rack, ground driving, the indoor arena and saddling. She's truly getting the whirlwind course and she's lapping it up! I would bet that I'll be on her in another week. If she gets overwhelmed of course I'll slow down, but for now she's simply eating up the attention and everything I'm asking of her is no big deal. I swear she looked at me yesterday and said just get on already.
Thankfully both of my saddles fit her. I had to have the new jumping saddle reflocked (stuffed with wool) slightly but the saddle fitter thought they would both work for her which is so funny since she and Megan look so different. I'm just relieved I don't have to worry about saddle shopping.
The other big revelation besides just how wonderful her mind is, is how darn BIG she is. I just didn't think she was very big. She's still skinny and lanky and in the field she seemed small. Well, from the perspective of 2 feet behind her honking huge butt when I'm ground driving her, sister is NOT petite. Once we get some more meat and muscle on her, she is going to be even lovelier -- all but a bonus since I'm most in love with her willing generous nature.
Megan is also happy to have her back and they are loving being turn out buddies. They are obnoxiously attached to one another, but not so much that Lily doesn't focus on me when I'm doing something with her, so I'm not bothered by it.
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