August 4th Until Now - the 6th Month Mark

And so, it's been a while. I haven't been able to find the time to get on here and get to writing. Things have been hectic, but grad school is over for good! To sum life up, I was traveling a lot for work. We got a new kitchen which took up a lot of time, and we hit Canada to ski this winter. Things are busy, but good.

Mr. Miserable  wet from the rain

On the Denali front, things are good! He's calm, he's collected, and he's getting better! He's more relaxed and comfortable in my ability knowing I am not going to hurt him. We haven't had many UP episodes, but we've been taking things easy and slow so I have not pushed too hard. Dom was extremely helpful in getting us there and letting me know what I can do to get him desensitized to the small stuff he was fretting! We've been working on getting comfortable with things moving quickly around his face especially and being able to rub his body with things that were once causing him to flinch. The last flinch was with my helmet bag. He didn't like the sound so we worked until he was OK with it and he let me touch his body with it. We'll get there with most things. I just need to be patient.

Hunter pace

Shortly after getting him, we trailered to a local show and schooled in the ring with another horse. He threw his temper tantrum near the gate and was a slick, wet, sweaty mess from being worked up, but we were still getting to know each other. We did a hunter pace and he was pretty good, but he was FORWARD. He just wanted to go, but we were pretty comfortable and even cantered a bit on an open road. It was comfortable, and he wasn't taking off. He was tossing his head a bunch, but he calmed down with work. I was still unsure of what to think of him or what the future might bring. He's wasn't always fun.

We also went on a trail ride where I took him on the trailer solo with a group of random people that I met on a local trail riding group. He was so calm and collected! We mostly walked, but the trot was good! He did get a little fussy and started to fling his head, but it wasn't like the hunter pace. We all took turns being in the front and the back of the group, and he was good with being anywhere. He wasn't as forward as he was at the hunter pace (at the same park and some of the same trails), and he even went in water a little bit following the other horses! It was a great day for a ride, and it got my spirits up about him.

Solo trail ride - Thanksgiving morning

We rode over to the barn next door with a group of boarders, and he drifted towards the gate a bit, but he listened. He is understanding his leads a bit better, and he is a lot less upset when I don't give him the right signals. He did so well that we continued to ride with the group over at the barn where he's boarded, but when he had enough, he started to have some fits again (yes, going UP!). It wasn't' too bad, and we rode until he was through it. After that, I decided maybe it was ring work. Before going out to the ring on other rides,we just hit the trails. After his rides, we've gone on trails, too. He's good by himself and he seems more excited to be in the woods. Again, I feel like we're getting there! :)

Group trail ride

All in all, he's proving that he can calm down and act up a lot less. He's not very spooky, and he tolerates my mixed signals at times. He's getting better with me in the round pen and more confident when I go see him. I'm making an effort to get to the barn when I don't even ride, but I'll just go out and brush him and bring him treats in the field or bring him in for treats and brushing and put him back out. He's more worked up when I first bring him in, but after a ride or some work in the round pen, he relaxes and enjoyed being brushed. He is letting me brush his face more and brings his head down so that I can bridle him and massage his temples (which he loves). For just 6 months time, he's come a long way and I know we have an exciting and fun adventure in store for us with more persistence.

His still sign - birthday gift from sisters

Riding in the open field

Saturday Ride

Sunny, hot, and humid! Of course because I was going to ride, it'd be one of the hottest days of summer. It was close to 80 when I got on at 9:30 and it got hotter from there. Thank goodness for the woods, creek, and little bit of breeze! When I woke up, I knew I better put the water down if I was going to make it so I drank a half gallon before I set out. When I got to the farm, the guy's horse I was going to be riding with was a bit puffy and had a little bit of heat. He trotted him out on the lead, and he was a bit off. The nice part about having 3 horses and 2 riders is that he could take his other horse. The problem with that is he was planning to take his horse to a ride down in Fair Hill in 2 weeks. He'll have to take one of the others if he still wants to go, but what a bummer. I know all about swollen legs, ugh.

I still got to ride the horse I did last time, the cute and fun arab gelding. Instead of doing the 16 miles, we took an easier ride because horse #3 hasn't been conditioned and has been hanging out. Both horses were great, and we rode for about 2.5 hours, w/t/c over a bridge and into a creek which was fun. Horse #3 is super playful so his tack got taken off so he could play in the water. He was SOOOO funny splashing the whole ride out there in every puddle and even layed down in the creek to get extra wet. Taking the tack off was a smart idea. The horse I rode just stood in there to cool off with his tack on and used #3 as a scratching post while he got a break...

...and he needed one to clear his head. He's got plenty of endurance miles on him and he knows his job. He also knows that when another horse goes, he wants to go. Horse #3 was cantering quickly and the horse I rode tripped, caught himself, then tried to catch up. He's a lot like Spyder in that you know he's thinking about being bad. He doesn't hide it well. He cocked his head to the side and flicked his head then went. I sat back, enjoyed the ride, and then he calmed down. He couldn't have done it just once so he did it again, but I knew to expect it this time around. His water break was a good one! Good horse, clear your head.

The ride back he was a lot better in terms of the excitement (it wore off) and horse #3 wanted to catch a break in the back. I went forward and had the horse taking looks at everything. He doesn't spook, but he's a lot more cautious and still just as fun. He was better in the deep puddles on the way back, and was much better this time around getting hosed off. I felt a lot more confident in the saddle I had ridden in before and it was a lot more fun for that reason. Yay for riding!!! I'm not as sore as I thought I would be, and that is a great thing!

I am taking a lesson on Friday, and I may be riding up north to take another spin on a different arab. If I like him, the owner that I met at another ride ( through FB, but we talk all the time since we met at her first ride last year) is going to trailer him to the Chesapeake (the ride at Fair Hill) and we'll probably do the CDR together for fun and seeing if they can make it (or if we can which is probably more likely). They have a 30 mile endurance ride, but we're both not up for that challenge having not been able to ride much so we'll shoot for the 15 - to finish is all that is important if it happens. I know we'll have a blast if we go, and we need to decide very soon since it's so close!

As for Spyder, he's still being himself. His leg is still looking great as far as swelling goes, and most of the fluid is gone. He's got a bit behind the pastern still, and his hair is coming back in. October 8th will be exciting and is making me anxious to see how the healing is going.

Recovery - Less than 2 Weeks

Back at the barn, stall rest lasted 2.5 days. Yes, you read it right two and one half days! Spyder was just plain miserable being confined to a stall even with other horses on reverse turnout in with him. He was pacing, ramming into his gate, using the walls to try to rub off his leg wraps, chewing wood, licking metal, and rearing when people would go by to say, "hey, get me out of here!" Day 2, I saw that his door was closed instead of the gate allowing him to reach out, and those are the reasons why. Oh, and he would go down/lay down/roll after rearing to get attention. So now what? This jail sentence was going to causes Spyder to get more hurt, colic, and potentially go crazy (more than he already was).


The first day of hand walking went just fine, but he could not stand still on the cross ties to get wrapped. He couldn't stand in his stall to get wrapped, even with hay. He decided not to eat hay and instead, just pace in his stall until someone did something making a mess of his hay. He was becoming a danger to himself and others that have to deal with him. Day 2 of hand walking, he decided to rear in the barn while on the lead. Well, that was a first! I decided to pretend like it didn't happen after punishment with the chain (yes, I resorted to the chain) so I wouldn't get myself worked up or scared that he'd do it again. It was day 2.5 (my lunch break) that I decided this was it. He wouldn't stop acting up, and it was time to put him out.

He hates me. Haha

He went out to the round pen, and don't you know, there were ponies in for weekly board while the owner was on vacation. They were all worked up and galloping in the field which got Spyder going. Rearing, squealing, trotting, tail up, fire breathing, STOP! He was going to hurt himself even more, but I thought maybe he just needed to get that out of his system. Since then, things have been a lot better. There haven't been stories of "your horse did this bad thing... or that..." I'm glad I haven't been hearing anything because I couldn't watch him let loose in the round pen or drive himself up a wall, literally. Sure, stall rest and hand walking are important, but his sanity, health, and safety of others is more important. I'll sacrifice a few extra months of board payments while not riding if he will keep his cool.

Back to the vet thing. The local vet seems to think something is missed. What if his shoulder is really hurt? What if I didn't ask enough questions or have them look into things more? Could it just be the check ligament?  What if he doesn't heal? What happens if I can't ride him? I'm trying to take things day by day, and the next ultrasound can't come soon enough. I want to see progress because I don't want to think about the worst. I feel awful, terrible. I haven't been dealing with this well, and I regret not doing right by him. But did I? I didn't know any better because I didn't have a diagnosis, and he wasn't always inflamed. I feel guilty, I feel sorry for myself (and Spyder, of course), and I feel scared. I did send everything over to another vet to take a look, but I haven't heard back from them. The local vet hasn't told me what to do otherwise, and I haven't heard from her since the questioning (which is 2 weeks today). I'm assuming no phone call was put in, and I'll continue down the path of rest and slowly work up exercise as I've been told.

In the mean time, I need to find saddle time. I have thought of lessons again just to keep moving and keep in the spirit since I'm out at the farm every day as it is. I did have the chance to do a trail ride on an Arabian with endurance experience, and that was a blast! If anyone has ideas/suggestions for staying in shape that doesn't involve riding (since the opportunities seem limited), let me know!

Rabbit Run!

This was nothing on the way in

And so it didn't work out, but volunteering was so wonderful! I got up early on Saturday and put on my snow pants, yes, snow pants! It was on the chilly side, and I didn't have anything else to wear for pants that were waterproof. I had a wind breaker which did nothing for warmth, but it was going to get to 55. 55 degrees with rain wasn't very warm, and it was SO nice that the NJTRA group had lunch and SOUP! Soups galore and COFFEE and tea! Wow, what a treat! I had no idea that they did all of that for the riders. The drive up to the place was sketchy with the cranberry bogs, mud, and rain, and it was AWFUL coming out after the long day of constant rain that never let up. I was sliding all over the place with the real wheel drive truck - not fun!

I worked as a timer for the pulse down area. Everyone that was there to check pulses was super nice, and they all had a lot of great advice for me. I was happy that I wasn't riding in the bad weather, but I was also disappointed because it makes me want to do this SO BAD! It is a beautiful area to ride in, and a few of the volunteers want to ride with me. The vet gave me some great input on what she was looking for so I could plan ahead in any future rides. I can't wait to participate in my first ride, my horse or not. I have a feeling I'll like it and be exploring all new gear so the weather won't be an issue on the tack.

I didn't ride Sunday because of more rain, and I felt so bad for the Bunny Hop riders.Since it rained all day Saturday and trailers were in and out on the muddy road, I can only imagine what their day was like. I did get to the farm on April fool's day after work which hasn't happened in a while. It was a short ride, and I was in a bad mood. Spyder was a grump, and I ended being happy after the ride because we worked through a buck and him being a jerk until he was calm and would stop and stand still when I asked (especially by the gate headed back). As soon as he was listening, I decided to end it before I went back to having an even worse day. When I got to farm, the tack area was cleaned out from the other person's stuff. The woman I trail rode with a few times left so now I have a 3 stall area, tack room, and cross ties all to myself!

Mine, all mine!

On Thursday, April 3, the trainer at the farm sent me a text about a last minute lesson. She was on the track with a Tennessee walker that she rides for the owner and was available for a lesson if I wanted. I didn't plan it, but it's just been awful as far as motivation goes for riding so I committed. Spyder bucked because I handed it to him for not listening whatsoever so we worked on that. I had to turn him with an open rein every time he did something bad. It was a lot of putting his head down to get leverage, putting his head up to evade the bit, or trying to figure out a way he could kick or get his head back.

His signature move is cantering when he's angry because he thinks he's not allowed from on the track. It's hilarious that it's his defense, but we pushed and just kept going with it. Within a very short (but felt like FOREVER) five minutes or so, he was back to listening (soft of). In ten minutes or so he was responding to my leg and cooperating better. We stuck to w/t and canter when he felt like it until we got back to listening. I wish I packed my crop because my legs were on fire. Next ride, take the crop! I knew that I had to get out to the barn and work him on the weekend because he has some serious "I don't want to do what you say" issues so I made some time both days (next post).

The Perfect Trail Ride

I've been a blogging slacker - training for that ride was getting me moving (but now we're out... more to come).

Back to the trail ride... OK, maybe it wasn't so perfect as I had a near death experience (sort of), but it was SO much fun! It was a hot day, and we decided to go to Batsto which is a part of Wharton State Forest. I'd always seen trailers parked there, but I haven't been able to get out with a horse. There are SO many trails and great mile markers along the way so you know how far you've gone. There are also a lot of spots where you can go in the water, and Spyder was playing in it splashing like it was the most fun experience.

 

We went just over 10 miles with walk, trot, water, and CANTER! Yes, cantering straight...Cantering straight for a while and on my horse's neck... OOPS! We were fine with little spooking (even in water and past a truck with a canoe). It wasn't until the way back when we decided to pick up a crazy canter because Spyder decided he just had to keep up and put his head down to "sniff" the deeper/whiter sand when we got up to it. When he put his head down, he pulled me forward, and we were full speed ahead. He kept going and going and going, and I decided to make a noise so the rider in front of my would hear to slow down so I could get myself back together. We caught up, and I managed to somehow push myself back up off of his neck and keep riding like nothing ever happened. IT WAS SO FUN! Spyder can canter, but he'll act like he can't in the ring.

Towards the end of the ride, and during a cantering frenzy, we caught up to a man on a horse. It was actually a cowboy on a horse that claimed he knew we must have been english riders when he saw the mounting block/stepping stool back at the truck. The cowboy was riding a beautiful chestnut quarter horse and gave us tips on where to go in the next couple trips. He had his 3 dogs with him which Spyder was not fond of. There were 2 cattle dogs and some type of retriever that follow the man's horse and play and explore along the way. Spyder was getting followed by the two cattle dogs when one decided to nip at his feet. He was looking and putting his ears back the whole time we were walking, but he decided to let out a loud squeal and kick out at the dog. The one that kept to the back of us was the older one which was 14. The cowboy assured me that if Spyder kicked the dog, it would just go in the woods and die. WOW... that made me feel better. I just kept Spyder in check and gave him things to do to keep his mind off of them, and I'm not sure it's a good idea to get dogs too close to his hind end. He's got a quirk I didn't know about.

Cowboy dude

The nipper