On Target

The back trail heading home to the gate in the riding ring. As seen through Toby's ears!

Acupuncture for a Dressage Horse

Tucker went to visit Dr. Klayman tonight, and sure enough, he was sore. Mind you, he was not lame. We jogged him and lunged him and he looked fine. But, he was sore on his right stifle.

That along with the sacroilliac were my two suspicions. I am guessing that what happened when he was doing the leg yield is that his stifle just gave out, and afterwards it hurt.

The prescription? Well, first he had a course of acupuncture. Then he has tomorrow, Saturday off. And then, it's back to the trotting to get the muscles really strong around the joint. This is 25 minutes of trotting with hills just about every day.

I have dealt with stifle issues before as my Russell R. had chronic problems. There are many other treatment options to use, but Dr. Klayman prefers to take the most natural approach first, which is the acupunture and trot work. If, down the road this crops up as a more chronic problem, then we have a host of options to get the joing stronger.

It's really like my knees in a much less severe condition, so I understand what Tucker felt when it "gave" way on what might just have been a bad step. And I also know it REALLY does hurt.

So, I guess I will be in the saddle a lot just trotting along, like the old days with my Russell R. All too familiar.

In the meantime, I took everyone on the short trail ride today. Tuck walked the whole way. Chance decided to trot for the first few minutes, so I just kind of let him blow off a little steam. I don't know if his attitude is something I am going to have to watch out for as he gets more fit, but he certainly has the potential to be a forward going fellow. This is a good thing as long as it doesn't develop into jogging off all the time instead of walking. He did have a good time and wanted to stay out longer, but I'd gone to get my new contact lenses in the morning, stopped on the way home to get cat food, and with the vet appointment looming, I just didn't have time to indulge him.

I am going to alternate long lining and riding with Chance for a while as it really did seem to make a difference. Today when I got back from the hack, I rode him in the ring for a little while and he was really going well and taking the bit on his own.

Toby, dressed in "trail ride pink" so the hunters will see us.

Toby and I went out for the same short hack and we jumped the log just for fun. Every time I take him over a fence, he impresses me. Had I steered his career towards the hunter/jumper route instead of dressage, he would have been a wonderful competitor. His only flaw is uncertainty about strange jumps, but schooling would have easily cured that. He gives a really athletic feel off the ground and naturally rounds his back. He does have one jumping ribbon in his memory chest, but I had by that time decided to give up the jumping for my own safety. I would have had to deal with his spooks and sudden stops for several months of training, and I just didn't feel up to it.

So now, I just jump once in a while for fun or to put some variety in our schooling. Toby does get a little "enthusiastic" when he jumps but he feels so wonderful, I don't mind.

It will be interesting to see if Chance has any talent in that department. His dad was gorgeous over a fence. Hard to say if it's inherited or not. Chance's gaits don't appear to be as good as his dad's, but as I watch him on the lines, I see more and more potential to be a "nice mover" for dressage. Time will tell. Although he is four years old, I am not totally convinced he has yet fully matured in his body. His mom was a grade mare, and his dad a warmblood, so I have no idea what that means for his development.

Chance posing in "pasture orange." The camera has failed to pick up the true color of that sheet. It is a bright, very orange, orange flourescent.