For Romantic Horse Lovers

Here's Your Book!

The Loving Cup has been published and is available at Amazon for Kindle.  Other formats will be available soon at Smashwords.  And the paperback will follow.

Cristine Wilding’s finds her heart captured by the magnificent horses of Tarrywood and the two handsome Weston brothers who ride them--Steve, lighthearted and smiling, and Jim, brooding and haunted by the death of his wife.  But love doesn’t come easily to anyone in a world tangled in the mystery of Ellen Weston’s death.

Cristine’s determination to discover the truth takes her into the world of horse shows where magnificent jumpers clear huge fences in quest of glory.  But all is not as it seems when the quest for victory has a dangerous price. 

Ride along on the course to romance as Cristine solves the riddle of The Loving Cup. 

So What's Up, Toby?

Strange Behavior

Toby, my old guy, has been acting strangely the last few days.  When the weather has been nice, the Boys have all been grazing out in the pasture.

Now, I do not have lush grass by any means, but with the rain we've had these last few weeks, there is definitely grass growing out there. Still, it certainly isn't enough for a horse to survive on for too long.

At any rate, several times now, when I have gone out to feed, particularly in the morning, the two younger horses, Tucker and Chance, have come in when I've called, but Toby has not.  I have gone out to give him a special invitation and he has just kind of meandered in.

I say "meandered" for a couple reasons. In the first place, he's walked very slowing with a little bit of a "strange" gait. Not lame, but just not normal. This morning he kind of wandered into the weeds near the gate before finally making his way to the barn. Once he's in, he eats just fine.

Of course, since he is a Cushing's horse, I do worry about laminitis and it could be he is having a mild bout. The grass may be a trigger. I do feel a pulse in his front feet, but not a lot of heat and he isn't pointing his feet or acting as if he doesn't want to stand on them.

I called the vet today and she will be out on Wednesday. In the meantime, I am keeping him in his stall--well bedded--and I've given him a dose of bute. I will give him more tomorrow and see how he is.

Since his walking gait was a bit cautious, it could be that his front feet hurt, but he doesn't seem to have an issue with going out to pasture, just coming back in. It's almost as if he doesn't care.

Strange, and not like him because he is normally very herd bound and would not want to stay out when the other two horses come in.  Even now, when he is in his stall, if the other Boys wander too far from the barn, he nickers to them.

If any laminitis exam shows nothing, I will have Dr. Parisio draw blood for a Lyme test. Otherwise, I just don't know.

Might need a call to the animal communicator if it keeps up.

Good Karma

A Nice Payback

My local saddle shop, Rick's, holds an annual tent sale. There are all kinds of bargains for sale and one of the highlights is a drawing for some kind of big prize.

In the past, it has been a $1000 shopping spree. When you enter the store, you receive one ticket for the drawing. Then, for every $50 you spend, you earn another ticket for the drawing. You must be there for the drawing to win.  I have been going to these events every year since Rick started them and it's more than twenty years.

This year, the rules are a little different. There were three drawings. The first was for a complete show outfit:  Charles Owen helmet, Tredstep boots, Ariat breeches, an Essex shirt, gloves, and a show coat. That drawing was at noon today. A young girl won the prize--perfect.

I went to the store for the later, 3PM drawing for one of the two $500 Wintec/Weatherbeeta drawings.

I did my shopping, found some neat stuff for Christmas presents, fly spray on sale, and a pair of Ariat winter paddock boots at a substantial discount. Paid for my stuff, and started out to put in in the truck, when I suddenly realized the amount I had been charged and what I had estimated I was going to pay disagreed by quite a bit of money. I looked at my receipt and saw that the cashier had failed to ring up my boots. $90 was a lot of money. So, I went back to the register to let them know about the error.

Well, they were really surprised. "I guess you are one of the honest people we keep hearing about,' They said. I told them I certainly didn't think it was right not to fix the mistake, and then I joked that maybe I should get a few extra tickets for the drawing. The store manager told them to give me a bunch of tickets.

So, I got maybe ten extra tickets. "Karma," the manager said. "You know you are going to win the drawing because of what you did." I just laughed. I'd been trying to win for twenty years and certainly didn't expect anything today.

Well the 3 PM drawing started. They pulled one number and the person who had the ticket was not there. So they pulled a second number and the person was not there. Then they pulled a third number.

In the string of ten tickets I'd "earned" for paying for my paddock boots was the winning number!

I could hardly believe it.

I had my picture taken with the Weatherbeeta representative and one of those huge checks.

Now I have $500 dollars to spend on Weatherbeeta or Wintec prodects one a one day shopping spree at the store before July 20.  Turns out I can order stuff that may not be in stock.

I'm a bit torn about what to get. Obviously, my Boys, Tucker in particular, have really bad track records with sheets and blankets, so I'm pretty sure that's where the money will go. Can't quite decide on whether some nice turnout sheets would be good, or a winter blanket--maybe two--or another flysheet.

My good friend Stacie was there and had her eye on a fly sheet for her mare and I would be quite pleased to get it for her. I just ordered two fly sheets off the Internet, so my Boys may be good to go for the season. Still, it's always handy around here to have a surplus.  There is also a nice 1200D waterproof turnout sheet and durable winter blankets aren't a bad idea. Fly masks? Saddle pad?

It's kind of strange to have all this money to spend and no idea what to spend it  on.

Karma. Honesty is the best policy, and this time, I was rewarded.

Triple Crown at Last

When A Picture Says It All

Victor Espinoza visited American Pharoah after the Belmont Stakes. I think the picture speaks for itself.  This was posted on his Facebook page. 

I love this picture. 

I have been privileged to see four Triple Crown horses on TV:  Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Affirmed, and now American Pharoah.   Every one of them was amazing.

I am not a big racing fan, but these three races always capture me. I did not watch the Belmont live and tuned in just as the race was called at the end. The last 12 disappointments made me both superstitious and too emotional so I just don't watch any more. (Well, now that we have a Triple Crown Champion again, I may watch.)

My fear is always that a horse will be hurt and indeed, at Belmont earlier in the day a horse was put down due to a broken leg. Such tragedies are far too common in racing where the stresses on horses' legs is incredible. Until you have stood at the rail at a track and watched horses break from the gate, or run for the wire, you cannot even begin to appreciate how hard they run.

One of my friends noted that American Pharoah had no bandages. He does have a special shoe on his left front, but other than that no extra protective gear. If his legs are clean that is a sign to me he's a superior athlete, built for his job. Certainly watching his gallop in slow motion shoes tremendous talent.

He did not break Secretariat's records in any of the three races, but he certainly dominated the other horses of his generation. A look at his pedigree shows some famous sires in his bloodline, including Secretariat, Northern Dancer, and  Bold Ruler.  Pedigree American Pharoah

Both my Thoroughbreds have some of the same ancestors, Bold Ruler in particular. Neither of them ever raced, so no Triple Crowns.

I still give them kisses anyhow.

Shoes Make the Difference

And Chance Tells All

Scott came on Saturday to shoe Chance with a new angle and pads.

Dr. Parisio had sent him Chance's X-rays for reference and they had talked about shoeing options.

Well it took a long time for Scott to fashion the shoes and pads for the boy. He shortened Chance's toes and wedged him up.  The shoe is a full bar with a really rolled toe.

During the shoeing, Chance was patient and well behaved. He had a little trouble standing on his right hind for his back hoof trim, but he really tried to cooperate.

He was on bute, as I said in my last post, and that may have helped if that right front was indeed in pain. Still, I have to admire his attitude about it all. He is such a good, patient boy.

Well, after he was shod, he looked a whole lot sounder. Still, he was on bute, so we could not judge more than that.

Well, this morning I let him out of his stall to walk around the barn aisle and he looked absolutely fine.  He'd had no bute since Saturday morning.

I took him outside for just a minute or two to see how he was walking and to do just a few strides of trot.

It got a bit scary for a minute when he leaped up to buck. Normally, I wouldn't worry too much but it had rained in the night and the ground was slippery. Fortunately, he settled down and trotted a few strides as I asked--sound.

Amazing, considering how lame he had been last week.

Still, we don't want to take any risks. Dr. Parisio wants me to keep him on bute for ten days--5 days of 2 grams, then 5 days of one gram. This will help settle any inflammation he may have in his soft tissues. Then, another couple weeks of either stall rest or restricted turn out.

I will probably just close in the run-in shed for those two weeks. Toby and Tucker will not be too happy as they really do hang out there, but they will have to sacrifice.  Then we can try regular turn out to see how things go.

Without a very expensive MRI, which I really cannot afford, we can't be 100% sure of what's going on, but at this point, we can only try things out to see how it goes.

All I know right now it that Chance is feeling good on his feet. I know he's not happy being stall bound, but I will be able to take him out to graze every day and I am trying to give him hay to munch on.

I might try one of those slow feeder hay bags if I can find one locally. Other than that, it's just wait and see.

Chance Limps In

And the Vet Comes Again

Chance was a little lame early on in the week and it just got worse as the days went by.

Obviously, my first instinct was that he might have a hoof abscess. It was just because of the lameness's progression and the way he was limping.

Now, a bit of a digression here. When my vet was out to do spring shots last week, she noticed he was a "little" off. With Chance at this point, something like that was insignificant. If you have followed his story, you know: he had Lyme disease last year, he is being shod as a navicular horse due to X-rays from last summer that showed some very slight navicular changes in his left front, he had an injection of Osphos, which is the new navicular drug, he was sound in early spring on the front, but slightly off in the rear, the rear leg X-rays showed OCD in his stifle, and as a result of all this, he is now considered a trail horse only with minimal arena work on the horizon.

So this week, I watched him carefully and sure enough, he limped on his right front more and more as the week went on.

My first option was to call my farrier. Scott Previte is a master and he came out yesterday morning to pull Chance's shoe and pads. (Complicated wedge pads and eggbar shoe) He checked Chance over carefully with the hoof testers and found nothing. But the lameness was far more severe with the shoe off. So Scott taped the pads on and wrapped the hoof in Vetrap and duct tape--the horseman's indespensible tools-- and said I'd better get the vet out.

Dr. Parisio came today. She didn't even have Chance trot because the lameness was so obvious at the walk. She felt a very, very slight pulse, but again, hoof testers showed nothing.

So the next step was a nerve block of the foot. We had to put the chain on Chance's gums to settle him down, but he finally stood for the injections. Sure enough, once the block took hold  he was very much sounder. So that isolated the lameness to his foot.

Dr, Parisio preparing Chance for the X-ray, Tara holding him. 

X-rays were next on the agenda.  He was a pretty good boy for them.

But there was still nothing definitive. No sign of a shadow that might have been an abscess, and no real bony changes. There is a little roughening on the navicular and the slightest hint of a developing ringbone, but nothing radical enough to account for serious lameness.

I called Scott while Dr. Parisio was there and they had a long conversation discussing everything including some possible shoeing changes to make.

Picture of computer with digital X-ray of the hoof. 

So, tomorrow, Scott should be here and he will put the shoe back on. In the meantime, I am giving Chance bute to see if that has any effect. Again, if there is an occult abscess brewing, the bute will have no impact. If he is sounder on the bute, that means there may be some soft tissue pain...ligament or tendon....or something else. It's a matter of wait and see at this point.

(I was going to take more pictures, but the flash went off and startled Chance so I opted out.)

Coming Soon: Romance!

The Loving Cup

Some time ago I wrote a romance novel. I sent it out a few times and it was picked up by an agent who was willing to represent me. All well and good. We did a bit of work together, but then the agent closed her business.

Since then, the novel has been sitting on the shelf, well actually, on a computer diskette. I found it a month or so ago, and in-between my fantasy writing, I have started to prepare the romance for publication.

The story is full of horses, handsome heroes, a beautiful heroine, and mystery.

So far, it is formatted and ready for my editing friend to read whenever he can wrap his head around struggling through a horse infused romantic tale. (I tell you, Dave is a trooper for putting up with this kind of stuff.) Meanwhile, however, he did manage to design a cover for me.

So in its public debut, the cover for The Loving Cup.

Summer Visitor

Turkey Lurkey

I seem, as Grey Horse Matters has, to have been adopted by a wild turkey.

For several days now, a turkey has been lurking in my yard, most noticeably under the bird feeder.  He/she seems to have taken up residence somewhere nearby.  This morning when I went out he did not run away in panic when I greeted him. (Hard to tell if it's a Tom, but I thought I saw him displaying himself the other day and I don't think the females do that.)

Anyhow, for now, it is just "Turkturk" and as long as we both keep a respectful distance from each other, I'm fine with that.

I did snap a few pictures from afar.

Fence repair courtesy of baling twine, for now.

Tucker looks a bit skeptical.

This is the first time in a couple years that I've had visiting fowl. 

The last time it was a little flock of one Tom and several females. I don't know if wild turkerys are generally loners or if this is just a short stay.

Either way, I will keep my eye on him so he doesn't get too territorial and decide it's his yard and not mine. 

New Novel Published

White Wind Published

The fifth book in The Saga of Magiskeep , White Wind has been published.  It will be for sale at Amazon in Kindle and paperback shortly, and at Smashwords in ePub formats.

“The White Wind blows on the wings of the Dragon seeking its rider in tapestries of snow. “

Grandisite, hold of the Seers, mortal enemies to Magis, demands Jamus’ allegiance as he struggles to maintain his sanity in a world gone dark.

Haunted by the specter of a demanding White Woman, Jamus is thrown into the world of the White River, a world alien to Sorcery as he knows it. There he must learn to fly the White Dragon and face his own disbelief, conquering the secrets of a world ready to deny his Magick and blind him to the world he loves.

His destiny in Turan’s Way forces him to confront his dreams, solve the riddles of the tapestries and gain one more victory on his quest to become the true Rivermaster.

The Saga continues. 

Straight from the Hip

Well, Here's the Story

As regular readers know, I took a fall from Tucker last year and ended up with a broken hip bone. Fortunately I healed well but the metal hardware installed to stabilize my bone is causing some chronic and often hard to bear pain.

My orthopedic doctor decided I needed to have the pin that anchored the rod in my broken bone removed as it was the source of the discomfort. He, however, has retired from doing surgery so he referred me to one of the younger doctors in the practice.

I met with Doctor #2 yesterday.  He thinks he should remove both the pin and the rod.

He had no surgical openings until into June. That posed a problem for me. I have already paid for my yearly membership at my local swimming complex and I really do want to spend most summer days getting some swimming exercise in both for my weight and for my knees. It's the best way for me to exercise.

So, we decided I would hold off on surgery until September. It really was up to me as to whether or not I wanted to wait.

The plus is that I will be in really good physical shape for surgery at that point with all the swimming. The downside is spending the summer coping with a very aggravating sore and sometimes painful thigh muscle.

I asked about any other temporary options and my doctor suggested an injection of cortisone. I agreed and he gave me one--right into the really sore spot of my muscle. It did hurt, but I survived. Now I have to wait a few days to see if it does anything. Apparently it takes a few days to take effect. But, there is no guarantee it will help. Sometimes it works really well, and sometimes not.

So, I wait.

As for the surgery, it is usually an outpatient procedure with no hospital stay unless there are unforeseen complications. One never knows with a surgery. Getting out of the hospital on the same day to go home would be great. It does solve a lot of pre-planning complications.

I will still hire my horsesitter if she is available. Taking care of the Boys for a few weeks will likely be a bit too much for me. Not only will the new surgery site have to heal, but the hip bone itself will be a bit weaker than it is now with the rod in place. That does concern me a little, but my September I will have done enough research and investigating into it to be confident as to exactly what the right thing to do will be.

Meantime, I am planning to try a little more trail riding--with a good stretch first--to see how the muscle feels in the saddle. Some days its fine and other days it goes into spasm.

Now Chance, with is OCD, and I, with my unhappy thigh, have even more in common. We are both slightly disabled and need to take it easy.

Just the kind of riding I like to do these days.

Some Things Just Strike Me As Funny

Those Internet Slide Shows

People on Facebook are always posting lists of things with accompanying web likes to slide shows.

I hate that. The slides take forever to go through and often there is just a bit of explanatory text under a picture and you have to click over and over to get the full. story. I don't know what the reasoning is behind that unless it's to maximize the number of pages the viewer has to click through to get the information so more advertisers can have their say.

Every now and then, however, when actually have the patience to check out all the photos of, say, the "20 Worst Car Parkers in the World," I do find some little gem that really makes me laugh.

My sense of humor varies. Sometimes things other people claim are truly *roflol* tend to leave me gaping in confusion, or simply stone-faced. I do love clever jokes, plays on words, and all those moments in life when something unexpected happens--only if absolutely no one gets hurt.

Then, there are moments like this one, usually involving animals that strike my funnybone.

So here goes. I think I found the original site and do give it credit.

http://imgur.com/gallery/MZr2UvX

Somehow that cat managed a perfect imprint of one foot. Is it real? Who knows, but it surely looks that way. I can't find too many details about it. There is one web site with dozens of nasty comments about how dirty and nasty cats are, so that does spoil it.

But,stop, and imagine yourself in your own kitchen making pies. Hopefully, you'd have a cat, otherwise, I'd be a bit worried. 

Would you laugh or cry?

I'd grab the camera, take a picture and finish the pie. Baking will kill almost anything, and besides, we animal people have a different perspective on germs than the rest of the world.

Don't we?

Plan B

I'm Hip On This

I went to my hip orthopedic doctor today to see what he said about my sore leg. After looking at my X-rays which are just fine, and then doing a little prodding on my leg, he told me the pin holding the rod in my formerly broken bone was the problem.

There were two solutions. Sometimes, he said, he has used injections to give temporary relief, but it was temporary. The second solution is to remove the pin.

That' means surgery. Recovery would be a lot less complex than getting over the broken bone, but it would be surgery, nonetheless. It's the option I am choosing.

The only little flaw in the plan is that my doctor is no longer doing surgeries. He has retired from the operating room. So, at the moment, I am waiting to hear from his office regarding another surgeon who can take care of me. It's a large orthopedic group, so I'm sure there will be a good doctor available. I hope I get a call soon. Swimming season fast approaches and I don't want to miss out.

Meanwhile, the afternoon was full of a vet visit for the Boys. Routine Spring vaccinations, sheath cleaning, and teeth floating were on the agenda for all three.

I am pleased to report that all three horses are in good shape and their teeth are now ready to happily chew all the food I give them. They were all good boys.

I was particularly glad of their good behavior because the vet who came today is pregnant--due in mid-June.  She's still at work, obviously, and hopes to stay on the job for quite a while yet. She's the office expert on equine dental work and really loves to float teeth. So, I know the Boys got the best of care on that front especially.

My vet office, as I've said before is really super about keeping appointments. Dr. McAndrews was supposed to be here at 1PM and sure enough, within a few minutes of target hour, she pulled into the back yard. The assistant, Mary, was with her today, so I didn't have much to do except to stand around to observe and make commentary and small talk.

Since all three of us have been riders for some time--the doctor was a pony clubber in her youth--we can always seem to swap stories about the"old days." Well, my "old days" are a lot older than theirs, but the world of horses used to be a different place than it is today.

"Back then" none of us worried whether or not our saddles fit our horses. If they fit us, that was just fine. "Back then," a full new set of horseshoes, "installed *G*" cost me $12.  "Back Then," grain came in 100 pound bags, far too heavy for most of us girls to lift. We had a good laugh about some of the challenges of dealing with that. "Back then," we didn't know much if anything about Cushings disease or nutritional options to keep our horses healthy and fit into their senior years. "Back then" we jumped and galloped cross country courses with abandon.

Times have changed. I'd never trade in a minute of my "Back then," but I happy my horses have "Now" with much better care and understanding.

Out Walking

A Little Sore in the Saddle

I am going to my orthopedic doctor on Wednesday to consult about my hip. I'm pretty sure the pin holding the rod through my bone--pretty grisly, sorry--is causing me pain in the thigh muscle. Sometimes it scales up to a full 10. And it does hurt when I ride. So, if there is no solution, I will just push on through, but if there is a remedy, I'll baby myself a bit longer.

I am still exercising, mostly walking. I'd swim, but the indoor pool is 14 miles away and I really have to motivate myself to make the drive. Maybe tomorrow when I will already be out and partway there on another little trip.

So today I hiked out to the back of the woods, took the hairpin turn under the power lines, crossed back along the farm we preserved and then headed home. These are great farm roads for walking and for trail rides. It's nice and open with good footing and plenty of options. My walk took about an hour. On horseback? Perhaps 45 minutes or so. It's easy to stretch the horseback ride to longer by taking some of the side options.

Here are some pictures of the trails.

This is back of the farm we preserved.

Looking at the preserved farmhouse area from the woods.

Turnpike and warehouses just across the farm field.

Trail along the edge of the woods with a nice little hill.

One of the trails going into or out of the woods.

Another neat little farm road heading to the tree farm.

Looking my pasture fenceline from the woods.

The Boys in the pasture with trees down from all the storms.

Chance by himself. Neighbor's house in background. 

Toby and Tucker amid the fallen trees. The tree trunks are replacing the fencing that got broken

My pasture is not lush, but none of my Boys need rich grass. Toby has Cushings , while Tucker and Chance stay fat on air. There's enough growth to keep them amused and not enough to make them sick. 

Cute

Nice Weather, But No Riding

Not too sure why, but I haven't ridden since the last time. Part of it is because the muscle in my hip is hurting. I think I need to see the doctor to find out if that pin is causing a problem.

Don't like to think about that as it could require more surgery. On the other hand, I would like to get rid of some of the pain.

Otherwise, I seem to be busy doing other things. I had to get my truck repaired, I got some new glasses, I took stuff to sell and sold it at a yard sale at my church, and I've subbed a few times.

Not to worry. The Boys are not neglected.

I am switching Toby over to Purina Senior feed. It has prebiotics in it and is specially blended for older horses. I may be able to cut back his grain a little with the higher fat content (I am still feeding Healthy Edge) but we'll see. He's not skinny, but I'd like to see a bit more flesh over his ribs.

The other two Boys are on the chubby side, so it's hard to judge when I make a comparison.

A large tree branch fell on my horse trailer the other day. The trailer seems to be fine, but I need help with the branch so I called a tree company. The guy actually is connected to the landscape guys two houses over, so that's why I called him.

Something kind of cute happened when he came over to give me the estimate. The Boys were way out in the far part of the pasture.  The tree guy and I started talking near the front paddock.

Suddenly, Tucker's head went up and he nickered. It was really unusual. He called again and broke into a gallop racing in from the field to the paddock. Toby and Chance followed along as a thundering little herd.

Tucker came right over to the fence to see what was going on.

I have no idea why he behaved that way. It does make me wonder. Was it my voice? Or the tree guy?

Was Tucker worried about me? Had he been cared for by a Spanish groom when he was a baby--the tree guy is from Mexico?  If Toby had behaved that way, I might have understood the Mexican possibility as the last farm where he boarded, his caretaker was a wonderful Mexican horseman who was one of the most caring people I have ever met.

But Tucker?

I like to think it was my voice and he wanted to make sure I was OK with the strange person on the property.

Then again, he did get some carrots from the both of us. *G*

Another Note To Self

Think Twice and Take it Easy

Well, not exactly, but I do have to remember I am not as young as I used to be. (Did one of my fellow bloggers post something similar recently?)

Nor am I in ideal physical condition since the bitterly cold winter.  As an outdoor person, I did not exercise as much as I might have had the weather been more generous.

So, what happened this time?

I went to pick up two loads of hay--13 bales each-- in my Durango.  That's an SUV.  It's not the ideal hay wagon, but it works, although the carpeting inside is pretty hayed up by now.

I unloaded and stacked the first load just fine. Then I drove the 7 miles back to the hay supplier, bought 13 more bales and came home to unload them.

Bale #16 or so was the one.

I decided to lift it up on top of the four high pile in back.

Mistake. As I lifted, I felt a tweak in my back. Yikes.  I threw one of my vertebrae out of alignment. I've done this before, so I know all to well the feeling.

As I told my chiropractor this morning--blessed be he had an open appointment--it was like one of those situation comedy "I hurt my back" scenes. When the muscles seize up, you just can't stand up straight.

So, I still unloaded the rest of the hay despite the pain. What else would a true horse owner do? Horse care takes priority over agony every time.

I did decide not to go to the feed store to buy grain, however. That can wait until I feel better.

Luckily, the chiropractic adjustment worked a treat. I am wearing my back brace for a couple days and just taking it easy. The Boys will get their hay in flakes and I have plenty of grain to last.

The truth is, while I am not as young as I used to be, I have thrown my back out for years before this, so it's not really an age related thing. I tend to be a little too flexible in my body, so I have to be a little cautious.

So, note to self:  curb your enthusiasm and just take a few more rest breaks now and then. Oh, yes, and know when to stop.

Note To Self

Stretch Before You Get On To Ride

As you can probably tell from the post title here, I rode again today.

The ride was a little longer, about 20 minutes, and I did not stretch my left hip area by "riding" the barrel before I got into the saddle.

Error. My hip and psoas muscle definitely protested. It was OK and I managed the ride, but it was decidedly more uncomfortable than Monday.  Tuesday's rain kept me out of the saddle and Wednesday, I ended up substitute teaching. That meant a 40 minute swim after school instead.

I do a lot of stretching and exercises in the water besides swimming so that's a plus, but there is nothing quite like actually sitting in the saddle. Riding just exercises a special group of muscles and joint attachments.

So, today's ride taught me a good lesson. I do need to stretch myself before I get in the saddle and it's going to take a while before I can really be comfortable when I ride.

And the lesson for all of you too. If you do suffer an injury that requires physical rehab. you need to remind yourself and your therapist you are a rider. Perhaps between the two of you you can come up with rehab exercises that will complement your riding seat rather than compromise it as mine did.

Live and learn.

I Did It!!

I Rode At Last

Sitting on a barrel really helps. If any of you need seat therapy, I can highly recommend it.

After a week of off and on barrel sitting, I decided it was time to try my technique on a real horse.

Needless to say, there was only one option--Chance.

Of my three horses, he has the most level head and, although he does not have the advanced training Toby does, he is far more laid back. Toby can be a bit energetic at times, but not Chance.

So, after a warm up on the barrel, I locked Toby and Tucker in their stalls for safekeeping--sections of fencing around the riding arena are down all over the place, so the two stray Boys would have interfered for sure.  Then I saddled up Chance.

Out we went into the arena. I climbed up on the mounting block and to my happy pleasure, it was quite easy to mount up. Then, to even more delight, I found I could actually sit in the saddle with minimal discomfort.

Now, I still have some pain in the bad hip where tendons, muscles, whatever still need to adapt to horse shape, and my left knee on that side protests with the associated hip pain. But it wasn't unbearable and I could use my legs to cue if I needed to.

Chance, ever so determined and feeling pretty sound after all his lamenesses (Special shoes and pads for navicular symptoms, and that darn OCD  issue with his right stifle and, of course, the bout of Lyme disease) headed straight for the gate to go out on the trail and while he was quite easy to steer away, I fell prey to his longing.

I opened the gate and we headed out.

Now, mind you, this is a horse that has not really been ridden on over a year. (I broke my hip in March of 2014.) The only work he's had have been occasional lungings of a few minutes by me or the vet to check his soundness.  He's schooled enough on the flat that he might, if tuned up, put in a fair training level dressage test.

I have owned or leased about eight horses in my life, ridden dozens more not my own, but of all those mounts there are only two I would ever saddle up and take out on a trail ride after a year long layoff.
Let me tell you, putting Chance in company with the number one horse of my life, Russell R,. is highest praise indeed.

Russell R. in his prime. 

Chance, looking adorable and ready for a ride. 

And Chance earned every accolade. Aside from few joggy steps, mostly up little hills in the woods, he was a perfect gentleman and a super ride. We took the infamous trail where Tucker left me lying on the ground so that too was historic. There are a few more trees down, but I had walked the same trail the other day and knew it was more than passable. Chance took every detour in stride and listened to every aid.

Talk about a superstar!  All told, we were out for perhaps 15 minutes, maybe 20, but it was a solid start to some good rehab for us both.

Am I happy?

You bet.

Sorta Sore

But Not Too Bad

After my knockdown on Easter Sunday, I am feeling a bit sore.

I am a bruised butt sore, but not too bad. One shoulder is a little achy. My core muscles in my stomach area are sore as well. I must have tried to stop the fall or twisted as I went down. And muscles on either side of my neck are sore as I kind of whiplashed as the back of my head hit the dirt.

I was sort of hoping to try a little ride on Chance this week but until the sore behind part goes away, I am opting out.

Again, it's really not much pain to speak of. I don't quite bounce the way I did when I was younger, but apparently there is still a little bounce left in me.

Now that the weather seems to have broken out into legitimate Spring, I do hope I don't need to deal with sheets until the bugs return. At that point, the Boys will get their fly sheets. I hope they appreciate the respite from clothing for the month or so.

Meanwhile, the shedding season is in full force. It's really amazing how much horse hair I can rake off each Boy in a grooming session. The undercoats they shed are dense, fuzzy, and neverending. It's always a challenge trying to make a horse in full shed look presentable. Every time you think you've gotten all the loose hair groomed out, there is always more to come.

I've been grooming them in their stalls for the most part, but perhaps I should do it outside where the birds can collect some of the hair for nesting material. Don't you think a nice little cozy bed of fuzzy horse hair would be a great place to bring up babies?

Update: Phooey. Supposed to go down below 40F and be rainy tomorrow and Thursday. Looks like the sheets are back on. Have to use a different one for Toby. Thank goodness I have a spare.

Happy Easter

Knock Me Down

Well, my Easter surprise was a tumble in the paddock, knocked down by none other than Tucker as he bolted in reaction to Toby's bolting off.

Why did Toby bolt?

When I came home from church it was quite warm and since I'd left the Boys' sheets on from the chilly night, I decided to take them off. I've done this dozens and dozens of times in the paddock.

I had all but the front straps undone on Toby's sheet when, for some reason, he spooked and took off, sheet flapping around his neck and body. That set Tucker off, knocking me out of the way. He's never been one to pay a lot of attention to where I am, and I constantly have to remind him of my space. Today, he forgot....again. Down I went and off he and Chance went, rip roaring around the paddocks with Toby.

Eventually, after I found my breath and got back to my feet--sore backside and clonk on the head where it hit the ground too--I found Toby's sheet, torn asunder in the paddock. Another nice new sheet bit the dust as it really doesn't exactly look very repairable. The front straps are ripped out along with the front flap of fabric and trim. I will take a good look at it later, but it really didn't look very good.

So, that was my Easter gift from the Boys of Follywoods. Thanks a lot.

Meanwhile Spring rolls in with Easter sunshine and the promise of new beginnings.

Nibbling Invisible Grass

The Boys Go Grazing

Well, not really. There is evidence that the grass is sprouting here and there but it certainly isn't much. However, with the snow cover gone at last, the Boys seem to think the pasture is lush and they are doing their best to cultivate the illusion.

I think the warmer weather helps. They are moving out of the paddocks by the barn where they spent most of the winter months--at least the cold ones--and going out and about into the far reaches of the pasture.

Now, mind you the pasture is only about two acres, so we are not talking miles from home, but it is nice to see them wandering out and about. There has also been a bit more galloping and frolicking going on.

I am blessed to live on just enough of a hill that most of my land drains pretty quickly. As well, since my soil has a thick layer of sand below the topsoil and a layer of clay, the ground does not hold water. While I do have some mud near the barn, the outer areas dried out pretty quickly and the footing is good for frolics.

And, for riding. I am back to working on stretching my hips and thighs with the goal of trying to ride Chance next week. If I'm comfy enough in the saddle, we may try a little trail ride. I walked the woods trail a day or so ago, clearing out any fallen branches and making sure it was navigable. It looked good enough to ride so it's waiting for us. Since it's perhaps a 15 minute ride, it would be the perfect outing tor a totally unfit rider on a totally unfit horse.

Besides, I think it would make Chance smile.