Thursday, March 25, 2010
I took Andy out on the trail today, with no bolting!!! Hallelujah. Of course, I didn't let him canter at all, so that might explain it. He definitely wanted to run, but generally listened to me when I told him no. We also saw the elusive herd of elk that lives in the area. Andy actually saw them first. When I looked ahead to see what caught his attention I saw a shit-ton of elk, about 50 feet away. It was very neat.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Feeling Better
I feel much better about Andy today. My friend Katie, who taught me to ride came out to Hillsboro to visit me and Andy today. She gave me some helpful advice, and confirmed my idea of switching him to a gag bit. She rode him for a while, and also made me realize that he's been ignoring the snaffle even in the arena. I told her how I sort of feel like a failure, switching him to a harsher bit, but she reminded me that he is a lot of horse, and that he was always in a gag bit for polo. She also told that he use to event, which means he is a fairly good jumper! I had no clue. I think this is so cool! I don't jump, but it's something that I eventually want to learn to do. I wasn't going to start with Andy, because I didn't want to make him start jumping at this age. He's old enought to earn his retirement. But if I ever want to start to learn, I could use him! Apparently he went up to novice level eventing, which means he could clear 2'11''. So maybe I will do really low jumps on him! hahah, or not.
In other news, I can finally pop the knuckle on my pinkie finger! I know this might not seem like a big deal, but I hurt it the second day I got Andy, back in November. He pulled back and broke a lead rope, so I grabbed his halter, and somehow got my pinkie stuck into the halter while he was still pulling. I might have broke it, but I think I just sprained it really bad. I haven't been able to pop it for five months, but I finally did! Now I'm glad that I was cheap and never went to the doctor.
In other news, I can finally pop the knuckle on my pinkie finger! I know this might not seem like a big deal, but I hurt it the second day I got Andy, back in November. He pulled back and broke a lead rope, so I grabbed his halter, and somehow got my pinkie stuck into the halter while he was still pulling. I might have broke it, but I think I just sprained it really bad. I haven't been able to pop it for five months, but I finally did! Now I'm glad that I was cheap and never went to the doctor.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Worst Trail Ride Ever
Like the title says, I had the Worst Trail Ride ever today. It included:
- Andy bolting yet again
- Lance bolting with Andy
- My safety stirrups falsely deploying three times
- Lance bolting again, dumping his rider and taking off into the road, leaving us to search for him.
- Andy freaking out when Lance when galloping past, fighting me furiously as I refused to let him gallop. This throwing his head up and even half-rearing, culminating in me having to hop off and walk before I got thrown off.
- Getting left behind due to my Andy issues when the group split in two looking for Lance. I thought I knew the way back, but I ended up accidentally going off the trail, getting completely lost by myself for about 15 minutes. After crying and figuring that my barn owner would come looking for me eventually, I decided to start yelling and found my barn buddies, who knew the way home.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Trail Ride
Today, Andy and I hit the trails again. Andy eats trails for breakfast, if you didn't know. We went with a nice lady from the barn, Deb, and her super cute Rocky Mountain Horse, Coke.
I was a little nervous at first. The very first part of the trail is steep downhill, and muddy, so Andy and I slid our way down. Then there had been a coyote or elk or something, because both ponies got nervous and didn't want to go forward. But we got over that pretty quickly. Pretty soon we made it to the creek and pond, and decided to see how Andy did crossing water. Much to my surprise, he launched into the pond like a champ. We're talking a couple feet deep too. Not only did he go right in, he started picking up his front hoof to splash around! I wasn't too sure if he was playing or getting ready to roll, so we moved forward briskly.
Next, we got to the part of the trail that's a good place to canter. It's nice and wide, and grassy, and uphill. I gave Andy a little squeeze, and up we went. There is nothing more exhilarating that bombing across country at a canter. I politely reminded Andy that he is old and out of shape, but he replied that he felt just peachy, so we cantered the whole way up.
We wandered through the woods awhile, and then got to another good cantering place. That's where it got interesting. Deb decided to let Coke pace up the hill. I figured I would just let Andy trot behind. Andy did not get the memo. In fact, he completely brain farted, got over-excited, and decided to break into a gallop, throwing his head up so I couldn't pull him up. I managed to yell to Deb that I had no breaks, and then we left her in the dust. Holy frick, I have never gone that fast on a horse before! I thought that I'd galloped in polo matches...but this was different. It was balls to the wall, no holds barred galloping. There was no way to pull him back, whatsoever. It was terrifying, yet completely exhilarating. I think we both felt like we were on the race track. All I could think was "Don't fall off, because that would hurt like a bitch!" Eventually, the trail widened up for me to do a one-rein stop, at the same time that my safety stirrup somehow engaged, flying loose from the saddle. I managed to completely stop Andy before I hopped off to re-attach the stirrup/kiss the ground.
The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. Andy had tired himself out during his Man 'o War impression, so I could ride him on a loose rein the whole way back. What a spaz.
I was a little nervous at first. The very first part of the trail is steep downhill, and muddy, so Andy and I slid our way down. Then there had been a coyote or elk or something, because both ponies got nervous and didn't want to go forward. But we got over that pretty quickly. Pretty soon we made it to the creek and pond, and decided to see how Andy did crossing water. Much to my surprise, he launched into the pond like a champ. We're talking a couple feet deep too. Not only did he go right in, he started picking up his front hoof to splash around! I wasn't too sure if he was playing or getting ready to roll, so we moved forward briskly.
Next, we got to the part of the trail that's a good place to canter. It's nice and wide, and grassy, and uphill. I gave Andy a little squeeze, and up we went. There is nothing more exhilarating that bombing across country at a canter. I politely reminded Andy that he is old and out of shape, but he replied that he felt just peachy, so we cantered the whole way up.
We wandered through the woods awhile, and then got to another good cantering place. That's where it got interesting. Deb decided to let Coke pace up the hill. I figured I would just let Andy trot behind. Andy did not get the memo. In fact, he completely brain farted, got over-excited, and decided to break into a gallop, throwing his head up so I couldn't pull him up. I managed to yell to Deb that I had no breaks, and then we left her in the dust. Holy frick, I have never gone that fast on a horse before! I thought that I'd galloped in polo matches...but this was different. It was balls to the wall, no holds barred galloping. There was no way to pull him back, whatsoever. It was terrifying, yet completely exhilarating. I think we both felt like we were on the race track. All I could think was "Don't fall off, because that would hurt like a bitch!" Eventually, the trail widened up for me to do a one-rein stop, at the same time that my safety stirrup somehow engaged, flying loose from the saddle. I managed to completely stop Andy before I hopped off to re-attach the stirrup/kiss the ground.
The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. Andy had tired himself out during his Man 'o War impression, so I could ride him on a loose rein the whole way back. What a spaz.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Vet Check
Andy had his checkup today, and it went wonderfully!
When I went to get him from the pasture, I think he knew something was up. 99% of the time he lets me walk right up to him, or he comes to me, but today I had to chase he around for 15 minutes to catch him. What a turd! I eventually caught him by petting another pony and making him jealous. It worked. There's two things that apply to my all my (2) animals: no matter what I do, they're skinny, and they're jealous. Lilly stays skinny despite all of my efforts, and she is super jealous of the other cat when I pay attention to the other cat. Why should Andrew be any different? Now, if he has to be on thyroid medicine too I will really be creeped out.
Anyways, there was a new, super cute gray horse in the pasture that was obviously nervous at being in a new place. He followed us to the gate, and stayed there pacing and screaming to Andy. Great. The last thing I wanted was Andy to act herd-bound when the vet came, and the gray was riling him up a bit. Luckily, I used my awesome distraction ability of HAY and GRAIN, and Andy calmed down completely. The vet was a little late, so we both kinda pooped out waiting. Andy was being super cuddly and friendly. I walked out of his view once to check and make sure the nervous gray wasn't still pacing the ridge by the gate, and Andy perked right up and got upset when I was out of view. Ah, true love!
The vet that came out was super nice. I'm so glad I decided to go with that particular practice. He started off by checking Andy's heart and lungs. I myself almost had a heart attack when he told me that Andy's heart rhythm was irregular. It was seriously this blind moment of panic, until I listened to what the vet was saying. Apparently, Andy has a 2nd degree atrioventricular block, which is not harmful at all and fairly common in athletic horses, such as races horses or polo ponies. Apparently, Andy has a textbook case of it, which I thought was very interesting (but thankfully nothing to worry about!)
Andy got a thorough check-up, and everything looked pretty darn good. The vet said that Andy looked very good for a horse of his age and experience. His teeth have some sort of weird slant that make them not quite match up, but other than that they have obviously been well cared for. So he's in need of a float sometime soon, but not desperately. But Andy did pitch a fit when the vet looked into his mouth. He did not like that at all!
The vet also watched Andy moved, and thought he looked very good. Which means no more lameness!!! Yay! He noticed Andy's club foot (front left), and could tell how it slightly affected his gait, but not in a really detrimental way. So we are ready to start back up with dressage lessons and light trail riding.
So Andy got two vials of blood drawn, and two intramuscular shots in the neck, and he didn't even flinch. Go figure. I thought he'd throw a hissy fit. Nope, he saved that for the strangles vaccine, which is intra-nasal...up the nose! Haha, he did not want that tube going up his nose. Fortunately, that goofball is no match for a determined vet and assistant. What a doofus. He doesn't give a crap about a needle stuck in a vein, hanging out of his neck, but try and touch his nose or look in his mouth and he gets all cranky.
As for his weight..there's no glaring issue, just some little things I can do, such as keep his teeth floated every six months, keeping up with his worming schedule (according to the fecal egg count, his worm load is low, so I'm doing okay!), and upping his groceries. He's an old horse, and he's teeth aren't the very best, so the vet also suggested significantly upping the amount of Senior feed he's getting, up to as much as 10 pounds a day. I'm still trying to work this out, as I only go to the barn once a day to feed, and my BO won't feed grain...well, maybe I can talk him into it. I'll work something out by myself if I have to. Maybe going to the barn in the morning or afternoon and feeding, then leaving grain in the stall for when he comes in. First I gotta figure out if I'm getting one of the jobs I'm interviewing for this week, and if so what my hours will be. Anyways, as long as his blood tests don't show any hidden problems, his weight isn't a huge issue. The vet said that thoroughbreds tend to be difficult to keep weight on and have much thinner physiques, and Andy probably will always have a lean, athletic body-type. All of which I knew, but it makes me feel better to hear it from the vet.
So, all in all it was a good day! The vet said Andy was a sweet, well-behaved horse in very good condition for his age, and that I'll probably have quite a while of good riding time with him. :-)
When I went to get him from the pasture, I think he knew something was up. 99% of the time he lets me walk right up to him, or he comes to me, but today I had to chase he around for 15 minutes to catch him. What a turd! I eventually caught him by petting another pony and making him jealous. It worked. There's two things that apply to my all my (2) animals: no matter what I do, they're skinny, and they're jealous. Lilly stays skinny despite all of my efforts, and she is super jealous of the other cat when I pay attention to the other cat. Why should Andrew be any different? Now, if he has to be on thyroid medicine too I will really be creeped out.
Anyways, there was a new, super cute gray horse in the pasture that was obviously nervous at being in a new place. He followed us to the gate, and stayed there pacing and screaming to Andy. Great. The last thing I wanted was Andy to act herd-bound when the vet came, and the gray was riling him up a bit. Luckily, I used my awesome distraction ability of HAY and GRAIN, and Andy calmed down completely. The vet was a little late, so we both kinda pooped out waiting. Andy was being super cuddly and friendly. I walked out of his view once to check and make sure the nervous gray wasn't still pacing the ridge by the gate, and Andy perked right up and got upset when I was out of view. Ah, true love!
The vet that came out was super nice. I'm so glad I decided to go with that particular practice. He started off by checking Andy's heart and lungs. I myself almost had a heart attack when he told me that Andy's heart rhythm was irregular. It was seriously this blind moment of panic, until I listened to what the vet was saying. Apparently, Andy has a 2nd degree atrioventricular block, which is not harmful at all and fairly common in athletic horses, such as races horses or polo ponies. Apparently, Andy has a textbook case of it, which I thought was very interesting (but thankfully nothing to worry about!)
Andy got a thorough check-up, and everything looked pretty darn good. The vet said that Andy looked very good for a horse of his age and experience. His teeth have some sort of weird slant that make them not quite match up, but other than that they have obviously been well cared for. So he's in need of a float sometime soon, but not desperately. But Andy did pitch a fit when the vet looked into his mouth. He did not like that at all!
The vet also watched Andy moved, and thought he looked very good. Which means no more lameness!!! Yay! He noticed Andy's club foot (front left), and could tell how it slightly affected his gait, but not in a really detrimental way. So we are ready to start back up with dressage lessons and light trail riding.
So Andy got two vials of blood drawn, and two intramuscular shots in the neck, and he didn't even flinch. Go figure. I thought he'd throw a hissy fit. Nope, he saved that for the strangles vaccine, which is intra-nasal...up the nose! Haha, he did not want that tube going up his nose. Fortunately, that goofball is no match for a determined vet and assistant. What a doofus. He doesn't give a crap about a needle stuck in a vein, hanging out of his neck, but try and touch his nose or look in his mouth and he gets all cranky.
As for his weight..there's no glaring issue, just some little things I can do, such as keep his teeth floated every six months, keeping up with his worming schedule (according to the fecal egg count, his worm load is low, so I'm doing okay!), and upping his groceries. He's an old horse, and he's teeth aren't the very best, so the vet also suggested significantly upping the amount of Senior feed he's getting, up to as much as 10 pounds a day. I'm still trying to work this out, as I only go to the barn once a day to feed, and my BO won't feed grain...well, maybe I can talk him into it. I'll work something out by myself if I have to. Maybe going to the barn in the morning or afternoon and feeding, then leaving grain in the stall for when he comes in. First I gotta figure out if I'm getting one of the jobs I'm interviewing for this week, and if so what my hours will be. Anyways, as long as his blood tests don't show any hidden problems, his weight isn't a huge issue. The vet said that thoroughbreds tend to be difficult to keep weight on and have much thinner physiques, and Andy probably will always have a lean, athletic body-type. All of which I knew, but it makes me feel better to hear it from the vet.
So, all in all it was a good day! The vet said Andy was a sweet, well-behaved horse in very good condition for his age, and that I'll probably have quite a while of good riding time with him. :-)
Thursday, March 4, 2010
I dropped some poop off at the vet today. Hopefully it's not full of worms! As soon as I get the results I can start Andy on a new dewormer rotation, without worrying that I'll cause an impaction colic. My mom also told me that she is giving me $200 (!) to help with the cost of the vet work that he's getting, which is both surprising and amazing. I never thought I would be unemployed for as long as I have been. I certainly have enough in savings to care for Andy for a few years, but it's disconcerting to see myself burn through those savings so fast. Fortunately, my board is now going down by $100 a month, Andy is super economical in terms of shoeing, and I have an interview for a very good, well-paying job this Wednesday!
I rode again today, a little harder. Andy is probably the most out of shape I've ever seen him, but then again, so am I. Not that he knows it. While it's nice not to have to urge him to go, it's also hard to constantly convince him that we don't have to go fast. When I start up lessons again we're definitely going to have to work on his "whoa!" On a good note, I actually managed to do a few strides of actual sitting trot on him, which I've never managed before! Of course, I can do it on horses with smoother gaits, but he has a very big, very hard to sit trot. But I did it for a little bit, so yay!
I rode again today, a little harder. Andy is probably the most out of shape I've ever seen him, but then again, so am I. Not that he knows it. While it's nice not to have to urge him to go, it's also hard to constantly convince him that we don't have to go fast. When I start up lessons again we're definitely going to have to work on his "whoa!" On a good note, I actually managed to do a few strides of actual sitting trot on him, which I've never managed before! Of course, I can do it on horses with smoother gaits, but he has a very big, very hard to sit trot. But I did it for a little bit, so yay!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
My boy is back to normal, and I couldn't be happier. I rode Sunday and today, and he felt really good. No lameness, and he was raring to go. Tonight I even had a few moments where I pretty much lost all brakes. That means that Andy feels good again, no more ouchiness! I think he was just really excited. He literally was a galloping fool, but I would much rather have 1000 pounds of GOOO than a pony with a sore foot. It all reminded me about how he has, and continues to inspire me to be a better rider. Like I've said before, Andy does not tolerate heavy-handed riders, so I've focused a lot on my seat, especially using it effectively to slow him down.
Andy has been very economical in terms of hoof care for me. Normally, horses are trimmed/re-shod every 6-8 weeks. Horses in very hard work, like race horses, or ones with hoof issues are sometimes shod on an even shorter schedule of every 4 weeks. Our farrier comes to the barn on Mondays, as long as there are horses to be worked on. I had her look at Andy at 7 weeks, and he wasn't even close to needing a trim. Then I had her check at 9 weeks, and he still didn't need trimming. Now, at almost 11 weeks he's barely starting to overrun his shoes, so I'll have them done on Monday. To make up for all the money I saved by having a long time in between shoeing I'm getting some regular vet work done on the same day (check-up, vaccinations, blood panel, fecal worm count), so that should take a sizable chunk out of my bank account, but it's all very necessary stuff to do!
Hopefully the vet work will also help me get a handle on bringing his weight up. He hasn't lost any weight over winter since I got him, but he certainly hasn't gained anything. I want him to gain quite a bit. He's very out of shape. I rode for maybe 30 minutes on Sunday, maybe 10 minutes of trotting and only a few minutes of cantering, and he broke a sweat. Before I do any trail riding or serious trail riding he needs a lot of conditioning, but I'm not really willing to do that until I get his weight up. So hopefully the vet visit will be very informative!
Andy has been very economical in terms of hoof care for me. Normally, horses are trimmed/re-shod every 6-8 weeks. Horses in very hard work, like race horses, or ones with hoof issues are sometimes shod on an even shorter schedule of every 4 weeks. Our farrier comes to the barn on Mondays, as long as there are horses to be worked on. I had her look at Andy at 7 weeks, and he wasn't even close to needing a trim. Then I had her check at 9 weeks, and he still didn't need trimming. Now, at almost 11 weeks he's barely starting to overrun his shoes, so I'll have them done on Monday. To make up for all the money I saved by having a long time in between shoeing I'm getting some regular vet work done on the same day (check-up, vaccinations, blood panel, fecal worm count), so that should take a sizable chunk out of my bank account, but it's all very necessary stuff to do!
Hopefully the vet work will also help me get a handle on bringing his weight up. He hasn't lost any weight over winter since I got him, but he certainly hasn't gained anything. I want him to gain quite a bit. He's very out of shape. I rode for maybe 30 minutes on Sunday, maybe 10 minutes of trotting and only a few minutes of cantering, and he broke a sweat. Before I do any trail riding or serious trail riding he needs a lot of conditioning, but I'm not really willing to do that until I get his weight up. So hopefully the vet visit will be very informative!
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