Deja Vu

I've been having some great rides on Quaid. it seems that the holes we identified earlier were getting filled in nicely.  Case in point: here we are enjoying Cordelia  having a blast in puddles: 

I had my lesson last on Carmen so this weekend it was going to be his turn. Unfortunately, this was not to be. It all started with Quaid not being too enthused about eating his grain. He was fine with his hay and he always finished, it just seemed to take a bit. 

Then Wednesday  morning I noticed he hadn't eaten all his night feed (I feed 3 times a day).  I gave him hay and he dove in. Hmm. Then at supper he was refusing to eat his grain but not his hay. I took his temperature and it was 38.8. So up a little. His heart and respiration was normal. His eye was bright and alert. I gave him 10 ccs of Flunixin paste (banamine) and decided to monitor him overnight and call the vet in the morning.  

The next morning his temp was 37 (normal) but he had no interest in his grain. I called the vet and she came out. We both were pretty sure we knew what it was. Her exam showed normal temperature (a little higher then when I had taken it), heart, respiration and jaundiced gums. She drew some blood and we talked about a plan. In the exam she found 2 ticks on him.  

While she wanted to run tests on the blood but we decided that it was likely anaplasmosis (possibly Lyme). So we decided to start him on the treatment and she would run the bloodwork back at the clinic. When she called it was positive that he was fighting an infection. He was showing increased bilirubin but no other liver signs (juandice is a sign of anaplasmosis). 

He's been on meds for 24 hours and his appetite is markedly improved. 

If you're thinking, hey didn't he have anaplasmosis last year? You would be correct. Pretty much 12 months ago he was sick with it. I know that immunity doesn't last forever but it's typically 2+ years.  Le sigh. Any advice for boosting his immune system is welcome. 

I'd prefer him to a chick magnet instead of a tick magnet. 

 Carmen remains totally fine. Which I'm grateful for (especially for my bank account). I joke that the ticks wouldn't dare. And now she's on deck for the lesson this weekend. It is nice to have the option. I'm sure she's thrilled as well. 

Carmen: 'say what now?'

Good Vibrations

 Travelling to Quebec and seeing all those lovely horses and riders was inspirational to me and I was excited to get back to riding.  But I also needed to catch up on chores, which included   ordering in my winter hay.  The big 4 string squares can't really be moved by hand. We wrestle them on to the tractor and then put them in place. Every time Ed went by Quaid tried to grab a bite. When he missed he'd give me his sad eyes. Finally Ed stopped so he could taste. 

Quaid: just a nibble

I was able to just jump back into riding and both horses were feeling the fall weather. With Carmen that makes her spicy and jumpy. Quaid is more reactive too but not as committed. With him I've been focussing on adding confidence and riding forward.  It feels like things are improving. 

pretty falling leaves, brisk winds and cool air. 
What could go wrong? 

With Carmen she can get pretty heavy in the hand when she's feeling contrary. It can lead to a tug of war that I definitely don't want.  It's so easy to fall into the trap of taking my legs off and bracing with my hands.  So I was glad to have a lesson yesterday with Jane. It was Carmen's turn anyway but I probably would have chosen her anyway. 

As an aside, I can recognise how lucky I am to have two horses to ride while I worry that I'm not advancing them as fast because I can't afford two lessons a week. Such a first world problem. 

It was a cold and blustery day. Jane has been taking lessons from Janine Little and we are all benefiting from that. Jane started us walking and having me work on keeping the bit moving in her mouth and not locking my hands and giving her something to lean on. I always worry about moving the bit because I think I'm going to end up see-sawing on her mouth. But Jane explained that it's more like a vibration and keeps her from locking on the hand and keeping her neck tight and stiff. 

Sharing this photo because Cordelia LOVES 
Dottie. Dottie is less enamoured, lol

What was neat about doing this that it kept her attention on me and not all the stuff blowing around.  I love having a pivo but it struggled to keep us in the frame. I don't know if the wind was a factor or if it was trying to follow a rider dressed in gray riding a gray horse on a gray day.... 

lots of shots like this or with no horse lol

After we walked Jane had us move right into canter. First off, her canter is so much more balanced now. We then moved into working on counter canter. Carmen broke and switched her lead so Jane had us practice picking up the counter canter on a circle. It was really hard and I struggled to line up my aids. Carmen was adorable, she knew I was asking for the wrong lead so she just fixed it. So that will be homework.  Of course I was to this while keeping the bit mobile and asking her to half-halt and not hold. And also not over-aid. As I said to Jane, my default is always to hold. So this was really good for me to focus on it. 

counter canter- looks a bit wild but it really wasn't 

I also can fall into the trap of trying to ride well by being too strong. It's been a real lesson for me this year (or really all years lol) is that trying harder means riding softer. But honestly it really works.  

We did trot work at the end. I really liked doing the ride this way. Her trot was so loose and soft and just so flexible.  No leaning on the bit or plowing on her shoulders. 

having so much fun

whee, moving towards suspension

It was a great lesson and exactly what we needed. Keeping the bit mobile made a huge difference in our half-halts. They were more effective and lighter.  Jane says that our flying changes are getting closer which is exciting.  I'm really happy with how my riding has progressed this year.  

Canadian Eastern Dressage Championships

 I just got back from going to the championships in Quebec and OMG it was so much fun. I knew I would enjoy myself because 'all the pretty horses' but even I was surprised by how much fun it actually was.  We left early Monday (5 a.m.) and drove for 12 hours to the venue.  Jane was showing her horse and she bought M (a junior competitor) and Ilka (her mom). This gave us 3 drivers to share the load which was great. Jane was showing in the gold show and M qualified for the championship (first level). The trailer was packed tight and so was the truck. The boys traveled really well. 

we'd stop to let them drop their heads and have some water. Darius (paint) and Juno (hannovarian).

We were the first ones to arrive.  The facility entrance was at the end of a road in a subdivision and it really felt like it was wrong. But it turned out to be the entrance. 

entrance is top left. The show rings being used were the Enertec, Simons and Equico

Complexe Equestre de Bécancour has 2 indoor rings, 3 outdoor rings, 3 barns plus space for temporary barns, a cafe and campground. It was really well laid out and lovely. The footing for the outdoor rings (never saw the indoor ones) was a fibre sand mix. 

two rings in the big ring

our barn

We rented a RV and boy was that a learning curve. It turns out that they rent these but give zero instructions. We had a few incidents that we had to call for help a few times. The last day I figured out how to empty the gray water tank because no one answered my calls and the water was backing up. (sorry not sorry). 

so many laughs happened in this trailer

When we arrived the hose was leaking where it joined and making a mess. The horse's needed to be dealt with so I took over and called for help. "Hello this is Jane F calling....".  Since it was rented in her name and it made sense. By the end of the week we were joking that I was Jane.  Once we got the water sorted M said 'thank god we brought Teresa!' and I said jokingly 'That is not the last time you will say that!'  Which became a running joke over the week. Final count was 26 in case you were wondering. lol. 

You would think that we'd have been crowded in the camper but we really weren't. It helped that by end of day we were all exhausted.  After eating and laughing over the day's happenings. Lots of silly things happened in that trailer. Including a spontaneous cabaret show by Jane and I to the tune of 'Patricia the Stripper'.  We laughed so hard. In case you're curious: 

sangria at end of day overlooking the rings

I was expecting to see lots of lovely horses and was not disappointed. I met a lot of lovely people as well. When I was walking between the barns I spied a gorgeous Andalusian stallion. I stopped and chatted with his handler but I never got his name or rider. oops. Later I learned he was Esparticus and being ridden by Tina Irwin. So I made sure to find his ride times and watch. He did not disappoint. I was sitting in the shade watching the ride on Saturday and an older gentleman was sitting beside me. We started chatting and I shared that I loved this horse. We talked about Andalusians and how great they are. Tina had a great ride and when she left the ring he said to her 'did you earn a margarita?' I looked at him and he said 'she gets a margarita when she wins'. 

What if she loses? 

She gets two!

Makes sense to me. I laughed. 

I then realised something, Are you the owner? I asked. He smiled and said yes.  Thank god I really liked him. Turns out that he is in his 80's and he hacks this horse out on a regular basis. 

I mean LOOK AT HIM

It was fun to be a groom and general helper. Jane did really well and I'm glad I was there to harass help her in getting ready. I called myself the 'Jane Wrangler'.  People would stop to talk to her and, because she's really nice, she'd talk to them even when she had to get ready. I was also nice but mostly I was very clear she had to go- I put on her jacket, tacked up the horse, got the mounting block ready and walked Juno out to get ready. Hopefully she appreciated it, lol. I also was dragging her past people so we could go see M win the 'best dressed for the jog' prize. We all helped her to dress up in the Nova Scotian Tartan. 

late? Not on my watch! 

I loved watching M and Jane ride. They did so well. M didn't place as well as I thought she should on the first day but did really well on the second day and won the silver medal. We were all so proud. 

Loved the Photo Booth

the stalls had a NS theme as well. Note the Sou'westers!

I think there were like 130 horses there of every type (although a lot of warmbloods as you would expect) and riders too. There were a number of para riders and one was right across from my stall, Natasha James. She is on the national team and was a lovely woman.  I really enjoyed getting to know her. 

As expected, there were vendors there. I bought a saddle pad bag and had it embroidered at another booth for $15. I found showing two horses meant I had to lug like 6 saddle pads. I think that this will be a great help: 

I also bought a pair of Cowgirl Up Green breeches. I've ridden in them three times since getting home and I love them. They have the perfect amount of stretch, support and grip. It also helps that I had to buy a size small. After years of buying large or XL there's no way I wasn't buying a size small! 

Jane's dog, Dottie was our travel companion. She's such a good horse show dog. Even when she's annoyed at me for disturbing her naps or not letting her run after Jane. 

watching Jane warm up 

Having a kitchen really helped a lot. We ate out once for supper and I bought lunch once (poutine because we're in Quebec and you have to).  The last night we were going to eat out but the cafe was closed and there weren't any restaurants open in town. So we went to the grocery store and bought some frozen Chinese and reheated leftovers and made some of the pancake batter. 

perfect last night at the show food

As I said the people were very friendly. No one was like 'I have a fancy horse and am a top level rider'. Everyone was just riding and loving their horses. I made sure to watch some Second level classes and Carmen and I  would have totally been competitive. Well, as long as we could deal with the multiple judges booths and all the activity..... But even thinking that I was not feeling any envy or FOMO. I truly enjoyed all the show. 

We arrived late Monday and left before dawn the next Monday. The time had really flown. The drive home was uneventful (yay) and I got to my house by 8:30 that night.  It was a wonderful experience. I know that this is the first time that Equestrian Canada has held dressage championships in many years. I hope that they continue to do so.