dancing horses

dancing horses

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Come Back to Me

Bit by bit Carmen seems to be coming back to herself.  How do I know that she's feeling better? She's more friendly, less reactive and generally more chipper.

from last January


I have some deep guilt that I missed all the signals that she was in pain and instead thought that it was behaviour. I realize that by forcing her to keep going I was making her worse and violating her trust. And that really sucks.

I am not going to let that take me down a dark path though. I am going to file it away under lessons learned and put my energies to more useful things- like getting her to trust being ridden.

Friday I headed to Coveside again to go for a ride on the trails. The weather was cold and windy.  I thought about cancelling but I didn't want to. So I left it up to fate- if Nancy wanted to cancel that would be fine but it wouldn't be me. That morning in the guest room closet I found an Outback oilskin jacket that I thought was lost in our move 7 years ago. It's a great windbreak and for a bonus I found $20 in the pocket.

When I arrived the main barn was busy so I drove down to the pony barn and unloaded there. Nancy rode down and met us and I used a rock wall to get on. Carmen was quite up at first. Which made sense- the weather and the activity (not to mention not having been ridden since Tuesday) all contributed. The lovely thing about hacking out is that you can really focus on your seat and hands while the horse strides along following the path. We did a lot of hills and she really began to use her back and push from behind. The jacket worked like a charm and only the tips of my fingers and toes were cold at the end. After our ride she chilled in a stall for a while and then hopped on the trailer to go home.
I didn't take any photos on our ride but here's one from before. 
I think that these short hauls for a fun ride are great for both of us.

Saturday I couldn't ride because of other commitments and that night we had torrential rain. It did end though and by the afternoon the temperature was much warmer and my ring was good. In fact it was fine first thing in the morning but I wanted to give it some more time. I had a plan which was to do ground work and make sure that Carmen was relaxed and listening before I got on.

I paid special attention to the places she was tighter in . I am guilty of not waiting until she is good but settling for 'good enough'. So I made sure that she was tuned in and focussed. I then hopped on.

I won't go into the details of the ride because you would fall asleep. All I wanted her to do was to walk around the ring without being reactive. My goal was not to get reactive either. There were a few spots where she was tight and evasive. I stuck to my guns without getting tense or fighting while not allowing her to get away. The trick to to stop her and then let go. She could run/spin/bolt if she chose too but I was ready to stop her. I wasn't worried though. I had a plan if she did. There was one time she tried to spin and I was able to shut her down. It definitely didn't feel that her heart was in it. I didn't get the same sense of panic from her that I was getting before.

When I achieved my goal at the walk I hopped off. I was tempted to try to trot and do more but I need to rebuild her trust in me and pushing won't work with her. I am taking the slow and steady approach.

Wish us luck!



31 comments:

  1. I'm glad she's feeling better and that you're letting it go. Don't beat yourself up about it. The thing about 1000 pound animals that can't speak is that you sort of have to be a mind reader to deal with them... and we can't be 100% right about guessing what goes on in their little squirrel brains all the time. The important thing is you got to the bottom of it and fixed it <3

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    1. There was a time when I would have beat myself up about it. Now I prefer to try to learn and then move on. It does seem to be the issue and now I'm wondering for how long has then been affecting us? Also, any tips on how to help her figure out that it's not the ring that caused her distress and she is fine?

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  2. Horses are forgiving, especially when they sense their human making the extra effort. They're good at living in the here and now. It just may be that you and Carmen become an old boring couple soon! Wouldn't that be nice!

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    1. What is interesting is that during my last lesson Sheanea commented on how bonded to me she is. I think that that is helping.

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  3. Don’t beat yourself up about missing the ulcer signs. I read somewhere that 80% of horses have them. Lucy had them when I first got her, and even Jackson had them at one time. I treated Winston for ulcers, thinking that might have been the problem (like you opting to try meds without scoping) but it didn’t make any difference with him. I’m glad it has helped with Carmen — and I envy you being able to take Carmen on the trail. Lucy hates being outside the dressage court and jumps out of her skin at every little noise. She stepped on a stick once and levitated...

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    1. Thanks. On our trail ride on friday Carmen stepped in leaves and scooted. I had to laugh. I'm trying to take a proactive approach rather then engage in negativity.

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  4. Like all the others have said - don’t beat yourself up and take comfort knowing you did figure it out and you did fix it. Fun rides without pressure are great for building trust and restoring the relationship.

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    1. thank you! That's exactly what I'm going for. Fortunately there are no shows/clinics on the horizon to add pressure.

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  5. I’m really glad to hear that she’s feeling better and agree 100% with the other comments that you shouldn’t beat yourself up. Now that I know what to look for I’m figuring it out quicker but I’ve still been confused about what Katai is trying to tell me at times.

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    1. It's hard- especially when it's been going on for a while and/or so many reasons to misbehave.

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  6. I wanted to say thank you for keeping your blog so real, being honest when it is not going as well as you'd like. Your blog lately, especially.

    I told my husband about your blog yesterday, how it helps me when I feel like giving in to despair.

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    1. Aw thank you. That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!

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  7. Oh my goodness, I went through this in the spring with my horse. It can be so hard, but you sound like you are trying to listen to her and find the positive, and like she knows you're really trying to figure it all out. Fun rides sound like a great idea. Just wanted you to know you're not alone out there.

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    1. Thank you! It's wonderful to know I'm not alone.

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  8. I think taking a huge step back and enjoying your rides and/or doing just enough to achieve a goal is a good plan for you both. Don't beat yourself up any more than you have, as you always do the best for Carmen. We do our best until we learn even more and then we are able to do better. You took the time to figure out what was bothering her and now with that new knowledge, you will know earlier if there is a next time. :-)

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    1. Thank you. You are right- we do the best we can and keep on learning.

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  9. I'm glad to hear Carmen is feeling better. I think trail rides make for a good change of pace for both of you.

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    1. They do make a difference. It's one of my favourite things to do.

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  10. I think Carmen is so lucky to have you :)
    Fingers crossed the progression keeps building for you both.

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    1. I think I was destined to own this mare. As cheesy as that sounds!

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  11. I've been there before, luckily, horses seem to be forever forgiving.

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  12. We live and we learn and that's really all we can do. You do your best for Carmen and she knows it. The trail rides are a great idea to switch things up a bit. I also think that just walking around the arena and not pushing for more is a great idea. Wishing you lots of luck with your plans.

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    1. Thank you. I wasn't sure if I was being chicken or cautious. In the end I decided to err on the side of caution.

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  13. I am so, so very happy to hear how much happier Carmen is! And I'm glad you're able to chalk it up as a lesson learned. I struggle to do that very thing, though it does get easier the more I practice, haha. Ultimately, it's hard to know every way our horses are able to communicate with us and what each of those things mean until we've experienced them all and found the solution. Your conversations with Carmen get more advanced every day and with such an already-strong relationship, I'm sure you'll be conquering new and amazing things in no time. Trail rides sound like a perfect way to settle back into it all. =)

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    1. Thank you for that! It's hard and sometimes I think that I'm overthinking and then I figured out that i hadn't thought enough. Sigh. But I do agree about the relationship thing.

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  14. i'm always so surprised by how similar Carmen and Charlie seem to be based on what you've shared. they react very differently, sure, but they seem to have some of the same basic needs. charlie had a high mileage life on the track that included working hard through uncomfortable circumstances - including a diagnosis that probably should have been made sooner than it was. and now, yea, he seriously lacks trust in being made to push through if anything is bothering him, and will react very strongly if i miss his cues and keep pushing. as a rider it's so hard to know where the line is, too. luckily tho, charlie doesn't hold any grudges if i don't get it quite right, and so long as i stay focused on that trust, things keep moving in the right direction. i'm sure you and Carmen will be the same!

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    1. They do sound similar. It's so hard to know when to push and when to back off without reinforcing the thing that we don't want. Sigh.

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  15. I keep forgetting to tell you I took your advice, sort of. You told me I should fill in those tractor tire holes in my pasture and I couldn't imagine trying to do that with a shovel (we have no tractor) but then I realized my animals were pooping in the vicinity of those huge holes, so I just started to fill them in. It took a while but now they're no longer hazardous.

    Funnily, when I was in Dortmund in school, my husband had to do pasture duty and he encountered one of those filled-in holes. He went to "clean it up" and realized it was different. He called me and said, "Do your animals poop in one particular spot now?" *lol*

    By next year they'll be grown over with grass. So yay, it worked, no digging up dirt required.

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  16. <3 slow and steady always wins the race. Yes, file under lessons learned and stay positive. Stick to your plan.

    I am sorry I have been so out of touch and have not kept up my reading of your blog, so I am not sure of what all has been going on. However, I just wanted to say that I appreciate you and for sharing your story. For supporting me in my times of need. I always appreciate your comments. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that. I love your blog and openness. It is helpful in so many ways to read. <3

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    1. Thank you for that. I enjoy your blog very much as well.

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