In Which Irish Proves He Still Has IT

Irish has started his annual hunger strike with earnest. When I am outside I can feel his gaze penetrating into my skull demanding to be let onto the grassy field. I've actually started to skulk in hopes that he won't see me. But damn, that horse is psychic. Lately when I look out the window he's staring fixedly at me. I'm sure that he knows I'm there even though he can't see me. 

no excuses servant, just open the gate

I remain strong despite the force of his will. It's amazing- if he had used 1/10th of that in the show ring we'd have kicked butt. He needs to be exercised so that he doesn't lose all of his muscle. He had yesterday off but I needed to work him today. Since I was going to ride two horses I had to pick which one was first. When I looked out in the field and saw Irish throwing tantrums over having to eat hay I decided that he could go first. He was easy to get - he came right up to me. Probably because he thought I was going to take him to grass.

Carmen wasn't too impressed to be left behind but didn't make too much of a fuss. I mounted outside of the barn and rode up to the ring. He was tense and a bit excited so I started him off with lots of bending and suppling exercises. He was very stiff in the trot so we cantered for a bit and he loosened right up. I was glad to be wearing spurs- not to get him going but to help him bend and straighten. It's not so easy for him but letting him work crooked is not going to help in the long run. When he was soft, supple and nicely forward I decided to practice Training Level Test 1. This is one of the tests I have planned for Carmen at our first show and I wanted to see how it rode. I figured it would be easy for him. Irish and I made it to 2nd level before his neuro issues became a problem.
Here's how the test went:
I picked up a trot and entered at A. As we headed down the centre line I felt Irish come alive.
Irish: We're doing a test aren't we? 
Me: yes but don't get excited 
Irish: We ARE. I just knew it! 

X- halt through walk
Irish: Where's the judge? What about my fans? I don't see them!

C- track Left. E - circle left 20 metres
Me:  contain yourself, it's a simple circle not the Indy 500 
Irish: what's that? Is it a REALLY BIG SHOW? 

A- circle left 20 metres picking up a canter in first quarter of circle
As we made our way towards A Irish started to bounce.
Irish: Canter, we're going to canter
Me: Wait for it
Irish: can-ter, can-ter, CANTER CANTER CANTER
 And he cantered, well before A. I brought him back and asked him to canter right after A.
He was nice and forward on the circle.
uh oh I thought.
Irish: I know what's coming next! 
A-F-B working canter
Me: no you don't. 
Irish:  YES I do! 
There's no lengthen in this test. 
Yes there is. Watch me fly! 
No. No. No. Just canter. No lengthen
Here we go- wheeeeeeeeeeee

Despite my half-halts and, quite frankly, death grip on the reins he went down the long side with every bit of lengthen in his 16 year old, out of shape, arthritic being. We flew with no signs of the aforementioned age, out of shapeness or arthritis. .

Between B and M working trot.
Irish: Bit abrupt that. Should have more warning- it's hard to go from lengthen canter to trot. What were the writers thinking? 
Me: They were thinking that it was WORKING CANTER. 
Irish: silly. 

C-E  walk. E-F free walk on the long rein.
As we walked by H Irish tried to cross the diagonal on the free rein
Irish: hellooo? You missed the turn. 
Me: Not until E. 
Irish:  Well that seems late. 

A- Working Trot
Irish:  and we're off! 

E- Circle right 20 metre

Irish: now for the wind up
Me: wind up? what wind up? there will be no winding. 

C- circle 20 meters developing canter in first quarter of circle
Irish: compressing energy, getting ready.... 
Me: For pity's sake. There is NO lengthen in this test. 

C-M-B- working Canter.
Irish: wheeeeee. Look at me- I'm pegasus. 
 Me: fine. yes you are pegasus. The noblest of beasts. 
Irish: I know, right? 

A- down centre line
Irish: hey didn't do lengthen trot. Let's do it now. 

X- Halt salute
Irish  stopped on the dime. I was almost propelled up his neck.

He was thrilled with himself. We cooled out and then walked back to the barn. We passed Carmen and Irish strutted.
Did you see me? Now THAT'S how it's done. 
Carmen: see what? did you get any grass? 

And from his back he can't give me that gimlet eye he's been using! 

This guy can still make me laugh.

Clear Skies

Approximately one year ago I sat on Carmen for the first time since I had bought her (http://journeywithadancinghorse.blogspot.ca/2015/04/the-right-moment.html). Things went downhill pretty quickly after that. There were issues with saddle fit, the right bit and communication. With lots of help, lots of miles and literally hours spent on the ground and in the saddle we are at a point of consistency.  We both know what to expect from each other (good and bad). I also believe that her diet has played a role as well.

gratuitous vacation picture

I returned from vacation on Wednesday morning. Wednesday night I spent grooming her and thursday I lunged her. I rode for the first time on Friday. Cynthia came and rode Irish. He was feeling good after his abscess popped. I put on a boot to replace his lost shoe and he was good to go. Carmen was relaxed and calm from the start. During the ride she was wary of the far side and tended to bend away. I tried to fix it but ended up riding an 'S' shaped horse with her head held in, her shoulder popped in  and her haunches somewhere to the outside.  I realized that my nemesis, aka my inside hand,  had reared it's ugly head. It's my 'go to' when things start to go wrong. I had to work really hard on not using the inside hand and using my inside leg instead. Things got better after that.

What I also realized is that as long as I have contact on the outside rein she doesn't really spook. The problem is that when she's worried about something she ducks behind the rein and I have to be careful that I don't pull back.  She had some worries and spooks but not the big spin-and-bolt we had last year. Instead they were 'flinches' and then carry on. I have to make sure that when I feel her tense that I don't tense in response. Instead I have to relax more. This leads to some interesting internal conversations:
oh oh she's getting tense, better get ready- tighten those legs and grip those reins.
no, just breathe 
but we could die
it will be okay, just sit back not forward and relax those legs
screw you, I don't want to die
trust me. 
oh, look it worked. 
And repeat.
But it's getting easier.

Our canter transitions are much better- there was no bucking at all.

Today was a ride just by ourselves. And it was better than yesterday. We were able to work on bends and patterns. I'm having so much fun just being able to use the entire ring. I am able to use lots of patterns to keep her focussed and on the aids. As we got more in tune she became very forward. My first reaction was to try to slow her down but I realized that she wasn't rushing- she was using her hind end and I wasn't feeling fast- I was feeling power. Once I started to ride that it got really fun.

I know that there will be bad rides too but I am feeling quite optimistic about our spring and summer.

Achieving a Work-Equine Balance

When I first started in my career I worked 4 days a week. It was perfect when the kids were young. A few years later and I was working full time and then I moved into a management position which was, frankly, more than full time a lot of the time. But I love my job and believe in the work that we do.

A few months ago I was given the opportunity to work less hours. After some thinking and consulting with Ed I am now back to working 4 days a week.  When I tell my friends they comment on how this will help achieve a work - life balance. When I tell my horse friends their eyes light up and they comment on how this will free up my time to spend with the horses. Which is exactly what I thought as well.

My new schedule started at the same time as when I took my vacation so I don't know yet how it feels.  I was on vacation until Weds and went to work yesterday. I'm off today and it feels like I'm skipping school. But I'm sure I'll get over that. It will be easier to schedule lessons and horse activities on this schedule and I will be able to get chores done around the farm.

In two weeks Carmen and I are off to a 3 day clinic with Johanna. She helped us so much last year that I'm excited to work with her again.

And because you may be wondering about Irish: he blew an abscess out his heel sometime in the night on Wednesday. He's feeling much better. But he's dropping weight like crazy right now because the grass is starting to grow and he's ignoring his hay. But there's not enough grass for him to maintain his weight.  It happens every spring and it drives me nuts. I've taken to scattering hay out in the paddock in hopes that he will graze on it. Once he's over on the grass he will bulk up again. In the meantime I hope no one calls horse protection on me! If Irish was a human he would be one of those naturally skinny people that drop weight easily. I gave him a stomach supplement this morning so that he doesn't get ulcery with his lack of forage intake. Carmen is being sensible and picking at the grass and eating the hay.

Welcome Home

It was a great vacation.  It was just what I needed after my winter- the right mix of fun and relaxation in warm weather. I do really like Arizona- there's so much to do and see it's hard to fit it all in. I will probably put in some photos of my trip over the next few months. Another thing that I really enjoyed was spending time with Ed's family. Since they live out west we don't see them much. It was nice to reminded of just how lovable they all are (not loveable like a teddy bear or kitten but as wonderful, intelligent human beings).

All that said, I was ready to come home. I was missing my arm and my family (4 and 2 legged). We arrived late last night and spent the night at Andrew and Cynthia's before heading home. We were up after a few hours sleep and on the road. When we pulled into the driveway Irish was staring at the car. I got out and he walked up to the fence to greet me. Carmen was there as well but not quite as interested- she was trying to find the green grass that's starting to come in.

We went into the house and unpacked. I then bundled up (it seemed cold after Arizona) and went outside. As soon as I walked out Irish came up to the fence again. This time Carmen came running too.

Here's Irish as the fence and Carmen coming up behind.

Note the position of the right hind leg- it's going to become important. 

I went out to the field and spend some time with them- rubbing them and catching up on all the news. I promised them both a good groom later on tonight and then headed up to the ring. The ground is beginning to firm up and I wanted to see how much work it needed. I decided to hitch up the drag and give it a good going over. It took about an hour- I went over it several times to loosen up the sand that had become compacted. 

I noted that Irish didn't seem quite right. Joanne had warned me the the hadn't eaten all his breakfast- but that's not unusual for him so I don't panic over such things. In the house I kept an eye on him and he still didn't seem himself. I couldn't figure out what was wrong so I put on his halter and brought him in. At first I thought he seemed colicky but he did have some reasonable gut sounds (yes I own a stethoscope. If you owned Irish so would you). His breathing seemed normal and his gums pink. But he was a bit trembly in the hind end and he looked a bit peaked. He was very restless in the cross ties-which is not typical. My brain started to clamour with warning bells when he went to go step back in the cross ties and had to hop. Irish has an unspecified neurological condition (most probably arthritis) and I'm always on the lookout to see if it worsens. He can take some anti-inflammatories but only short term (because of his tendency to colic). 

The voices in my head started up:

Could be a fractured pelvis

But he's walking okay

Or impaction

But I heard gut sounds

What about his gums?

They seemed normal.

'SEEMED' normal? What kind of owner does not know the exact shade of pink of her horse's gums? 

You're right. I'm not fit to have horses. 

This might be it. 
While we're at it, what kind of owner goes away and leaves her animals anyway? 

We don't even know what's going on yet. 

COULD YOU JUST CALM DOWN AND CALL THE DAMN VET?!

Ah, the voice of reason. 

I called and explained (somewhat incoherently) what was going on. The receptionist promised me a vet would call. In the meantime I noted that he was missing a shoe. I was sure I had seen it on him earlier. So I sent a text to my farrier:

Once I read Paul's texts I realized that abscess made the most sense. There was no heat or swelling so it was either high up (in his hip/SI/ pelvis) or low in his foot. Irish has been prone to abscesses. I picked up his hing foot and cleaned it out. I tapped it with the hoof pick in a few spots and one area he would jerk it away from me. I heaved a big sigh. I started to boil water and get out the hoof packing stuff.

In the meantime the phone rang and it was Meaghan. I told her that I was much less panicked and what I thought was going on. We decided that I would treat it as an abscess and if it changed at all she would come out and take a look. I made up my poultice with boiling water, a hoof poultice and some towels. I put it in my Old Mac horse boot and put it on his foot. I had soaking feet and Irish is a real PITA about it. He will stand for the longest time and then tip the water out. I'm sure he does it for amusement. While his foot was soaking I mixed some feed, bute and stomach supplement to give him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to eat it (the supplement is new to him) so I held the tub and coaxed him to eat. Carmen looked on appalled at being left out of all this - especially the feeding.

hello??? is anyone noticing the starving horse over here? This is so not fair

Irish ate most of it and I put the rest to mix with his supper later. I let Carmen like the tub. 

After I let Irish back out and walked around looking for the missing shoe. I couldn't find it but he followed me around like a puppy. 

I know it sounds crazy but part of me thinks he timed this so that I would have to pamper him when I came home.

Cow Pokes

Sorry for the radio silence the past week or so. Ed and I have been travelling. We were out in the mountains of BC for a wedding:

The wedding Venue at Emerald Lake Lodge

After some fun days visiting with family and celebrating young love we headed south to Arizona where we met up with our friends Cynthia and Andrew. We spent the first part in Sedona and visited the Grand Canyon. Let me go on record that you should go to Sedona. The views are breath taking and it's a hikers paradise. We then headed to the San Tan Valley (where we are now). 

Riding in the desert has always been on my list of things to do (won't call it a bucket list). Cynthia's husband suggested that he and Ed should go with us on one of our treks. I found a great place close to us (MD Ranch) and after speaking to the owner and looking at the horses, Cynthia and I booked the ride. 

Right up to the last minute Ed was thinking we were joking but Andrew insisted that it would be fun for all us. Which is pretty impressive for a guy that's allergic to horses. It might have been the allergy medication talking. But we were mounted up and headed off. I really liked the horses. Mine was a palomino mare and she was so smooth that I would have bought her and brought her home if I could have fit her in my luggage. Irish might not appreciate having 2 mares though...

such a great view

yes I know that we are not wearing helmets. 

You can see that after we are all smiles. I really enjoyed the walk in the park even though it was quite windy. I was speaking to our trail guide asking each other about hay and horse keeping in our two locales.

Today Cynthia and I are dropping the guys off at a golf course and headed to Saguaro Lake for another ride in the desert- 2 hours this time.

Annual Checkup

Yesterday I had the vet come to do the spring vaccinations, teeth floating and general check up. This time we had the daughter of the vet we usually get. M is just as wonderful as her father. She came with an assistant and both said that they had been admiring Carmen as they drive by our home.Of course I totally agreed with them.

Carmen was a bit wary of the 'strangers' but Irish takes his job as official greeter very seriously. We decided to do Carmen first. I described what had been going on with the Alfalfa and she agreed that it could be that. M asked if I had tried magnesium and I said I was considering it but wanted to think about it. She agreed that the evidence is anecdotal. Carmen was very well behaved for the examination but I could see she was on guard. M gave her a sedative to do her teeth and it was funny to see the transformation of high headed, haughty mare to droopy lip and stoned mare. As M did her teeth she was alert enough to keep grabbing the rasp. I had suspected that there might be a few sharp edges to her teeth given her reluctance to take the bit lately and sure enough she had some hooks in the back molars and had cut her cheek. M also asked if there were any soundness, lameness anything with her. Nope I said. And then knocked on the wooden stall door.

Irish watched up from his stall looking a little miffed that Carmen was getting all the attention. but now it was his time. He was happy for all the attention. We gave him some drugs too to do his teeth but much less than Carmen. That made things go faster.

Both horses had good body condition- Irish on the skinny side of good and Carmen on the not-skinny side. Irish always drops a bit of weight this time of year so I no longer worry. It will come back when the grass is in.

After I left them in the stalls to sleep off the drugs and then let them out to move around a bit. They basically looked at each other trying to figure out what happened and then went to top of the hill to sleep it off.

After I came out to get the stalls ready and feed them supper. Normally they come down to harass hurry me along. This time they stayed at the top of the hill and watched me. I could see them.
Carmen: Do you think it's supper?
Irish: (squinting): Hard to tell. It could be a trap. 
Carmen: What do we do. 
Irish: We wait but keep an eye out. If it's a trap she'll come to get us. If it's supper she will call us. 
Carmen:ohhhh. Okay

When I was in the tack room filling their feed buckets they started to mosey down. When Carmen saw me pour her feed in she came trotting in and dived into her bucket.

It's good to have that done as spring is coming much earlier this year.

Keepsakes

I have sometimes been told that I am not sentimental. And that may be true- I have not kept every drawing my children have done and when we were cleaning out my mother's place I kept a few things to remind me of her and gave the rest to charity (or threw away). I have a box of things that she put aside before she died and put my name on but haven't been ready to go through that yet. 

Anyway, I've always liked jewelry. I have a few funky pieces that I like to wear and when I travel I try to find some jewelry so that when I put it on it reminds me of where I've been. 

I've been intrigued by the horse hair jewelry. After Steele died I didn't even think to get some hair but I found some from a brush I had and I put it in a bag and set it aside. A few weeks ago I saw a post that a neighbour (Vanessa) was making jewelry from horse hair. I contacted her and and she dropped it off last night (let me know if you want to get in touch with her): 

It's a bracelet that is a mix of Irish, Carmen and Steele's hair.  It's simple which I like. 

Maybe I am a sentimental fool after all.