Rested, Restored, And Ready To Run?

Yes please.

Dr. Bob knows how hard I work for my horses.  He knows the hours I spend toiling, studying, watching, searching, and fine-tuning every aspect of their existence to give them the best I can.  So it made me feel a little less paranoid when, as he stepped out of his truck Tuesday morning, he said, "I'm hoping I can give you some good news for a change today so you can finally catch a break!"

You and me both, buddy, you and me both.  At least it wasn't just me who felt like the dice kept rolling against us just enough to keep us from, you know, actually doing anything.  I could only keep chanting my life mantra:  nothing lasts forever, nothing lasts forever...

Stuff blew out everywhere.

I had spent the last six weeks dutifully feeding bute, painting on Durasole (thanks for the reminder of its much-loved magic, Yvonne!) and strapping and re-strapping fly boots (thanks, Allie!) and examining every surface and crevice on Encore's four bruised-up feet for any signs of emerging abscess or other "nasties" (hey, that's the term my vet uses, so it's real now!).

As directed, I'd kept him in very light work on grass; even though we knew his hips were out of whack and he was sore, he still needed to do some gentle walking and trotting to keep the blood pumping in his feet, speeding healing and exorcising all evils.  He was all kinds of cattywompus, but after three to four weeks, I felt the footiness subside until all that remained was his out-of-whack hind end and poll.

Check out where that back meridian on top goes!

The latter two were a result of his compensation for his foot soreness.  Interestingly, because of the way the muscles and nerves work, many times a hind end lameness can manifest through a jammed or resistant feeling in the horse's poll on the opposite side.  Even the ancient rules of acupuncture acknowledge this connection, which is pretty remarkable if you consider acupuncture itself dates back to the Stone Age and the use of metal needles dates to at least 113 BC!!

I told Dr. Bob that I believed that he had finally worked out that last significant bruise in his left front foot and, miracle of miracles, had not developed abscesses in any of them.  At times, I am hesitant to make any assertions, as it can be difficult to detect small things in all the colours and dirt layers of a hoof.  But the hoof testers backed me up and I had to let out a giggle of excitement.

Next we had Encore's long-awaited chiropractic adjustment to put all that cattywompus back where it belonged.  Dr. Bob had informed me that yes, he could have adjusted him two weeks ago when we were at the clinic, but it would all get thrown right back out again since Encore was still compensating a bit, so instead of wasting time and money, it was better to hold tight until his feet felt good (this is a vet you keep!).

Not Encore, but that is his favourite stretch!

My big brown beast leaned into the stretches with relish, licking his lips as joints popped and settled from his poll to his tailbone.  Happily, his mid-back was solid so his spring vertebral injections were still doing their trick and his withers and hips quickly fell into line.  I was glad we had decided to inject his hocks six weeks ago; even though they do not have arthritic changes, they were sore from compensatory motion and were now swinging freely and their range of motion was as good or better than ever!  It was with great satisfaction that I watched him trot off across the pasture already looking pretty darn normal again.

Dr. Bob went merrily along his way (significantly more financially merry) after a hearty congratulations and Encore was free to rest and meander around his pasture.  The latter will get today off in case of any soreness from the adjustments and then, I will swing a leg back over to....dare I hope?...bring him back into work.

Don't leave us behind, fall season, we're trying to catch up!!

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Contest Winners For The Win!!

I plead guilty; this particular eventer has been buried in busy, putting out fire after proverbial fire.  I barely dare to hope it, but we do finally have some positive news:  Dr. Bob inspected and adjusted Encore this morning and pronounced his feet no longer sore, the bruises healed, and his body on the upswing at last!!!  I'd tell you about the show I want to enter but I know what that would cause!

First, however, I owe you entertaining contest winners who will each receive Absorbine goodies, as announced at the end of July.  We had some valiant pieces of gear, still working hard despite taking an awesome beating!  So without further ado, I give you the winners of our 2013 Absorbine TryPak "My Crap Is Redneckier Than Your Crap" contest!!  If you are a winner and you want your swag, drop me an email with your name and shipping address and stuff will be drop-shipped from Absorbine.

East Bound shares her paddock boots (and badass lime green socks) complete with holes, broken zippers, broken snaps, and the tried and true attachment method of "eh, the spurs will keep them from falling off."

Jana shares my dedication to a good pair of gloves.  Who needs ten fingers anyway?

 

Andrea built a chambon out of....I don't even know how many random parts!  Win for ingenuity!

Stephanie is determined to just keep patching her blankets!  Why get new ones when these are good and broken in?

 Rebekah combined bedraggled half chaps with hay-string cobbled boots for a stylish schooling look!

And our friend, CalmForwardStraight, personlizes her arena drag.

 

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who sent in a picture!!  If you could please send me your shipping information by the end of this week, as I've kept Absorbine waiting long enough!  Keep on styling and you will always be a Rider With Character!

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Clip Clop Clip Clop BANG BANG Clip Clop...

Know what makes that noise?

Wait for it....



...an Amish drive-by.  HAHAHAHHA.  Ok, yes, I love jokes in poor taste, it is a weakness.

That is also the sound of a llama TB speed racing over trot poles.  Bugger.

In good news, he is looking and feeling sounder on his feet.  I still have not seen anything blowing out of his front hooves, but he does seem more comfortable on them.  We had a nice little ride on the grass on Monday.  Of course, he is also getting daily bute, so...

I confess we did have a terrible ride last night.  I should just not get on when I am tired and it is heinously humid.  Things degrade quickly, we end up frustrated and I ponder a hobby of goldfish.  Or rocks. 

Part of the problem is that right now, I just do not have the money to take the lessons I should have with the trainers whose eyes I badly need.  David is a two-hour haul -- well worth it, but hard to find the diesel money at the present time.  The truth is, as I know I've said before and as became very obvious to me with Becky this spring, to make real progress, you simply must have that pro time.

There are some more local options to explore.  The simple fact is, I'm not having fun right now, which then saps my motivation.  Therefore, the point is being missed!  Whenever I catch this phenomenon occurring, I know it is time to take a step back, inhale, exhale, and plan something light-hearted, relaxing, and...FUN.  I am fairly exploding with impatience to get back out on the trails, the Devil Belly-Stabbing Bugs need to hurry up and go away.

What do you do when this happens?  How do you uncoil those springs and relax with your horse, rediscovering that oh yeah, my hobby is supposed to make me happier?  How do you keep working towards your goals yet take some of the pressure off so the pot doesn't blow its lid? 

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I Could Fund Dr. Bob's Retirement. I Probably Do.

Stomp.  Stomp.  Stomp.  Stomp.

With that, we were down for the count again.  If you follow us on Facebook, you already know that Encore has the dubious distinction of managing to bruise all four of his feet at once.  While I felt rather relived when Dr. Bob pronounced his diagnosis, as it was far better than whatever mysterious thing my brain was dreaming up, it was still frustrating and a bit disheartening whilst in the middle of it.  Bite me, fall schedule.

This year has been akin to hoof  murder for many, though.  It went something like this:

Enjoying dinner in a ditch in mismatched anti-stomp finery.

Wet
Dry
Wet
Wet
Wet
Dry
FLIES FLIES FLIES
Wet
Wet
FLIESDRYWETFLIESAGH!

Shoes came loose, muscles got sore from ground concussion, and everyone ended up aggravated.

Sometimes it seems like my sexy brown horse is bent on getting out of work.  Each time we get into the swing of things, we crash into the wall.  Even Dr. Bob shakes his head a bit because Encore has great conformation, wonderful athleticism, and worlds of try.  And there is certainly not anything wrong with him outside of his back's arthritic changes, which have done great with injections and caused no further issues.  He just seems to have picked up his owner's penchant for hurt-yourself-just-enough-to-be-annoying.  Naturally, Mr. Solo Of The Wussy Feet...is fine.

Making a list of his creative ways of hurting himself does make me feel better though.  Yeah, that sounds odd, doesn't it??  But it does remind me that they are all just poorly-timed little things.   A pulled ligament, a foot bruise (psh, who does just one, go big or go home!), a sore muscle.  Irritating, yes, but undeniably a part of owning the sporthorse!

His back feet have already blown out their abscesses.  His hocks were a bit sore from compensating for sore feet and more stomping, so we injected the lower hock joints to tide him through healing (heck, he raced for three years, it's not like he's never had a joint injection) by reducing soreness and letting him move more smoothly and naturally.  Interesting tidbit:  I asked Dr. Bob if there was any data about hock injections in terms of future prognosis, as I know he keeps up on his science.  I was very happy to learn that with hocks, the injections do not exacerbate any issues or limit your treatment window in the same way that coffin or fetlock joint injections can.

He'll stay on his bute until his front feet decide to erupt, remaining in a light riding schedule on grass to help keep the blood pumping in his feet and encourage those bruises to move out and heal.  And of course, I broke out my Durasole and introduced the two of them, along with my fly boots!  I already know from his radiographs that he has lovely, thick soles, they just need to be a bit harder this year to battle the crazed weather on top of hard ground in which rocks are a cash crop.  I also picked up this nifty little battery-powered fly mister for the run-in shed.

Keep an eye on those tootsies, folks, and don't forget, proactive is always better than reactive!  And less expensive, sigh...

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Serene Solo

It makes him so happy...

When I swung my leg over and settled into Solo's dressage saddle, I remember how close to saddle heaven your butt gets to be in that thing.  Delicious! 

That's right, I brought Mr. Shiny down to the arena for a change since Encore continues to symie us with his particular feet.  I really didn't plan on much; for once, it was only 80 degrees with a refreshingly mild 50% humidity -- it practically felt like fall!!!  Solo wandered nonchalantly through the gate with the clump of his front boots and the swish of his sparse tail.  Ah, my follicularly challenged friend!

I had woken up in a funny mood and the idea of some time with my best buddy was especially appealing.  With some lateral work and transitions within the trot, we both woke up and rather to my surprise, my often-uninspired chestnut found a bright rhythm as I felt his back and withers lift and the base of his neck reach into an extended trot.  His lovely, balanced canter has always been easier to sit than Encore's (not quite the same level of horsepower back there), like riding a hammock, and we even did a couple of flying changes in a figure eight and a fakey gallop.

He felt great!

As we wandered back up the hill, I couldn't repress my smile and enjoyed the peaceful vibe of my horse.  Solo's still got it, buttons are intact, and what's more, although he would still much rather soar than shoulder-in, now that he is on the more "finished" side of the training continuum, he enjoys the work so much more than when we were both grasping at straws, trying to figure things out.  And thank you, Encore, for making me a better rider with a deeper, more educated feel and more polished technique. 

Heck, maybe I should put him on the fitness trail and visit a show for fun.  That USEA registration is a lifetime one...

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