Summary of the last two weeks

Last week went pretty well riding-wise. We did some basic flatwork western-style on Monday, including a little cantering and a trot pole, lunge work on Tuesday, English walk-trot flatwork Wednesday.

Why do I have to work in the mud?

Charlie seems less stiff overall each day, which is good, but his feet have been bothering him with this soft wet ground. I've been treating them with Farrier's Fix and thrush medication on his front right (it's a pretty minor case, and my farrier cut away most of it when he was here, but Charlie is still tender on that foot). I plan on getting some Farrier Barrier, as recommended by my farrier, soon to hopefully help with the moisture issue.

My jury rigged bareback pad with a butt strap to encourage tucking worked surprisingly well

I've also been able to isolate a small problem spot along Charlie's ribs on the right, right around the girth area, that is definitely sore. His right side has always been touchy, but previous physicals didn't show anything. I'm thinking he may have gotten himself kicked at some point in the past month or so and is still healing. I wouldn't put it past him. Or maybe he sleeps on that side more than the left and gets achey. The vet is coming next week for spring shots and I'll make sure to mention it to him.

April 2014 conformation. Not horrible for having the whole winter off.

The highlight of last week, though, was definitely trail riding next to a couple of deer. We came across them after exploring the back field, and though the two deer shot out from behind a brush pile not ten feet from us, startling both myself and Charlie, no one took off for the hills.

The initial staredown

Actually, we calmly watched each other for maybe a minute before Charlie and I decided to continue down the trail. We had to walk directly toward the deer to go home, and they sidestepped a few paces but weren't really spooked, opting to parallel our path and study us instead, ears flicking and nostrils going crazy. At one point they let us get within ten feet or so. I'm sure they were trying to figure out what that weird growth was on Charlie's back. It was kind of surreal to get that close without them running away, and I'm not used to a horse that is this ok with deer!

Unlike last week, this week was kind of a loss. Upon returning from vacation it has been nothing but rainy and miserable outside. I managed to squeeze in one ride yesterday in the middle of a light drizzle, but that was it.

Misty, rainy mess

Charlie has become extremely good at standing while I work around him

Long Lining during the Great Melt

On Tuesday I decided to try long lining again with Charlie since riding wasn't much of an option. The ring was an absolute mess, the wind was blustering (is that a word?), and Charlie was in lala land, but we could at least walk around, right? Plus I had to do something with my Irish Thoroughbred on St. Paddy's Day.

I really wish trotting would have been an option, because Charlie definitely had some extra energy that needed to be released. He's long lined many times, and does well typically, but this time I could only get about 4 minutes of attention at a time. A few times he mini reared when I asked him to turn (for some reason turning right was hard today), but I couldn't really make him work in the sloppy mess of the ring without fear of him falling. He then tried to cling to me and wouldn't move out, so I had to remind him I have personal space too.

Eventually we started making progress, but we really weren't getting anywhere significant and he really didn't like walking through all that mess (could I blame him?), so I switched to one line and lunged him instead, doing lots of inside turns on the circle and trying to focus his attention that way. That actually managed to cut through the BS, and he started listening, stopped resisting, lowered his head with an ear toward me and began licking his lips.

We ended with a good 10 minutes of "halt and stand" (ground tie) work. Charlie is an in-your-lap kind of horse, but he *should* know how to stand when I walk away (or at least he used to). Today took some refreshing. He kept trying to stay glued to my hip. Every he moved toward me before I asked him to, I'd walk back to him calmly, reposition him to his original position, and then repeat the "stand" command and walk away. It took a little longer than I wanted, but eventually he remembered the gig and I could make him stand and wait, then cluck him forward two steps toward me and then say "whoa" and he'd stop, waiting for the next go forward cue before coming further.

All in all it wasn't the most exciting lesson, but it was something. I'm hoping the crazy wind today will dry out the ring so I can ride again! All of this mental work is good, I'm sure, but Charlie and I both need some physical exercise.

Four more days....

I really wanted to do a nice trot workout today, but everything is still very wet and slushy. Too wet to even walk around the paddocks :( 

The outdoor

 Charlie came out to aid in my inspection of the outdoor and offer some kisses:

Whatcha doin mom?

Achilles soon joined us, vying for my attention. Sorry boys, no treats here, but you sure are cute!

Baby Face and The Beggar

Since the driveway and woods were clearly the only areas that promised anything resembling solid ground, I decided to warm up with Charlie doing our driveway routine, and then do a little exploring in the woods. 

Charlie was a little more anxious today than he has been. No surprise there; we saw at least two different herds of 4-6 deer in the first ten minutes. I really focused on keeping my hands and body relaxed but being as physically (and mentally!) confident as possible whenever he'd get quick or try to resist my leg or hands. I found that using a slightly driving seat and a giving rein to encourage forward movement in these instances really worked well, even though it might sound counterproductive for a quick horse. This made it so speeding up was no longer fun for Charlie, because it was now my idea rather than his, and he soon realized that whenever he tried to stop, he ended up doing more work (working walk). Once we had controlled energy, I started directing it using a series of walk-halt-walk transitions, with some backing up and a few series of serpentines. I needed to get Charlie more focused and nicely listening, especially to "whoa," if we were going in the woods. 

At one point, it was going well enough that I decided to try a small trot, but that brought Charlie right to the edge of what he could handle. I almost lost him mentally, but I held my leg constant and asked him to please trust me and hold it together for just a little bit (I swear I heard Guy McLean in my head: "It's ok, mate, I know you're uncomfortable, but you're doing so well! Can I just ask you for a tiny bit more? I know you can do it and I'm so proud...that'sa good boy!"). What do you know, after a dozen or so strides Charlie stopped tensing and resisting, and I so stopped asking and let him walk. Time for a (literal) change of scenery and mental stimulation: off to the woods!

I've never been on the trails back there, and you can't see them anyway with the snow, so we just followed the deer tracks around the small wooded area bordering the back of the property. It was fun. Charlie was a little anxious, but in an excited way and he held it together well, even when we reached the open field at the opposite end and encountered another herd of deer. I'm excited to try it back there again once the snow melts. Four more days until spring.....!

Spring?

We just set the clocks forward so, yes, that means it is actually coming. But you know what that also means....MUD :(

Chastise me if you wish but I would take a cold snowy winter day over mud every time.

Mud Season, oh joy

It's here. Mud Season. Although we had a decent snow last week here in Rhode Island, the past several days have been in the high 40s or low 50s so everything is melting. It's beautiful spring weather (at least above ground) but it doesn't bode well for hooves.

I'd been worried about the mud issue ever since first moving to this barn - the turnouts being so small and not grassy - but I was really hoping we could hold out a little longer before the mud became a problem. Unfortunately yesterday when I went to the barn after work I discovered each of Charlie's heels was white and swollen with mud rash. Not surprising, once I had a look outside at the paddocks; they were complete mud pits:

I hadn't noticed anything when I groomed Charlie on Wednesday (I've been pretty vigilant about getting all the mud off his legs whenever I do see him). I guess it had only been snowing up until that point so everything was still frozen and he wasn't standing in wetness for any extended period of time until now. However that day it rained all day long before warming up significantly toward the end of the week which served to melt most of the remaining snow. I didn't make it back out to the barn until Saturday because of my work schedule, and by then the horses had been allowed out several times to take advantage of the nice weather. They just apparently were not hosed off when they came in (slightly irritating).

Treating the mud rash was the first "medical" thing I've had to do with Charlie and I was pleasantly surprised with how good he was. He walked right into the wash stall (which he had never been in before and which has all kinds of scary objects along the walls) and stood quietly while I hosed his legs/feet and scrubbed each foot/heel with betadine, including a few open sores which couldn't have been too comfortable. He even shifted his weight and lifted each foot up politely as I came up to it. What a good boy.

After the initial hose off. You can see the distinct white areas and a few sores on his heel bulb.

After letting the betadine sit for a while I dried everything really well and sprayed on some scarlet oil to kill bacteria and help it dry. I also have some diaper rash cream that I intend to use to soothe any irritation and seal out moisture once everything has had a chance to really dry out.

I feel good that I caught it fairly early, and Charlie's not lame at all, but I do feel bad for him and I'm a little disappointed that his legs weren't hosed off when he was brought in if it was that muddy...now he has to stay in for a few days while his heels dry out and he's not going to like that at all.

"Honestly, mom, it's not so bad. Just give me lots of cookies" :)