Firewell
Well-Known Member
Hi everyone,
The last post I wrote was when I was certain I was going to sell my horse. It has been a real struggle getting back into riding after my second baby. Having the time, the confidence, the ability (!).
Basically what happened was I felt that trying to ride with the babies was making me stressed, and I thought it best on all of us if I sold my horse and focused on my family maybe getting a hack instead.
Well I put him up for sale. Here in CA a decent, amature friendly allrounder who looks pretty is worth $$$$. I put my 10yr old TB up for 18k and had tons of interest. In fact the moment I put his advert up I had one lady wanting to see him straight away. To cut a long story short he tested 3/10th lame on right hind flexion which understandably put that buyer off. I pulled him off the market, got his back done, did a week of bute and started him on a decent joint supplement. I then booked him in for a lameness work up by the world renowned equine vet practice near where I live.
Two weeks after he failed the vet he did his lameness work up. We were going to start with nerve blocks. Well when they flexed him and watched him lunged on hard and soft they couldn't see anything wrong! He flexed 100% sound on the right hind! They said no point doing nerve blocks as he wasn't lame it wouldn't show anything. We still decided to radiograph as he *had* been lame just to make sure (and I started the insurance so thought what the heck). Radiographed his body and nothing lol. Hocks, stifle, spine all clean. The vet said if he was being extremely picky he could possibly spot slight narrowing in his right hock but he said it was barely anything and wasn't anything to worry about.
The vets said he was in fantastic shape and however I managed him to continue as it was obviously working *proud*. The vet thought the positive flexion response was one of those things, maybe he had tweaked himself in the process of getting fit and the week of bute and back treatment had cleared it up. Which goes to show really how vettings can mean something or totally nothing!! The vets said to start him on adequan intra muscular joint injections to keep his joints good as he gets older and prevent any future narrowing. Which is hilarious as I have to inject him myself! He has responded really well to the adequan and feels better than ever.
During all this I had started jumping him over small fences again to get him ready for selling and of course he was fabulous. He gets excited if he is not jumped reguarly and likes to have a buck and a plunge but once you have jumped him once or twice he settles into it and he always has been a complete pleasure to ride over fences because he is just sooooooooo easy. That's why I flew him over with me.
On top of this he was still living out in the field 24/7 as with limited time this is the best way for me to keep him as it doesn't matter then if I can't ride for a couple of days. I spoke to a friend who had sold her beautiful quarter horse as she was stressy in the field and 'too high maintenance' and I looked across at my fat hairy quiet TB dozing in the field and thought thank god my horse is so easy to keep.
Through all of this the people who wanted Jae said they were still interested and wanted to come and see him again and in my head I couldn't stop thinking 'he's my sound, easy, jumping horse MINE!!!!'. So I said that I was going to keep him
.
So now I have to step up my game for him and get myself back together for him as I don't know what happened during that 6 month break while I had mini FW number 2 but I am not the same rider. I am nervous for a start which I have never been particularly nervous. Secondly I feel really unfit which doesn't help the nerves. My balance feels shot so when he does have a spook I feel like I am going to wobble off! Thirdly I keep him at a beautiful yard but I am the only one riding up there so I am always on my own. Fourth it is a struggle to have the time.
For now I can ride him 4x per week and I am taking each day as it comes. Some days I feel pretty brave and other days I feel really nervous and there seems no ryme or reason to it. Last week I lunged him over some jumps which he loved and he had a good buck and a fart as he is quite a lazy horse and he stores his energy inside and I have to make it come out if that makes sense so it doesn't come out when I don't want it to (i.e when I am jumping or hacking him!). Then two days later when I could next ride I did lots of visual techniques where I imagined myself confident and flying over jumps and it really worked. Despite tractors going next to the arena and the yard manager deciding it was a good idea to move piles of rubble (!) during the 30 mins I had to ride I didn't let it stop me and we jumped a small course in just a snaffle which I was super chuffed about as I have a tendancy to over bit him when I feel nervous.
Then two days later I had a nervous day so I only walked and trotted him round the farm track for 20 mins. Then the day after I had a brave day so I hacked him down the road. We have pretty rubbish hacking and I can only ride down the road for a bit and then turn round as the roads here go for miles and I can't do a loop unless I want to ride for 5 hours which is irritating.
I feel frustrated because I am not back to doing what I want yet but then I do try to think that I am doing really well considering I have a 4 month old baby and a 2 year old toddler. I try to think that I have got Jae fit again from the field on my own with no help and the fact I am jumping small jumps on my own and taking him out for short hacks on my own and riding him in his paddock ect is all really good. In the future I want to trailer him to meet up with some friends and go for a decent hack into the national park. That's the next step. He will be excited but as long as I hold onto a neckstrap and not hang on his mouth I think he will settle after a time and really really enjoy it. I need to pluck up the courage for that as we haven't ridden in a group for two years!
I was having dressage lessons but I have stopped these as I felt my instructor was working us too hard, making him sore and me tired so those will have to wait until we both feel stronger.
Mostly though I need to work on myself, my mental frame of mind and getting my ability back. It is definitely me, not my horse. I really want to get back to where we were. Last show I did a year ago I was jumping the American equivalent of Discovery classes. Hopefully I can get myself together enough to pick up where we left off but for now I think I am doing really well simply making it to the yard to ride!
Thanks for reading
The last post I wrote was when I was certain I was going to sell my horse. It has been a real struggle getting back into riding after my second baby. Having the time, the confidence, the ability (!).
Basically what happened was I felt that trying to ride with the babies was making me stressed, and I thought it best on all of us if I sold my horse and focused on my family maybe getting a hack instead.
Well I put him up for sale. Here in CA a decent, amature friendly allrounder who looks pretty is worth $$$$. I put my 10yr old TB up for 18k and had tons of interest. In fact the moment I put his advert up I had one lady wanting to see him straight away. To cut a long story short he tested 3/10th lame on right hind flexion which understandably put that buyer off. I pulled him off the market, got his back done, did a week of bute and started him on a decent joint supplement. I then booked him in for a lameness work up by the world renowned equine vet practice near where I live.
Two weeks after he failed the vet he did his lameness work up. We were going to start with nerve blocks. Well when they flexed him and watched him lunged on hard and soft they couldn't see anything wrong! He flexed 100% sound on the right hind! They said no point doing nerve blocks as he wasn't lame it wouldn't show anything. We still decided to radiograph as he *had* been lame just to make sure (and I started the insurance so thought what the heck). Radiographed his body and nothing lol. Hocks, stifle, spine all clean. The vet said if he was being extremely picky he could possibly spot slight narrowing in his right hock but he said it was barely anything and wasn't anything to worry about.
The vets said he was in fantastic shape and however I managed him to continue as it was obviously working *proud*. The vet thought the positive flexion response was one of those things, maybe he had tweaked himself in the process of getting fit and the week of bute and back treatment had cleared it up. Which goes to show really how vettings can mean something or totally nothing!! The vets said to start him on adequan intra muscular joint injections to keep his joints good as he gets older and prevent any future narrowing. Which is hilarious as I have to inject him myself! He has responded really well to the adequan and feels better than ever.
During all this I had started jumping him over small fences again to get him ready for selling and of course he was fabulous. He gets excited if he is not jumped reguarly and likes to have a buck and a plunge but once you have jumped him once or twice he settles into it and he always has been a complete pleasure to ride over fences because he is just sooooooooo easy. That's why I flew him over with me.
On top of this he was still living out in the field 24/7 as with limited time this is the best way for me to keep him as it doesn't matter then if I can't ride for a couple of days. I spoke to a friend who had sold her beautiful quarter horse as she was stressy in the field and 'too high maintenance' and I looked across at my fat hairy quiet TB dozing in the field and thought thank god my horse is so easy to keep.
Through all of this the people who wanted Jae said they were still interested and wanted to come and see him again and in my head I couldn't stop thinking 'he's my sound, easy, jumping horse MINE!!!!'. So I said that I was going to keep him
.So now I have to step up my game for him and get myself back together for him as I don't know what happened during that 6 month break while I had mini FW number 2 but I am not the same rider. I am nervous for a start which I have never been particularly nervous. Secondly I feel really unfit which doesn't help the nerves. My balance feels shot so when he does have a spook I feel like I am going to wobble off! Thirdly I keep him at a beautiful yard but I am the only one riding up there so I am always on my own. Fourth it is a struggle to have the time.
For now I can ride him 4x per week and I am taking each day as it comes. Some days I feel pretty brave and other days I feel really nervous and there seems no ryme or reason to it. Last week I lunged him over some jumps which he loved and he had a good buck and a fart as he is quite a lazy horse and he stores his energy inside and I have to make it come out if that makes sense so it doesn't come out when I don't want it to (i.e when I am jumping or hacking him!). Then two days later when I could next ride I did lots of visual techniques where I imagined myself confident and flying over jumps and it really worked. Despite tractors going next to the arena and the yard manager deciding it was a good idea to move piles of rubble (!) during the 30 mins I had to ride I didn't let it stop me and we jumped a small course in just a snaffle which I was super chuffed about as I have a tendancy to over bit him when I feel nervous.
Then two days later I had a nervous day so I only walked and trotted him round the farm track for 20 mins. Then the day after I had a brave day so I hacked him down the road. We have pretty rubbish hacking and I can only ride down the road for a bit and then turn round as the roads here go for miles and I can't do a loop unless I want to ride for 5 hours which is irritating.
I feel frustrated because I am not back to doing what I want yet but then I do try to think that I am doing really well considering I have a 4 month old baby and a 2 year old toddler. I try to think that I have got Jae fit again from the field on my own with no help and the fact I am jumping small jumps on my own and taking him out for short hacks on my own and riding him in his paddock ect is all really good. In the future I want to trailer him to meet up with some friends and go for a decent hack into the national park. That's the next step. He will be excited but as long as I hold onto a neckstrap and not hang on his mouth I think he will settle after a time and really really enjoy it. I need to pluck up the courage for that as we haven't ridden in a group for two years!
I was having dressage lessons but I have stopped these as I felt my instructor was working us too hard, making him sore and me tired so those will have to wait until we both feel stronger.
Mostly though I need to work on myself, my mental frame of mind and getting my ability back. It is definitely me, not my horse. I really want to get back to where we were. Last show I did a year ago I was jumping the American equivalent of Discovery classes. Hopefully I can get myself together enough to pick up where we left off but for now I think I am doing really well simply making it to the yard to ride!
Thanks for reading
