Cudo update 8/8/19

BunnyDog

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The vet has seen him yesterday. He's in fine form and is cleared to start back to work. He is getting pulsed this am and will be watched as we start back to work. We had entered a 8/18 show and I said I could scratch but my vet said not to do so yet. That depending on how he goes doing flatwork and hacking the first few days back we can see if he needs more time going slow or if he's actually fine.

I have talked to many more vets (from work) and in their experiences the slow rotational falls (Over xc jumps or other barriers that horses find) tend (in their experiences) to cause much less long term damage. It's been a week today and other than the scrapes, which are healing perfectly, he's in fine form.

I am including a link to him at liberty in the ring from Monday evening. It's short but you can see what he was comfortable doing when left alone and not asked for anything. Yesterday with the vet he was moving actually better than that. And hopefully after pulsing today he'll feel pretty good. That said I will scratch if I feel it's the best thing. That show isn't a big deal and I want to do what's best for Cudo, always.

He's had no drugs of any kind, other than topical antibiotic ointment for his face cuts, since Saturday pm before the ship back home. And he rode in the box stall for the trip and I think shipped a bit better. Which now we know for longer hauls.

He's been playful at home and definitely happy to be back with his buddies Chad and Beau.


Em
 
Lovely to see him back to his bouncy self 😊 have you got over the shock of it ok tho? Such a freak thing to have happened.

I'm looking forward to seeing you both out jumping again soon 👍🏼
 
Lovely to see him back to his bouncy self 😊 have you got over the shock of it ok tho? Such a freak thing to have happened.

I'm looking forward to seeing you both out jumping again soon 👍🏼
 
Lovely to see him back to his bouncy self 😊 have you got over the shock of it ok tho? Such a freak thing to have happened.

I'm looking forward to seeing you both out jumping again soon 👍🏼
I think so. The bigger issue for me was that having only the witnesses statements to go on my mind kind of made up a very worst case scenario video that then just sat there playing over and over.

What made it better was honestly getting him home and just diving back into our normal routine. Then he started eating up again, he was playful with Beau in turnout and nickering at meal times. That normalcy erased the prevailing worries that remained. One by one.

That said we are going to retro fit the trailer a bit more to work on giving him boundaries that are still able to let summer air through. So there's some work in process to ensure his safety at future shows.

Until then I doubt we will be leaving him alone.

Em
 
Little more update 8/14

We jumped him last night. A whopping 4 fences total (1 vertical and 1 oxer) around 1m-1.10m high. He felt great. So we'll see how the weather looks and may head to the show this Sunday. Should be fun anyway because my mom is coming to town and will be coming with us to the show. Of course if the forecast is for anything like the torrential downpours that we're getting right now, we may skip it. We'll see what Sunday brings. But I love this show and facility (same place we did the Spooner clinic) and it's my birthday Monday and that sometimes has been lucky over the years.

But he's feeling fine and looking good. See attached pic... even his face wounds are back to dark skin with hair growing in.

Em
 

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Glad to see he's fine. Rotational falls are often less of a problem for the horse; not for the rider unfortunately :(

You seem to be have the same sh*te weather we are so Cudo will feel at home competing in it. Enjoy the weekend with your mum and premature happy birthday!
 
Glad to see he's fine. Rotational falls are often less of a problem for the horse; not for the rider unfortunately :(

You seem to be have the same sh*te weather we are so Cudo will feel at home competing in it. Enjoy the weekend with your mum and premature happy birthday!

I don't suggest a rotational for any horse or rider. This one being him by himself in the trailer however seems the most unusual way to attain a rotational. But that said I know a friends horse who did one trying to jump out of an indoor arena over a closed door. Like Cudo he was in good shape pretty quickly.

Em
 
Such a relief to know that he’s ok. How are you feeling about it now? It was such a shock.

Best of luck at the show if weather permits!
 
I'm feeling better. We have decided to scratch from this show. To be very clear, I have felt nothing wrong in our rides since he's been cleared. I just cannot escape a strong gut instinct that 2 weeks and 3 days is too short of a turnaround to jump into a competitive $10,000 Mini Prix at 1.30 with 30 other entries. There's nothing wrong with the show, and I am sad to miss it. I just don't think I would be doing my best as Cudo's steward to put him in this. Beyond that the weather is worsening for the day of the show and I just got to a point where it made no sense.

Instead I'll spend time with my mom and husband and we'll likely redirect him to the unrecognized 1.25m Mini Prix on labor day, Sept 2. It's a nice show and though it too can be hot that facility is workable. We did this class last year with him and I think it'll give us a better gauge of how he's doing as we aim to our mid September show.

FWIW since I share everything here. I am thinking of doing only 3 more shows this year with Cudo. This one on 9/2, the bigger one on 9/12-15 and then one other long trip big one Oct 22-27 (Where the World Equestrian Games were held last year). I want to stop showing him and really work on our flatwork and the little things that we can strengthen. I knew in my head that 2019 would be a "lay the foundation" year. Either we would have enough (both of us) to go higher and 1.30 would show it. Or we would be topped out and we would adjust our life goals. He has a LOT more to offer and as such and knowing that 1.40+ is in my sights I think the absolute best thing I can do is to really pullback and solidify all the little things. I also want to give him full time off in the field again, though this year we may do 6 weeks off twice with work in between so we don't lose all the muscle work I have put into him. I cherish this horse and our future more than you all will ever know. Which means I really need to buckle down and prepare both of us for the future by really owning my weaknesses and working on his more as well. Translation: I see a LOT of dressage lessons in our future. And a LOT of hillwork. Plus strengthening me while I am getting Chad back into work (Poor unlucky bugger) will do nothing but help him as well.

So that's where we are.

Em
 
I think by putting yourself 'out there' on the forums you have added a lot of pressure to yourself, whatever the response from posters be true to yourself. Its difficult to 'divorce' yourself from all the comments and perceived 'comments' but do what's right for you and enjoy your horses. You are living the dream - even if it at times it may seem you are not. Enjoy and look forwards not backwards. Life is too short...
 
I think by putting yourself 'out there' on the forums you have added a lot of pressure to yourself, whatever the response from posters be true to yourself. Its difficult to 'divorce' yourself from all the comments and perceived 'comments' but do what's right for you and enjoy your horses. You are living the dream - even if it at times it may seem you are not. Enjoy and look forwards not backwards. Life is too short...

With the exception of running headlong into the very big differences in NSAIDs applications I don't feel more pressure from posting honestly. If anything I feel less because it's easier to go forward having owned publicly every step along the way. Whether you all know me as a real person or just a person who posts on the internet doesn't matter. I enjoy posting here and I share a little bit more to this audience because the feedback isn't rooted in the same culture that we live in here. I mean that to say that the UK/ European audience is far more used to an equine lifestyle than the common US household.

There's a simple enjoyment for me to do well but remember that my barn life is lonely. I rent a barn for me and my horses. I don't have a trainer and while I have friends I see at shows I don't really have a group that I can share my little daily stuff and training thoughts with.

The English base has more commonality with this than the American riders. My fellow riders here mostly don't resemble me in that they pay gobs to be at barns with trainers and they don't develop their own training plans etc.

Probably why I enjoy reading the threads here.

Em
 
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