First dressage lesson in months

Ambers Echo

Ambers Echo

Still wittering on
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13 October 2017
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And it was awesome!
I''ve done bugger all riding since the end of August as Amber has had one thing after another wrong with her. Then I went hacking and she bogged off with me when a dog chased us. And I've been really busy with Dolly and Deedee - not riding but grooming, driving and in Deedee's case nursing/theraping!! (And spending :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:)

I was beginning to wonder why I bother having horses at all when they are just worry inducing, time evaporating, money eating mess and stress creators.

But today I had a dressage lesson and I remembered how awesome riding can be. Even when drenched to my knickers. Amber gave me the most lovely work I have ever had. My RI said she clearly goes better when I don't ride her! Well that's an easy and cheap way to make progress anyway. I am very happy. Despite all the other worries, I've still got my gorgeous ginger girl.
 
it's great when you have a real buzz from a lesson and remember why you enjoy having a horse, isn't it? I've recently come through a tricky period of about three months with Rose. She's been fine but I haven't and I'd lost some confidence, however, a few really positive lessons has put me back on track and I'm looking forward to getting out and about on her. It's all too easy to put your children before yourself, I certainly did that when my daughter was competing and although I don't altogether regret it, I wish I'd spent a bit more on my own lessons as well as hers!
 
Horses break your heart. They are so fragile. I had many years of horse ownership with never a lame or poorly day but the last few years have just been one thing after another - Ginny PTS after 15 months of trying to help her, Max retired after a year or so of trying to help him, Jenny and the endless 'is she unsound or is this just her way of going' saga and now Deedee. 5 years old, flew through the vetting and 6 weeks later we are back at the vet with unanswered questions. At the moment nothing seems too serious but they have all started like that - just with little niggles that never get sorted and escalated over time. Or in Jenny's case thankfully stayed exactly the same over time!! (Please Pony Gods let it stay that way).

I love helping the girls but I agree I need to also make sure I have time for my own riding. Today was a much needed reminder of why I love it so much. And how much I adore Amber. If anything serious ever happened to her I do think I'd pack it all in. She is my absolute horse of a lifetime. But for now she is sound again, thank goodness! She is my port in the storms.
 
Ambers Echo said:
Horses break your heart. They are so fragile. I had many years of horse ownership with never a lame or poorly day but the last few years have just been one thing after another - Ginny PTS after 15 months of trying to help her, Max retired after a year or so of trying to help him, Jenny and the endless 'is she unsound or is this just her way of going' saga and now Deedee. 5 years old, flew through the vetting and 6 weeks later we are back at the vet with unanswered questions. At the moment nothing seems too serious but they have all started like that - just with little niggles that never get sorted and escalated over time. Or in Jenny's case thankfully stayed exactly the same over time!! (Please Pony Gods let it stay that way).

I love helping the girls but I agree I need to also make sure I have time for my own riding. Today was a much needed reminder of why I love it so much. And how much I adore Amber. If anything serious ever happened to her I do think I'd pack it all in. She is my absolute horse of a lifetime. But for now she is sound again, thank goodness! She is my port in the storms.
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Sometimes you have more than one "horse of a lifetime" I hope Amber stays sound and well and you can continue enjoying her but I have learned that there is always another one that can give you joy. I miss my lovely Bisto but Rose, although so completely different, has already given me a lot of pleasure despite the occasional wobble. TBH she keeps me feeling "alive" a bit of fear is probably good for me! Keep posting about your journey!
 
That's great news both on the lesson and Amber being sound again. But sorry to hear how difficult things have been.

The only thing that's keeping me going at the moment is my (almost) weekly lessons. I find it really difficult to motivate myself to ride in the evenings at the moment but I do make my lessons and they are always such a pleasure. Weekends are easier, apart from non horsey plans as always !!

I feel bad as I really should be riding more. F doesn't care ofc and he gets exercises 4 times a week without me. I need a plan though...
 
A good lesson like that can change your whole mind set :D I had a lesson on Saturday and it was amazing. I've done no schooling at all with Bobbie and had decided I hated it. Turns out I love it, I just needed someone to coach me into doing it properly! I've cancelled most of our plans for competing over the winter now and I'm going to channel the money and effort into lessons instead.
 
I've had no time to ride since then! But not working till lunchtime tomorrow so I will get out on the morning on her. Work is sooooooo busy and I am finding riding time hard to come by. But I am determined to keep my diary clearer after Christmas.
 
I'm resurrecting this thread rather than starting a new one so the time-line is clear. Amber is lame again. Front right. She has been going well but 4 days ago she was going so nicely over the poles after her anxiety with poles that I popped a tiny X-pole up not because I want to start jumping again (I don't) but because I want her to feel confident around little jumps as I was planning to start doing caveletti etc. She trotted over it fine a few times then popped it out of canter, landed and was obviously very unhappy. Next day I lunged her and she was head nodding slightly on that front right and flatly refused to canter or stay on right rein for long. Called vet and today nerve blocks made it clear it is her right foot/pastern. Same as when she twisted her right shoe off in September. So part of me is thinking it can't still be the same injury because that was MONTHS ago and another part of me is thinking but wait a minute.....

Injured foot/pastern Sept
Not fully sound and back to dressage training till end November.
I only just started jumping in arena a couple of times before going to Somerford in Janaury and getting chucked off twice. Saddle air bag had deflated but what if it wasn't the saddle but her foot? (It turned out not to be the tree when the saddle was stripped down),
Was tense and rushing poles and fences with Harry.
Protested strongly again the first time she left the ground after Harry

I'd like to think a pro would have noticed an issue but the feedback was SO extreme: sell her she's a pros horse. No idea how you ride her etc. So what if she really was very difficult there because her foot/pastern was sore but was ridden through it?

Arghh God I am seriously panicking about tendon damage now.

Plan is 2 weeks small paddock rest and see what happens. If still lame we start the imaging merry go round.
 
Oh no, so sorry to hear that AE. Some of us just have no luck at all.

Fingers crossed its nothing serious and shes better in a couple of weeks!
 
Really sorry to hear this AE :(

Try not to go down the rabbit holes and what ifs as you will do your own head in trying to figure stuff out that you will never truly know the answer to

Hopefully its minor and you'll be back on board soon
 
How annoying. I hope it's nothing serious.

Try not to get too lost in your head. I over analyse everything with my little cob because I've had issues in the past, and it's so unhealthy. I'm doing it at the moment, because he seems to be sore in his shoulder but his left foot seems to have flared out again so isn't as balanced. Then I start thinking about the arthritis I decided not to treat, the known imbalance, the fact he stumbled last week so maybe it's navicular... It gets crazy and it helps no-one. Especially since we can't get the vet for anything other than emergencies!
 
Sorry to read this AE. Hopefully 2wks rest does the trick and/or you get some definite answers from the scans.

Thinking of you x
 
Thanks everyone. I feel sick at the thought of her being jumped over mahoosive fences while potentially injured. I just want her to be ok. But it is very early days and too soon to panic!
 
Ambers Echo said:
Thanks everyone. I feel sick at the thought of her being jumped over mahoosive fences while potentially injured. I just want her to be ok. But it is very early days and too soon to panic!
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If it makes you feel any better Boggle went hunting with a friend, jumping 4/5 foot hedges leading the field out of a foot of mud. No joke, the ground was that deep. With an injured ligament.

Makes me feel sick too but we can only do what we can do and well done for noticing an issue. xx

ETA for what its worth the symptoms looking back definitely started before that, but they didn't worsen after it either, so try not to panic! Whatever it is must be super low grade..

Sorry.. editing to add again.. I wouldn't be happy with the small paddock rest thing. She may well come sound with that and then it rears its head again. Assuming she just blocked to the entire hoof/fetlock I'd want to then do the more specific blocks to find out exactly where, which you kinda need her lame for. You know now there's most definitely a problem I'd be wanting to just press ahead with diagnostics and crack on!?
 
I wanted that too but vet felt it was overkill to image straight away when it could just be nothing. But I do kind of feel like she will be sound with rest then will go lame again when work load goes up and I'll be back to square one

.
 
Ambers Echo said:
I wanted that too but vet felt it was overkill to image straight away when it could just be nothing. But I do kind of feel like she will be sound with rest then will go lame again when work load goes up and I'll be back to square one

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But it’s a consistent pattern? Agree if just a one off lameness on a random leg but this is reoccurring?
 
Well it's the same leg as back in September but could be 2 unrelated issues? I'll speak to vet again. I'm looking at videos since Sept and in particular videos Harry sent me. She looks totally fine in some and grumpy in others - tail swishing, ears back. But I can't see any missteps really and her grumpiness could be just not liking a firmer style of riding. I dont know.
 
Sorry to hear AE. I would echo Michen and get diagnostics done ASAP. She sounds a lot like my chestnut mare who was hot and anxious most of her ridden life, but would always jump. She went very subtly lame and upon xraying we discovered she had a bone chip in her fetlock, which had moved into the joint and caused irreparable damage. I kick myself every day for jumping her when she must have been sore, but it wasn't obvious to anyone (even my instructors). Not saying Amber has the same thing, but I was advised to wait by a vet and by the time it was discovered, it was too late to do much. Bite the bullet and find out whatever it is, so you can appropriately treat it now.
 
Ambers Echo said:
I've emailed vet asking for diagnostics. Any thoughts on what I should be asking for? X rays? Scans??
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They will nerve block to isolate the area and then decide from there the most appropriate imaging. Might be both. Use a good referral orthopaedic vet, trust me it’s quicker & cheaper in the long term
 
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