Introducing Lindeza (lin-day-za)

[ycbm]

to me that just seems normal. I have done that with every horse I have ever had. Some easy, some not but every single horse required me to adapt to it not the other way round and to find my way around managing and riding it.

I don't think age makes you more rigid in your methods. In fact it does give you a bit more wisdom as to what might work better. It is still a case of working around that particular horse's peculiarities.

I was mostly referring to the amount of money BBP has had to spend and the emotional energy she has had to put in to the diagnostics, not the way she keeps him.

 

[paddy555]

. I'm in the use it or lose it camp at the moment


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aren't we all

 

[paddy555]

I was mostly referring to the amount of money BBP has had to spend and the emotional energy she has had to put in to the diagnostics, not the way she keeps him.

so was I. The keeping them is the easy part. The money far more horrendous, and as for the worry, well it can go off the scale

 

[BBP]

The emotional energy of him and the special dog is definitely exhausting. Today I feel really affected by it, pretty stressed and sad. I’m facing another 15 years of the same challenges with each, by which point I probably won’t get another horse or dog. I can understand why not everyone wants to go that route.

 

[Lammy]

Only mentioning this in case it’s not been tried. If you have a girth with elastic on one side, try putting the elastic side on the side you find you tilt. So if you tilt to the right put the elastic end of the girth on the right too or vice versa. I don’t know the exact mechanics of it but it completely sorted my saddle tilt issue. It was only slight but I feel much more in balance now. Saddle fitter did say it was something about the balance of the saddle and girth together...and I’m glad I didn’t just buy the fandangled girth the first saddle fitter tried to get me to buy ?

 

[Roxylola]

Feeding is going well, pulses are clear, and looks like we definitely have some weight loss going on, hips are emerging, but whether she stays or goes might be taken out of my hands.

Since having the lesson with the biomechanics orientated instructor on Thursday who pointed out I was sat to the right, I am checking and constantly readjusting to sit level. Now I have hip and knee niggles. .
For the next month I'll be concentrating on sitting straight and monitoring her back and my pain levels. Then I'll take stock of where we are at.

Your biomechanics instructor runs online equipilates sessions - via Facebook for sure which I think you've said you dont do, but I'm sure she might be able to find a way round it. I've found them massively useful for my wideness induced wonk

 

[planete]

Only mentioning this in case it’s not been tried. If you have a girth with elastic on one side, try putting the elastic side on the side you find you tilt. So if you tilt to the right put the elastic end of the girth on the right too or vice versa. I don’t know the exact mechanics of it but it completely sorted my saddle tilt issue. It was only slight but I feel much more in balance now. Saddle fitter did say it was something about the balance of the saddle and girth together...and I’m glad I didn’t just buy the fandangled girth the first saddle fitter tried to get me to buy ?

That is interesting and reinforces my belief that girths with elastic on one side can unbalance a saddle. I would personally only buy a girth with both sides or the middle elasticated but not just one side. Sorry for the digression, I am at the moment trying to find a saddle comfortable for both myself and extra wide coblet so have every sympathy for ycbm's dilemna.

 

[ycbm]

I never use one sided elastic girths.

 

[Trouper]

At 70++ and also with narrow hips, I sympathise with your problem. I, too, find it more comfortable to ride long. Apart from hip comfort I find it more secure as the muscle strength in my legs has faded. My pilates instructor (also a rider) advised exercises with an exercise ring to strengthen inner thighs but also to do stretches to keep tissue lengthened and flexible. I am sure you probably do these already but just a thought.
Riding "differently" is bound to throw up some twinges to start with so it is good to have a test period but the whole horse/saddle combination has so many permutations that it like 3-dimensional chess to sort out a solution. I am frequently told that I should ride a nice, safe, steady cob - I could, but I would be crippled. What suits my hips is a TB.
I hope you make some progress soon.

 

[ycbm]

At 70++ and also with narrow hips, I sympathise with your problem. I, too, find it more comfortable to ride long. Apart from hip comfort I find it more secure as the muscle strength in my legs has faded. My pilates instructor (also a rider) advised exercises with an exercise ring to strengthen inner thighs but also to do stretches to keep tissue lengthened and flexible. I am sure you probably do these already but just a thought.
Riding "differently" is bound to throw up some twinges to start with so it is good to have a test period but the whole horse/saddle combination has so many permutations that it like 3-dimensional chess to sort out a solution. I am frequently told that I should ride a nice, safe, steady cob - I could, but I would be crippled. What suits my hips is a TB.
I hope you make some progress soon.

Thank you for that Trouper. We sound as if we are in the same boat.

I do pilates and flow yoga, and I'm also mildly hypermobile. I could still do my party trick of putting my leg behind my head if I felt like practising it these days ?

 

[ycbm]

We have definite progress on weight loss on the big bale haylage/ straw combination. Hips are hoving in to view, hopefully to be followed by at least some of the last ribs but that may take a while.
.

 

[Steerpike]

Thank you for that Trouper. We sound as if we are in the same boat.

I do pilates and flow yoga, and I'm also mildly hypermobile. I could still do my party trick of putting my leg behind my head if I felt like it these days ?

Can I swap even when I was a kid I struggled to get my foot in the stirrup from the ground, my hips are ridiculously stiff even with plates!

 

[Asha]

We have definite progress on weight loss on the big bale haylage/ straw combination. Hips are hoving in to view, hopefully to be followed by at least some of the last ribs but that may take a while.
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Crikey, thats some turnaround in a few days, perhaps you could come up with a diet for me that would work that quick. Be nice to see my hip bones again

Glad its progessing well.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Whatever diet you have her on I want it..!!!! For me and fat boy cob..!!!! ????

 

[paddy555]

I could still do my party trick of putting my leg behind my head if I felt like practising it these days ?

photo?????

 

[Cortez]

Thank you for that Trouper. We sound as if we are in the same boat.

I do pilates and flow yoga, and I'm also mildly hypermobile. I could still do my party trick of putting my leg behind my head if I felt like practising it these days ?

I'd pay money to see that......

 

[Mule]

Crikey, thats some turnaround in a few days, perhaps you could come up with a diet for me that would work that quick. Be nice to see my hip bones again

Glad its progessing well.

Tell me about it

 

[Mule]

I don't have any hip pain but I also find the narrower type of horse more comfortable. When the beast was off work I was mostly riding an 18 hand tank and the beast was so comfortable when i got back on him.

 

[ycbm]

Whatever diet you have her on I want it..!!!! For me and fat boy cob..!!!! ????

It's called trotting up 1 in 5 Hills SLH ?

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

It's called trotting up 1 in 5 Hills SLH ?

Thanks. I'll stay fat ?

 

[Gloi]

It's called trotting up 1 in 5 Hills SLH ?

The 1 in 5 hill keeps my pony's figure too. ? . I try to avoid trotting anywhere though, too much like hard work.

 

[ycbm]

Definitely losing weight Dates at top.

 

[ycbm]

I reckon she has lost at least an inch off the girth, which I think translates to a reduction of about half an inch, a quarter each side, off the distance that my knees are apart.

Today I was very aware of feeling as if I was sat twisted left. But I was sat straight. When I was twisted right by her width, that had been feeling straight, so now sitting straight feels twisted left. I found it very easy to sit straight today. Although half an inch doesn't sound much, if it's the last half inch that broke the camel's back, then it's everything.

On the bad side, she knocked the fence down last night and it's now braced with various stuff, including a wheelbarrow!, until I can buy more hurdles tomorrow and create a firmer fixing to the wall. OH spent a lot of time this afternoon fixing one end tight, but I do need to be able to open it to get her in there

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

Sooooo will she stay or will she go..?! ??

She does seem to have lost weight, what have you changed.??

 

[ycbm]

I finished a load of rich small bale haylage that I was soaking to get the sugar out (and the water was really sweet!) and moved to 5kg a day of dry stemmy but quality big bale haylage that I'm not soaking, and as much barley straw as she will eat. She is muzzled when out at grass. Has a bib and belly clip and no rug and is trotting up more hills.

I don't know if she will stay, the thought of battling with her weight all next summer feels very depressing. I dont like seeing the barn split and Ludo kept separated, either. She can definitely stay til spring if nobody makes me a silly offer for her.

I can feel her last three ribs if I press hard enough now. Once I can feel the main ones fairly easily, like Ludo's, she can have more haylage.
.

 

[ycbm]

Update.

We now have ribs within fingertip reach on her main body of ribs under the saddle area. So she has reached a weight I would be just about satisfied with all year round. We've had a problem with pulses again, but it was related to opening a new bale of haylage and as soon as I started to soak it they have gone again.

Current diet is 5kg of ryegrass haylage (its what I've got, next year I will buy Timothy) , soaked and as much barley straw as she will eat, which is about another 2-3kg. She still muzzled for her 6-9 hours grazing, which she seems totally unconcerned about when I put it on. It bothers me, but not her, seemingly.

I am now sitting straight again and her back is muscling up.

Tomorrow she gets promoted to a thin rug. I'm telling myself that it's for her but in reality it's so I don't have to scrape off the mud ?. Next week I'm going to test no muzzle, but it's no big deal if that doesn't work and she has to stay in one.

I'm much happier with her, she's working beautifully and she can certainly stay for the winter.
.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Lovely update! So happy for you and her. Glad you found a plan/diet that works!

 

[Michen]

Update.

We now have ribs within fingertip reach on her main body of ribs under the saddle area. So she has reached a weight I would be just about satisfied with all year round. We've had a problem with pulses again, but it was related to opening a new bale of haylage and as soon as I started to soak it they have gone again.

Current diet is 5kg of ryegrass haylage (its what I've got, next year I will buy Timothy) , soaked and as much barley straw as she will eat, which is about another 2-3kg. She still muzzled for her 6-9 hours grazing, which she seems totally unconcerned about when I put it on. It bothers me, but not her, seemingly.

I am now sitting straight again and her back is muscling up.

Tomorrow she gets promoted to a thin rug. I'm telling myself that it's for her but in reality it's so I don't have to scrape off the mud ?. Next week I'm going to test no muzzle, but it's no big deal if that doesn't work and she has to stay in one.

I'm much happier with her, she's working beautifully and she can certainly stay for the winter.
.

That’s great but still doesn’t sound like a horse you really want to keep

If you do sell her she’s had a great proper start with you.

 

[GinaGeo]

It sounds like you’re heading in the right direction, pleased to hear you’re getting her management sussed ?

Good doers are hard to manage. Give me a TB I can chuck food down any day!

 

[ycbm]

That’s great but still doesn’t sound like a horse you really want to keep

If you do sell her she’s had a great proper start with you.

The jury is certainly still out M, much like you and Bear, which I totally get. She hasn't grabbed a place in my heart and if someone was to make me a big enough offer for her I would part with her with a clear conscience. Though I'm also relieved to feel that there is no need to change anything now until the spring.
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