Earning his keep

Lance and I have another student! (I say 'another' because Stella always stands at her paddock railing watching whenever I ride Lance in the arena; I think horses can learn by watching others being worked.) Recently a friend, now in Hawaii, asked if I'd be open to giving lessons to a friend of hers. After talking to this friend-of-a-friend I believed Lance and I could help, so we scheduled her first lesson for yesterday.

Yesterday was a washout, weather-wise. We were planning to proceed with the lesson regardless, in the barn if necessary, but lo and behold, it stopped raining while M was here! Other than Lance being extraordinarily sluggish, the lesson went well, and M is coming again next week.

Meanwhile, I've incorporated something new with Stella, thanks to a different friend's suggestion. She has this book,

and suggested I try the 'body wrap' on Stella, texting me photos of the pertinent pages. Below is a photo of her wearing it for the first tine and walking, looking deceptively calm. Trust me; she was anything BUT! I do think, now that I've worked her in it three times, that it is helping her reactivity, which has only gotten worse during this season of limited turn-out. (After this introduction, she has been wearing it under her tail.)

Decades I learned just a little about Linda Tellington-Jones and TTouch, so I looked into the book and ended up ordering my own copy. Once I did that a Kindle version was made available, which I've been reading on my laptop. So much of what she says resonates; the philosophy is so similar to what I've heard from Anna Blake and the exercises remind me of Jec Ballou's. I look forward to furthering my education and my horses' training!

I can see more clearly now...

...the rain smoke is gone. Still hoping for a good, cleansing rain, but at least Lance can exercise again!

It's tough when conditions prohibit applying the best recommendation (30 minutes of forced exercise daily) for one condition (Equine Metabolic Syndrome) because of another condition (Inflammatory Airway Disease). Exercising Lance when the particulate matter in the air from wildfire smoke was off the charts would have been devastating to him, so my meaty mustang just hung out. Thankfully, his breathing didn't seem impacted by the air quality.

Now that the air quality is much improved, we are back to work. I planned to climb back on last Thursday, the first cooler day in ages, but the smoke was actually worse, if possible. On our way back from Salem (DS had wisdom teeth removed), this was the view west towards the hill on which we live; couldn't ride in that!

But Friday was much clearer, so Lance got the whole enchilada – a thorough grooming, a photo shoot to document his current condition, and a sunset ride about the hill.

rubbed-out mane; check

fat pads; check

lump on jaw; check

handsome anyway; check

"What did you say?"

"What do you mean, 'Handsome anyway'?"

About that lump on his jaw. I first noticed it at the end of the apple-eating day of the last post; when I mentioned it to Rick he joked that it must be apple poisoning (he thinks I'm a "horse hypochondriac"). When the hard, tender lump didn't improve, I finally got him to x-ray it. Rick couldn't see a fracture, so apparently Lance bruised it badly somehow. It's still tender but fortunately sits behind the bridle's cavesson; Rick said it may never go away. 😕

We rode again Sunday and Monday. After last night's ride, I timed his respirations for the first time in months – perfectly normal at 10 RPM. Unfortunately, he also stumbled dramatically at the beginning of our ride, so we just walked up and down hills to minimize momentum.

In other horsey news, during last week's lesson my youngest student got bucked off her Haflinger. The mare was protesting the canter depart (I think she's uncomfortable) not trying to unload her, but it really shook the student's confidence and I don't know yet if she'll be continuing lessons. With Brian back in school as of today, I'll have to figure out a different time to teach students 2 and 3 (if she continues) anyway; gotta pick up the boy from school every afternoon.

Tomorrow I'll be picking him up early so he can drive in the state fair's draft horse show again. On Sunday he won the youth driving class with a wagon and team of two; tomorrow he drives in the youth cart class. I'll post photos of both his classes when the dust settles.

An apple a day....

Yesterday our local dressage chapter got together to visit with one of our former members who moved to South Carolina (the mother of trainer Julie, who also moved to SC). I brought her up-to-date on Lance and mentioned that I was cyber-window-shopping for retiring TBs after being swayed by students' mounts. She has had several OTTBs and had nothing but good things to say about them, even though she has also had some lovely warmbloods. I was pleasantly surprised, and encouraged in my daydreaming.

Today student #2 had a lesson with her OTTB mare (above, after lesson), and towards the end of the lesson asked if I wanted to ride her. So I borrowed a helmet and climbed on in my jeans (I was wearing my paddock boots), and once again had a "color my day happy" experience. So everything seems to be nudging me in a certain direction . . . except a resistant husband. 😒

Said husband and DS have worked very hard to create beautiful permanent fencing around our upper pasture (keep in mind we have a total of five acres, so each of our three pastures is pocket-sized). When I expressed concern about my two loaded apple trees at the north end, they moved all the assorted panels we have that aren't enclosing the arena and made a barrier to protect the trees (and my horse from foundering on them!). This morning the horses got to go up there for the first time since work began. When I got home this afternoon, Lance and Ollie were standing around the one apple tree still available to them. Oink!

Fresh (relatively speaking) turnout

Temporary panel fence on the right, horses at remaining apple tree dead ahead

Lance helping himself – hopefully not to his detriment!

And here are the two trees that are protected:

I need to starting picking from that first tree and putting up applesauce!

Stoking the fire

Yesterday I took a road trip with a friend to deliver one of my Shetland sheep to Auburn, WA. We were going to be so near Emerald Downs, where there are a number of retiring racehorses looking for new homes and careers. Wouldn't it be wonderful to take a look at some in person, particularly the two below?

But it was not to be. Tuesday was best for sheep delivery but the only day no one is available at the track. Guess I'll just have to wait until this fall/winter when the "point woman" for retiring TBs is at Portland Meadows. I think that will also be a more auspicious time for a cooperative husband....

Wednesday is lesson day for Student #1. Last week she asked if I wanted to ride her lovely OTTB but I wasn't dressed for it. Today I planned to dress for riding, just in case – and then she sent me a text asking me to come ready to ride.

What fun! Carl is a typical "wet-noodle" baby horse, still learning how to use his body in response to a rider's aids, but he's willing to try and easy to direct. And he's as lovely to ride as he is to watch. On my way home I realized I had that "top of the world" feeling that a good ride gives you – and also realized how long it's been since I've experienced it. Non-horsepeople would doubtless think it silly that one's entire day can be colored by how well or how rough one's "dance" with a horse goes, but those periods of communication, harmony and balance are pure magic – a magic carpet ride.

He's a keeper

This horse o' mine, he has my heart. Even though we really can't "dance" anymore, we can still enjoy our walks – and so can others.

On Tuesday morning some neighbors brought their visiting granddaughter over to ride Lance. I ended up giving her a little dressage lesson and she did very well.

(Love my bitless bridle for things like this!)

A friend of mine who is recovering from a broken ankle may come over and ride him to "get her legs back." He's steady enough that she'll feel safe, while I tune up her mare with some schooling rides.

So I may be window-shopping for another horse, but my buddy isn't going anywhere. Tonight we rode around the hill after sunset, enjoying a cool(ish) breeze and the nearly full moon.

I'm not giving as many lessons in this heat, but student #1 is available in the morning so we are soldiering on. Her horse Carl is the reason I'm considering an off-track thoroughbred:

Isn't he a looker?

Good thing he's a gelding...

...because I don't think Lance's genes should be perpetrated – no matter how handsome and personable he is!

My son taking advantage of my laid-back mustang

My big, red goober has yet another diagnosis on his rap sheet now: metabolic disorder (the equine equivalent of type-2 diabetes). That's what the blood work indicates, so now I've added Thyroxinen L to his daily meds and supplements. Hopefully it'll help him shed some of the excess weight....

We finally got a break from the extreme heat we were experiencing, so Lance and I have resumed some activity. We rode around the hill on Monday evening, and Tuesday morning I lunged him. I wanted to see how he handled himself bitted up, even though I was worried what might happen if he tripped. Fortunately he only stumbled once with a back foot before I attached the side reins and not once after, even though I put him through all three paces.

While I will continue to ride and love my mental health crisis mustang, I find myself jonesing for a horse I can dance with again. Student #1 resumed lessons again yesterday with her gorgeous, sensible young OTTB after being out of town for awhile. The OTTBs I've known in my past life didn't interest me at all, but now I'm spending way too much time perusing "Retiring Racehorses – Pacific NW" on FaceBook, dreaming of meeting some this winter when there are meets at Portland Meadows. (I'm not driving up to Emerald Downs, no matter how tempted I am!)

That's the tall and the short of it for now.

A couple firsts

Yesterday student #4 had her first lesson with me – on her mom's nice-looking TB mule! Eerily enough, the mule stumbled and nearly fell at the canter; so thankful the student stayed on and no one got hurt. We didn't canter after that, but had plenty to work on. The next lesson is in two weeks, and she may ride something different, possibly her own semi-retired mule. Although I've never "schooled a mule" before, it wasn't any different than a horse; I could definitely see myself on a nice-moving mule!

I enjoy working with people new to dressage, but I must admit it was wonderful teaching someone who isn't. Student #4 has shown to Second Level so is "dressage literate," making communication easy. And when she paid me at the end she tipped me $10 – the second first! We have another lesson scheduled in two weeks and she emailed me a nice thank-you later, so I think she was happy with the instruction. 😊

In Lance news, I lunged him on Sunday evening. Partly to exercise him, and partly to see how he moves. I didn't "bit him up" in case he tripped (which he only did once with a back foot), just used a halter and lunge line. He was excruciatingly lazy; don't know if it's because he's so fat or because he doesn't feel good. Rick watched him for quite awhile but hasn't said anything.

I'm headed out shortly to walk him around the neighborhood while it's still cool.

Addition and subtraction

Like my life as a whole, my horse life keeps trotting on, leaving me struggling to keep up. Since the last time I posted, Lance's feet were trimmed (no shoes), student #3 had a lesson on her own horse for the first time, student #4 scheduled her first lesson for a week from yesterday, I've seen signs indicating I'm losing even more of my riding range . . . and my options with Lance got dialed back to nearly zero. 😞 Yeah, it's been a week of "The good, the bad, and the UGLY."

Student #3 decided, after two lessons on Lance, that she was ready to try taking a lesson on her own horse on Monday. Buffy, her Haflinger mare, turned out to a sweet and willing partner, reminding me in some ways of Lance, but with more energy. Since student #3 doesn't have an English saddle, I suggested she use her bareback pad so we could really work on her position and core strength. That went well, and I look forward to working with them together. The timing of the switch-over couldn't have been better, either.....

Taking a loose-rein break.

The next day Lance and I took a ride through the woods. The track is getting overgrown – we were even turned back by blackberry brambles before reaching the clearing I like to ride to – but a bigger obstacle to our future access was advertised.

All along the track there were these pink ribbons declaring "Timber Harvest Boundary" – as if enough of the peace, quiet, and wildling habitat of our hill hadn't already been pillaged. 😔 This little wooded ravine is pretty much all the "wild" that's left on our side of the hill. But it's just money to some people.... With a heavy heart I took photos of the beauty before it's changed forever.

Back home I took Lance out on the ballroom floor (arena) to briefly review some dance moves. I was cantering him to the left one last time, being careful to maintain uphill balance to help avoid tripping. He's been doing that quite a bit lately, although not quite as much since getting his pedicure. But he did trip, and not only did he not catch himself, he came crashing down in a kind of delayed sequence while my mind raced through the possible outcomes. I was mostly hoping that no part of Lance's 1300+ pounds landed on me, and then hit the ground with a pretty good smack to the back of my helmeted head. I scrambled up but Lance didn't, laying sternal where he'd fallen for some worrisome moments. When he finally did get up he kept shaking his head. Taking stock of both of us I noticed that he'd skinned one front knee and the opposite front fetlock, had a scrape and a lump on his forehead, and his bridle was all dusty. (I didn't notice until the next day that the noseband was badly scuffed, making me think he did a hard face-plant into the sand or possibly even into the kick board of the arena.) My head felt okay, but my left clavicle and sternum were uncomfortable and grew increasingly so as I carefully put away my subdued mustang.

Shaken emotionally every bit as much as physically, I called Rick. He had theorized from the number of suspensory injuries Lance has sustained that there might be underlying neck issues; the stumble and fall certainly supported that theory. I told him what happened and asked him to please (finally) check Lance's neck, which he did when he got home. Lance is so thick/fat that it was hard to see much with the ultrasound; there was some inflammation, though. (He also ultrasounded my left collarbone, which by now felt like I may have cracked it, but Rick didn't see anything.) Because Lance has gotten so fat, Rick felt that testing for Cushings Disease was warranted, and drew blood for that.

So here we are, reduced to walking around our little arena or increasingly developed hill. Going faster is just too risky; there's too much momentum to recover from if when Lance trips. (I'm so glad student #3 transitioned to her own horse before this happened, and that we didn't go to Cowboy Campeeting!) I'm sad; I'm worried. I really like the whole process of dressage and don't want to be sidelined forever, but I love my big red goober and he's definitely bonded to me. So for now, we will totter around as carefully as we can. We took a slow walk on the 4th,

Mt. Hood on the 4th of July

a doe and fawn in the distance

and then again last night to stalk the sunset:

I might start lunging him to help control the weight gain. Mr. Porky-Pie needs to work off all those apples, cherries, and choice weeds!

"Mmmm; green apples."

"What? The cherries are ripe!"

"I was bored with pasture grass."