You make lemonade! It may be bitter, not-very-sweet lemonade, but lemonade nonetheless!
We had an unconventional longe yesterday, in which Greta did wonderfully going to the left, nailing all of her transitions and being really in tune. Going to the right, she was doing great, until she stumbled and scared the snot out of me and it certainly startled her based on the the little fit she threw afterwards, and it looked like a big stumble and I immediately pulled her in to feel her legs. She felt fine, so I put her back on the longe line. She walked fine, she trotted fine, but she kept breaking into a canter without me asking, so that worried me. She would not listen to the trot commands, so I had to gradually make the circle smaller to see if I could get her to trot again. Just the slightest tug and she veered to the inside like I had jerked her in or something, and pulled up her back left like it hurt. She did that for about two paces, then walked on it just fine.
So as you can imagine, I'm internally freaking out now. I feel her legs again, they felt fine, so I put her back out on the line to look for any lameness. Nothing at the walk, nothing at the trot. Spooked at little at a gate closing, broke into a canter, looked fine, brought her back to a trot, spooked at a little kid outside of the arena (Really, Greta?) broke into a canter again, brought her back to a trot, and just let her walk. We really were getting no where now, and I was worried all of her legs that she kept tripping over. Jeez, Greta. I had gotten some good up and down transitions out of her, and we were pushing seven minutes going to the right, so it was time to just calm it down and cool down.
I put liniment all over her legs and still saw nothing, so I figured I just see what they look like today.
They looked fine today, cool and tight.
As for today's ride: can anyone say Pocket Rocket?
She was star gazing half the time and really rushing through my aids and trying to be a polo pony again haha, so instead of getting frustrated, I followed that little lemonade philosophy and just made the best of our ride. She definitely wasn't perfect the entire ride, maybe only 30% or so, but I just focused on the good moments. The minute she put in a few paces of a round trot or a controlled trot, I let her trot on a loose rein for a few strides. We cantered a circle or two, trotted a lot more, and called it a day. Whew!
All of that made me realize that my low posting has gotten rusty from Greta being so chill lately. Something to work on!!
Her legs were still cool and tight, but I still hosed her off and put liniment on her legs again.
I'm still keeping an eye on them, though. She's freaking me out, man!
It has been raining on and off here in Central Texas what with Hurricane Alex coming in from the South, but on the positive side (if you can find anything positive about a hurricane) the days have been overcast and in the mid 70s until around midday, then they go up into the 80s and the air gets quite humid. Yeck. On the down side: the stalled horses have to stay inside because it's quite muddy and maybe 1/2 of the covered arena is open because it rained vertically and got a nice portion of it wet and sloppy so it had to be coned off. I can't wait until it is dry enough that Greta and I can add the outdoor arena and the pastures to our Riding Zone List again.
But rain makes grass, which makes for a happy mare and more hay, which makes for MAYBE lower hay costs next year? Cross your fingers!!!
It has been raining on and off here in Central Texas what with Hurricane Alex coming in from the South, but on the positive side (if you can find anything positive about a hurricane) the days have been overcast and in the mid 70s until around midday, then they go up into the 80s and the air gets quite humid. Yeck. On the down side: the stalled horses have to stay inside because it's quite muddy and maybe 1/2 of the covered arena is open because it rained vertically and got a nice portion of it wet and sloppy so it had to be coned off. I can't wait until it is dry enough that Greta and I can add the outdoor arena and the pastures to our Riding Zone List again.
But rain makes grass, which makes for a happy mare and more hay, which makes for MAYBE lower hay costs next year? Cross your fingers!!!
I certainly hope all is well with Greta's legs... sounds like she's ok, but horses like to make us worry for some reason!
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing quite like the personality of a mare, is there? She sounds like quite a gem. :)
the mare that I am training has become a big wimp when she knocks her hoofs (and coronet bands) on ground rails and cavalettis...one day a few weeks ago, I was schooling her over a series of tiny cavalettis and she knocked the first one with her front left hoof...she came over it fine and then proceeded to limp on three legs much to the horror of the other people in the lesson, my instructor and me (who jumped off immediately)...she was holding it up like it was broken -- turns out she was just being a big baby...and you bet she didn't touch a rail for the rest of the lesson!
ReplyDeleteps. I love following other mare blogs!
@in2paints: yes, I do hope all is well! I have a feeling I'm just being a worry wart (this is the girl who rubs antisepctic ointment over any and all scratches she comes in with... benign scratches) but I will take another looky loo at her legs tomorrow as well. Well, I take a look at them every day, but anyway.... Yes, Greta is a gem! She's a diamond in the rough..... really deep in the rough, sometimes haha.
ReplyDelete@Niamh: Oh my goodness! I would be so scared! I guess that's one way to teach your horse to pick up their feet, huh? It is kind of funny in a not-so-funny way, her being a little baby like that. Bless her!
ReplyDeleteMare blogs are so nice because I know I'm not alone in the Mare-ish World of Mares!
I have a feeling that I'm being the wimp in this case haha because Greta got over her little stint very quickly. I've just seen the littlest things turn into the biggest problems with horses, so I worry haha. Probably too much. I have had worse, she has taken off at a gallop so quickly and turned so tightly on the longeline once and out in the pasture once or twice that she fell on her side! She was fine after that, too. I have to give her some credit, I suppose. She is a tough little cookie.
I'm lucky to have friends with 30 years expereience on me. Could be she has your number in certain areas or on any given day. Any drop in pressure affects horses like mad! I work with newborn babies and if there is a storm or a pressure drop, or GOD, even the threat of one, I wish I had the day off ! It'll all come out in the wash!
ReplyDelete:)
@jacksonsgrrl: I would love to say I have her figured out by now, but not entirely.... Yes, I can imagine the combination of the low pressure, the cool breeze that comes in now and then, and the fact she's been inside for a few days now didn't help any haha! She can go a bit bonkers with all of that!
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