Guinness on Tap

The Proof in the Pudding

2012-01-05T14:26:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry about the post title, I've been watching a lot of Bones recently.

Anyway, last night my beloved husband came out and took some photos of my ride. While the winter-time low light is difficult to shoot in (especially for someone without a lot of photo experience, so cut him a break!), he managed to get proof of our miraculous stretchy trot I talked about yesterday.

He's so stretchy!
Let's not comment on my position, I'm riding without stirrups for a reason. Damn you lower leg!

And now for some select hightlights from the ride:

After years of fighting this horse to step under himself and work through his back, success feels sweet.

Look up, look up, LOOK UP!

I don't have much else to say about Guinness. He was, again, sounder than sound could be, and very happy to be moving around. During the first part of our ride, the high school horse show team was practicing over fences. I guess Guinness decided that he was at a jumper show, and started giving me little bouts of "showjumper canter" whenever pointed in the direction of a fence. You know the canter I'm talking about. The high, nearly rearing with every stride, super exuberant canter showjumpers develop just before a monstrous jumping effort? Yeah, that. It's really hard to say no to a horse who wants to jump that badly ... Come on miracle cure for arthritis!

Sounder Days

2012-01-04T12:17:00.002-05:00

The end of the holidays brought frigid temperatures. Of course as a horse person in waterlogged Indiana, I might be one of the few people rejoicing! As I walked across the frozen mud of the pasture (at this point, this is as much of a miracle to me as walking on water!) to catch my blanketed beast, I couldn't help hoping that the freezing weather continues.

My recent routine has involved trotting up Guinness to evaluate his lameness before even taking him in the barn to groom. It's just easier to know earlier if my horse is hurting. Yesterday, another miracle, he was sound, sound, sound! Joyfully, I scraped the last of the mud off of him and tacked up. Mud free and sound, what a day!

Unfortunately, the ongoing lameness we've been dealing with has made riding regularly or working on any sort of training plan almost impossible. Every time I get on, I feel as though I am just starting over with conditioning. Just when I get to the point we can work on things, we have to take another break.

Last night after a long warm up, we focused on staying loose and relaxed. Somehow we managed, not one, but TWO stretchy trot circles. That's almost an unknown, as any amount of stress will drive Guinness directly behind the bit. He tends to hide there, and only strong transitions and driving aids can get him out. I think it's fair to say that I had a huge grin on my face the whole way around!

After our warm up, we started working on having Guinness track up properly. He managed to stay relaxed through all of this, and we showed off a few on-point canter transitions from a working trot and very balanced serpentines. Finally, just to show off, we ran through a couple of leg yields at the canter. I find these a great way to test whether we are actually collecting at the canter, or instead just bouncing. Last night, these were easier than eating cake. It was truly a beautiful ride.

Photo Break: Here's a photo from last night:

Note my vintage Saint Mary-of-the-Woods sweater. After years (seriously, my mother bought me that when I was 5 years old!) sitting in my closet unworn, I've decided to make it classy barn-wear.

Of course, rides like these make me want to start making plans and aim towards shows. Especially working through Training level. I know this horse can be competitive through at least 2nd level - but his lameness is just starting to wear on me. Luckily, at this point, I can directly relate his lameness to the crazy amount of mud in the pastures. This summer and fall when the mud was extremely limited, we had very few soundness problems. As winter started up and Guinness was dealing with 12 inches of mud on a daily basis, his arthritis started to be unmanageable. I'm not entirely sure how to deal with this. Do I take away his turnout, which I consider integral to the maintenance of the arthritic horse? Or do I deal with his arthritis being out of control during the "mud season"?

Hooves: Since Ya'll Care

2011-12-22T12:21:00.000-05:00

Guinness is still off in his fetlocks, with heat in the front left and all four horribly puffy.I'm wondering if the stress of walking through mud for the last few weeks is taking it's toll on him. He isn't a terribly active horse in mud, especially since he's sort of a prim horse. He kinda hates being dirty, and walks through mud about how I do: carefully, while muttering "ew, gross" under his breath.

So, while we "Bute-Up!" (I like to say it like Barney in How I Met Your Mother says "Suit-Up!"), I'll update you on the progress of our oh-so-bare thoroughbred feet. It's actually kind of exciting, especially now that the wintertime death-thrush is nearly eliminated.

As of last night, these are the comparison photos:

Side View. Awfully sorry about the lack of continuity. Obviously I would make a terrible film editor ;)

From the bottom. Note how far we still have to come with those heels, but the foot is spreading out much more in the middle than it was before! In fact, the shape has changed quite a bit, and is now more circular than oblong.

So, what do you guys think? Sole hardness is something that is hard to see in photos, but it has improved drastically. In March the sole would flex under pressure from my thumbs. Now, I can't get it to move at all. Guinness still watches where he is going on rocks, but is able to walk on them without flinching or limping. This has made the walk back to his pasture much faster and easier. I think the turnout has made a world of difference in his feet.

Now, since we're doing comparison photos. Here's our conformation/condition shot for December. Note the weight gain (and not just in mud!) since then. Hooray!

GP's just resting a back leg in this photo. Oddly, that leg is the only one without swelling in the fetlock area!

Lesson learned? It's hard to take decent photos in the dark of mudtastic, rain-filled December. I got mud on my camera. Ew.

Lameness

2011-12-21T09:49:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've noticed that I've been struggling with a bit of lameness with Guinness over the last year. The severity of his fetlock arthritis has come and gone several times, but with the settling in of cold weather has become very noticeable.

Over the last week I've ridden GP for 3 days straight. Each day he was full of energy and lots of go, but the trot has felt "funky". To the point that I asked a friend riding with me if it looked like we were pacing, like a Standardbred.

(What GP's trot feels like)

I think this gait change is due to pain. My friend said that he looked less like a pacer, and more like he was three legged lame. Great. I can tell that whatever the cause of the issue, it is located on his right side. And last night, after an EXTREMELY energetic ride, his right front ankle had some heat in it. So, I gave him some bute and sent him back outside.

At this point, I'm really getting worried about what the progression of his fetlock arthritis will be. I know that the joint fusing is a possibility, but not always a good one. While it would stop his pain, the joint's loss of mobility can cause problems in the knee and the shoulder and cause problems with the deep digital flexor tendon (something I have been worried about due to his horrible crushed heels and inability to put weight on his heels).

The arthritis is a scary, scary thing. I guess it's time to start saving up for another set of front radiographs.

Wintertime Routines

2011-12-20T09:34:00.002-05:00

Living in the midwest, I've been struggling with the problems of wintertime horse ownership for years. Every time I visit the Chronicle of the Horse forums I see a post complaining about how hard it is to find time to ride, especially in the winter. I always refrain from commenting on these posts because that situation is all to real for me, and I try not to complain about it too much. But, right now I'm feeling the stresses of winter, so you all get to hear about it.

To fill you in, I work a full time job, my husband is in medical school and we own two dogs. It's not unusual for me to get up at around 5:30 a.m. just to be able to get a run in before heading to work. My husband and I ride to work/school together (I work at the same University he attends), and that morning car ride is the last time I will see him until 8 p.m.

Sometimes I'll skip lunch to try to leave early. Unfortunately, when I skip lunch it usually just means I have worked an extra hour that day and didn't get to leave early. After work, I dart home to try to get changed/check the mail/make sure the house isn't burning/pack up my dogs. Then, I can head to the barn. Sometimes during this time, I commit a cardinal sin and sit down. Never do this. You WILL NOT get back up. Bad plan.

Once on the road to the barn, things usually go just fine. I try to fill the 30 minute ride with things that get me excited/thinking, like Horse Radio Network or Stuff You Missed In History Class (yes, I'm a history nerd) podcasts. If these can't keep me awake, then I use the time to catch up on phone calls (hi, Mom!). By the time I get to the barn, the sun has set.

At the barn, I am all business. I don't have a ton of time on weeknights, so I catch my feral creature (Guinness lives outside 24/7 and currently resembles a yak) and brush off enough mud/water/hay to comfortably put on the saddle and bridle. During this time, GP gets to eat his dinner grain ration and my dogs get to run around and play in the indoor arena. I check his legs for obvious swelling/missing pieces/heat and pick out his feet, then we ride.

My ride+cool out time takes about 40 minutes, and the whole time I think about how awesome it is to have an indoor to ride in. After this, I untack quickly, love on my horse, and put him back out in the field. It is now around 7pm, time to close up the barn (I'm usually the last person out there) and drive the 30 minutes back home, picking up my husband on the way to the house.

Once home, I make dinner and clean house while my husband studies. We eat around 9 p.m. Afterwards, I fall asleep on the couch with the dogs, dreaming of doing it all again.

Whew.

How do you manage to find time to ride?

Post Wedding and IHSA Showing

2011-11-17T09:30:00.001-05:00

Yup, you heard that correctly. I'm a married woman now, as of November 5th. My family told me they fully expect me to act just as respectable and married as them. I assume that means carry on as I have been!

Now that the wedding is behind me, I hope to have more time to focus on ponies. I have picked up a training ride at my barn (a black, young, TB mare with balance issues, breaking issues and focus issues), have started GP back into conditioning work, and picked up showing for IHSA again.

Wait, IHSA? Again? What?!

Let me explain. In college, I showed on the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association team at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. I showed both Hunt Seat Equitation Flat and Hunter Equitation Over Fences, and it was pretty fun. Nearly every weekend I was off at the horse show. How many college kids can say the same?

Flash forward to Friday of last week when I received a frantic text message asking if I would mind showing in the Alumni class for SMWC's show that weekend. Um? There weren't enough alumni to make a complete class, so they needed one more. I agreed, with the stipulation that they not expect much. A quick lesson was arranged for me, so I could school over a few of the horses and get in a quick practice in a hunter frame (ew).

Friday I rode 4 horses, and jumped all of them (yeah, GP jumped ... more on that later). My lesson was pretty okay, and I remembered how to sit up after a fence, and slow down. On my way out of the barn I realized I was locked in my car and had to wait 2 hours in the cold for Christian to come pick me up (marital duties suck). Early Saturday morning I located all my old show clothes, ironed them and put them on (Hurray, everything still mostly fits! Turns out my shoulders have gotten wider, that's it ... ) When I went to put my helmet on at the show, I discovered, to my horror, that it had molded around the crown. Oops. Obviously, it's been awhile ...

Needless to say, I was in this for fun, not expecting to win (spoiler: I totally didn't). Let me add, I haven't ridden hunter for YEARS. I graduated (and thus showed my last IHSA show) in 2008, and haven't looked back. I haven't even JUMPED in over a year and half. My riding has been severely limited due to the wedding and the move and the lame horse.

I wanted to go out there and not embarrass myself completely. I think I managed that. Here's your video recap, jumping rides only:

Saturday's Jump Ride:

• I initially pulled Joy, a privately owned mare who was SUPER unhappy about the whole idea of showing IHSA. She had been refusing all afternoon, and with the rider just before me, she had refused almost every single jump. Fun.
• Once we got over the first fence, we were golden. I managed to settle into a rhythm (sorta). Looking at the video, it's obvious I haven't been riding for awhile. I'm unable to keep my hip angle closed enough.

Saturday's Re-Ride:

• Due to Joy's dirty, dirty stop on the first fence, I was awarded a re-ride on Bella, a small white pony mare who is ALL head. She needs a super supportive ride, basically requiring me to cue her when to jump. I buried her at the curved diagonal line, and she let me know it. I believe I muttered "omph!" upon landing that fence. It was ... UGLY.

Sunday's Jump Ride:

• Sunday I arrived to the show 30 min before my class, and drew Remy to ride. With less time to worry or think, I just focused on riding "in the moment" instead of floating around with my eyes unfocused (which is how I felt on Saturday). I think I was rewarded with a much better ride.
• You'll notice I need a bit more speed in the first half of the ride. We rode it balanced, and I don't feel too bad about it. We still should have have 4 strides in the first outside line. Oops.

What do you think?

Promised Photos!

2011-09-08T15:45:00.000-04:00

Work has been nuts, what with the rather popular country singer's concert tonight. So ... here's your photos, and not much else!

Consider yourself updated :)

Regal Red Horse stares into the wind.

Not the best conformation shot ever taken, but he kept trying to trot off!

Heeeeey Mom!

Nothing quite like a sleepy holiday weekend.

With the colder weather comes: Indoor Arena Husky Wrestling! Here, Lyra attempts to catch Sonka-Dog. Please note the taunting expression on Sonka's face. I've never seen a faster dog yet. He's just toying with Little Girl!

New Starts

2011-09-05T13:36:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the long radio silence everyone. We're still alive, just incredibly busy. Between moving a horse, 2 dogs, and 2 people from Southwestern Ohio to Western Indiana, me starting a new job and Christian starting medical school, things have been a touch stressful. Add to that the week I was down and out with possible West Nile and the fact that I'm trying to plan our wedding, you end up with, well, radio silence. This long holiday weekend, however, has been a great let-down from the go-go of our lives these days. I've been out to see Guinness every day this weekend, and we've been riding hard.

Speaking of Guinness, I'll fill you in on where we've ended up. The big red horse is being boarded at a facility 30 minutes North of my house in the town of Clinton. He's turned out 100% of the time, with full access to round bales and pasture. His feed is mixture of oats and 14% pellets, and he's put on a ton of weight (just on the hay/grass alone!). His feet have good days and bad, but the majority have been good. The turnout has done amazing things for his sole depth and strength. Rocks are still tough, but he's arena sound. More on that in a bit.

To start from where we left off: At the end of May, I had x-rays taken of GP's front feet. I wanted to put to rest the niggling feeling that there was something mechanical causing his increasing lameness. Good news? His feet looked great. No rotation, navicular bone in good positioning, and everything hunky dory. The vet agreed that his soles are thin, but encouraged me to leave his shoes off. His professional opinion? Shorten those toes and get that heel underneath the foot, and I'll have a happier horse.

Well, yes.

Of course, there was bad news. X-rays always bring that, don't they? The vet took one look at Guinness and expressed an immediate concern about his ankles. They were very large and puffy, but not warm. He asked about injury, and I told him about GP's racing past and his arthritic changes. Vet said he wanted to x-ray the ankles to see what we are really looking at. Take a look below ...

Right front fetlock and hoof view.

If you look at the fetlock joint (especially the right one - top photo), you can see the degeneration of the fetlock joint. It's pretty severe, turns out. This explains the huge ankles. Vet said that he thinks half of the lameness I've been seeing is from these joints. We sat around these x-rays and discussed our options. Injections was the main suggestion for management. There's no "fixing" this sort of injury, and it is only going to get worse with time. Eventually, both will completely fuse. This isn't a huge deal. It will cut down on GP's flexibility through his ankles, and his usability as a dressage horse in upper levels. I'm not terribly concerned about that. He will probably never jump again. That saddens me, he loves it so much. Once his ankles have fused (which can take years), he won't have pain any longer. I'm looking forward to that day.

A week after these were taken, we had both ankles injected with a combo of H/A and Depo. I know a lot of people have strong feelings about this injection, but I really think it's the right way to go. The Depo takes the immediate inflamation out of the joint, and the H/A works on a longer term to allow the join to work normally. Unlike the first time we had injections done, the large puffs on the ankles didn't go down immediately. Instead, after a week of turnout, the inflammation slowly went down. Soundness did improve.

During the month of June, I was busy trying to find a new job where Christian was going to be going to medical school. Guinness was my stress reliever, and I would hop on him bareback (it only took me 20 years to figure out how to leap on a full grown horse from the ground!) and round up the other horses to bring them in out of the field. We went for long walks, but nothing strenuous. GP started losing weight pretty drastically here, and I was starting to worry about him. The grass in his turnout was rapidly disappearing, and I started him on ground flax to add calories.

On July 4th, Guinness moved to Indiana. He's a happy camper being outside all the time (except for getting a little beat up by his new herd). He has a shelter, and food. His first trim lamed him pretty substantially, and I felt awful about that. My new job doesn't allow me to supervise his farrier work, and that is hard for me. His second trim didn't lame him so much. His feet have since come back stronger than they were, and his heels are starting to come underneath him. He's a sore foot on gravel roads, but sound as can be in grass. In the arena, he seems to short stride at the walk but be perfectly content to swing along at the trot and really step up under himself. That has been a beautiful thing to feel.

This weekend, we've been working on conditioning. Lots and lots of walking. We've been on the bit, we've been on a loose rein. We've explored hills and fields and woods. We've trotted a distance and cantered some. We've crossed puddles (oh my!) and met cowboy horses (they're so short!). We've been having a blast, and not taken a sore step yet.

Life's been looking up for this big red horse.

After Christian heads to school this afternoon, I'm headed out to enjoy a holiday on horseback. I'll try to take some photos and video while I'm out there. I need to get some conformational shots and video of movement for my records anyway! After all, I don't have any photos of Guinness in his hairless summer coat yet!

Long time, some improvement.

2011-05-25T12:37:00.000-04:00

I haven't ridden my horse since January.

Well, not really anyway. Sure, on his good days I'll hop on him bareback. But, that's really it. No actual riding. No working in a frame. No plans or schedules or goals. It's rough. It's depressing. But, it's good for him, right?

I dunno.

But! Here's what I do know:

A) My horse is no longer as "girthy" after switching his feed. He's much calmer and less touchy. Also, his back pain is starting to go away. He no longer flinches hard while currying his back.

B) There is some sole growth. Not much, and his soles still flex under pressure from my hands. But, there is some growth, and nearly no exfoliation.

C) GP is very lame after being trimmed by my farrier, and not after being touched up by me. Lame as in "cannot walk on level pavement". It's sad to see.

D) The feed change has brought about a much skinnier horse, perhaps too skinny.

Basically, I feel like we are stuck where we are. I started a new job, so walking my horse daily suffered. I always made sure he had turnout, but it has rarely been on hard ground. We've had so much rain recently, everything here is a mud pit. I've made a bigger effort to get out and walk on hard surfaces, and have seen a much happier striding horse.

Guinness is still hitting the ground toe first for the most part. Here you can see some footage of him walking in early April:

As you can see, he is walking much more confidently, but is still "stabby" with his front legs. For the most part, this is where we were for a month.

Then Guinness had trim by the farrier, and he went lame. Very lame. Super lame ... and it sucked.

My farrier didn't touch the frog (but to trim off some flaps on the side), didn't touch the sole and just rasped back his walls to a big higher of an angle than I had been. He did rasp the walls down a bit more, and they are level more with GP's sole. He did try to shape up GP's clubby foot more. Unfortunately that foot is usually sounder. Weird, but true. Also weird but true is the near disappearance of GP's windpuff on his left front ankle. Meanwhile, the right front has been getting worse. More proof of the lameness being focused ... ugh.

Basically, I'm feeling helpless, but still willing to keep trying. The small improvements I've been seeing are helping me to keep on.

In other news, the feed change did cause GP to lose what I felt was a lot of weight quickly. I know have him on a ground flax supplement to increase the caloric load of his feed. He's stopped losing, and has started to fill out. That has been since the following photos were taken, so he is still slightly ribby here.

Below are some new conformation shots and foot shots from a week ago. Let me know what you think. The trim was very recent, and the one that lamed him. From now on, I guess I'll do all his trims. The work on pavement is really keeping his wall length very reasonable, and I keep it low by working on it every week or two.

Front Right, the foot with the large ankle windpuffs.

Right Front from the bottom. Note the back of the frog looks more pinched. Are my heels too high?

Front Left. Weirdly shaped, but less ankle swellings. Sorry for the poor angle of photography ;)

Front Left from below. Note wider spread on frog. Am I seeing things here?

Note skinnier pony! No more fat deposits on shoulder, bottom of neck or face. Hurrah! Now, to keep some weight on him ...

Another note: Guinness seems to stand square up front most of the time. But behind, he always stands askew. Maybe I need to pay closer attention back there!

As always, I appreciate any input!

The Stumbly Rehabilitation

2011-04-15T21:01:00.000-04:00

To solve the mystery (sort of?) of my last post, I have changed Guinness' feed to help with his foot rehabilitation.

After a lot of thought, I decided to go with Buckeye's Grow n' Win. I have upped hay consumption, and started double bagging the hay to slow down GP's consumption. So far, I'm incredibly happy. My horse is much less stumbling, and more confident in his feet.

Every day I see him walk out sounder and sounder, and my heart beats happier. It's a good feeling to help your animal.

Difficult Day at the Office

2011-04-07T18:34:00.001-04:00

Okay, I'm going to be honest. Today was actually pretty good. I had a good first day at my new part-time job, it's utterly gorgeous outside, and I'm pleasantly sore from my runs this week. Things are going my way, right? Right.

Well that is until I showed up at the barn this afternoon, and my barn owner decided it was time to tell me I am a cruel horse owner, and abusing my horse. This is the person who has horses in his barn with thrush so bad you can smell it in the aisle way. The person who uses a vet owning a horse that has to bend it's front legs at the knee to avoid putting weight on it's heels. These horses are okay though. Totally not being abused. Nope.

My horse, meanwhile, is sore on rocks. ROCKS. Yes, we have a rocky place. We have a barn surrounded by a gravel drive. We have huge rocks and portions of gravel in our turnout. Yep. Do I force my horse to walk across these rocks? Sometimes, because we have to cross them. But, he gets full choice to pick his way across. He stumbles sometimes, but mostly just goes slow and picks his way across. He's fine. He doesn't have any bruises or abscesses. The farrier was here today and confirmed that he has grown some sole. It's still very thin, but it IS growing. I think that's a marked improvement, and something that wasn't happening while we were in shoes. And, he's sound and running around like a fool on grass/soft ground. This validates the difficult journey we've been on.

In case it's not obvious, I'm very offended that someone would tell me that I am abusing my horse by trying to heal him. I'm offended that someone would think that it doesn't hurt me to watch my horse be sore crossing stones. Would I like to just slap some pads on and have a miracle cure? Of course. Do I feel that is counter-productive to healing? Yes.

The other thing my barn owner and I were arguing about was feeding and insulin resistance. Guinness' constant soreness (despite his feet getting much better, thicker, and harder), is leading me to confirm suspicions of insulin resistance. Not to mention his hefty appearance. I've been soaking his morning hay since January, and have slowly been cutting down his grain. It's an experiment, really, to see what helps. What I can say is the last couple of weeks, as his grain has been cut drastically (from 3 full 3quart scoops of "low carb" pellets a day to 1 1/4 3quart scoop of the same.), his feet have been less painful. He's been moving more confidently over the gravel driveway. There has been significantly less picking a place, and more speed.

This has made me examine his feed in even greater detail. He's currently on Rowe Secure Option Omega 14%. It's a local feed provider, and I figured it would be low starch. Especially since that is what it is marketed as. Well, the fifth ingredient is (of course) cane molasses. Well no kidding my horse is having an issue with this feed.

My barn owner thinks this idea of changing feed is crazy. He can't see why that little bit of molasses would be a problem. He thinks it's all breeding. It's interactions like these that make me want to eat lots of good Italian food and drink from an econo-sized bottle of wine. I myself have blood sugar issues (but am not diabetic), and I remember how when my horse was being starved, his feet were better. I don't want to starve him (ever!) but I can see the connection. So, I've been researching feeds.

That brings me to part 2 of this post. FRUSTRATION.

Seriously, why is it so hard to find a good feed for an insulin resistant horse? The Pig can be a bit difficult to keep weight on without grain. So I am not sure a simple ration balancer would be a good way to go. It might, but it could also be an expensive experiment. I like the idea of feeding a rice bran / low starch mix. But, I'm just not sure that's possible or economic. Right now, the plan is to switch to Triple Crown Low Starch and buy a small hole hay net to keep constant forage in front of the monster while stalled. This should help with the hay soaking (that isn't happening when I'm not there). I can always add a fat supplement like Ultimate Finish or Max-E-Glo if needed later for weight gain. For now, The Pig is fat and I need to go feed shopping.

What do you guys think?

P.S. Does anyone else think Ultimate Finish smells like chocolate chips?

The Bling Bling

2011-03-16T15:36:00.001-04:00

Guinness and I are now 4 weeks into our 2nd barefoot attempt. So far, we are holding everything together- and I am seeing improvement. First of all, my horse is not lame. Unlike the first time I had his shoes pulled, he is walking alright (though carefully) and able to trot soundly on pavement or mud. He is developing a very smooth and calloused sole, and it is no longer flaking off every time I clean his feet. This is a definite improvement over shoes!

Now my focus has become addressing his various foot problems to continue improving his feet, movement and overall enjoyment of life. A difficulty has been the environment in which we live, which is incredibly rocky. If you look at photos of our boarding facility, you can see that even the arenas are filled with rocks. These aren't nice smooth rocks either. Guinness would tell you that these are evil, sharp, deadly rocks. Oh well.

Taking these rocks into consideration our first few weeks were spent either barefoot working on the pavement, or booted and turned out in the soft arena. Finally, I took the boots off (after they got pulled off, that is) and turned him out in a big muddy turn out. There were lots of rocks, but the deep mud helped him to avoid any bruising. He was fine, and felt much better about being able to move around sans boots. The boots we have been using are a horridly destroyed pair of Old Macs Originals. I have to vet wrap AND duct tape these suckers on, and they still fall off! Ugh! I am waiting on our new pair of Cavallo Simples to come in. Hopefully soon!

Guinness's feet have been churning out lots of new growth, and I ended up doing a self-trim on him yesterday. I wanted to do a bit more roll on his wall to try to tighten up the flare he has, especially on the quarters of his foot. In addition, his walls were getting a bit longer than his sole. Despite being woefully out of shape for the trim (seriously, ow soreness today!), it only took about an hour. I feel pretty good about my work. The roll is pretty apparent, and even. Guinness was a little sore, I think due to the extra pressure on his sole. Today he started off very carefully on our road walk, but about halfway in he cheered up and started stepping out. I think he just needed to get used to the new feeling. I'm going to try to keep him booted in turn out again, just until he gets more concavity to his hoof.

The photos below come from last week, before I trimmed his feet. You can see how long and deformed his heel is, and how bowed the front of his hoof is ...

In the next photo, you can see how his sole is starting to take on that hard, shiny (almost waxy!) look of a good callus. As we work more, I hope that this keeps forming. His constant loss of sole is what I was really concerned about while he was in shoes, and I feel that issue is being resolved 100%. In this photo you can also see the hugely stretched white line. I'm hoping that by keeping his feet rolled at the wall, this will eventually go away as his foot grows down.

Today we went for a long walk on the roads, and as I said he was much more comfortable after and during this. Just to fight any soreness that might be accumulating, I decided to treat him to a night of Magic Cushion.

Application of this sticky, red, smelly substance is always tricky. Of course today it was more so. Guinness decided to put his foot down before I was ready. He slammed it down on the plastic before I could catch him. Of course, the Magic Cushion made his foot slip, which freaked him out, and he proceeded to leap backwards in the cross ties.

Oh Guinness...

Luckily all was not for naught, and I was able to patch up the packing on the bottom of his foot, wrap it in the sticky plastic and start duct taping. The whole time he was convinced his feet were going to slide out from under him, of course. And, we did leave a few nasty sticky footprints down the aisle way. Oops!

The best thing about having Guinness in Magic Cushion over night isn't the anti-inflammatory benefits, though those are nice. No, the best thing about Magic Cushion is the fact that my horse has BLING! Seriously. I used enough duct tape to circle a small nation to attach everything to his feet. Light catches his feet and you can see them from about 8 miles away. It's hilarious!

I know I talk about my GP's hilarious personality, so I had to share this photo from this morning's turnout time. When I came out to catch the horses and put them away, I found this in the middle of the ring. Yeah, that's my horse. Yeah, he's holding his own halter. When I opened the door he was playing tug-o-war with Raven using his halter. As I walked in, he pulled it away from Raven, and waited till I walked up to him. He then dropped his slobbery halter into my hand ...

Oh Guinness!

Breed to Beautiful!

2011-02-25T18:52:00.000-05:00

Meet Salute the Truth!

This stallion has some serious cred, even running at the most advanced levels of eventing! But, what his most qualifying trait is how much he looks like Guinness. Seriously, check this out!

I mean? Seriously? I would DIE to own this stallion ... or an up and comer by him. His foals are fabulous and he certainly is everything I would look for in a thoroughbred.

So, looking to breed to a TB? Try Salute the Truth.

- all photos from Dodon Farm's website.

Contest!

2011-02-22T20:24:00.001-05:00

Hey guys! It's starting to be a big thing in blogs for people to give away items to readers for answering a few questions. Now, I know my following isn't big, but I like to make sure I'm not out of the loop. So .... without further ado I am pleased to announce:

The first Guinness on Tap Giveaway!

On the line: A grab-bag type piece of mysterious horse-related tack or supplies. (Basically, I haven't figured out what you get yet, but it's probably worth about $10-$30).

To win: Simply respond to this post or my personal Facebook page and identify as many pieces of tack and equipment adorning my lovely TB model. The first person with the most complete and detailed response gets the prize. Yes, you can win by saying the brand as well as the type of tack - if you know it!

Rules: Play fair. No calling me with questions. No breaking into my barn to see logos (Cause seriously ... how freaking creepy is that?!). All the info you need to win is in the photo below. No purchase necessary.

Make sure you include your name and a way to contact you with your entry. You wouldn't want your random piece of horse stuff lost in the mail!

Enjoy and best of luck!

P.S. Yes. This is the best I can come up with while doing road hacks. Deal.

A Beautiful Day!

2011-02-18T15:53:00.001-05:00

The sun is out, the wind is tamed, and the temperature is utterly perfect for equine activity. Who can resist spending the morning at the barn, throwing all the doors open, currying out some loose winter fur, and cleaning stalls? Yes, even cleaning stalls.

Yesterday, while much windier and cooler than today, Guinness got himself a bath. To put it mildly, he was not pleased. In fact, his face looked very little like this:

Instead he looked quite a bit more evil, and snake-like. Imagine pinned back ears, wrinkled nostrils, bared teeth, and a certain "crazed" look in the eye and you'll have a smidge of an idea of what I had to deal with. Once properly clean, we headed out to dry in the sun and epic winds. Unfortunately, these scared the crap out of my GP, and he spent most of the time quivering at the end of the leadrope and scanning the horizon for wind-demons.

Finally, our road hacking has been going fabulously - if you don't count the trash-truck, the wind-powered trash can, the ominous whistling pine trees and the mailman of doom. BUT! Below find evidence of the motor-foot himself working hard on the streets!

And video of the champ!!
YouTube Video
Seriously, we were totally following the speed limit!

Location:Maineville,United States

The Pig Has No Shoes ... Again

2011-02-17T22:11:00.001-05:00

Monday was a big day for us. Guinness had his shoes pulled, and my farrier didn't make me feel guilty. Wahoo!

Look at those beautiful toes!

After telling my farrier that I didn't feel that shoes and pads were doing anything but bandaiding my problem, he agreed. He told me that if I could keep Guinness comfortable and avoid bruising, we would have just as much luck barefoot as in shoes - then, he pulled them, did a little evening up and we called it a day.

Luckily, my farrier will be at the farm for the next 2 weeks. That way, if I have any problems he is on hand to help me out. I can't get better than that, plus the soft ground is helping too!

Yesterday I ordered a new set of Cavallo Sport Boots to replace the worn out pair of original Old Macs of the barn's that I have been using. I'd stick with free, but GP thinks that they are a little too clunky to walk or canter normally in (though trotting appears to be fine?), plus one is completely busted at the buckle. In addition, the Cavallo boots are awesome, in that they are all velcro and super fast to put on. How much better can you get for something I'd be putting on and taking off about 3 times a day. Jeesh! I can't wait the 2-5 days for delivery!

Since Tuesday, Guinness and I have been following advice from internet friends and my farrier and going for long walks on the asphalt of the surrounding neighborhoods. I think being barefoot is making GP more comfortable out there, as there has been much less bit chomping and nervousness. Instead I have a horse who has been all business. He pretty much just marches onward, ears pricked and looking all directions. He's relaxed and happy, and that's awesome!

Now for some gratuitous hoof photos. Sorry about the photo qualities, balancing an iphone in the rain is difficult, okay!

On a lighter note, my horse is a trouble maker in turnout. He's a mouthy little thoroughbred if I've ever met one. Two weeks ago he ripped apart a cone and ate a book of dressage tests left in the ring. This week, he's setting up trot poles. Raven and Joe are helping ...

I actually got worried that GP had this pole stuck in his mouth. He held it for over 5 minutes without shifting. Meanwhile, Raven licked his neck and made faces. When I walked out there, I found that silly pony was just playing ...

YouTube Video

I think my favorite part is how they scare themselves! Anyone else have a horse who is a riot in turnout?

Location:Kings Island Dr,Maineville,United States

Oops Moment!

2011-02-14T11:42:00.001-05:00

Found: Abandoned in indoor arena. Appears to have been well cared for and trained. I'm sure owner will be looking for it.

Damn. There goes our hope of showing at the Majestic Farms schooling show. This sucks because Guinness and I had really worked out quite a but during our conditioning ride, and I think he was completely ready for Training tests 2&3.

Now, here I am waiting for the farrier. I'm torn between having the other shoe just pulled off and going 100% to bare with boots, or keeping on pads for another cycle. Ugh! Horse! Why you so difficult?!

I have been taking steps to change diet. Starting with soaking hay. GP likes more that way anyway. Especially when I soak it in hot water, cause baby it's been cold outside.

For now, I'm sitting here bracing for a fight with my farrier and dreaming of tonight's delicious valentine's day meal. I hope it's as wonderful as I have planned, especially since the man in question certainly deserves it!

Hope you all are having a good valentine's day and eating lots of good chocolate! Try this cake on for size, you won't be disappointed! Chocolate cake!!

Location:The barn

Walking on Sunshine

2011-01-14T04:00:00.000-05:00

Well, we're back in pads - fronts only.

My farrier came out yesterday afternoon, took off Guinness' front shoes and gasped in horror. Basically, his sole is gone. His feet have wall, a little sole that was under the shoe and then are scooped out completely. It looked like his cannon bone could come plunging through his sole at any point. Terrifying. Farrier looked at me and said "Pads?". For once, I completely agreed.

So, full padding was applied, including some cushioning material to help absorb all the shock and keep anything from applying constant pressure to the inside of the hoof. We discussed reasons for the total wearing away of the sole on GP's front feet for a long time. Obviously "being chestnut" or "having white feet" has nothing to do with these issues. Farrier also doesn't believe that simply being front feet is the issue either. Instead, he wondered if maybe a buildup of materials - like the balling up the indoor sand in his feet - could be causing the sole to be worn away and the constant pressure to bruise the sole and prevent growth.

This sort of makes sense to me. But for the amount that I picked out that horse's feet (2 to 3 times a day! Almost every time he was in turnout and when leaving his stall!), it just doesn't make sense. Sure, he might have a ball of indoor dirt left in there after a round of turnout while I was at work - but that was what? for a couple of hours? I don't know.

My concern is the possibility of slight amount of previous founder. With some forms of founder, especially a more minor type, the coffin bone can rotate some, allowing it to put pressure on the corium, cutting off blood supply to the sole, and inhibiting growth (source: here).
If this is happening, it's ultra scary due to the possibility of the sharp coffin bone possibly puncturing through the now softened sole. This is all hypothetical, but with the sluggish growth rate and constant foot pain, I can't help but wonder.

For now, the pads seem to be helping. During turn out time, Guinness is MUCH more active than usual, running around like a total fool. This might be due to his cabin fever and lack of riding, but I think it's also partially related to being pain free. The limping is GONE, though last night I did notice some soreness on him after some arena dirt packed in his hooves a little. Apparently that might be a problem even with the pads. Just something to keep my eyes on.

Riding is finally is on the horizon. Right now it's lots of walking, and walking, and walking. We are going to take things slow and condition up to optimum fitness. For now, 45 minutes of walking with 5 minutes of trotting at 30 minutes. We'll do this for a week (as boring as it is!) and revaluate. Then increase the trotting bit by bit till that's boring, then canter work! The hope is to be able to show at Majestic Farms at their February show.

Today is my last day at work. Until I find something new, I'll be volunteering at the art museum and pestering my horse. Hopefully that means you'll hear more from me!

I'll keep you posted!

Poor Little Sore Foot

2011-01-07T12:23:00.000-05:00

Our lameness issues aren't getting better. In fact, they are getting worse. Way worse. The "worsest" if you will ...

Everything started the beginning of the winter season with a little extra stiffness in the early parts of our ride. I expect this every winter. My giant red teddy bear isn't young anymore, and his joints pop more than Orville Redenbacher. We modify our rides to include at least 20 minutes of walking, both on a long rein and with contact. Then a little slow trotting, before I ask for a really engaged trot and start asking for bend, contact and figures. This has actually been working out very well for us, and I have felt pretty okay with debuting at Training Level later this month (but those concerns are another post!).

Recently, the lamness has been getting worse. Instead of working out of his stiffness and soreness, his gaits develop into a three legged hop around corners and a regular limp. While very worrying, the symptoms aren't there all the time. We might have 3 or 4 great days where his joints just crack and then 1 or 2 horrifying days. On the bad days I think about applying for a horsy leg transplant. I've been begging my vet to come out and look at him, but with the holidays and the racetracks (my vet is the main vet for Ohio racetracks) closing it's been impossible to get him out there.

Monday, after a really bumpy 15 min ride, in which Guinness seriously HOPPED around a corner on THREE LEGS. I called my vet from the saddle, nearly sobbing. We were able to schedule a visit, and talked about some of the possibilties including debilitating arthritis, injections or some sort of soft tissue/tendon injury. Really everything was looking pretty down right then. After I left the barn that night, all I could do was mope around.

All day Tuesday I kept trying to stay positive. I kept hoping for a simple arthritis diagnosis. Something an injection and careful warm-ups, wrapping, poltice and rest could help. Anything but a tendon injury, really.

Tuesday night I rode Guinness around for the vet. He watched us trot and walk both directions, as the big red horse hopped around below me - clearly in pain. An extensive poking and proding session resulted in my vet reaching for the hoof testers - and coming up with a positive test on the front right toe. My vet then proceeded to tell me that it looks like my horse has soft soles, and that I should slap some pads on him or pack him with Magic Cushion for the next two weeks to see how that helps. Venice turpentine is another option, to help toughen the soles. Oookay...

I have a couple of issues with this. First of all, why are my horse's delicate soles suddenly destroyed by the same footing he's been on since mid November? I know that we've always had to be extra careful with Guinness' feet, but why, despite the softness, is he only tender in one spot? What other options are there besides full "tennis shoe" type pads? What about an abscess? Doesn't that seem a little more like the obvioius option?

I feel like this is going to be an ongoing issue, but I'm just not sure how to continue from here. For now, the plan is to soak and poultice Guinness's right front hoof to see if I can coax out what may be an abscess. I agree that there is definite heat where the hoof testers pointed out a problem spot, and from the outside of the hoof I can feel a bit of isolated flare. I am wondering if this was caused by a quicked nail, a possible infection hurting as it grows out and/or he tripped hard and bruised his toe.

What really bothers me is the constant problem of soft or tender soles, and the complete write off I am getting from those around me. My vet told me that this problem would never resolve because "red-heads" (read: chestnut horses) always have softer feet. And that "white feet are always weaker."

... okay. Seriously? No.

First of all, the foot in question isn't even GP's white hoof. His white hoof is his back left, and I've NEVER had a problem with it.
Secondly, I never HEARD the thing about chestnuts, it's the biggest load of hooey ever. I mean, what if I told you that the reason my neighbor can grow a beard is because he has brown hair. Or, the reason his wife's fingernails break all the time is because she is fat.
Mythology, it's an amazing thing. Studies have disproved the white feet thing several times, yet my VET is spouting it. I'm disgusted..

Needless to say, I'm pretty frustrated right now. I've been trolling all horse outlets I know of to try to find more information to try to help my horse. I feel pretty abandoned by the professionals around me, and that's rather disheartening.

I did call my farrier, and that man has been a godsend. He wants to come out to look at Guinness and re-evaluate his feet. He doesn't think this has to be something we have to "just live with", and thinks the mythology is pretty bunk. Thank god, finally. We're going to have a look on Monday. Here's to hoping ...

Riding Bareback, or How I Acted Like a 12yr Old

2010-12-18T13:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a horrible day. Wow. The day before wasn't so hot either. In fact, this whole week has been a little rough. I won't burden you with the details, but needless to say it hasn't been pretty overall.

On Thursday, I came out to the barn, cleaned my stalls, tacked up my horse and went into the indoor arena. I should have known better. All day the stress levels had been rising. My hands and jaw had been aching from all the clenching they had been doing. While attempting not to cry, all I could think of was going to the barn - or settling in with a whole bottle of wine. One of these things is better for me ...

Probably the wine. :)

Guinness wasn't in the best of moods, and my horrid, stressful one, was feeding his anger. Unfortunately, instead of calling the day a wash, I kept trying to work. A combo of my stiff hands and perching created a perfect storm of horse/human conflict. What I'm trying to say is that I spend the entire ride going backwards. Very rapidly. Oops. Luckily, I finally got the hint, we ended on a positive forward note and I called it a day.

Friday was much more fun. After cleaning my stalls, I really didn't feel much like riding. So, I hopped on sans saddle, bridle and everything to go for what I thought would be a quick stretching walk. Guinness, outfitted in his halter with the leadrope only attached on the bottom ring, was all business. He marched into the indoor and let me know that he wanted to do more than simply walk.

So we worked.

Trotting, cantering, transitions. All in a halter, with my horse moving off my leg and seat. Stopping was a challenge sometimes, as GP was pretty excited to just go, but feeling him move under me was such a stress relief. He was enjoying moving out so much, that I had to let go of all of my internal distress and just be. And that was worth it, or as Christian said later: "This is why we own a horse!"

The whole time I felt like a little kid, like I was channeling my inner 12 yr old barn kid. The girls at the barn are always hopping on bareback and practicing their dressage tests, something I never feel that comfortable with. Friday night, I did. I giggled the whole time too, laughing out loud when my horse would put his head down to buck for fun and calling to him to give just a little more, or push just a little harder. God it was fun!

An improved mood, and more connected view of training and riding was a great way to start the weekend and look forward to our future plans!

P.S. I'm quitting my job. Thus the stress. ;)

Time Flys, But The Changes Keep Rolling In

2010-08-08T21:55:00.000-04:00

Watching the summer days go by has been both an exercise in patience and a study of exasperation. With each turn around, it seems Guinness and I make a stride forward, and then 2 strides back. At least our reverse is getting good.

Our goal of going to a hunter/jumper show this summer seems like it may not pan out. Maybe later in the fall. Right now, all the local shows are either cancelling due to lack of participation (stupid economy!) or we can't make it due to work or other scheduling conflicts. The one show we were set and ready for, Guinness went and picked a fight. Of course, the other horse beat him up, ripping open his side and giving him so awesomely nasty hematomas on his butt. That took at least a week until he wasn't sore on that side any more. Since then, we've been plagued with wounds of all types and sizes, not to mention the thrush -which is rampant this year.

His most recent injury is a nasty cut on the side of his face. The barn workers found it on Wednesday morning, and gave me a call. Of course I rushed out from work to take a look at it, and ended up cleaning his face wounds in high heels and a dress. Hes such a good boy for me, though and stood through it all - not even dirtying my clothes! The vet was right out, and stitched it up - under the watchful eye of Christian.

Yesterday afternoon, however, I found a depressed and needy gelding who started calling for his Mama as soon as I walked in the barn. A bright yellow and slightly creamy snot was FLOWING out of his nose, creating a puddle of gross. His nose was crusted up like a 5 month old child who doesn't know how to wipe his face yet. His wound was pulled at, and starting to weep down his face. In short, he was a total disaster. And damn was he cuddly! He kept shoving his nasty face into me and just holding it there, as if begging me to make it all better. How adorable, if snotty. My vets came out, and gave him some antibiotics via shot and some oral ones to get him through the next week too.

Stitches before they got all infected and gross like! We're thinking that something traveled from deep inside the wound into the sinuses, or that his current sinus infection caused him to itch his face on something sharp.

The vet visit highlighted a behavioral issue I've been trying to work with with Guinness since I brought him home. The poor horse has some issues with feeling trapped. When I first brought him home, he would freak whenever I touched his ears (and still does, if I catch him by surprise). Freaking, in this case, is exemplified by pulling back, hitting the end of the crossties/rope, and rearing. He usually snaps out of his halter at this point, backs up and wanders off. Sometimes, if he's really spooked, he'll be a touch hard to catch. But, it's not much of an issue. He doesn't run from me. I've been working on this issue with GP since I bought him. I've discovered that moving too fast or making an abrupt approach really weirds him out. He's forced me to slow down the way I interact with him, and that's been all for the better. He trusts me now, and I can move fast around him, but I sometimes forget that he's not an easy horse to get the trust of. My vets do not have his trust.

Vet S moves slowly, speaks quietly, and typically doesn't have too many issues with him. Causing GP any pain, however makes him leery of S. Vet J is a completely different story. She's a fast mover, a fast talker, and is loud. Guinness really does not appreciate this. When she handles him she just walks up and does whatever she needs to do. This finally came to a head last week when Vet J came up to try to tighten the clinches on Guinness' front shoes. She came a little fast, and started sawing away. He reared, popped his halter and slammed his foot down. He missed her, that time. When we tried again, he ended up catching her with his front leg and dragging her down the aisle a bit before extricating himself and spinning off. She was fine, but I think he hurt her pride a little. Every since then, she bad mouths him as badly behaved and crazy.

I might be wrong here, but I think this is utterly unprofessional. I completely agree that my horse was badly behaved during that moment. But any horse that lets me clean a huge angry wound on his face while I'm in high heels and doesn't even get me dirty - he doesn't have a problem. I feel like the guilty party here. I need to start standing up for my horse, and for his needs when it comes to stranger interactions. He's just sensitive, and it's unfair to him to not have me be his voice when he has to be handled by the vet. I need to stop getting intimidated and just open my big mouth a little more.

Remember kids, always speak up for your horse. He can't do it for himself!

Finally, it's time for summer updates. Overall, everything with Guinness has been going rather swimmingly - when I get to ride. In between my week-long camping trip to the great unexplored North (the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, a GREAT time!) and GP's injuries, I've only been able to ride a bit. He's falling a touch out of condition, but I think he's back on track (or WAS until this newest disaster sickness!). We were on target for a combined training show at the end of the month that we were going to just school. We've never been off the property before, and it seemed like a good idea to just take the time to learn to be together in a new place. In September, I have a dressage show scheduled. This promises to be fun - especially since we've been doing almost nothing but dressage schooling for the last month. We are getting really good. I have some video of a recent ride, but it's horrid - maybe I'll post it later!

Overall, it's been a good summer - and definitely a learning experience for me as a horse owner. I think everything that can happen to a horse has happened to mine. Except all the really terrible stuff. *knock on wood!*

Condition shot for August! Looking good, though I think we might put on a few more pounds before winter. He's looking a little ribbier than I'd like.

I'm going to start up with monthly goals - hopefully to help me keep my posting more regular!

August Goals:

* Acheive a more secure and independent seat. My hands are starting to rely on my seat, and I'm a little unsecure - something that I'm not really used to! I need to start doing a lot more sitting trot and no-stirrup work.

* Fully memorize my Training level dressage test and video tape every move to fully understand how to improve it.

* Work on conditioning. We need to start walking up and down hills again to keep Guinness' butt more in shape and his hind legs under him! In addition we need to get out in the world a little more to solve our spookiness issue!

* Get to a schooling show before September! The Old Stone Horse Trials are coming up on the 29th, and I want to make sure we are ready for shows later in the year!

* Take shoes off in front, and examine to see if they can be left off again. Also, investigate further barefooting techniques to keep hind feet from crumbing and getting too long at the toe.

I leave you with a photo of my two best partners in crime. Christian and Sonka-dog. Aren't they two fine looking individuals? Huh?

Road Riding 101

2010-06-13T11:13:00.000-04:00

I am a huge proponent of long, slow conditioning work. Having grown up surrounded by Pony Clubbers and other responsible horse people, I feel that it's important to take your horse's entire condition into account. To me, riding is not just about dressage and jumping suppleness and strength. Instead, I believe my horse benefits from long periods of time under saddle crossing over hills and walking by 'terrifying' objects. Riding on the road, is a good way to do this sort of easy build up.

Riding on roads or other hard surfaces, gravel or hard packed dirt (both unavailable where I am), help toughen up your horses tendons and ligaments as well as allow your horse to develop a feel for his traction and balance on a different type of surface. I don't know a rider around who doesn't want their horse to be more balanced and comfortable on all surfaces they might come across!

Since owning Guinness, I've become an even more active proponent of road conditioning. I feel that our long walks have helped cut down on lameness issues and have helped us create trust. By simply walking for an hour+, we build up muscle while avoiding overwear on Guinness' joints. It's not prime cardio work, but it's great for a relaxing ride on a Monday evening after work - or on a Sunday morning! On top of that, we no longer freak out when passing barking dogs, cars or fast moving UPS trucks. And that, ladies and gentleman, is heartening.

But remember, while riding on the road is relatively easy and relaxing, there are a few things you need to keep in mind to stay safe.

GP loves hacking out! It's such a mind break for him.

1. Traction

Whether your horse is barefoot or shod, traction on the road should be your number one concern. If your horse is slipping, you run the risk of a horrible accident for both of you. Nothing is worse than falling on a super hard, abrasive surface. Don't you remember skinning your knees as a kid? Ouch.

For a shod horse, consider adding borium or road studs to your horse's shoes. Which one you go with depends on what you are using your horse for. If you regularly compete on rough ground or live in an area where extra traction is needed, you might decide to go with borium. It's a little less dangerous for your horses joints, though harder to remove in case you decide you don't need it. Studs are easy to customize and remove, but can be dangerous if your horse has a tendency to interfere with himself or if you over-do them.

Luckily, the barefoot horse has traction a little easier than a horse with slick metal nailed to it's feet. The barefoot horse's feet naturally provide a feel for the horse of the ground he is working on, and since they wear, they provide a rougher traction surface to stick to the pavement. Of course, barefeet do wear a lot more than shod feet do. If you are going to work your barefoot horse on pavement a lot, you might consider booting or shoeing to avoid wearing down the wall excessively. With my soft-walled TB, this has been an issue that I watch constantly.

2. Spooking

It's a proven fact (probably) that scary objects are scarier to your horse when he's away from home. I know that while Guinness and I have eliminated nearly all spooking while working on the barn premises, we still encounter utterly terrifying things while out on our hacks. To keep from taking a horrible fall or risking injury to yourself or your horse you'll want to be intensely familiar with the roads you are going to be hacking on. This way, you can be aware of anything your horse might spook at and take extra precautions to make sure you stay safe in these areas.

For example: Guinness is terrified of a certain kind of for sale sign. Knowing this, I am alway extra alert as we approach these. Usually, we do things to keep GP's mind off the whole issue. Working on bend or leg yields typically keeps his mind on me while we pass the scary objects.

Keep in mind that if your horse does freak out at something while on the road, it's better to jump off and deal with the problem from the ground. Having you fall onto the road and get hurt is not going to help your horse at all, and having you both fall could be even worse! Take some time to practice your emergency dismount so that you feel comfortable doing it at all paces. It's definitely a very important skill to have.

In short, stay alert and have a plan for what you will do if your horse spooks.

3. Don't Overdo It!

While working on the road has its benefits, it's not necessary (or even good) to do it every day. Additionally, don't jump right into riding your horse for 1hr. If you have a tubby ball of lard on your hands, he's not going to appreciate you taking him out for a marathon hiking session. Let's face it, none of us really like to be really sore - and you aren't doing yourself any favors if you want to ride your horse again anytime soon. Instead, take a page from endurance riders and long distance runners. Up your mileage slowly and by small percentages each week. This will help you toughen up your horse, without doing damage to his soft tissues or bones.

4. Have fun!

If you're located anywhere like me, it's a blast to ride through neighborhoods and expose non-horsie people to the world of horses! But, don't forget to pick up any messes your horse might leave on the road, that's an easy way to get yourself in big trouble with the locals.

Enjoy the sunshine, relax and learn more about your horse. Riding long distances on your horse helps you learn his personality better than just jumping on for a half hour a couple times a week. It's really fun, and you'll love the bond you two will form! He'll really come to depend on you to tell him everything is okay and that he can trust you.

Now get out there and enjoy your ponies!

Guinness shows his "personality". He's super annoyed at me for taking pictures and not focusing on him! He's also doing his "suppling exercises". Check out that S shape in his neck. What a nutter!

Back on Track!

2010-05-31T10:52:00.000-04:00

It's hard to admit that my eventing horse hasn't jumped a thing since Easter. I'd like to blame it on his lameness issues, but that's not 100% it. The other side of the story includes my dislike of setting up and tearing down jumps. Ugh.

But yesterday, I was inspired. After giving Guinness 3 days off and lots of Keratex to help his sore feet, we decided to tackle the cross country fences in the field across the street. And what fun this was! Only a few little bobbles (and my crappy position ... ) but all in all, good experience and good fun! Highlights below!

Guinness 1st XC School from Austen on Vimeo.

GP's XC Schooling 2 from Austen on Vimeo.

Hilarious Run Out from Austen on Vimeo.

I love to watch video of my riding. It makes me really take notice of how my riding directly effects my horse. While painful to watch, it's a good learning experience. After viewing the rides from this weekend, I've decided it's time to buckle down and start improving. That means lots of riding without stirrups (at least twice a week, 1 hour total per week!) and keeping my damn shoulders back. I also need to start practicing lots of jump position over cavaletti to get my folding technique DOWN. Right now I'm still in the fetal position most of the time. Everyone loves watching someone gallop and jump while they are curled up on top of their horse and sucking their thumb ... am I right?

Arthritis, or how I learned to stop worrying and love the needle

2010-05-31T04:00:00.000-04:00

Look Mom, I look FABULOUS!

After months pass with good food and good conditioning, Guinness is looking FABULOUS! I took these photos a few weeks ago, and you can't imagine what he looks like now! He's so shiny I'm afraid I might cause the cars on the road to crash. Not only that, but he's putting on so more muscle every day.

So Shiny, we blind cars! It's really not safe :)

But, while I've been thrilled with every improvement in The Man's body, not everything has been going to swimmingly. Instead, it has seemed like every week there's a new development - and a new set back. So much for a long active summer.

First, there are the tender feet: It seems to take about 2-3 weeks for GP's feet to build back up after a trim. Until then, he is useless on rocks - making our lovely (but rocky!) outdoor ring useless to us. All the rain we've been getting this month hasn't been helping much either. Plus, my dog knocked over our bottle of Keratex.

It's been rough, okay.

Second, HOLY CRAP rain! I mean, seriously. There's been so much rain this month I've felt like we're about to float away (and in Kentucky/Tennessee, lots of people DID). On top of the torrential downpours, it's been hot. Like steam the skin right off your back hot. Oh, and humid. So humid that you don't want to change clothes because you're afraid you might not be able to peel your pants off. It's gross. And hot. And ... yeah. Ew.

Thirdly, I pulled the big man out of the field a week ago to find that he had sliced himself open in two spots. One on the chest, and one on the left front knee. Seriously? What a disaster horse. After cleaning the wounds and leaving him in for the night, I came back to find his left leg swollen to the degree that it looked like a softball was sewn into the joint. Horrifying doesn't even begin to explain how that looked. The vet examined him, and let me know that the injury avoided the joint (thank god!), but that we had to get that swelling down. Needless to say, 4 days off with cold-hosing, poulticing and wrapping were had. It was the opposite of fun.

(For those interested in how GP hurt himself: He pulled down a section of gate and went tramping through the untamed wilderness surrounding the electrical tower in the field. Then he and his best friend Kirby couldn't figure out how to get out. They panicked ... and thus the injury. Oh Disaster Horse ...)

Finally, we've been having lots of weird behavior from the horse department. Lots of head tossing and sore steps and bucking and resisting and general tail swishing and unhappy. I had the vets check Guinness out, and we went through a flurry of misdiagnostics. First, it was a possible torn or strained suspensory. Then, a loose stifle joint. Then sore hocks. Then, inflexible fetlocks. Even EPM was thrown around for a minute. That was dumb.

We finally came to a decision. Guinness' arthritis has finally gotten to the point where supplements alone are not going to cut it anymore. So we had him injected. Four shots for the hocks, and then both of his front fetlocks too. The actually process was pretty cool. I got to feel GP's nasty old joint fluid. The fluid is supposed to feel like oil a little and be stringy, like good mozzarella. This stuff was inert. It felt like warm water in my hand, and didn't have any stretch. After seeing that, I'm very happy I took the step to have him done. I know it's something that we'll have to keep up with, but seeing him move out so happily now and being able to jump again is completely worth it!

Now, with the weather starting to even out to a good summer, and my horse feeling FABULOUS. I'm very excited to see where this summer is going to lead us!

Look how much he's filled out in the last few months! These shots are pre-injection, so his ankles are still huge and inflamed. I'll have to get some now shots ...

Stay tuned for an update on our jumping and riding this week!

The New Place: A Tour

2010-04-14T23:14:00.000-04:00

As you all know, we moved Guinness back in March to a new place. Since we have moved, we have had nothing but fabulous things to say about this place. Sure, it's busier and has a bit less open space for conditioning, but the staff is amazing, the boarders very sweet and the atmosphere super laid back.

Right now, Guinness has been out for a few days with sore feet. His feet were trimmed back last Thursday, and since then he has been slightly footsore. Today he looked much better. I think riding is a possibility again. Tomorrow we are going to do our first conditioning set out in the huge cross country field. EXCITED!

Let's have a quick tour of the new place:

Gorgeous outdoor ring. Check out all that space! While awesome for jumping, this is unfortunately where we have been doing all of our conditioning, due to rain.

This is the Indoor ring. It's small, but the mirrors have already helped us come a long way in our dressage work. Jumping can be rough in here, but if there has ever been the incentive to sit up and balance, this is it!

Dressage Ring. Located uphill from the outdoor, the dressage ring is really helpful in allowing Guinness to focus on straight dressage days. This is also where the majority of our angry fights occur. Oops!
The XC FIELD!!!!!!! Complete with jumps and ... look, Mom, SPACE!

The first aisleway of the barn. There is another aisle, the indoor is connected directly behind me in this photo. Here's what I love about this barn, the intense amounts of activity in this place. Even when I'm there by myself at 9pm, you can still feel the activity.
This is also what I love about this barn. Guinness has been gaining more and more weight every day. In a week, he's going to be borderline chunky. I love it!

Today is a conditioning day, and the big cross country field is finally dry enough to have horses on! Along with the conditioning in the ring, we've been using the neighborhood the barn is nestled in to get our conditioning miles. But today, guess who's finally going to do some real galloping?! Excitement doesn't even begin to describe. Here's to hoping we don't also die ;)

Speaking of galloping and hacking down roads, I'm going to shamelessly plug RoadId. I finally broke down and ordered one. With all the road running I do, and all the road riding and crazy stunts I pull, I want to make sure that I'm as protected as possible while out being active. The Id's come in lots of colors too, so you can order them to match your XC colors. You can even add extra lines of text just to remind you of things like "Keep Shoulder's Back" or, if you are me, "Close Your Freaking Fingers!" When I ordered they gave me a $1 off coupon to spread around. If you want to take advantage of it, check out their site and use the code: ThanksAusten737803. To use the code you have to order by May 13th, so get on it and BE SAFE!

Quick Update

2010-04-04T08:50:00.000-04:00

I have a longer post in the works, all about our new place. However, I'm so excited about the improvements in Guinness' condition that I had to post a new condition photo. This is the Big Guy after just under 2 weeks at the new place.

With his new diet (breakfast, huge lunch, and dinner), he's started filling out along his topline again. His haunches aren't so sunken, and you can see definite improvement in along his ribcage. Not perfect, by any means. But better. He's such a happy dude too. Always curious now, trying to get into everything. He has tons of play buddies, and enjoys a good game of "rip the stuff off the front of Cole's stall, and feed it to him." Hilarious.

The new place has a great outdoor, which has been our place for conditioning. It's huge, so that helps, but I can't wait until the fields dry enough to ride in them! The neighborhood location means that we've been doing lots of road hacks, which have actually been helping bring down the size of his windpuffs. Cool.

Right now our only issue is finding a way to keep our stall dry (ugh), and getting his feet done. They are a little long and the hard rocky ground and road have been causing them to chip, and to pull the sole away where the white line is weak. Not good, especially when coupled with wet stall. They stay relatively dry, but just a bit brittle in the old parts. Farrier will be here early next week, and I am buying a rasp.

Consider yourself quickly updated!

Utopia, sorta.

2010-03-24T22:55:00.000-04:00

Guinness is super happy in his new place. His whole demeanor just exhibits a laid back feel that he hasn't had since I owned him. It's obvious that the positive feelings of this place are rubbing off on him. Our rides have been happier, and so both of us have been too!

Of course, better rides want me to be able to show off a little. I'm looking into joining the USEA and getting everything set up to show this season. I know planning a show season in late March is a little silly, but I think we can do it.

The only thing we have going for us is a strong support system and a strong financial base. Whew. Wish us luck.

Moved!

2010-03-18T10:32:00.000-04:00

Well, Tuesday was one of the longest days I've had in a long while, but it was totally worth it. Just loading Guinness into the trailer was harrowing enough of an adventure (2 hours! Holy Crap!), but we finally pulled into the new barn at 8:20 on Tuesday night. Whew.

The big guy unloaded like a champ, covered in a cold sweat. Poor pony. Heavy duty trailer training is obviously in our future. He definitely doesn't feel comfortable with the trailer, getting in or riding. That's a skill that we are always going to need. It can't take us 2 hours to leave a place, that's just silly.

Anyway, the new place is awesome! Everyone there is very helpful and very comfortable to be around. The best part though? It's way closer to my house. Like on my running path closer. I'm such an crazy runner person (sometimes!) that I actually run on my lunch break (or in the mornings when the summer heat makes me catatonic). Usually I just go 3 miles, shower and head back to work. Check out the map below. It is just under 3 miles for me to run to my horse, check him over, turn him out, and head back to home! This is totally the best part!

Hello saving gas money by walking to the barn! Woot!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (almost!) ...

2010-03-14T21:18:00.000-04:00

Well, we signed a new boarding contract today. The new place comes with several positive reviews and recommendations from equine friends, a well-maintained xc field, two nice sand outdoor arenas, a great feeding plan, and ...

a bigger price tag.

Ouch. Well, I know from the from working in leasing that people will pay for what they really want. And, it's very true in this case. This new barn is 2.5 miles from my house, and on the path of my daily runs. I can clean my own stall, and be responsible for a majority of my horse's care. Guinness will be fed three times a day, not just two. There is a vet on 100% emergency call who works with and knows the owners well. The turnout fields are rotated to cut down on parasites. They feed a fabulous low-starch pellet option ...

Obviously it's a much better option for us.

The barn owner had to meet with me today to make sure I would not be a total crazy in his facility. Luckily ... I'm sane. Apparently. I guess they had a problem with a woman boarding at their stable and trying to take over all the lessons with their kids and they wanted to make sure I wasn't going to be crazy like that. Yeah, uh? No. I never want children, nor want to deal with them more than necessary. I plan to get to the barn as soon as lessons are over, and before they begin as often as possible. Hurrah!

The last week has been a flurry of boarding searching, vigilant care of my horse and work (which has been totally nutty, of course!). It's looking like the next week is going to be a lot of work getting everything prepared and ready for the move, then settling in. The move is scheduled for Tuesday night. I haven't told my barn manager that I am moving yet ... and don't plan to until my horse is on the trailer and driving to the new barn. I know it's a horrid move, but I'm honestly terrified she would do something to my horse before I can get him moved.

Oh Giggle Pig, how did we get in this situation?

If it isn't one thing, it's another.

2010-03-07T10:36:00.000-05:00

This week has just been a catastrophe of scheduling conflicts, busy days and mysteriously swollen legs. It's been so crazy all I've wanted to do is come home and die at night (and pretty much, that's exactly what I have been doing!). For the most part, we've all been doing fine ... but for the scare with Guinness' leg.

Last Tuesday after pulling the big man out of the field, I noticed some blood on his little white coronet. I fished around in his long wet hair, but couldn't find a wound. Finally, I concluded that his injury was probably due to the chapped skin of his coronet area splitting, sprayed some antibacterial stuff on it, covered his coronets with Corona and called it a day. Unfortunately, I had missed the real issue.

Thursday I found him with a swollen back leg, stemming from a hot laceration halfway between his hock and fetlock and sitting directly over the tendon. Fabulous. He wasn't lame at all, and cold-hosing seemed to have no effect. I cleaned his leg as well as possible, sprayed it with antiseptic and we went for a light ride. After the ride? Clean and cool legs prevailed.

Friday evening he again had horrid swelling and his feet were even hot. It was clear he had not been outside since, as his legs weren't muddy (oh! the mud!). I started flipping out immediately, calling people and being a general nuisance. 10 min of cold hose followed by 10 min of walking rinse and repeat lessened the swelling by half, and I wrapped his back legs and covered him with a light sheet.

But Mom, I HATE wraps and blankets! Gross.

Saturday morning, less swelling. We walked around a bit, cleaned his wound and redressed - sending him outside to walk around the rest of the day. That evening the swelling was down again. I wrapped his legs again and set him in his stall again. This morning everything looked fabulous under his wraps and he was still sound, so we hacked out.

Man, I love this horse! He was definitely feeling his couple of days off, but kept his head around him. He has the ability to feel like a basket case while staying relatively easy to sit. I think it's how he can toss his head, and his neck can totally disappear. He doesn't buck (ever, really), but does have a tendency to just bounce in place when excited. There was lots of that today.
The ground was pretty nasty. Twenty-odd inches of melted snow can do that do your field. He was slow moving over the really gross stuff, but we slogged through all of it, worked on collecting and trotted up lots of hills to work on condition. Even with the temps hovering around 50, he stayed relatively cool. I'm so proud! My little eventer is getting so brave!

My fellow boarder went out with me. Her cowhorse-trained Quarter is such an adorable dressage horse in training. I couldn't stop watching them! Of course, he's a little small for my tall friend, so she's looking for something a little larger to learn to jump on. Here's his Craigslist ad. He's super cute, and just needs someone to put the jump training on him. With that and a few more miles, he would make a cute pony clubber mount for C1 and below. Easy Peasy.

Meanwhile, the barn search is underway. I've looked everywhere near me. It's difficult, as the boarding prices are exorbitant in this area. I'm still waiting on a few places to get back to me. My notice isn't in yet (don't want my B/O stop feeding my horse altogether once she learns i'm leaving!). I'm hoping to have him moved in the next 30 days.

Get me out of here!

As for me personally? I'm struggling with the thought of entering the Cincinnati Flying Pig Half Marathon. Billed as one of the most fun large running events, I can't really resist. The Cincinnati/Northern KY Apartment Association is doing a charity sponsor group - and they want me. I need sponsors, though. What do you guys think? Should I sign up? Anyone want to donate to watch me run?

Anger, or How I Lost Trust in My Barn Manager

2010-03-02T14:33:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, I hate learning I'm right about something. Let me fill you in ...

We all know how I have been struggling a bit with Guinness' weight. How he's been yo-yo-ing worse than Oprah Winfrey. How his coat's been dull. How a million other little signals that he's not 100% have been driving me CRAZY! Yes, yes? We're all on the same page right? Good, because yesterday I found out why. Ready?

My Barn Manager has been switching his feed. Repeatedly. Without telling me.

Reducing, changing, adding, removing - if you can do it horse feed, she's been doing it. This is a HUGE no-no in my book. Especially with a horse who suddenly has weight problems and arthritis and bad feet. Especially since she hasn't felt the need to share any of this with me. Here I've been pulling out my hair and feeling like a terrible owner, and she's been changing up his feed about every three days!

I could KILL her!

When I moved to the barn, I thought my barn manager was a little flaky and a little backyard breeder-ish. All the horses looked good, so I thought I'd give the place a try. I'm should have kept those misgivings a little more in mind, because I wanted him on as little grain as he needed to hold his weight (he was in perfect weight), and as much hay as I could feed him. She put him on 3 flakes of hay twice a day, and a scoop of a low-starch complete feed twice a day. Plus turnout. She promised round bales all winter. When he started losing weight, I added corn oil to see if that helped. Turns out, they added Pig Feed instead.

OMFG! PIG FEED!

Okay, that I caught early and told her to "Never, EVER, feed that to my horse again." I thought I had taken care of the feed issues with that. Nope. Apparently she stopped feeding oil, and while giving me miscellaneous vet advice about how to get my horse to gain weight, switching him from a good 12% low starch to sweet feed (probably because she ran out of the other!). Then, I asked her to add beet pulp, which she did. For two days. TWO WHOLE DAYS! Seriously? She explained herself yestday by saying "he was throwing it all around, I don't think he likes it." Really? She'd told me that she wasn't sure if he liked it after he was on it for one day. I told her we'd stick with it for awhile longer to see how he did with it. One day is not "awhile longer". Furthermore, why did she take him off of it without me telling her?

His hay portions are another matter. He's been dropped from 3 flakes to 2 per feeding. Okay. At this point it just seems like one more thing to bring up. How many times can I say, "Just tell me before you have to change anything!".

So now, my horse has been on 12%, oil, pig feed (!!!!!), sweet feed, beet pulp, and now (as of last night) Purina 200. In addition, when I asked about my supplement supplies, she told me that has about another months worth of my SmartPaks. Um? What? I should be just about out of SmartPaks, as my March order has already shipped. SmartPaks doesn't screw up - so these have not been fed either. Great.

Now, I still feel like a horrid horse owner, but now for a different reason. I should have caught this catastrophe earlier, and paid much closer attention to how my horse was cared for. I also should have followed my gut instinct and not trusted my barn manager. Moving Guinness is something I am looking into really seriously right now. There's another barn nearer to my house that I wouldn't mind trying. The board is a little more, but he'd be closer and easier to keep an eye on. I guess I have phone calls to make.

In other news, our riding has been going fabulously! Even with the snow/mush that's out there right now, we're getting to hack out at least twice, and typically 3 times a week. It's slow walking work, but he's out of shape and it's a good way to work on that condition. After reading this lovely post from Andrea, I decided to try dropping Guinness' bit to see if he would stop fussing so much. And, you know, he's really doing better at accepting contact. Part of his fussing is from being bored/nervous, and that's not going to go away but with more engaging work. But the part that was just generally fussy has stopped, for the most part. Whoo!

Now, gotta run to check whether Guinea's evening feed has been made properly!

Guinness says: "If you feed me what you're supposed to, I wouldn't look like my topline DIED!"

Lots of Updates!

2010-02-25T16:13:00.000-05:00

I felt like running up and down the aisleway of the barn chanting, "He's sound, sound, sound, sound, SOUND!" But staying silent and a little more sedate didn't make me less ecstatic! During the last month, Guinness and I have been seeing steady improvements and, as witnessed in our last update, lots of snow! It turns out that 23" of snow is brilliant for conditioning, and the big man is starting to lose his flabby chub.

Unfortunately, gaining muscle and being more active seems to be causing and additional weight loss. This means I can again see ribs and a little topline. Of course, ripping apart his turnout blanket and pulling off all the straps so that it is completely destroyed isn't helping much. I haven't noticed him getting cold, but I'm sure that's another factor. I know everyone and their mother seems to deal with the TB weight issue, but seriously! At some point I'm worried I'm driving myself crazy and he is improving from his wormy-ness, but I'm only seeing the negative. Either way, it won't hurt him to increase his feed some.

After looking around for a good option that will keep him rather low-energy, I've decided to add beet pulp. I like the fiber content and the way it meshes with his grain. So far he's liking it quite a bit, though the jury is still out on whether or not he'll gain on it.

As for our riding, it has been getting better with each day. We cantered for the first time last week, and the smile on my face was ridiculous! He felt so good he was taking little liberties (read: throwing up his back legs and wanting to really go), and I was feeling good too and let him. Our major goal right now is to get our connection back. He's chewed a hole in his bit, and I have been looking around for one he and I both get along with. As he is such a delicate butterfly when it comes to touching contact, whatever I needed had to be super light. Plus, with Christian learning to ride I wanted it to be something that could take some beginner hands on it. I ended up with this eggbutt oval double jointed snaffle. Example pictured below:

So far, the big guy's been going really well in it. I'll keep you posted on his transition from rubber to the grown up world of stainless steel.

Now, finding a new blanket has been my goal for the last week. I'm so sick of looking at the word denier, I could shoot myself. Right now, I think this blanket is the best deal I've found. But, my loyalty to Smartpak is going to win out. Hello ... SmartBlue Thinsulate? Oh man. Sure it doesn't match a thing I wear, but I will always pay more for a quality brand with excellent customer service. ALWAYS.

Tomorrow's another ride in the snow and some work in the indoor. I'm a little sick of it, but our basics are improving and we get to try the new bit. Hopefully there will be photos!

Working hard, in the snow!

2010-02-10T12:27:00.000-05:00

Look Mom, snow!

In case you haven't heard, Ohio was a part of that "massive snowstorm" that hit the east coast this past week. As an avid snow lover, I have to say that this snow did not in any way cramp my style. Snow outside means a happy and bouncy Austen as she gets excited to go out an play in it. Luckily, I found a great excuse to go outside in the form of my furry four legged pony!

Speaking of Guinness, he's looking great on his feet (no signs of soreness!) and the slight problem we were having with his legs filling up was solved by a couple of days of stable bandages. Viola. He's been just wonderful to ride ... though I'm sure I'm tempting fate by posting that! Unfortunately, once the snow hit, his already limited turnout was really cut down due to his pasture friend's shoes. As the other ponies were compromised and prone to slipping, he got to go out all alone in the round pen ... he promptly complained loudly about being left alone and turned his butt to the door the entire time he was made to stay out there. I feel bad about him being unable to wander around, but I know he wouldn't go far alone anyway.

Of course, he has been getting plenty of snow play himself! On Wednesday when the snow started to fall, Christian and I grabbed our stuff and headed to the barn immediately after work. I managed to convince my barn manager to let us use one of her old Tennessee Walker geldings for Christian and I to go for a nighttime snow ride! We tacked up Shaker and Guinness and warmed up in the indoor, then headed out to the pasture for 20 minutes of tramping through a winter wonderland of fun. Both horses were extremely well behaved, though full of energy. Shaker was reluctant to leave the barn, and Christian learned quite a bit about turning a mouth-dead stubborn horse. Guinness, meanwhile, was brave enough to walk on his own and not even spook at the cars going by on the road. I was so proud of him. It was just what we needed to get back into the swing of things.

Later in the week we did some more trot work, focusing on my position (which has seriously deteriorated, can we say 'needs lessons'?) and taking a light contact. Forward as become the name of the game for us, and the Pig has been happy to oblige.

Look at that high stepping! Daisy cutting is impossible in deep snow, which is why I feel it's a low stress way to add strengthening to your conditioning rides. Plus, it's way fun!

Yesterday, the whole gang headed back out to the barn for some more snow fun. Which Christian and Sonka played in the snow (and took these pictures!), Guinness and I worked on relaxing outside and moving forward and lightly. I think it was very productive. My normally spooky and tense horse was sighing and chewing the bit properly (not eating it!). I'm still deciding whether or not he was being good because he was afraid he was going to die if he tried to run off in the snow, or if all the work on the ground we did while he was recovering is paying off. Either way, the big guy has given me some fabulous rides, and I am LOVING it!

In order to get to our back fields/trails, you have to cross a small creek. Due to warm weather, it was the only thing not covered in snow. Guinness has taken to taking a leap to God to cross the thing, thus the dismount and the big pats. Walking through water, our time will come!

Another little awesome note, you might notice my new saddle in these photos. It's an amazing Craigslist find. The saddle is a Philippe Fontaine Renee, and is in absolutely stellar condition. The woman I bought it from had only had it for a year, and it looks like it's only been ridden in a couple of times.
I was looking for something pretty specific when I was saddle shopping, and I'm really glad I found it. I already have two saddles, but neither really fit Guinness well. I know saddle fit can go a long way into helping a horse with behavior and cooperation, and it was super important to find one that would cover his high withers and still leave room for his massive shoulders. He seems very happy in the saddle, and I have a better feeling of security in it. After riding in older saddles my whole life, having one this grippy and nice is an amazing change! What do you think?

Today, I plan to get us back out in the snow. Whatever good karma keeps giving us good weather, and good terrain to do some easy conditioning on Guinness' back and legs needs to be taken advantage of. Now that we appear to have his feet put back together and healing some, I feel confident putting together a training plan we can stick to. I still want to be able to hit some local jumper shows and maybe a local Horse Trial. How much fun would that be?

A Reminder.

2010-02-05T15:30:00.000-05:00

Guinness: Conformation shot, the day I tried him out.

Sometimes, in the middle of a nasty, sleeting, spitting day, you need a reminder of why you are even into this "horse thing". Here are some shots of Guinness from the day I tried him out and the day I decided to bring him home.

Us trying for some semblance of a put together canter ...

He was an off balance 11 yr old TB with mouth hooks making him crazy and a bad shoeing job. But, he had character and movement. He was also a willing jumper and had just enough spunk. We're still dealing with all of his issues, but I feel like he's getting better all the time.

Today we are heading out for a little exploration in the woods behind the barn. There's a nice soft field back there we are going to do a little lunging and stretching work. Gotta get that blood flowing!

On the day I decided to bring him home. He was a bit spooky that day, and having a characteristic issue with listening. Of course, it didn't help that my arms are a straight as a broomstick and my legs are swinging everywhere. Let's just say, we've both come a long way!

Barefoot in the Sand, or How Keratex Saved Our Lives!

2010-02-01T08:28:00.000-05:00

Let me preface this by saying that I'm not a rabid supporter of anything (accept red wine and awkward interpretations of Shakespeare). I mean, I'm probably closer to a rabid non-supporter of most things. Fad Dieting? That's retarded. Biking instead of driving? Well, I love biking - and when possible I will bike instead of drive. But in America, that's almost impossible. Gay Marriage? Okay, that I do support. But anyway, I want you to understand that my work to transition my horse to barefoot doesn't stem from a crazy idea that he was "born to be barefoot". Instead, here's the story.

When Guinness came to me he was shod all-round. He had badly hewn wedge pads propping up his crushed heels in the front, and his back shoes were contracting his heels so badly they were pinching his frogs! It was a gross mess just asking for a nasty case of thrush and an angry bucking fit from a horse in pain. His previous owner informed me that he had been shod since she had known him. Since he had come to her from directly off the track, I assume he's had shoes on all four feet for at least 9 years! The poor guy had a reputation for pulling shoes (and with his swinging walk and poor hoof wall, I can understand how!), and a pair of raggety bell boots came with him to the new farm. Needless to say, blindly shoeing him was not something I could do and still have a concience.

These are Guinness' front feet as of this week, just after being trimmed up in the toe. The line across his front right is from a previous abscess being cut out. Note the heel.

Another shot of his heel on his front left.
Here's a shot of his front left from below. Please excuse the mud. Though it's difficult to see, his foot is starting to widen a bit, and finally come into some sort of shape. The new heel growth is starting to grow down as well.

Fast forward to the week before Christmas, and I'm meeting my new farrier. He pulls Guinness' shoes and marvels at how sturdy his feet are under all that mess. We agree to leave the shoes off and see how his heels do. The farrier warns me that my horse will be sore on his feet. These words do not prepare me for what follows.

The next day, I get a message from a barn worker asking if I have any bute. It's a cryptic message, and I ask why. She says that my horse looks like he is in terrible pain, and could use some meds to take the edge off. I immediately fly to the barn after work to find my horse standing in his stall (where he has been since being brought in the night before). His arthritic front ankles are swollen even beyond his normal windpuffs, and he looks awful. When I try to coax him to move, he plants himself and refuses to pick up his feet. I pick out his feet in his stall, having to really convince him to pick each one up. Oddly, his back feet are more tender than his fronts.A view of Guinness' back right hoof. Here his abscess line is almost grown out. It's about an inch from the bottom of his wall. His feet are growing so fast!

Guinness' back left. Again, another abscess line can be seen (under the dirt, sorry!). His heels are better on his hinds, probably due to not being wedged up with support and allowed to grow down.

Here's a shot of his back left from below. His heels are still contracted some, but look about 9,000 times better than they did when his shoes were pulling them in to pinch at his frog! It's also a little easier to see his nice hefty sole here. Thank you Keratex!

After lots of coaxing (and about three whole candy canes), we get Guinness out of his stall and into the aisleway. After discovering that the sand arena is too hard on his feet, we walk up and down the concrete aisleways for over 30 minutes. He walks a little better, but still nearly stumbles with every step. I go home feeling like I've killed my horse.

This story repeats every day for the next week. There's always a little heat and pulse in his feet after we walk, which worries me even more. As the days go by, he gets a little easier to get in and out of his stall and he walks a little more surely - but not without pain. I bribe the barn workers to spend the time to coax him out to the field, where he spends days befriending a fat lazy Arab. Life is okay, but I still feel terrible.

The first part of January sees us taking family walks through the woods. With Christian and Sonka (our husky-mix), I handwalk Guinness on wandering tours through snow covered wood paths behind the barn for hours at a time. He starts to gain confidence, not only in his feet, but in me. I also come down with the death plauge. Walking him is just about as much as I can manage. Things are looking up.

Just after our vet visit, we start lunging a bit in the arena as a preface to getting back into shape. Guinness looks mildly lame, but works out of it after warming up. I start thinking the slight lameness I've been seeing recently is more associated with his arthritis and being cooped up in the cold weather than with his feet. Lack of movement = sore joints. Finally, I break down and buy a bottle of Keratex. After using it every day for a week, it's been a miracle! No more tender steps on his feet, and now I become sure that the slight off-ness in the start of work is arthritis. That's easier to deal with, and a lot easier on my mind. Long warmups? I can deal with. Unknown pain from the foot, makes me toss and turn in my sleep!

Last week we started a light conditioning routine. I'm back riding, and it feels SO GOOD. He's very short strided for the first twenty minutes of our walking warm up and his first few turns at the trot are awkward and trippy. After he gets warm, he's much better- long striding and swinging at the walk and the trot, though still tripping a little. Unfortunately, just as things turn around, it's about the time I get off. He's so out of shape, I want to take it easy on him. Right now, that means no more than 30 min under saddle, and mostly at the walk. I don't want to rush him into shape. I want a balanced, supple and well developed horse as I head into good weather season. For now, it's nice to be able to take it easy and work only on his condition and my seat position.

This afternoon, my farrier came back out for a follow up visit. I was adamant that he come out today due to the problems Guinness has been having stumbling. I think his toes are too long, and he's starting to chip around his quarters too. My farrier agreed, and nipped down his long toes. The farrier isn't a barefoot practitioner, but he is familiar with the practice of rolling up walls, and did a really nice roll on his wall edges to help with breakover. I didn't realize how fast Guinness' feet were growing until I took a look at what had been taken off. Almost a half inch! Wow. And, he walked off tender, but not lame. I Keratexed the newly exposed wall/white line and sent him out in the pasture to walk it off.

After talking with the farrier, I feel so much better about his feet. His wall is noticeably thicker and stronger now than when we first pulled his shoes, and his feet are spreading out remarkably fast, and he's even re-growing a real heel! It really is amazing how quickly hooves can change when they are given the ability to move. Now, if I can keep him pain free and feeling good - we'll be out jumping those XC fences in no time!

We'll be jumping WHAT?!?!!

Sedation, or How Guinness Had the Worst Day Ever

2010-01-21T13:36:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Guinness saw the new vet.

Buying a new horse, bringing him home to a barn new to you, and meeting and dealing with a whole slew of new horse challenges can sometimes come to a head like it did yesterday. Whew. I am so glad it's over.

Since the end of November, Guinness and I have been battling a bit of a weight issue. For starters, he would lose weight. Then, just when I'd start to think he was looking like I needed to really boost up his feed - he'd look better. It was weird. I was concerned. He started getting 1 cup of corn oil added to his morning low-starch and supplements. He was already eating 6 flakes of hay a day, in addtion to pasture and round bales and getting a scoop of grain divided into two feedings (morning and evening).

Through December, his weight balanced out. While still a touch thin, he had stabilized. I wasn't too worried. Then January hit. BAM! Here I was feeling like a worthless owner with a ribby old gelding. After pulling my hair out, I called the vet. Diagnosis? A bad case of dental hooks (Some of which were punching him in the side of his cheek! Doesn't that just explain the wierd head bobbing?), and a positive fecal exam.

Here are some body condition shots to give you an idea of what we were looking for. I know he's not terrible, but he's not great either. His condition was bad along his neck and spine.

A shot of his side condition, on a good day.

A butt shot. Look at his loss of muscle! Ahh!

A week later and here we are. Sedated as hell. The vet grinds down his teeth, stops a moment, and pulls out a hunk of ... rope? Wow, buddy. That's just nasty.

Hooks taken care of, Guinness got started on on a 57g Fenbendazole PowerPak (the first dose of which he promptly spit in my face). I'll keep you posted on his condition. Right now I don't feel like adding more grain or oil to his diet is necessary. I think once he's no longer wormy he'll start putting weight on.

Next up! Sore feet, and how they suck.