Holiday snaps

Unavoidable holiday

I am going for an operation next week which will keep me out of action on the horse front for a while. I am not yet sure how long a break from the saddle I will have to take, but I expect it to be around a month. 

Rainbow will be enjoying a little holiday in this time, too, as I intend to turn her out in the field until I get back in mid-September. I probably won't be able to do much stable stuff, like mucking out for a while, either, so have put her on full livery until I am allowed to lift heavy wheelbarrows again.

I have a congenital heart condition and a pacemaker. It's the pacemaker that needs changing due to a low battery. So once I've 'recharged' we'll be back in action with a vengeance!

Boring text on saddles

So we had the saddler come and have a look at us. I know saddlers will more often than not say that there's something wrong with one's tack and try to sell you another one. 

We stood next to Rainbow while she was munching on hay and had her saddle on her. It was very high from the front and low from the cantle side. The saddler didn't need to wait for my answer to his question: what would happen if he held a spirit-level across the saddle. So what we have at the moment is a lot of clearance in the front but it's laying very low at the back and potentially pressing on the lower back (and wobbling around). Our osteopath had found some lower back tightness in Rainbow – not sure if the two are linked. She did also found tightness around her left shoulder – the saddler noticed some knotting in the muscle right by her withers on that side too.

I said to the saddler that I realise he primarily sells Albion but could he tell me if there was benefit in me looking at other brands, as I am prepared to do that. His response was he's 'freelance' so can sell me any saddle he likes, but the 'problem' is with the trees that go in the saddles: the trees are manufactured by a few manufacturers (in the UK) and they go to most of the saddles across different brands and makes, who basically add their own designs and padding on those trees and then call it Saddle X. So in the shop you are essentially looking at saddle in a certain size in the same tree shapes; if your horse differs from the 'standard' sizes and shapes then things might be pressing. 

The saddler has made a buck or two in our yard, I am aware of that, as I think at least 5–6 people have bought from him. But even someone who hasn't bought from him recently, said that he can definitely measure horses well. Everyone who already has a saddle from him, say their horses seem happier and have a new attitude to work, and move better. I will wait to see – I really want to believe them but I will wait and see. Ideally, I would like to have a horse that doesn't insist on moving around in the stable when I try to put the saddle on her or turn away from me. With another saddle, time will tell if that's R's character (and she just detests me on her back!) or it's the saddle.

Another thing I want from a saddler is an ongoing relationship, so when the horse changes shape and/or something needs fixing, I can go back to the same person and ask for help, and they know our history and requirements. This saddler has now so many clients at our yard that he visits regularly and doesn't charge for those visits, so I am hopeful I can have him regularly check on our saddle.

It still doesn't take away from the fact that I have just spent a lot more on a saddle I ever dreamt I would. I am still getting slight palpitations when I count my pennies in my savings account... And I told mother that the money my kind family gave for a sewing machine for my 30th birthday present will (temporarily!) be invested in a saddle... Well maybe the saddle is so nice Rainbow and I just want to use it all the time, so I wouldn't have any time to sew anyway!

Owner less successful in this selfie, whereas horse looks pretty.

New saddle ordered

Albion K2 GP. I will be eating beans on toast for the rest of the year. Let's hope the horse likes it and the amount of time I am not able to take holidays etc will be well-spent sitting in this and enjoying life.

It could be the saddle...

Hoof trimmer came to check on Rainbow's hooves. He thought they looked great and tested them with pinchers for sensitivity (not a flinch), as well as took the temperature. Nothing wrong with them. He said it's easy to start getting paranoid about the feet when they are the 'new thing', but should always remember to look at the whole horse. The fact that Rainbow has recently seemed a bit stiff when she's been ridden (read: wearing the saddle) but not particularly sore or bothered about anything when not being ridden.

Rainbow again galloped off to the field when I turned her out at the weekend. She was happy when I went to see her on Saturday.... Until I whipped the tack out. Her look went 'blank' and she just stood in her stable, whereas only minutes before she'd been munching on hay and looking quite content/sociable.

The hoof trimmer is not a saddler, of course, but he was asking about our saddle and I said it had been checked and improved in April, so only about 3 months ago. I explained to him that Rainbow had changed shape in the autumn, a couple months from when we'd started using the saddle and that her withers had become more pronounced (although I did wait a while before getting the saddler to come and see R as I wasn't sure if she was going 'gain' the lost weight around her shoulders back – so, granted, I could have addressed the issue sooner). The saddle was improved to accommodate her changed shape, and I thought the withers becoming more pronounced was sign of becoming into maturity. In the hoof trimmer's opinion their withers shouldn't become more pronounced, as if they do, it means they're losing muscle mass which creates the hollowing out. I don't remember the technical term he used, but basically implied that something has to be pressing on the shoulder muscle/around withers to make the muscle diminish. 

Rainbow didn't come with her own tack when I bought her and I was in a reasonable hurry to buy her the tack, so I didn't have to use the very ill-fitting riding school saddles on her very long... Someone recommended a girl at the yard who worked for a local saddler and could source me a saddle and get it made to measure. I trusted this girl's abilities to template and measure the horse. I also thought that when the saddler himself came to see us in April and fixed the saddle that all would be well. When I bought the saddle, I didn't try lots of saddles, I just took the first one that was shown to me, the only prerequisite for the saddle was to be a GP saddle. How naive this all seems when I have typed it down here! 

So I didn't really use a saddler for getting the right saddle, I just used a friend who worked for a saddler and claimed was able to do all the measuring. And I am not even saying that her measuring wasn't right, but how could I have known if this type of saddle is ideal for Rainbow, full stop, even if it's correctly measured and made? How would I know if I didn't try any others? Or at least didn't have the saddler him/herself there to look at Rainbow and make recommendations.

The trimmer said that, to start with, given the hooves seemed fine, I should try and ride without the saddle as it seemed odd that R is fine on hard surfaces and gallops around hard fields, but goes a little 'lame' when on a soft surface in the school, when tacked up. 

So, on Saturday I rode her, first with a saddle – I added a little pad under the saddle to alter the saddle position to see if that makes any difference. Rainbow seemed reluctant – as described above – but seemed OK in walk. In trot she didn't want to really go at all. I asked A to ride her a little and give me her opinion, as well as give me a chance to see her from the ground. In A's opinion Rainbow wasn't lame but had a shorter stride than normal. Exactly what I've been saying – and A agreed it could be saddle-related.

Then I rode her bareback! Well that was an experience, I hadn't ridden her bareback since last year, and I haven't really done any bareback riding since my childhood sheltie days in Finland :) ... So it was fun to try it out anyway. Rainbow was a little surprised but played  ball. I had a friend helping me out and walking by R's side as I wasn't sure how much control I'd have in trot. Not that I could tell much from bouncing around on her back, but she seemed happier and 'rollier' in her strides without the saddle.

We have a saddler – someone who has been recommended to me by many people at the yard – coming to see us on Wed. So I am really hoping that, in someways, this is saddle-related. I know it's likely to cost me, but I much rather see myself as the idiot who bought an unsuitable saddle for her horse than having to do more investigations on why R hasn't been 100% in the last few weeks (I mean her gaits) and potentially worry about her health. I know that a new saddle might not fix it all instantly, but at least it would be a more clear-cut problem which to overcome.

Owning a horse is an eternal puzzle.

--

In the other news, we had a dressage day yesterday at our yard. "Ins and Outs of Dressage". It was a great day, even though I couldn't participate with Rainbow. But we all got to judge each other and had a lady come to demonstrate dressage to music on her horse. Then people got another chance to get mounted, in two groups, and poodle around the arena to different types of music while trying out different gaits. The day was topped off with a lovely Italian buffet, by the organising lady (who is Italian) and a glass of Bellini :)

I was absolutely shattered after about 8 hours at the yard and having got up really early to muck out, etc. But a thoroughly enjoyable day. Here some pics.

A little talk and demonstration about horse's anatomy and senses, and how to be sympathetic to their instincts

Some rode to music while others watched and ate Italian cake.

It's not a lifestyle blog per se, but I quite like this photo I took of apples at home.

My cat Percy was as tired on Sunday night as I was... We snoozed on the sofa together all evening.

Hmmmm....

The horse is not as footsore as she has lead me to believe... Considering the '0-to-60'-style acceleration she performed yesterday when I let her go in the field. The way she galloped across the field to her friends, broncoing as she went, and did a victory lap around the others, indicates to me that it can't be that bad...

I lunged her today and, to me, she was looking better. She's a little stiff looking, still, especially on the right rein, so I didn't ask for canter (only did a little test canter on the better, left rein) but asked her to trot in a large circle...mostly walking her. 

The soreness must have been a little dink to the sole from gravel or something. I don't think it's an abscess.

It must be mentioned that I am not currently riding Rainbow through gravelly bits and do try to avoid any challenging or stony terrain as much as possible. On our last hack we had to do a few yards of path that was a bit stony, but I let R pick her way and always took her to the grass verge on the side wherever possible, so she didn't have to do many steps on sharp stones. 

But this has taught me that, for now, when the ground is also dry and hard, I will need to be extra-vigilant about the ground. And if I feel that boots will help us in the interim, with longer hacks, etc. then I will most definitely get a pair, as don't want to make R do things if she's not comfortable. I will talk to the hoof trimmer about this when I see him later this month.

Here, in the meantime, I thought it'd be interesting to compare some pics from 3–4 weeks ago, when the shoes came off, to today.

Three weeks ago...

Today....

No camp

I clearly well and truly jinxed it by announcing that we are going out for the first time to an event, on a lorry. We're not now, as R is a bit lame. I think she's got a bit sensitive soles from hard ground, maybe last weekend's grazing... Not sure.

Yesterday it transpired that R is a bit lame – though not majorly limpy. She seemed very stiff and pottery on her front feet – particularly noticeable in trot and canter. I already noticed a shorter stride over a week ago when my riding instructor was riding her and I could see her from the ground. Though, she has been doing eg an hour's lesson with me on Tue and seemed fine. We also hacked out on Wed and she seemed OK, maybe a little pottery again but put it down to being on tarmac. We did have to walk over some gravel and she was crab-walking a bit, but I tried not to force her or make her go faster than she was comfortable with.

Yesterday, the fronts weren't extending as much as they would normally and yesterday she looked to be a bit uncomfortable. She also tried to lift her head when I asked upward transitions, which to me looked sort of pain related. Also on harder ground and when walked in-hand she would 'give-in' more every few steps. 

I gave her rest of the day off and same today. Walked her a bit in-hand in the back sand school today, and even though she moves 'ok', the shoulders were still stiff looking and there was occasional give in one of the legs (I think it was the right-side, but it's hard to say as my instructor claimed the left side looked sore).

I contacted the hoof trimmer by text yesterday for a bit of advice and he reckoned it was bruised sole, though he didn't really tell me what I should or shouldn't do with R. He asked if one of the hooves is hotter and if there is a digital pulse. I couldn't say one of the hooves was hotter than others, and they weren't any warmer than rest of her body, really. Also I couldn't detect pulse. 

Friend suggested putting her feet in Epsom Salt and warm water for 5 mins to soothe her feet if nothing else. I did this today and she seemed fine once she realised the bucket wasn't going to eat her leg! 

So we're going to take it easy this weekend and I will just try and walk R in-hand tomorrow again, or gentle lunging...

It's tricky, but it was to be expected that it wouldn't be perfect all the time, going shoeless. Three weeks in and R has actually coped really well, I could even ride her almost straight away...  The ground is quite hard now, it's just probably been a bit too much for Rainbow's feet at this stage, accumulation of things.... Hopefully a bit of rest will do the trick.

Evening like a postcard

Hack with friends, after work, on a beautiful August evening... 

Riding without stirrups = ouch!

It's good exercise to ride without stirrups and the benefits are immense on the leg-and- position -front. But a little bit of 'rubbage' the wrong way and the nether regions aren't thanking this evening. Rainbow, however, was a good girl again. I can tell she's always a bit puzzled when we do the 'gymnastics' on horseback and stretches, etc., but she walks on calmly while I bop on her like a rag doll.

I have had such a busy week, away from horses that is. Lots of work to get on with, but not complaining, of course, as this means I will have some money to burn on my steed again ;)...

Exciting times ahead... This weekend we'll be going to a Chiltern Riding Club Camp, at Lyneham Heath Equestrian!  (Which on the website looks v posh!) 

I wasn't sure if I was going to say anything here before we'd actually done it, as I fear I might be jinxing it. This will be our first outing on a lorry – for both of us. I've only once travelled in a car pulling a horse trailer when my cousin and I took her horse to another yard, in Finland, when I was about 10 years old...

We're going with experienced friends, and I wanted to do something with R in terms of getting out from our own yard but wasn't keen on doing a competition and add to the pressure. So a camp it is. We're only going for a day, though, not camping as such. My friend will be doing a XC lesson and I will be doing a flatwork lesson. And if we have time (and R behaves!) we might do a little hack around the property, or head out to the nearby gallops. I am not so sure I want to 'head out to the gallops', so might just poodle around in the vicinity of the equestrian centre. This all depends on R's mood as well, as I am entering into the unknown. Hoping she will behave but I am mentally preparing for the worst as well.

We're having a test load on Thu, as R hasn't been loaded in a long time. The journey to the camp is not too long but at least an hour, so I want to gauge R's reactions to the lorry in advance. 

I have ordered travel boots for Rainbow as well. Already ordered one set and realised had ordered a pony size...! Not good. Then, decided to splash out a bit more on these Mark Todd ones in Grey, complete with a tail guard and a carry case! Hoping that expensive travel kit will somehow bring me some peace of mind – and maybe luck even... Here's to hoping.

Weekend off

It seems we are having one-day heat wave today. The temperature is over 30 and it's sunny. Luckily it's a little breezy, so not too heavy. 

It's August already...

I rode Rainbow on our usual Thursday flatwork lesson and received good feedback again on my riding from my instructor – on how much I've improved, etc. I do realise that instructors have to be positive and encouraging, but it's always nice to hear and, especially, when I think I am starting to feel it in my own riding, too. We are still grinding the same old stuff: getting the horse into the contact, accurate transitions – canter in particular, accurate routes, and so on. It's not high-level stuff but we are making progress little by little. I am basically getting better at riding R into the contact and when she tries to lift her head, I am quicker to react and ask again. I'm becoming more black and white :)... I have to ask a lot and frequently, but I guess we're getting there...

But what really made my day was when we were walking back to the stable, across the car park, one acquaintance actually got up – there were some people sitting in the tables at the front– and called my name. She said she'd been watching us on the lesson and was impressed at how much my riding has come on. We used to be on the same group lessons and she noticed a big difference. It was lovely to hear it – and when someone specifically stops you to give you a compliment. (The pessimist inside my head was saying: how rubbish must have I been before?!) No, but one has to learn to take compliments and cherish them.  It's lovely to see there are still people who are able to be encouraging and don't see it's somehow away from them. 

I was in two minds about turning R out this afternoon, due to the heat, but went ahead with it as I figured she'd appreciate the time out. Also, I don't have to feel guilty about her getting bored in the stable. I am also away for the weekend, so she gets to be there to her heart's content. 

I have some reservations about turning her out in the field for long periods of time at the moment, as the 24/7 grazing (sugars in grass, particularly in the daytime) can cause footiness (noticeable in barefoot horses – shod ones can get it too but shoes disguise it) ... I don't think R is overly sensitive, but it's a bit of a trial and error, unfortunately, testing what she can cope with and what she can't. Well, I will know on Monday if she seems footier than before....

Another headache was caused by whether or not to put a fly mask on. The latest flymask like this, Amigo Mio earless model  (excuse the blurry picture – had to zoom in): 

But the fly mask has been rubbing R under the chin and she now has three or four spots where the skin has got broken. I have been treating the patches by putting Veterinus Derma Gel on them (which, by the way, is brilliant stuff), but the best medicine probably is to let the skin heal and not have the mask rubbing ... Cue swarms of flies! As a horse owner, you really can't win!!

So I decided to go and buy extra strength fly and insect repellent. I had bought NAF creamy stuff last year, as I wasn't sure how R would take to a spray bottle, but now that I know her a lot better and reckoned she'd cope, decided to risk it and bought a spray bottle of this Carr & Day & Martin Extra Strength stuff: 

http://www.carrdaymartin.co.uk/product_details.html?cid=Mw==&pid=MjQ=

I sprayed it all over her body and wiped it gently on her face with sponge (no spraying on face, as must avoid eyes, obviously!). I was very proud of Rainbow, as when I was spraying it all over, she stood quietly and didn't even flinch. Very good girl.