3-28-12 Harley

Harley was improving, and still is.. I longed him Monday night, and walked bareback a few minutes. Tuesday, however, he was stiff, pulling on the line, hanging on the line, bucking, kicking, farting, being horrible. I checked his hooves at the end of the work - 15 minutes. Ouch. Hot, sensitive to pressure... :(

So, I took some pictures tonight after a long discussion with MrsMom. And MrsM, here's the pictures we promised you. :-)

Rear hooves, from the front. :)

Rear Left, from the top

Rear left

Rear Right, from the top

Right rear

The sore spots are at the top center of those heel bulbs - where they're meeting at the frogs. There's little cracks, and I was able to doctor them a bit .. stuffed a little cotton smeared in TriTec antibiotic ointment. He stood real good right up until the last, then when I had to spread some heel away to get the cotton in, he let me know about the pain, trying to gently yank his hoof from my hands. I got cotton in one "gap" on each hoof - see here..

Left rear - cotton on the "gap" on the inside "side" of the heel bulb.

Right rear - inside again

As I look at the pictures, I see the more severe "cracks/gaps" are on the insides of the heels, rather than the outsides.. Hmm..

MrsMom has been awesome so far, and I want to publicly thank her for the help. We're going to get Harley happy on his hooves again soon!

3/22/12

Harley and I went to see Dr. Sam this morning. Most of the swelling had gone down in his legs, but the heat was still present in his hind ankles and tendon area..

Dr. Sam squeezed on the tendons and muscles and rotated all the relevant joints... No reaction.. No obvious sign something was wrong there.

He squeezed on hooves, and when he pushed on the heels and the spaces around the heels..

BINGO.

Heels are sore, and pretty soft. The result of standing in too much wet with all the rain we've had. He's going to be fine, with some hoof spray and time to dry, standing in a dry stall and/or paddock. Harley is unhappy being in lock-up, but the pasture is still pretty wet, and I know for sure he likes to walk in the pond, which is abundantly full.

03/15/12 Survey Says

I knew sure as I'd blog about it, the vet would call.. Murphy is a bear, you know?

Spoke with Jamie, tech for Dr. Sam's office. Explained the details as I blogged them out just now. She asked if I'd tried medicine. I gave Harley 1g of bute Monday evening, but he's not a big fan, and when I saw some progress, I decided to not give more... not a big fan of horse drugs if I don't have to.. ya know?

Dr Sam says "Add drugs". 1g bute twice a day for the weekend. If he's not better Monday, time for a visit. I'll be picking up some bute powder on the way home, since he doesn't like the paste at all, this'll be another try. Jamie said she's fed it over grain, and in a syringe with applesauce..

time to find syringes.. and organic applesauce...

Spoiled I tell ya.. he's spoiled!

03/12/12 Week of Harley

I curried and hosed Romeo down Monday evening, and turned him out to some hay. Caught Harley with intentions on doing the same. Curried, hosed, and found bad things when I got to his back legs.

Both of 'em. Swollen. Softball bats, from his hocks, down to the fetlocks. Warm to the touch, but he didn't fight pressure. Cold hosing began. I spent 20 minutes spraying down both legs, with only minor changes. I tied him to the trailer, called Jen, and decided to poultice and wrap both rear legs, confining Harley to stall only.

Tuesday morning I got up early (4:15am), and found the swelling down some, but not back to normal. More cold hosing, poultice, wrap, and stall rest.

Tuesday evening found a bit of progress. The left looked decent (still a bit swollen), right not as improved. I hosed the dry poultice off, and turned him out a while. An hour later, I brought him to the wash rack, and found the left looked even better, right no change. More cold hosing, poultice, wrap, and stall.

Wednesday morning, the left was okay.. A bit stocked up, as I knew this was going to happen from too much stall rest. Right hind, no change. Tendons were now appearing towards his hocks, but the closer to the fetlock it went, the more swelling & heat. Cold hose, poultice, wrap, stall rest.

Wednesday evening, I hosed the poultice off, turned him out. He quietly went out to graze. A half hour later, I longed him for about 15 minutes. A bit of bucking nonsense heading right at canter, which I quickly stopped with a slight tug on the line and a holler. Seemed sound (best I could tell) both directions. Steady fluid trot, willing relaxed canter, head quiet, hind end steady ... Both hind hooves a few inches short of tracking up trot, but consistent left to right, normal for Harley. He settled, and at each direction change, I saw more swelling coming out of the left hind, but still no change in the right. 15 minutes in, the right hind fetlock was hot. Quit! More cold hosing...

Instead of stall lock up, I left him turned out. Checked before bed time, and found the right fetlock moderately warm, and still a bit swollen. Left lookin' pretty decent. Left him out all night.

This morning? Absolutely no change. Still minor swelling, heat. I've put a call into Dr Sam to ask if I can do more, and as I blog, they're calling me back..

More later on.. If you're of the praying sort, whisper one for Harley, and his nervous momma...
*blessings ya'll*

Where We've Been

I've gotten healed up enough to get back to riding some. Harley and I had two decent rides. One was walking mostly, with a few abrupt one-rein stops. A bit of trot, with quick transitions. I was focusing on getting him stopped quick, for better emergency reactions. He didn't look real happy with the quick transitions, especially after we'd spent a good part of a lesson focused on softer, lighter transitions.

Romeo and I had a bit of fun. I have a notification sound on my phone that's much like the !bang! of a shotgun. I asked Jen to send me a few random messages, and had the phone volume cranked up. The thought was - if Mo can stay calm through the sound, he can be easier transitioned to actual gunfire, and maybe, just maybe, not spook wildly. He did great for the shot sounds, and in fact, was more concerned with the trees creaking in the wind than he was the !bang!fire sounds. Distant neighbors were zipping around out of sight on a dirt bike, and that sound definitely had his ears. Moreso than the gunfire ... Ironic, as the lady I bought Romeo from "shot at him more than once" when they caught him cribbing on their daughter's play house. Some people.. ya know? Too cheap to buy a cribbing collar, so they used bullets instead.... morons

I longed Harley Wednesday. I had full intentions on riding, but he had other plans. He tore off in a bucking, kicking fit on the free line. It's become a pattern, three straight work sessions straight, and I've had enough. A bit of good running discipline, and a lot of harsh words were thrown his way. He continued a bit, and so did I. I decided rather than ride, I put the neck stretcher on, and sent him back out. He was most unimpressed. I then set off the phone notification a few times standing with him on the ground. No reaction. I stuck a foot in the stirrup, and leaned over him, repeat. Still no reaction. Sat on his back, !bang! no reaction. Urged him on at the walk. !bang! No reaction again. A few more steps, !bang! Nothing... Lots of praise and reward for the calmness as he only flickered an ear my way and didn't shoot out forward.

Two different evenings in a row over the weekend, I fired off a bunch of .22 blank rounds by the house while the boys ate their suppers. I got lots of reaction, ranging from running out of the stalls to a bit of goofy trotting about. I kept the shots going until they eased and stood quiet but alert. That is a reaction I'm okay with. If spooked by gunfire, stop in your tracks and find it. Take off and bolt? Not a suitable reaction, especially when I'm on board.

2-26-12 Gunshot And the Sheriff

I owe a session with Jen and Harley (simple lead changes and softer transitions) 2-25, as well as rides on 2-24 and Mo 2-26. I'll have plenty of time to back track, and you'll see why here..

After riding Harley Friday and Saturday, and the length of Saturday, I assumed Sunday he'd be as level-headed as always, and hopped on him cold. His free walk was nice, his light-contact trot was relaxed, and nice. I picked up canter-right on light-contact, rode the middle circle, and headed down the long side.

We approached the treeline, *BANG*! Harley shot forward with the gunfire, made the two short side corners, and started a few small bucks. I couldn't stick with him. I rode the gallop-off, and was preparing to turn him in a smaller circle to slow him down, and the bucks unseated me.

Splat. Left hip and the back of my helmet. #$*&%^%@ #$*&%^, I shouted two expletives as I watched Harley run to the other side of the arena. Two more shots, but away from us rather than towards us like the first shot. *BANG* Another shot towards us. Harley's head popped up and over towards the neighbors behind the arena. I stood, shook the dirt off (and shook it out of my breeches), and walked that way.

As I approached the clearing, I saw a young boy, pointing the gun at me. He lowered the front of the rifle, noticed me, and then lowered it completely. The young child (an older boy with him) pointed the weapon randomly at the sky in two more places, then the children backed where they thought they were out of sight. I stood there a bit more, then walked away back to H.

I mounted, and proceeded at the walk. I walked him until he started to relax. The boys were walking around the clearnings, gun in hand, watching me the whole time. I rode H in the middle circle at walk, trot, and canter, both directions. He stayed pretty calm, but ears on the neighbors the whole time.

The young boy approached on a 4 wheeler, zipping by the arena. He circled around the wooded lot behind the arena short side, then came back to the older boy. I gave up, and walked H back to the house.

At the trailer, I had him undressed and ready to reward with a cookie (for the good after the spook), and the boys approached both on 4 wheelers down the dirt road. I watched them through the tack compartment window of the trailer. They zipped around the corner, fish-tailing and kicking up dust. Both looked behind back at H after their antics. I realized then their whole goal at this point was in fact to spook the horse.

I took Harley back to his paddock, and closed him in the paddock, afraid they'd go home and accidentally shoot him. R came over, and after a discussion, I called the county sheriff, who came to visit. I walked him through what happened. He found the children, and their grandfather, and explained they're not allowed to shoot in the direction of my property. The sheriff reported "the boys say they're sorry, and they will be more careful in the future."

Grandpa later zoomed up to my house on his 4 wheeler, glaring at us all (by now, Jen and her DH were there, trimming hooves). He made a fish tailed u-turn in front of my driveway, and took off back towards his house, glaring at us the entire time. This repeated two more times, and then Grandma appeared in her small SUV, and followed him back to their house. The boys appeared a while later on their 4 wheelers, smiling and laughing as they drove back home.

In some serious pain yesterday, I also noticed some tingling in my feet and lower legs. I visited the dr, had x-rays done. Outcome? No broken bones, just bruising and muscle sprains. Treatment includes tylenol, rest, and heat. He also suggested physical therapy if the pain remains, but I'll circumvent that by scheduling some chiropractic and massage later this week.

A scary afternoon, and stressful evening. My rides are postponed now until sitting and walking are pain-free. Entirely frustrating, as it was caused by children using guns inappropriately.

2-21-12 Harley Test

Saddled up endurance, walked to the arena, and hopped on. Harley's last ride was Friday, with a longe Thursday, and nothing for nearly a week before that.

I wasn't sure how wet the arena was under the surface, so the plan was to walk around, see how the footing responded, maybe trot. No longing to avoid the risk of a slip & slide. Besides, I was curious how the baby would respond to zero warmup after a significant break.

He walked off quietly, moderate energy. Nice. I left the reins loose, and continued the walk for 10 minutes. Up to a trot, as I noticed the ground wasn't shifting or sliding around under his hoof prints. Trot work, totally loose rein, posting, he was incredibly steady and relaxed. When Harley started lowering his head and neck, and reached his nose out, like he was searching for the bit, I shortened my reins just to contact. He reached even further into it.

Back to a loose rein, and a few down transitions on verbal and body language. The first few he blew straight through, kept on trotting. A couple tugs on the bit, and he remembered the body/verbal cues. Next few transitions were nice. A set of turns on forehand, turns on haunches, then back to trot. A few halts and a back up reminder. Still, incredibly relaxed.

I asked for trot-left, and thought, "Eh, why not. I won't know how he'll react to no warmup unless we ride the canter, too." Wrong lead. Shoot! Energetic, it took about eight strides, and a LOT of body language for the down transition. Verbal cue got me nowhere, and I had to resort to using the bit (bummer!). Three strides of trot, and he went back up into canter, correct lead. I turned him off the circle, then dumped the reins, and let him go wherever he chose. A very nice relaxed canter-left. Excellent.

A little canter-right, much like left. Without the lead blown, of course. Very relaxed. In fact, I could feel his footfalls and his legs moving, much like my last few rides on Mo.

Back to trot, which now was much more energetic. I adjusted it just by posting slower, and grinned. By now, my laughter was evident, as I was reaching all over Harley in the trot, patting and scratching, from ears to tail, one side at a time. He didn't change a bit, stayed in that steady trot all around the arena.

Success! Harley rode just like Mo does on the "easy days". No warmup, no solid collection, just going forward. The longer we rode, the more he reached down and out, searching for contact. I left the reins go, however, and let him decide for himself where to go (keeping us out of the one puddle that remains in the arena). It was an absolutely incredible 35 minutes, and from that, I've realized just how much the little guy has learned in the last year. From free longing over a few ground poles (ugly, by the way), and being anxious about anything new ... to riding out after a break, on a loose rein, without warmup.. Most excellent.