A Horse to Make Your Heart Sing

Last weekend, I took Cowboy and Leah to the barn next door for a day of fun.  First, I worked with Leah, and she did great, but when I switched the saddle over to Cowboy and hopped on--my heart sang! He's NOT a better horse than Leah--he's just the one I have the most time with, and I believe TIME makes all the difference.

You may wonder why I decided to divide my time away from my sweet boy--and sometimes I even have to remind myself--but it's because 10 years ago Cowboy broke his front, left P3 and I thought he was never going to be 100 percent sound again. He'd been mis-diagnosed by his vet for 3 months.  She thought it was an abscess, even though the x-rays showed a clear fracture and displacement--x-rays she took on the FIRST day.  She took more x-rays later, when he didn't get sound, but they weren't as good as the ones on the first day.  She just kept coming to the house and digging deeper into his hoof--drawing blood each time--swearing it was an abscess.  Eventually she consulted and they decided to make a removable plate and had  me pack sugardine inside to "draw out the abscess."  That plate inadvertently cast his foot, so in that regard, it was helpful.

(I had to take off the bolts and repack it twice a day with sugardine--sugar and iodine mixed together. My farrier was the one who took the measurements and nailed the plate onto his hoof.)

When I finally got my 2nd opinion, I brought those x-rays to the new doc and he saw the fracture with a flashlight in a dark bathroom at the barn.  It was clear as day.  (Moral: always look at  the x-rays and don't take your vet's word for it.)   We sent those x-rays, and new ones, to WSU and had the vets there give us an opinion.  They thought his prognosis was very poor because of the time that had lapsed (3 months) and the severity of the displacement.  They recommended that any treatment we did should be "conservative."

During his convalescence--which took a year--I didn't have a personal horse to ride, so I rode my husband's horse, Shadow, but he was already pretty arthritic and trippy.  I looked for another horse and ended up finding two--Leah and Beautiful Girl.  Then, Cowboy surprised us all and had almost a full recovery. He'd made it 6 months in a 12x12 stall--I visited him constantly because we had set it up right next to our house.  Then, he moved to a 24x12 stall for another 3 months. During the whole stall-rest process, he had not been allowed out....at all, which would have been cruel for some horses, but Cowboy had been an Orphan Colt, so he seemed to like the attention and be okay.

Cowboy and I have been through A LOT together!

Time is key to a singing heart, and to that end, with all three of my horses, I'm devoted.  So, I don't have any time to waste.

I asked my husband to dig out my horse trailer with the tractor.

I loaded up Leah on Saturday and went next door to the barn.  (The only place safe to ride in this weather.)

I've only ridden her once--bareback in the snow--since our last clinic.  Saturday was day 17, but most of those days were spent riding Cowboy and working with Beautiful Girl.  Leah was a little wound up, but we worked on the walk, trot and lope.  She doesn't have any pain in her feet anymore, but I think she still does have issues in her body that exercise and massage will slowly work out.  She used to overarch to the inside going left, and she barely does that anymore.  It used to seem like a pinched nerve, but whatever it is, it's almost completely resolved.

On Sunday, I took Cowboy and Leah both to the barn.

I rode Leah first, then switched out the saddle and rode Cowboy.  He had been pretty bothered by the fact that he had to wait, so when I hopped on him, he was ready to go and as responsive as he's ever been.  Riding him was pure joy.

We set up a few obstacles to play over.

And, afterward, I rode bareback which, as you know, is much WARMER.

My heart did begin to sing a little bit riding Leah bareback.  She was happier than when she's saddled.  And, her trot is like floating on butterfly's wings.

All and all, I was at the barn for four wonderful hours that day.

I'm going to be trying a few new saddles on her in the coming weeks to see if I can replicate that bareback feel.  A friend suggested a cut-away--and another, an English trail-style saddle.  Whatever it is, it needs to fit around her broad, muscular shoulders.

Finally, today, Day 19, I took Leah over to the barn for more of the same work.  I hope that riding her more will help her lose more weight and stay in better shape.  My farrier suggested I ride her every day to get her moving good again.  That's not always possible, but with the arena, I can ride her quite a bit.  If I didn't have the arena there is no way I'd ride in the snow and ice.  Too dangerous.  I feel very lucky to have the arena.

Hope you're all getting horse time in, as well!

Restoring the Soul--Horse Time Heals the Wounds

Two days after the most shocking and painful election of my lifetime, I had a ride and picnic with my two Cowboys at James T Slavin conservation area.

We ran into a friend who took our picture and later she shared this photo below of the Trumpet Swans that were there that day.  I couldn't get a good photo on my cell phone camera!

Above: Photo copyright Cindy & Gary Miller

I asked my husband to take a picture of the same spot we were in last summer to show the difference between the seasons.

July 8, 2016

November 10, 2016

Leah and I have been working on walk trot transitions on as loose a rein as possible. I hold the reins in a position where I'm framing in the outer-boundaries of where she can place her head, but they are loose.  If she decides to put her head down or up, when I ask for the trot, she hits the bit.  That area in between is quite large--not overly collected or tight.  As soon as she gives me a few relaxed steps, I stop and praise her.  So far, we have only been successful in a large circle.  And, as we move through the circle, I have to lift the rein and direct her, but as soon as she responds, I give it all back to her.

There were two days last week that were just awful for me--and I did not attempt to work with Leah during those times.  I felt like I missed out on two sunny, beautiful days--and I did--but my soul hurt so badly, it wouldn't have been fair to her.  It's a reminder to me--do everything you can to limit your exposure to toxic people. Sometimes, it's difficult, especially if you work with the public, but you still need to do all you can when you see those early warning signs of a cruel temperament.  If you don't heed the signs, you will most certainly lose a little of what is most precious and that cannot be bought back--not even with all the money you can make in a lifetime.

Horse Husbands

(Sunday Ride--70 degrees and sunny)

I have to give a shout-out to horse husbands.  If you have one, be thankful, not everyone does.  They are built-in riding partners and a big help at the barn.

I had to laugh about this though!    

(Saturday Ride: 55 degrees and raining hard)

I asked my horse hubby to saddle up 3 times this weekend.  THREE times!  And, he did so happily.  One of the rides was a fund-raiser for Free Rein Therapeutic.  It's our local charity that helps kids, and veterans with PTSD, through working with and riding horses.

After the ride, we were serenaded with some live country music.  They also provided a yummy BBQ! The comfort food was so darn comforting because we were drenched and cold when we got back.

Some of the volunteers.

The upside to riding in the rain was the smell of wet pine and the increased activity of the birds.  We saw a bald eagle soar down the middle of the Spokane River for quite a ways.  It was stunning with the rain hitting the water, the dark backdrop of a gray sky and mist--stunning.  Of course, where's your camera at a moment like that?

 (Up on the bluff)

We saw a bunch of activity on the other side of the river, and it turned out to be a WEDDING!  What a beautiful spot to get married--even in the rain and cold.

We even got a free t-shirt for riding!

You may notice, I'm riding Cowboy and not Leah.  I had my farrier put shoes on Cowboy when he was out since Cowboy has been called back to full-time service. My farrier has been handling Leah's lameness issue for me. (He's coming out weekly or as needed.)  Because of my history with veterinarian mis-diagnosis, I tend to trust my farrier more than anyone else.  He is the reason Cowboy is sound 10 years post-P3 fracture. If I had continued to rely on my vets, Cowboy would be dead these last ten years.  (And that is NOT an exaggeration--he was scheduled to be put down.)  So, if there is an issue with one of my horse's feet--my farrier is the one I go to.  You may call this minimalist, but since I started down the minimalist road, I've had FAR less problems with my horses. If it progresses, though, my farrier will tell me when it's time to get x-rays and proceed to the next step.

From his tests, it appears she's slightly laminitic.  Not enough to limp or shift weight, but enough to test for some pain in the toe area of all four feet.  We think it was caused by her obesity, so our plan is to use an anti-inflammatory and take the weight off of her.  She loves to eat, so she's not happy with the calorie restriction, but it's for her own good.  In truth, she's getting a normal amount of food--like most horses get.  I was killing her with kindness before.

Interestingly, she was most sensitive in her left foot, but it is her RIGHT that she fights going to.  I think there are multiple issues we're dealing with--not just the feet, but the feet have to get well before we can proceed to the rest.  I'm quite hopeful that she will be sound--in the feet--very soon.

(Thursday's Ride: 80 degrees, hot & sunny. My TWO favorite COWBOYS!)

Love, Cowboy Style

A Love Letter Post for Cowboy:

I got a ride in on Sunday (above) and this morning before work (below).  Can you say lucky girl?  I will.  DAMN LUCKY GIRL!

My farrier came by a couple weeks ago and noticed that Cowboy was acting off.  He asked if I'd been riding him and I told him not as much because I've been training Leah.  He said, "I could tell."

Yipes!

So, I made it a point, after we got Loki settled into the house, to ride my boy.

At first, on Sunday, my Cowboy was mad at me.   

How can you say you love me when you neglect me for a month? 
I love you, Cowboy.
No, you don't.
I do.
You don't.

Or something like that.

But today, he was back to his old self, and all was forgiven.  He walked right up to get haltered for the ride.  

During saddling, he did give me the evil eye and brace his neck when I went to tighten his cinch.  I tried something new to see if I could soften him up--basically, I just bent him in over and over until he gave me a good feel.  It took a bit of going in circles because he was bracing his neck so hard, but when he did give me that softness, it was all done and the rest of the saddling went GREAT.  He was a happy boy and we had...

a GLORIOUS ride.

Cowboy is my heart horse. 

I love Cowboy.

When You Feel Them In Your Heart

"When you feel it in here (your heart), 

when you feel for him, 

when you feel of him; 

the confidence can go down through that body, 

or you can take it out.” 

- Ray Hunt

This quote spoke to me today, especially the first half of the line, "When you feel it in here (your heart), when you feel for him, when you feel of him..."

I didn't have that feeling for Leah until I started riding her.  It's one thing to be on the ground with a horse (and I don't want to take anything away from that), but it's another thing to be on your horse.  

Last year, I did an interview with a wonderful horsewoman who advocated no riding, and since then, I've mulled it over and over and over...while continuing to enjoy riding.

I have to say, I think my horses enjoy it, too.  

Last Saturday my husband and I went on a trail ride, and when we got back to the trailer, Cowboy wouldn't approach it.  He pulled me away from the trailer and back onto the trail.  We just started to laugh--this crazy horse wants to keep going!  So, we obliged and went back on the trail.  Penny was also happy to move back out again. 

Horses are curious, athletic, sentient beings.  I know they enjoy the new scenery, the movement, and the fellowship as much as we do. 

Yesterday I had another lesson with Leah.  I'm so proud of her. She's come a long, long way--further than I have, I'm sure!  Most of what we did was me sitting back and quieting my legs at the back up, walk forward and turn--getting her to round her back a bit more and put more purpose and energy into her step.  For the turn, I was to use my own purpose--no steering and no leg--and she was so sensitive--picked right up on those subtle cues. In fact, I'm not sure what the cues were.  Regina told me to think about turning, and Leah turned.  I imagine my body was turning a little when I thought about it, and that's what she perceived.

The stop work was interesting, too.  I was to sit back and gather up alternating reins a little at a time until she stopped.  It was important to stay quiet and not pull back, just these gentle gathers of the rein until she figured it out.  Then, when she stopped, I backed her up and moved her out again.  After a few times, she was really picking up that those gentle gathers meant to stop.  

I'm not sure where all this is going, but I'll let you know when I do.  

I find myself daydreaming a lot about Leah now, and wishing I was with her--Beautiful Girl, too, who is still in a stall and gets special daily attention.  And, of course, Cowboy.  

I feel them all in my heart, as Ray Hunt would say.