You’re quite the lucky one! May need another sheet for the 6 yr old who found his way out of his sheet today 
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Went to ride yesterday. I told myself - hook or crook, I’m riding.
Well, it started sleeting sideways while I tacked up, and Ms. Grundy was NOT happy about her blanket being off and being met with that weather, plus it got dark SUPER fast, plus my husband wasn’t home…
I decided the stars were not aligning in our favor. We toughed it out for about 30 minutes of ground work and ground driving, I got on and off of her and walked a quick loop in both directions and said “I’m cold and wet, you’re cold and wet, this isn’t fun, we’re done.” We both breathed a sigh of relief the second we got out of the wind and sleet.
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There is absolutely no doubt there are times it is better to quit while you are ahead. Self preservation is not a bad thing!
The wind was howling here one day last week with 35-45 mph gusts, and my husband asked me if I was riding. I asked him if Life Flight would be landing in our large pasture and waiting for me or was he just going to have them on call. Currently riding a very green 5 year old, and I would like to live another day!
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Yes. When I saw her facial expression when we rounded the corner of the barn and got blasted with the weather, my brain hamster started running. She was in a bad mood from jump, and I don’t blame her. It wasn’t doing that when I brought her in to get ready.
She did pretty well, considering the circumstances. We both need to toughen up a bit though - I don’t have an indoor so it’s “all weather fun” for us
I was going to put a quarter sheet on her for the first time yesterday but listening to the wind crackle the barn, I reconsidered and took it back off 
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So, I have been utilizing an animal communicator* at least once for all of my animals. Grundy’s was yesterday.
Animal communicator saw a hip sticker in her past, so maybe she came from an auction. Did not have any comments about the “checking out” she does. Said the guy who I bought her from didn’t outright do anything cruel to her (though I’d say that saddle and rider up on day 1 is pretty cruel, but hey, that’s just me). Said aggression comes from being in heat? Said she’s far sighted and that’s why she gets nervous sometimes.
She recommended some liver cleanse stuff, some of Bach’s flower remedies, and probiotics. They’re on order.
*ok, look, I don’t truly believe in any of this stuff - it’s in the category of “can’t hurt, might help”, and it’s entertainment to some degree. Let’s just say I’ve never paid for a second reading on the same animal… haha
Other good news: My blanket set up worked perfectly and she was bone dry and warm through our first winter storm that came through.
She will get her shoes pulled today and will stay barefoot for the foreseeable future.
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Huh. That’s kinda interesting about her eyes? Any chance her eyes hurt?
I’ve mentioned my little filly who also does this checking out and shutting down and just not communicating thing. We’re finally making some really good headway on that, and what’s gotten us there is addressing the pain she was in…but it took just loads of building trust before she was even willing to communicate that she was in pain. My (very admittedly anthropomorphic) read on her is that she just shut down communication because communicating didn’t get her anywhere with her previous people. It’s been a long haul to open that door & allow her to be less stoic…and an interesting experience to watch a horse go from not lame to lame because of the relationship? Not sure I would’ve believed it possible, tbh!
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Her eyes don’t seem to hurt, but she does like me rubbing them. Most of my horses have enjoyed that though. Her eyes don’t weep or have any cloudiness to them.
The far sighted thing would make sense as to why she does this visceral head fling when benign things happen around her front end. I just calmly repeat the motion that caused it until I get no reaction, but it would explain why she does it.
Oh! The animal communicator did a “body scan” of her and said she felt fine all over, but my brain was on those sticky stifles. I’m trying to just ignore it, as it’s not uncommon in youngsters. As long as she isn’t outright lame, we will just continue to strengthen them over time.
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If you wanted to try a couple weeks of a pain med just to see if that changed anything–be it eyes or stifles or repro or whatever–tylenol is an option that won’t hammer her belly. It could be a really interesting dart to toss at the board, and it’s so hard to get much of anywhere when they’re hurting…especially when they won’t tell you!
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I could give it a whirl. She’s about to get a couple months off from anything resembling “real work” soon, I will put it in my mind for next spring when the weather breaks.
Edit: I will also get a full repro exam in the spring, in case there’s troubles. Chasteberry and raspberry leaf didn’t do anything, regumate is up next, depending on what’s found in a repro exam.
Man. I wonder how many horses could benefit from glasses like we do. Total aside, but I’ve also wondered if they get headaches. I used to get them chronically and appreciate having to push through them to get day to day things done.
Anyways. I’ve used a communicator as well. She does reiki but has a knack for talking with them. The one day Charlie about talked her ear off and some things he said really made me wonder, because it was stuff she wouldn’t have known about.
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I asked my vet about vision/eyesight with my previous horse and he said it is part that we don’t have a way to find out what we don’t know (they can’t answer us reading an eye chart) but as far as we do know, their eyes don’t really function the same as ours in a way that would cause astigmatism, near/far sightedness, etc. The horse has since moved on, but I always did kind of wonder.
Oh, please, no! I get enough of them for both of us!
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I noticed in one of your latest photos that (as in some previous ones) she has a hind cocked while standing. Maybe some horses do this a lot, but I’ve never had one that stands that way so frequently.
She literally always does. It’s pretty even now, when she first came it was mostly the left hind. She lies down to sleep a lot too.
Not chasing ghosts though, if she shows me an outright lameness I will find it but otherwise we will continue strengthening.
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Started with some ground work of moving hips, ribs, and shoulders. She was verrrry sassy and bratty, pinning her ears and threatening to make a move. No problem, I figure she was fresh since the cold came in and was making crappy choices.
Switched to join up work which shes getting better at, and gave her a chance to blow off that steam and get in a better head space. It worked,ground work was much improved afterwards.
And - finally got a ride in! If in doubt she stops, but isn’t nappy about going forward again.
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Got to wear a quartersheet for the first time - I accidentally grabbed Shayney’s though. Whoops!
She seemed more up/spooky today. Some of the hand and noise things I do while ground driving were actually bothering her when they weren’t before, and she was slower to release and breathe. Met her where she was and just worked through it. I tried to video our ride but my phone was dead by that point. Short little video of her trot.
Cold weather sucks.
20241123_142530968
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Grundy, you may be a stinker in so many ways, but you poop like this every day and I love it.
We’ve spent the last few days revisiting some desensitizing we have regressed on. No big deal. Just started introducing the shop vac yesterday. We’re good with everything when it isn’t running - dragging it all over, hoses, cords etc. With it running will take a little more time. We just stood back and looked at it while it was running, and when she put her head down a little I would shut it off.
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I wish I had a horse that neat. 
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Good girl for being so neat and tidy!
I’ve had four like that (none currently, unfortunately), and it’s great. Really saves on time and bedding. All of mine have preferred to go outside (even the not-so-neat ones), if there is a run or corral attached to the stalls, rather than inside.
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Grundy makes up for it by peeing inside every day. On the bare mats. Just once, but every single dang day lol
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