I have found my happy again...it’s AWESOME.....the roller coaster rolls on, and it fell off the rails! I sold my happy!

[KBC]

The Working Eq clinic this weekend was great fun, and very very hot! Mellow did awesome, never did get him to stand on the bridge, but when he walked up to it straight, and inspected it, we called it good. He also really doesn’t like the gate, but that’s an easy one to set up at home to work on.

Farrier/clinician said his daughter is just like him, kind of hard to get them focused on what they are supposed to be doing.

Biggest win for me? Well realizing that this was only the third time I’ve ridden him outside, what with his issues and our weather challenges! and I wasn’t the least bit nervous.

[Alterration]

Yay! We’re getting into Working Equitation as well and it’s so much fun!!!

Congratulations on not being nervous! That’s a huge milestone!

[Bluey]

Nice to be trying that out, looks like fun.

That string gate should not be for a beginner, they can’t see it good.
Is better to use something larger to get around first, something that is obvious a barrier to be moved and sidestepping from.
The clinician may have started all of you on one such, now working up to the rope one.
First small steps, last the more difficult to see and figure out string.

Bet after you work at all that for a while, you will be so happy one day to realize he has learned so much.

[KBC]

@Bluey we started on the string gate, he did not like it at all. Going to work on his moving off the leg by going through the motions of the gate, using two jump standards on no rope for now. If I can figure out how to make something more solid I’ll try that later.

[Jenerationx]

He looks great, and you look like you’re having a lot of fun.

[Bluey]

@KBC

@Bluey we started on the string gate, he did not like it at all. Going to work on his moving off the leg by going through the motions of the gate, using two jump standards on no rope for now. If I can figure out how to make something more solid I’ll try that later.

Good idea to start teaching moving from the leg first.
Smart to realize horse was not ready for that and back off to work on the basics to respond with more refinement to the leg first.

Could you then find a real gate to a pen or arena or pasture to practice, a place that would make sense to a horse what you are trying to do?

Best, with such training, don’t worry about perfection, a little bit at first is smiled pat worthy.

[Brown_Derby]

Do it an inch at a time if you need to. It’s not about opening the gate, it is about sidepassing. This can be practiced on the ground using your hand; sidepassing over a pole,towards the fence, etc.

Maintain your nice leg position and posture. It is easy, when ‘reaching’ for the latch or rope, to unbalance them, or goose them in the flank, thus making them move away from the gate to keep their balance.

[candyappy]

Good to see he is doing well for you now. I know he has had health issues you are working on but to me he looks thinner every time you post pictures? Is he getting enough to eat at your new boarding barn?

[KBC]

@candyappy

Good to see he is doing well for you now. I know he has had health issues you are working on but to me he looks thinner every time you post pictures? Is he getting enough to eat at your new boarding barn?

Thanks for checking, and yes we have seen quite fundamental changes in shape! When I bought him he looked muscled, but it was more due till odd muscling due to his condition, so he has changed from looking like a halter horse, to a working horse.

He did lose a bunch of weight during the turn out experiment, but is now back in his pen, being fed! While he has lost, he is not in poor condition, he feels great when you run your hands over him, so I have no worries right now.

We will continue to watch and monitor to make sure he stays in good condition.

[candyappy]

I am glad that you aren’t offended @KBC about me asking. I know that they can lose weight alarmingly fast and that sometimes we don’t see it (right off) when it is gradual . Glad that you do see , he is eating well and your barn is willing to feed what he needs.

[KBC]

@candyappy I did go tape him after you mentioned it, and he is 100 pounds lighter than he used to be…but still looking good. The aim is to feed him to work, as we try and get his muscles built back in the right way.

I try not to get offended when people mention things out of concern for the horse…I don’t always succeed, but I try!

[KBC]

And down the coaster swoops…

Mellow had another PSSM episode two weeks ago, was really tight and sore through his muscles. At the same time, because of, or causing that…he had just been trimmed and came up very footsore.

After 2 weeks, a couple of vet visits, one quick look by the farrier as a favour at the end of the day…Mr Mellow gets his first pair of front shoes tomorrow, and I can’t believe how nervous it’s making me. It’s crazy, up until 10 years ago, I had never owned a barefoot horse, now I’m wondering how he’s going to do in “iron”

Hopefully it will make him comfortable, both vet and farrier are saying that the prolonged drought and heat means that more horses are needing shoes than they have seen before. Once we get his fronts more comfortable, we can explore his hocks more fully, flexed poorly yesterday, so lots of slow straight exercise, few corners, no spins or turns. He is on the list for X-rays but that won’t be for a month or so.

[shiloh]

Oh, argh - that poor horse. I’m sorry you are both going thru this. Hope the shoes help some.

[SummerRose]

KBC, I’m sorry he’s going through a rough patch again but thanks for sharing the story with us. It’s fun to follow along and see your progress together, and it’s not fun but it is very educational to see how you identified his health problems and are working through learning how to manage them.

He’s a very lucky boy to have ended up with you. A lot of people would have dumped him as a “problem horse” and it’s great to see that you recognized the underlying issues and are working through them. Hopefully your story will help someone else identify and handle their own horse’s issues in the future.

[KBC]

August was one heck of a coaster ride, he was up and down, and 20th August he was HORRIBLE, not lame so much, but hard eyed, tense, did ground work, and chose not to ride, because it wasn’t going to go well.

I spent the next few days writing sale ads in my head, while at the same time wondering what idiot might buy him. 5 days later I went to see him again, he seemed good, ground worked, he was good, got on and rode, he was great. Since then he has just got better every ride, and today we did this.

His first trail ride, my first time for errr 7 years because I am a whimp! He was awesome, led for a while, rode in the middle for most of the time, did not put a foot wrong.

Sell him? Sell him? Who would even think of it?

[KBC]

Lesson day today, and someone I haven’t seen in months, maybe 6 months I guess was there. She was sat on the bleachers, saying “wow, I’ve never seen you so happy” “Wow, you are laughing and so relaxed”

While I give a lot of credit to Mellow, also my new trainer is so great in setting goals that make sense to me.

Wish I could get him 100% for 100% of the time, that would be so awesome. But learning so much about what’s important dealing with the horse the day gives me!

[RedHorses]

@KBC things will get better. It takes some time to get management really figured out… The bad days will get fewer and further apart. I know how hard it is and frustrating when those bad days happen. Doing the ground work and getting him moving in a low key exercise is the right thing to burn off excess glycogen. I feel mean making my guy move sometimes, but I know it’s just going to get worse if I don’t.

My guy had cellulitis last week and was so sore he just about fell over from the pressure of my eyes looking at the leg. He was a bit wonky when I rode after six days off. I just walked him and by the end of the hour I could feel how much looser his muscles were.

(((hugs)))

[KBC]

@RedHorses

@KBC things will get better. It takes some time to get management really figured out… The bad days will get fewer and further apart.

Sigh, now I’m already worrying because fall last year is when he started falling apart. Going to have to blanket this year, so time to see what I have in Mellow size!

[jvanrens]

From everything I’ve read, blanketing is very important. Hopefully you have some that fit, if not, have fun shopping!

[KBC]

Well, there’s a thing…I’ve been struggling for a while with Mellow. I can’t always tell when he is sore, lazy, or maybe saying, you are too much for me to carry.

Throw in the fact we all got 30 days notice at start of month, because Covid has killed the BO business, that was supporting the boarding and lesson program. Feel heart sorry for them, they had just got things going when everything got shut down. There is a Zoom meeting for boarders tonight, I think the place might have a new person coming in…waiting details.

Looking for a new place, new people, etc made me really question about me and Mellow, and after having the best ride in a long time on Sunday, yesterday he was pokey, sticky, and after about 20 mins I felt something inside me break, and just like that I was “I just can’t with this horse anymore”

I’m a big, 64 year old women, with limited talent, recourses and ride time left, do I really want to struggle? Should I just look for a bigger built, deadhead and simply jog my way into the sunset