Finally, some good news

Good news, everyone! Apollo is back to sound, and his leg is back to cold and tight. Thank God, and thank you for all the good thoughts. I was worried, to say the least. So, back I go to the legging him back up plan! Saturday: 10 mins walk, 3 mins trot Sunday: 12 mins walk, 3 mins trot Monday: 15 mins walk, 4 mins trot Tuesday: 15 mins walk, 5 mins trot Wednesday: off Thursday: 15 mins walk, 7 mins trot Friday: 15 mins walk, 8 mins trot Conservative? Yep. Subject to change if he needs more or less? Yep!

I think we all

Wish for a way to check in with our horses when we can't be there with them.  I got caught up helping my Mom this evening so didn't make it to the barn, and I am fretting some.  I want to call Apollo up on his iPhone Equine and ask him how he feels. 

How's the left front doing?  Does it feel sore in the hoof or in the leg?  How sore?  Better or worse?  Are you warm enough?  Too warm?  Dry?  How're your hind pasterns feeling?  That little cut on your coronal band, how's that?  Eating and drinking enough?  Those other boys aren't playing too rough with you, are they?  Have you been thinking about being brave on XC and smooth in dressage?  

Apparently I turn into a stereotype when I fret!

Super briefly:

I don't have much time, so: Apollo has been lame since Sunday on his LF. I hope it's not serious. Fill in his tendon area, no heat in the hoof ... I hope it's just an abscess or a strain. I am not uttering the words that rhyme with "flown buspensory." Pray for us. ;)

2013 wrap-up, and looking forward to 2014!

Well. It would seem that I'm on a biweekly post schedule around here! :) At least you know what to expect, right? I actually have a lot of plans for posts to put in the hopper for when I'm busy, but ... um, I'm busy? Heh. Anyway. On with the obligatory 2013 wrap-up and the catch-up on what I've been up to.

The catch-up is quick and easy: I've been sick and doing Christmas. :) The usual winter ick has gotten me, though it's not as dire as it has been in past years. This year it's just bronchitis and the accompanying asthma-worsening. So I've been staying inside this last week and a half, out of the cold and dry air. I'm enjoying the break and the Leverage marathon, but ... I miss my pony.

Especially because it's been so dark -- I don't think it's very safe to go out into a pasture in the dark and try to catch my horse among a bunch of other horses. Not that he's hard to catch, nor that he or the other horses are ill-tempered; quite the opposite! But horses run around and play, and they get surprised by things in the night, and the ground is frozen and rutted, and overall, just a lot of things that can go wrong when wandering in a pasture in the pitch black.

I know, I know: lots of people go catch their horses in the dark. However, lots of people also ride without helmets ... I just don't think it's safe for me. And my livelihood doesn't depend on riding, so even though I'd rather ride, if it's dark by the time I could get to the barn, I don't.

ANYway: between the dark and the sick, I haven't seen Apollo since Christmas Eve. Blah. But I'll go see him tomorrow!! I am feeling enough better that I can wander on out and at least longe him. The last time I rode, he was feeling his Thoroughbred breeding ... heh. He doesn't always remember that he was a racehorse, but this winter, now that he's sound, he sure does. Fun to ride!!

So. 2013 in review.

Honestly, it was a tough year for the barn in general. Colic, lameness, abscesses, more lameness, and then an abscess, and some lameness. Ugh! A friend lost her beautiful mare just after Christmas, as well, so tough year.

Apollo and I had some great success this year: we went to a couple of jumper shows and conquered the 2'6 block I'd had for so long, won the crossrails division in our first derby, went to a recognized event with our resident European in the irons and performed beautifully, and jumped 3' for the first time.

We had some trials, too: the abscess ordeal and the colic, as well as realizing what shape Apollo's feet are in (TB shape, ugh). And of course, my general tendency toward sickness. But that's a constant -- that's not going to change without some serious intervention that I'm not sure I can afford, time-wise or money-wise. But we'll see.

I also had some job upheaval this year, ranging from me getting what I thought was my dream project to discovering that the dream project was a pile of steaming dog crap, from my company completely falling in the cash flow department to me losing all my benefits, from me getting a second part time job to me flipping the table in frustration and quitting my original job that had gone part time ... and so on. Right now, I'm going to be going full-time with my current part-time job in January, so I'm utterly thrilled and unspeakably relieved to be going back to a steady paycheck that will pay the bills and provide benefits. Big plus: I really don't mind the work. It's exactly the sort of thing I like, something I can just come to work, do for 8 hours, and then leave at the office when I go home.

So I am really looking forward to 2014. Here's hoping that it brings soundness and health to all our equine partners and health and joy to all of us humans!

I'm planning on hitting my own first recognized event this summer. The amount of money I have available will determine which event I pick -- if I have the money, I would really prefer to go to Twin Rivers or Galway, but that's an expensive trip. If I don't have the money for Twin, I might go back to Caber, or maybe to Aspen. I would definitely like to go to Golden Spike for sure, too -- that usually falls on an Aspen weekend, so I would have to buck up and go without the team. That is probably doable, though. I think. We'll see. :) I know at least a couple of people generally go, people I would trust to give me at least good advice, if not coaching, so I can make it work.

Other than that, I definitely plan to start the year with the May derby at home and compete at BN, depending on how the cross-country schooling goes. I'm willing to start at Intro to BN, if I need to, but really. I can totally do BN.

I'll also do the unrecognized event at home, too, if we can get that sorted out. Lesson from last year: Enter early. As many little jumper shows as I can get to will be on the list, too.

And just all through the year, ride as much as I can and play with my wonderful pony. :) I do love that beast, so very very much.

I'm planning on doing my town's Biggest Loser competition with a friend, so a bit more health and fitness is on the docket, too. :)

So yeah. Wishing you all a happy, healthy, sound 2014!!

Dream Wishlist

So I have seen a few people post this kind of entry lately: 5 things on my horsey wishlist for Santa. Right now, money is so scarce for me as to be on the Endangered Species list, so this is the stuff I'm dreaming about. I'm saving as much as I can, but that's just dribs and drabs here and there, nothing big, so these dreams probably won't come true for a while.
HOWEVER! We can all dream, eh?

1. County Conquest saddle. 18" or 18.5", medium tree, with a fitting from a County fitter included. Brown, with -- because this IS a dream -- short, forward flaps. I like my Collegiate saddle, but it doesn't fit Apollo well, and I don't love it. County FTW!

2. Two County Logic girths.
One for my jump saddle, one for my dressage saddle. I think the size for the jump girth would be 48" - 50", and the dressage would be 22" - 24". Would have to measure.
And thinking of dressage saddles ...

3. County Perfection dressage saddle.
18" or 18.5", medium tree, with a fitting from a County fitter included. Black, with short flaps -- again, this IS a dream. :)

4. FITS breeches. Moar FITS! :) Another tan pair, a white pair, and then any color from there. Just enough to cover a three-day event, since I have one tan pair already, and a few more pairs to ride in every day.

5. A nice pair of tall boots. It doesn't even have to be custom boots. Just something that looks nice, fits my calf, and isn't so tall that I can't bend my knees. These three things are difficult to find in one pair of boots, so much so that this becomes a dream.

So that's my main horsey wishlist. I think I'll probably pick up a set of black SoftGrip reins after Christmas, because I'm tired of the ThinLine reins freezing in my dang hands, and I did manage to score a ThinLine pad for a song at the FLTS. :) Super kind of them to let me know one had come in on consignment -- and I happened to have just the price of the pad in consignment money of my own, so I was able to get it for not much at all. Yay -- Merry Christmas to me!

But for the rest of it ... Santa? I've been very good this year, and more to the point, so has Apollo. He's been better than me, honestly. He deserves at least a jump saddle that fits him and makes his back happy -- he's the best guy ever, and he deserves everything in the world.

Blogging from the barn!

So I have a rule: I only ride in double digit temperatures.

I also have an observation: the weather app on my iPad is a lying liar!  The weather app said it was 12 degrees; barely in my double digit range. So I came out with the idea of longing and feeding Apollo.

Yeah, no. It's 7 here now. Definitely too cold.

So I am waiting in the warm tack room for Apollo's beet pulp to soak, and I'll not even bring him in - just feed him in the pen, pick his feet while he eats, and boogie on out of here.

In comparison to L. Williams' barn outfit for yesterday, I am wearing: expedition weight thermal bottoms and top, heavy sweat pants, smart wool heavy socks, Bogs, a fleece top, my heavy Carhartt jacket, a balaclava, and an earflap wool/fleece hat.  SEVEN degrees.

Even Hazel the sometimes evil barn cat says it's too cold for evil or for slashing, and she's in my lap, purring, as I type. Photo to come soon.

18 degrees is way too cold to ride but ...

So this happened tonight:

I have no idea why my phone turns the indoor green, but there you have it. My favorite photo of the year!  I am thinking easy rides for this weekend and next week, then I hope to rejoin the jumping lesson next Sunday. Yay!!!

Apollo is, predictably, pretty stiff and rather up after, what, four? five? weeks of not being ridden. He starts out a bit off, but by the time I finish longing him he's moving soundly, especially to the right. Oddly enough, he's a bit off-er to the left to begin. He was entirely uninterested in taking contact on the right, so ...we have lots of ground to make up. Still, riding again!!  Hooray!

Also, I picked up a bottle of Equiderma lotion for his scratches. On first look I suspect that this will do what all that silver sulfadiazene didn't and actually clear it up. Initial signs are encouraging. I hope in a few weeks I can come here and give a screaming, enthusiastic OMG YOU GOTTA TRY THIS endorsement. :)

Catching up, part two: The Ordeal

Apparently, Apollo might have a Thing about winter -- we spent much of last fall and winter rehabbing the gash on his leg, and this fall and winter, it's an abscess and a case of Thoroughbred feet.

About four weeks or so ago, Apollo was a little off. I noticed when I pulled him out of the pasture, and when I brought him in and tossed him on the longe line, it was clear: pony was lame on his right front. Well, dang. We figured "abscess" and the plan was to do the Epsom salt soaking, then give him time off to blow the abscess out himself or just resolve whatever was going on. That was a Tuesday, and the farrier was scheduled to come out on Friday. A fresh shoeing didn't reveal anything or resolve anything, alas.

It's the hottest fall equine fashion!

It is very hard to be Apollo some days.

And Apollo didn't blow an abscess, either. He just got lamer and lamer and sadder and sadder, until TW texted to say he was quite a bit worse than the day before and that it was time for the vet to see him. A thousand blessings on my vet -- he was able to get out there the next day to dig out the abscess. Which it did indeed end up being -- I had been a little concerned that it would be something much scarier than an abscess, honestly, even though all signs pointed that way. The unknown is scary, yo.

It ended up being a rather nasty one, too. The vet had to dig more than he expected, and the abscess ran farther under the sole than he expected. He also discovered quite a bit of bruising in Apollo's white line - enough to call it chronic. Poor pony! So we got on with more Epsom-salt-soaking, and I put him in a borrowed EasyBoot Trail boot to protect the foot. After a week or so, the vet and farrier happened to be out at the same time and cleared him to have a shoe put back on and to get turned back out. Yay, thought I! That was easier than I expected, thought I!

Silly, silly me. ;) He packed enough mud in his softened-from-soaking, already-thin-soled foot to lame himself up again out in the field. So back into the stall he went, shoe pulled, and I went with the full Epsom salt paste, diaper, duct tape, Easyboot treatment, as well as liberal applications of Durasole daily. I also had the vet take some radiographs of Apollo's feet to make sure we're shoeing correctly and getting the angles as best as we can.

And that's where we are today. He's still in the stall as of right now, but when I walked him out barefoot today, he was much sounder than he was last time we checked. TW thinks we could probably get a shoe back on him and see how he does with turnout now -- something I'm sure Apollo is enthusiastic about too. The trick now is to keep him from doing this again by toughening up his soles, helping him grow better quality hoof, helping him grow better quality hoof faster, and making sure his shoeing is supporting those goals.

So he's getting a big scoop of NuHoof Maximizer (a biotin/methionine/zinc/copper/other mineral hoof support supplement) and two packets of Knox gelatin in his bucket daily, and I'm doing my very best to make sure he gets that bucket every day. I missed a day this last week; shame on me ... I had to get work done, though, for two evenings. :/ Anyway, so we're working on his hooves from the inside with that.

From the outside, until he gets the shoe back on I'll continue the abscess bandaging/packing, and I'm putting the Durasole on daily. He'll keep getting the Durasole on indefinitely, too, or sole paint I will get from the equine hospital. And our blessed farrier will keep shoeing him with an eye to the angles, especially now that we have rads of Apollo's bones. (which, incidentally, I need to get copies of; must email vet.)

Catching up, part three: Colic scare

In addition to the Abscess Ordeal, we had our first colic episode. Thank heaven it was mild, because it was scary enough as it was.


I'd taken him into the indoor arena to walk him around, get his feet moving and give his brain something to work on, because he's going rather stir-crazy in his stall. Poor kiddo. So we did circles, serpentines, spirals in and out, follow-me, et cetera. Not much more than 10-15 minutes. He seemed a little more interested in nosing at the sand than usual, pawed a bit, but I wasn't terrifically concerned; maybe he was a little more sluggish than I expected, but I figured he was just having a case of the blahs.

But when I brought him back to the crossties, it was clear that we had A Problem. He was sweating hard, through his winter coat, and getting sweatier -- like we'd run cross-country kind of sweaty. He was kicking at his belly and pawing some. Just altogether exhibiting all the signs of Distress. :/ I checked his gums, and they refilled okay, but not quite how I'd expect Then Apollo started breathing hard and fast, again like we'd run cross-country: his nostrils were wide and pink, and I counted 60 breaths before I stopped counting to send a text to TW for advice/help and ask if I should go ahead and give Banamine or wait.

TW advised putting him in a stall and letting him do his thing, walking away and just listening to see what he got up to. He lay down, flopped over flat out, then got back up again, pawing ... He had also not eaten much of his hay at all. Odd, for him: he loves food, like most horses. At that point TW and MT both came out to help. MT pulled out some Banamine and a stethoscope, did a skin tent test and checked his gums, pressed on his back and haunches area, et cetera. Apollo was a bit dehydrated, heart rate high, respiration high, and continued to paw and be uncomfortable.

20-30 minutes later, things started to look better: Apollo was more comfortable, if still unhappy, and his vitals had gotten almost back to normal. Whew. TW and MT felt like it was clear for them to go back in the house, and TW said that she'd check on him in a couple of hours, see how he was. If he was back to uncomfortable and actively unwell, we'd haul him out to the vet hospital for treatment. I hung around for a bit longer, then decided that standing around fretting wasn't going to help anyone, and besides ... it's been damn cold here. So I went home and put my phone on the charger and put the charger right next to my hand.

TW texted me an hour and a half later that Apollo was up and snuffling around for stray bits of hay we might have left when we pulled the uneaten food out of his stall. HALLELUJAH!!

I had prepared myself for colic surgery and the subsequent rehab, honestly. I was ready and willing to go there. The vet hospital might have shot me on sight for owing them some money, but I'd have died with a note in my hand saying SAVE MY HORSE. ;) Plus, that's why I pay for horse insurance: things like that. And the Abscess Ordeal. I heart insurance.

So that was mild, thank heaven. I managed to keep my cool, thank heaven. And now we know what colic looks like on Apollo. I was pretty worried there for a while, though. Even though I had plans A through D ready to go based on circumstances -- having plans and safeguards in place makes me a MUCH saner girl -- I was worried. I wasn't freaked out like I was when he got the gash on his leg, but I was worried. I've seen horses come through colic surgery, so it wasn't an unknown quantity, which also helps me stay calm. And of course I've seen the worst-case scenario of colic surgery, too, so no mystery there. BUT THAT WASN'T GOING TO HAPPEN TO US.

Truly -- if I were the sort, I'd say that I wasn't horribly concerned because I know God has a plan for us. I'm not that overt sort, though. I still felt at the time, and still feel, that that was not the end of the road for me and Apollo. We have much more riding and love and partnership ahead of us. It's a pit-of-the-stomach sort of feeling, and I'd swear to it. Not sure why, but there you have it. Faith. :)



I had TED clip him, too, last week, because he WILL be ridable and need it this winter. :) And he now has a cutie mark! He's no longer a blank flank!

Get it?

Catching up: Part one!

So. I'm waiting on some work to get spit out by the computer, so I might as well update this terribly dusty blog. :)

A lot of the last time-period-since-I-last-wrote has been spent nursing either myself or Apollo. I got sick for a week or so, and I managed to miss the last chance at cross-country schooling for this year. Bleh. But I'd have been a mess for it if I'd gone, so better to stay home. There will be more time.

But the week after that lesson I missed, I caught a great showjumping-on-grass lesson! Apollo was a very, very good boy, as usual. After our first time around a few fences, MT pointed out some changes I needed to make with my leg (like, yknow, USE it, and use it all the way through a jump, not just at the beginning), and we proceeded to have a wonderful lesson! We jumped some rather large fences, for us, up to 2'11-3' or so! Yay us. :) Seriously, I'm super proud of Apollo and of myself. We've both come a very long way in the year and change that I've had him.

After that, I had to put my head down and focus on work for a week or so, and after THAT, this year's Ordeal began ...