Starting Strong

Maybe not on the blogging front but in other areas yes, it's been a great start to 2020. We're in the middle of our first real snow storm of the year so I finally have some enforced down time to put a blot post together!

First, we're mainly moved in on the first floor of our house. The basement needs some serious work (except my tack corner but more on that later) and the upstairs is livable but still a work in progress. We did get our Roomba set up today though so we have that going for us.

Dining room and kitchen looking very adult. 

And then there's my tackroom corner in the basement.

All of the <3 eyes
Also, supplement baggies being made while I watched horse Youtube for entertainment.

I so love having this much organized space for my horse stuff. It also feel slightly insane that I have this much tack in "storage" which completely ignores all the stuff I have at the barn and in my car both of which are more actively in use. This set up is also awesome because it's right next to our washer and dryer and the laundry tub which make tack cleaning easy as well as doing horse laundry.

One big thing that's going to be updated is that the tack locker that I made with my dad is getting moved in probably within the next month or so. It's going to need a coat of paint and some finishing touches but then I'll be rearranging to make use of that space. I'd love to have it at the barn but the last couple of barns that I've been at already have dedicated tack space and didn't allow outside tack lockers so my best option is to have it at home. I'll share updated pictures once I have that set up.

In pony news things are going really well. I've been really focused on utilizing the skills that I'm learning from resources such as the Jane Pike podcasts and it's making a huge difference with how Katai and I work together. We're in sort of a back to the basics and strength building place right now. It could, and would, have felt frustrating but I've been really focused on how much of a different place we're in relationship and communication wise so really it just feels like a huge step in the right direction.

Finding these amazing things that Katai ADORES
probably isn't hurting our progress lol

I've also been so happy to have Katai in a stall again. A week or so ago we had a quick temp drop and I went out in the morning planning to add a blanket and I was feeling bad that she was probably cold. I got to the barn and saw that the barn employee had added a couple of extra layers when she turned out and Katai was toasty warm. I actually got teary eyed. I can also tell that she's getting her magnesium every day and it seems to be making a huge different in her ability to learn and process the work we're doing.

Katai was having a bit of trouble adjusting to the new stall board set up. For whatever reason all of the mares in the pasture she was in previously got along SUPER well and were very close. After moving her to the stall, she was worried and upset for about two weeks and spent a lot of her time trying to convince us that we'd screwed up and put her in the wrong place. I started her on a hemp supplement just to see what happened since I was curious if it would help her high anxiety around the change. She hasn't been on it for long at this point but I'm curious to see if it helps her anxiety in general. She seems to be adjusting better to the stall at this point but I'm not sure that it's related to the new supplement and feel that it's more likely it's related to time.

Rolling time. Now I just need to make some time to clip again to clean up what I did previously and get rid of the awkward hair on her belly and neck since she's in a stall overnight.

She's also scheduled for a massage on Monday to help offset any muscle soreness with getting back into work. I'm curious if she's more or less receptive to the new massage guy this time since she was pretty doubtful last time.

I'm hoping that since moving is quieting down at this point I'll be able to blog more frequently since it feels like I actually have content now that I'm back in a more regular routine!

Protocol

Back to warm, sunny days where progress was being made.

As mentioned in my previous post I'm doing some problem solving right now with what's going on with Katai. I think that mainly it was stress related and from a big change in her living conditions but there have been small things going on with her here and there so it made sense to just relook at what I'm doing and consider some additional options to make sure she's feeling her best.

First, was ulcer treatment. I started out with UlcerGuard because she was refusing to eat her supplements, and therefore the Nexium pills, but the plan was always to go back to Nexium for the majority of the treatment because of the cost effectiveness and past treatment effectiveness of this for Katai.

After the complicated musical cars process of giving away the half bag of alfalfa pellets I cleared the space in my car and picked up a bag of Senior. I don't love feeding Katai grain but a few handfuls won't hurt and if it's palatable enough that she'll then eat the important supplements and ulcer meds I'm all for it. Luckily it has been working and she's eating it so I didn't just buy a 50# bag of gran for nothing haha.

Unfortunately for me and my personal life the Nexium pills need to be fed daily in order to be effective. I'm following the protocol of 3 pills for 28 days, then 2 pills for 14 days, then 1 pill for 14 days to hopefully not cause a spike in stomach acid. I'm on day 11 right now and that means that this will go into December. I'll be honest, it's a lot to try to get to the barn every single day but I've been successful for the past week. In looking ahead it looks like I'll be able to make it out every day through November except for 1-2 where I'm going to try to get a fellow boarder to give her the meds. This would be much easier on stall board but oh well we'll get there soon enough :)

I also mentioned making a change in other supplements in my previous post. Up until now she's been getting four supplements with California Trace as the main vitamin supplement. CA Trace doesn't have enough vitamin E so she's getting that as well as an Ulcer preventative and Magnesium since CA Trace doesn't have enough of that either. The new supplement has some coverage for all of the above so, while it's a bit more expensive, I will be saving a small amount with just feeding that one supplement rather than all four others. Mostly though it has additional Copper, Zinc, probiotics, biotin, some anti inflammatory stuff, and enough Magnesium and other vitamins and minerals that she's getting now. It's meant for hoof health but also to support the metabolism which are both of Katai's problem areas. Also, since there is just less stuff that I need her to eat I'm hoping it will go down easier with the handful of senior. I also went back to Smartpaks just to make life easier and because there was a small additional cost savings which was awesome. She's starting with a loading dose per the instructions. Once I figure out how this is working I'll do more of a post on what I'm trying.

Most recent riding picture I have :/

To address any body soreness she also got a massage last Monday. The massage person, named Dave, was awesome and came highly recommended from M (the friend who referred me to this barn). I REALLY liked him and, while Katai was a little defensive, he was getting lots of releases. He has rehabilitated a couple of horses at the barn and the work he does is more sports massage based. He did some myofascial type work as well as traditional massage and spent some time working on some specific pressure points. The only thing he really noted was that her hamstrings were tight. We both thought it could potentially be the mud and just the transition from stall to pasture.

He also agreed that just the stress of the move likely caused some ulcers but seemed pleased with her condition and musculature overall. He was also great to talk to about the lack of riding recently and felt that I was following a good protocol in getting the Ulcer meds started and giving her a chance to heal a bit before I went back to doing much riding.

Now she gets two days off, including today and tomorrow, where I'll just go out to give her meds, supplements, put thrush stuff in her feet, and probably hand walk her a bit. The plan then is to ride on Thursday and see how she's doing. Hopefully all of this will pay off and she'll be feeling comfortable and fit :)

Culprit(s)

My very first riding instructor always had her students hand walk their horses at least
5-6 times around the arena both before and after the ride.
That habit has stuck with me so I hand walk instead
of riding for part of my warm up and cool down.

I know that I don’t need to diagnose exactly what’s happened with Katai. However, I’d like to figure it out so that I can avoid it happening again and it’s just the way that my, slightly obsessive, brain works.

My first thought was ulcers she wasn’t showing any symptoms and she’s been showing textbook symptoms anytime that they’re bothering her. It stayed in the back of my mind but it didn’t seem to make sense to treat for them when she wasn’t showing any of the symptoms that she does normally.

My second thought was saddle fit. My concern was based on an observation from Jane when I first got my re-adjusted saddle back from the fitters. I thought it looked ok but Jane thought it might be slightly narrow. Katai is normally SO honest and didn’t react negatively to it at all so I went with it but it also was hanging out at the back of my mind. However, when she first started being impossible she also wasn’t reacting to her back being poked and prodded so I don’t think that initially caused it either.

 

So tough to get pictures of her without her following me around.
This one is a little weird but at least you can see her in her pretty quarter sheet :)

Instead I think what happened is that we pushed pretty hard for every ride for a week. It wasn’t that I wasn’t asking for stretchy/relaxed rides but Katai just wanted to run so I spent lots of time half halting and then pushing her forward. I was trying to make my decision but still help her use up some energy. I think that likely was coupled with the colder weather and the last bad heat cycle of the year.

Then she had a couple of rides where she was literally acting like a stone lama and was SO STIFF and hollow. I think that did cause her muscles to be sore. In addition I escalated more than I should have for one of those rides. That caused her to escalate and then shut down.

For the past week, since that lesson, I’ve been riding very gently and treating her like glass. I’ve been very focused on not escalating and making rides fairly short and easy so she feels like she’s got this and can gain some confidence again. It’s definitely a fine line though and in my lesson this week Jane helped me really finish putting the pieces back together and we started pushing her more again while still maintaining that patience and gentleness in my riding. I carried a whip again but only needed to tap her once and after that we moved on.

 

Right after I rode I was petting her neck and found a knot.
Her expression always clearly tells me when
I find one and she leans into me as I work on them

Not only did we push her to actually do the work but we also added a tough new exercise of half pass (from shoulder in) to the quarterline, a couple of straight steps, and then back to the wall in a leg yield. I won’t say it was pretty but we did get it done which certainly wouldn’t have happened earlier this year or last week haha. There were definitely sullen pony moments but overall she was really good and I was really pleased.

Our biggest homework is the canter. I used to have huge canter anxiety but thanks to Katai it’s been nearly 100% cured. However, the pony from last week was terrifying me at the canter a bit. She had a hump in her back but if I put leg on she’d just stop and stand there with her ears pinned back. She was also trying to bolt and didn’t want to be told no which is unusual for her. At my lesson this week we’d already asked for a lot so we didn’t do much canter but what we did was closer to lateral than it’s been for a while and just felt sort of weak and stiff. I think that mainly I just need to do more canter for the next week and hopefully we'll be right back to where we were. 

Poked and Prodded

Poor pony has ended up with quite the schedule this week. Surprisingly today was the vet so she got her teeth done, shots, and coggins pulled.

I say surprisingly because for some reason I had it in my head that tomorrow was the 8th so when I sat down this morning to pay bills and realized it was the 8th I had a minor heart attack. Made even worse when I looked at my watch and realized that it was 9:55 and the vet was scheduled for 10:00. Luckily I knew that there were at least 6 horses he was going to be seeing at the barn so I had a bit of time but I still rushed out the door and called Jane on the way to let her know I'd be late.

I ended up getting there at an ok time as he'd already done initial coggins and vaccines with most of the horses and Katai was the next on his list. He had a helper there with him and unfortunately Katai ended up ramming her into the door on the way out of her stall. Katai is never at her best when we change her routine so she and the helper had a little conversation on their way out of the barn and then while she stood for coggins pictures. She was dancing a bit and on her toes as she was led back to her stall but then stood like a rock for shots. The vet was clearly surprised after her earlier poor behavior and I giggled and told him that she was a champion at shots :)

From last time she got her teeth done.
Look what a fluffy baby she was then!

He gave her an initial dose of sedative and then went to do some exams with the other horses. She ended up being such a cheap drunk that he didn't need to give her anything else and she was very good for her float. I think this may only be her second time but she was way better than last time. I had meant to get her done every 2 years or so but forgot last spring when the vet was there that she was due and didn't remember until this past fall. I was a bit worried but also hadn't noticed any symptoms of a sore mouth so I decided, with Jane's support, to wait until this spring. The vet said she looked fine, just a couple sharp edges and one small ulcer. I'll definitely be sure to not wait so long next time but I was pleased that she wasn't worse.

Then, on Wednesday she has a massage scheduled! It was supposed to happen on the 2nd but ended up being rescheduled for this week on the 12th.

Finally, on Thursday she's getting her feet trimmed. I was laughing with Jane that she'll be a whole new pony ;)

Bits and Bobs

There have been a few random things recently that I haven't found a good place to talk about so I thought I do a miscellaneous post and just role it all into this post. I'm still working on that January goals post so I'll have that to share soon

First, a few weeks ago there was a saddle fitter (Trilogy Saddles) out at the barn and Jane was nice enough to have her check Katai's saddle. I was 90% sure that it was fitting fine but since it's been about 4-5 months since I got it I figured it was worth a check to be sure it didn't need new flocking or an adjustment. The saddle fitter pronounced that it fit great! I was glad but not surprised, just nice to have the peace of mind.

Second, A couple of weeks ago Jane's upper level horse (who's also literally the sweetest horse to ever exist and who looks 12 but is actually in her 20s) got kicked by another horse during their evening meal. I found out when I saw Jane doctoring the wound which at that point didn't seem to be serious. Just about a week later I found out that she was going to be going to one of our large local vet clinical for a stay. Jane was clearly pretty worried and honestly I think she wasn't sure at that point if her mare would be coming back. I had my fingers crossed for the next few days and was extremely happy and relieved to find her back in her stall when I went to ride about a week ago. The vet has been out a few times to clean/drain the wound but she's on the road to recovery which is such a relief.

Third, Katai is getting a massage tomorrow :) She loved her last one so much that I've been looking for another opportunity to schedule one for her and now I have my chance. The person we're scheduling is insanely cheap ($50 per horse) but everyone really likes her. I can't wait and I'm so happy I get to make my pony happy! I'm hoping to be there but I'm just not sure when she'll be at the barn and when I'll be done with work so if I'm able I'll get pictures to share.

August Goals Recap

This whole summer has felt really hit or miss for me. I’m not sure if I’m just that much more motivated and working that much harder than I have in the past on my goals or if it was just a weird summer (I sort of think it was) but I feel sort of like when I look back the whole thing was in a fog.

August Goals:
1. Work Outside
Meh - I honestly hated the footing in our outdoor. It just felt way too deep to me and really changed Katai’s way of going. Still not sure if I was just being a baby if it’s actually too deep but I didn’t want to risk it. Because of bugs and riding schedule I didn’t get out much at the barn but I did go to the Hunter Pace!! She clearly showed that she can do that well so now I just need to do more work at the barn and make it a more normal thing.

2. Stretchy Trot
Not bad, I didn’t specifically focus on this as much as I’d planned but I did more lunging with the neck stretcher and she is pretty confirmed in stretching down when I ask for it.

3. Massage
I’m not as far as I’d like to be in this book so I haven’t done much with Katai yet. I’m going to keep plugging away!

4. Strength
Yes!! I’ve started working out again and have just been more physically active going on more hikes and doing my work out at home more regularly. Also, see below.

5. Ride More
Yes!!! Really happy about this one. With one big exception I’ve been out to the barn consistently about 5 days per week. I can tell in my strength and Katai’s ridability.

September Goals:

1. Continue to Ride More
I want to continue to get 5 rides/Lunges in per week for the entire month!

2. Work outside
Reading about Megan’s work with TC over at Enter A Spooking and how she’s been showing him around the new barn has inspired me to do the same with Katai at this new facility. I think that it became a bigger deal that it needed to be at the last barn because it was an exception rather than the rule that I rode outside. Here I don’t have an outdoor arena but there is a space to ride/work and a quiet(ish) dirt road that I can ride on so the plan is to start taking her out for hand walks to explore after our rides. I think it will be good for both of us!

3. Massage
Since I’m nowhere near being ready to do a good massage with Katai yet I’m going to schedule one for her over the next month or so. Between the hunter pace and her shenanigans at loading to come to this new barn I think she’s carrying some extra tension.

4. Adjust to my new coach and the new facility
I’m going light on the goals for the rest of the month because I know that Jane, based on my previous lesson with her, will do completely different things with us. Apparently she already has plans for us at my first lesson with her (next Tuesday) which is both exciting and terrifying haha. Mainly I’m just going to do light stretchy work with Katai for the next week to make sure that she’s feeling as good and loose as possible for my lesson. Plus, honestly, you pretty much can’t do too much loose stretchy work with this pony.

Layup

Clearly not Katai but that is my chiro :)

My amazing equine chiro texted me Friday morning with some information about Katai's appointment on Thursday. It sounds like she was very tense and out through her neck, lower back and haunches. It sounds like J needed to do a lot of muscle work with her just to get her to a point where she was able to adjust her without having an upset pony on her hands. Then she did adjust well but J wants her to have the week off and I'm more than happy to comply.

I felt like a bad horse owner and asked if it could be from the show or if it was something that had ben building up for awhile. She thinks that it could be some of both but did think that most of it was likely from the show which, although it doesn't make me feel great, at least then it wasn't something that was bad before the show that I didn't catch.

She's going to give me, and show me, some stretches and wants me to do more massage with her as well. I may also put her back on DMG since she never seemed to be muscle sore when I had her on that. Of course she wasn't showing then either but for how cheap that supplement is and how I know that she tends to be tense I think it might make sense.

Although I'm certainly not happy that she was out, I am glad that we have a diagnosis and with that I don't have to immediately start worrying about other causes. Over the past few days I've been thinking/worrying about ulcers. At this point I think I'm going to give her the week off and then pick back up riding and see how she's doing. I really hope it's not ulcers but I"m going to keep it in mind anyway.

J also commented that she'd gained some weight. I agree that she has but have been wondering if it's all in my head. We've had some amazing hay recently so I'm guessing she's just getting more calories than normal and now with no riding over the next week it'll be especially important to make sure she's not getting too much to eat. I'll be talking to my BM once I get back to see if she can reduce her portion a little.

I really miss my girl and I'm so happy that I'll be able to see her this weekend. During the next week while she has time off I'll be riding L's baby horse and will share updates with that soon!

Sore and Stuck: Lesson Recap 1/31

We had an interesting lesson on Sunday this week. Katai has been virtually tantrum free for the last few months but she came as close as she has at this lesson. She started off very stiff and reluctant to bend. In true amazing trainer fashion L didn’t get fussed at all and just worked us through it with lots of canter transitions to get her loosened up. Katai was calm but sucked back at that point which is unlike her. In fact she’s been fairly sucked back recently at both training rides and lessons.

 

Once she was loose enough we did some walk work and Katai tried a new tactic. She would freeze at the walk and absolutely refuse to go forward. I got to practice my pony club kick and then we’d push her into canter and make her work until she was listening. Then back to a walk and wash, rinse, repeat. After about 3-4 times she figured out that listening to my leg and going forward at the walk was much less work than being made to canter and with all the canter work she had done she was a little tired and sweaty so we ended the lesson.

 

This along with findings from both the massage/saddle fitter and the farrier/chiropractic appointment that she had today point to general muscle soreness/stiffness. Specifically in her lower (closer to her hip) back on the left hand side. Massage/saddle fitter thought it could be saddle fit and farrier/chiro thinks it’s just muscle fatigue. I had a long text conversation with my farrier/chiro and her recommendation is rest first and then to give her a chance to show us if it’s saddle fit or just a pulled muscle or tough stretch of work. 

 

Based on her recommendation we’re going to give Katai a quiet week. I’ve already messaged L and we are going to cancel my lesson. I’m going to hand walk Katai for 2-3 days, ride at only a walk for 2 days, and then go to walk, trot for a few days before doing much canter work. I’m going to keep track of any pain responses in her back and see if it’s getting better. I’m also going to include some stretching.

 

My chiro isn’t worried about her at all, she just thinks she’s getting used to moving herself properly and suggested lots of work having her use her back and some ground pole work to make sure she’s using herself correctly. I just want to make sure I’m not aggravating something and, like I told L, since we’re not training for the Olympics we have time to just let her relax and heal.

 

Tonight I did my first evening of hand walking. She was pretty stiff but after about 15 minutes of nice, relaxed hand walking she was loosening up and had a nice over reach at the walk.

 

On the drive home I was really thinking about this chart that the farrier/chiro sent and I have a thought. It looks like her lower left back – the muscle that helps her push with her left hind – and her right shoulder are both sore. I’m going to guess that between working on lengthenings and extra canter work I bet she pulled her back muscle and has now been compensating with her right shoulder at the trot. Just a theory but I think it’s maybe a good one.