Back To School

As the kids went back to school, appointments were made and horses had grass stains curried out in preparation for their return to regular schoolings too.

Czech needed to most priming. I removed his facial stitches and he had shoes put on all the way around after our summer-long trial bare was clearly not going to work for him. A week later the vet came out to evaluate his movement.

Under saddle he was back to the way he was when I first got him last year, cross cantering and generally off with his hips. The vet determined that Czech had momentary upper fixation of the patella. Basically, his knee caps were not sliding the way they should but instead staying locked similar to what they do to sleep standing.

After he was warmed up and stretched, it was improved though all the sudden snapping when it engaged created inflammation throughout his stifle. Long term prognosis is great, if he's kept in muscle his own structure would support it nicely and he could even jump. Not being worked over a few months coupled with his bare feet limiting his free exercise in the pasture, meant he needed some help coming back.

He received injections to reduce the inflammation to allow healing to take place and is on bute for a week. He'll be brought back very slowly and I think he'll do just fine. The nicest thing about us and Czech is that he never HAS to do anything. He enjoys work, I enjoy working him, but he isn't required to do anything at all if that time comes. Happily, that time isn't now.

Our first ride a few days after the injections, Czech and I rode at walk through the pasture, with my daughter! This is huge to me. My kids have been riding well but I've never felt secure enough to be in a position off the ground where I couldn't help if their pony was naughty or yanked reins out of their hands. I also wasn't sure how their ponies would do riding along with my bigger strided horse. What if Czech started to get excited and jig? Would the pony then freak out? What if the pony ran up on Czech and he wanted to kick?

I decided it was time to try and saddled up Pegasus with a more secure western saddle, and Czech with strict orders to take it easy.

Czech and Pegasus were awesome. My daughter, Sage, was also wonderful, handling Pegasus's minor tantrums when he wanted to return to the barn. I was in heaven riding my horse with my daughter on her's.

Then Czech had another surprise, his breeder Iva came up for a visit and he adores her. Horses have an excellent memory and it was a  very sweet reunion.

Bandon tackled his first few back to school sessions with fierce intensity. A little too much intensity actually. Today we went back to taking one jump then halting after 15 strides just to slow his roll a bit. He's riding with a very forward fire he hasn't shown me often, partly a product of his rides being jumper's courses. Once he's "on", he's getting harder to communicate with, though I wouldn't trade forward for any other problem, I can direct forward! Over the weekend an easy bareback ride through the pasture turned into an adventure on him when he spooked (at a chicken, of course) and took off running, gotta love my baby horse.

Iva left behind some goodies (and scrapbooks that include Czech's baby pictures *sqeal!*) that she doesn't need since she is out of horses, her Stubben saddle was one of them.

Riders, try other saddles. Seriously. Even if you like yours. Just try. WOW. This saddle fits the boys nicely AND rides with a more secure feel for me than my Beval has ever delivered. Full appreciation for those that stress taking the time to find a saddle that fits you both, it certainly matters.

Pegasus and Spotlight have taken to their groundwork sessions without too much pony attitude and both have been ridden already a few times. Unfortunately the western saddle I used on Pegasus for our awesome Mother Daughter ride, rubbed him raw at the girth. I felt terrible about it and may or may not have gone through an extra handful of teddy grahams just for him.

Extra fleece covers have been added to their grazing muzzles. While they do the job to keep the weight nice, those muzzles also rub. Hoping to get all the kinks worked out and everyone comfortable soon.

After vet assessments, farrier fixes, barn water leaking and repairs, training schedules, and tack cleaning, we're ready to see where training takes us this season!

Coyotes, Pony Feet, and a Triple Crown

Fairly routine training stuff going on over at Seven Hearts as the end of spring approaches and summer blazes in.

For Bandon it's been canter work. My long-distance trainer recommended a ground pole at 9' to give us both help with stride and timing. Bandon has been clearing jumps well except for long canter lines approaching, those we are taking down bars 50% of the time as he flattens instead of rounds.

To his credit, I'm not helping this problem much. A long canter approach feels very fluid, even if your timing is lousy. I felt like I was getting where I needed to be until the camera showed me the truth. My release kept my elbows behind my shoulders and I was not as balanced from my heel as I should be.

When we added in the 9' ground pole, Bandon leapt the pole then hurled at the fence. Obviously we needed quite a lot of practice with skills at the canter.

So... without a trainer critiquing from the ground, Bandon and I are starting to solve the problem ourselves the easiest way I know how; bareback. Riding him bareback forces me to think about and use my seat and a long leg. Under saddle I was getting almost to half seat to accommodate my pony who preferred to move with me off his back, without even thinking about it. It takes a little courage riding him bareback at a canter when he's so fresh from him learning to canter without bucking, but we do it and it's improving! In the saddle each time I feel ahead or forward, I think "heels" and we're getting there. He's also riding on a loose noseband and listening.

Czech has not had as much forward gain lately. Transitions are our curse. We walk halt trot halt walk canter trot halt trot walk halt over and over and over. Once he's "on the bit" he's done listening. He leans and goes no matter what cues your aids give. He's no longer taking off with me like he was last fall, he's also not a willing participant in the conversation I'm trying to have with him after we've entered work mode in his brain. I can get a nice slow approach on a low jump, if I ask for anything more than that nice slow approach OR if we are doing a jump after a jump, he goes at a dead run.

I've found some tricks that are helping him hear me better, specifically riding on a totally slack rein (think Western Pleasure) and lots of groundwork yielding space to me. I trust him now not to kill me on the loose rein and with it he has nothing to lean into, helping us the most.

Since it's summer break for the kids, this will be something to pick back up again in August, he's such a talented horse if I can get him to breathe into his new role under saddle and move mentally away from the (possibly strict) dressage training of his past. For now, he'll have his shoes removed in a few weeks and get through the soreness of barefoot transition while I don't have much time to ride anyway. Hopefully he'll be ready in the fall to stay barefoot and begin work again. I'm pretty determined to take him back out for another try at a Hunter Pace in October.

Speaking of feet, little Pegasus is teaching me even more than Whisper did about hoof structure and function. As I mentioned before, he has a previous founder. This means that his front feet (back look great) have a permanent deformity, the toe of his hoof wall separates from the sole of his foot. As my vet noted when he pulled Coggins on him last week he does have an incredibly tough sole so it isn't bothering him. The convex shape of it requires a closer eye to keep mud from balling up inside and the wall is cracking off making it unsightly. For now, we'll continue specialty farrier work trimming it in a way that helps him move the way he needs to since hoof supplements the big boys are on could cause founder again in him.

normal

founder with rotation

Pegasus has tested Sage riding him a bit, overall though we are still feeling completely blessed to have found this pony. Spotlight is enjoying the companionship when the kids are riding and both ponies will make their show ring debut in leadline for two of my little kids this June.

Seven Hearts has welcomed the addition of running water to the barn! Not hauling water up the hill twice a day has been a wonderful change and the boys appreciate hosings after sweaty rides in the Georgia sun. It isn't completely perfect yet, I'm battling keeping the trench line covered with two Thoroughbreds, who shall remain nameless, in my pasture. They like to dig at loose dirt like half-ton dogs and it's getting a bit old between the caked clay on their coats and the worry someone will break the pipe once dug up, or step in an uncovered portion and hurt themselves.

Keeping up a horse pasture is a constant job with mowing and minor repairs. Yesterday morning at sunrise a coyote was in the field heading for Pegasus, Bandon quickly pursued the animal, striking at the 'fox on stilts' as Czech kept Spotlight and Pegasus in tight herd formation. A hole that had appeared under a fence section by the woods has since been patched and I'm glad the boys handled it so well.

In the great big world outside of the farm, we are all waiting to see if California Chrome can pull off the first Triple Crown in 36 years. Chris and I will be in a box at Churchhill Downs in Kentucky to watch the Belmont, in between live racing that day, on their huge screen. I've never been to a track before and a wonderful friend in racing pulled some strings for us to enjoy not only the day's racing from a box, but also backside passes. I can't wait!

At the same time, the thoughts of Whisper begin to pass through my daily routines again as we approach one year since she passed. All of this magic came because of her and my life will never be the same.

Pegasus, An Introduction

It is fitting that our addition is named after a mythological creature, for six weeks we talked about him daily but couldn't manage to actually see him for ourselves.

We had lucked upon someone who knew someone who knew someone with a pony her grandchildren were no longer interested in, right at the time that the horse we had bought for the kids, failed vetting miserably. Since that initial contact though, we couldn't seem to align all the things that needed to happen.

Finally, it all worked out and I drove my trailer through Atlanta morning traffic (another equestrian merit badge earned) to a town about 40 minutes south of the city to meet a sweet little Welsh Mountain Pony.

Pegasus was everything I'd hoped he would be. He had already passed vet inspection and this first meeting I held my breath hoping nothing was missed. The cutest little face I had ever seen poked a tiny nose into my leg and that was that. I was wrapped around his little hoof.

Pegasus is a twelve year-old gelding who only has one fault, he has foundered once. When it happened it was caught early and on his previous 6 acres (to just himself and a mini) he was controlled with a grazing muzzle. His feet are not pretty and I'm interested to see what wonders my farrier can do to help improve him, otherwise, he's just perfect.

No, really.

He keeps his stall all nice and tidy not walking through his poop. His coat is one of those that naturally releases mud. His little "happy to see you!" whinny and "feed me!" nickers are priceless. He eats pretty much air to maintain his body weight. He stands tied without moving a hoof. He stood like a statue for kids to mob him. He doesn't kick. His ground manners are excellent even when kids are handling him.

But I didn't know all of this yet when we surprised the kids that evening. I hadn't originally planned to surprise them with him, just with all the going back and forth on "yes come get him" and "no, I've changed my mind" I wasn't so sure that something wouldn't fall through at the last minute and they'd be crushed. Again.

I led him around the corner to some very happy faces. When I said, "this is Pegasus, he's here forever" they all squealed and joyful noises ensued.

Turnout I was worried about how he would handle the big boys. Czech and Spotlight give clear communication and aren't terribly silly, Bandon is another story. Bandon loves to play. He often bites the boys, hard, and runs to get them to run after him. He does the trademark gelding face bite to the boys and rears at them to get them to play back. In general, he can be a pest, even if it is good natured.

12 hand Pegasus seemed vulnerable to his shenanigans.

I didn't have anything to worry about though, perfect pony again, he held his ground with good communication far enough away that no one was hurt and by the end of the day he was securely established ranking below Czech and above Bandon (Spotlight couldn't be bothered with rank, he was too busy trying to remove his grazing muzzle all day).

All that was left was to find out what Pegasus was like when ridden. As far as we understand, he hasn't been ridden in quite awhile. This would be the downside to our perfect pony, I was sure.

I got on him myself this morning, not wanting my kids to be test dummies, and soft reins and soft clucks made Pegasus move like a coin operated toy.

Perfection yet again.

I won't be riding him regularly, though I'm small statured, he is oh so small... and I'm excited to see how he does with a kid on board in a few weeks! We might have hit the jackpot with this one.

It is surreal to have a full barn again since Whisper's passing last year. Having it filled with promises of kids laughing riding on adventures together, is the best outcome I could have hoped for.

Leo, Simon, and Pegasus

A week ago we had our long awaited vet check on Leo and his mystery hip. Up until that day, I had refused to let the kids come to the barn with me for chores. I knew they loved him just gazing out the window at him in the pasture, and I knew that if they got to know his sweet personality it would be even worse if the vet check went badly.

Every day I picked them up from school they asked if the vet had been out yet.

Meantime I was trying my best to evaluate Leo myself. I rode him at the same mild intensity that his owner we purchased from was riding him, a few days in a row, with no change. We watched him out in the pasture running around with the boys, sometimes cocking his hip while grazing. Spending time caring for him and working with him, I'd already gotten pretty attached to him and Chris and I agreed that if the vet said that whatever was wrong wouldn't worsen or cause him pain, he was here to stay.

Horse professionals looked at video of him and even came out and saw the horse themselves. An SI joint issue was a strong possibility, one that could be managed for what we needed him for.

Finally the opinion that really mattered arrived to weigh-in. All of my boys were due for their coggins and to have their teeth checked so I asked the vet to start on them first, I didn't want to have my mind racing over Leo's prognosis handling the boys. Everybody ended up needing their teeth done, Spotlight by far needing the most work and Czech by far needing the most repeated sedations.

Then I brought Leo out after giving my vet his history.

Within just a few minutes the vet was crystal clear that it was not a hip issue. Not a chiropractic issue. His stifle (rear leg knee joint) was mangled. I tried to bargain with him on the true severity showing him how he moved in the pasture, but the facts were that Leo's accident two years ago tore multiple ligaments. For certain ACL and for certain multiple others. The knee cap wasn't floating (as I had suspected) he couldn't even palpate it under the masses of scar and joint fluid Leo's body had put in place trying to repair the knee on it's own.

I asked what sort of surgery could benefit him, the answer was none. It was too old. Too much scarring. Too severe. He could have had surgery when the injury occurred but my vet also said that euthanasia would have been a strong option at the time of injury.

I wanted a way to keep him. It seemed unbelievable that Leo was truly that damaged and was moving as well as he was. My vet is so good, he heard me out and in few words said there was no hope for improvement. I said, "Well at least he doesn't appear to be in pain."

The vet responded, "He has to be. Constantly. There is no way this isn't very painful. He's just adapted."

"What does he need?"

"Daily pain medications, strong ones, twice a day, a flat pasture, and fingers crossed that when the leg totally blows that he is put down quickly."

Well that was that. I can't do it. He can't stay. I bought a horse for the kids to love and ride that is in reality a hopeless case of management until it's his time. As much as I cared about him now, it would only be that much harder to let him go in the future and I felt like he should go back to the owner who had him through all of his best years. I couldn't be his brief stay before the end.

After I got the kids home from school and began to tell them, my oldest knew by my tone it was coming and put his arm around my youngest daughter who began to silently sob. I explained that we knew the day we met him that he was only here if the vet said okay and the vet said that he wasn't the right pony for us. A lot of kid negotiating happened before they realized that I wasn't going to change my mind. I promised them that there was a right pony out there for them and that we thought we had found him but were wrong, we had to keep looking to find him.

Mikayla asked if when we find our pony she could name him Pegasus because that was what she wanted her pony to be. Of course I agreed and we went back to calling him Leo while he was with us for four more days before he could go back to his previous owner.

I know life lessons for kids are hard but good and they help them grow and learn. I also know that watching your kids hurt is the worst feeling in the entire universe. The pony we needed was going to be nearly impossible to find and I immediately got started.

I made a total of 58 contacts. Scoured horse ads. Equine sites. Rescue sites. Friends. Horse professionals. I called them all. One by one I ruled out potential horses that we uncovered while quite a few came back with, "When I get a horse like that, I never sell them."

I told the kids that finding our pony might take a long time but it would be worth it.

Then a pony appeared via a friend who works for an equine vet a few hours south of me, who knew someone, that knew someone. Roundabout I was put in touch with a lady who had a pony her granddaughters no longer had interest in.

This lady was like me, super picky with a high standard of care. We interviewed each other. She drove two and a half hours one way to view my farm and meet us personally. That evening, she called with the news that her pony Simon was now our pony Pegasus.

Simon/Pegasus is a 14 year old Welsh Pony. He is a little guy, a full hand smaller than Spotlight at 12.1. No vices and totally sound, his only negative mark is that he has foundered once. It was caught and reversed early, as long as he wears a grazing muzzle in lush grass and has regular hoof care he hasn't had an issue from it. He is used to a stall at night and can go months with no work then be ridden by kids safely and has already passed vet exam.

The only catch to Simon/Pegasus is that he has a friend. To give him a companion, his owner had taken in a miniature horse. A condition on letting Simon/Pegasus go to a new home was that his mini friend had to come too so that the mini would not be left alone.

Stormy is a 4 year old 29 inch tall gelding. He is also used to a nightly stall and large turnout with board fence.

I have no extra stall or desire to have a mini. With my big boys I would be constantly worried that one poorly timed kick would kill a miniature horse. The owner agreed that it would be okay that we took Simon/Pegasus without Stormy, but only after she found a home for Stormy that had board fenced acreage, a stall for him, a horse companion for him, and the capability to handle a little spit-fire of a horse (sedation is routine for him for feet/trailering).

So, we must wait for Stormy to be adopted to be able to go and get our new guy, taking turns between the five kids to ride Spotlight and giving friend's pony rides too.

At the lowest low when I was looking at Leo knowing he had to go back and not wanting to let him go, to the highest high of finding a pearl in the ocean in discovering Simon/Pegasus, it's been quite a week around here.

Leo

Having Spotlight has been great for my kids. He is the kind of pony that you can cross-tie or even leave loose in a stall with a kid and a box of brushes while you go do chores, he's very careful of them and I trust him without needing to hover.

Spot is also okay as a leadline pony, sometimes having a little fit or trying to bite me as I lead him, but all in all after heaving a deep sigh he'll haul around his little squirmy friends without too much attitude.

Unfortunately, Spotlight is no fun as a riding pony solo. He isn't dangerous, just enough of a brat to make his rider want to get off and go do something else. Daisy reins fixed the problems we immediately had with him yanking the reins out of a kid's hands to graze and a full cheek bit with a slow twist fixed the problem of him refusing to turn or stop. Still, even with me riding him during the week, Spotlight will balk, throw tiny rears when he is trying to out match his kid owners, and generally make things un-fun. Spotlight excels at riding with other horses, with Thoroughbreds that like to spook and be unpredictable, I couldn't take that chance. Managing my own horse under saddle was enough of a challenge, I couldn't be fretting Mom over the kids at the same time.

Chris and I have talked many times about prospect horses and taking racehorses in. We ultimately decided to put the whole "save a racehorse" project down for awhile. Then the drawings started showing up from another daughter of mine, only four years old...

Everyday.

Sometimes 4 or 5 of them.

She begged for trips up to the barn and when I would bring her, she pleaded to sit on each of the horses in turn. I began a little soul searching on how my time was best spent when I was looking at horse additions.

I came across Leo, listed by his owner because she worked out of town 4 to 5 days a week and had no time,  Leo was the horse she started on as a kid and she wanted him to have a new kid.

Leo is a sixteen year old 14.2 hand Haflinger Arabian cross and cute as pie. He is easy going, a gelding (a requirement of mine), and has always gone barefoot. Sage rode him and loved him right away, not hard for a little girl and a gray horse. Mikayla rode him (me leading) and he took excellent care with her too. Sage handled and led him from the ground, something she struggles with since she is so small statured, and he was good for that too.

Leo was perfect, except... yep, there's always an except, people don't just sell level headed kid-safe cute geldings.The rare times you can find them for sale they either have a 5 figure price tag or they are 29 years old.

Leo wasn't either of those things, but he also wasn't sound. Per his previous owner, one morning two years ago, he couldn't walk. The vet diagnosed the stifle as the problem and recommended a trip to the University. The owner's farrier later said it was the hip that was the issue. Either way, it went untreated.

As he came out of his stall and I saw him for the first time, I immediately thought, "No." His hip bone sat inches off, crooked. His right rear leg was straight and rested behind him. His tail was also held to the left. It all looked contorted and wrong. I knew he had an issue with his leg, it was in his listing as not affecting his soundness.

I called up my horse chiropractor and told him what I could see.  He felt that he may be able to help the horse after I sent him photos and video. Leo didn't appear to be in any pain when we tacked up for Sage to take him out.

Watching him move, it was hard to see anything wrong. Just being outside he immediately looked better. He looked "off" on his rear but not lame, no head bob, no foot dragging or anything like that. He listened to Sage's riding and they enjoyed themselves. In the photo below, the rear leg that is weight baring is the "off" leg.

I decided to take him home on the condition that we could bring him back within 2 weeks. I wanted a vet and a chiropractor to put hands on him and tell me the two things I needed to know, was he in pain and would it get worse. If the answers to those questions were "No", I didn't see any reason he wouldn't fit our needs for a horse.

Once home, Leo quickly was renamed Pegasus by the girls, and settled in.

Predictably, the boys ran Leo like crazy the next day. Everyone was worked into a frenzy of "new horse" and Czech made it his mission to soundness test him. Leo ran, trotted, and walked to graze loose all day like a normal horse. Grazing, he hardly even cocks his hip.

Today, my farrier came out to take care of the boys and met him. I wanted my first outsider's opinion and he laid it on me. Looking at the horse in the barn, hip cocked, tail offset, leg held odd, he said, "Send him back."

After taking care of the rest of the horses, we turned everyone out to the pasture and I asked the farrier to look again. He shook his head and said, "Now I'm not sure what to think. I'm real interested to know what your vet says" as Leo trotted around and overall looked like a normal horse at play.

It's hard to explain "maybe" to little people who have already proclaimed everlasting love for the new horse. In seven days the vet will be here to tell me their opinion. If it will get worse, I can't do it. I can't put my wallet or my emotions through that. Ditto if he is in pain. If, however, he is what he is and is comfortable, we'll keep Leo/Pegasus and his quirky leg, hoping chiropractic help may offer some improvement.

It would be good to have another horse here that can be mobbed by kids and ridden with Spotlight so they can ride together. Fingers crossed...