Today I went out to the barn after work, arriving probably around 6 pm. I met the new boarder Jennifer as she was in the round pen with her 4 yr old Thoroughbred, "Gray." She agreed to ride with me and I went out and got Sinwaan as she switched horses, bringing out her grade mare "Phoebe" who stands just shy of 16 hh.
Sinwaan did not exhibit any tenderness this evening on his priorly injured shoulder, so I was thrilled to be able to ride again.
I tried out my 'loaner' Abetta endurance saddle this evening, and luckily Kittee came out to say hello as we were tacking up, because I didn't have any rigging on the right side to attach the girth to. Whoops! She had something that worked great. I used my blue saddle pad from Kim and it seemed to fit alright with this saddle.
After oooing and awwing over the new foal Rosey, we headed out for Cache Hollow Rd.
We had a nice ride, but took it easy since Phoebe is barefoot, walking up to the turn off just shy of the 2 mi point. There is a cable stretched over the vehicle access point with a "do not enter" sign. Jennifer suggested we go around the cable and ride up to the top between the field and the road. I had never tried that but agreed since it was easier than all that rock. There is a wide patch of grasses and weeds next to the field there and it worked out well to ride on it. We had to watch for holes but otherwise did not see anything dangerous. We did some trotting and cantering and Sinwaan did well, no bucking with the new saddle.
It will take me a little bit to get used to riding in this saddle. I feel like I will need another ride in it to know for sure if it will work for us (a full 10 mi). Lara was right about the seat - it IS hard; and slightly wider than my Wintec. When I took it off I noticed some ruffled hair on his withers but I attributed that to the uphills and downhills with no breast-collar or crupper this evening.
All in all I had a very nice ride with Jennifer, learning about her horses, family, and life in Kentucky, and I hope we can ride together again soon. We put in 5 miles and got back to the barn just as it was getting dark.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Horse Spa
Well today since I knew I wouldn't be riding, Lara went out with me to the barn and Sinwaan had a day of beauty at the "horse spa." (grin) We went out to bring him from the back pasture (as far as he could possibly be) and checked out his shoulder right away. It felt quite a bit better today and I was relieved to see some progress in the right direction. However, I do want to give him more time to heal completely before riding him again, so he will get this Sunday off also. Then I plan to start back out on the trails on Wednesday.
We gave him a thorough grooming with the shedding blade and stiff brush on his body, and lots of detangler and brushing of his mane and tail.
Lara brought out her clippers and we also clipped his bridle-path, taking it back another inch as well. At first he did not want to go near the clippers but after giving him a moment he mellowed out and then stood really well for the whole process.
When we were all done he looked so pretty and so much more like an Arabian :)
After that Dale showed us the video of Sinwaan charging at the Morgans, his collision and his fall. It was really something to see and there is no question about where his injury came from!
We gave him a thorough grooming with the shedding blade and stiff brush on his body, and lots of detangler and brushing of his mane and tail.
Lara brought out her clippers and we also clipped his bridle-path, taking it back another inch as well. At first he did not want to go near the clippers but after giving him a moment he mellowed out and then stood really well for the whole process.
When we were all done he looked so pretty and so much more like an Arabian :)
After that Dale showed us the video of Sinwaan charging at the Morgans, his collision and his fall. It was really something to see and there is no question about where his injury came from!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
No improvement
Went out to the barn after work today to take Sinwaan a carrot and check on the status of his shoulder. There was no improvement that I could see. He still felt pretty soft, and moved away from any pressure in that area. Otherwise he looked bright and chipper and was getting on well with his new pasturemates the Morgans. I will go out to check him again Friday and hope to see some change for the better!
Monday, April 21, 2008
April 20 2008
Today Lara and I had planned a ride together up Cache Hollow Rd (our first one together of the year). I went out ahead of her to the barn to get Sinwaan ready. I was in the process of brushing him and went to his right side and noticed he seemed very touchy when the brush went near his shoulder. So I put the brush down and started feeling him. He was incredibly sensitive to any sort of touch on his side, from his elbow up to his wither, and I could feel he was soft in that section. Oh for crap's sake! I went to the house to try and call Lara to save her the gas of driving all the way out. Well Dale and Kittee weren't home so I fed Sinwaan his carrots and put him back in the pasture and drove to town to try and meet Lara on the way in. I found her on Main St and she pulled off and I explained the situation. She said the weather was worse at her barn and she had been looking forward to riding so she would come out and ride anyway. So I went back out with her and held Imaginn while she tacked her up and then I drove the truck up the road ahead of her and clocked the milage and got out at each mile and built a little stone marker for myself for the next time I get to ride up here, I will know for sure how far I have gone.
Imaginn did really well and Lara rode her up to the 3 mi marker (I had gone ahead and marked up to 5 miles) and then turned around and headed back. We saw a dead coyote. I was pretty upset that I didn't get to ride today and try out the new saddle I have on loan from Linda B. When we got back to the barn, Dale and Kittee were home and sitting outside watching the geldings. I asked them if Sinwaan had gotten kicked and they didn't think so but they did have a story to tell me about when they turned him out with the two Morgans from Arizona. They said Sinwaan got very aggressive and was chasing them down and biting at them and at one point slammed into the one Morgan and then went down to his knees with his mouth wide open trying to get in a damaging bite. They got it on video but I haven't seen it yet. So Lara and I suspect that he has a shoulder injury - pulled muscle or something of the sort, and then she came out with me again later to apply some liniment and blanket him to help him feel a little better.
So now he gets another week off and I get to fret about making up that mileage before the May ride. Lara didn't like how hard and rough the road was so next time she wants to trailer to the trails at her barn. I said fine by me, we always like a change of scenery to mix things up :)
Imaginn did really well and Lara rode her up to the 3 mi marker (I had gone ahead and marked up to 5 miles) and then turned around and headed back. We saw a dead coyote. I was pretty upset that I didn't get to ride today and try out the new saddle I have on loan from Linda B. When we got back to the barn, Dale and Kittee were home and sitting outside watching the geldings. I asked them if Sinwaan had gotten kicked and they didn't think so but they did have a story to tell me about when they turned him out with the two Morgans from Arizona. They said Sinwaan got very aggressive and was chasing them down and biting at them and at one point slammed into the one Morgan and then went down to his knees with his mouth wide open trying to get in a damaging bite. They got it on video but I haven't seen it yet. So Lara and I suspect that he has a shoulder injury - pulled muscle or something of the sort, and then she came out with me again later to apply some liniment and blanket him to help him feel a little better.So now he gets another week off and I get to fret about making up that mileage before the May ride. Lara didn't like how hard and rough the road was so next time she wants to trailer to the trails at her barn. I said fine by me, we always like a change of scenery to mix things up :)
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Shots
Today at lunch I went out with Jenee' to give Sinwaan his shots. She gave him the WNV with some more tips for me and I gave him the 5-way on the other side. He was a good boy and didn't flinch a'tall. I felt kind of bad just going to see him for shots but I promised him a carrot tomorrow.
Linda Brown from the BMR has offered to let me try out her endurance saddle so I went and picked it up tonight. It is an Abetta saddle so she promises me a really good price on it if it works out for the both of us :) Here's hoping....
Linda Brown from the BMR has offered to let me try out her endurance saddle so I went and picked it up tonight. It is an Abetta saddle so she promises me a really good price on it if it works out for the both of us :) Here's hoping....
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Mid-week Ride
Today was the first time since last year that I have been able to go on a ride in the middle of the week. We finally have daylight when I get off work! I was not able to get out to the barn until a little after six pm but the temperature was 61 and it was gorgeous as the sun was going down. On the way to the pasture I met two new boarders, Don and Arlene. They were in the round pen tending to their two horses. I went out and got Sinwaan and started brushing him. He is still shedding out a lot so hair was flying everywhere and I felt like it was a losing battle, as the more I brushed, the more hair came out. Finally I gave up, he looked pretty clean. I checked his hooves and tacked him up with our usual tack. I am thinking he is starting to put on weight already with the fresh spring grasses as I think his girth was one notch looser today.
I walked him down to the gate and the boarders asked me if I needed to use the round pen. I told them no, and continued on my way.
We rode up Cache Hollow, the usual 4 miles round trip. Sinwaan was moving out really nicely for me today at the walk. We trotted probably a mile and a 1/4 on the way up with a little cantering and walking interspersed, so we made really good time (even with a pee break - for him). Only when I would ask for the canter and he got going, would result in his dry hollow cough. After a brief rest he would be fine and we would ride on. As much as I would like to figure out what is going on with him, I think I will wait another week and see if it doesn't clear up on it's own.
Coming home he was moving out well for me and listening pretty good. Although he did seem especially jumpy at all the forest noises. After I untacked him I worked on his coat some more, trying to pull out as much of the winter hair as I could since he sweated up more than he should have this ride. I grained him (like he needs it now!) and put him back out to pasture. He peed again and then resumed grazing.
Next ride: Sunday.
I walked him down to the gate and the boarders asked me if I needed to use the round pen. I told them no, and continued on my way.
We rode up Cache Hollow, the usual 4 miles round trip. Sinwaan was moving out really nicely for me today at the walk. We trotted probably a mile and a 1/4 on the way up with a little cantering and walking interspersed, so we made really good time (even with a pee break - for him). Only when I would ask for the canter and he got going, would result in his dry hollow cough. After a brief rest he would be fine and we would ride on. As much as I would like to figure out what is going on with him, I think I will wait another week and see if it doesn't clear up on it's own.
Coming home he was moving out well for me and listening pretty good. Although he did seem especially jumpy at all the forest noises. After I untacked him I worked on his coat some more, trying to pull out as much of the winter hair as I could since he sweated up more than he should have this ride. I grained him (like he needs it now!) and put him back out to pasture. He peed again and then resumed grazing.
Next ride: Sunday.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Different saddle and a cough
Well this evening I decided to try out my other saddle, one Kim had sent to me. It is a Crosby Cross Country/Multi-purpose type English saddle or so she tells me :) I went on an easy ride with Dale and Kittee today, the usual 4 miles. We still had plenty of daylight but knowing my mom was coming to dinner was motive to get home at a decent hour.
First I tried my usual girth on the Crosby and it only went half way under him. Wow! No wonder the boys at the feed store made fun of me when I told them I needed a shorter one (for my Wintec). I dug around in the tack trunk and found another longer girth. This one fit just perfect, with the girth as tight as it would go on both sides. I adjusted the stirrups and mounted up but they were still too short for me. So I adjusted them again. I probably could have gone another hole or two lower which just blew my mind since I have such short legs, I had to punch a new hole for my Wintec leathers to fit me right. I felt like a jockey in this saddle.
Sinwaan did alright in it mostly, but coming home at a canter for a stretch he acted like he was going to buck with me. The ONLY other time he has ever done such a thing was when I was trying out an Aussie saddle that he didn't much care for. So I don't know if it was a too-much-green-grass attitude, heading home and wanting all out, having a week off from riding, or improper saddle fit. Could have been a combination of all four.
It took me the whole four miles to start feeling comfortable in it. And sure, in a pinch I could use it if I had to. But overall I did not find it to be the right fit for me. Maybe the seat was too small, I don't know. I am not sure. Could be I am so used to riding in a dressage saddle this one just felt tiny. So I talked it over with Kim and I think I will try to sell it.
The only other thing worth mentioning was once Sinwaan got warmed up and had a little canter, he started coughing. A dry hollow cough. Kittee said he had just started doing that recently, she noticed it the day before. Thinking back it was about this same time last year that he had coughing fits. At the time I blamed it on stress of traveling across the country, or maybe catching something from Ollokot, but maybe he has springtime allergies in this drier climate. We sure don't have the humidity that Virginia offers. It seems too long after the endurance ride to blame it on anything caught there.
I had planned to ride Sunday but Matt has a current movie project so perhaps I will be staying home and playing with Levi.
First I tried my usual girth on the Crosby and it only went half way under him. Wow! No wonder the boys at the feed store made fun of me when I told them I needed a shorter one (for my Wintec). I dug around in the tack trunk and found another longer girth. This one fit just perfect, with the girth as tight as it would go on both sides. I adjusted the stirrups and mounted up but they were still too short for me. So I adjusted them again. I probably could have gone another hole or two lower which just blew my mind since I have such short legs, I had to punch a new hole for my Wintec leathers to fit me right. I felt like a jockey in this saddle.
Sinwaan did alright in it mostly, but coming home at a canter for a stretch he acted like he was going to buck with me. The ONLY other time he has ever done such a thing was when I was trying out an Aussie saddle that he didn't much care for. So I don't know if it was a too-much-green-grass attitude, heading home and wanting all out, having a week off from riding, or improper saddle fit. Could have been a combination of all four.
It took me the whole four miles to start feeling comfortable in it. And sure, in a pinch I could use it if I had to. But overall I did not find it to be the right fit for me. Maybe the seat was too small, I don't know. I am not sure. Could be I am so used to riding in a dressage saddle this one just felt tiny. So I talked it over with Kim and I think I will try to sell it.
The only other thing worth mentioning was once Sinwaan got warmed up and had a little canter, he started coughing. A dry hollow cough. Kittee said he had just started doing that recently, she noticed it the day before. Thinking back it was about this same time last year that he had coughing fits. At the time I blamed it on stress of traveling across the country, or maybe catching something from Ollokot, but maybe he has springtime allergies in this drier climate. We sure don't have the humidity that Virginia offers. It seems too long after the endurance ride to blame it on anything caught there.
I had planned to ride Sunday but Matt has a current movie project so perhaps I will be staying home and playing with Levi.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Rides for 2008
Happy New Year! My ride calendar is filling up...
Home on the Range on Mar 29 2008
http://www.doublejoy.com/erol/Calendar/RideDetails.asp?rideID=4478
Owyhee Fandango Pioneer I, II, III
http://www.doublejoy.com/erol/Calendar/RideDetails.asp?rideID=4410
http://www.endurance.net/oreana/owyheerangelands/
This will be my ride with Lara for the season.
Renegade Rendezvous on Jun 28 2008
http://www.doublejoy.com/erol/Calendar/RideDetails.asp?rideID=4480
Lakeview Ranch on Oct 4 2008
http://www.doublejoy.com/erol/Calendar/RideDetails.asp?rideID=4494
Home on the Range on Mar 29 2008
http://www.doublejoy.com/erol/Calendar/RideDetails.asp?rideID=4478
Owyhee Fandango Pioneer I, II, III
http://www.doublejoy.com/erol/Calendar/RideDetails.asp?rideID=4410
http://www.endurance.net/oreana/owyheerangelands/
This will be my ride with Lara for the season.
Renegade Rendezvous on Jun 28 2008
http://www.doublejoy.com/erol/Calendar/RideDetails.asp?rideID=4480
Lakeview Ranch on Oct 4 2008
http://www.doublejoy.com/erol/Calendar/RideDetails.asp?rideID=4494
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