Sorry I have been absent, I was waiting to post until I had all good news to share. Unfortunately that won't be happening so I might as well let everyone know how things are going. Last week I had received an email from Kota's new owner asking if I would be willing to give her a lesson, she really loved him but wanted me to show her the buttons that he knew. Kota had been becoming mobile in both the cross ties and at the mounting block so she wanted to know what I suggested for that.
I went out last Sunday and gave her a 2 hour lesson. The first hour we worked on ground work and I reminded Kota of his manners and showed her how to handle him and move his quarters. I showed her that Whoa means Whoa and how to remind Kota of that and then worked with her until she was able to get the same results. After that part of the lesson she said she was already 50% more confident with him and very happy with the lesson. For the second part of the lesson I rode him and found he had reverted back to two of his favorite tricks, keeping his head in the air like a llama and bracing and locking his inside shoulder. We worked a bit on those items and while we weren't able to completely fix them in the ride, I was able to give his new owner tips on how to fix them. At the end of my ride I even asked for the canter both directions and he gave me the correct lead each time. I was so pleased!
His owner rode next and overall it went well. She could benefit greatly from some equitation lessons however she never seemed in danger of falling off and the two of them got along really well. I was very happy to hear that she not only could feel when Kota locked his shoulder but now knew how to fix it and actively fixed the issue when it arose. She even cantered him and he behaved wonderfully. At the end of the lesson each of us was sweaty and tired but the new owner was extremely happy with how things went. She said she felt much better about Kota, handling him and his training after the session. She is really looking forward to using the new skills on him to make him a better horse and is willing to put the effort into fixing is bad habits. I am really happy for them!
Unfortunately my bad news is that my MRI results came back and they are bad. Pretty bad. The reconstructive work I had done in 2004 was destroyed, the ACL graft that was put in has been completely severed and there is severe meniscus damage. The family physician who ordered the MRI wasn't sure from the results if the damage was new or existing but it doesn't sound good. I am now searching for a really good ortho guy and looking at surgery. Family physician wants it done ASAP and wants me back on crutches and being non-weight bearing, I figure it will be done by July and I will walk with the cane that SO made me buy. I am extremely disappointed and very upset with myself in not listening to my gut that the horse would hurt me, I even blogged about it and didn't do anything about it. As a result things are very bad for my poor leg and my show season is completely shot. Hopefully I don't fall too far into this depression I am falling into, looking for some more good news to lift my spirits.
I'm not sure what to say, but I feel for your predicament. I know how it is to spiral into a depression after experiencing a discouragement that you know will be in it for the long haul. I wish I had a magic wand and could send you back in time to avoid that accident. I hope something fantastic happens to lift your spirits soon.
ReplyDeleteI'm so, so sorry about your knee. I wish I'd kept up with your blog because at this point anything I say probably doesn't help. Please don't beat yourself up about it. I hope you're feeling better.
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