And then.... time to say goodbye.

Last Friday was the day I had to say goodbye to App. I have been dreading the date, the lead up is NOT something I would recommend or would do again. Next time I will have a vague time frame and when it is time, I will do it then or with a week or so notice. The lead up of 2 months is horrible and 0/10 do not recommend.

App has been dealing with severe shoulder arthritis since May 2016. There is virtually no joint space left and has significant bone remodeling in his left shoulder joint. It has been challenging to deal with that, as his comfort level goes way down in the winter and on wet days, but we have been managing.

Then 2 months ago he started walking oddly. We had the vet out and he was diagnosed with a hairline pelvic fracture. On his good days, he just steps funny with his hind end. On his moderate days, his back feet step into an almost straight line with one another, like he is walking a tightrope.

On his bad days? On his bad days, his back legs cross like a runway model, he doesn't have great balance, and will sway too and fro while walking. He was a weeble though, he hadn't fallen down, which was a risk he was labeled with, Though I was damn impressed that he didn't fall several times. 

The barn manager has been going above and beyond to help make him comfortable. He started "free ranging" last year, she would regularly send me pics/video of his movement so I could help assess him since I wasn't there, and she would let me know if he was having a bad day and needed more drugs. She has never charged me more for the extra care, thought I have very regularly given her $$ directly.

From cleaning up after him when he pooped/peed in the aisle/indoor/whomever's empty stall he walked into, to receiving death glares after dosing him with Tylenol, to putting boots/wraps on to try to prevent the pressure sores on his fetlocks from getting worse, she played a huge part in getting him to this September. I am forever grateful that she did this for him.

While Friday was hard for me, it was perfect for him. He got to free range with Mia in the morning (yes, Mia got to free range with him), he had plenty of hay when I got there at 2p, and it was a beautiful day. He got about 3lbs of apples and a pound of carrots. He was so full of treats, he didn't even care about grass. He begged for more treats even as we walked to the grave and he was happy and alert as the vet gave him the sedative. Joke was on the vet though, App is super hard to sedate LOL. When we let him go, he simply buckled his front legs and laid down. The vet said it was the best lay down she has ever had in her entire practice. I am glad for that, even in leaving us he was graceful and peaceful.

I know for a fact I made the right choice and would absolutely make it again, but I am still super sad. I wish I could have done this when he was 35 instead of 26. I wish I could have moved somewhere warm in 2016 so the winters wouldn't have escalated things. I wish he was still here. But he is at peace, is no longer in pain, and isn't going to to suffer when it gets colder. My biggest fear was him slipping and something worse happening with his pelvis fracture.

But I did everything right. The vet even commented that for as severe as his issues were, he was exceptionally managed. He even didn't look "old". That I was the only person they knew who managed a severe shoulder injury for as long as I did. That I was the only person who tried everything they suggested and there was literally no other options they could offer. That he was not in excessive pain, as he was in excellent weight and was super alert. I did everything I could and gave him a peaceful, happy passing.

I would rather let him go a month too early than a day too late, so I did. So I shall hold him close to my heart forever, until we meet again for one more ride.

Chip - 5/16/93 - 9/27/19

Slowly marching forward

The final day for App is coming, which really sucks but I know I am making the right choice. Every time I ask the barn manager is she sure I should wait, she says yes. He walks like he is neurological, but he hasn't fallen down, he is still very chipper, and still very social. He doesn't seem to be in above normal pain, and she says to keep staying the course. So I am.

Free ranging App

He had his last farrier appointment, we trimmed only his front feet. He was too unsteady to try his hind feet, but he stood for his front feet like it was 12 months ago. No fighting to hold his foot up, no struggling to keep his foot up, no straining to keep him balanced, it was odd. Nice, but odd. He had his final massage. He got his final round of dewormer. He got a bath last week because he was FILTHY. I think if I keep going as status-quo, maybe the lie to my brain won't register? Overall he is still happy and moving around, so we just keep on keeping on.

With 8lb of apples and 10lb of carrots per week, he sees everyone as a walking treat dispenser now

Mia has had a rough time lately. She had the random lameness from the last post. That turned into a big abscess that blew out right where the two scratches were in the picture. She was better for 2 days and we went on a trail ride and had her feet done, but then her abscess came back and she was lame for another week. Then I went out of state for a week, and last weekend I was out of state again. I rode 2x last week, but didn't work on anything serious because I was gone so much.

That's a massive blowout right there

Since I tend to work best under a deadline, I figured the best thing for me to do since I hadn't ridden any training ride in 3 weeks was to enter a dressage show for this upcoming Sunday. Makes sense right? SMH. I think I am crazy at times. Last week was the first time I had ridden since last Wednesday and we just did some light fitness in the field to help blow off any steam. It confirmed that neither of us are in any sort of fitness condition, unless "round" is a fitness condition?

Apparently a coordinated attempt to block dressage rides

Last week we did some actual dressage and while we had our normal fights, Mia was actually really good. For basically having 3 weeks off, she tried fairly hard and was game to get back to work. She needed a pretty strong reminder to move off of my bad leg, and that moving through the speeds in a gait does not mean GO FAST ALL THE TIME, but I was happy with the ride.

He is always RIGHT THERE

My plan was to ride every night except Friday to prepare for this random dressage show. It is a "fix-a-test" show. I was not 100% sure what to expect, but I entered with my Training A test. I figured if I can make my brain chill TF out over the fact I am doing a Training level test, maybe we can actually do a decent test on the 2nd attempt.  And THEN maybe we can get a decent score when we actually do a HT next month. Because I really want to do another Training HT this year and I am dangerously close to missing the opportunity yet again.

Lengthened trot! 

We DID ride every day last week except Friday. And we did make it to the show. How did it go? Stay tuned!

Another member of the Lame Horse Club

I may have to go on a work trip next week, but I had PLANS. I was going to ride hard this week and get back on track. My fitness has been slipping and that was going to change, dammit. When I got back from the trip, I was going have plenty of time to really work my butt off and I was going to attend my next HT on Sep 15! It is a facility that we haven't ever gone to, and I was super nervous about going without schooling first so my plan was to go XC schooling there this past Sunday. #Plans #Fail

Not the ideal pics of your horse from the barn, BRUISE!!

So of course Mia then walked up for Friday's dinner on 3 legs. Because of course she did. Due to some large equipment going through her paddock, some new rocks have been churned up and apparently she found a big one. She has a really ugly stone bruise and was very reluctant to put weight on her heel. We gave her bute, I put poultice on her and then let her hang in a pasture on Saturday. On Sunday she got AM bute, not PM because she was walking well enough, but then Monday she was 3 legged again. *sigh*

Scaley bit with scratch/puncture. Bruise on left heel

More bute was dispensed and when I went out last night, her leg had blown up enough that you couldn't even tell where her fetlock started. I found two small punctures and possibly a scrape scab on her heel after cold hosing. She REALLY didn't want me touching her outside heel bulb, it is extremely soft and squishy. It feels about the same as the underside of your forearm, versus the fleshy part of your thumb, so I suspect is now trying to abscess on top of the bruise.

She got some more bute and we went on a "trail walk", as we hand walked around the hay field for some movement. The indoor was stuffy and there was a breeze outside, a better option indeed for some controlled movement. When we got back, her leg had reduced it's well by about 25%! She got more cold hosing, a bunch of treats, and shoved into a dry lot to let her hang out. Today the barn reports she is walking better and while her leg is puffy, it isn't huge. #Win

Two scratches, can't see the bruise on the right heel

With her being lame and not being able to go schooling last weekend, my current "Plan B" is a dressage fix-a-text on Sep 15 and then go into the jumper divisions of a H/J show on Sep 22. I do want to to XC schooling again, there is another HT on Oct 6 and I REALLY want to make it to that one!

The last update I have is that I have set a date, I will be putting App down on Sep 27 at 4p. There was a back and forth on dates between the vet who can't do weekends and the excavator, who will bury him, who can only do weekends, so that is the current compromise. I will definitely be there and will be feeding him apples as he goes. The next month will be hard, but I am making the best of it for him. I made a prescription for him, he is to have as many apple/carrots as necessary per day for a Happy Appy. I am buying 10lb of carrots and 8lb of apples at a time for his prescription :) I am also skipping his farrier appointment this weekend, he is having a hard time holding his legs up for any period of time and I'm not going to force the issue. If his toes get overgrown by 4 weeks, that's not the worst thing in the world. I have my own rasp if he tells me he REALLY needs to have his toes done.

Happy Appy is happy with his new prescription!

Until then, positive thoughts! Mia is going to recover from her bruise ASAP so we can get back to fitness and App is going to remain fairly comfortable until he passes. Hopefully things are going better for your horses!

It's coming :(

The plan for App has been in place since March, when we made the extraordinary effort to get him through until spring. If he couldn't be comfortable when spring arrived, I would put him down. We made it through winter and into spring. And while he is still gimpy, he was moving pretty decently. He then started to lose weight after the spring grass turned into mature summer grass, but changing up his weight supplements AGAIN seemed to do the trick. He is within 100lbs of a good weight and is in excellent spirits.

He is maintained on Buteless pellets, 30k units of MSM, and Equioxx daily with 10g of acetaminophen as needed. He also gets a bi-monthly injection of Pentosan and a monthly injection of Polyglycan. He ends up with a dose every week or two of acetaminophen, overall things are fairly good. He gets a shot of Banamine on top of that for his farrier appointments. The guy is drugged up, for sure. He also gets a massage once a month, bc why not. It does help him loosen up. $$$$

When he got his massage 2 weeks ago, all seemed well. The therapist didn't notice anything odd, and I didn't see anything amiss that night. The next day, I got a text from the barn manager that he was really uncomfortable in his hind end and the barn was giving him his acetaminophen. On Saturday am, I got another that he was really walking weird and was still really uncomfortable. They dosed him again with acetaminophen and I made my way to the barn. When I got there, he was walking really weird in his hind end and being unsteady.

I called the vet out and App was diagnosed with a probable pelvic fracture. A bone scan would confirm, but really there is no point in considering testing since I can't even trailer him. A rectal exam confirmed it at least isn't a clear break, and it is likely a stress fracture from getting up and down so much. He gets up and down  If it was a clear break, I would have put him down because then he would be at even more risk for Really Bad Things.

The solution for a pelvic fracture is 100% stall rest, including the inability to lay down. Basically have the horse live in cross ties for 3-6 months and hope it doesn't drive their mind insane. Which is the absolute opposite solution when including his shoulder injury since he can't stand for 12 hours, let alone 24. That doesn't even consider the fact of the less he walks, the worse he moves.

The plan is to try to keep him comfortable and then put him down. The vet said that even with a stress fracture, putting him down isn't something I have to do right now and that he still looks to be in good condition both mentally and physically. The barn gives me almost daily updates, and I have stressed repeatedly that if he is having a difficult time, I am going to make that call. For now, he has a bag of carrots and apples for people to dispense at their leisure. He is doing well enough. On his bad days, he has balance issues (the vet says their balance comes from their hind end, so when it is awry, he can look neurological and could be a fall risk) and can't walk in a straight line. On his good days, he just has a wonky walk. He is still getting up and laying down regularly and will still trot after something/someone when he wants to.

So far, he has only had 1-2 bad days per week, this being the 2nd week of having the fracture. The plan is to have him buried at the farm next to another old horse that he babysat for about a year who had to be put down last year. I am ready enough to do it at any time, though this is going to kill me. I've had this guy for 25 years now, we've been through everything together. I used to threaten my SO that App was here before him, and App would be here after him, but that isn't going to be true anymore and that guts me. But I REALLY don't want App to go when he is in pain so the plan is to put him down the last weekend of Sept at the latest. I have some business trips in Oct and Nov that will pull me away and I don't want that something to happen while I am gone. The end of Summer seems fitting, so I am showering him with love as much as I can now.

App update - it's his birthday!

So fresh, so CLEAN! Fresh out of the bath

The good news is App is chugging right along. He has come out of winter a bit harried and thin, he had definitely lost weight since January, but the barn manager is letting him free roam on the spring grass and he is slowly picking it back up. He is now probably only apx 50-100lbs underweight.

When he wants to nap, he just naps. At lest it isn't IN the driveway?

He has decided he likes neither Cool Calories or rice bran anymore, of the pelleted or powder variety. I am currently taking advantage of Smartpak's Sample program to see if we can find a weight supplement he will eat. He starts SmartGain today, then moves over to Smart and Simple, then FatCat. If these three are a bust, we will keep moving down the list!

App says "Do you have treat? I like treats, not supplements"

He is definitely FEELING good, even though he is thinner. I went to catch him just this week to put fly spray on him. He ran past me (literally trotted), waited until I approached again, and trotted the direction we just came. When I went to get him AGAIN, he literally cantered himself back to the barn. So....he may be broken, but he will still move and be a little snot when he wants to be! His mind certainly isn't broken haha!

Nom nom nom, grass outside of fences tastes much better

Unfortunately his shoulder IS causing issues though. We are currently at the point where we are still having an extremely hard time trimming his feet. The vet was out for spring shots when the farrier was out last time, so she got to see the difficulties. She had us try giving him some Ace, hoping that would sedate him just enough to let us work on him.

We tried trimming him while he was laying down

It helped....some? Barely? We were definitely able to trim him the best we have been able to since January, but it was still super difficult. I ended up being an App-stand (kick stand), and was holding his butt up to keep him from trying to sit back while his front feet were worked on. The vet's recommendation for the next time was to take him off of Equioxx, put him on 2g of bute, 2x a day, and give him banamine for the trimming. We tried that on Saturday, with minimal success. We even tried trimming outside in the grass, and some while he was laying down, but he was NOT cooperative. At. All. And my thumb will probably have a scar to remind me of that fact. *sigh*

It was only slightly successful. He is also trying to nap while we did this.

But the bigger deal is that today is his birthday! He turns a big 26 today, and is having a good day on grass. He got his first bath of the season on Wednesday, which he did not seem to appreciate, and has now shed most of his winter coat. He is definitely having a red year, I was wondering if he would be more white or red since his winter coat seemed to be white.

He is at least LOOKING better

Happy 26th birthday big guy!

So raise a glass and have a drink for App. I am glad he is gaining weight on spring grass and still LOOKS good, even if he isn't always comfortable. His spirits are high, as is his sassiness, so life seems good for him for now. Happy birthday App!

Moving along

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post, I forget how nice the blog world can be sometimes when I am away a while. App is doing better on his new drugs, adding the Polyglycan back into the rotation has definitely helped him.  Not to mention the massage (which he gets again next Weds) and the occasional dose of Tylenol. He is doing well enough that we were successfully able to properly trim him last weekend! Sometimes it is the small victories, you know?

Stealing a nap in an empty stall

If you remember, on Jan 26 the farrier was out and he was so extremely sore. On Feb 6, he blew out (what appears to be) a huge abscess in his right front. It was still a little oozy when I went out that night, and while he wasn't 100% sound, he did walk better so I think that issue was playing a part of his discomfort while being (not) trimmed. I guess we should be happy that it was an abscess versus him being uncomfortable enough to consider be put down? *sigh* He has been super cheeky and causing chaos, which means he is definitely feeling better. The barn manager putting his eventing boots on are absolutely helping his fetlock sores heal up, the scabs are almost gone now! Fingers crossed that hair starts growing and we can take the boots off. It's just a wait-and-see game with him, I will certainly put him down in the spring if he isn't comfortable but it looks like maybe he will pull through for one more summer?

App says "Mia does NOT deserve that apple, I need both!"

Mia has been a true badass. She is SUCH a fricken good horse, I really don't deserve her. Despite not being able to run around much due to the frozen tundra, she is still so good under saddle or when free lunging. A couple of weeks ago I free lunged her and she cantered. And cantered. And wouldn't stop. Every time I got her to slow down, she would pick back up and didn't stop until she was almost in a full body sweat. She ended up with 2 coolers and some towels to try to dry off because she was so wet. SMH. Under saddle though? A great horse. I rode bareback at one point and she so politely was telling me she couldn't do it, giving me the head down/shaking she does when she really wants to buck/leap. She didn't, but message received and I helped her focus her energy elsewhere! We also rode in the outdoor arena for the first time in months last weekend and while she couldn't concentrate (omg look there! And there!), she behaved very nicely and gave a beautiful w/t/c. No one else had been in the arena (for weeks? Months?) so we got to make all kinds of pretty tracks. Look at these canter tracks!

Mia's canter prints. So straight, so pretty!

Do you know what is so special about those tracks? Besides the fact they are a cool picture? Look, she isn't riding haunches in when going to the right. The right is her weak side and she is finally keeping her haunches behind her *mostly* by herself! I wasn't sure the day would ever come!

I absolutely love that the pictures

And then this past weekend I rode on the road with someone else. It is funny, I have definately corrupted them. I have taken a strictly indoor-only arena rider and convinced her to 1. ride outside 2. ride outside of an arena 3. ride up/down hills 4. TROT outside of an arena and 5. CANTER outside of an arena. I took it a step further on Sunday and convinced her to canter on the dirt road. There was minimal to no rocks, the road was semi-soft and wet from melting snow, not at all slippery. She was blown away I convinced her and that she actually did it, it is fun watching people's confidence grow. Mia? She cantered a little show canter on a loose rein that I held in one hand. *heart explodes*

When carrots are almost forgotten in the car, App has no hesitation to take them from a passing car.

There is no lessons in sight, but real fitness or riding hasn't been happening here either since the northeast is being pummeled with snow and deep freeze these past couple of months. Fingers crossed we start real riding again shortly because I want to jump and I really have the itch to show. I want to try my hand at training level because I actually think her dressage is there for it and I need to jump to get there. There is a hunter show not too far from me on Apr 6th that I am toying with going to. We are not hunter material, but it would be good practice. Just need to start jumping again to get up to the 2'6 or 3' class. Time to rebuild some lady balls again!

The worst question. When?

It has been a roller coaster ride and this is a really crappy post. It matches my current mood and feelings; scattered, inattentive, and distressed. App has been going downhill since late December, becoming more and more uncomfortable. Every time it gets colder, he has a harder time. He stands with his hooves touching in his front, as he tries to stand on one leg, in addition to often standing with his legs camped far under himself to try to keep weight off of his front legs. I went from wanting to move my horses asap, to now not being sure if I even could move him if I wanted to.

The good thing is that this doesn't happen every day. Or most days. His uncomfortable days are still less than his comfortable days. But it is hard. What do you do when your horse can't get comfortable one day, no matter what drugs you give him, but the next day is happy, chipper, and content to cause trouble where ever he can?

But you have treats right?

I had the vet out to ask this very question. M said that I am doing everything I can and that there isn't more $$ I can throw at him. He is on Buteless Pellets, MSM, Polyglycan, Pentosan, and Equioxx. He can't have bute and Equioxx, only one or the other, so we would have to rotate but she doesn't like bute long term. Neither do I. The only thing she added is 10g (20 pills!!) of Tylenol on his really bad days, but he can only have it 3-4 days a week. She said he actually looks like one of the best 26 year olds she has seen, and it really is too bad he has arthritis because otherwise she would expect him to be around a long time. She saw him on a good day, but said as long as the good days out number bad days, let's try to get him through until spring. She agrees that it wouldn't be humane to put him through another winter. The hope is when the ground thaws and the cold isn't biting, he will be more comfortable and then I will be looking at putting him down in the fall. If he doesn't become comfortable in the spring, I'll put him down much sooner.

Two weeks ago we almost couldn't trim his feet because he couldn't hold his hooves up longer than 45-60 seconds. Eventually we got them "done" by having him in the indoor arena, the softest footing available, but even then was difficult and it wasn't a great job. That was even after waiting an hour after the Tylenol was given. Last Saturday it got super cold again and he was so uncomfortable, he couldn't stand on any foot and be comfortable, constantly shifting front to back, left to right.

He is still happy though

The flip side to that is 2 hours after the farrier left, he made a 100% turn around and was trit-trotting himself around to run away with something he stole from the barn manager. And on Monday, 2 days after he was so uncomfortable, he was demanding that he get attention. Which included shoving himself between me and Mia when I was trying to groom her and then insisted she did NOT deserve the apple I had brought her and that he deserved both apples. He got a quarter of her apple.

So that's the question. The worst question. When? When do I make the call to let him go? He is happy, alert, and content the majority of the time. But his bad days are getting worse. How do you make sure you aren't holding on because you've had them 25 years and you are doing the best for them?

Except for this huge abscess that blew. OUCH!

I had a discussion at the barn in which I advised the owner that if the barn manager continued to allow the freedom and "extras" she is providing App, I will stay. I am willing to make the ordeal to move him, but at this point I am also willing to spend the extra $ to keep him somewhere that he has literal free run of the place. He currently free roams, can go into a stall if he wants and they also put him in the indoor arena at night so he has a very dry, soft place to lay down. I am getting better care for him now than I have since I've been at this barn. The issue is the barn owner is against most of this, and the barn manager has been doing it anyway. The barn owner agreed to let the barn manager keep doing things in order for me to stay, so we will see how it goes.

Fingers crossed it warms up soon and App can at least be pasture sound most of the time again. I don't want to let him go but I know I don't have a choice and it is killing me.

So many blog failures - An update on us

My big comeback into blogging obviously didn't happen. I have been hella busy with life, the day job, the side job, and the two hobbies that everything has become hyperfocused and blogging just...isn't along that line. So, a quick recap?

Mia:
Doing really good. We have been lucky in getting one lesson a month from M, who is now coming to do monthly clinics at our barn. Having this has skyrocketed our progress, faster than I ever thought possible. This happened despite often being away for 1-2 weeks at a time due to life/hobby stuffs. Mia has now developed a counter canter in both directions, can do a shoulder in in the canter both directions, some lateral work in the canter and we are now playing with medium trot and canter/walk transitions (walk/canter is already done).  Also, after 5 years of ownership, Mia's crack on her right front due to her clubby foot has actually GROWN OUT!  I am switched to a barefoot trimmer last July-ish and she has done amazing things with my horses feet, including making Mia's club tendency foot grow out to be normal which has let the crack grow out. Mia doesn't have a crack in her hooves anymore!!

App:
Also doing good. The barn has been letting him free range (at 25.5 years of age, he is FINALLY reliable enough to do this) during the day to keep his motion up.  It is still a struggle to keep weight on him, but I think that is also due to some of the inconsistent husbandry (or lack thereof) I face for them, but overall he is doing well. Over the summer he had a very large grape sized lump in his armpit.  The vet looked at it and said it was likely a sarcoid, but she didn't want to biopsy it bc of the location. It wasn't really attached to anything, it didn't seem to bother App, so it was wait and see. Imagine my surprise when it completely went away, completely. It was the size of a VERY LARGE GRAPE and it shrunk to nothing.  *shrug* who knows? 

Barn:
I have continued issues with the barn. With inconsistent care, issues with one of the barn owners, issues with the lack of hay given by the weekend worker, and other stuff, I was putting up with it because I know how difficult finding good barns can be and I was told this is the best barn in the area. The issue is that it is a 32 mile, one way drive for me. A good 45 min drive, one way, to see the horses. When the barn owner (that I have issues with) told me they were increasing board $50 a horse, that was the last straw. I started looking and have found another barn that is only 7 miles from my house. It is a very large barn that is now very small, it used to be a large show barn but they have cut way back due to time restraints. They now only have apx 9 boarders and 14-ish horses out of a 40 horse capacity barn.  They currently use the "old" barn where the indoor arena is and the "new" barn is used for other things. Apparently they have very few openings, the one boarder has been there for 14 years, and I have heard from 2 other barns I had called about that this is a fabulous barn.  Fingers crossed we will be moving in February, we have to wait for someone to move their 3 horses to NC before they will have room for us. It feels like it will work out, I am really hoping it works out. I can't justify driving 32 miles AND a $100 board increase. I pay WAY too much money for the kind of care I am currently getting at my current barn.

Other:
I am leaving for a vacation to California this weekend, I am going to stuff myself full of some sun, some sand and some more sun. I don't care it will only be in the 60's, it won't be the 20's like it is here. I have already scheduled out 7 of the 12 months next year to go somewhere and do things. 2019 is going to involve a LOT of traveling!  I am hopeful I will continue blogging, as it is nice being able to remember what happened in a "diary", it is just difficult to find the time with my day job and side job. 

How is everyone else doing, did you miss me?

All the updates

How quickly time marches on.  You blink and your horse is 25.  You blink and it is already June.  It is absolutely crazy how fast the year is going.  So with lots to catch up on, here are the highlights.

I missed the first HT of the season thanks to having to go back to MI for a friend.  Had a great visit and really missed the friends I had developed while there.  It was odd to go and have so many people want to see me despite my having so very little time.  One person came at 8a and almost 50 miles to see me at the hotel, another had me come over at 930p just so I could say hi.  Awww!  I saw TWH and he is fat thanks to great grass, but is doing so very well and is spoiled beyond belief.  I wish I had a quarter of that network here in PA.  I keep saying one day....one day.

We had our 1st of 2 car races of the year and did well.  It was a 14 hour endurance race split over 2 days and like endurance racing with horses, to finish is to win. The first day we placed 36 of 108 and the second day we were 16th of 89 when we had a mechanical failure and spent 20 mins fixing it. We dropped to 74th before climbing back up to 46th to finish the day.  Not bad at all for people that do this for fun.

Mia has had lots of trail riding and some fitness work, but not a lot of real work.  Dressage on Tuesday went pretty well though.  One of the barn owners (who is very rarely there at night) asked to hop on and liked her but said I should focus on relaxation first.  Okay, yeah, sure I get what you are saying, but that isn't the only road to get to the goal.  The trainer that comes (very rarely) agrees that teaching her how to do it should be first because relaxation can always be taught later. It totally depends on the horse and rider.  Oh well.

I DID actually have a lesson on Friday.  The first in 4 months?  5?  Despite being a little out of shape, we had a fabulous lesson.  The instructor, M, really nailed me on my outside hand(s).  She said I have a very following outside hand which is great for the H/J ring.  And is horrible for dressage so stop it now.  LOL.  With really working on having a very firm, solid outside rein, something happened that has never happened before.  Mia's right lead canter was BETTER than her left?!?!? How the hell does that even happen!?  It was really crazy, did you know if you seriously plant your outside rein, you can keep Mia straight in the canter?  And if you let the inside rein be long, it can cause the inside seat bone to move, the outside seat bone to not be planted and can cause crookedness?  *mind blown*

She did suggest cantering over small cavalleti or ground poles to help Mia get the "why" of dressage.  She agrees that Mia couldn't possibly care less about dressage and thinks that poles may help her "get it" and enjoy it a touch more.  Adding to things to try!

We were originally going to go to Plantation on Jun 10, however, apparently they close entries 3 weeks in advance so I missed it.  Then the HT on the 10th, which was my backup, moved to July due to ground issues.  At this rate I *may*  have a show in June??  I do, however, have stuff planned in July.  I am planning on going to the backup HT that is now July 8th.  I am also planning on going to a Wofford clinic(!!!) and have the entry in an envelope to go in the mail today.  Fingers crossed!

Lastly, I had the vet out on Saturday to look at App.  He has had a small hard spot by his elbow for years, he had it in MI for example.  I noticed it was significantly bigger a few weeks ago, it is now the size of a large grape and feels tumor-y.  The vet said she thinks it is a sarcoid and doesn't want to even biospy it due to its location. She thinks if we biospy it, it could very likely get very upset and angry.  Since it is 1. in the dark, moist location of his armpit 2. fly season 3. is attached by some tissue so it would likely require extensive invasion to remove, she doesn't want to risk it oozing, seeping, rupturing, or refusing to heal with the biopsy. We are going to watch it and if it gets bigger faster, we will address it then as we would have all of those side effects anyway.  She did say, however, that he looks fabulous. She said his muscle condition is great, his legs look amazing to the point you wouldn't know he had issues if you looked only at his lower legs, his weight is fabulous and he is walking much better than last year when we had talked about possibly putting him down bc he was so uncomfortable.  Overall, a very good visit indeed.

Here's to riding, doing REAL fitness work and maybe even some jumping this weekend.  Time to refocus on riding for a while.

The happiest of birthdays

Once upon a time, there was a long yearling brought home in a stock trailer in February 1995.  The mother had lied and said it was furniture, forcing a young 15 year old to stay up way past her self -imposed bedtime to see this furniture.  Even enlisting the brother to ensure she stayed up despite needing to be awake at 5a to catch the schoolbus.  Turns out, furniture was actually a 1.5yr old stud colt.  I always considered him my belated Valentines day present.  Would you like to take a photo journey?  Be warned, photos of photos coming so lots of quality has been lost to make this post.

Picture from the next afternoon, Feb 1995

A friend of a friend had ridden with me and a neighbor and knew of someone who was looking to rehome this yearling. He had been bought at the Sugarcreek stock sale as a weanling and they didn't have the money or resources to take care of him. He was really skinny, really wormy and didn't know how to drink out of a bucket. It took him the entire summer to drink from a bucket instead of searching out puddles.

1995

In late 1995, my 110lb self started breaking this 2yr old stud colt. By myself. We did really well together except for his tendency to buck at the canter. One day he flipped himself over when he bucked and stepped on the reins, he never bucked again.

1995, recently gelded

Summer 1996

Sometime in late 1996, there was a big argument at the step-grandparents farm where we lived and I had to start boarding.  I rode him the 3 miles to the new barn where he stayed for about 7 months until I realized the old man was hitting horses with a 2x4 to make them stay back when he was feeding.  That was my first foray into working at a barn and there are a lot of not so great stories from there.

1996 or 1997

I borrowed a stock trailer and my mom and I trailered App over to a new place that I spent all of my high school and even some after-college time.  It had an indoor and the horses were well kept for a such low key place.

1997 or 1998

When I went away to college, I couldn't bear the thought of selling him like everyone told me I had to do.  The barn I boarded at ended up free leasing him until I graduated. I am forever grateful for them doing that for us. Apparently, he would be so ornery that they would tell him I was coming home for the weekend and he would suddenly behave. They said it happened enough times they said it couldn't possibly just be the coincidental timing of his behavior changes, he obviously missed me and simply understood when they told him I was coming and behaved. Ha!

2000

Once graduated and I started moving, I had to find new barns and realized not all barns were good like the one I left. We had the one that didn't call the vet or even me when their horse attacked App and had a literal gouge running down his spine and a puncture in his knee. We had the one that encouraged smoking/drinking while in the barn and riding. And the old man would hit on me. We had the one who put ducks next to App and didn't care that he dropped a LOT of weight over the week bc App was so stressed over the ducks. They wouldn't move him or the ducks. We had the one who didn't care that App was standing in a literal puddle as his stall was partially flooded.  For over a week.

2001

With age comes wisdom and I ended up finding some really good barns as well.  I ended up switching from western/trail/barrel racing to english because that is what my new friends did. I had outgrown my tiny 14 inch western saddle anyway and had been riding bareback for the past 1-2 years so it worked out.

App had his very first ever show and got 2nd place in dressage

We started playing with eventing and App loved jumping. We also started doing 90% dressage, 10% jumping however because App needed a lot more training. As did I. I started taking lessons in 2002 (yes, for the first time ever) and was told I was a very good, uneducated rider and it should be taken as a compliment. As we both received education, we both got better.

He then earned a 1st place at his 2nd ever show

From there, we jumped up to 3'6".  We went cross country.  We installed some badass dressage skills. The only times App did not place at a show was when we would do a HUS or English Pleasure class and they would canter.  Because, exciting times and all lol.  Any other time, App was always, always bringing home satin.

2005 ish

App was partial leased from approximately 2003 - 2008, at that point he required to be ridden 6 days a week in order to be productive and my time was getting less.  He loved it. He was ridden 6-7 days a week until he had his spiral fracture in his front leg at the age of 16. Thankfully, he was in such great shape that the vet said App had the bone growth of a 10 year old and App fully recovered with 6 months of stall rest.

Relaxing in MI 2013

From there we competed at BN and N only out of the abundance of concern and moved to MI where he eventually became a lesson horse and you have read our journey from there. 

Nom nom grass

After we moved to PA, my goals of bringing him back to show condition where smashed when we found that his intermittent lameness was significant bone remodeling of the shoulder joint and, at best, he would be pasture sound.

May, 2018

Last year was really hard because over the spring and summer, he was moving so badly and seemed to be so uncomfortable, I was seriously considering putting him down.  He was certainly not even pasture sound. I switched farriers and either the switch or simply time made a miraculous difference.  I think it is a combination of both. He went from so uncomfortable that he was laying down more than 50% of the time and standing under himself like a foundered horse, to his normal self again.  He even started trotting and cantering on his own again, which I hadn't seen since he left MI.

This 25 year old certainly doesn't look 25!

He is doing well now.  His hooves are balanced. I think his shoulder as fused or mostly fused. His weight is good, see above. His attitude is good, see below. He is only on Buteless Pellets, Equioxx, 20,000mg of MSM and bimonthly Pentosan.

Happy 25th birthday you goofball!

One of my favorite things is his color, he changes every single year.  He goes from really white to really red and stages in the middle. He also has stripes on his ribcage so he always looks ribby when it is literally his stripes. He has went from super dark red and black with a distinct blanket at his shoulders to a very roaned out color and most of his black is now grey.  His face went from super dark red with a star (see first pic) to almost completely white with a red streak on his nose. I think this year will be a really red year.

The bestest horse

Here's to many more years App, happy 25th birthday.  We have spent over 60% of my life together and I hope we make it many more years.  Happy Birthday!!