This New Direction..

I watched Reason go around and around, in the roundpen and I suddenly felt the unsure, insecure me looking directly into it's mirror image.  I saw myself, standing there watching my horse go around in an almost frantic manner and felt exactly what he was doing.  I almost felt lost standing there, in the middle of the big round pen.  Helpless and as if we weren't there but out someone else facing up to our inner demons, or something like that.  It was weird, so weird.  I have never felt like that before.  My heart began beating and my mind began racing as I watched Reason go around and could not have recognized more.

Yes, Reason got to go into the big round pen for the first time, ever, 2 weeks ago when the vet came out.

Lets start from the somewhat beginning.  Four weeks ago (maybe a bit more) I began taking Reason into the indoor roundpen to have him walk out so I could see how he was moving, after the trim that made him foot sore.  Three weeks ago, I took him into the roundpen and began asking for a little more of him in terms of walking and trotting if he wanted as he was feeling better.  Then, I decide he's ready to go back into under saddle work again and he's good but tries to get me off once each day of the two days I ride him.  At first, you might recall my post about this, I thought Reason was just being a rehabbing, young ottb and testing me.  But the following day when I go to first move him in hand before mounting, he's clearly distressed.  He nips at me for the first time ever.  He's going a bit bonkers about something.  I take him into the roundpen so he can move at liberty and I can get a better idea of what might be going on.  He starts pawing frantically, then rolling frantically, then constantly shaking his head, throwing his front legs up and acting like something is clearly bothering him.  I've had this horse since May and this was the first time I've ever seen him like this.  Some chalk it up to him rehabbing and probably having pent up energy or that he's going back into work.  But that's not completely true, he's been saddled, bridled, ridden bareback and ridden tacked many times and worked with on the ground, even around other horses, including a galloping horse and horses bucking on the lunge line etc.  He's never acted like this before, ever.

At first I was wondering what in the world was going on.  The following day I took him out again and he did the same thing.  He even shied away from being haltered when I went to fetch him from his paddock and made some funny noises when I tried to get the halter on.  I had Matt with me that time and asked him to watch Reason to see if he saw anything or what his opinion was.  Matt has a pretty black and white approach and even though he's not the most knowledgeable in horses, he is pretty good at helping me and he is the next best person when it comes to knowing my horse.  It was pretty clear to Matt too that there was something weird going on.  When we both tried to approach Reason and touch his head for further examination, he shied away as if something was bugging him.  This made us wonder if what was going on was related to his head.  We began feeling around and Matt came across swelling behind Reason's left ear.  It clear this was either the source or at least A source.  He did not wanting us touching it, but Matt began massaging the area which Reason seemed to like.  But each time we would try to approach him he would shy.  He would even try to nip.  Yes, clearly this was a behavior as a result of pain.  This was his way of saying, "no, it hurts, don't touch."

When we turned Reason out in the roundpen, he would do the same thing; frantically roll, paw, paw, toss his head, shake his head and throw his front legs about and duck his hind end under himself like something was going after him.  When we would leave his halter on it seemed to make whatever was bugging him, worse.  So we thought that the crow of the halter was exacerbating the swelling on his head.

The vet came out just over a week later and noted there was still swelling but also noted some other things which could have caused or a result of whatever happened to his head.  I thought he hit his head on something and it was only worsened by the bridle and he was getting migraines, which the vet also speculated in regards to the odd behavior.  It was progressively getting better, the pain/behavior, in conjunction with the swelling, although reason why I believed all this was related to the cause of and the swelling. 

The vet found a knot (muscle) in Reasons left cheek and pain through his neck into his back.  Could it all be related to whatever happened to his head?  Very possible, probably more than likely and even more so, made whatever else was going on his body to do compensation from the bowed tendon, demands on the body of a young horse etc, worse.  To make matters worse, Reason wasn't moving.  His paddock got pretty mucky after the constant rain and he refused to move (which is both a good and bad thing) and also refused to roll in there.   

Now, I am moving Reason to a stall with an attached paddock for the winter, which has good footing and very good drainage, in hopes he'll move.  It's small enough he can't get too silly, but enough room he can move.  He'll also be next to other horses and be able to socialize and be almost like a real horse ;).

Things are getting better.  No more weird behavior, although Reason is still reactive to his kind of stiff body, tight muscles etc. 

So you might be wondering why I'm round-penning him?  Cardinal sin?  Well, the bowed tendon is the least of our worries now and the vet explained that it was ok.  At this point I really have no choice.  I can't turn him out, that could be way worse, I can't ride him until his body makes some progress and until I know he's OK obviously.  The only way I can move him right now is at liberty and I can do that in a pretty controlled manner via the indoor roundpen.  It's our only place of use right now.  I've been working on asking Reason to walk out, some trotting and even small bits of canter if he feels like it, these last two weeks.  He's getting better and moving more freely and relaxed. So I'm going to be continuing this until he's ready for the next step, which would be incorporating riding into the program and then hopefully wean him off the roundpenning as the core source of exercise and work.

Here is his most recent video from the roundpen..



I have more, but I'll save that for tomorrow!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Move His Feet, Move His Mind.

Errika and I last Friday on a trail ride.

Within a matter of days the hooves beneath Reason were feeling better and better.  So much so that he began bouncing around with that spark in his eye again..  Little things would make him excited or frisky - I knew he was feeling better.  I knew my horse was back.

But as it happens, there was a learning curve just ahead.  Because of the recent holiday, Thanksgiving and the events surrounding it; dinner with familie(s), work right after and just the overall busyness that surrounds such times, I was unable to really hang with Reason or do much of anything with him.  I could tell he was getting a little 'hot' for his own good. The day after Thanksgiving, I finished working the evening shift at the barn, went and fetched Reason, to do something with him, finally.  He was good, a little hot, but good.  Each day there-after, got worse and worse, in regards to the hotness.  I can appreciate a hot horse, but there can't be much good that comes from a hot AND rehabbing horse.

Each night I took him out... There is where I went wrong.  Nights are bad right now.  Nights are time for warm stalls and yummy grain.  NOT for working.  This is what Reason seems to think.  In his never to be humble opinion, he lets me know just that.

Each night his attitude grows, little by little.  He's throwing baby horse tantrums.  I know that a good go in the round pen would help us come to a good meeting ground.  But he's rehabbing.  Round-pens and lunging are places we should not be exploring.  (Although I am, just not in the typical sense.)  So, I just do in-hand work, within the indoor round pen.  I remember someone saying that a horse doesn't care if you can move its head, but if you can move its body and feet, that's where truth lies.  Something like that.  I figured since round-penning (at more than just a walk) was and will be out of the question for some time, if not almost ever, I have to be creative.  I decided in-hand work, moving his feet, experimenting with lighter and softer amounts of pressure, would be a good option.  Move his feet, move his mind.

That seemed to work, pretty well.  I mean I was not completely satisfied, like if I could have actually round-penned him.  But it did enough and I know it will get better.

The simple culprit to this new found; naughty, no-not-listening, I-don't-wanna, horse?  Grain.  Oh so simple, but oh so trouble-some..  Reason gets rice bran at night.  I usually like to wait to bring him in until I bring all the other horses in at night.  He knows what awaits him once I do finally get him.  But when I crash the dark horses parade and want to work him instead, well that just doesn't agree with him.  I need to work Reason mostly during the day and if I do work him at night I should probably let him eat first..

Despite being, not the easiest to be around these nights, Reason is doing really well.  I'm very pleased that he's feeling better and in turn that makes me feel better.  I love seeing him everyday and wake-up to the excitement of the future ahead.  Even if it's something small, like going on a walk around the property or the idea of where we're going to be a year from now.  Whatever it is, I'm excited.  I love learning and have learned so much thanks to my four-hooved animals.

Before I end this post, I would like to give some updates on Errika.  She is doing really well, to put it simply!  She's looking better all the time and is developing muscle again thanks to our weekly trail riding!  Yes, my horse trailer was finally finished and now Errika and I do what we love to do together and that's hit the trails.  Shes such a good horse.  I can just sit up there and she'll safely take us up and over rocks, hills and across creeks.  I love her.

 

The OTTB - The Horse I See, The Horse Some Don't - Part TWO & A HALF...

I began writing this to a play list I created, a compiled of songs that reminded me of Ink.  The horse that started it all.  I type in rythm to songs such as, "Fields of Gold," by Eva Cassidy, "Stairway To Heaven," and "No Regrets," by Gary Allan.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't truly feel blessed for knowing Ink.  There was nothing like sharing my life with him.  There was and never will be nothing like him.  It's because of Ink, that I have nothing but countless amounts of energy towards trying to give people a glimpse into something and a special horse, once revered for it's heart and courage in the world of international sport, that has sadly been forgotten...  The mis-informed, of the greatness which is the Thoroughbred.  The uniqueness which is owning and retraining an Off Track Thoroughbred.

I went back and fourth, looked up and down, to make sense of the feeling I had.  How could I write it all down, in a way that expressed, how much sense the opposite of what people saw, really made? 

Lets go back to that clinic.  If you haven't, read Part ONE to this story before you continue reading this.

I kept looking at the horse's eyes.  The bay OTTB who was 2 months off the track.  Everyone always says that a horses eyes at the window into the soul.  I believe it.  It was almost mesmerizing to a degree, there was nothing more important than watching him through his eyes..  I watched the horse countless times, travel by me, as I sat observing.  I was less concerned about the rider or clinician, as I was with the horse.  The horse would answer the questions I wanted to know.  I was completely reminded of why Thoroughbreds are so special, of why OTTB's are so neat.  As the bay horse passed by me, time after time, his eyes almost spilled out.. the heart, the mind, the depth to his intense desire to please his rider, all these things are so amazing to have together in a horse.  Who cares about anything else?  There is so much you can do with all of that.  The horse could have done anything and it wouldn't had mattered anymore.  The answer to most peoples questions, was answered.  You can trust this horse.  He's willing to give you his all.  Wow.

So imagine as I sat there and suddenly the words, "ruined" were threw out.  In the moment, I was a little offended.  I worked so hard, put my all into Ink.  The tough, OTTB that many people didn't believe in.  But I did.  He never was "ruined" to me, no matter what he seemed to anyone else.  What is "ruined" anyway?  Is a horse really ruined?  If so, it must be from human influence.  How could a "horse lover" so quickly write off a horse as "ruined?"  Why are people so gosh darn quick to write off OTTB's in general as some "crazy" horses?  I want to scream..

Sure, I was thinking this all in my head.  I quickly had lots of questions.  I asked myself what about this horse we were watching, the bay OTTB, would come across as "ruined?"  People sometimes say that horses off the track are ruined, possibly because of the strenuous demands their bodies are put under during an early age or the mental stresses that accompany the track life for some horses.  Some can handle it, others not so much.  Some are destined to a life of aches and pains because of their career on the racetrack.  But does that dictate them as ruined? 

Given the situation, the horse and what was going on, I knew that the assessment given by fellow auditor, was simply because the horse exhibited things, some horse people don't understand.  No fault of their own.  But,  you know how they say to never judge a book by it's cover....

Carl Hester - The Relaxed, Supple, Positive Horse

It seems like a good time to talk about one of Great Britain's best in the world of Dressage.  Why?  In my series; The OTTB - The Horse I See, The Horse Some Don't, I wanted to bring up some of the mis-guided, mis-conceptions people have regarding the unique experience, which is owning and retraining an off track Thoroughbred.  Carl Hester, is one of my most favorite in the world of Dressage.  Anywhere you read, it is clear how down to earth and positive he is as a person and as a rider and trainer of Dressage.  This is personally, very respectful, to me.  But not only that, I feel that his approach to training, could very well be a place in which off track Thoroughbreds could flourish.  On the second part of my OTTB series, I'll chime you in on why I think Mr. Hester's approach works and why.  But for now, lets take a look at this exceptional horsemen!

If you've been reading here for a while or are on my Facebook friends list, you will probably note that on the occasion that I mention a Dressage trainer or rider, it's usually none other than Carl Hester.  But, why do I like him so much?  What is all the fuss about?

I watched Carl Hester demonstrate his training style and way of bringing along the young horse through this exact video (shown below, at Your Horse Live, 2007) on the TV three years ago.  At that time, I was only into owning Ink for a year and this man really inspired me.  One of the other things I quite liked was his start in the world of horses.  His website reads;

The first equine to be subjected to Carl’s skill was a donkey that Carl would ride to the village shop. Always eager on the way there for the chance of a carrot he stubbornly refused to leave for the journey home. Carl would get on board, then be handed the shopping and with a flap of the carrier bags that frightened the donkey they set off home at a spanking gallop. - Carl Hester Website

One of my other "likes" towards Mr. Hester was with this interview (fast forward to 4:30ish);



Why do I like Carl Hester?  Lets observe...

Check out this video.

"What we're trying to achieve is an athletic horse.  What we're trying to train is something to be an athlete and to be supple."

"If you find Dressage boring how do you think they find it?"

"I want him [Bling, 5y/o stallion] to be playful about it [moving forward].  I don't want him to feel like Dressage is so hard work and a real grind for him.  She [Charlotte his assistant] really has to let him go forward and not pull on the reins at all, so he feels totally free."

"We've shown you his [Bling] stretching.  10, 15 minutes of stretching, now we do work up on the bit."

"We do walk, trot transitions to test his [Bling] sensitivity and just make sure he's on her leg."

"It must be light.  I mean she [Charlotte] has to have like feather light legs with him.  Because if you think about it, it's not squeezing.  If you squeeze, you will literally end up with no energy left.  You don't squeeze the horse, you touch the horse."

"You have to remember that the trot, because if you look at this horse you think, "what a beautiful trot he's got," but remember the most important pace is the walk and the canter because they're the most difficult paces to change."

"We changed his [trot] by, A) getting him in front of the leg, so he really started to go and B) just make some shorter steps by just teaching him that when he comes back to her, he has to collect a little bit."

"Her [Charlotte] outside leg comes off, comes on, canter.  That's it, quite simple."

In a 2006 Horse & Pony Magazine (NZ) interview, Carl Hester has a few things to say that I particularly liked..

Carl warns that it’s easy to be tricked when looking at young horses – if they’re brought out of the stable and the buyer is flashing them about, waving whips or plastic bags, they’re bound to look much more amazing than they actually are. Instead, it’s important to assess the young horse’s nat-ural movement, and to see how they move when they get tired.
The best dressage horses tend to be hotter types: “If you’re thinking about a horse to take to Grand Prix, then you want a horse with a big engine – not one that’s a very good mover with no heart,” explains Carl. He always tries to assess the sensitivity, simply by touching the horses with the whip and observing their reaction. Putting the hind legs underneath more or bucking and running away are all signs to be rewarded, whereas the horse who barely flicks an ear when slapped with the whip is not one Carl would choose for himself.

Each time I watch Carl work or watch the horses he's trained, I am always thinking a couple key things; relaxed, soft, physically attentive, mentally attentive, positive and expressive.  There is always a clear, welcome, joining between the horses' mental state and physical response.  The horses are expressive and appear to be happily taking direction from the rider.  There is no resistance and a clear mutual respect happening.  I love this combination.


In learning about Reason, it became clear to me that there was one big factor that jumped out at me.  He's a sensitive horse, but I am always thinking, freedom, expression, space when I approach his training.  I'm always looking for his ideas and learning or re-learning ways to approach him without compromising his sensitivity.  Reason is clearly a sensitive horse and I want it to stay that way.  If he wants to buck, play, hop about, I want him too.  I'm learning how to encourage this behavior, at the same time directing times of stress or angst on his part with moments where he can feel free in his reaction and find leadership in me to have "fun" with the idea of scary things and situations.  I like this learning process.

It's the idea of expression that brings me to my next big thought about off track Thoroughbreds and a misconception people have..

Stay tuned.

The OTTB - The Horse I See, The Horse Some Don't. - Part ONE

This will be part of a 3 part series I'll be writing, about OTTB's, the negative stigma that seems to surround them and some other observations..

As I sat shivering and cold yesterday, soaked from meandering throughout the property at the barn - First, walking Errika and her fellow cougar mare friend, KC, down to shelter and then helping another boarder with her horse - I was determined to stay and watch the future events unfold.  In front of me, a 7 year old Thoroughbred, 2 months off the track was being brought into the arena by it's rider, ready and eager to participate in the clinic. 

I was curious how the trainer/clinician, who I had never seen work, would approach this situation.  First and foremost, my feeling was that this clinician was pretty brave and was open to jump into whatever horse or rider came his/her way.  I liked that.  I'm not going to go into talking much at all about what the clinician did.  Tid bits here and there that stuck with me that either I'm re-thinking and re-playing or things that I felt good about overall.  But, I was more concerned with what the horse was doing and what it wasn't doing.  I wanted to learn from the horse.  It's reaction from the things that the rider and clinician were doing and what worked and what didn't and why.  I have never had a chance to watch a fairly, fresh off track Thoroughbred be worked and trained from a spectators perspective.

When the horse first came in, I studied the conformation, I studied it's apparent disposition and most importantly it's eye.  I had an up-close, personal, yet in-personal opportunity to watch a horse who I was not connected with, move, respond and work.

Instantly, I liked the horse.  I didn't like it's way of going or essentially how it was put together.  However, I was aware that, in time, much of what I didn't like, would change.  Not the conformation, obviously, but it's way of going to a degree.  So I discarded that thought.  But I did like the horse.  At seven, this horse had been further around the block than most OTTB's.  I wasn't expecting the horse to jump through the rafters, [unlike] to the surprise that some exhibited (and were probably thinking) when the the horse traveled willingly around.

The rider takes the horse to the mounting block and it's apparent that he [the horse] hasn't been introduced to the idea of standing at this mounting contraption.  It's hard to teach an OTTB that sometimes, because they are so used to doing things quick and on the move, including mounting.  But the horse did a couple things that made me instantly appreciate and respect him.  Standing, was beside the point.  The horse was kind but prepared.  He was already anticipating the riders presence on his back, ready for the next step.  He shouted, "I want to please!"  to me.  I don't know if anyone else saw that or not, but I did.

Let me talk about the owner/rider for a moment..  I talked to this lady a couple times.  In her fifties, a mother and fairly new to owning horses again (I say again because she said she had one when she was growing up, but is just getting back into owning and riding for the second time in a while) I was impressed with her go-get-it attitude.  She was open-minded, sweet and so happy to be doing what she was doing with her horses.  I liked that.  She rode well, despite not knowing much.  I respected that.  Nothing else mattered or matters to me.  But others felt different.  It was a little disappointing that we as horse people can so quickly cast judgement on others.  In a way I felt bad for the lady.  She was so eager and seemed almost innocent to the horse world, just beyond her smiling face, that can be unforgiving and judgemental.  Nothing is perfect.  No rider, no horse.  But to me, someone who takes a positive approach, wanting to learn for all the better of herself and the horse, is definitely respectable.  The rest comes in time.

What more do horse people want?  What more do you need to, be happy for someone who is traveling a similar path that we ALL once did, at some point?

I am very much turned off right now, with the disappointment and frustrations I feel for the horse world that hovers over, jealousy, strife and narrow-mindedness.