I rode Funny first today. I was talking to a friend who mentioned she had performed what she know is dubbing "The Triple Crown" that day... she rode all 3 horses in one day. I told her I wanted to steal it and while chatting she said that she was grateful all 3 were sound as most days she has to plan her ride order based on her level of disappointment handling ease. I totally agreed! And then we laughed/cried. How pitiful that we have to plan which horse to ride first because we need to save the most likely to cause tears (or injury) for last. Sigh... That's kind of how today ended up going. It wasn't a good day.
I started with Funny. She was really good. We did some in hand work in the beginning just to check things and she was good so I got on. And we had a great ride. She gets the rope halter now and I've remembered the rules well enough to be able to work to her standards and get the right results. We had fun, actually. We did lots of trotting. She was mostly relaxed with a soft neck but occasionally got a bit more tight. I thought here and there I might have felt something funky but... most of the time it was over the ground poles which I think I didn't have set right. One would think by now I would now how to set trot poles, but alas... it's not something I can apparently do. So I blamed it on that. I thought... let's just try a canter. Even if it's only a circle. So I tried to pick up the right lead. And.. it took a lot of convincing, which.. isn't that normal for her I don't think. And then she fell out of it quickly. Hmm... okay. And then I thought I felt some funky steps again. She got a little quick so I spent some time at the walk and then we got a bit more trot work in that was nice so we could end on a good note. I didn't push for a ton though.
So then I got off, gave her cookies and put her on the lunge line. I wanted to see if it was me or... her. And.. she can't canter on the lunge either. We started on the right and it took some convincing to get her into the canter and it was okay... she fell out of it. I got her back in it and she held it when I kept the "gas pedal" on by encouraging with the whip. I did one or two circles just to see and then let her down. We went to the left then and it was worse. She went into quicker but I still had to chase her into it. And she picked up the right lead behind first and then swapped into it. Sigh... Then was bunny hopping and then fell out of it again. Sigh... Dangit.
I was going to get back on and hack her back home but... why?! So I just walked next to her. Sigh. I don't know what to do. Keelin said if the stifle injections don't work to get someone to inject her fetlocks, but... I'm thinking I'd rather block her and see. Or do some imaging. And.. why!? Why am I having to inject my baby horse who has hardly done anything. I just wanted to cry. I might have cried too. I don't know... maybe not at that point, but I definitely cried today.
So... later I was contemplating and remembered this morning. When I went to feed Funny noticed some geese in the field. They did look like dinosaurs. She and Lyric went up to investigate. Brave girls! They both walked up and sort of came around the side and were calmly guiding the geese away from them. And then Dan came up.... then at the last minute trotted to the geese and "flushed them" into the sky. Of course they all used it as an excuse to scatter. Geese and horses! And Funny went cantering off. So.. she can canter. I watched the video (and dangit because I hit stop right as Dan started off so I missed the best part) and she is cantering but it still looks a hair wonky to me. Is it because she's tearing around or is it because she's broken? I don't know. Sigh...
So then tonight after dinner I decided that perhaps I would shockwave her again. Maybe it really is her SI joints. I mean... cantering struggles scream SI joints to me. After watching that Sue Dyson webinar especially. So... I put her in the cross ties and did a scan. She's MUCH improved from that first lame day, but still a bit sore over her left caudal lumbars and SI joints and both the right and left gluteals. And she is pretty reactive over her left hip points (The GB ones on the tuber coxae). So... I did a quick adjustment on her pelvis. Her left and right SI joints were out. Right AS and left PI, but her left hip was tight. And...she was not willing to let me stretch it back, so I tried pushing it forward. And y'all.... can horses get hip dysplasia because I swear I felt her hip pop in and out of the joint loosely. Like.... that's not normal. And when I first did her left PI adjustment and picked up her leg, there was the loudest click ever from that limb. I don't know if it was stifle, hip, or hock, but it was loud. So.... it took me a good bit of manipulating to get that adjusted out. But then I palpated her right and it almost feels the same. I tried to feel on Dan and didn't quite get the same degree, so... I have no idea. Knowing me, Funny will probably have some rare hip dysplasia disease. Sigh.. So then I debated whether I should shockwave the hip? Shockwave her SI? Both? Keep them separate so I could use it as a diagnostic?? And then I thought, well crap... maybe I should check her on the lunge too, like Cindy said, and just make sure her saddle isn't the issue. So... after I had adjusted her, I took her to the roundpen and sent her out. Her trot looked pretty good both ways. So I asked for the canter. She immediately picked up the right lead and had a nice canter. Hmm... I asked for the left and she picked it up pretty quickly and had a decent left lead. It was a bit more stabby but... not that much. So.... well crud. Is it because I adjusted her or is it because she doesn't have the saddle on??? I mean, she wore that saddle for a few weeks before she stopped cantering. But... were we cantering in it?? Or was I just trotting? I'll go look I guess. (I looked... it was mid June we had Tasida out, so she's had quite a few rides in the thorowgood. We had some good work too, some fast runny rides... and some good canters. The left has always been harder, but she did canter left in this saddle until the lesson with Jacel and groundpoles... sigh).
So...I have no idea what to do. Do I try riding her tomorrow in the old peter horrobin and see what happens? I do feel like I'm sitting hard on her back in this saddle vs up and off her back. So I still try to get a vet appointment. Do I take a lesson with Jacel Tuesday and see what she thinks? I guess I'll try riding her tomorrow in the peter horrobin. Maybe the jump one. It's a hair narrorer than the dressage but I think maybe it'll keep me off her back better. I guess I'll try it and make sure it's not too tight. And then go from there. Sigh...
Good pony. I really, really, really hope and pray that she isn't hurting and doesn't need another surgery or injections or... anything. I really hope it's just that she is a hair sore from that saddle. And then if that's the case.. I hope that her new saddle makes her happier than this one does. Because... it's in Tasida's hands and is getting shipped to me come Tuesday or Wednesday. It's sooooo pretty. Except.... the gold piping in the back is a lot. Like... a lot a lot. Like... I pity the fool a lot! I'm hoping that it's not so glaring in real life. The cantle is gorgeous and coppery bronze sparkly! So... maybe if the gold piping is too much I can find a leather paint pen and make it brown. I do like the gold/cream stitching and welting so... We shall see. But ultimately, hopefully it fits her. It is adjustable so if she seems to be happier in a more narrow tree, I guess I can make that happen.
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