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| One of those "awkward moment" kinds of pictures... I do not ride like this. |
Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
This little guy is six, and he has Opinions. Our ring is a pond, and he was like, "Uh uh honey, I am NOT swimming today." He attempted to leap out from under me sideways at the last minute several times at the trot, but I'm handy with a crop and I have strong legs, so we reached an understanding. He did some cute trot work, and so I legged him into a canter. He was flying around the ring. We would have made time on prelim xc. I didn't feel like I was being run away with, he was just really going places, and the idea was for us to see what his default settings are under saddle, not for me to finesse a hunter eq round out of him. The kids have to be able to ride him.
What he really, really didn't like was when I asked him for a circle, probably 30 meters, at the canter. He got super into bucking, and he picked the wrong rider to try that with, because he found himself galloping around the ring while I held the reins on one hand and the crop in the other looking for the mildest hint of anything sketchy. He also had to slow down when I asked, circle on my whim, and canter through the damn puddles. He was much much better after that, and walked nicely on a loose rein for awhile. I popped him over a couple little jumps, and by the end of that whole experiment, I really liked him. We'll have to see if he can fit into the lesson program, but damn, it was fun to ride a bucking pony.
Lex update: She is on the mend, and super snuggly. She wants me to hang out with her in her stall all day and hug her. I think she'd also really like to go outside. In one of our sixteen thunderstorms of the day today, right before I got there this afternoon (second visit of the day), she was hanging her head out her stall window. Her whole head was soaked, but when I dared to cold hose her hock, she acted like I was throwing acid on her. I'm glad she's not angry about her stall rest yet. I can hand-graze her tomorrow for five minutes as long as she'll be quiet. Usually, if she can eat, she's a happy girl.
What are your recommendations for entertaining a silly young horse on stall rest?
We hung a milk jug with colored water on a hay string and hung it somewhere in the stall. It works
ReplyDeleteI remember doing that with a horse when I was a kid. Good idea!
DeleteSo her hock is doing ok? I hear puncture and think of Winnie last year (shudder).
ReplyDeleteI've never known anything besides a limitless quantity of hay to keep a horse happy on stall rest. Maybe you could try one of those small-mesh hay nets - I had one that I gave to Kris so maybe you could borrow one?
Too bad horses don't like fiction: you could read to her. Black Beauty might make her count her blessings!
Yeah, this is NOTHING like Winnie's wound! This hole doesn't actually go anywhere. I'll ask Kris about the hay net. My barn owner will strangle me with it, I think. She thinks hay nets are the work of Satan.
DeleteI actually think Lex would like to be read to, because she likes it when I hang out in the stall with her and she likes it when I talk to her (in spite of my trainer's insistence that horses don't speak English - it is our most fundamental disagreement to date).
Rodeo, bad ponies always made good riders :P. Super cheap toy as My horses love eventing suggested = milk jug, with some rocks in it.
ReplyDeleteI agree! I love riding stinker ponies. It wasn't far to the ground if he did manage to ditch me, but I've been riding too long for his tricks to work.
DeleteI have Lily with a small hole haynet so she has access to hay 24/7. She has a TB metabolism, and it has kept her weight satisfactory. She initially LOST weight when she was first started on stall rest, though I think her ulcers were a factor in that too. Here are a few that you can try:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.smartpakequine.com/smartpak-small-hole-hay-net--new-9916p.aspx $17
http://www.sstack.com/barn-supplies-hay-bags/Dura-Tech-Slow-Feed-Hay-Bag/ On sale $10
http://www.horse.com/item/slow-feed-hay-net/E006600/ $8.09
It takes them about a day to get used to them, but Lily at this point, if given a choice, prefers to eat from the slow feeder than from the floor! Having hay in front of them all the time helps prevent them from developing ulcers, or at least helps to keep them from worsening.
We've also been doing lots of carrot stretches. They get so stiff on stall rest.
A friend of mine used Lickits for her silly OTTB mare who was going nuts while locked up for a suspensory injury. Her mare LOVES them!
Awesome! I'll look into the haynets, although, as I said, my barn owner will use it to garrot me. Lex thinks carrot stretches are loads of fun, so we'll keep those up. She bites at her side when she wants treats now, which is... alarming, if you don't know her. I'll look into Lickits, too. My fear with those is that she'll be on a sugar high, heh.
DeleteHang the Lickit from the ceiling in the center of the stall, so she can't pin it against a wall. :) my friend's mare still managed to finish the mint ones in 24 hrs, though. Lol Mint was her fave. They have several Lickit toys to choose from now.
DeleteMy BM was against haynets when I asked. So I put up the eyehook myself & use Lily's regular hay ration to fill the net. I set it up & hang it when I go to the barn = No work at all for BM, so she hasn't complained about it once! Haha
I hope you're back in the saddle soon. Believe me, we've all been there. It sucks! :( my fingers continue to be crossed that both you & Lex get a break already.