Wow, get a little distracted and before you know it, you've lost an entire month!
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| One week ago |
The day after my last post, Ruby made it very clear to me that she was past due for an attitude check, so I have lunged her a few times since. It has helped me judge her soundness, or lack thereof. If she is off, it is nearly unnoticeable, and may be the slight unevenness of the ground in the arena or it could actually be all in my head...sometimes I wonder if I'm developing a complex. Today the vet came out for shots, etc. and I wanted him to check Ruby out for me. Instead, he said, 'If she's sound, ride her. I don't suggest an ultrasound, just take it easy for a while. She will let you know what she can handle.' I have to admit that I was a little frustrated - I wanted concrete answers. Actually, more than that, I guess what I really wanted was a crystal ball. One that would tell me if this endurance dream will ever become a reality for Ruby and me. Anyway, Ruby is well enough to race the other horses around the pasture (apparently little black and white Paint mare Chancey is her favorite rival), so I suppose she is ready to start getting back under saddle. I'll probably be drawing up some kind of very slow training plan that involves a lot of walking for both of us. Stay tuned if you're into that kind of thing.
One quick anecdote before I sign off. Last week, Heather hopped on the tractor in order to tidy up around the manure pile. Ruby was grazing behind the tractor, so I sat down to watch her reaction. Heather cranked the tractor - Ruby barely flicked an ear. Heather pulled the tractor out, no reaction from Ruby. Heather started moving manure, Ruby did not care. When Heather was done, she actually had to yell at Ruby to get to move so she could park the tractor, lol. Brave, goofy mare. Must have been some
really good grass.
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| Notice the ear - this was the first time the bucket raised up. Still, the grass is more important. |
Love her! Glad she's doing so well! And it's good to see you back! :D
ReplyDeleteIt can be frustrating to have an older horse, especially if you've been together for awhile and are used to the younger self. I had an Arab mare who lived to be 28 despite some health issues created before I got her at 13. She did quite a few heavy-duty trail rides for me and competed in lots of event into her late teens despite a fused fetlock joint and some arthritis in her hocks, and I continued to ride her until shortly before her death. Hopefully, Ruby still has many years of productive riding left, even if she isn't able to handle endurance riding.
ReplyDelete"He'll let you know" is what my vet told me too in regards to my coming 27 yr old QH gelding. He has a grade 2 heart murmur and I was concerned I might be riding him too much or too hard. But my vet encouraged exercise, and told me just to stay in tune to what my horse was telling me. So far he hasn't said "no" to anything yet! While it can be frustrating to not definitively know what they are capable of, it is also freeing to not have any set-in-stone limitations. Good luck with your girl! :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind words, everyone. And I like your way of thinking, pokey! I need to train myself to find the good in every situation - very difficult when you're a natural pessimist, lol.
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