Because you don't want to see what it looked like today, trust me.
This morning Ruby seemed much improved: sparkle back in her eye, feisty, eating well, etc. She allowed hosing of the wound and Synbiont injection without trying to walk off, and has no fever (99.1 temp). LOTS of nasty stuff is draining out, and the swelling has gone down considerably, including those pockets of 'stuff' lower on her chest. She will receive her last dose of oral antibiotics with her dinner tonight, vet says no more of those but we will still plan on a shot full of the stuff he gave her yesterday at the beginning of the week. On Tuesday, I started her on probiotics and extra hay in an attempt to keep her gut flora healthy (not suggested by the vet, this was my idea); we will see if it has any effect, I suppose. So far, her poo still is normal.
That's about it for today. I'm cautiously hopeful that she is actually healing and this isn't just the calm before the storm.
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Friday, May 29, 2015
And more disgusting photos
When I got to the barn this morning, this is what Ruby's chest looked like.
The vet had a medical appointment of his own this morning, so I waited until 11:30 or so to call him. I knew he had a gelding appointment before he was heading over, but I wanted to find out about when he would be at the barn. When he asked me how Ruby was, I said 'so much worse.' She lost a little of the brightness in her eyes, and even though she ate her breakfast, it was without as much gusto as normal. WORRIED.
I doctored her as I have the last few days, syringed her some applesauce-bute, antibiotics plus molasses in her breakfast, ran water over the wound for several minutes (gooey yellow nastiness flowed out), squirted in Synbiont, painted Swat all around. Ruby was in definite pain - she kept trying to move away from the hose when she hasn't minded previously, fought the syringe of apple-sauced bute rather feebly, and just seemed indifferent about everything else. It was a loooong morning.
The vet finally made it out in the afternoon. I told him she was in more pain that she was previously so he sedated her.
The vet put on his gloves, walked to Ruby's right side, and started manipulating the wound looking for foreign objects - still nothing. He was able to stick his finger in up to the knuckle and gobs of nastiness drained out. He gave her a huge shot of antibiotics (split between two places on her neck) and told me that if she doesn't get better by Monday, he's going to refer me to a surgery center. He wants updates every day on how she's doing and he will be back out on Monday to give her another shot of antibiotics. I'm not going to show you an after-picture of the wound because, well, I don't want to do that to you. The swelling in the bottom of her chest went down a bit from the morning, and is jelly-like in texture so he didn't put in a drain. He said it's normal and that she will reabsorb it so I'll trust him in this. He gave me another large syringe to fill with Synbiont and squirt the entire tube into the wound twice a day. He went ahead and dosed her with the Synbiont before he left.
I hung out with her while she slowly woke up. When she was moving around normally, I gave her her evening dose of her oral antibiotics, then another syringe-full of Synbiont into the wound. Hoping that she's noticeably better tomorrow.
 |
| Clearly infected...look at the whole left side of this photo. The wound was almost swollen closed, skin around the wound was tight and hot, huge areas around it were swollen, and I was in freak-out mode. |
I doctored her as I have the last few days, syringed her some applesauce-bute, antibiotics plus molasses in her breakfast, ran water over the wound for several minutes (gooey yellow nastiness flowed out), squirted in Synbiont, painted Swat all around. Ruby was in definite pain - she kept trying to move away from the hose when she hasn't minded previously, fought the syringe of apple-sauced bute rather feebly, and just seemed indifferent about everything else. It was a loooong morning.
The vet finally made it out in the afternoon. I told him she was in more pain that she was previously so he sedated her.
 |
| Sedated face |
 |
| Still sleepy but coming around. |
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Ruby update - graphic
Things have been moving right along, and looking worse and worse to my eyes.
The weird smell has gotten slightly better, but has not gone away. Vet came out again today and said it looks okay. The fluid/jelly-filled sacks she has at the bottom of her chest are to be expected but he'll be back tomorrow to re-check for foreign objects in the wound (he was seriously strapped for time today). Ruby seems to be feeling okay - running, grazing, happy to see me - though she is getting tired of all the doctoring. We still have no idea how she did this - we don't have t-posts and none of the trees have chest-height limbs that she could have run into.
And a happy pic. This little turtle was discovered during stall-cleaning yesterday. He was so tiny - if you look, you can see he still has his egg tooth. I stopped at a pond to release him on the way home.
 |
| The Swat is doing a great job...flies all around, but none dare to get too close |
The weird smell has gotten slightly better, but has not gone away. Vet came out again today and said it looks okay. The fluid/jelly-filled sacks she has at the bottom of her chest are to be expected but he'll be back tomorrow to re-check for foreign objects in the wound (he was seriously strapped for time today). Ruby seems to be feeling okay - running, grazing, happy to see me - though she is getting tired of all the doctoring. We still have no idea how she did this - we don't have t-posts and none of the trees have chest-height limbs that she could have run into.
And a happy pic. This little turtle was discovered during stall-cleaning yesterday. He was so tiny - if you look, you can see he still has his egg tooth. I stopped at a pond to release him on the way home.
 |
| Yes, I am one of those people who will stop in the middle of the road, get out, and carry a turtle across it. Hate me if you want to. |
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
She likes to keep me on my toes
When I got out to the barn yesterday morning, I found this:
That's a deep hole in my mare's chest. She had just come in from the pasture, so three of us canvassed it, looking for anything that Ruby could have impaled herself on to cause a wound like this...and we found nothing, because my horse has talent. It must have happened just before I got there because when I arrived she was moving fine, but by the time the vet got to the barn she was in obvious pain.
The vet felt around in the wound for foreign objects, gave her a tetanus shot, a shot of antibiotics, some oral antibiotics, and some Symbiont to squirt into the wound twice a day with instructions to cold hose before Symbiont application. He didn't want to stitch because of how much it was already draining.
Ruby was a trooper for Heather during doctoring last night, and was equally good for me today - even standing without being tied while I cold-hosed, applied the Symbiont, and put SWAT around the wound in an attempt to keep the flies at bay. Then it was time for a 15 minute walk, to help with drainage (there is a good bit of edema below it)...and this is what I got.
She's a thinking type and gets pouty when she doesn't see the point in something. For example, she loves being out on the trail and seems to see the purpose in that, but hates doing circles in an arena. Today, that meant she realized I had to treat her wound but had no idea why we were walking in (boring) circles around the barnyard. This would irritate some people, but I find it amusing. She concedes, but it's rarely with good grace lol.
She's on bute so I've picked up some ulcer-guard pellets and probios. There was a gross smell coming from her wound (not a dead smell, but an old smell). I texted the vet who said it was okay for today but if it persists into tomorrow, he'll need to come back out. He said it should close up in a week and a half or so. Crossing fingers.
That's a deep hole in my mare's chest. She had just come in from the pasture, so three of us canvassed it, looking for anything that Ruby could have impaled herself on to cause a wound like this...and we found nothing, because my horse has talent. It must have happened just before I got there because when I arrived she was moving fine, but by the time the vet got to the barn she was in obvious pain.
The vet felt around in the wound for foreign objects, gave her a tetanus shot, a shot of antibiotics, some oral antibiotics, and some Symbiont to squirt into the wound twice a day with instructions to cold hose before Symbiont application. He didn't want to stitch because of how much it was already draining.
Ruby was a trooper for Heather during doctoring last night, and was equally good for me today - even standing without being tied while I cold-hosed, applied the Symbiont, and put SWAT around the wound in an attempt to keep the flies at bay. Then it was time for a 15 minute walk, to help with drainage (there is a good bit of edema below it)...and this is what I got.
 |
| Ruby's irritated face |
She's on bute so I've picked up some ulcer-guard pellets and probios. There was a gross smell coming from her wound (not a dead smell, but an old smell). I texted the vet who said it was okay for today but if it persists into tomorrow, he'll need to come back out. He said it should close up in a week and a half or so. Crossing fingers.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Not so WW: Angel and Angelo
That's right, the rescue has an Angel and an Angelo.
Angel did great in the arena with the obstacles, even though she hasn't been back there before and *gasp!* there were no other horses. I then took her on a very short walk off-property to see how she'd handle it. She was a little looky but it was a definite success. I cannot understand why this mare is still at the rescue. I asked Dani if she's had any interest in Angel at all and she said no. It's a conundrum.
On Angelo. He came in with his younger brother as a feral, un-gelded 3 yo. He was herded up with his family, then stuck in a round pen and starved. He has had 30 days under saddle training and is apparently a nasty bucker. He is still highly reactive and learning to trust his handler, but he is also extremely curious. He really is beautiful, with an inquisitive personality and wow, can he move! The goal is to do lots and lots (and lots!) of groundwork to give him time to mentally mature and learn to trust people, then reevaluate him under saddle in the future.
 |
| First time in the arena. |
 | ||||
| Playing 'ring around the kiddie pool'. It took her a few minutes but she finally decided she could walk over it. |
 |
| Angelo, a 4 yo Florida Cracker Horse. Has quite the story. Here he's doing his best Standardbred impression. |
 |
| And here, he's pretending to be an Arabian. |
 |
| Finally, we have a hesitant giraffe. |
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Ruby and Angel
I have been riding Ruby a few times a week, for 10-15 minutes at a time. She is doing well. The fluid that was built up in her tendon sheath has worked itself out (thanks to Rick? possibly), she's moving well, and there has been no swelling or anything to indicate that we've been doing too much. Last week, we started trotting again. The first day we did maybe 5 minutes total - she felt great! The next ride, we did a little more. Again, she seemed great so I stripped her tack and let her graze in the barnyard while I cleaned her stall and reset her feed (our usual ritual). When I went to put her in her stall, I noticed that she was holding her left front in a funny position...almost like she didn't want to put any weight on it. I started feeling around and realized that the fetlock joint was a little swollen and definitely tender to the touch. I called Heather over so she could talk me down from my near-panic attack and I could get her take on the situation. She told me that Ruby had been grazing near the tractor when she suddenly took off and ran to the other side of the barn, suggesting that maybe she'd been stung by something. I went home, barely daring to hope that I hadn't totally broken my horse down with 10 minutes of riding. When I went to the barn the next morning, Ruby had a small bump on the outside of her left front fetlock. The bump is still there but it sometimes takes Ruby weeks to heal from bug bites so I'm hopeful that's all it is. Yesterday I rode her a bit, trotting in relatively small circles to see if I could aggravate her left front, but I got nothing. I rode her again today - she was great before and after. Crossing fingers but it looks like she's totally fine.
I went and worked with Angel again today...this mare is growing on me. She nickered at me when I walked over to her stall, but I think that's before she recognized me lol. I'm not sure what it is but I really like her, attitude and all. She wore the bareback pad today, and is obviously at least broke to wearing a saddle. What she is not broke to is the minis that came into the rescue the other day...However she remembered her lesson from last week, which is you only have to work hard if you work yourself hard by running around like an idiot or by being disrespectful. We had a few episodes but nothing too bad. It won't be long before I'm itching to try her under saddle.
Observations on Angel: she couldn't decide whether she wanted to be a bay or a chestnut...so her mane is half black/half red, her tail is mostly black, and she has a few faint smudges of black on her front legs. She is mouthy, and it wouldn't take her long to figure out how to untie herself or let herself out of a stall with the wrong kind of latch. She's extremely smart and sensitive but is only just starting to try to read my body language - instead she watches the stick and tries to figure out what it wants. She has a long back, and her back end looks a little funky to me somehow. Sometimes she almost looks post-legged but maybe it's just that her butt is so gigantic. She has nice but small feet. And she's almost obese..notice the beginnings of cresty neck.
I went and worked with Angel again today...this mare is growing on me. She nickered at me when I walked over to her stall, but I think that's before she recognized me lol. I'm not sure what it is but I really like her, attitude and all. She wore the bareback pad today, and is obviously at least broke to wearing a saddle. What she is not broke to is the minis that came into the rescue the other day...However she remembered her lesson from last week, which is you only have to work hard if you work yourself hard by running around like an idiot or by being disrespectful. We had a few episodes but nothing too bad. It won't be long before I'm itching to try her under saddle.
Observations on Angel: she couldn't decide whether she wanted to be a bay or a chestnut...so her mane is half black/half red, her tail is mostly black, and she has a few faint smudges of black on her front legs. She is mouthy, and it wouldn't take her long to figure out how to untie herself or let herself out of a stall with the wrong kind of latch. She's extremely smart and sensitive but is only just starting to try to read my body language - instead she watches the stick and tries to figure out what it wants. She has a long back, and her back end looks a little funky to me somehow. Sometimes she almost looks post-legged but maybe it's just that her butt is so gigantic. She has nice but small feet. And she's almost obese..notice the beginnings of cresty neck.
 |
| Hmmm, she's looking at me. |
 |
| It's rude to stare so I'll look away while I figure out what to do... |
 |
| Maybe there's something interesting going on over there? |
 |
| Nope, and she's still looking at me. |
 |
| I suppose I could grace her with my presence. |
Thursday, May 14, 2015
You might be an adrenaline junkie if...
You volunteer your time at local rescues so that you can be drug around in ankle-deep sand by disrespectful horses.
This is Angel. A few weeks ago, I spoke to Jennie and told her I was going to start volunteering at a closer rescue. Now, that doesn't mean that I'm not going to still do things for Jennie - I went to Jennie's earlier this week and worked with a new-to-her mustang for a little while, but I can't be there on a regular basis because it is an hour drive one-way. The other rescue, however, is less than half a mile from Heather's place making it the better option for me timewise.
Angel is a 9-year-old mare of unknown breeding that came in to Dani's a couple of months ago. She was actually brought to Dani from another rescue because they could not handle her. She was used to getting her way and was defensive and aggressive. Dani has put some time into her, but she needs a lot of ground work in order to get her ready for undersaddle training.
Enter me and my apparent adrenaline addiction. Dani has several horses that need work, but I offered to work with the dangerous mare because...well, she's a mare. There's just something about mares isn't there? No? Maybe it's just me.
Today was my first day, and also a test of sorts...obviously Dani wants to make sure that the people claiming they have some experience (disclaimer here: I do not consider myself a horse trainer, but I am attempting to learn all I can in that regard so that I can be a better horsewoman) aren't, well, full of it. I armed myself with carrot stick, gloves, and 14-foot lead then led Angel into the round pen while Dani and another observer settled themselves into chairs in the shade. Then I asked Angel to move off and the show began.
She immediately hit the end of the line, running as fast as she could (thank God for rope halters with nose knots!), while I planted my feet and held on, pulling to get her on a circle. She continued boring around me, full speed ahead while I waited for her to tire a bit. When she started slowing down, I gently jiggled the line and asked her to walk. After telling me just how annoying I was being with the line, by nodding her head up and down while speed-trotting for a few minutes, she finally came back down a walk. I praised her verbally and let her walk for a minute, then asked her to change direction. This mare is sassy! First, she decided to run through my request while I tried to find an effective way to make her change direction - I didn't trust her not to run me over so I had to yank severely in the opposite direction, walk quickly towards the round pen wall, and hit the ground in front of her with the stick. It was a struggle but I got her turned around. Rinse, repeat for nearly an hour. A few times she tried to take off and I would sand-ski for a few seconds before I got my weight back far enough - it's a good thing she's a small horse. We rested a few times, because she is very out of shape and it was ridiculously hot. I asked her to back a few times, no problem. When she finally gave me an easy change in each direction, we called it a day.
Angel's first reaction is to run full bore into the pressure, but she's actually very sensitive. She has a lot of mare-tude, but enjoys scratches. By the end she was giving me soft eyes, instead of stink eye, pinned ears, and swishing tail - and she didn't try to kill me which is always a plus. Dani's schedule is pretty crazy but I'm hoping to start working with her regularly as early as next week. She has it in her to make someone a very nice horse.
 |
| Don't be fooled by that adorable face - this mare has a 'Caution - Do Not Handle' sign on her stall door. |
Angel is a 9-year-old mare of unknown breeding that came in to Dani's a couple of months ago. She was actually brought to Dani from another rescue because they could not handle her. She was used to getting her way and was defensive and aggressive. Dani has put some time into her, but she needs a lot of ground work in order to get her ready for undersaddle training.
Enter me and my apparent adrenaline addiction. Dani has several horses that need work, but I offered to work with the dangerous mare because...well, she's a mare. There's just something about mares isn't there? No? Maybe it's just me.
Today was my first day, and also a test of sorts...obviously Dani wants to make sure that the people claiming they have some experience (disclaimer here: I do not consider myself a horse trainer, but I am attempting to learn all I can in that regard so that I can be a better horsewoman) aren't, well, full of it. I armed myself with carrot stick, gloves, and 14-foot lead then led Angel into the round pen while Dani and another observer settled themselves into chairs in the shade. Then I asked Angel to move off and the show began.
She immediately hit the end of the line, running as fast as she could (thank God for rope halters with nose knots!), while I planted my feet and held on, pulling to get her on a circle. She continued boring around me, full speed ahead while I waited for her to tire a bit. When she started slowing down, I gently jiggled the line and asked her to walk. After telling me just how annoying I was being with the line, by nodding her head up and down while speed-trotting for a few minutes, she finally came back down a walk. I praised her verbally and let her walk for a minute, then asked her to change direction. This mare is sassy! First, she decided to run through my request while I tried to find an effective way to make her change direction - I didn't trust her not to run me over so I had to yank severely in the opposite direction, walk quickly towards the round pen wall, and hit the ground in front of her with the stick. It was a struggle but I got her turned around. Rinse, repeat for nearly an hour. A few times she tried to take off and I would sand-ski for a few seconds before I got my weight back far enough - it's a good thing she's a small horse. We rested a few times, because she is very out of shape and it was ridiculously hot. I asked her to back a few times, no problem. When she finally gave me an easy change in each direction, we called it a day.
Angel's first reaction is to run full bore into the pressure, but she's actually very sensitive. She has a lot of mare-tude, but enjoys scratches. By the end she was giving me soft eyes, instead of stink eye, pinned ears, and swishing tail - and she didn't try to kill me which is always a plus. Dani's schedule is pretty crazy but I'm hoping to start working with her regularly as early as next week. She has it in her to make someone a very nice horse.
 |
| It took all of her will power not to drop and roll during our session, lol. |
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Abby - an update
It would appear that Abby's adopter has multiple disorders (both mental and physical) and has abandoned both of her mustangs at Jennie's place - remember how they were both supposed to go home after the gelding, Thor, was gentled? Poor Abby, but at least she'll get to stay with Jennie. This was Thor's third strike so he will go to long-term holding, possibly becoming a Sales Authority horse at some point. I guess this is how it goes in the rescue game.
Monday, May 11, 2015
My sanity
Prepare yourself for a touchy-feely post or, possibly, just skip reading this one altogether.
The last six months have been the hardest of my life so far. And I mean really tough. Not the usual life-drama: marriage problems, financial issues, etc. - last September, life sucker-punched me in the jaw and the gut at the same time, then kicked me a few times as I lay stunned on the ground. I had a decision to make, a problem with only two options, both of which would be life-altering not only for me but also for the people I care most about in this world. I chose the harder-for-me option (which was best for my family) and have been dealing with the consequences of that decision every since.
I haven't kept to myself that I'm a mother. As such, my kids mean the world to me - I would do nearly anything for them including literally laying down my own life if it ever came to that. But, it can sometimes be exhausting to put others' needs, wants, and feelings before your own...especially when it is a life-long commitment.
Enter Ruby. Ruby is the only thing I do for myself. She's my friend and partner. She's always happy to see me, she's always willing to try to do what I ask, she comes to me when I call her, let's me love on her and even enjoys it - a big deal for my standoffish mare, and all the more special because I am the only one who is 'allowed' to show her any affection. She trusts me and I trust her as well.
In short, while my husband is my rock and my kids are my joy, Ruby is my sanity. She gives me that outlet that I need when things start to get too crazy in my regular life. No matter how many people come and go in my life, Ruby will be waiting for me tomorrow, nickering as I walk around the corner of the barn. And when I'm with her, I can focus on just being her leader, partner, and friend with all of my other worries forgotten for a moment.
Have you hugged your horse today? I have. And p.s. we started trotting today, and she felt fabulous!
The last six months have been the hardest of my life so far. And I mean really tough. Not the usual life-drama: marriage problems, financial issues, etc. - last September, life sucker-punched me in the jaw and the gut at the same time, then kicked me a few times as I lay stunned on the ground. I had a decision to make, a problem with only two options, both of which would be life-altering not only for me but also for the people I care most about in this world. I chose the harder-for-me option (which was best for my family) and have been dealing with the consequences of that decision every since.
I haven't kept to myself that I'm a mother. As such, my kids mean the world to me - I would do nearly anything for them including literally laying down my own life if it ever came to that. But, it can sometimes be exhausting to put others' needs, wants, and feelings before your own...especially when it is a life-long commitment.
Enter Ruby. Ruby is the only thing I do for myself. She's my friend and partner. She's always happy to see me, she's always willing to try to do what I ask, she comes to me when I call her, let's me love on her and even enjoys it - a big deal for my standoffish mare, and all the more special because I am the only one who is 'allowed' to show her any affection. She trusts me and I trust her as well.
In short, while my husband is my rock and my kids are my joy, Ruby is my sanity. She gives me that outlet that I need when things start to get too crazy in my regular life. No matter how many people come and go in my life, Ruby will be waiting for me tomorrow, nickering as I walk around the corner of the barn. And when I'm with her, I can focus on just being her leader, partner, and friend with all of my other worries forgotten for a moment.
Have you hugged your horse today? I have. And p.s. we started trotting today, and she felt fabulous!
Friday, May 8, 2015
Ruby's chiropractic exam
Not a DVM, but Rick was highly recommended by several people so Heather and I decided to take a chance.
I'll state here that I have never had an animal of mine adjusted, nor have I ever seen a chiropractor myself. I did observe while Candy (Heather's Haflinger mare) and another horse at our barn was adjusted by a different chiropractor a month or so ago. It seemed like a lot of popping and cracking and throwing the horses off-balance...and made me extremely nervous for my recently-injured and healing horse. So, take my ignorance into account here.
When I made our appointment, I explained that Ruby suffered a ligament injury last fall, and told him about her recent Nascar activities and resulting fall and I rehashed it all when he arrived. He started poking and prodding and looking (insert worried Ruby face here - she was so sure this guy was another vet that was going to prick her with needles), then he pulled out his little laser light thing and started going over her. I expected Ruby to get irritated with this pretty quickly (she can be impatient and doesn't enjoy much attention from people she doesn't know), but instead she got droopy lips and sleepy eyes, hmm...While he was doing this, he was explaining how this is connected to that, and so on. I didn't really buy into it much until later when he started the hands-on work.
Rick worked on Ruby with the laser for close to an hour. By this point, I was getting droopy lips and sleepy eyes myself and couldn't stop yawning. When he stared on the body work, I started paying attention. He started on her rear end, and she was highly reactive to pressure in certain areas, tucking her butt way underneath herself. So, he went up to her face with his light and held it on a few different spots, then went back to her butt. She was less reactive but still obviously uncomfortable. Then he showed me what he wants me to do between visits, basically using my entire forearm to put steady pressure along the line of her butt from near her hip to near the point of her buttocks. He did each side for several minutes each, then tested her sensitivity again and didn't get a reaction.
He kept moving to different parts of her body, finding the sensitive areas (and there were a lot), and working through them with Ruby getting more and more relaxed. Then he returned to her butt. She reacted less than she had originally, but still reacted so he redid everything in that area. Towards the end of the visit he did pop her a few times, but never jacking up a hind leg then nearly pushing the horse over. Still, it was a hard thing for me to listen to *shudder*.
When Ruby was all finished up, he went over again a few things that he wants me to do with her (not popping just pressure on that area of her butt and where her neck meets her shoulder). He said her butt/hips are going to need a lot of work, but if I'm consistent her top line should start filling in - I can only hope! Then it was Candy's turn.
Candy was Ruby's opposite. Whereas Ruby was reactive, Candy was so stoic that during his initial evaluation he couldn't get her to react at all. He went over Candy with his laser, and when he was done she started reacting to the points. He said that Candy had gotten so used to being tense in these areas that she had tuned them out completely. Then he worked on loosening her up, too.
I have to say that it was pretty remarkable to see how differently the horses' behaved after he worked on an area. I would expect them to become less reactive if he was working on one small area for 15-20 minutes (massaging, etc), but instead he seemed to find their problem areas, use his light somewhere else on their bodies, then come back to the problem area to check the progress - and the issue was usually resolved. Kind of bizarre, actually.
I wish I'd had time to ride after, but it wasn't possible. He spent at least two hours on Ruby, then I was trying to absorb what he was saying and doing with Candy. It was obvious that both mares were feeling good at the end. Before Rick left, Heather asked him for a business card. Turns out he doesn't carry any and he doesn't advertise, he gets all of his business via word-of-mouth. And he didn't charge us a trip charge because he was going to see another client on his way home (over an hour and a half away). He's affordable enough that I may be able to get Ruby on some kind of schedule for a while. Heather is all for this plan.
So, Heather and I are both pretty impressed - Heather even more so since she was able to stick around and watch Candy in the pasture afterwards. I'm going to watch Ruby closely over the next few days, to see what changes may take place (is she sore, is she moving differently, etc). And I'm going to push on those tense spots on her butt to see how reactive she is tomorrow. All in all, I am pleased with how things went and am looking forward to seeing Rick in the future.
I'll state here that I have never had an animal of mine adjusted, nor have I ever seen a chiropractor myself. I did observe while Candy (Heather's Haflinger mare) and another horse at our barn was adjusted by a different chiropractor a month or so ago. It seemed like a lot of popping and cracking and throwing the horses off-balance...and made me extremely nervous for my recently-injured and healing horse. So, take my ignorance into account here.
When I made our appointment, I explained that Ruby suffered a ligament injury last fall, and told him about her recent Nascar activities and resulting fall and I rehashed it all when he arrived. He started poking and prodding and looking (insert worried Ruby face here - she was so sure this guy was another vet that was going to prick her with needles), then he pulled out his little laser light thing and started going over her. I expected Ruby to get irritated with this pretty quickly (she can be impatient and doesn't enjoy much attention from people she doesn't know), but instead she got droopy lips and sleepy eyes, hmm...While he was doing this, he was explaining how this is connected to that, and so on. I didn't really buy into it much until later when he started the hands-on work.
Rick worked on Ruby with the laser for close to an hour. By this point, I was getting droopy lips and sleepy eyes myself and couldn't stop yawning. When he stared on the body work, I started paying attention. He started on her rear end, and she was highly reactive to pressure in certain areas, tucking her butt way underneath herself. So, he went up to her face with his light and held it on a few different spots, then went back to her butt. She was less reactive but still obviously uncomfortable. Then he showed me what he wants me to do between visits, basically using my entire forearm to put steady pressure along the line of her butt from near her hip to near the point of her buttocks. He did each side for several minutes each, then tested her sensitivity again and didn't get a reaction.
He kept moving to different parts of her body, finding the sensitive areas (and there were a lot), and working through them with Ruby getting more and more relaxed. Then he returned to her butt. She reacted less than she had originally, but still reacted so he redid everything in that area. Towards the end of the visit he did pop her a few times, but never jacking up a hind leg then nearly pushing the horse over. Still, it was a hard thing for me to listen to *shudder*.
When Ruby was all finished up, he went over again a few things that he wants me to do with her (not popping just pressure on that area of her butt and where her neck meets her shoulder). He said her butt/hips are going to need a lot of work, but if I'm consistent her top line should start filling in - I can only hope! Then it was Candy's turn.
Candy was Ruby's opposite. Whereas Ruby was reactive, Candy was so stoic that during his initial evaluation he couldn't get her to react at all. He went over Candy with his laser, and when he was done she started reacting to the points. He said that Candy had gotten so used to being tense in these areas that she had tuned them out completely. Then he worked on loosening her up, too.
I have to say that it was pretty remarkable to see how differently the horses' behaved after he worked on an area. I would expect them to become less reactive if he was working on one small area for 15-20 minutes (massaging, etc), but instead he seemed to find their problem areas, use his light somewhere else on their bodies, then come back to the problem area to check the progress - and the issue was usually resolved. Kind of bizarre, actually.
I wish I'd had time to ride after, but it wasn't possible. He spent at least two hours on Ruby, then I was trying to absorb what he was saying and doing with Candy. It was obvious that both mares were feeling good at the end. Before Rick left, Heather asked him for a business card. Turns out he doesn't carry any and he doesn't advertise, he gets all of his business via word-of-mouth. And he didn't charge us a trip charge because he was going to see another client on his way home (over an hour and a half away). He's affordable enough that I may be able to get Ruby on some kind of schedule for a while. Heather is all for this plan.
So, Heather and I are both pretty impressed - Heather even more so since she was able to stick around and watch Candy in the pasture afterwards. I'm going to watch Ruby closely over the next few days, to see what changes may take place (is she sore, is she moving differently, etc). And I'm going to push on those tense spots on her butt to see how reactive she is tomorrow. All in all, I am pleased with how things went and am looking forward to seeing Rick in the future.
Monday, May 4, 2015
At least we weren't arrested...
As soon Ruby and I got the go-ahead to ride from the vet, I
had offers from barn family to go ride - in fact, some of them were
just as excited as I was, lol. After getting together, two of the girls
and I decided to go for a short ride Friday evening.
My plan was to lead and ride, the amount of which depended on the length of the ride though I knew I didn't want to do more than 2-3 miles total. First, I groomed and picked out Ruby's feet, holding that right front for a little longer than normal to make sure she actually had her balance (I can't help but wonder what in the world was going on with her and why it suddenly stopped?), then I tacked Ruby up and put on her reflective gear. Both of the ladies I was riding with are older, so they mounted up using a block at the barn, while I stayed on the ground to shut the barnyard gate and lead Ruby over the roughest part of the road.
I mounted at our usual spot, about a quarter of a mile from the barn. Ruby felt so good. She was striding out, easily keeping up with the TWH gelding we were riding with. Ears perked - she was a happy mare.
But
as the sun sank, Ruby started getting antsy. We've only ridden at night a few times, and that's always been at the barn. She was
getting looky, not watching where she was putting her feet, and kept
trying to break into a trot.
And then I succumbed to peer pressure...A. had ridden in one of the orange groves that line the street the night before and wanted to get off the road - partially for safety, partially just because. I normally don't do this kind of thing - I won't even ride on the hiking-only trails, much less trespass on someone's property. But this night I did. We turned into the orange grove and continued with our ride. We were maybe 150 feet into the grove when headlights appeared behind us. Damn.
That's when things started to get a little crazy. As the vehicle got closer, Ruby started acting up - walking sideways and/or backwards, trying to look into her own moving shadow for monsters. A. started talking to the driver as another vehicle came up behind the first, and I wondered if I would soon be calling my husband to tell him I'd been arrested for trespassing. I dismounted and attempted to talk to the driver but I had to keep moving Ruby away from the front of the vehicle, which was in serious danger of being crushed by Ruby-ass, ensuring police involvement. The owners were actually very nice about the whole thing and we apologized (A. was disappointed, I was just embarrassed and relieved) and headed home.
But Ruby would not calm down and I didn't want to have this fight on a road at night, so I had to lead her all the way back home (3/4 of a mile?). She continued to be a brat and worried as the TWH got further and further ahead of us, even though we had another horse to walk with. When we arrived at the barnyard, I took her to the arena and we worked for maybe 10 minutes at the walk, rebuilding those rusty connections - what I know we should have done to begin with. We ended on a good note, and I linimented her right hind before turning her back out.
Saturday I was unable to get out to the barn, but I rode Ruby for about 5 minutes yesterday, just around the barnyard. She didn't seem sore (yay!) but I linimented her fetlock and put her up for the day. Slow and steady, slow and steady...
Mustangs update: one of Jennie's proteges and fellow TIP trainers picked up her Extreme Mustang Makeover horse late last week. I am so excited to see how this boy turns out. He's a beauty, and very bold. I'll try to get pics next time I'm out there.
Sally has been adopted and seems to love her new person. I'm so happy for this mare, who has been passed around and passed over so many times. I hope she's found her forever home and that her adopter continues to share stories and pics with us. My search for a second horse has been temporarily sidelined as some big changes are in the works for my family later this year.
My plan was to lead and ride, the amount of which depended on the length of the ride though I knew I didn't want to do more than 2-3 miles total. First, I groomed and picked out Ruby's feet, holding that right front for a little longer than normal to make sure she actually had her balance (I can't help but wonder what in the world was going on with her and why it suddenly stopped?), then I tacked Ruby up and put on her reflective gear. Both of the ladies I was riding with are older, so they mounted up using a block at the barn, while I stayed on the ground to shut the barnyard gate and lead Ruby over the roughest part of the road.
I mounted at our usual spot, about a quarter of a mile from the barn. Ruby felt so good. She was striding out, easily keeping up with the TWH gelding we were riding with. Ears perked - she was a happy mare.
 |
| The best view in the world |
And then I succumbed to peer pressure...A. had ridden in one of the orange groves that line the street the night before and wanted to get off the road - partially for safety, partially just because. I normally don't do this kind of thing - I won't even ride on the hiking-only trails, much less trespass on someone's property. But this night I did. We turned into the orange grove and continued with our ride. We were maybe 150 feet into the grove when headlights appeared behind us. Damn.
That's when things started to get a little crazy. As the vehicle got closer, Ruby started acting up - walking sideways and/or backwards, trying to look into her own moving shadow for monsters. A. started talking to the driver as another vehicle came up behind the first, and I wondered if I would soon be calling my husband to tell him I'd been arrested for trespassing. I dismounted and attempted to talk to the driver but I had to keep moving Ruby away from the front of the vehicle, which was in serious danger of being crushed by Ruby-ass, ensuring police involvement. The owners were actually very nice about the whole thing and we apologized (A. was disappointed, I was just embarrassed and relieved) and headed home.
But Ruby would not calm down and I didn't want to have this fight on a road at night, so I had to lead her all the way back home (3/4 of a mile?). She continued to be a brat and worried as the TWH got further and further ahead of us, even though we had another horse to walk with. When we arrived at the barnyard, I took her to the arena and we worked for maybe 10 minutes at the walk, rebuilding those rusty connections - what I know we should have done to begin with. We ended on a good note, and I linimented her right hind before turning her back out.
Saturday I was unable to get out to the barn, but I rode Ruby for about 5 minutes yesterday, just around the barnyard. She didn't seem sore (yay!) but I linimented her fetlock and put her up for the day. Slow and steady, slow and steady...
Mustangs update: one of Jennie's proteges and fellow TIP trainers picked up her Extreme Mustang Makeover horse late last week. I am so excited to see how this boy turns out. He's a beauty, and very bold. I'll try to get pics next time I'm out there.
Sally has been adopted and seems to love her new person. I'm so happy for this mare, who has been passed around and passed over so many times. I hope she's found her forever home and that her adopter continues to share stories and pics with us. My search for a second horse has been temporarily sidelined as some big changes are in the works for my family later this year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)