What's Up Wednesday

 

It was quite a week at home as I'm sure you can all imagine! Between the troubles with Al and the holidays... lots to do! But let's start with Eros since he finally has a plan. 

I had been tack walking Eros whilst awaiting our follow up vet appointment, and he has been a perfect boy as always. But I was very excited to get some answers. But you know how it goes... rarely are things straight forward. The good news is that whatever is causing the lameness in his right front is not the suspensory attachment nor is it a high bow which doc thought seemed the most likely culprits. So that's the good news. The less good news is that we can't figure out for sure what is going on without an MRI. And unfortunately, to image the area where he blocks sound, he cannot do a standing MRI. So Doc had a horse present very similarly in the past, and we've decided to use that case as a guide and forgo the MRI for right now. Current working hypothesis is that he has bone edema in the knee area and rest is what would be prescribed for that anyway. Which is ironic because I also have bone edema in my right knee... Like mother like son! Ha! Our plan is to give him eight weeks of hand walking, ice, and turnout (as long as he's calm out there) and reevaluate then. It could take a lot longer, it might not. Typical wait and see as is the norm with horses. But honestly, heading into the coldest months, it's not the worst time for him to have a little vacation. 

Shiny's still the MVP around here this week. She's been great. We had our lesson on Saturday and she was absolutely wonderful. Though she did do a rather large leap through the air when she rubbed a rail one time. She's so silly sometimes! I'm giving her the week off while I'm away. She's been working hard all year and a week off shouldn't hurt her too much. Though she might gain a few pounds back. If I could have just let the kids play with her for the week I might have done that, but we have to pay for training rides if we're away and she doesn't really need that.

And then there's Al... So when we last left off, he had been kicked out of the training program. And since I have to fix this problem myself, I decided to take full advantage of my vet appointment on Friday to bend doc's ear. I let him know everything that's been going on and how I don't have help to fix it, so I needed his. He asked some questions, and seemed to think some of the behavior is studdy (he wasn't cut until six and a half if you remember, so that behavior was already learned even if there aren't any hormones anymore). But he wasn't convinced that's the whole issue, so he palpated all over to make sure there wasn't obvious pain (like from saddle fit or an injury). He seemed satisfied in those areas, but we pulled blood to check for EPM (which I know isn't the best test, but I'm not doing a spinal tap first thing), lyme (very possible in these parts), and vitamin E deficiency. We also did a Succeed test to look for ulcers. The ulcer test is done right in the field and that came back negative for both front and hind gut ulcers so we don't think that's the problem. The others I have to wait for results. I do keep all my horses on a vitamin E supplement since they aren't out on pasture, but it turns out, I didn't have them on a high enough dose of it. So even though I don't have those results yet, I went ahead and adjusted their smartpaks for next month. I had doc give Al the hormone implant about a month or so ago which didn't do anything to fix his behavior. So doc mentioned trying a regumate shot this time. It has been helpful for a lot of late cut horses and I'm willing to try just about anything honestly, because some days the horse is practically unrideable. So we did that too. 

After Al has a rough training ride, it often takes a few days to get him to take a breath and relax at all in our rides. By the time Doc came on Friday, Al was starting to come around. He was still spooky but not in that crazed way. And he got better throughout the weekend. The hormone shot would not have worked that quickly, but hopefully when it does kick in, this pattern will continue. I'm sure he'll be tough when I get back again. He's not getting ridden while I'm gone (obviously, since he's not welcome in the training program) but I have him down to have a rig today and Saturday and free lunges on the other days. So he'll still get to do some moving around and I think that should help for when I get back. Time will tell. I'm hoping to get him back in lessons right away too. The trainer who dislikes him will be in Florida by the time I return, and I'll be able to work with someone else. So while I was feeling incredible discouraged last week, my hope has returned, and I no longer think I need to do anything drastic like send him to Florida to my other trainer or sell him. (Though I wouldn't mind going to Florida for the winter... Come on Money Tree, BLOOM!)

Anyway, I'm really thankful for a vet that listens to me and wants nothing more than to help me make my horses feel the best that they can. He was very frustrated to not be able to give me a definitive answer on Eros, which, I don't want him feeling that way, but I appreciate that he cares enough to have that emotion. And not only did he listen to my concerns about Al, he offered several options to explore and seems invested in getting us back to a better place. You really can't do horses without a great team around you, and I'm so grateful for mine. 

So that's where we're at with the horses. Things aren't perfect, but they're good enough, and I'm excited for some quieter days at the barn over the next few months. 

In other news, it's been a fun week outside of riding. We had our annual Festivus dinner at my brother's house on the 23rd complete with Chinese food of course. Always nice to see my sister-in-law's family and eat too much. And Santa came for the four legged kids on Christmas, much to everyone's delight!

The horses all got treat balls from Likit which they all seemed to enjoy very much. I imagine they've already finished them knowing my kids... And their stockings were stuffed with Stud Muffins (the slims!) and peppermint flavored sugar cubes (maybe we share those). 

Rita got a couple new toys. One was a stocking that has little holes in it and it's filled with little squeaky stuffy toys that she can pull out through the holes. And another which is the blur in that photo above that is a gym bag, and the little toys inside look like a pair of tighty whiteys and gym socks. So funny! And she clearly loves it. 

On Christmas day morning I stopped by the barn to pick feet and deliver the goods from Santa. It was a Monday when normally the barn is closed so we couldn't ride, but we were allowed to come for a visit in the morning which was very nice. Then Rita and I headed over to my mom's house. Rita is staying there this week while I'm away. Plus my mom and I exchange stockings and some little gifts which stems back to traditions we started when my brother and I were little kids. We grew up in a very non-Jewish area so people always would ask have you been good so Santa can come? My parents were afraid we'd think we were bad kids so they started having Santa come for us. It was never expensive gifts, just little things to stuff the stockings, some games and books, and things like that. Now that we're grown, my mom and I still do that for each other. It's a nice little tradition. And stocking stuffer things are my favorite!

And now I'm in Florida! Today is the only sunny day we're getting, so I'm soaking that up. We're staying on the boat which means I don't have to do anything for myself. It's very much like Below Deck, but without all the drama. (Our crew is wonderful and like family.) So presently I'm sitting at the table outside, breathing in all the warm fresh air, and drinking Espresso. Rough life. My brother and the kids are staying in the condo which is maybe 100 feet from the boat, so they should be over soon and we'll all have brunch. My younger brother and his girlfriend arrive this evening, so it will be so wonderful to all be together. It's been a long time since my little bro joined us on this trip so it's extra special. I'm hoping to head down to Wellington one of the mornings to visit with my summer trainer too. Tonight they have a carnival here where the boat is docked. They're boasting 32 food stations (YES! BRING ON ALL THE FAIR FOOD!) plus rides and games. It was really fun last year especially with the kiddos, and they're saying they added more stuff to do this year. Should be a good time! Tomorrow is a rain day, but the rest of the week will be dry. Cool and cloudy, but still better weather than Connecticut! I'll take it! 

I hope you all had a nice holiday if you celebrate!