I am a Horse

I salute the light within your eyes

2011-09-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

I salute the light within your eyes where the whole universe dwells. For when you are at that center within you and I am at that place within me, we shall be one.
~ Chief Crazy Horse, Oglala Sioux, 1877

from here

Namaste.

Training vs Development

2011-08-31T20:52:00.000-07:00

This morning I read an interesting piece on standing outside the box, away from the crowd, out from under umbrellas, being different, taking a different approach etc. It's a good piece and worth the read.

I was nodding in agreement, quite merrily, being proselytised to with great delight in self-congratulatory recognition, feeling good about myself until I came upon this: "Using such words as break, train and desensitize can be improved upon..It's easier and more comfortable to resort to those words since they are normal..It is not as comfortable to replace them with start, develop and build confidence."

I agree that breaking horses as a term has agendas where I choose not to go. And I am in two minds about how politically incorrect desensitising is, which I think is embedded in the methods and processes taken, and if bound up with the intent to build confidence in the horse is not so offensive. I found the rejection of the word "train" difficult. I can develop my horse in a number of ways and not train her. And what do we really mean by "develop"? What is the objective? And to, and by, whose criteria is the horse developed? By the horse's? I am pretty sure a horse considers itself already developed, as a horse-entity. So develop makes as much sense as train, and to me, a little less sense.

In order to achieve having our horses do things by cue or request, they need some kind of training. Sure, if you wanna develop them, you can call it that, but frankly, it's training. Training develops a horse to be the kind of animal we want to have around. Developing a horse does (should, otherwise what is being developed and why?) the same thing. So it actually benefits the human directly, and the horse indirectly, because a well trained horse is more pleasurable to have around, and is less likely to be neglected (that's a big assumption I know) and end up prematurely dead in a can of dog food.

It makes me wonder what the issue is for the author of that blog post around the word "train". Since when is train a dirty word? We train our children to go to the toilet, we train ourselves to get up in time to make it to the office at work o'clock. When we train our horses, we are also training ourselves, whether we like it or not; to watch ourselves, how we behave, react, respond, reassess, control ourselves as well as doing the same for our horses. In this regard, training is a two-way street, of dialogue and negotiation. Developing our horses to me, doesn't contain this dialogue and the capacity for negotiation. Develop is something we do to our horses, a bit like developing a photo in a chemical bath.

So while we "develop" our horses through "games" on the ground, or in-hand sessions between two long reins, or under saddle during school manoeuvres, cattle work, jumping etc, we are also training them, and ourselves, hopefully building trust, and confidence in both horse and human in themselves and each other. Yes, good quality work, that is negotiated and created around the needs and readiness of both horse and human, in this regard develops the human-horse relationship to one that is more harmonious and safer for both entities. It does so through training the horse to do what we want, when we want, in a manner that is (hopefully) acceptable to both parties. If you want to make what you do sound softer, more acceptable, by calling it developing the horse, then go ahead, but it is what it is: getting the horse to respond in a way that we want, when we want, to a particular cue through a series of discussions we have with horses. I call that training.

How to make a dressage horse, phase 1

2011-08-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

I've been watching the European Dressage Champs this week. Some of the horses competing are a similar age to Maz. They are doing international Grand Prix, she is in the first stages of becoming a riding horse. Currently there are billions of lightyears between the two. But this is how all those GP horses started, albiet some 6-7 years earlier!

I have trained and ridden a lot of young horses, racehorses mainly, arabs, stockhorses, warmbloods, back in the day. I have retrained older horses, either off the track or who have had time off from being under saddle. The difference between these guys and Maz is that they started as youngsters, so the concept of being a riding horse, a horse that works regularly for a few hours, a horse that has a job is instilled. Maz has been sunbaking poolside with cocktails and cute waiters all her life. Now the money has run out of the expense account, and she is expected to do some work. You can imagine the culture shock.

She is 9 weeks in work now, and 8 weeks under "saddle" ( the first week was bareback!) and the last 5 weeks with me. We are still working on accepting the initial saddling up process (without walking off, barging, humping, half rearing, aggressive behaviour). Once the saddle is girthed up, it can be taken off and on without drama multiple times. So she is not what I would call classically girthy, just resistant to the idea in the first instance.

She is sometimes resistant to the first steps under saddle. This I am not worried about. As her strength, suppleness, confidence and understanding grow, this will disappear.

Turning and bending right is an issue. Sometimes she can do it beautifully, if only for a few steps, but more often, it's a battle of mind, body and flexion to get any bend right, and sometimes even a simple turn right is overhwelming. You'll see above where I go to turn right on her and change my mind, take her left to avoid the resistance that is building up, and take her back right again when she softens. No point arguing over something that can be negotiated on for a better outcome later. Ingrain quality at every attempt, and reward and encourage any try.

Often she is very resistance to the very first request for halt under saddle. If I get that blockage, we go forward and I ask again later. Same with backing up. First attempt usually results in humping, head shaking and a big fat no. So again, we try again later until we get a lovely soft rein back, based on intent only.

So while I dream of rhythmic, cadenced 20m trot circles, each day when I ask myself what does Maz need from me today, what support does she need, what does she need help with, what is she struggling with today, my goals are always around softness and calmness in the mind and body, and to finish the session with understanding, acceptance and more confidence from her than she walked into the arena with. If that means she doesn't get ridden that day, to achieve my basic goal, so be it. I think we are slowly getting somewhere. And on those days, like yesterday, when she snakes her head at me, fronts me up and does beautiful levade in a game of "Who will yield ground first, little puny human", I remind myself of the upfront, bolshy yearling who captured my imagination nearly 10 years ago, and I tell myself that's why I bought her, and why we are still together.

"Horses make me happy. You, not so much"

2011-08-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

from behindthebit.com

It has been noted, repeatedly, at my agistment that I am riding Maz in a halter. And I have been questioned on this ie do you ride in a bridle? With a bit? Why not? etcetc. One of the agistees asked Mr Nancypants about Maz and how she is going only yesterday, after seeing me ride in the arena. Again, it came up that Maz is ridden exclusively in a rope halter at the moment. She commented when told no bit, no bridle, "Gee, Maz must be quiet then." The reply was no, she's a bucket of dynamite. I would have replied, nope, that's why I wear a helmet!

But the comments and observations, some with agendas behind them, some with appreciation for what I am doing, indicate various levels of understanding of riding horses, most based on myth. And in my inbox this morning, the lateste Cynthia's Natural Horseworld Blog. And in that blog, an article on this very thing ie riding bitless and people's responses to that. Exactly what I have been thinking about since I have been riding Maz over the last few weeks. It's worth the read, to save me writing the blog I was going to write (until I read the article!)

So, let's take the comment made yesterday, that Maz must be super quiet to be ridden in a halter. So only quiet horses can be ridden bitless (and then, if so, how do those horses get quiet?), that other horses (ie not quiet) must be ridden in a bit. That a bit controls a horse and confers a level of safety (having ridden racehorses, bolting, bucking and rearing horses, I'll refute that til you are blue in the face listening to me). That riding without a bit is not safe, unless of course you are riding a really quiet horse. And that you can't really train a green horse properly without a bit, and riding in a halter is a beginning phase of education that will be surpassed at some point with the use of a bit. This flow of logic astounds me, but this heuristic seems to be a quite solid base for the comments I am getting on a regular basis.

I guess it comes down to choice: what kind of relationship do you want as a rider, with your horse? I am well aware of the damage a bit can do, as can a severely used noseband, chain, rope, halter. Brute force might work once if you are lucky, but it's not sustainable. Time spent building trust, respect and solid responses to trained cues is. Severity is a quick fix but it doesn't address the base cause or issue that elicited the action or response. And severity has repercussions that may not display immediately, but may at some point down the track.

Some people may not want, or have the time to spend developing their relationship with their horse through training.They enjoy riding and just get on with it. That's their thing and they are comfortable with it. And if something bad happens to them out riding, often the horse will be blamed, will be given the responsibility for whatever happened. To me, that's like blaming a five year child for crashing the car.

Safety isn't found in a piece of metal, rubber or leather. It's found in thoughtful training, well timed communication and considered handling of the horse. It's about keeping things within the boundaries of what you and your horse are capable of at this moment now. It's about anticipating potential problems and making decisions to avoid that possible outcome ie thinking ahead, planning and being prepared. It's about being proactive, helping your horse out of trouble, so that they can help you out of trouble. It's about respecting the capacities of your horse, and your own skill sets. It's about knowledge, information and applying that knowledge at the right time, with the right intent. You won't find that in a bit in your horse's mouth.

Slow cooking..

2011-08-07T21:40:00.000-07:00

Having a "new horse" to work during late winter is a bit of a reality check. As cyclists, if it's too wet, too dark, too cold, too much of anything, we can hop on an ergo and wack out a few intervals no problem after we get home from work. No rush, no bother, all rather civilised.

Unless you have ready access to an indoor arena, horse riding is truly an outdoors sport. So without cover, or floodlights, there is a mad rush to get from work to the paddock to take advantage of any daylight left to do some work with Maz. Consistency is crucial for starting/retraining a horse. My only excuses now are if it's really raining and the arena surface is not up to being worked on (or the agistment owners have closed the arena), or the sun sets.Unfortunately work does get in the way, and some days the sun set too early for me to ride after doing the preparatory ground work. Dealing with not being able to "achieve" what I had planned for the day has been interesting! You just gotta deal with what you've got at that time, basically.

Luckily, the Union Movement invented something called "weekends"! Maz was getting more and more tense in her work during her first week back home, although performing ok, I was getting less confident getting on her - there was a little time bomb ticking. I realised I had been rushing her, in my attempt to beat nightfall. So it was time to slow it down a notch and change my end goal, from needing to ride her, to achieving calmness and true softness and then retaining it under saddle. I used the weekend to refocus on ground work, as well as then having enough time to ride without stress. It worked a treat.

End of week 1:

Ground work - consolidating stand-next-to-the-mounting-block-and-don't-swing-your-hindquarters-away (and also foot control for float loading)

And then the ride. Despite suddenly coming into season and showing the world, she was calm, responsive and working with me. It was our best ride to date.

Week 2 was a bit of a write-off, thanks to the aforementioned thing called work. No riding, but lots of ground work. Thursday was not a good day under saddle, firstly in girthing up, and secondly in getting on. A bit of a dummy spit by Maz as I got on the first time had me backing off my plans for riding, and just settling for a relaxed horse while I simply mounted. We achieved that, but there were obvious issues with saddle acceptance. This was compounded the next day by a swollen lower foreleg, and finding out Maz had been playing chasey with a new neighbour for two days. Lots of skidding on greasy paddocks equals a sore horse! So I was less worried about Maz's reluctance to take the saddle on Thursday, and was glad to have not pushed it.

All the things we take for granted with a riding horse are trained. Standing still while saddling up, getting on, pace control, stop, go, left, right, leading, dropping the head for haltering, loading onto a float, tying up, ground tying, not barging, pushing, shoving, walking too fast or too slow, being hosed and scraped down, wearing boots and bandages, waiting when being fed. And these are the basics. But it's time well spent, and it's seriously true: if you don't have it on the ground, you won't have it under saddle.

Second ride

2011-07-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

This time under saddle. I'll make an excuse for the collapsed position, and outside leg being off, stating: remember, this is a GREEN horse! :-) The inside hand, well that's just poor use!

Photo once again courtesy of the fabulous Marty Schiel.

New Beginnings

2011-07-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

The day of Moonie's death was actually earmarked as Maz's arrival at Carlos Tabernaberri's for restarting. It was a day of high and mixed emotions, and the last fortnight has been difficult on many levels, the least of which was coming to terms with being temporarily horseless.

On Saturday, Maz and I participated in a clinic Carlos held on his property. Although the mare had only been working with Carlos for two weeks, I felt it was a great opportunity to do some ground work with her, understand Carlos's "techniques" better for when Maz returned home, and to socialise her. This last aspect was important, as her report card to date at Carlos's was "does not play well with others", and she needs to be comfortable in group situations.

After a week of classic Melbourne winter (grey, wet, windy) Saturday was simply perfect: cold but dry and sunny. I was surprised at how emotional I was to be with Maz again, but under the circumstances, perhaps I shouldn't have. The morning's ground work went without a hitch. Maz had umbrellas, classic plastic bags on sticks, whip cracking, flapping Australian flags, and a quad bike to contend with. She passed with flying colours, although the stockwhip pushed her boundaries somewhat. As expected, her fore and hind yielding was great (she's been doing those tricks for years), but lunging on a 3metre rope was tricky. I caught myself stepping back to create space at the start, rather then making the mare create the space. Lesson learnt!. And trying to get leg yield in hand, first up on the fence, without a stick to touch the hindquarter was difficult as well. The mare didn't get it, and in real life, I would start her on the circle, making her step outwards, then progress to the fence.

photo by Marty Schiel

After groundwork, we progressed to bareback riding. I get a giggle at how many people have not ridden bareback and haltered. I must confess though, my riding skills are very rusty, and when Carlos suggested we go for a ride, I was keen, but quietly shitting myself. Maz is not consolidated in any way with her ridden work, is fussy, and ready to say NOPE! in the flinch of a back muscle. But if Carlos thought she'd be ok, I had to trust him.

Carlos rode her first, and although she propped and flexed her back in a "No thanks", she was obedient and calm. Then it was my turn, and Carlos led me like a little kid. When he decided it was time to let me loose, I had a minor, silent, inward conniption, but it was now or never. We didn't walk far, only for a few minutes until I felt Maz's back tighten up and it was not untightening. We drew to a halt, I gave her a pat, realised what we had just done, and slide off. It was a pretty awesome moment.


photo by Marty Schiel

After the debacle in Nov/Dec last year, it was great to see Maz pretty chilled out, happy and confident in herself, learning to be riding horse.

photo by Marty Schiel

Vale Moonie

2011-06-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

One of the special ones died peacefully in his sleep yesterday morning, in the short hours before dawn. Despite the Cushings, he was well, bright, chirpy and cheeky as usual in the days prior. He went as I had hoped he would: painlessly, without decline, peacefully and dignified as such a horse should. Moonie was a part of my life for 19 years, a good part of my adult life. He taught me much, and even in his death, he is still teaching.

I met Woodbine Moonriver when he was three, at his breeder's property where I agisted my Northern WB mare. He had been returned to Jan and Chiffa High by his then owner, a good friend of Jan's. Their personalities did not meet and Moonie was returned to find a more suitable home. I rode him in the months while Jan decided what to do with him, and she finally put him on the market. I hadn't the money at the time, and held my breath each time a campdrafter or showie came to try him out. None committed, and I kept riding him. Luck was eventually kind, and after a timely little pay out came my way, I bought the black grey with silver mane and tail.

Through Moonie and the Highs, I "met" Ray Hunt, and Tom Dorrance. My interest in dressage grew, and I had lessons with each clinician Jan brought onto her property, and travelled with her to others. I began to read the Classics and the Greats of dressage, and to put that into practice with Moonie.

Moonie was always tolerant to a point, but was happy to tell me when I was wrong, or not quite right, or unbalanced, or annoying him. Canter aid not to his liking? He'd squeal with delight and pigroot. I found out by accident his potential for piaffe coming home one day from beach riding. He was doing his usual homeward jigjog (which he never grew out of, and was frequently as annoying as hell!) and I asked for more, but on the spot. Moonie was happy to give it. He thought he was pretty clever!

Moonie was always gracious with those he liked and trusted. He was constantly referred to as a complete gentleman by most he met, from vets and farriers to fellow competitors and parents of patting kids. People often mistook him for an andalusian, or a warmblood from a distance, and refused to believe he was registered full stockhorse. He seemed to radiate bigness in size as well as personality, despite his 14.3 hh stature, particularly when on show. In the dressage ring, he would become larger than life, and double in size and power, channeling his inner stallion More often than not, I was barely in control as he kept telling me "hang on woman, I know what I am doing, more than you do!!" His showing off led to some amazing offerings in the training arena, where he would frequently blow me away with his cleverness, making one plus one equal not two, but three, and then four. He taught me to trust my horse and to allow space for self expression, as well as negotiation, to the point where I was happy to let him tell me if today was an arena day, or a bush riding day. If you give a horse room to be, and to give, they will.

He was incredibly affectionate and cuddly. It was an in-joke that Moonie loved his food, but he loved attention, and just hanging out with his person, as much if not more.He was absolutely a people horse. If your horse asks for you to scratch his rump, take the time to do it. I'm glad I did late last week despite being in a bit of a hurry. He caught me that day with the twinkle of his eye; always the charmer.

One particular incident, that happened only last year, exemplifies for me my relationship with Moonie. He was off colour one evening, and I wasn't comfortable about it. At 10.30 that night, we got up and went out to the agistment to check him. He was exactly where we left him,and obviously not quite right, a bit colicky. So after a little tummy massage, I began to walk him up and down his paddock. I didn't need a halter, he came with me, with his muzzle by my leg, glued to my hand. We walked like this for some time, up and down in the moonlight. When I left him that night, I knew he was going to be ok, but somehow he left me a little richer for the experience.

Why are YOU responsible??

2011-06-05T21:45:00.001-07:00

"No, animals are not people. But people are animals, and we have many things in common. There is no reason to suspect that it is any less painful for a horse to be whacked in the mouth and aggressively spurred than it would be for a human or another mammal. Horses may not be wonderful at planning ahead and understanding abstract thought, but they feel pain and fear like we do, and they suffer when abused."

from here.

And that is why I am personally responsible, you are personally responsible and every other horse person is personally responsible.

Are you a participant or in the paying audience?

2011-06-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

FEIreinergate has been hot on the interwebs these last days, and a blog post has been brewing in my head as a consequence. Lots of lights going off in my head, on so many issues, but the big one that is biting me hard is that of participation and advocacy.

Some pre-reading for you. When you've had a look, come back and read the rest of the blog. Or for those of you who are up to date, or can't be bothered, head directly to GO.

Mob Rule by Erin Gilmore @ OnTheLine blog

A Matter of When by Katie from QuarterhorseNews.com

Epona editorial

For those not familiar with FEIreinergate, Epona TV filmed a high profile reiner warming his horse up before an event. Warming his horse up in a way that could easily be read as contravening FEI General Rule 142. No action was taken against this person at the time, and they went on to win silver that day. I won't name the person, because for me, it's not about the individual, but about the structure and governance of the sport at a number of levels, and about what is accepted (note: not acceptable) and what is not.

It's been interesting reading articles, responses, commentary on this event, both in terms of the event itself, and of Epona's decision to film and broadcast the action. People have responded by attacking Epona, attacking the individual filmed, attacking each other, criticising the stewards there on the day, and the odd comment on the FEI, the Chief Steward, and The Rules (mainly @carrotsandbute). Mostly it has been individualised, personalised comment. And the main conclusion has been “boohoo; yeah real bad, but nothing I can do about it”.

To that sweet little copout, wash-my-hands-of-responsibility-whilst-maintaining-the-feel-goods, I say bullshit.

As a horse ~~owner, rider, educator, judge, trainer, health care provider~~ person, I have a responsibility for the horses in my immediate care, but I also have a responsibility to take ownership of the sport in which I am involved. I don’t just pay my membership and entry fees, rock up , compete and go home. As a paid up member of my chosen sport, I have a duty and a right to say what is good, what is acceptable and what is not. I am entitled to have a say about how my sport is run, and a say on the welfare of those who participate, particularly those who do not chose but are chosen to participate. I am entitled to have input, to be heard. And in fact, when no one else will, I have an absolute duty to be vocal about the unacceptable, especially when those who are on the receiving end, such as the horse, cannot.

To those who say "yeah that's bad, but pity. What can be done about it? (code for I don't want to do anything about it)" here is a solution. It's quick, dirty, cheap and effective. Trust me, just go ask Cycling Victoria. I am on their hot list of annoying vocal members who effect outcomes.

Get your voice out there: Get pixel to pixel happening and communicate, via any means you feel comfortable with, and by as many modes as possible. Email your local governing body, and their governing body, and THEIR governing body. Tweet and Facebook and blog so people do find out about the issues, can do their own research and make informed decisions, and spread the word if they feel it needs to be spread.And do it repeatedly. Don't get personal about it, it's not about the person, it's about the horse. We are the only ones who can advocate for the horse. Are you prepared to stand up for your horse, and my horse, and his/her horse?

One mosquito can make a lot of buzzing, and through social networking, can have a much larger impact than the individual realises. I am reading an editorial from an European website via Twitter, here in Melbourne Australia, and am now blogging about it.

It’s not hard. It’s simply having the conviction to do it.

And a reminder as to what exactly Article 142 is:

It doesn't just apply to dressage!

Article 142 - Abuse of Horses

1. No person may abuse a Horse during an Event or at any other time. “Abuse” means an action or omission which causes or is likely to cause pain or unnecessary discomfort to a Horse, including, but not limited to:

- To whip or beat a Horse excessively;

- To subject a Horse to any kind of electric shock device;

- To use spurs excessively or persistently;

- To jab the Horse in the mouth with the bit or any other device;

- To compete using an exhausted, lame or injured Horse;

- To "rap" a Horse.

- To abnormally sensitise or desensitise any part of a Horse;

- To leave a Horse without adequate food, drink or exercise;

- To use any device or equipment which causes excessive pain to the Horse upon knocking down an obstacle.

2. Any person witnessing an Abuse must report it in the form of a protest (Article 163) without delay. If an Abuse is witnessed during or in direct connection with an Event, it should be reported as a protest (Article 163) to an Official. If the Abuse is witnessed at any other time it should be reported as a protest (Article 163) to the Secretary General for referral to the FEI Tribunal.

Law #9 The Law of Energy

2011-04-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

I came across this (via twitter of all things) today: The 10 Irrefutable Laws of Horsemanship as written by a vet who specialises in equine dentristy.

I sent the link to Nancyboi to distract him from his work. He responded with, what does law #9 mean?

It was a good question, because it got me thinking. Law #9 means to me, off the top of my head:

energy in, energy out
energy goes where you are looking and/or thinking
energy can help you, or hinder you, depending on how you manifest it
energy does unexpected things
control the horse's energy by controlling your own
match your energy to your horse's, and your horse's energy will synchronise with yours
things don't happen without energy
don't be afraid of energy; learn how it feels, and how to direct it (see the second point)
there is good energy and bad energy, both in terms of input and output, physically and emotionally
you can make choices about energy
your energy is your responsibility
your horse can also make choices about his energy, but often, it's reactive when there is a human involved
your horse's energy is your responsibility when you are with your horse

There is a lot packed into that one little law!

Playing dress ups

2011-04-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

There is something about horse riding gear, both casual and competition, that always gives me a little bit of a buzz. I'm no fashionista, and well, clothes are clothes. But I love wearing my jods and boots around the place, way way more so than my cycling kit for example.Sure I enjoy wearing my "special kit" racing the track bike, and in particular my sponsor's kit, but for me, horse riding gear is a little bit something more. Hey, I even happily stride around the local supermarket in my smelly, hair covered riding gear. No way I'd wear my cycling kit at the supermarket! And work clothes - I can't wait to get out my office clothes when I get home. But I can wear my jods all day. They make me feel special.

At Dressage with the Stars last month, I saw something radical: stretch polyester competition jackets. Quality material, thick, well cut. A little bit like this. In fact, as it turns out, just that exactly! I've not competed for many years, and it was in the days of wool blend, cotton and polyester. Navy pin stripe, or black, with buttons not zips. All very traditional, no colour, boring.

But I see the EA rules have been modified since those days (hmm all of 6 yrs ago!!) so that, basically, any colour goes. Tradition can be warped a little, personalised a little. So I am dreaming of a lavender jacket, with chocolate piping trim, chocolate hat and boots, lavender gloves. Nothing loud, but discrete muted tones. Could be kinda fun :-)

Is Everything OK...??

2011-03-24T19:37:00.001-07:00

From shoes to boots in 10 days

2011-03-20T17:29:00.000-07:00

I rode Moonie for the first time in two weeks on the weekend, and apparently both of us were grinning from ear to ear during that first ride on Saturday. The easycare boots arrived last week, and the new (secondhand) Barefoot London treeless saddle arrived a week earlier, so with equipment in hand, we were ready to go!

The difference in Moonie's movement was immediate and, well, brilliant! He moved like a young Moonie, not the stiff choppy pony-gaited horse he has been in the last few months. I noticed a difference in his movement immediately his shoes came off. Combine that with a saddle that seems to work for him (I am still dealing with it!! see pics) and I could barely sit his walk, and at the moment, his canter is too big for me to sit while I am adjusting to the saddle. His big trot is back, and I am struggling to sit his powerful working trot. All is one with the world again! I had forgotten how much movement the back and hips have to absorb when riding a horse that is truly using itself.

So, to back track. After his trim we did this:

using Keratex Hoof Soaker stuff.

And then, because he was a little sore, stepping short and not wanting to move much, we did this:

We kept the pads on his fronts only for 36 hours, then a day and a half bare, and then another 36 hours padded. This got him through the first week post trim. After that, he seemed fine. The thrush kill process has been kept up, using Keratex disinfectant. As that has really seemed to knock the worst of the thrush off, I'll swap to copper sulphate & apple cider vinegar every second day until the thrush has left town for good.

Here's a tip with the Easycare Epics: play around with the wiring set up to get the boot snug as. Moonie twists his hinds a little, and his offside hooves are a different shape (and size) to his near side hooves. His first trip around the place with the boots, and the offs were twisting. A bit of a tweak and play around, and they are better. I also opted for some pad inserts when ordering the boots. I think these will also be necessary to stabilise the off side boots. Again, it's just a matter of trial and error.

And a comment on the Barefoot London. It's lovely and soft, but sits on the horse "wide" ie there is a lot of leather/saddle under my leg. You can see how far down my legs the flaps come, and combine that with no twist at all (ie my legs stick out sideways to get around Moonie's barrel), and an 18" seat (that was the payback on getting a good buy on a second hander), I am struggling to find my seat, and place my leg correctly under my hip, let alone use my leg lightly with effect. It will come, but something to be mindful when transitioning from a commercial treed saddle (designed for riders, not horses) to a treeless saddle.

Yesterday's day 2 ride:


How wide can my hips go?


A little bit sideways

Stretching out

Round on round

Looking like a cowpony, swinging out.

These boots were made for...

2011-03-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

We ordered Moonie's new boots today, with a big THANK YOU to Mike Ware of Easycare Downunder for his advice via email and phone. I have dealt with Easycare Downunder previously, and the support/advice and ease of dealing with them has always been excellent.

Anyway, it will take a few days for the Moonstar's new boots to arrive, so in the interim, to keep his feet happy, which then keeps his gut happy, and his soul happy, his feet had been padded up, using EVA100 rubber and heavy duty duct tape. While he walks around just fine without the pads, once they are on, his movement improves significantly. Even better than when shod (on grass that is). Which goes to show how much we take for granted ie what I was used to in terms of Moonie's regular walk with shoes, was not actually his best walk. His best walk comes unshod, barefoot trimmed, padded.

His treeless saddle arrived on Friday, complete with saddle pads and inserts. It will take some tweaking to get the pads right for his particular needs, but I am confident he will do well with the new set up. I won't ride him until his feet are protected enough to keep him comfortable under saddle. The arena is deep shavings, but I am keen to look after his feet while they grow and transition from shod to bare.

Where Moonie Loses a Shoe - Forever

2011-03-09T16:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Moonie's shoes came off. And they are not going back on again.

He has been shod for 3/4 of his life (rough estimate) with some time off during non-riding times. Late last year I was surprised to see (with new barefoot eyes) at how contracted his feet seemed. Not only were the heels contracted, as one would expect, but I am sure they used to be bigger. He'd had a rough year with his feet obviously, with some large cracks the length of the wall, had some very obvious thrush going on, and, well, they just didn't "look" right. At that stage, he was not mine, so I left it alone, but really really wanted to take his shoes off and let his feet breath.

So now he is mine, I can take his shoes off, and support him through his transition to barefoot. And yesterday was Day 1.

Here are his feet just before the shoes came off, six weeks after being shod for the last time:

Above: Near fore

Above: hinds ready for shoe removal

When his shoes came off, Jade the Trimmer and I got one hell of a shock: a drastically separated white line on all four feet, medially 3-5 o'clock, lowered soles, and LOTS of thrush. As the shoes came off, the rush of thrush odour was strong.

Shoe off, off fore


Trim in process off fore


Solar view OF trimmed. Check out the black bits and the thin walls


Trimming offhind

It's interesting to see how much a shoe hides, including correct foot balance, as well as pathologies.

Moonie's initial reaction to the new trim was to really "feel" his feet, and then spring his way back to his paddock as though he had new feet. As predicted, he is very tender today. I'm not surprised, as this is a horse that cannot walk comfortably on gravel when shod. This afternoon, his feet will be soaked in keratex, and foam padding gaffa taped to his sole so he can move comfortably, and keep the blood flowing through his feet. Boots are being ordered as I type.

Apart from improving the overall health of his feet (which ties in with his gut health, Cushings and IR) we are working towards lifting his soles back into a lovely arch, where they should be (and haven't been for well over a decade at least), and growing his heel out properly again. Slowly, with a new treeless saddle, barefoot hooves, herbal support combined with solid weight management, Moonie is turning into a treehugging hipster! Stay tuned for his progress.....

Another gratuitous photo post

2011-03-02T18:39:00.000-08:00

This photo is blurry but I don't care. I love the focus and intent in Moonie's walk. Check out the loop in the line - can't get much lighter than that! Last night we did some pole work, as I have been under the weather and not riding. Time to get the pony's back moving and lifting! One of the effects of Cushings is loss of topline, so I am plan to circumvent that with regular exercise that encourages good use of Moonie's back muscles and his hindquarter. He used to have terrific gaskin development. That has now faded (a bit like my cycling quads at the moment). If they don't get used, they get lost! So he is walked and trotted over pole sequences, logs, 12-18inch jumps, wide planks, caveletti. You can see, he really gets into it.

Prepared for the Apocalypse!

2011-02-21T16:29:00.000-08:00

This post is just a gratuitous excuse to put up the above photo of Moonie, taken over the weekend. This is his daily get up ie grazing muzzle and fly mask. By the time it all comes off in the evening, he is more than happy to see me! Both bits of gear are doing their job, keeping his slim and fly free.

The reception at the agistment property to the grazing muzzle has been interesting, mainly consisting of pity bordering on cruelty accusations in the first instance. Now, after nearly two weeks of observing Moonie's management of daily life (ie grazing and drinking) with the muzzle, most people are receptive, but still not willing to embrace a muzzle for their own chronically fat and metabolically challenged horses. Funny how people are prepared to let their horses suffer from obesity whilst denying themselves an opportunity to manage that obesity and its related health issues, deeming it too cruel for their horses. Ironic.

He's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

2011-02-10T19:07:00.000-08:00

Moonie is back in Melbourne, happily settled in to a paddock full of grass. He's in good shape at the moment, looking quite trim and healthy, so there is urgency to keep him that way when surrounded by swathes of lushness. I gave him half an hour or so after he got off the truck to have something to eat, and a drink, before trying a grazing muzzle on the poor man. He's never had one on before, and took it all quite well with no fuss or bother. He was processing the concept of being able to attempt to graze when I left him, and he'd had an attempt at drinking ie dipping the end of the muzzle in the water bucket. As I walked away, the look he gave me. If looks could kill!

He'll have another session this afternoon with the muzzle (and overnight he has started to react to the change in pasture already! so it needs to be done) with longer sessions tomorrow and Sunday, ready for the long weekdays with it on. Welcome back Moonie!

Full Moon

2011-01-20T14:33:00.000-08:00

The handsome fella above is coming back to me, to stay permanently. I am stoked and excited to have Moonie back, after 6 years away. We are coming full circle, and what was started 19 years ago when I bought Moonie and began a journey of understanding myself and understanding horses, and who we are together, will be returned. Now I can take those 19 years of learning and give them back to a lovely mature soul who will need some TLC in his last decade.

We haz skywets

2011-01-12T16:55:00.000-08:00

While the photo doesn't show it too well, it's raining, still. Heavy sodden rain. And it's very warm and muggy. Melbourne doesn't do muggy. Well it didn't when I moved here from Queensland (which is why I moved here, in part, from Queensland). Talking of Queensland, it's been raining there too. Lots. For weeks and weeks. So much so there is massive, drastic flooding across a great deal of the state. Toowoomba was badly impacted earlier this week, and is pertinent to me, as my mother and sister (and her paint horses) live just out of Toowoomba. Toowoomba is also where my parents met, but that's another story. Fortunately my sister and her horses are safe, just cut off from civilisation, which would probably suit them in some ways!

Closer to home, I've not been rugging Maz in this weather. She is prone to chilling, especially when wet, but when it's consistently over 20 degrees and very high humidity overnight, she'd get wetter under a light waterproof, than without one. Because of the weather, and life, Maz has had little work since the apple bribing episode. But she is happy and content, and was perfectly obliging when I soaked her seedy toed hoof in a big yellow bucket of seedy toe killer after the trimmer had been last night. She continues to surprise me. I expected her to cope for a little while then get bored and cranky but instead, she chilled out, foot in bucket, while I scratched her whither, until it was time up. And then I had to really ask her to lift her leg to remove the bucket from under her. Funny girl. Their understanding never ceases to amaze me.

A slither of apple

2011-01-06T17:57:00.000-08:00

My routine at the moment is come home from work, take a flying leap onto the trainer, whip out ~40km of some kind of effort on the fixie, shower, change, out to the paddock to work and feed the mare. Yesterday I was running a little behind schedule, so decided to work more on acceptance of the bit, when bridling that is!.

I finely sliced some apples, to use as a 'sweetner' in my hand under the bit, to encourage Maz to stop moving her muzzle around (avoiding the bit) and to open her mouth by herself. The best laid plans....

After catching her, showing her gums to another agistee (that's another story!) I got the bridle, and thought I'd try as per usual first up. She did nothing. As in, no moving of her head to avoid my hand with the bit in it. She didn't open her mouth, but she didn't say "I ain't going near that thing with my mouth either". So I slipped my thumb in her mouth, slide the bit in as she opened up and the deed was simply done. As soon as the headpiece was over her ears, I gave her some apple anyway. And so it went. After five goes, a few with some little head dodges, but more out of tedium than anything else, I took the bridle off for the final time, thrilled with the progress we had made. A few days off, some TLC and chill out time, and a back step with the work load, and Maz's attitude is back on track, and back to being her more pleasant willing self.

Sometimes having too much to do, resulting in cutting back on other things and compromising on what can get done, is a bonus, not a failure.

In other news, I've been checking out heavy duty, snow-proof winter riding gear (boots, gloves etc) while the Aussie dollar is strong, and it's snowing in the northern hemisphere. It's difficult to get very solid, truly cold-proof cold weather gear in Australia (stuf that is Raynauds-proof!), and it's difficult to get cold weather gear at a reasonable price. So I have been shopping online, looking at pictures of amazing looking lined, waterproofed, snowtread boots in snowcovered fields, while it is 35 humid degrees outside. Somehow, it feels just a little ironic...

A Matter of Trust

2011-01-04T20:55:00.000-08:00

With Maz going so well last week, something had to give and as always with green horses, it's two steps forward and one back.

In some areas Maz continues to improve. I now have a light, responsive leadable horse, but one who is not so thrilled to be "working". I am not sure if it's boredom, being overwhelmed or something else, but the look on her face when I put the bridle on a few days ago said it all. I have started to begin long reining, as well lying across her back. She is coping well with these activities, although I feel she is really not 100% convinced that she is safe/secure. She is definitely standing on the edge of her comfort zone, and when moved into a new venue (ie front most yard on the property rather than the most back paddock) she loses all focus except for potential bogeys (of which there are apparently many). There is no point working a horse whose focus is scattergunned all over the shop!

So I have taken a step back, to work on consolidating her total trust in me (which will take time of course), rather than pushing the need for her to be under saddle and under my butt! I am also working on total acceptance of having the bit put in her mouth (instead of no! no! no! oh, okay then) and complete acceptance of being girthed. Currently we walk in circles until the girth is secured by some holes. Then we may have a little more circling over 2-3 periods of tightening the girth to a secure point. Once she is "fully" girthed up, I can move the girth holes up and down as I like without her moving. I can remove the roller/saddle and regirth without Maz feeling the need to physically leave. Only on the initial girthing do I get a version of "well, I ain't hanging around for this!". Interestingly, on the 2nd and 3rd girthings last night, she simply glazed over and zoned out, mentally leaving town. That was sad to watch. I find it curious, particularly as the need to walk away is not accompanied by any aggression, adrenalin, high tension etc, just a simple "I don't feel comfortable standing here while this is happening." This followed by a mental shut down (just as dangerous as a physical objection) has me thinking. Again it's a security/trust thing and I need to find a way to resolve this quandary before I take her too much further forward. If I don't, it's likely to pop back up bigger and brighter, and at a most inconvenient time!

So some lessons, like the one last night, may only be 10 minutes long. Others may be 20 - 30 minutes (but no longer), which includes walking from one end of the property to the other, and back again. I'm not sure what happened to the mare who was confident to check out what's in that otto bin, to one who is becoming insecure and introverted. Obviously there are some memories attached to mouthing and mounting that I need to work through, to help Maz understand she is going to have an ok deal with me, and be rewarded and appreciated for her smallest efforts in helping me help her.

Gotta love a smart pony!

2010-12-28T18:43:00.000-08:00

Today was saddling up day with Maz. Yesterday I girthed her up with the lunging roller and she was fine. She should have been fine with the saddle as well, but I wasn't convinced and took precautions. Despite the precautions, she reacted dramatically and turned into a loose bucking bronco for several minutes. But while she was in the midst of mild panic dealing with this thing on her back, she managed to keep her brain switched on enough to get herself out of some potentially sticky, risky spots. She looked where she put her feet, where her body was in space, and was quick-thinking and smart enough to solve a couple of dicey problems mid-flight.

While I was totally not impressed that she was reacting as she was, I was thrilled to see her work through the tight spots she put herself in, without more panic or too much difficulty for that matter. Smart pony!

Later, after we had finished with the groundwork, post bronc episode, we went for a walk to some tarps and an Otto bin. She checked out the rattling tarps but wasn't fully convinced. She then let me check out the bin to see if it was safe, and once she was happy I wasn't going to get sucked in, she walked straight up and stuck her nose in to see what I was looking at. I was stoked. She was working with me of her own volition, and showing me trust. Not bad for a horse that had been fighting a pain memory 20 minutes earlier and not convinced when I started to work with her once the tanty had stopped. Smart pony!

Looking good

2010-12-26T15:50:00.000-08:00

Christmas eve, and the neighbouring alpaca (I assume it was one of those, and not a llama!) came over to see what the new brown thing was in the paddock next door. The same could be said for Maz!

To see her move out well, with her signature slinkyness is fantastic: no lameness, no hobbling, no soreness, no unevenness. After four weeks, she is back to her normal, easy self to handle. I have moved her down the back of the property, as she was very lonely on her own at the front. For some reason, all the horses are currently in back paddocks. So now she is beside her front paddock buddy, and is very relaxed and content.

I'll be working with her more intensely this week, while I am off work. So long as it stops raining!

Saddle fit

2010-12-26T15:39:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the blurriness of the photo, but you get the idea. I've been meaning to post this photo since I took it mid last week. This white patch (and it's matching sibling on the nearside) were not there last weekend. Maz had her showerproofs on for a few days early last week, because, well it was raining! Come Wednesday when the rugs came off, this pair of beauties were in full white glory.

To say I was stunned (and a bit shocked) is an understatement. They are evidence of muscle damage caused by a saddle: the trainer's saddle. I know this because 1) she has not been ridden in any other saddle in the last 4 yrs and 2) these two patches correspond to two areas of swelling and tissue damage Maz had when I pulled the pin on the trainer. What I find remarkable is that the trainer told me he had only ridden the mare three times (although that's not what told other people, in front of me!).

The other point of interest in the location of these patches is what lies underneath. Not just muscle and muscle junctures (lat dorsi, traps etc) but also acupressure points and nerve pathways. We take for granted the body of our horses because they are so large, and seemingly strong, powerful and resilient. They are not. I love these white patches as much as I loathe them (for the pain that Maz has obviously endured) because they demonstrate so clearly how quickly and easily muscle damage can occur in such an athletic animal; and because they also demonstrate how complex, intricate and fragile the whither area is (amongst others).

My hope now is that the white hair is temporary, and with good massage, exercise and feed, the hairs will shed and be replaced by healthy dark brown hair that should be there.

The Girl and The Horse

2010-12-19T19:26:00.000-08:00

With thanks to camera obscura/billie for the heads up

Or try here

Rehab Day 14

2010-12-16T18:31:00.000-08:00

Fri Dec 17

I've had a few days off working with Maz, thanks to a nasty side effect of some missing bugs! Wednesday was Maz's monthly pedicure with our favourite barefoot trimmer. I figured that was enough "handling" for the day, and as it turned out, the trimmer was able to finally cut away a manky section of old abscess decay that had finally grown down from coronet to toe level. This left Maz a little tender on that hoof, and a bit "hoofless" across all four legs, so there was no point in doing anything with her beyond her trim on Wednesday.

Yesterday afternoon, I had the energy to give Maz a light massage (nothing intensive or overly probing), working on a few problem areas. She is still very protective of her neck, although I am able to work along her neckline to her crest now, which is a great breakthrough. She is improving in all areas, and her muscles in general no longer feel hard and flat (apart from those in her neck!).

I also checked out the fit of my dressage saddle on her, something I have been avoiding. I love my stubben and don't really want to replace it. But as it was fitted to Moonie, all 14.3 1/2 hands of him, I really didn't expect it to fit Maz. So when I put it on her (she was wary, but allowing, waiting for the cinching up and pain I expect) I was stoked to find it fits her quite well. Through the shoulders its a lovely fit, with a good angle, width and height. There is no bridging and the channel seems adequately wide enough (another concern). So the verdict is that it is worthwhile getting the master saddler out to fit it to her properly, rather than ditching the whole thing and taking the hit buying another saddle.

Whilst I was fitting things to her, I also had another go with bridling. This time she was more compliant, in that we didn't have absolute "no way!" tanties, just a persistent "I don't want to", to which I persistently responded with "yes, please". Lots of nice negotiation and rewards for each movement towards me, and once the hunk of metal ( a comfy PZ bit) was in her mouth, she was happy for the headpiece to go on. The issue is not headshyness, it's having the bit in her mouth. I've made plans for a bitless version of her current bridle, as Plan B if Plan A (bitted) is too challenging for Maz at the moment.

Once the bit was in, I tested her responsiveness to bit pressure (ie how well the #@%^ trainer had actually mouthed her) using my forefinger hooked on the ring. Interestingly, in typical "baby" fashion, she would yield slowly but decisively if I requested it to the side I was on. If I requested to the other side (ie the side I wasn't on) the response was very slow in coming, and very limited ie she wasn't fully "understanding" the request. So that would be a fail on part of the trainer and the mouthing he apparently did, considering her capacity prior, and being told she had no mouth by the trainer, and need a lot of work (which I knew was bollocks to begin with). The bottom line is that I need to do some refresher mouthing of her myself, so that I absolutely know what she knows. Being a smart mare, it won't take much work.

Post massage, coming back down to the ground (where are my legs??). Even after grounding her to complete the massage, she takes a few minutes to come back into herself. Note the position of her legs, compared to 2 weeks ago ie one at each corner, where they should be (and the resting hind,chilling out). Apparently this morning she has her feet back on the ends of her legs! Proprioception returns after a trim, and massage.

Rehab Day 10

2010-12-13T20:36:00.000-08:00

Monday 13 Dec

Today I decided to revisit leading (thanks Carlos). Leading is a basic concept and a basic requirement of horse handling. Maz leads fine, but has been a bit bargey and forward, heavy and only just in control on the line since coming home. Unusually so. So there are obviously issues that need addressing.

In the round yard, she was tense, stressed, as I expected. She was tense beforehand, being groomed at the tie up rail. I expected this as well, but also expected her to settle. She didn't. I am dealing with a brand new horse, one apparently that has little human handling in her 10 years of life with me. Uhuh..

I spent 20minutes working with her, getting her to lead quietly, head at my shoulder, responsive to my length of stride, my body movements. Normally she settles quickly and tunes in. Instead she was like a radio that wouldn't quite catch the station clearly. There was a fair bit of static that was hard work to get through. In fact there were a couple of major tanties, which was disappointing, but we dealt with them calmly and safely, as I pushed her flailing front hooves away from me. Working from the offside was challenging for her, but also captured her attention more, as she tried to work out what the hell I was doing there. I felt clumsy and awkward, but we did better work in the end on the "wrong" side. I was pleasantly surprised however, at her lightness off my shifts in the rope to halt, back, flex left and right, move her hindquarters left and right. It's somewhat ironic that her main issue is going forward ie we have too much forward. Ironic, because you want that much forward in dressage, but with control, of course. Currently control is a fine line tripwire on a trigger(un)happy horse.

It was interesting to watch (and confirm) her lack of confidence, and consequent confusion and fear from that lack of self belief and confidence. We have some work to do. I have some thinking to work through, some observations to record and note, and need to create well defined, safe opportunities for the mare to get that confidence and trust back before I can do anything else. If she can't/won't lead safely, then there is not much else she will do in a calm, relaxed and safe manner until she can lead lightly, rather than attempt to take control all the time.

2 Week review

2010-12-12T15:01:00.000-08:00

This is the end result of two weeks' rest, specific feeding, massage, care. While Maz has a way to go yet to strengthen her back and hindquarter soft tissue, retrain her proprioception, and her head space, the difference already is excellent. I put these two photos up to remind myself of how far we have already progressed in such a short time.

The in-hand work yesterday (Day 1) was not without issues:

That would be a no.

Followed by a yes

And more yes.

We had barging, pushing, leaning, some definite no’s and many many I don’t want to’s, and some make me’s. Mostly this was lack of confidence, a lot of insecurity and fear. This will be the bulk of the rehab work with Maz now. Interestingly, now that she is feeling physically better, I am getting some attitudinal issues. I went to bridle her before (and again after) her work, to get the fit of the new bit right. I’ve never had a problem bridling her before. Now I do, with a definite, adamant no. It will take some work to sort that out, but I have plenty of time and will chip away at it, through a holistic approach ie the work in hand, massage, reinforcing manners on the ground all come together to build confidence and trust. At the moment, she doesn’t trust the bridle and what it means. I don’t blame her.

Saturday with Carlos

2010-12-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

This weekend was another focussing on the way of the pony. Saturday I went to a Carlos Tabernaberri clinic, held just around the corner. I have skimmed Carlos’s book, read a few of his articles, looked at his website. People I know rave about the man. Well, he is kinda good looking, so I assumed there is a bit of physicality attached to his growing guru status. Certainly his stated philosophies, and what he says he does are not new. Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance, Arthur Kottas, Kyra Kyrkland,e ven Franz Mairinger spring to mind when I read/hear his words. So I was expecting a bit of a show, with some quality horsehandling attached to it.

When I actually met the man, I was pleasantly surprised by a quiet, polite, interested, genuine human who remembered my two companions from other interactions, and remembered my name throughout the whole day. His hands-on work with horses is excellent, and he is obviously a talented, skilled and thoughtful horseman. He had a few digs at the Parelli type approaches, but backed up all his criticisms by showing alternate methods with horses that belonged to the clinic attendees ie not his own, not ones that had been “prepared earlier”. In fact, one horse in particular was very bullying towards his owner, yet Carlos was able to demonstrate that a quiet but assertive approach would overcome this horse’s persistent striving for seniority in the status stakes. I hope Carlos has another clinic just around the corner early next year. I think Maz would benefit greatly from the experience, as an outing, for the socialisation aspect, and for a bit of a “challenge” to her ego and confidence.

Rehab Day 9

2010-12-12T02:39:00.000-08:00

Sunday Dec 12

Rehab Day 7

2010-12-09T14:37:00.000-08:00

Friday Dec 10

The power of massage and other bodywork modalities, and the intent to heal, never ceases to amaze me. Maz is progressing well, and as I have mentioned before, old swellings and bruisings are fading, with new areas popping up as her body releases and realigns, recentres itself.

Overall last night's massage went well, with some very intensive work in her offhind. She had been fidgety and inattentive when I started the massage, but by the time I was working on her back, she had stopped and was tuned in to the work I was doing. As I started to along the length of the longissimus the mare began to move with me, working to help me get into the muscle. For me, it was confirming: I was doing good work in a way that worked for her. When I moved to the hindquarter, she let me work right into the sore areas, showing me where she wanted the work done.

Yet, by the time I reached the hindquarters on the other side, she'd well and truly had enough and I did minimal work compared to the other side. Fortunately I remember to swap which side I start on each time I massage her, for this reason: Maz won't tolerate more than 35 minutes of work at the moment. It means I have to focus on those areas that need work and slowly stretch out to those areas that should have work but time/attention won't permit. Her neck continues to be problematic, in that she does have work that needs doing in her neck, but she is very defensive and protective of these areas. I do wonder what has happened to make her so, when she so readily lets me in to her hindquarters. Perhaps it's just easier to kick me with a hind leg when I go too far, than bite or strike me with a front leg when doing the neck? Anyway, each time I can progress a little further with the neck work. Last night I was able to finger fan the crest line, and do a modified squeeze and lift in some areas - a huge improvement on a few weeks ago when you could not even touch her crest.

I expected Maz to be stiff, tetchy and have taken a step backward today with the work I did yesterday, but the report back from this morning's feed is that she is moving very well, smoothly, but irritable in her attitude. I moved a lot of energy through her system last night, and challenged a few areas, so it will take a few days for her to process it.

Rehab Day 6

2010-12-08T18:08:00.000-08:00

Thursday Dec 9

This morning she was parked at the gate again, and had troubles reversing and moving away from the gate. Once she was away from the gate and moving, she was fine. Parking and moving after parking, plus reversing will be a barometer for Maz's progress. Her attitude is high, and it's great to see her personality shining once more.

If the weather holds out, she'll be getting a massage this afternoon. I have scar tissue to work on, and muscle fibres to stretch, blood flow to get pumping and healing soft tissue.

Rehab Day 5

2010-12-08T18:03:00.000-08:00

Wed Dec 8

Maz is improving daily. While she is still stiff and very slow to move after standing for a period of time, when she gets going and walks into it, she is more fluid than she was. She is starting to perk up in her attitude and personality as well, throwing empty feed bins around for a bit of a joke. Apparently she was playing with the visiting roos this morning!

As of today, she is getting an oil blend in her feed, only in very small quantities at this stage.

The Horse | Video - Back Problems and Therapeutic Options

2010-12-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

The Horse | Video - Back Problems and Therapeutic Options

Methods for determining sites of muscular-skeletal causes of lameness and poor performance. Worth the watch.

The Horse | Video - Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy

2010-12-08T14:29:00.000-08:00

The Horse | Video - Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy

An interesting genetic discussion of PSSM. Blame the great war horses of the medieval knights!

Background image

2010-12-07T19:51:00.000-08:00

Just a quick word on the background image for this blog. The three redheads are some beautiful Irish Sporthorses (I think one may be full draught??) bred by a buddy of mine in Gippsland. She kindly let me use the image, so you'll be seeing it on my business cards and business website sometime in 2011. Thanks X!!!!

Day 4 rehab

2010-12-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

Tuesday Dec 7

This morning she was parked at the gate, and didn’t move as I went in and out of the paddock. This was a concern, as it meant she was not inclined to move, which meant when she did, it was going to be ugly. It certainly wasn’t pretty, as she had stiffened up standing there and had to back up to clear space for her front end to move around. She finally made it, slowly and painfully. My immediate thought was: time to call the vet.

Interestingly, while she has appetite for the chaff and herb mix, she is not eating her hay, having picked out all the rye from the rye clover mix, leaving the clover behind (and a bit of rye for that matter). Have changed to pasture hay. She walked over, sniffed it, looked at me as if to say “You gotta be kidding” and wandered off. She makes me smile.

In the evening she was moving well, with lots of swing through the back, although her strides were uneven behind and stepping short near hind as per usual. She even trotted and looked sound at the trot. Her right hock has lost some heat (as well as the mud poultice! multiple reapplications required). The haematoma on her nearside withers (cranio-dorsal aspect of thoracic trapezius) has gone!!! Now the real cause of the haematoma is apparent – a muscle tear you can put your fingertip into, similar to the one on her nearside hindquarter. The swellings over her longus-gluteal junction on both sides have also diminished. Two days after massage: one happy owner! Planning another massage for Thursday if the weather is kind; we have heavy rains forecast from Wednesday to Friday.

Yes, that IS two kangaroos biffoing on in the background

Day 3 rehab

2010-12-07T19:25:00.001-08:00

Monday Dec 6

Mobile, but short stepping behind, moving cautiously and taking it slowly and settling into the paddock. She looks tired, very tired. Her right hock has swollen and is marginally hotter than the left, so applying mud poultice. The defurred bits are now small open wounds – did she hit herself with her opposite foot getting up? Her proprioception is wacky at the moment, and there are moments were she seems to lose sense of where her feet are, so it’s quite likely. I wondered how both hocks were debarked in the first place.

A paddock buddy sms me later in the evening to say she has seen Maz trotting, and she looked well, no sign of lameness, but stepped up short transitioning into walk. It was heartening to hear.

Feed the same.

Day 2 rehab

2010-12-07T19:01:00.002-08:00

Day 2 Sunday Dec 5

AM : When I finally got to her paddock, she was lying down, but she got up readily and came over to the gate to meet me. I had no issue putting on her halter (a problem at the trainer’s apparently) with her dropping her nose as per usual to take the halter. She took the probiotic over the tongue after realising I wasn’t going to put a bit in her mouth. I hand fed her the mineral supplement pellets, which she gobbled down keenly (return of interest in food!) and ate much more of her morning feed than she had the day before. Her coat was glowing, and her posture was more relaxed, although she was still standing well under herself front and back.

PM: Again came up to the gate to greet us. She’d had a roll and was looking happy, but tired and sore. She was happy to be haltered, and willing to hang in the paddock shelter entrance to be massaged. The massage was mainly effleurage, sweating, compressions, some flat hand rotations, limited cross–fibre and insertion-origin work, and appropriately-placed finger fanning. Some areas of her body showed improvement, others will take longer, and with the improvement in some areas, new spots cropped up from underneath the superficial muscles. Some of these appeared under my hand as the superficial muscles relaxed and gave way. She has some deeply bedded damage in her muscles. Although the flat hand assessment showed more obvious tightness and issues on the left side, she is much much more sore on the offside, even “biting” my elbow at one point to let me know. As I massaged, her posture began to change, and her stance opened out on the side I was working on. After the massage, while she didn’t move out well initially with shortness and uneveness behind, her posture was improved and more open and balanced with more swing through her back. And her coat looked fantastic with a sleek shine and deep inner glow that had been absent while she was away.

Feed: AM oaten and lucerne chaff soaked, copra soaked, mineral and vit supplement, chamomile tea and slippery elm, probiotic.

PM oaten and lucerne chaff soaked, mineral and vit supplement, chamomile tea and slippery elm, probiotic (She almost sucked the probiotic out of the syringe!), rye clover hay dry I biscuit.

Day 1 rehab

2010-12-07T19:01:00.000-08:00

Day 1 Saturday Dec 4

Home after an emotional tussle with loading on the float (her emotions, not mine). She travelled well, and was calling hello as she offloaded from the float. A quick hose down, and into the paddock with a late morning feed. A few hours later, we checked her again and gave her soaked hay (which she picked through but didn’t eat much of. Soaking wet hay is novel to her, so not surprised). Her morning feed was only 2/3rds eaten, and she was hanging around the water trough, sipping frequently, or walking as though relieving stiffness or pain, and returning after each “lap” to the water trough. Evening feed and she was looking much more de-stressed, and happy to hang out with the humans.

Back Story Part 3

2010-12-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

at trainer's 29/11/10

During the time she was at the trainers, she was confined to a small yard, had a dramatic increase in activity, and was worked heavily, and had her diet changed without regard to her previous diet. This diet change included incorporation of steam rolled barley, which the mare was fussy about, fortunately. In her 10 years, she has never eaten “whole” grain, with her only exposure to grain being through Mitavite extruded grain products ie highly processed. Her forage was oaten based, chaff and very small quantities of hay. Lucerne was fed irregularly as chaff.

In the week before Maz came home, my web browsing led me back to EPSM, a topic I had come across (and dismissed) while researching Cushings and metabolic syndromes. But after reading a few case studies and personal reports, a few lightbulbs and connecting dots did their thing for me. Odd, abnormal (for Maz) things that Maz was doing like foot stomping, kicking out, shifting weight, holding up legs like a puppy with a thorn in its paw and yet being reluctant to pick up her feet when asked, odd choppy gait, and some weird proprioception, plus the pattern of weight loss, a change in her posture and way of standing at rest.

Once I got her home, the change in her stress levels was dramatic. Within a few hours, the tension and strain had disappeared from her face, and her skin. However, she was doing a few more strange things, like hanging around the water trough A LOT, lots of sipping water, fussing through her food with no appetite. Something else was going on, as well as the possibility of EPSM. My guts were saying ulcer; her not me.

So, with a week of obsessing about Maz’s rehab, and thoughts of an ulcer to add into the mix, I made a plan of attack:

1. Change of environment: the move back home means a change of enclosure to a larger paddock with some green pick, and proximity to her friends
2. Change of diet: a modified return to her previous diet of no grain, but now soaking chaff and hay, an increase (slowly slowly) in fat content, including reintroducing copra, which she eats regularly, and adding a vit/mineral supplement.
3. A probiotic to rehabilitate her gut after the drama of the previous 4 weeks. I had decided on this approach before suspecting a gastric ulcer. Gut health is the basis of whole body health, it’s not rocket science!
4. Addition of chamomile and slippery elm in case of ulcer, and no harm done if no ulcer is present.
5. Regular massage
6. Physical rehab after 2 weeks recovery from the trainer ie pole work, hill work in hand, long reining on straight lines, stretching and flexing in hand around trees, barrels etc. to help the muscles and other soft tissue to heal and remodel with minimal scar tissue, and in a functionally ready and appropriate way.

Back Story Part 2

2010-12-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

I sent my mare Maz off to the trainers a little over four weeks ago, to be restarted after a prolonged hiatus under saddle. The trainer seemed competent, and his facilities suitable with safe arena, round yard, paddocks and day yards, stable block, wash area.

I visited her at the end of Week 1, and while she seemed anxious, tense and unsettled, I wasn’t overly worried, as I put it down to being in an unfamiliar environment, and having to deal with other ways of being handled, including spending periods of time being tied up, and housed for periods of time in the day yard.

At the end of Week 2, she was as tense, anxious and stressed as at the end of Week1. She was very unsettled, very nervous of the round yard and being moved from the “safety” of the day yard. The day yard, it turned out, was her permanent abode. There was no green pick available, limited feed and hay, no room to roll, and she was standing in mud 24/7. Not ideal under normal circumstances, and not ideal for working sore muscles ie tantamount outdoors stabling.

I massaged her as the end of Week 2, and some serious muscular issues were manifesting, including intermittent shifting weight lameness, which were not consistent with the training and handling she was reportedly getting from the trainer.

Late Week 3 and the mare’s condition had deteriorated. She was incredibly sore, stiff, reluctant to move, had lost a dramatic amount of weight, particularly along her topline and hindquarters. She had bad diarrhoea, she had obvious muscle damage. She was unhappy at being touched, let alone massaged. She was switching off mentally and physically was unwell.

Monday Week 4 and the mare had declined further since Saturday. She was severely greyhound gutted and tucked up, her skin was taut and dry, her face was strained, her posture was stiff and braced. She looked appalling.

My EMT mentor visited Maz that Monday with me, and confirmed what I had felt during my massage time with the mare in the weeks prior. I called her in, as I was very confused by what I was feeling under hand, as it did not match what the trainer was telling me. It was time to call a stop to the whole process, and bring the mare home. By this stage she was too unwell to bring home, with the 45 min float trip being too stressful on the mare physically, plus her inability to walk backwards meant she’d be able to get on the float but wouldn’t be able to get off! So after some very specific Bowen treatment, she was moved (finally) from the day yard to a paddock, rested for the week she remained at the trainers, and provided with supporting herbs. By the time I went to pick her 5 days later, there was a noticeable change in her: she was more relaxed than she had been, and less irregular in her movement, although she had a long way to go. On a scale of 0-10, with 0 being her condition on the final Monday and 10 being her normal self, she was about a 6, just. But she was on her way home.

Back Story Part 1

2010-12-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

This blog has been on my mind for a while, but not for the reason that it now is. As an Equine Naturopathy student, I have been thinking of blogging my journey, my finds etc. I hadn't intended blogging about my own horse's personal journey, but here it is. It encompasses many issues that are dear to me, that I am learning about in a new light and within a different paradigm, and her journey will take some time, and needs documenting for my own records. So I am sharing it, because that's what you do in the 21st century!