Mystery Soreness Solved

Recently I'd been somewhat flummoxed by the fact that Cadence's back seemed to be getting worse again, in spite of the fact that there was nothing work wise that should be making her back sore (in fact her work load was a little lighter than usual), the soreness wasn't indicative of a pull/injury from slipping or something, and she had two saddles that had recently been fitted. So why then was her back sore?  Well, tonight I think I found my answer.
I was doing a light jump/stretch school with the mare tonight, and after our canter work I noticed that my saddle had slipped pretty significantly to the right... impressive considering I'd tightened my girth before cantering to help prevent this. Since I injured (broke and sprained) my foot, my left ankle has been slowly regaining its flexibility as I'm able to do more and more with it. My riding's been evening out again too, but I still am a bit uneven in the jumping saddle as I can't sink my weight down into my left heel as much.  I'd thought it had improved quite a bit, but the slipping saddle suggested otherwise.  And that's when it hit me.  Saddle slipping to the right, more weight in right stirrup, soreness on the right side of Cadence's back.... it's ME that's making her sore!
What a pleasant thing to realize- you're causing your horse pain, and to a certain extent, there's nothing you can do about it.  Even though I do stretches and such for my left foot, I won't be able to ride evenly again unless I keep working on straightening myself out in the saddle.  So to fix the problem I have to keep riding, which in turn will keep adding extra pressure to the right side of Cadence's back.  And while I know that the extra pressure is relatively negligible, and that the situation is largely due to the fact that she's sensitive and expressive, I can't ignore the fact that she's uncomfortable.  She's still in pain, regardless of why or how much.

Sore Backed Ponies

This is how Cadence expresses her displeasure with me for riding her when her back is sore:

2 Year Anniversary

Wow, how time flies when you're having a good time!  Two years ago, I began this blog with the intent of chronicling my entrance into and journey through the world of eventing, and any other equine adventures that occurred along the way.  Since starting this blog, we've gotten just under 12 000 hits, and by the time I've posted this we'll probably be over 12 000.  Most of the readership is Canadian or American, but we've gotten a few fun ones like Latvia, Sweden, and Israel... though I often wonder how many of those are just spam!  The most read post is the Awards & 200th Post, and the 2011 Rolex cross country pics coming in a close second.
To be honest, I'm incredibly pleased I've managed to keep this blog going for so long.  There area times when its been tough, to be sure- I only posted 6 times throughout all of July and August. But for whatever reason, I've managed to stick it out & couldn't be more pleased about that fact.  Thus far, I've met my goal of chronicling my own progress and my horses progress, and I love the fact that no matter where I am, as long as there's internet I can pull up a picture of my ponies!  This blog has proved a great training diary, and a fantastic place to toss around ideas & put 'pen to paper' so to speak!  Next year will bring a lot of changes to my personal life, which will undoubtedly tumble over into my equestrian life as well... so will I get to write a third anniversary post? Only time will tell.  But in the mean time, I plan on keeping up with the blogging for as long as possible.

As there have been so many changes over the past two years, I've compiled a brief history detailing my adventures from the time I started this blog to the present day:

Post Daily? How 'bout Weekly?

I know, I'm a failure of a blogger...

Life's busy.  The Mare and I hit the trails last week, selecting a jaunt through a local conservation area over an xc school, because her back was a bit tight.  I'd made the mistake of leaving her for 2 days after a show, and not giving her a stretch ride.  The stiffness had all but irradicated itself by our Thursday trail ride, so she got Friday off. Then in our Saturday morning lesson (our first dressage lesson in nearly a month!) she decided that her back wasn't so fine after all, and threw some massive bucks. Not get-your-rider-off type bucks, more I'm-pissed-and-I'm-gonna-show-it type bucks.  It was the first time I'd had a horse REALLY buck in a dressage saddle, and I got popped in the back a few times.  Stayed on, rode through it, and all was well... or so we thought.  The next day her back was SUPER touchy.  She was hand walked, and lunged in the walk and the trot over a cavaletti.  Today, she got a heat pad on her back for 30 minnutes (broken up into 2 sessions, because standing still for 15 minutes is near enough impossible...forget 30) and a light 15 min w/t stretch school.  Tomorrow, more of the same.  Fingers crossed there's some improvement!

If all goes well, Thurs we'll head out xc.  We've now rescheduled this school twice, so third time's the charm. Right?

Backs, Bucks, Etc.

After the Mare's massage, she was a little touchy in the spots that her masseuse (lol) really worked on.  However, once I hopped on I noticed an immediate difference.  Not a single buck as we trotted around both directions.  Her arena behaviour was good, but she was still forward enough for it to be mildly irritating.  Keep in mind I really like a forward horse.  I just don't like an unresponsive one.  So we moved out side and did some work going up and down two little hills on our property.  We walked & trotted up and down them, using the grass as incentive to really stretch in the trot.  Best trot work yet!
Then came Tuesday's ride.  I erm... may or may not have required a shank to simply walk my horse into the arena.  Apparently bits in mouths mean nothing to Cadence, and walk is not actually a gait either.  Nice try mare, but you WILL walk.  So with that being the precursor to our ride, you can imagine how the rest of it went.  We'd walk for a bit, but only a bit because then we'd start jigging, prancing, trotting, rushing, grabbing, etc.  She tried to be good, but was on energy overload.  Funnily enough, she was a total angel and trotted around calmly as the new boarder & her father drove out of the parking lot. Show off.
I'd like to ride tomorrow, but I have an allergy test in the morning & am feeling a little nauseous tonight anyway.  Hopefully I'm not getting sick, and fingers crossed the allergy test goes well!

Cadence and the Sore Back Saga cont'd

I hopped on Cadence for the first time in about 2-3 wks on Wednesday after a breif 'you're not acting like a bronc, okay, we're good'  lunge session.  In spite of the fact that it was her first ride in a very long time, we were outside for the first time in a very VERY long time, and there was another horse moseying around through the bush, Cadence was pretty good.
I hopped on her from teh picnic table, and immediately instead of the tense I'm going to bite and buck you stuff I was getting before, she attempted to head for the hills and chase the other horse.  No such luck mare, its arena time.  We walked around the outdoor, and did some bending and stretching.  However, she kept attempting (and unfortunately succeeding) to barge herself into the trot... and eventually I gave in.  Her trot was rushy and insane, but the only time she offered a buck was when I attempted to insist she bend left.  Duly noted.
I ignored her Thursday, and on Friday after a chaotic session at the clinic, I came out and goofed around with her outside.  We went for a nice w/t in hand hack, then had a little canter time loose in the arena once I was sure she wouldn't be a tool and injure herself free lunging.  Saturday I hopped on her again in arena with two other lessons going on.  She was not pleased about this, and attempted to kick the gelding every time he came near.  Nice, mare.  I gave in and we headed to the outdoor in spite of the impending drizzle.  This turned out to be a good decision, as the footing was nice and the rain held.  Plus, we had our own space.  Cadence was better, but still offered bucks when we bent left in the trot.  I surmised that there must still be some soreness on her right side near her loins.
Sat. evening, she had a massage, which confirmed my assumptions about her back.  It also uncovered soreness on her left side from her slip after her last massage, and some unexplicable tightness in her extensors on her front legs... that one stumped us both.   The masseus and myself, that is.

Back Into the Groove

I returned home from my little trip Sunday, and hit the ground running.  Unfortunately a weeks long vacation means there's a week of work I need to catch up on.  The weather here's also sent me into  a bit of a shock.  I left Ireland's cool grey dampness and returned home to stinking hot humidity.  It's a staggering 77 degrees here today, with a humidex in the high 80's.  In March!  Last year around this time we were buried in a snow storm.
On the pony front, Cadence was lunged twice for me while I was away, & her back seems much better.  Hopefully today I'll hop on her & we can walk around.  I don't know... we'll see.  I don't want to push it if she's not ready, but at the same time I really want her to be back in work.  It really boils down to how she reacts.  So as I said before, we'll see.
Miss L's rider's back in the saddle, but she's asked me to stay on riding her on a once a week basis to keep her training in place.  While the offer's flattering, its still not a paid position & I'm worried about burning myself out.  I've agreed for the time being, but Miss L moves to a new barn in April so dep. on the loc. and quality of the facilities (only one SMALL outdoor ring) it may not be worth my time.  I do enjoy riding her though...

Feelin It Again

I have to admit, with Cadence off and being all crabby and such, its left a major dent in my enthusiasm.  The weather's been awful (you know that tornado from down Kentucky way?  We got the tail end of it.) and while riding Miss L is fun... she's no Cadence.  I was also a little sad for silly reasons- a friend of my coach's asked her to sell off his remaining horses due to his failing health.  One was a gorgeous little KWPN filly with impeccable Dutch and German bloodlines.  Though only a year and a half old, when this filly moves you notice.  Her price was great, her temperament better, and her face... well it reminded me a lot of Launa, which led to a sentimental attachment (just as a side note, Launa has been sold and moves this week.  Also terribly sad) to her.  Being so spectacular and priced extremely low, she sold in a heart beat.  But it was quite difficult for me to see her go; I'd fallen hard for that filly.  She too will be gone by the end of the week.  Such is the nature of the business though... not that it makes it any easier!

But today the sky was blue, Cadence's saddle fitting went quite well (hope at last!) and Miss L and I had a wonderful ride!  My spring fever is back, and although I'll be away for a week (Ireland, here I come) my saddle will be done and hopefully my horse will be better and winter will have passed upon my return.  With this more cheerful outlook, I eagerly await spring and the trials and tribulations that will come along with this next competition season!

A couple of things I should have mentioned:
1- Miss L's owner will require surgery and will be out of the saddle till June.  Don't know what this means for my gig with Miss L, but we'll worry about that once I'm home from my holiday.
2- The saddle fitter could not have been more complimentary of Cadence, in spite of our... less than stellar preformance.  I'll try to write up a report on the fitting tomorrow.

Back on Track

Cadence seems a lot less reactive, and overall her back's looking pretty good!  So my plan is to attempt a ride today if all goes well.  It'll just be bareback, and will probably be mainly walk, but its better than nothing.  She's been off for a week and a half, & in spite of her near daily work the lack of actual riding is starting to tell.  Either way, overall once the saddle's re-flocked & fitted (scheduled for Tues 6th) we should be back on track... after a little rehab time.
Speaking of back on track, I was lucky enough to pick up one of their dressage pads for a mere $50cad, taxes in!  For a product that's normally over $100 with taxes, I'm thrilled.  My friend bought one of their dressage pads for her mare and she HASN'T SHUT UP ABOUT IT SINCE!  So when the opportunity arose to get a brand new never used never worn BOT dressage pad for half price... I pounced on it.  Even though we don't generally have any issues with her back, it can't hurt.  Especially in these cold winter months.

We All Fall Down

Cadence was looking a lot better after her massage.  So yesterday I lunged her, the EMT showed us a few fun stretches, and we headed out for a hike.  Cadence walked (and trotted) calmly (well... only half-crazed) along side me as she, my dog, and I tackled the semi-frozen trails in the forest behind our barn.  It was a lot of fun, an I was impressed with how well behaved the Mare Face was.  But luck and I aren't on speaking t erms right now so just as we were about to re-enter the barn Cadence decided that the trailer parked at the edge of our little parking lot was terrifying.  Naturally... I mean we've never seen a trailer before or anything like that, so of course  its absolutely terrifying.  Anyhow, we walked up to it, and I hopped onto the little ledge on the side to show her it really wasn't going to eat me.  She seemed to get the point, and once she relaxed I hopped back down again.
Now, I guess Cadence had moved on and was looking the other way/not paying attention or something, because when I got down from the little ledge/step thingy she jumped backwards.  This landed her squarely on the thoroughly water-logged lawn, which in turn caused her to slip and fall onto her left hind hip and side.  She sprung up right away, and aside from re-affirming her fear of this particular trailer, all seemed to be well.
Later on that night, I got a call from our BO.  Cadence was in a lot of pain, and although she wasn't colicing or anything she felt that the vet should be called to administer some banamine & check her over.  I assented, and said I'd be on my way ASAP.  I got there just a few moments before the vet, and when I arrived she was lying on the ground rolling in pain.  She presented like a colic, but had normal gut sounds, was not acting like it was her stomach  that was in pain, and had defecated recently.
The vet that was on call that evening was one whom I'm not particularly fond of, & her actions last night only reaffirmed those feelings.  Can someone explain to me why you'd do a rectal and check for an impaction on a mare that's defecating normally, has gut noises on both sides, and has a clear reason for being in pain?  Either way, she gave her the banamine & something for her 'colic' (which was non-existent if you ask me) and was on her way.  I can't wait to get the bill for that one.

In other less depressing news, I have some pics of Miss L.  Please excuse my attire, & hot pink camo boots.  Its cold, & they're warm... even if they are ugly.

 Lovin' the lope... look at that collection!

Massage Therapy

I'm very lucky to have a fantastic EMT (SM) who boards her & her boyfriend's horse with my mare (actually their horse is the one who kicked Cadence and led to all the fun with her leg... but after spending two hours massaging my mare yesterday all is most definitely forgiven.  My bank account doesn't feel the same way, but since when does debt ever feel good?  And once the saddle fitter comes I'm sure it won't be feeling any better.  I'm just waiting with baited breath for the day someone tells me my card's been declined.
Anywho, SM worked on Cadence for a long time yesterday and we hopefully worked out some of the sore spots.  She took body shots and labelled the sore areas & sent the pics to me.  Quite handy.  She also wrote out a full report, which has essentially saved me a full blog post!  Thanks, S!
Read on for report and pics.

Where Goes the Time?

I've been meaning to post, but I always get busy/distracted/run out of time.  Such is life, I suppose... but the guilt's been laying in & with the big events of today I figured I'd better just make time.  Who needs to study for chem anyway?

So first piece of neat news- I may have my first paid riding gig.  We'll see.  Its just one of the horses I ride every now and again, & the owner says that she can feel such a big difference every time I ride her mare, so she's hoping to work out a weekly thing.  I could use the extra cash right now... more on that later.

Second piece of news- Arty (my old pony) is now a super dressage show pony.  I took him in a show just for the heck of it, and he got 1st and 1st (out of 1 ;P) with scores of high 50's on the first test, and low 60's on the second.  Pretty damn good for a horse that's been in an indoor arena all of twice.  I liked the judge- she was critical, but I thought her critiquing was fair.  She explained where we'd lost points pretty well, and it gave me some things to think about.  Plus, she was more than happy to dock marks for him being overbent!  Not something you see often enough.

On the Cadence front, everything (save today... I'll explain in a minute) has been going fantastically.  Her dressage is feeling fantastic!  We've started doing some collection of her gaits (and some extension, but that still needs work) and she feels so lovely.  Its like floating- she's so light and responsive, and pleasant!  Her extensions are coming along, but her straightness issues tend to come through and to the left, I sometimes lose the right shoulder.  Straightness wise she's come along way.  The overbending (to ensure suppleness throughout the body, and especially neck/poll area & shoulders as those are the areas she likes to stiffen) to the right in the corners in the warm-up is perfect, so we're just doing occasional checks in with that to double check our suppleness, and are now acheiving a beautiful even bend.  On the jumping front, she's been one hot Tamale!  In our last jumping lesson (we've had 2 lessons and one individual school which ended with me free lunging her and her running for 20 minutes & jumping some of the stuff by herself) we achieved some form of calm and relaxation.  She just gets so excited!  At first I was worried it was nerves, but she quelled those suspicions for me when she free jumped herself.

In the not so good news department, Cadence came up REALLY sore in her back today.  I noticed it first when putting her saddle on- she tensed and kind of pinned her ears which I attributed to her being in heat.  She doesn't really pin her ears though, so I found that odd.  Then, when I was hopping on she pinned her ears again.  This time I attributed it to her being territorial and opinionated, as another horse was walking near us.  However, when she pinned her ears while we were trotting I nkew something was up.  She never ever pins her ears under saddle.  EVER.  She's always happy & while her ears generally face her rider, she never pins them or even puts them back.  Sure enough, when I palpated her back she was extremely sore in her loin area (near the cantle area of the saddle) on both sides of her back.  I'd been attempting to delay a saddle fitting, but it looks like it can wait no more.  So in the interum one of our boarders partner is a massage therapist so I'm attempting to get a hold of her so she can take a look at the Mare.  Massage therapy + saddle fitting?  Bring on the bills!

Nothing New...

Oh the joys of winter.  Okay, I lied.  I haven't had a chance to ride since my lesson on Friday, and I don't know if I will have a chance to ride until my lesson on Saturday.  I am feeling terrible, because all of the progress Arty's been making seems to be getting buried under the snow; I just hope I can fund it again in the spring!   On the plus, tomorrow I'm heading out to see Bailey.  He has his back adjustments with the vet, so I thought that'd be a good time to pop in.  Here's hoping all goes well!