It's Been 3 Months...

... and it's still hard.

I miss you Ben and ever since you died I feel like a part of me has been missing.

I'm grateful for the riding time we spent together on trails and at Barnabee.

You were a beautiful and fun horse to have.

I hope that someday I'll be able to have another special horsey relationship.

I will take what you've taught me and learn and grow even more.

Thank you Ben for being a part of my life!

Cute Barn

My Mom and I were driving around on Bainbridge this morning and when we drove past this cute little barn I just had to stop and take a picture. Someday when Jeff and I ever get around to building on our property this is about the size and style of barn I'd like. It looks like it could easily hold 4-6 stalls, a hay loft, main aisle, tack room, feed room and wash rack. Ahhh to dream!

Meet Micha!!

Technically I haven't even met him yet, but here is a photo of Jamie's new horse, Micha. He is 3/4 TB and 1/4 WB, 4 years old, 16.1 hands and growing. She bought him a couple of weeks ago and has started training him. She offered for me to half lease him from her once I get back into riding again in the Spring. So we shall see if it all works out. I've never ridden such a young and untrained horse before, but with Jamie doing all of the training and being able to take lessons from her for free, it seems like it would be a great deal. I just don't how its all going to work out with having 3 kids and what type of free time I'll have and how much of that I'll be able to dedicate to riding again. But what I do know is that the next horse I ride I do not want to own. It's such a commitment to own a horse and I just don't feel I can give them what they deserve, unless it's considered a pet like Jena and Cisco who we occasionally ride just for fun. So half-leasing is definitely something I'll consider and hopefully it will work out since I'd really like to be able to ride again. I've been really missing it lately but with being pregnant and knowing all that is in store for me in the future with a newborn to take care of, I'm willing to take a break for a while and get back in the saddle again once I'm able to fully commit to it.

Show Time for Cisco!

Here are some photos that Tasha passed on to me of Cisco at a horse show in August, a few weeks before we brought him home to live with Jena. He's being ridden here by on of Tasha's friends in a halter bareback walk-trot class. He's such a flashy little guy and is so mild mannered that riding bareback and without a bridle is really what he likes the best. They ended up getting 2nd place. Way to go Cisco!

Meet our New Pony Friend, CISCO!!

This morning my dad and I woke up extra early to head over to Maple Valley to pick up Cisco. I met him last week at Serenity Farm an Equine Rescue and Rehabilitation facility. He's a sweet little 13.3 hand Appaloosa gelding. He's super friendly and loves being rubbed, scratched, hugged and petted all over. He follows you around the pasture like a big puppy dog and is very mild mannered. When I first met him he was in a pasture with 5 other horses and was in the middle of eating his breakfast. When we walked into his field he stopped eating and walked right over to us for a snuggle. I don't think I've ever met a horse that has given up his food for human attention before. It made my decision making very easy after knowing what a sweet guy he is and how calm he is around other horses and people.

We met up with Tasha this morning at Serenity Farm at 7:15am signed our lease agreement and then were on the road again at 7:40am. We easily caught the 8:45am ferry back to Bainbridge and by 10am Cisco was settled in his new pasture. The first thing he did was find the sandiest spots and rolled all over marking his territory. He loved it!

Here he posing for the camera after I brushed him off. Such a handsome fellow!

We picked up Jena from Barnabee at 2pm and brought her back to meet her new pony friend. For the first few hours we kept them separated since Jena is just coming out of a heat cycle and was being extra sensitive and frisky towards him. But after a few hours alone we let them out together and they are getting along great. We are excited for this new addition to our horsey family and look forward to lots of pony riding in the future.

Jena at Barnbee

After Ben's death on Sunday we decided to bring our little pony Jena over to live at Barnabee farm for the week so she could be around other horsey friends and not be so lonely. She's had a great time all week and has proven to be the favorite mare among all the other horses there. The minute she walked off the trailer she had all the other horses in a frenzy. Even the older retired horses were kicking up their heels, arching their necks and prancing around their paddocks to show off to the new lady in town. She's been staying in the main barn next two geldings Pete and Dominic. Right when she saw Pete, she immediately went into heat and fell head over heels in love with him.

After our camping trip on Tuesday we stopped by to visit Jena and took her for a little ride in the covered arena. She was pretty nervous at first since the walls are too tall for her to see over and she didn't want to be separated from the other horses. Plus there were some silly crows tap dancing on the metal roof, which caused her to be extra sensitive. But after walking her around a few times she seemed to settle down a bit and then I let the boys take a little ride on her. She did pretty well for her first time in the big dressage arena given all the new sights, sounds and smells.

This afternoon we went over to ride her again and she did much better. She was really calm in the arena and both Jonah and Hyrum had a great time riding her around. I even lounged Hyrum and he did really well with posting at the trot and sitting up straight in the saddle. Jonah is also much more steady in the saddle than he used to be and has even started wanting to hold onto the reins while riding. They are both getting to be quite the little cowboys and the whole time they kept saying, "Faster Mommy! Faster! Ride 'em Cowboy!" It was fun!

After riding in the arena we took Jena out back around the 1/4 mile track and on the trails through the woods. She's such a little trooper! Ben was always too afraid to go on the trails and would require a ton of coaxing. The only time I think I even got him to go on the trails there was the few months right after I bought him (when he seemed to do everything perfectly for me) or if I dismounted and walked along side him. But not little Jena! She's such a little trailblazer and just went head on to the trail like she'd been there 1,000 times. She's such a perfect pony for the kids and I love her so much!

Tomorrow we will be bringing her back to my parent's house after her new pony friend Cisco arrives. I'm sure she'll miss all of her boyfriends she's made at Barnabee but I hope she adapts well with Cisco so we can all feel good about this new transition in our lives.

What Ben Taught Me

As I reflect on the past two years that Ben and I spent together, I realize that he has taught me way more than just how to be a better rider, but how to be a better person overall. Here is a list of things I wrote down the night after Ben passed away. I couldn't sleep very well that night so in tears I started writing down all of the things I've learned from him. It's amazing to me how strong the horse - human connection is and how much we can really learn from their quiet souls if we allow ourselves to mold with them.

-Trust

-Companionship

-Patience

-Love

-Loyalty

-Responsibility

-That I can't just do it all

-To be giving and light with my hands

-To not get in a fight but find other solutions to the problem

-To budget and be responsible with my money. Plan ahead!

-Body awareness

-To adjust my own position and balance first and then get the horse to follow under me

-Training takes time

-Creating harmony

-To have a set plan or expectations each time I ride and not just correct mistakes

-That every horse has hidden potential and once the horse trusts you they will be able to show it to you

-To overcome your fears and not let them interfere with your riding

-That horses are sensitive souls and can read your emotions

-That Ben would never harm anyone or anything

-How protective horses can be of their owners, remembering the one time I fell off of him in the woods and he could have easily galloped all the way home but instead stopped in his tracks and stood by me until I was able to stand up and mount him again and ride him home despite my pain.

-How dependent horses are on people and on each other for companionship and love. All he really wanted before I bought him was a friend and someone to create a relationship of trust with.

-How I will never own just one horse because they are too lonely by themselves. Every time I road him to Barnabee Jena would stand at the bottom of the field bidding him goodbye and would faithfully be there again waiting for his return. They would nicker to each other from the road and sniff noses once they were close enough again at the fence. Whenever Jena would hear us walking up she'd come running down to the bottom gate to greet us.

-How a horse can be dull to road noise but supper sensitive to something out of the ordinary like a plastic bag on the side of the road, or something that had been slightly moved or misplaced.

-How aware horses are to their surrounding and they don't like sudden change. Routine is best!

-That balancing riding and taking care of young children is super hard without the help of family and friends

-That every mom needs an out: an activity that they truly enjoy in which they can find themselves and focus on their own needs and no one else's for a few hours. Me time!

Thank you Ben for teaching me these important lessons and I hope that I'll be able to validate your life each day by demonstrating how I've grown in each of these areas for having spent the past two years of our lives together.

The Horse's Whisper

The following is an account written by Timm Tripp of his experience on the day that Ben passed away. I wanted to include it here on my blog so I'll always have a copy of it and to be able to share these special words with all of you as well. Thank you Timm for preserving this experience so beautifully for me since I wasn't able to be there to experience it firsthand myself.

The Horse's Whisper

The moon was almost full last night. The light penetrated the tall Hemlock and Cedar trees surrounding the corral. If you looked out into the corral you could see patches of light illuminating the dusty ground. The day had been warm, but the marine air cooled the night. It was calm and quiet; a gentle breeze swayed the high branches on the trees. The horses quietly wandered between the patches of moonlight.

When I came upon Ben, Tom and Tyler had already been trying to get him on his feet. Ben was lying on his side, his nostrils had blood in them, his breathing was irregular and very labored. His mouth was open, his upper lip was pulled back exposing his teeth. He was hot and sweaty. Tyler stroked his neck and spoke words of encouragement, while Tom massaged his back and sides, pleading with Ben to be well.

Ben's legs had cuts on them. He made several attempts to get up, but he was too weak and could not get his back legs to move.

I stared into Ben's eye... it was bright and shiny, like a big polished black marble. His eye glistened and sparkled, there was an intense light emanating from deep inside the dark orb. Some say that the eye is the window to the soul. If that is true, I looked deep into Ben's soul and he into mine. For a brief moment I felt connected to Ben as he seemed to open up to accepting his fate. He stopped struggling and seemed to relax. He became still and his nostrils no longer pulsed with labored breathing. I could no longer detect any breath of air. His pulse slowed way down until we could not feel it at all. The spark of light in his eye dimmed and the polished surface dulled somewhat , like fog on glass. Suddenly a giant tear drop fell from his eye, flowing down along his nose and to the dusty ground, where is formed a small puddle.

The tear appeared to flow a the same time as his last breath gently left him, there was a sense of release at the moment Ben's spirit moved from his physical body to the unrestrained realm of space. Ben bared his soul to me...a stranger... the dignity, the courage, the loyalty, the beauty, the strength, the magnificence of this incredible being was released back into the world with his last tear and final breath. I did not feel Ben leaving...I felt him releasing his spirit... allowing it to flow out into the world, no longer bound by his physical nature... rather released to merge into light, life.

Ben's spirit soars through the tree tops joining the sun and moon and stars illuminating the day and night. Even his tear touched the earth, to nourish a seed that begins a new life cycle.

Thank you Ben for all that you have given us: Strength, courage, compassion, patience, love and light. Where ever we go when you feel a gentle breeze on your face, it just may be Ben whispering...

Good-Bye Ben!

I'm still in shock over this and every time I think about it or look at this photo I start crying all over again. My horse Ben died unexpectedly of colic on Sunday and I'm not really ready yet to post all the details of that day yet. But when I do I have a lots of memories and things he's taught me in the past two years that I'd like to share. He meant a lot to me and I am going to miss him so much!

Exercises and Training Methods with Jamie

Since I've started taking bi-weekly riding lessons with Jamie, Ben has really shown a lot of improvement. I've been busy with work and the kids to post a review after each ride, but I thought I'd better write down a list of what we've been working on so I don't forget. We really seem to be making progress with him and I'm really excited and happy about the direction we are headed in. He's finally gaining trust and relaxing under saddle. Like Jamie has said in some of our lessons lately, "Now you've got a dressage horse underneath you!" We've had some amazing moments and here are some of the exercises and training methods we've used to help him along his way.

-Spiraling in on the right rein in counter shoulder in / shoulder out.

-3 loop serpentines and keeping a slight shoulder out on the right rein (counter-bend).

-Imaging a bees nest on the left side of the arena when on the right rein to keep his left shoulder from wanting to be sucked into the wall.

-Once I can feel that his left shoulder underneath him and he's not leaning on it or pressing against it, then I can slowly ask him to go straight and maybe very slightly bent to the inside but only if he doesn't start to fall out again. Constantly check for this and if he can't travel straight on a circle then counter bend him again until he relaxes and gives. When asking for the counter bend, post on the opposite diagonal so he will be more balanced and less interference by my weight throwing him off. Keep my body in line with his, traveling in the direction I want him to go around the circle so he can follow my lead and my weight.

-Changing to a circle on the left rein asking for a little extra flexion.

-Cantering and letting him have room to move in front of me.

-Allowing him to stretch forward and down.

-After establishing a steady tempo without tension ask him to slowly come up in front of me, engage his hind end, sit tall and raise the center of gravity, feel the push and power coming forward and out in front of me.

-After a good stretch slowly gather him on the right rein and apply the right leg to collect him little by little so as not to upset what I have gained through the relaxation during the stretch.

-During warm-up ask for the trot. If there is any signs of tension or unwillingness to go forward then immediately ask for the canter. Sit a little more forward in the saddle than usual, relax with the reins and give him a place to go towards. Do not restrict his forward momentum. After he's going forward nicely make a downward transition to the trot and try to maintain that same energy.

New Pasture Fence Complete!!!

Thanks to my dad for all the hard work and long hours he put into the new pasture fence, it is now complete. This couldn't have been done with out the help of my niece Kylie, nephew Nathan and of course my dad's best helper James. Thanks guys for all that you did to help out from staining boards, digging holes, pouring and mixing cement, hammering nails and leveling board. It looks fabulous and Ben and Jena couldn't be happier with their new fence!!

Along the driveway.

Looking down to the woodshed.

Ben striking a pose expressing his thanks.

Their open area to roam.

Leading up to the barn.

And the barn closer up.

Looking Ahead & What To Do Next

Wow, I can't believe it's been over month since I last posted anything about riding. I guess it goes to show you how I've been feeling lately. May was seriously a hard month for me being newly pregnant and all. I'm now 10 weeks along and the nausea is dissipating, but my energy level is still pretty low. I honestly think that if it wasn't for my horse and the guilt that I feel for him not being ridden at least 3 times a week, that I'd probably not be riding at all. But I have to say on the days that I do go over to the island to ride I immediately feel better and get a little energy surge. Maybe it's just having a change of scenery and fresh air to breathe, but whatever the case for now it seems to be doing wonders for me.

My goal is to at least be able to ride through the summer and then hopefully starting in September I will be able to find someone to lease and ride Ben for me starting in the fall through next spring. Ideally I'd be able to find someone that can devote a lot of time to riding Ben so that he'd be able to continue to live at my parent's house. That way I wouldn't have to worry about Jena being alone or trying to find her a new companion. I would also like to charge someone at least $250/month to lease him. That would help me to pay for his feed, shoes and make sure that the rider was in some sort of consistent lesson program.

However, I know that walking a mile and a half to Barnabee and taking an extra hour out of your schedule isn't every one's cup of tea. So my next option would be to find someone from the area that would like to lease and board him at Barnabee. Instead of making money off the lease I would just require that they pay for the full boarding costs which is $425/month. In exchange I would still have to pay for Ben's shoes, supplements and vet bills. But that would give them the accessibility of having a covered arena through the rainy months and save them time in riding.

Jamie has mentioned that she'd help to spread the word about Ben and help me find a suitable rider for him, so hopefully it all works out. I'd really hate for all of the work that we are doing with him to get him to be more relaxed and engaged isn't wasted by the next rider not being "with the program" so to speak. By keeping him at Barnabee, Jamie would still be able to oversee his training or even teach the new rider lessons on Ben. So I'm praying that we'll be able to find a suitable match for him and that the time I have off from riding will be productive for him.

I'd just hate to see him sit around in the pasture for 6+ months. I just know he'd be super bored and then when the time comes to start riding him again he'd be a huge handful. He's not even fun if he gets more than 3 days off in a row, so I don't even want to imagine that scenario!!

Putting up the Posts

My dad, nephew Nathan and niece Kylie were all hard at work today putting up the new fence posts along the driveway. I can't wait to see the finished product! It's going to be so cool to have a wooden fence after having the old wire one for the past 20 years. Wow, I can't believe it's been that long since I bought my first horse! Thanks guys for all your hard work!

Training with Jamie

This week Jamie has continued to ride and train Ben for me. It's been really nice to just sit and watch them work together and learn from the ground her quiet and patient ways. Some of the things she's been working on have been riding effectively through the corners and giving with the reins. When riding through the corners she lifts her inside hand and taps Ben's inside hind each time she would rise in the trot. This encourages Ben to reach under himself more with his hind leg and in turn lift his back and give with his neck. It all allows him to relax more and work in a proper frame.

She has also been riding with her hands much higher than you would normally ride with but in Ben's case you have to give with you reins and over compensate for his fear of you pulling on the bit too much. By saying to him, "I'm not going to pull on you," hopefully he'll quit pulling against the rider, relax and come round on his own.

Like Gerd Hueschmann taught in his clinic, Jamie insists, "Don't even think or worry about the horse's head." It's not yours for taking and forcing it "on the bit." Rather, when the hind end is working properly and the horse is using it's back correctly, the head will come on it's own. The key to remember: Encourage natural movement from behind and don't force the horse's head down with your hands. It's a bad habit, but one I'm thankful that Jamie is helping me to break.

Jamie Takes the Reins

My chiropractor told me today, that I should take another week off to ensure that I'm totally healed from my fall, so I decided to talk to my friend Jamie about riding Ben for me. She's been Ulla's assistant at Barnabee for the last 10 years and has know her for the past 30. She's seen me ride Ben before in lessons with Ulla and also in the Heuschmann clinic, so she has had time to think about what type of training would work well for him. With all of her experience riding and training horses, I had no problem handing over the reins to her.

Since Ben has only been ridden twice since he hurt himself on March 13th, Jamie decided to take things slow. She first lounged him and worked with him on a circle to the right, since that's his more relaxed side. He did pretty well and only got hyper a couple times but she was able to easily keep control and keep him thinking. She worked on lots of transitions between walk and trot and then trot and canter. She also kept him at the walk on the lounge line along the track and worked on keeping him in front of her aides and trying to get him to relax and give. After trying to switch to the left on the lounge, Ben got really goofy, so Jamie decided to work on some rein exercises instead. She lead him around the track, giving and taking with the inside rein. She'd then ask him to stop by putting her foot in front of his hoof. It really got him to pay attention to her and he seemed to catch on quickly.

After these exercises she rode him for a little bit at the walk. She worked on trying to relax him on the bit while also engaging from behind. Since Ben's has had a history of riders trying to force him on the bit, he was gained a distrust for his riders. I'm sure I haven' helped the situation much, since my hands can get pretty heavy at times too. So Jamie's plan with Ben is to not even move up to the trot or ask anything more complicated until he can give properly at the walk. I don't know how long this will take, but hopefully in the next week of her helping me to ride him that we start to see some progress.

No, this is not Ben and Jamie. Nor is it even close to what they looked like today. But someday I hope to learn the art of Long Reining and develop this sort of control with a horse. It's absolutely stunning!

One Step Forward Two Steps Back

Funny how on my walk up to Gazzam Lake this afternoon to go on a trail ride with Ben, I was thinking about how the phrase, "One step forward, two steps back," really doesn't get you anywhere. It takes twice as long to go somewhere since you are in essence only taking 1/2 steps. Because this is now the situation I find myself in after having been bucked off my horse today.

For the most part the trail ride had been going well, except for Ben's tantrum at the beginning when he didn't want to go forward at all and it took a ton of coaxing and backing up to get him to move forward on the trail. But once we were moving in the right direction, Ben had his ears perked forward and we mostly just walked and trotted along the trail. It was very peaceful and surprisingly I didn't see anyone out on the trail, which is very rare for being the weekend.

On our way back, I let Ben canter a little. Which then broke into a full on powerful gallop, but I was able to easily slow him down and keep him under control. After about 5 or so minutes of walking I decided I'd let Ben trot a little bit more until we approached a hill to go down. On our way Ben pushed himself into a canter, which I didn't want to I started to half-halt him and he didn't respond at all. He just started getting crazy began bucking while cantering. It was quite the ride and totally unexpected. I usually have a solid seat with him and have sat through many of his bucking spells, but I think since this one was out on a trail as apposed to being in an enclosed arena, he was much more excited. So I lost my balance and fell off over his neck. Darn it, there goes the "No falling" streak I've been able to hold for the past 10+ years!!

Luckily during my fall I wasn't kicked, stepped on or drug around by the stirrup or reins. Ben was also nice enough to stop dead in his tracks once I hit the ground and looked down at me like, "Duh, why are you laying in the dirt?" He then proceeded to eat the surrounding ferns. Goofy horse! I'm glad he didn't run off either after having disposed of me. I would have never been able to catch up with him.

It took me a while to stand up since I landed on my back on the left side of my pelvis. It hurt to move, but I knew that I didn't break anything, so I just took my time. I figured that someone would eventually walk by since I usually see tons of people walking their dogs on those trails, but after about 10 minutes I saw no one. So I slowly stood up and while I was in the process of brushing the dirt off of myself, I saw a couple approaching. When they got closer I recognized the woman as the mother of one of the girls (Narissa) that I went to Pony Club with when I was in High School. She was nice enough to let me borrow her cell phone so I could call my mom and let her know that I'd be slow in getting home and she then helped hold Ben while I got back on. I'm glad that I was able to get on him and ride again, since walking home would have been nearly impossible. I was a probably at least mile or so away from home and I could barely walk a few steps without it hurting.

Once I got back home, I slowly put Ben away and then laid down on the grass and did some stretches. Since I've hurt my back so many times before, I've gone through this recuperation process numerous times. I'm just hoping this time won't take as long as it has in the past since I'd really hate to give Ben even more time off. Even if I need to take the next two weeks off, that will make it two months of him being out of work. Ugh! Here's hoping for a speedy recovery and that my chiropractor will give me a green light ride again soon!!!

Back on Track

I did it! I decided I'd go ahead and take a chance and just start riding Ben again even though he's not 100% healed. He's still got an area about the size of a quarter that I'm waiting on. But with a scab protecting it, I figured it would be okay to work him a little. I really just wanted to find out if he's lame or not anymore. Since I don't have an adequate area to lunge him at my parents house, I walked him down to Barnabee to use their arena.

Had it not been for the 1.5 mile long walk (each way) down the road, I'd say today went perfectly. Ben was such a spaz on the road! Granted about 10 garbage trucks, 2 cement mixers and 2 other big rigs passed us along the way, so Ben wasn't too thrilled. My parents live on a road that all the garbage and recycling trucks take on their way to the dump, so we are used to seeing them, but today it seemed excessive and Ben was super sensitive about them. The whole walk there and back I just kept telling him in a calm voice, "Easy boy. Walk. It's okay." Luckily he didn't jump out in the road at all, but he came pretty close to it a couple of times.

It's times like this that I wish I had an extra $425/month so I could just board him at Barnabee. It would make my life so much easier and save so much time. Either that, or just be already living on my own property and have my own riding facilities to use. Ahhhhh....someday....right?!

While at Barnabee I lunged Ben for about 10 minutes at the trot and canter. He didn't appear to be lame so then I got on him and did some simple exercises at the walk for another 10 minutes. I would have worked him longer, but when I arrived Jamie was already riding Ivan in the arena and I didn't want to disturb her with my hyper horse. Then Rebecca and Joan came in with their horses, so I had to stop lungeing. With the 4 of us riding, even though 2 of us were at the walk, it got pretty tricky so I just opted to call it good and leave.

Two riders work well in an arena together, but any more than that is hard unless you are in a group lesson and all working on the same exercises. In college we would have lessons up to 6-8 students at a time, but it always worked well since the instructor was in charge "directing traffic." Those were the days! Ha! I'm so grateful for private lessons now. Hopefully I'll be able to get Ben back on track with his training, so we can start up lessons again soon.

Improving???

Wound Healing Week #5

I'm feeling very discouraged about Ben's wound. Although when I took care of him today it seemed like it was markedly better than I remember it being on Saturday when I saw him last, after reviewing the weekly photos I've been taking it's all starting to look the same to me. I thought that having a different photo taken at weekly intervals would be successful in keeping my hopes up about him getting better, but it's all starting to look stagnant to me. I don't know, what do you think? I'm just really bummed since it was 72 degrees today and I would have loved to be able to ride, but I'm apprehensive if I should even try. He didn't seem lame when I trotted him along the driveway or while he ran around in his field this afternoon. So maybe it's okay to give it a try as long as I keep the scab on and don't try to clean it or put on the medication until after the ride. Hmmm, maybe I'll try riding on Wednesday or at least ask the vet or Ulla and see what they think. I'd hate to put him at any risk or even prevent him from healing properly. Here's hoping I'll be back in the saddle soon!!

Two Steps Back

Healing Week #4

Wound Shots

I was disappointed to find Ben's wound had taken two steps back today. It looks like he must have banged it again. The area that is darker red in the photo is where he must have hit himself again and it was all swollen and bloody before I cleaned it up. Poor guy! I sure hope he gets better soon, because caring for his injury sure is getting old. The weather is getting warmer and I can't wait until I can ride him again.

Healing - Week #3

***WARNING!!!***

More Wound Details!

Ben's wound seems to be getting better day by day. The skin is slowly growing back together and this red sore is dissappearing. I trotted Ben up and down the driveway while running next to him and his lameness is much less noticable. Hopefully we'll be riding again soon!

Healing - Week #2

***WARNING!!!***

More Wound Shots!

On Monday I had Dr. Hill come out to update the horses' vaccines and while here he also took a look at Ben's injury. He said I have done a great job with his wound care and wasn't worried about it's healing process. He gave me a different topical antibiotic to use on it since the Fura-Zone may have been slowing the healing process by using it everyday.

I mentioned that I was worried about him being lame and so we had Ben do a trot test and sure enough Dr. Hill described him grade 3:5 lame. (To learn more about Lameness Exams, read this article.) Dr. Hill suggested that if once the wound was healed in about 2 weeks, if he still seems lame then he'd need to recheck Ben and run some additional tests on him. He mentioned the possibility that he could have seriously bruised or slightly fractured the wing of his coffin bone. I'm really hoping this is not the case, because I'd hate for Ben to be out of commission for much longer than a month. After reading this article on Coffin Bone Fractures, I'm really worried. Even though I sounded hopeful when I gave the vet Ben's update today, I'm thinking it would be wise to get him x-rayed soon so I know exactly what we are dealing with. I can't imagine him being on rest for the next 6 months! Poor Ben! Let's hope this isn't the case and everything continues to improve!!

Here are some photos I took today, two weeks after the injury occurred. It's still pretty swollen as you can see in comparison to the right front foot picture at the bottom. Sorry for the blurriness!

Healing - A Week Later

***WARNING!!***

More Bloody Details

and Wound Photos!

I'm happy to report that Ben's wound is healing nicely although after Tuesday's episode I was a bit worried. Tuesday afternoon while I was cleaning Ben's wound it didn't seem to be making much progress since the skin flap was impeding the healing process, so I decided it need to be removed. I washed up a pair of scissors and cut it off. It took a little longer that I thought since I was a little nervous about it and I knew it was hurting Ben, but in order to help it heal it had to be done. After it was removed a little vessels was squirting all over the place and the only thing I had close to blot it with was a white towel. Big mistake! By the end of the event it was stained red and so gross looking I had to just throw it away. Actually it wouldn't have been that horrible had all of this not happened in the middle of the wind storm we were having. The power went out just as I was cold hosing his leg and I didn't even realize it until the water stopped coming out of the hose. Ooops! I ran the well reserve dry! So that meant all of the blood that dripped on the driveway I had to clean up with the towel as well. Ick!

In order to stop the bleeding I had to wrap his foot with cotton, rolled gauze and vet wrap. I was very proud Wednesday morning to find the wrap still on his foot. Since I had to leave Wednesday I wrapped it again and wasn't able to check on it until the next day. The second wrap didn't hold up as well as the first and so I decided that since I wasn't house-sitting anymore that I'd do away with the wraps and just check on it at least every other day to clean and care for it.

These photos were taken 3 days after I cut off the skin flap and it had a chance to heal. Today (Friday) the wound looked really good. I could see the edges started to come together and even though the area was still warm and swollen it's making progress. Here's hoping it'll be all better in a couple of weeks!

Stand By Me!

This afternoon while Jonah was napping I decided to make good use of my time and scooped up all the poop in the pasture. What fun, yeah right! At least it was a sunny afternoon and I was able to spend it outdoors. Today was actually the first day I took Ben's blanket off since it was in the 60s. He took a good roll and enjoyed warming his coat in the sun rays. As I was pushing the wheelbarrow around I spotted the horses laying down together. When I approached them to take a picture, Jena immediately jumped up and walked over to stand by Ben. It actually worked out for a better photo since they weren't laying that close together before. I thought it was interesting how she went right over to Ben's side almost to protect him. I guess she must have sensed danger, she's much more sensitive than Ben. Funny how when laying down Ben is the same "height" as Jena, well at least their heads are level.

Out of Commission Yet Again

***WARNING!!!***

For those of you who are queasy

in any way, the following

posts is not for you!

Friday night we came over to Bainbridge to start house-sitting for my parents while they are visiting my brother Tyler in South Carolina. Then Saturday morning a couple hours after I fed the horses I looked out at them and saw Ben limping out of the barn. Oh no, not again! I quickly grabbed his halter and ran down to the pasture to see what was wrong. Upon initial inspection all I could see was that he was having a really hard time walking and putting weight on his left front foot. His leg was warm and swollen from the knee down. After I slowly walked him out of the pasture and up to the cross ties, I began to cold hose his leg and clean off all of the caked on mud and blood and found this...

He had injured his front foot by over-reaching and striking the bulb of his heel. There was a flap of skin still attached by a good inch and I was leery to remove it at the moment. So I did my best to clean it up, slabbed on some Fura-Zone and called it good since we were late in leaving for Olympia to visit Jeff's Grandpa for his 80th birthday.

Today I checked on the wound and it looks slightly better, well at least it wasn't as messy. It's still warm and swollen and I'm wondering if I should call the vet or not. This is actually the second time he's injured himself in this same spot and that last time it healed just fine. So I'm thinking that I'll just continue to treat it and see how things go. For the time being Ben is out of commission yet again. UGH!! I hope you get better soon Buddy!!

A Surprise in the Bushes

This afternoon I rode up at Gazzam Lake again. Ben did really well except for a bit at the beginning of the ride. We were going along the trail perfectly, his ears were pricked forward, he was listening to my aides and he wasn't hesitant at all.

Then out of no where he decided he didn't want to go anymore and just stopped dead in his tracks. I tried coaxing him forward and got no response out of him. All he wanted to do was turn around and go home. Thinking I'd try and trick him a little, I backed him up on the main trail until I was at a fork with a trail that headed toward the lake. He was willing to go forward down that trail so on we went.

After looking at the lake for a bit we turned around and half way back to the main trail he refused again to go forward. No bit of encouragement was going to coax him this time, but somehow he decided that he needed to start making his own trail. Not wanting to fight with him, I said "Okay" and let him trail blaze his way through the ferns. He was having a great time and since I could see the main trail in the distance I thought I'd just sneakily work our way back to it.

Then, out of the bushes came a bounding tan colored dog. At first we both thought it was a coyote and totally freaked out. Luckily the owner of the dog was on the main trail and called it back to her and scolded him for scaring us. Ben was really nervous about heading back the way the dog had jumped through the bushes, but in the end he complied. Once we were on the main trail again, he acted as though nothing had happened and we were on our way and peacefully enjoyed the rest of the trail ride.

Brrrr!! January in March??

Two days ago when I was riding it was 20+ degrees warmer than it was today. What happened??? Brrrrr!! I almost forgot what it was like to ride in winter weather since we've been having such a great Spring Pre-View lately. This morning when I left my apartment in Seattle it was snowing!!! Sure it didn't stick and melted right after hitting my hair and coat, but it was real snow!! Then while I was tacking up Ben it started snowing again!! Brrrrr!! I felt really bad for Ben since last night he didn't have his fleece under blanket on and since he's been shedding like crazy he must have been cold. It's almost like we went on a little vacation, either that or time traveled since now we are having typical January weather and here it is March. Crazy El Nino winter!!

After tacking up and layering us both in our fleece and water proof coats we were on our way. I even had to wear my fleece ear covers. Normally 40 degree weather doesn't seem that bad when it's consistent, but after a 20 degree drop it felt like it was much much colder. At least once I got riding I warmed up, but I was still glad I had my fleece gloves, ear covers, and winter gloves on. I think Ben was feeling the cold a little too while I was riding since he acted out more than he has in the past two times when I rode him in the sun. That and we were in the indoor arena today to keep a little warmer. He may just prefer the outdoor arena, but there was definitely something annoying him today.

For the most part he did pretty well, but he had his moments of acting out as well. At one point he got spooked when a few crows decided to land on the metal roof and scrape their nails as the slid down. Then there was Barb and some workers talking over the ravine and since he couldn't see where their voices were coming from he found it very concerning. After working through these distractions, we had a pretty good ride. The whole time though I kept thinking about my upcoming clinic with Henrik and how I'll really need to focus and relax during it so I don't tense up Ben. I'm really excited for it and have lots to prepare for.

At the end of my ride when Ben was really warmed up and working very nicely we schooled a simple dressage test. Really, it's just one that I made up since I can't seem to remember any from start to finish. We we rode is comparable to a Training Level test and Ben did really well. If I was the judge I would have given him at least a 60-65%. Here's the "Test" we rode:

Enter at A working trot.

X - halt, salute.

Proceed working trot track right.

E - 20m circle working trot.

Between H and C canter right lead.

C - canter 20m circle.

C - transition to working trot.

M X K - cross diagonal working trot.

Between K and A canter left lead.

A - canter 20m circle.

A - transition to working trot.

B - circle left 20m working trot allowing horse to stretch forward and down.

Before B - gather reins and proceed working trot.

H X F - Cross diagonal working trot.

C - down center line.

X - Halt, salute.

Ooops, so I actually rode this "test" and ended up opposite where I should be since you are always supposed to be facing the judges at A when you end. But at least it put me through the gaits and phases pretty well and allowed Ben to work through the transitions and prepare for each movement. He actually does really well when riding tests! I can tell he's show before and at least he doesn't get sour when doing so. It's almost like he prefers the constant changes. Hopefully we'll be able to school some tests with Ulla in some of our future lessons and maybe even compete in a schooling show or two by the summer. That would be fun!!

Soaking up some Sun!

The past two days I've ridden, Wednesday and Saturday, have been absolutely gorgeous!!! Sunny and in the low 60s!!! It's amazing considering it's March! To take advantage of the great weather I rode over at Barnabee in their outdoor arena. Compared to riding in their indoor arena, Ben is like a different horse. He has so much more energy, is more attentive, less spooky and much more willing. He's definitely an outdoor horse! It's funny because so many of the people who board their horses at Barnabee won't even dare take their horses to the outdoor arena. It's indoors only for them! So sad!

We had a great time riding both days and worked on lots of counter-bending on the serpentine and counter-cantering. I am loving teaching Ben these exercises! He is doing really well with them and since they require him to pay 100% attention to my aides, he's always right there with me. If he's not, he easily becomes unbalanced and starts moving in the wrong direction. I can tell that it's in moments of imbalance that is when he starts to resist or kicks out. It's almost like he doesn't know what you are asking him to do, gets all of his energy built up in a little ball and has to let it out some how.

After my ride on Wednesday I tackled the track again to see if it was going to be a spooky situation for him like last time. He was awesome! He walked around it like an old pro and remained calm and focused the whole time. I was very proud of him! He didn't even try to veer off the track towards the barn when we go close to the land bridge heading that way. This was a major first for him as well. I was even able to trot him a couple of times around and he stayed relaxed the whole time.

On Saturday I tried the track again and he was just as good as Wednesday. To change things up at bit, I thought I'd introduce him to the trails. He used to ride their trails just fine, but now he's totally afraid to even step foot on them. I don't know if he thinks we aren't going to come back to where the other horses are or if he senses something dangerous back there, but he'll have nothing to do with it if I try riding him on them now. So I just hopped off and coaxed him to walk beside me on them. That seemed to boost his confidence, although he still had to stop to look all around him all of the time. He seemed quite surprised and happy in the end when the trail lead us back to the track towards the barn. Maybe next time he'll be able to do it on his own? I can only hope!

I'm crossing my fingers that we'll have many more beautiful sunny days ahead of us!! Although I hear it's supposed to cool off considerably next week...SIGH!! :(

"To the lake, Mommy!"

That was Hyrum's response when I asked him where he wanted to go to ride his pony today. Since I've only taken him up there once before and we had some extra time on our hands I thought, what the heck?! It was a long walk/run (well for me anyway since Hyrum just rode the whole time). I was worn out by the time we got to the lake since Hyrum kept wanting me to go faster and faster. It was at times to keep up with Jena! That little pony's legs are like lightening! I can't believe how quick they are! If you are ever in the need for a running partner, don't pick a dog, pick a pony and they will be sure to keep you going!!

Hyrum really loves riding and especially going fast, even though he's bouncing all over the place. He actually is gaining really great balance and prefers at this point to either hold onto the saddle horn or hold his arm out at his sides like he's flying. I usually try to get him to hold the reins, but sometimes he pulls too much on them, so I actually prefer him to just develop his own balance before he takes up any contact.

He was so excited when getting tacked up before we left. Putting on his boots he said, "My riding boots are just like yours Mommy!!" I bought his some brown paddock boots and chaps last fall and they are finally fitting him. They look so cute on him! He outgrew his cute cowboy boots so now it's on to the English boots. Next all he needs is a little English saddle and he's ready for the shows! That'll be the day!! I don't know if he's going to keep up riding or not, but if he does he'll definitely the best Mommy Coach around. :)

Battling the Barking

I think today will be the last day that I'll be riding over at the Martin's arena. I've been having a lot of trouble over there lately, especially since the weather has gotten warmer. Their neighbor has two large black labs that they keep outside on nice days and they bark non-stop. It's really irritating to both Ben and I. Ben has such a hard time focusing on me and what I'm asking him to do that it's proving to not even be worth it to ride him there since I'm really not getting any training done. He's so distracted and nervous that the whole time we are just working on him calming down and focusing on me, that we have little time for anything else.

Plus with all of the riding I've been doing there, the arena is getting worn in and the footing is becoming too loose and soft in areas. Ideally you would drag your arena at least once a week if you were riding in it everyday and there's has never been dragged. I don't want Ben to get hurt from contrast between the deep sand on one side and the harder grass on the other.

So unless I'm really short on time or just need a place to quick lounge Ben, I think I'll be taking the walk to Barnabee more often now, either that or it's back to schooling the trails again. Maybe I'll be able to talk to their neighbor about the dogs or maybe my dad can bring his tractor over sometime and drag their arena??? Hmmm, we shall see...

A Change of Scenery

After my boy's Houdini experiences, I decided I needed a break from them and a change of scenery, so we came over to the island so I could spend some time with Ben. It's so refreshing to ride my horse, especially after a rough day. It's nice to work with someone who doesn't talk back and is generally willing to cooperate.

Since it wasn't raining, I decided to take Ben on a trail ride up to Gazzam Lake. It's been a while since I've taken him on a trail ride, since he can be spooky and resistant at times. Today though, he was really good since I'm really glad I decided to go. On out walk there I kept saying to myself how I wasn't going to fight him today, I did enough fighting with my kids the past couple of days I just really needed to do some relaxing. So instead of trying to mount Ben and ride along the county road to the lake, I decided I'd just walk with him until we got on the trail a ways. I picked a spot to mount him where the trail was really wide and had a side trail down to the water's edge. At first Ben was reluctant to go forward down the main trail, so I turned him around to see if he'd head down the trail to the lake. He liked that idea and after looking at the lake we turned around and I trotted him up the hill and then quickly turned him to the left down the main trail and he didn't refuse at all. I was very thankful!!

The rest of the ride Ben behaved really well and we had a lot of fun galloping down the trails. There were a couple times he spooked at birds, logs and stumps and one time he skidded in the mud since he was unsure as to what was ahead. I have no idea what he saw or made him stop, but at least I stayed on and didn't fall off in the mud. That wouldn't have been fun at all! I felt so free as we galloped along the trails! I was impressed too, because even though we were going fast I was in total control and could easily get him to stop if I saw a hiker up ahead.

Galloping along the trails, reminded me of the years I spent competing in Cross Country at 3-Day Events. What a rush those days were! Even though I'd love to do something exciting like that again, I highly doubt I ever will due the risk factors. I don't dare get myself seriously injured now when I have two young boys to take care of. But one thing is for certain, someday I will visit Castle Leslie again for another cross-country vacation of a lifetime. I can't believe that's it's been 14 years since my trip to Ireland.....high time I returned, right?! Well at least I can dream about it for now!!

(side note: I found these photos on the internet. Lame I know, but I didn't bring my camera while riding today. Hence the reason everything looks so green at the lake and on the trails.)