Thursday's practice with Mezza

Since I didn't squeeze in the long lines on Tuesday, I felt they needed to be practiced again today. Miss Mezza is doing well with them, and starting to get the turns down, so I want to practice them regularly enough that we can see ground driving later this summer.

Currently I am incorporating as many basics as I can think of into her practice, which is about 3 times per week. I try to rotate some of the activities so the sessions remain between 1 and 2 hours, but others need to be practiced each time. Since Mezza will be showing in halter and showmanship she needs to be really light and comfortable handling at side in different locations. It is really easy to get in a routine, and then forget about some of my "mini goals". The true test will be in the actual show ring itself.

Ideally I would add at least one more day per week, but with our own 2 horses and work, that is still in the "planning" phase! What might work better is to add one or two short sessions, of just handling her mouth, washing her hooves with a sponge and bucket, practicing just spray, or just bending, etc.

Usually I try to start by stalking her in the round pen, and then practicing in-hand there for more focus before taking her to another location on the property. This way she may start in the round pen, get tacked and groomed in the barn, get additional work in the indoor or outdoor arena, or even in the obstacles in the small field, and then go back to the round pen for long lining before de-tacking again in the barn.

Right now part of her getting used to different locations will be achieved by trailering her with Dawn's other horses to different events.

More Mezza...

Mezza after backing out of the stall. "Whatever..."

Today I was out late, so Dawn got to watch most of the session with Miss Mezza. Mezza got stalked, then we worked on in-hand turns (fores, hinds), walking, trotting at side, backing with me facing her, backing with me at her side (backing with her).

After our "warm up" I went and got the infamous spray bottle, and we practiced with that. She still moves off initially, but is standing after a short while. I need to do this every few days now that the weather is warm.

After that I took Mezza into the barn and we first went into the stall with the higher step up and practiced stepping out front first. She bounced out the first time, walked out the second. Then we went to our second stall, with barely any step up and practiced backing out. Soooo much easier this time. We completed 3 nice backs in about 10 minutes!  Her confidence is really coming!

Show halters go especially well with a nice bit of hay.

I returned her to her pen, thinking we were done. However, the grand finale of the evening was trying on a show halter with plenty of bling!  She acted like it belonged on her--well, I guess one will, very soon. The next show is the 3rd week of June and we're planning to enter her in halter and showmanship. Much to do yet before then, but it's coming along. :)

Mezza work continues

Today Mezza and I skipped around and practiced on a number of different things. I'd wanted to get her back in the long lines, and for that I still want the round pen until she's more comfortable in them.

So, we started by practicing our stalking, turns, and in-hand in the round pen, then walked down and tacked up indoors, where she is relaxed while tied, as long as she has a companion. I need to practice walking away around the corner. I don't leave her alone yet.

After grooming, saddling and putting on her front boots (more for practice than needed protection) we headed into the indoor arena and walked and trotted close circles over poles, then worked on more desensitization with the rope hitting the saddle before switching out the halter for the side pull and longing over the poles using a longer line at walk and trot. That is coming along nicely.

We finished up with that and headed all the way back up to the round pen, where we spent time desensitizing her butt and legs to me flopping the ropes around before sending her out on the long lines. She is getting the feel and doesn't mind them, and is picking up the turning!  I'm so proud of her!!

Preparations for showing Mezza...and more

I woke up early today, and headed down to the Indiana Equestrian Center. It was the first Colorado Stockman's Horse Association Show of the season, (3rd Sunday each month, starting in May). I walked around as trailers pulled in and folks got busy preparing their horses.

The halter shows and the showmanship were what I really wanted to watch. Dawn and her daughter, Jennifer met me at the bleachers and we sat with a small group of people who helped fill us in on some of our questions.

The show was not crowded, and the weather was great--not too hot yet. We were surprised to see all the halter and showmanship horses had leads with chains!  Although they did not put them over the nose or through the mouth, they still ran the chains underneath and up against the chin of the horse. Almost every horse we saw was well mannered though, and I only saw 2 individuals really tug on those leads.

For Mezza to compete in halter, she will be in a class of mares 3 and under. Today there were no 3 and under, only 4 and up. The halter class is judged entirely on the horse--their conformation, how well muscled they are, and how well they present to the judge. We watched real close at how the handler moved around as the judge walked around the horse!  The horse also needs to square up, something to work on, as Mezza loves to cock a foot when she's relaxed.

Next we watched the showmanship classes. These are judged on both the handler and the horse. There is a short pattern the handler takes the horse through before stopping for the judge and letting them inspect the horse. The horse must walk, trot, back, stop and in this case pivot on the hinds for the judge.

Eves dropping and asking questions gave us some information--some of these kids were taking lessons on showing their horses in halter and for showmanship. No wonder the horses were quite calm and the youngsters did quite well.

For showing Mezza, we talked about trying the Novice category, as this was new to us all.

Then we headed out to go and collect horses. Mezza was going to be introduced to the equestrian center and actually riding in a trailer (instead of just loading) while Jennifer would enter Boo in some of the Western classes and Dawn would bring Luna, Mezza's dam along for an outing.

Things went well!!!

Mezza got a minor 'focus' workout in the round pen while Dawn and Jennifer got the trailer all hooked up. We got to practice loading and unloading Mezza and I got her brushed up while Boo got a bath. Luna got a grooming while the last tack was loaded in the trailer.

Mezza hopped in and took her place at the front (see feet beneath Boo's stomach in photo).

We wondered how Mezza would react to everything at the center--to our amazement she was quite calm, did not pull and walked around with or without the other two horses with no concern! We were happily surprised, to say the least!

Jennifer enjoyed riding Boo in a couple of classes, and took home a first and second place. She thought Boo would have appreciated running barrels over the show classes, but hey, it was a nice day for a ride anyway!

And Mezza, she enjoyed alternately standing and watching all the action, (along with getting quite a bit of attention for folks), taking walks around to see everything, and yes, of course the wonderful grass!

The entire experience can be chalked up as a "non-event" something that my Equine Studies teacher, Damian, says means that I've done my homework. I think we all got a good grade for the day!
Many thanks to Dawn Dooley for her collaboration with today's events!!

About Scout

 Scout
This is my little Mustang that I bought in April, 2005. By 2006 he looked really good, had filled out and was in good shape. I had to put shoes on his fronts, as his hooves didn't grow fast, and his soles were thin. In 2007 he started to go lame on the front after going barefoot in the winter. We shod him again, but he needed pads for awhile. Later, I believe the next year, he developed a "hitch" which I thought was in the rear. That did not get confirmed by x-ray until early 2010, and he was found to have some pretty good arthritis in his left hock.

Scout just after I got him in 2005

Scout, early 2010

Scout, December 2010 before fight

  

Currently, Scout has very little muscle on his left side, and lots on his right (I noticed that he really looked uneven when ground driving him last week, and Jill, a friend who works at a vets commented on it after I asked if she would look at him). She said he's obviously been carrying the weight on his right side for some time. I'm perplexed because since last August we've given him injections in his left hock about every 4 months (August 15, Dec. 16, and April 17). His left rear leg seems better (he will back without swishing his tail), but his lower back continues to get inflamed, and his turning ability with the back legs seems worse. 

This has been a problem ever since his fight with our other horse in January 2011, although the arthritis in his left hock has been an issue since early 2010. (He received one injection for the hock in March 2010 or April 2010, followed by an injection of Legend several months later.) I was told to ride him or work him lightly every other day, and Bute him with 1gram of Bute beforehand. This seemed to be fairly successful before the horses fought. If I had followed up earlier with another injection late that year it might have helped. However, everything went to  H.... in a handbasket after the two horses tangled, and from late Dec. 2010 until summer 2011 Scout had no injections, only chiropractor work, a lot of working from the ground, and little riding as he was quite sore. He was also overweight, and insulin resistant. 

In August the hock was re-evaluated and found to have gotten a lot worse. Scout was in his own run now, not sharing with the other horse, and we could control his feed intake. Treatment began again on the hock. Initially it looked like this was the key! But, his front shoes had been left off for X-rays, and when those weren't put right back on he became sore on his fronts. His soles are thin. So, we put bar shoes and Equipack on his fronts. This helped his fronts, but he continued to be bracy and sore.

Therefore, Scout and I are trying a test of sorts. Every other day I will walk or exercise him straight (from the ground, not ridden) as I've been doing for some time--ground driving, walking up the little hills at the east end, or long lining in really big circles or on the straight at walk and trot. In addition I will add 10 minutes of longeing him in a circle to the left mainly at the trot, and if possible over one or two poles.

The photos I've posted are from two different dates. The first ones show Scout in late summer 2009, before he'd started to put on weight.

The second set shows Scout as of yesterday, May 18, 2012. He's lost a lot of his additional weight, but is quite sore in the back just in front of the LS joint.

I want to see if this will help the left side. I'm hoping it will. Probably I will need to do this about three weeks at least to see a change?  If he gets sore instead I think I'll know sooner than 3 weeks that it's not working, but I don't really know what to expect. Right now any time I ride him I sore his back up, even if all we do is walk with a little trot, which may be because he still won't load the left side and walk evenly, or because it's just so much weaker he can't. We may need to rule out damage in his pelvis if this continues. 

I worked with him on this yesterday (Friday the 18th) and since I'm writing this Saturday, the 19th (behind as usual!)  I checked him today. His entire back, both sides, from the base of the withers to the LS joint is really sore. However, I also gave him a dose of Ivermectin yesterday evening, and the weather changed abruptly as well, and I think that might have had an effect.  So today I put Sore No More all over his back along both sides of the spine and gave him a paste electrolyte. He seems to be eating and drinking well.  I'm not ready to jump to conclusions yet.

If anyone reads this and has any ideas, please let me know. 

A good Friday!

Mezza and I worked in the round pen on stalking today, walking and trotting in-hand, before going to the barn to work in the stall.

Today's stalking went really smoothly--Mezza circled me 3 or 4 times at an easy lope before she started to look at me. I had her continue on a couple laps, she can get high headed when I don't let her come in when she asks, but this time she simply tried to circle closer and I pushed her out and kept her going a few more laps and then stepped forward and back--she sucked right in and we stood facing each other and I pointed and wiggled the tip of the whip and she headed out in the correct direction. Asking for her to come in and turn with her left eye on me was no sweat, asking for her to step in and then turn from the right eye still takes two tries most of the time. After about 3 turns she is trotting, watching me, and she was really relaxed, except with the turns from the right, where she initially stops, doesn't turn in toward me when I step out and back, but tries to run past without turning, so I make her continue and try again. It was taking two tries, but the last one was really good, so I let her just stop and stand, and the she walked right in very calm.

We practiced our turns on hinds, fores, backing and then her walking and "whoaing" and trotting at side. This is all coming along pretty nicely.

After that we headed into the barn where Mezza and I walked in and out (forward) of the stall with the higher step several times before going to the stall with almost no step to practice backing. We still went in and out forward a couple of times, then worked on coming part way in, standing with the fronts in, then backing out. Finally we worked on coming in completely, standing (almost invariably she'd come in and as soon as her hinds were in she'd swing them! She therefore got a lot of practice with partial turns on the fores so she'd like up straight. I found it easier to practice asking for one or two steps back and then stop her when they were good backing steps so I could rub her. Then I'd ask her to step forward (towards me at the back of the stall) and we'd practice again. When the steps back got less crooked, then I stopped asking her to move forward and simply gave her a rest and a rub after one or two steps. We completed 3 backs out of the stall. It probably took us at least 20 minutes. I am really proud of her! That was all for her for the day.

Hoss, Scout and Mezza time

The weather was nice today, even though it threatened to rain at times.

I loaded Scout, and then Hoss without a hitch, although Hoss looked like he wanted to back out shortly after loading, so I untied the rope and waited. He did not back out, so I rubbed him and retied the rope.

I met my husband at the Equestrian Center, where he rode Hoss and I walked Scout. We practiced walking Scout by Hoss' side, as if he were being ponied. No ears, and Scout didn't get scared!  Loading coming home, Hoss did back out part way, so I back him out all the way and we trotted circles each direction for a few minutes. He loaded right up and did not back again.

Once home, Hoss wanted to back as soon as I started untying. So I stopped untying and relaxed, guess what, he relaxed too!  We just stood there together! So I asked him to back out and stand right out of the trailer, then I asked him to come back in... he did, no hesitation, and promptly started eating from his hay net...was I happy or what!?

Later I worked with Mezza, and Ben gave me some help with stalking her and assessing her head carriage, before I let her come in. I get over eager to let her come in because she's asking, and then have to send her back out because she won't stick with me--LOL she needs to show more than an "ask" that head needs to be down, and the eyes soft as well as her ear on me. She usually won't lick and chew until she's stopped anyway!

I also worked on her walking and trotting at my side, from both sides, with stops, and backing at side. This is coming nice now, even from the off side.

And, this was our first day in the long lines!! She could have cared less at my flipping the rope over her butt!  Ben has shown me several different ways to desensitize with ropes and whips