This past week featured some off-the-cuff scheduling shake ups, and actually ended up working out better than expected.
Originally, we were going to take the horses back to that beautiful new local farm for another dressage clinic with Jess, formerly of Hilltop. And this time I was gonna suck it up and actually bring Charlie too -- for our first proper dressage lesson in damn near forever.
beautiful charlie <3
It would mean forgoing our typical weekly jump lesson with Trainer P, tho, which made me a little sad. Esp since we'd already missed the prior week while Charlie eased back into work post-hock injections. And of course, that was the week the lessons all went out xc, go figure, womp.
But, then -- the day before the clinic, Jess learned she'd had a covid exposure and had to cancel. Obviously a huge bummer --- and an important reminder that we're still not quite out of this thing yet... Tho at least it meant we could do our jump lesson after all!
omg charlie LOVES the little shetland stallions tho <3 <3 <3 (tho... i still keep him a respectful distance from them jusssst in case lol)
Which.... was a good thing. Bc damn, I still really am not feeling it right now in the jumping department. It's like I feel constantly under prepared -- like Charlie isn't fit enough, or we're out of practice, or idk....
I can come up with a million excuses for why maybe we shouldn't be doing what we're doing. Or why we should be doing it slightly differently. Or, something??
jumping a little box!
I recently heard a great quote tho (from a mountain biker, go figure) that 'you can't buy skill, you only just rent it.' In other words.... Skills, confidence, strength --- it's all fleeting. Just because something was 'easy' a year ago doesn't necessarily mean we'll feel great about it today.
And at this particular moment.... Well. Y'all have seen what we've been up to this past winter, and it really ain't much. So lessons right now are kinda more about just reminding myself that it's going to be a process of getting back into the habit again haha.
jumping TWO little boxes!
Actually, what I'd really like to do in lessons right now is some straight up course work. Stringing things together with steady constant reminders to keep riding the way I've been taught.
Realistically, Charlie is a very different horse at Jump 1 than he is at Jump 5. Often for Jump 1, esp in the last couple months as he's come due for getting his hocks done, he can be sulky and behind the leg. Whereas, once we're on course he really gets rolling and strong.
When we do just one line at a time, tho, I'm basically only ever riding Jump 1 Charlie, and never Jump 5 Charlie. Which then makes me freak out about having to do an actual course bc "Omg I haven't ridden Jump 5 Charlie in so long tho! What if I forgot how??" lol....
Tho... Again, at this point any sort of practice is a good thing, and grids will always be a favorite for Charlie. And this week, trainer P had a whole big PLAN: a big center line grid, some angled lines, and maybe some skinny practice too.
exactly the same grid done the opposite direction: two-to-one stride, oxer-oxer-vertical
The grids were great, too. And so were the skinnies. Just the little brick wall boxes that Charlie's jumped a million times in various configurations.
Charlie was super good about them as stand alone skinnies - stayed super straight and seemed to fully understand the question. Possibly our canter or technique could have been better, lol, but for an easy familiar exercise it was fine.
then doubled: one-two-two-one; vertical-oxer-oxer-oxer-vertical
Ditto the long grid. Initially we only had half of it up, and went through it once each way. So then once the full grid was set it was one big long run of 5 fences.
We attempted to bypass "Jump 1 Charlie" by adding a plain single on the diagonal before the grid... But, ehhh it didn't really work lol and Charlie's first time through the whole line he was lazy and blah and knocked a bunch of them down.
But we kept cruising around without stopping while they got reset, then tried again. He was much more forward and clicked into gear this time, so the whole thing was much smoother. And, possibly, a bit instructive for Charlie lol. Life is better when you GO, buddy!
farm is constantly being improved and under construction... this back path through the woods is currently fondly referred to as 'death valley' -- it's jusssst a little spooky rn lol
I opted to be done with that, since my ankle was killing me after being in the saddle for nearly 2 hours at this point (we had to help trainer P move all the fences to set up the big grid, so it was a longer-than-normal lesson).
Plus I kinda wanted to stop on a good note, and figured a couple trips were plenty sufficient for Charlie's first jump school post injections.
parking lot isn't much better right now either. added bonus: in between those two outbuildings behind the red truck to the left is a guy who may or may not be starting up a nail gun, circular saw, or other cacophonous power tool at literally any moment omg
All in all, it was reassuring to know that he's overall feeling better. There's still more work to do, tho, as always, and I'm pretty convinced that "consistency" will have to be a big part of it.
I'm esp looking forward to more lessons practicing course work, getting out and stretching our legs and 'opening the pipes' lol. A fun sort of ride where we can just cruise around and get into a rhythm --- not so much starting and stopping, one jump or one line at a time.
good boy charlie depositing me gently back at the mounting block since i'm still too crippled to dismount like a normal person...
We need to jump more often, basically. And at this point I'd love to do that via more consistent lessons. Actually having a real winter with multiple snow storms made for a somewhat haphazard schedule-- like we kinda just get whatever is up for grabs each week.
Spring is finally here tho (hell yes!) and the ground quite suddenly firmed up all over the farm. So at least having places to actually ride won't be an excuse for me any more LOL...
Tho naturally, lessons are cancelled next week too bc there's a schooling CT instead. Jury's still out on whether I'll actually ride in it, haha.... We'll see. It could be fun.
you're a good boy, charlie <3
Lol.... In the meantime, it's good to log some solid reps over good exercises. Charlie honestly feels great right now, and much more forward and strong in the bridle than he has been.
Hopefully we can get into more of a normal schedule now that spring is here complete with good ground and long days! I'm definitely thinking some long trots and canters through the woods and fields will be just the ticket for getting both of us back in shape!
Naturally it figures that the little dressage schooling show we planned to enter was postponed to the weekend right after Charlie's latest round of joint injections. We proooobably could have gotten away with doing a test while still considering it "light work"... But, eh, nah.
my handsome overgrown pony <3
I opted to just do a super simple flat ride, putting Charlie through his paces just to see how he's feeling. In a way it was kinda nice bc he could see the field full of parked trailers for the show --- plus obvi we were sharing our normal home court with riders warming up for their tests.
just doin his charlie thing in the middle of warm-up ring chaos lol
So Charlie had the sense of heightened atmosphere. But.... Still only just had a lowkey ride for himself.
Another benefit from being show-adjacent was all our barn friends milling around after their own tests. Meaning --- one friend was right there on hand to grab a couple minutes of footage of the end of our ride (video link here and below).
yep, that's a charlie canter!
I haven't seen video of me trying to ride this horse on the flat since August 2020.... Which, lol, is kiiiinda a long time. Plenty long enough to worry that what you feel may not match what you think it looks like, ya know?
feeling a little less clingy with my legs
We also haven't really had a proper dressage lesson in.... Hm. Wow. Our last Fix-a-Test clinic in March of 2020, right before shut down? Again, plenty of time to let all those bad habits and sloppy styles regain the upper hand....
it's nice to see that charlie can be so beautiful even when i ride the way i do LOL
So. Yes. Video is super helpful lol.
Y'all have also heard me drone on and on about "kinda giving up on dressage." Which, is really just shorthand for kinda leaving my horse the F alone while I try to work on myself.
four off the floor! also, what even is a right seat bone?!
This whole past winter, I've barely ridden the horse in a proper bridle at all -- virtually all of our rides have been in the hackamore with no contact. I just ask Charlie to keep moving forward in his gaits in balance and rhythm, and otherwise let him do as he will.
why do we always look like we're about to topple over?! lol
And for my part, this has meant diverting all my energy into how I'm riding. Specifically: I've tried really had to take my legs *OFF* the horse: no more nudging, nagging, clinging, curling... Just longer looser legs with heel (more or less) down.
i don't always sit up, but when i do, my hands flee the scene
Basically, I'm trying to get my leg off so I stop blocking Charlie's efforts to come forward from his hind end. And? I think he likes it lol. Plus, this may or may not be the first winter where I have not rubbed little spots onto his ribcage from my nudging lol.
good boy charlie <3
In tandem with releasing the death grip of my legs around Charlie's sides -- I've been trying to realign how I actually sit on him. Less perching, more full seat. But like, not driving seat. Balanced, soft, but still seated.
i know virtually all of these pictures look the same, but this type of media is so rare for us obvi gotta grab as much as i can!
This is where it kinda gets complicated for me, tho, bc.... Well. I'm not one of those naturally gifted riders who have nice independent body parts. I can't walk and chew gum at the same time, I can't pat my head and rub circles on my belly simultaneously.
more tipping over lol
So when I start trying to change one body part, another body part flies out of whack. Generally --- it's whatever comes next up or down my spinal column. So if I change the orientation of my pelvis or how I'm sitting, it's like my shoulders straight up don't know how to cope and my arms go haywire LOL.
pictured: what it looks like to ride an actual literal freight train
Not coincidentally --- My arms are also an area requiring a not insignificant amount of my attention. The resistance band lessons we did last summer were very helpful in giving me a good feeling with how to hang my arms from my shoulders. But. Somehow, when I focus heavily on my arm and hand position, I end up perching in my seat again.
that's better, sir!! <3
And of course... All of that is completely independent of whatever Charlie might be doing. One benefit of the hackamore is that I don't really need to think about what he's doing. Esp if he tries to brace or pull against me, or go running off on his forehand into the sunset ---- Well, the hackamore provides excellent brakes that Charlie simply just accepts.
He doesn't pull or fuss against the hackamore. He just... Slows down. It's nice, I like it LOL.
already so bored of trotting circles lol
Not so, in the snaffle, tho. Sir will just dive down into the bridle and tonka truck his way around. Which, naturally, I take the bait every single time and let him pull me right out of that position I'd been trying to fix.
who knows, maybe 2021 will be the year we get back into dressage lessons?
So it's nice to see this whole dynamic play out in video. It's especially useful to see whether the areas I feel are better are actually better.
Like.... Have you ever ridden around knowing you're being recorded, feeling like you're sitting up like an actual queen? But then looked at the footage only to realize you're still all crumpled and slumped?? Don't tell me I'm the only one haha....
Honestly, tho, I admit to being a bit relieved to see that things kinda look more or less like I expected in the video. No, none of my bad habits magically resolved themselves. I still kinda ride the way I've always ridden lol... But a couple areas do look a little better, at least to me.
I still don't feel particularly inspired in the realm of dressage, and it's never going to be Charlie's favorite task either. But, eh, who knows, maybe we'll start taking a lesson here or there again after all?
Equine nutrition is kinda an enormous area of study. Especially if you have a special-needs horse, it can end up being pretty complicated too. There are so many companies promising magical results with their concentrated feeds, supplements, top dressings, nutra-ceuticals... you name it, it's out there.
I'm not much of an expert on this area, to be honest, and generally have a philosophy of, "Don't mess with it if it ain't broke!"
supplement cups -- slightly more sustainable than baggies, but takes up way more space
Charlie is not a special-needs horse when it comes to nutrition -- he doesn't have any restrictions, sensitivities or limitations or anything like that. No metabolic issues etc.
And, somehow, somewhat luckily perhaps, once we got him over the hump of his initial let down from the track, he's generally done quite well with a fairly simple meal plan that's remained virtually unchanged for 4 years.
nutrena pro force fuel is charlie's base feed
We made the decision early on at the recommendation of a vet to switch Charlie from Triple Crown Senior to Nutrena's Pro Force Fuel (12% protein, 10% fiber, 13% fat).
It was that vet's opinion that because of Charlie's sheer size, we'd possibly need to balance between feeding enough calories for his weight while not risking too-large meal sizes. And she felt that the Fuel is a denser feed per pound than some other stuff on the market.
it's comparable to a lot of senior feeds on the market, but packs a little more 'bounce per ounce'
That made sense to me, plus I'd already seen a number of thoroughbreds (and Isabel) do extremely well on this particular feed previously. So we made the switch and never looked back.
Actually, tho, these days Charlie's eating a little less of it daily -- about 2.5ish lbs per meal, twice daily (roughly amounts to three 50lb bags every four weeks). He seems to really love it and looks great, so barring any sort of shift in his general health I don't see this changing any time soon.
run of the mill alfalfa pellets added to every meal (soaked)
Similarly, Charlie also gets ~1lb of soaked alfalfa pellets with every meal. Alfalfa is 100% not a solution for every horse (esp horses that tend toward getting too hot or fizzy) but imo it's generally pretty good stuff. Seems to work well for supporting gastric and muscular health.
Charlie doesn't love the taste of the alfalfa pellets on their own, but will almost always lick his bucket clean when it's mixed with the Fuel.
One note about the alfalfa pellets tho: I've been told that it's critical to wet the pellets and give them at least a few minutes to soften before feeding to the horse to avoid risking a choke.
really would love an alternative to disposable baggies for daily supplements, but haven't found the right storage fix yet
Honestly, Charlie probably gets most of everything he needs from just those two components. But.... For most months out of the year, I like to add in a couple supplements too. Mostly with an eye toward hoof health, plus some seasonal additives like electrolytes.
platinum performance -- charlie gets one full scoop per feeding
I first starting supplementing Charlie's feed with Platinum Performance wayyyy back in the early days in 2016. The stuff is basically glorified expensive flax, as far as I can tell, but honestly Charlie always seems to do super well on it. It's also a nice catch-all to make sure Charlie isn't missing out on any important vitamins or minerals.
Various different farriers, vets, and trainers have all independently recommended this stuff and it's just a solid supplement for general wellness. It's a little pricey -- one 25lb/5gal bucket is about $150+ -- but it lasts a long time.
farrier's formula -- charlie get's 2/3 cups per feeding
The other mainstay in Charlie's supplement packs is Farrier's Formula, also something he's been on for almost the whole time I've owned him (with just a few gaps here and there).
Lots of people tend to swear by this particular supplement. It's basic purpose is to help ensure the horse is growing a good hoof. There's only so much you can do to promote good hoof health for the hoof that's already grown, ya know? Like, topical treatments like Keratex can only go so far if the horse doesn't have the nutrition and ingredients necessary at the point of growth.
And... Yea, that's basically it. It's kinda a simple meal plan --- bolstered in no small part by absolutely phenomenal grazing during the summer months, and plenty of free choice hay in the winter.
plus obvi all the free choice forage he likes during turnout (and in his stall -- he has two hay nets that i keep full)
I've also experimented with various other additives over the years -- electrolytes during the summer months, MSM every now and then when I remember, various oil-based top dressings, other muscle- or topline-related supplements....
But, mostly I just keep coming back to what I've written above. Possibly bc mixing out supplement baggies in advance is absolutely my least favorite task omg kill me, so anything not 100% mission critical gets cut out LOL.
Also tho... Honestly, I try to take my cues from Charlie about what he needs. And ya know. The horse is, by all appearances, well fed lol.
He's got a soft shiny coat - even when absolutely covered in dust and shedding, like below. He grows good hair and hoof, only really suffering in the hoof department in conjunction with seasonal changes (sugary wet grass; hard ground). He holds muscling well, and generally appears "well upholstered" haha.
imho i think he's doing pretty well with this nutrition plan!
So that's basically good enough for me. Every now and then I'll talk through his nutrition and supplements with various members of his team (vets, trainers, farriers, wellness practitioners, etc) and they all seem to sorta agree that his bases are covered.
Tho ya know, as always -- I'm not ruling out any changes in the future. It's possible we'll experiment more with feed through joint support at some point. I also know of folks who feed supplements intended to repel biting insects and pests and stuff. Or maybe I'll try another top-line builder again eventually (I liked that it made Charlie run a little hotter LOL).
So in that vein, I'm always curious to hear what other people like to use as supplements. Obvi every horse reacts to things slightly differently and nutritional needs can vary greatly by region... But. yea, always curious. Is there anything that you always make sure to add to your horse's diet? Does your horse also get concentrated grain, or maybe you're able to avoid that all together? I've often thought about adding a ration balancer too (if only I had more storage space!) -- have you used one in your feeding program?
Or, unrelated to the feed itself... I'm also always super curious how people manage storage solutions for this stuff. My barn requires we premeasure our own supplements and I honestly loathe that task haha. Plus have first world guilt about using disposable thin-film plastic baggies for the job. But the plastic tubs I use don't fit nicely into the 5gal bucket I have for storage -- I can only make about a week's worth at a time. Maybe I need to find some sort of square drawer or square tupperwares?? Lmk if you have a more elegant solution LOL!
I wrote yesterday about getting Charlie "up to date on his annual maintenance," and figured it might as well merit a dedicated post about what that actually means: Joint injections.
First, some background: Like many off track thoroughbreds, Charlie started receiving joint injections (typically some form of hyaluronic acid, more below) during his racing career. To my knowledge, he had his hocks and stifles done on the track.
the fields are so pretty at dusk!
My understanding is that these injections manage joint dysfunction (especially in cases of horses with arthritic changes) by increasing fluid viscosity and lubrication of the joint. (A joint being: any place in the body where two bones meet.)
Conventional wisdom suggests that once horses start this degree of intervention in joint care, it often commonly becomes a necessary "routine maintenance" for them to remain comfortable. Tho, my impression is that this depends on which joint you're treating.
amazing how quickly the ground has dried out this spring
Hocks, for instance, are commonly treated joints -- frequently you're injecting the joints between small bones within the larger structure, joints that have small gaps with minimal range of motion (Purdue has a nice diagram in this pdf) -- and Charlie's been on about a yearly schedule with them. I've also done his stifles once, and his front coffin joints too.
Personally, the stifle injections didn't do much to address what I felt in Charlie's way of going -- whereas the hocks make a big difference. The coffin injections also made a big difference, and might be something we repeat in the future. Tho that treatment had less to do with 'routine maintenance' and was more circumstantial (drought year / very hard ground).
ugh i'm the absolute worst at scheduling, apparently. it's gorgeous out right now while charlie's stuck in his stall :(
I'm also not ruling out additional areas of treatment in the future: for instance, at some point we may take a closer look at Charlie's SI joint or neck. At present, however, the vet does not feel like there are any compelling presentations in the horse to justify further diagnostics.
his field had been temporarily relocated onto grass too while a fence is repaired. sorry buddy, i kinda blew it for ya ugh
But --- it's important to note here: This is all based in my own personal approach to medical interventions in horses. Joint injections inherently carry enormous risk. Any time you open a joint capsule and introduce a foreign body (needle, drugs), you also risk introducing infection.
And joint infections are extremely serious. At their worst, they can threaten the long-term soundness or even the horse's life by creating inflammation and surface roughening within the joint itself -- an extremely painful and often permanent injury.
marching in to meet his fate
I've also heard in conversations with trusted horse people (who, as we all know, are always FULL of opinions) that there's somewhat of a limit to how many times you can inject any single joint.
That, after a certain point, you face diminishing returns and may find you're having to inject more and more often to keep the horse comfortable for work. Eventually, the horse may need to step down from the work when treatment is no longer sufficient or even humane.
drunk charlie gets scrub-a-dub-dubbed
So... Even tho joint injections are 'normal' and 'common,' they're not something to be taken lightly or without full deliberation of the associated risks. There are folks I respect immensely who avoid injections at all costs.
Personally, I'm a little more comfortable with them (acknowledging my limited experience). The key is that: your mileage may vary and it's important to talk through options with your team if you're considering injections.
the "sterile field" of instruments, drugs, scrubs etc... plus random unrelated grooming spray lol
I've owned Charlie for about 4.5 years at this point (how time flies!) and have used three different vets for his hock injections. It's interesting to me that each vet has a slightly different approach and practice.
Differences can include the actual chemical substance injected (which has the most direct bearing on price and potential longevity of the injection), whether there's also an antibiotic included in the injection compound, and after-care as it relates to stall rest or turn out timing.
i spy with my little eye, a feline interloper drawn as if by magnets toward said sterile field
For Charlie's most recent treatment, the primary injected drug (by a factor of about x10) was Hyvisc, a hyaluronate sodium compound. Secondary injection ingredients were MPA (an intra-articular (IA) corticosteroid), and amikacin (an antibiotic used as a preventative in this case).
Obviously, the injection sites (inside and outside of each hock, TMT and DIT joints) were scrubbed aggressively and continuously for many minutes using a couple different antimicrobial solutions in preparation.
each hock had two sites - making for somewhat precarious positioning
The horse also received a number of drugs intravenously -- including sedation, obviously, to keep both horse and vet as safe as possible during this highly precise task.
Other IV drugs included a shot of gentamicin (another antibiotic as added protection against infection) and bute for any pain relief. Charlie will get bute orally in his meals the next two days.
a rare moment of charlie standing on nearly all four legs.... he's the kinda drunk mess that likes to teeter and totter around on a tight rope. makes me hella nervous lol
This vet prefers to bandage the hocks post-injection with elastikon, and have the horse remain in stall rest for ~3 days. Previous vets have used Alushield as a liquid bandage over the injection sites and allowed Charlie to return to turnout immediately post-treatment.
Personally, having seen Charlie do just fine with minimal post-treatment limitations... I tend to think that for this type of injection it's probably fine for them to go right back out again. However, I'm also a big believer in using the advice I buy from the professionals on my team. So if this current vet wants stall rest, that's exactly what we'll do.
She also recommends hand walking during the ~3 day stall rest period, then returning to turn out and resuming light work under saddle. Then, you're basically good to go!
random shot of the beginning of this season's hoof woes. trying to get an early start this year!
Honestly, the most important part of post-care is observing the horse for any signs of septic joints. This would include a sudden change in the horse's behavior (lethargy, fever, loss of appetite), and extreme lameness and swelling.
I've been told by a couple different vets that the lameness from joint infection is so obvious even Stevie Wonder could see it. In other words, you really don't need to guess if you're dealing with injection complications -- it's generally pretty clear and presents in the first day or two. Personally, I haven't experienced this myself -- it's just what I've been told.
sad lonely pony prisoner
This whole process is fairly interesting to me -- tho (as always!) it's important to note I'm not a professional and Charlie is my first horse, and therefore the horse from which I learn the ins and outs of this type of treatment and care. I'll be curious in 5 or 10 or 15+ years, or with a future horse, when I look back on how I handled Charlie's care... Will I wish I had been more aggressive? More conservative? Or will Charlie be the model for how I approach all future creatures? Who knows!
Most of what I've learned about this type of maintenance has been learned through conversations with friends and barn mates and various professionals, or read on other blogs or forums or in articles etc. And so much of it.... kinda depends on who you ask, as seems true with so many aspects of horse care.
So I'm curious -- have you ever done joint injections? Were your experiences similar to what I described? Or are there meaningful differences in drugs used or post-care treatment? Have you had to deal with a joint infection? Or maybe you avoid injections entirely, or in retrospect regret going down that route with a horse? Are there alternative treatments you turn to first? Or maybe a simple injection was a game changer for your horse in making them more comfortable and happy in the work?
Things have warmed and dried up in the past week, creating pretty pleasant conditions --- esp combined with the lengthening days. Our barn remains closed from 4:30-5:30pm for Covid safety but with sunset at 6pm+ that still gives us time to actually log semi-daylight weeknight rides!
trail rides at sunset!
In the past week, that has included an evening trail ride with barn mates, a (possibly ill-advised) jump school under the lights in anticipation of the derby, and our normal flat rides in the lighted dressage court. Plus our standard weekend jump lesson with trainer P.
cuties at the round bale
My hope for the evening jump school was to get into the outdoor for the first time in about a month in hopes that Charlie would feel a little more forward with more space. I figured if that ride was productive enough, maybe I'd skip the weekend lesson.
So we got up there as quickly as possible and threw up some fairly conservative jumps --- tho included one short one-stride gymnastic.
the most pixelated pic ever, but i'll take what i can get! this bright white box was basically the only safe jump by the end
I call that ride "potentially ill-advised" bc.... Well, lol, we plain old ran out of light. And the in-and-out I'd set was in the darkest corner of the ring with dark brown standards and poles.
I tried to jump Charlie through it once and, while we didn't exactly die, it was a very unconvincing effort. Likely bc... Charlie probably couldn't fucking see the jump, whoops.
you know me, tho, always happy to milk every medium for all it's worth!
So after that, we stuck to the white jumps closest to the lights and did a few more reps with a good feeling before calling it a night. The above was our final effort. Notably: Charlie jumps this just fine. Without a care in the world. Zero effort, and probably zero care, too. Which.... Is nice. But.... isn't exactly peak potential, ya know what I mean?
And I PROMISE I was kinda kicking along the whole ride. We didn't really miss to anything (other than the invisible jump, whoops) but it honestly felt a bit like Charlie was phoning it in.
charlie's #sadmarediaries ears were a theme in this ride
So.... I felt like we should probably do our Saturday lesson too -- and focus a little harder on getting the horse in front of my leg. Tho, sadly, I forgot my spurs at home, ugh. I've been riding in country boots all winter -- which the spurs don't fit over. So I guess I'm just out of the habit for remembering all the normal gadgets. Anyway, spurs would have been useful.
every now and then we a got an interested ear tho!
Bc Charlie was suuuuuulkyyyyy ugh. He never full-on refused to move, never threw down about anything. But.... He was also kinda floating jusssst above The Line on what sort of response is acceptable when I ask him to go forward.
Well. Ok, let's be real. That's not actually true. Every time I put my leg on, Charlie hollowed out, dropped the bit and pinned his ears. You can clearly tell in the video any moment where I'm putting my leg on.
esp to this standalone oxer with a long straight approach. shockingly, homeboy nailed this every time
Plus he was being extra fussy with the bridle. I opted to school in our elevator bit, as we've done for all our jump lessons this winter. None of the adjustments on it were changed or anything, but.... Idk, he felt super reactive to it.
sweet charlie <3
Trainer P took a look inside to check that nothing was pinched or raw looking (negative), and opted to undo the curb strap from one side of the bit and loop it through the noseband so that it was effectively neutral without needing to be completely removed. This seemed to help... but, eh, idk, Charlie was kinda just out of sorts.
getting untacked in the doorway bc somebody (not naming any names here) will 1,000% pee in the aisle post-ride if he's left in the crossties for literally anything longer than 30seconds
The exercises were suuuuuper simple -- warming up over a couple singles, working down a 60' line (in which my moody bronto needed to be kicked up to get the five....), a simple 18' grid, and a long straight approach to a standalone oxer.
Our biggest issues were just getting started. Like, the stop-and-go of schooling makes basically every jump "Jump 1." When meanwhile, once Charlie gets going he clicks more into gear so that by the time we get to jumps 4 or 5, he's moving much more forward. But jump 1 was always sticky.
We also kinda got bogged down in the turns too ---- especially what felt like a fairly short sharp turn to the grid. Charlie was uncharacteristically grumpy about that grid too. Normally he seems to love those types of exercises but... Idk.
random screenshot from the video of my tack locker's current conditions. yes that is FOUR bridles for my one single horse....
On one hand I don't love that sulky sucked back feeling from Charlie since it reminds me so much of that awful catastrophe of a run we had at Plantation a couple years ago (when we got high-centered on the most innocuous coop ever bc Charlie just would.not.go.).
Realistically, tho, there's some low hanging fruit we can harvest before fully flipping out about any training issues. Chief among them: getting Charlie up to date on his annual maintenance.
and a Mikey cat just because <3
So Charlie will get a visit from his favorite vet to check in on his overall health and wellness, and will probably get a little extra special TLC for his hocks. Then maybe another visit with his favorite acupuncturist? Idk, we'll see haha.
Charlie's such a sensitive soul haha, I'm hoping all he needs is a little tune up. Feels like the right time of year to check off all these boxes anyway, tbh. Somehow we ended up on a Fall maintenance schedule, which always felt suboptimal. So this year we just kinda opted to push through the winter and see if it worked.
I think it did work, more or less, but it's probably definitely time now. Fingers crossed it'll do the trick. Anybody else looking for a little medicinal / chemical / therapeutic assistance to help shake the rust off?
