"Intensive" cont.

Monday - Do werk. Pissy Horse. Regain Brain.

I had a cutting lesson in the early afternoon and then headed out to the barn to see King of the Pissy Pants, Jingle-Bell-Rock.

Generally I also have a lesson on him on Mondays but my trainer was stuck in Montana due to aforementioned snow storm. I thought it would be a good idea to run through a "lesson" to see how my horse responded.

I set up some serious ground-poles, some barrels, and got to work.

Jingle was forward, very forward. Aint no slowin' this Mack truck down! Ugh. I worked a shit-ton on the wither stop, on trotting the ground poles, on jogging, on walking, on jogging again. Jingle has decided he will drag his nose on the ground during jogging - a girl in the arena the other day commented "he actually looks really cute when he's going nicely" - ahem... you mean when he isn't using his ab muscles in anyway and is instead just stretching away from everything I throw at him? Also, he looks cute ALL.THE.TIME. -disgruntled mother over here-

He was working pretty well, I turned him in figure 8's around two barrels every so often and he was turning really.really.well. Barrel horse prospect? Just saying. When he really wants to that horse can whip around a barrel like no other. Of course, we haven't tried this at a lope, but maybe one day! haha.

I was attempting to diverge his forward motion by constantly making him work and turn his hip, speed up - turn, speed up - turn, go steady - stay straight, etc. It seemed to be working, but he was definitely in a pissy mood for most of the ride. I was happy that he was actually working with me though, instead of during into an absolute nightmare like his ears kept threatening to do.

Finally, we attempted the lope, it was scattered and messy - way.too.fast, I decided to let him run like a strung out mess for a bit and then asked him for more turns, big circles, little circles, but it was getting me nowhere - so, thus, we must again say goodbye to loping and go back to the slow stuff. His stop is getting better and better, so now we can slightly shift focus to lessening that bullet-out-of-a-gun forward motion.

After the whole "HEY MA LOOK I CAN GALLOP" schtick, Jingle spiraled right into his pissy-horse routine... maybe my horse doesn't like mondays? haha. We walked for a really long time, and then I asked for a trot again and we worked on stopping, at first he wanted to be a complete dick, but after some transitioning from walk-trot-walk-jog-trot-jog-walk etc, he started listening to me again and stopping nicely (after some disgusting stops haha). I was happy with that - he had gone into his pissy realm of hatred, and had come back out of it. We quit. 

I put away my "do werk" aids - ground poles and barrels - and he followed behind me and did what he does best - roll for as long as possible so that all his white splotches look like they were eaten by mud-monsters. haha. good boy.

Werkin' it out in the arena...

Tuesday - Slow & Steady wins the race

With yet another mugwump article in my mind, I went to work trying to slow down my too-fast horse. We walked, the entire time. The only time we jogged or trotted was when he broke out into one of those gaits, I would just keep turning him right, left, circles, serpentines, until he slowed down, and then I'd let him walk straight for awhile. If he sped up again, away we'd go. He seemed to pick up on it, and I worked on stops for awhile.

Then, as a test, I tried to communicate speeding and slowing at the walk. When I wanted him to slow down i'd sit back, relax, and ask him to walk slow, when I wanted him more forward I'd sit up, forward and add more contact with my legs. He seemed a little confused, but by the end starting figuring out what I was asking him to do and we transitioned through a walk from fast-slow and in-between for awhile.

He's still not slowing down, but I think he's figuring out the concept.

Before I rode, I went out and took some photos of Jingle and his girlfriend, Quiz. :) Quiz was the horse I rode for the better part of last year (better being literally and figuratively haha), so it's pretty good that two of my favourite ponies have buddied up. They are pretty inseparable, it's adorable.

Cutest couple of the year award!

Echo REALLY wanted me to take photos of her - get outttta the way!

Wednesday - Snow Day aka Ditch Horse & Hang out with Puppy

It snowed again on Wednesday and I was sleepy, so instead of heading out to the barn I hung out with my dog - Moose! Pretty awesome animal to hang out with too, if I do say so myself.

Love-muffin.

Making tracks in fresh snow

Thursday - Jingle, meet "Equine Practitioner"

On Thursday I brought a Massage/Chiro out to the barn to look at Jingle, and a few other horses. At first Jingle was giving her the wide-eyed crazy look, as per usual. She was asking me about him, and his variety of ailments and issues, and then said "Are you planning on flipping him or keeping him?" I wild-eyed her right beside him, "keeping him. forever. and ever." She laughed. Okay, I am a bit of a defensive horse-mom, I know.

She worked a lot on breaking down some scar tissue around his jaw from his previous injury, and also said there was a ton of tension and strain in his neck and through to his shoulders. She said this was due to the old jaw injury, but unfortunately when the head/neck/shoulders are all out of whack and twisted, it turns the entire body into an out of whack, twisted mess. I wasn't really that surprised. She said that Jingle's neck/shoulders were out to the right (which makes sense, because he's better on his left side), and then his hips were out to the left... my horse is quasi-modo. 

She said his withers were slightly out, but that most horses have their withers slightly out due to being ridden. This was good because I was worried all the saddle fitting issues we've been having lately we're going to really affect his withers. She also said that his back and shoulders are slightly titled to the left due to over-muscling from being so "left-handed"... so all this titling and shifting i've been feeling with all these saddles isn't me being an unbalanced wreck - nice to know.

She said he had a nice strong back, which was good to hear, but then when she got to his right hip she said he was quite a bit out. She popped it back in and all of a sudden his hip bone emerged where previous too it had looked like a large area of even muscle... it was gross, fascinating and pretty cool. It made me into a believer for sure. haha.

She said that he'd be pretty sore for a couple of days, and then be pretty firey after because he'd be feeling so good, but also feeling so different. She commented that after a large adjustment such as that, a lot of horses can feel "off" because they are learning to travel different.

Overall I think he did really well, and I'm happy I had her out. I've done my far share of extensive physio, so I know how much it can hurt in the "feels so good" way.

Friday - The Dentist & The Jingle

Waaaay, waaay back... aka September I wrote this post about Jingle visiting the dentist. After he was looked at I drove into town, pulled over at a gas station, and broke down into a crying episode for about 20 minutes... it was wonderful. haha. I just didn't want my horse to be in pain and felt like he was always going to be some pyschologically messed up, semi-in pain horse due to all his jaw problems. As you guys know, 6 months later, Jingle is bitless, Jingle is way more relaxed and Jingle is well... doing well! haha, He's on herbal supplements that target his jaw - specifically bone and tendons... his herbal supplements look like tea & chalk... I am eternally made fun of at the barn. The Massage/Chiro said he's tight, but otherwise okay. My Dentist said his TMJ is fine - aka, probably no headaches. So... we're doing good.

Also, I just really love my dentist, he is an awesome guy. If your in Southern Alberta and are looking for one - drop me a line and i'll pass along his contact info, he is highly accredited, and again... really wonderful.

Anyyyywaaaays, I'm rambling. My Dentist said that he's happy with where Jingle is at 6 months later, he still had a top erupted tooth and the bottom was uneven, but he said that over time a... levelling of sorts will occur and that with work we can have some more consistency and go longer and longer without having such a large impaction/eruption cycle occuring. I am happy with that - much better, and more positive prognosis than last time, where I think my dentist was a little shocked at how bad the original break, and subsequent natural resetting of his jaw had been.

Love Fergus comics; sidenote - Jingle, fortunately, does not act like this. However, he isn't easily sedated and the entire time stares at me with this "WHY GOD WHY?" look in his crazy eyes.

Saturday & Sunday - Days Off!


Monday - Where we are Now...

Running with his best bro... sigh.. he'll never get that neck low, will he?

My Massage girl (I can never figure out a good name for her on this blog) had said that Jingle might be feeling pretty fresh after getting worked on, and then having a couple days off, and indeed... fresh he was. Once again I tried to focus on just regaining some of his attention and working on slow stuff, repeatedly turning him and attempting to stay off his face to slow him down. The massage had mentioned that he needs lots of long, low, and straight trot work, so I also attempted to get my horse to move in a straight line... guess he's lost that particular ability since learning to go in an arena. Perhaps Jingle has become more of a rail user and abuser than I thought. Good to know!

We did a whooooooole lot at the extended trot because he was just being too much of a piss pot when I attempted to just do walk stuff. He zoomed around and I let him, as long as he didn't break into a canter, when he slowed down and regained some composure I kept him at that pace for a couple steps longer then let him walk. If he wanted to zoom off again, we'd go back to work. He's starting to figure it out. We're getting somewhere with these gaits and our "need for speed" problem, I think.

You can't seeeee us!

So?

Well... the "Intensive" is over, haha. I was only really calling it that half-jokingly, but it was a way to remind myself to ride more, and overthink less. I'm going to really try get out to the barn  more than I was last month, but the end of March/April signals term papers and final exams... so Jingle might get some more time off than he really needs. Then, as soon as I know it, Spring will have arrived and we'll be heading outside to do lots of long-trotting up and down the fenceline. My horse needs to travel straight and build top line, and we both need to get outside.

Jingle has done really well the last two weeks, I see the potential in him everytime I ride him, but it's his attitude that really jars the both of us sometime. I think, my horse and I, are a little toooo alike sometimes. haha. It's not even the real "training" we need to figure out, it's the harnessing of energy and working towards "training" that is really where we're at right now, (if that makes sense) and I think we're getting closer and closer to being there. 

Nobody likes the trip to the dentist...

.... and that goes for me, and my horse.

The dentist came out yesterday, and I got him to check Jingle. As I detailed in my last post, he's been shaking his head, and generally not exactly being a calm and collected horse - especially when I ask for a remote bit of contact. After I purchased him the first thing I did was get a Vet out, who also floated his teeth. He's a respected vet, and works with the University to train vet-med students. I'm sure I've said it 16 million times already, so bear with me, but when Jingle was 5 he was sent to a trainer, upon returning, they told his previous owners he had an "abscess" in his jaw. In reality, he had severely fractured his jaw on his left side, and it had been re-set without proper veterinary care. Fast-forward to visit from the vet. I was really nervous, I didn't want to hear my horse was in pain, I didn't want to hear that he'd never be ridable, I had a million thoughts in my mind, all of which were pretty grim and dark. The vet floated him, took off a couple waves and hooks, and stated that aside from slightly pointed in back molars (which he claimed to be a trait found in foundation bred paint horses), and his jaw being 7 mm off, Jingle was in great health and that his jaw would probably align over time. It all sounded too good to be true, but I really just desperately wanted it to be true.

Fast forward to the Dentist taking a look at him. At first he said that Jingle would never take a bit properly, the fracture is on the left side, but he also has trauma to his jaw on the right side (not as noticeable). Then, he delved deeper into my sedated horses mouth, he let me put my hand into Jingle's mouth and for the first time I felt the spot where the fracture had occurred - it has resulted in a big dip in his jaw. One of the teeth is also pointed outwards, probably as a result from the trauma. Due to this dip, one of his teeth on the top of his mouth, has more room to erupt, and has become pointed, and was digging into the bottom of his mouth. This, my dentist said, caused a large amount of pressure build-up. He filed down the erupted tooth, as well as floated some waves he found in the back and in the front. He changed his tune and said that I should attempt to ride Jingle in a bit for now, so for the next 5-6 rides I'm suppose to take it slow, and see how he responds. Basically, his mouth will feel, to him, completely different. It makes sense as to why he was shaking his head, the noseband clamped down his mouth, and the erupted tooth was causing all that pressure to build and then not be able to escape. The fact that Jingle attempts to open his mouth and avoid the bit every time I ask for contact is most definitely in response to how much pressure he was feeling inside his mouth.

He also told me to start doing some basic massage on his head and neck, and to use Apple Cider Vinegar to draw any heat out of his muscles after a workout. (I am a huge fan of ACV - I should write a post about all the horse-related things I use it for!) I did it yesterday after he was out of his sedation and he seemed relaxed and happy for me to rub on him for awhile. The dentist said that with how bad the fracture had been, tendons and muscles were probably severed and pulled, and then grew back differently. He has a hard time going to the right, and his jaw was very tight before the Dentist worked on him - afterwards I noticed a considerable difference in the movement he now has in his jaw, which makes me happy.

The Dentist said Jingle will be a 6 month maintenance type of horse, which doesn't bother me. That is what I expected all along. He also said that when the tooth erupts again (as it will, he said teeth erupt 4-8 mm every month or so!) I'll know right away when Jingle starts feeling that build-up of pressure. He also said that Jingle isn't in pain, especially now, and that a lot of his behaviours are probably learned from when he was in pain as a 5 year old. I can't help but worry though, horses, like humans, can have a lot of issues correlated with jaw problems. I'm especially worried about his TMJ muscles, he can't let me know if he has a headache, or a jaw ache, or if he just feels out of sorts you know? That's the hardest thing with horses - they just don't have a way of telling you, clear as day, "Mom, this hurts".

At one point, the Dentist looked at me and said, "He'll never be your show horse", which is true, and I always knew he wasn't destined to be. However, it still stung, it just kind of twisted that knife in my stomach you know? My only dream for Jingle was to one day come to the barn and watch some little girl learn how to ride on him. I just want him to be happy, healthy, pain-free, and ultimately yeah, I wanted him to be dead-broke.

I was really sad yesterday, sad for my poor horse who went off to some wonky trainer and returned with a horribly broken jaw, and no veterinary care. Sad for my horse who isn't able to communicate with me when his head hurts, or when he is experiencing pain, or when he needs to see the dentist right away...

But, you know what? He's alive, and he's happy, and that's all that matters. Plus - I have a better knowledge now of what is going on with all his muscles and tendons, so I'm formulating a horsie game plan.
1) Research safe stretch and massage techniques that I can use on him on a regular basis
2) I'm moving him inside for the winter, meaning he can be fed grain if I want, so I'm going to research if I can put him on some supplements that might relieve any headache-y, jaw pain related issues.
3) Find a really good reputable equine massage/chiro and bring them in every six-eight weeks to look at him.
4) I honestly don't care if my horse is ridden in a bridle, bitless, bridless, whoever whatever whichever works. So, if it comes down to the bit not working for him - you know he's going to try every form of bitless bridle I can find until I find one that works for him. I asked the Dentist if the added pressure on the actual structure of his jaw from a bitless would effect him, or cause him any pain, and he said no - so hopefully if an answer doesn't lie in any of the above + a bit, the answer will be found in all of the above + a bitless bridle.

&, ya, it also sucks I spent a lot of money in July to have him looked at, by someone I thought was reputable, and it turns out that he really had no idea what he was looking at - which is also scary. Although, even my Dentist said the guy I had out was, and is, a really good Vet. The hard thing with Vets who do dental work is that they barely cover dentistry in Vet school, "Dentists" take extensive courses, and then on top of that very extensive training. My dentist said when he runs courses they do a bare minimum week of school-stuff, and then float over 300 horses! Insane. I was happy that my barn has the Dentist we do, he definitely knew what he was looking at, and how to deal with it, and I especially appreciated his honestly. Hearing my horse may never be perfect is hard to hear, but I at least know the truth, and we can grow from there.