I was chatting with my trainer as I was walking Kaswyn to warm him up for a ride yesterday. She rode him on Saturday and thought he went much better when she got him more in an upright frame. As an FEI horse he is used to having this upper-level frame, but I've been riding him more long and low as he's been recovering. We discussed how it might be better to get him up and off of his forehand, since the front leg is the problem. We're guessing that he's going short on it now, not because he's hurting (he's very willing to work at this point, just short on that leg), but because of two things - different sensations in that foot because the heel is numb and maybe some compensation in that shoulder due to this whole mess.
Since Kaswyn goes really well in the snaffle as well as the double bridle, I've been riding in the snaffle. I warmed him up in kind of a first level frame, and he was moderately uneven on that left front. Then we took a walk break and when we started back up I put him in his prior working upper level frame. He was much more even - I'd say over half of the time he was 100% even and felt really good. He tired easily because he hasn't been asked to weight his haunches for months now, but still he felt great. The best part was when we were walking at the end of the ride. He was totally even. No short strides at all. This is a huge relief to me because it gives me hope that we'll be able to return to training. It also shows me that my horse can exist and not be in pain. Wonderful!
All Good Things Must Come To An End
3 years ago
6 comments:
Wow... that post might as well of been written in Latin. I don't think I understood a quarter of it. Honey, that's why I give you blank looks at the dinner table sometimes.
Think you could whip up a little glossary for the rest of us? I'm interested, but I can't even pretend to understand. I get that you're happy, and that's the point, right? :)
Wow. A glossary huh? I'll work on that, somehow. :) It's not like I'm trying to leave non-dressage people in the dark, it's just that some of it might be hard to put simply into words. But I'll try.
That's great! As a fellow dressage-geek I don't need the glossary, and can understand your excitement. Yea for you!
No glossary needed here--hooray on the even strides!!! And thanks for your post on the draw reins. You are sooo right.
I haven't read all your posts (I'm new here)--is there a short recap on your horse's short-strided issue? Do you know, definitively, what's causing it?
In a nutshell, my horse has a cyst on his navicular bone which lead me to having him nerved. He developed painful neuromas which are probably causing his problems on the left. That's the super short version. :)
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