Phil:
I've had some ups and downs with Phil. Some nights he’s pretty good, and other
nights he just can’t focus. I always
have to stop and think “Is it something I’m doing?”, and sometimes it is. But most times it is not. I have to remind myself that he still is
dealing with his other training issues, but sometimes I get frustrated.
Today was one of those “I can’t pay attention to where I’m
putting my feet, much less what you’re asking me to do.” days. His reaction to any little noise that he thinks
he hears is to come off the bit and speed up.
Sometimes he just downright takes off.
It’s annoying and impossible to get any good work done.
So today I decided to put him on a 12 meter circle, and make
him keep his head down. This point was
non-negotiable. Speed up, slow down,
even look to the side, I don’t care, but the head’s gotta be down. No ears in my face, no dropping his back out
from under me. Head down, forward
motion, at the gait I choose. It took a
good 20 minutes before he got the point.
Just go with the head down.
Then I went large, and made four ten meter circles along the
long side, one in each corner, and one in the middle of the short side. So lots of ten meter circles. But the message was the same. Head down, moving forward.
By the end of the ride he got it. He was even making steady, light, consistent
contact with my hand. Now we just need
to repeat it. Every day, for like,
ever.
Kaswyn:
He is certainly better after the Tildren. In fact, he’s so much better that today he
almost, for the first time since he was four, bucked me off. And not in a fit of anger or stupidity. He just felt so good cantering down the long
side that he struck out with a foreleg, tucked his butt under and scooted, then
threw his head down and bucked twice.
Now, I’m still riding him very carefully in a bridle and
bareback pad. So he really almost
unseated me. He had me grabbing mane and yelling "Hey, hey HEEEYY!!" Afterwards it was kinds funny, but for a moment I thought I was going to be brushing arena dirt off my butt. We’re only up to 20 minutes
total, walk trot and canter, and it’s looking like two things can now happen. One, I can add another 5 minutes, and two, it’s
time for the saddle.
Still, even though he wants to go and in general feels good,
he still is a bit uneven, like he’s still protecting that left front. I asked the barn owner today to watch him go,
and he said that it looked to him that he was hesitant about taking that left
front off of the ground. So I’m not sure
what that means. He suggested giving him
bute for three days and then he’d watch again to see if there was any
change.
I get the feeling that it’s higher up, like in his
shoulder. I've been doing shoulder
stretches with him every time before I ride, and he is a little crabby about
the left shoulder. I think I need to
have the chiropractor take a look at him.
Back to his feet, though - Kaswyn is now barefoot. Before I pulled his shoes, this is what the
left front looked like after 7 weeks of growth.
And this is the right front.
Obviously he grows two totally different feet. My blacksmith said that as soon as he’s reset his feet start to get uneven again, since on one foot he grows a lot of toe and the other
he grows a lot of heel. So I've been thinking
that I should keep him barefoot and have him trimmed more often, like every 5
weeks. Which is something I wouldn't really have been able to do with shoes on.
Here is the left front, barefoot, after the shoes came
off.
And the right front.
So I will just have to wait and see how the saddle,
chiropractor, and barefoot thing goes.
In the meantime, Mr. Hyper McBuckypants needs to try to contain his joy so that I don't eat dirt.
4 comments:
Hey Sheri!! So glad to see Kaswyn is feeling better!!!
I hope he does well barefoot -- just make sure to keep a hold on those toes -- the heel on both front feet looks a little crumpled to me, but it could also be the pix! (and of course you know him better than anyone, so please don't take that as criticism!!)
Really wonderful that the Tildren helped! I'm excited for you!
Is Tildren easily available in the US now?
Hiya, just wanted to comment on his hooves. His right hoof looks nice, if maybe a bit short in the heel, but his left hoof has an obvious dip with a toe flare. It also looks as if his enamel has been removed from the hoof wall. It should be left on, it protects the hoof and helps maintain moisture. This may be partly why the hoof walls look shelly also. Look up Pete Ramey. He is amazing with barefoot trims.
I am looking forward to your next post.
I read an article recently that Shannon and Stephen Peters have started letting their performance horses go barefoot, and they're doing better that way. I let both my guys go barefoot a couple of years ago, but they both have pretty good feet anyways.
I hope that barefoot works for Kaswyn, and the chiropractor can help out, too.
Sorry to hear life is so hectic for you right now!
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