In other hodgepodgey news, yesterday was the glorious Equine Affaire in MA, and I don't care what you all heard, it was neither small nor lame! We ran around starry eyed shopping for like 6 hours, and that didn't include stopping for lectures and demos (none of which we really got to see). We also got to watch the Versatile Horse & Rider Competition, which I am totally going to do next year with Gogo. It looked like all kinds of ridiculous fun. Riders had to jump jumps, pick up pumpkins in a wheelbarrow and wheel them somewhere else while there horse stood there, ride through a tent of waving streamers, pick things up and put them elsewhere, and more. Totally could have done all of it with Gogo. I also got to splurge a little given the size of my first paycheck, which was GREAT! Gogo got a new Himalayan salt lick, Back on Track no-bows (buy a pair get a pair free!), Sore-No-More liniment (pretty much the only kind you can put under Back on Track wraps), a new blanket liner from Schneiders (because I don't have a medium... it's either freeze under your sheet or roast in your heavyweight), and a new neck cover for her heavyweight (because she shredded hers last year). I got a new Holsteiner decal for Patron, and also took a step towards treating myself and my body better, which is my new goal now that I can afford it, and bought myself a Back on Track back brace. I don't know what's wrong with my back but it's NEVER right, and it hurts ALL the time, which is miserable. I need a good chiropractor and am getting the name of one from my roommate, so hopefully maybe next week I can get adjusted, but until then (and after), I have this to help support me and make me feels better. And it DOES feel great, I can tell you that much. Only problem is that it came with a warning - "May cause discomfort or pain shortly after first usage." And oh my GOD, when I took that thing off last night? Crippled. It was awful. However, I feel much better this morning, so let's hope my back will adjust to its newfound bloodflow and feel better within the next week or so. I've also been drinking lots of organic tea and fresh salad, and am going grocery shopping tomorrow for the first time in almost four months. Life is good. I figure if I really want to be a farrier, then I need to treat my body right. And next week? I get to start taking regular yoga classes! Hooray!! I also got to see several people I haven't seen in a really long time that I miss very much (hi Chantel!!!!!!!!!!!!) and that totally made my day too.
Something else interesting happened at the Equine Affaire - I had a chance to really talk to KC La Pierre of the Institute of Applied Equine Podiatry. While I don't know much about the school or what they teach/preach, I've maintained a healthy interest in their Perfect Hoof Wear system. It's similar to hoof casting, but it's less rigid and had a little flex to it. I never looked further into this because the system was not appropriate for working on blacktop, nor did it really look like it could give the traction I would require and wasn't designed for the jumper. However, KC showed me the not-yet-released Pro Kit, which he had the parts for there with him. It's very interesting - it still had the same adhesive wrap, but it includes a black plastic piece fitted to the bottom of the foot that gets included with the wrap. The plastic piece is hard to describe, but it looks similar to a typical glue-on... it's just a different mechanism. Interesting... I can't find anything on the internet yet about it (they said it will be available to the public in 2 weeks), so I have nothing to show you yet, but I will keep you updated.
Gogo's under saddle work continues to go well as we enter week 2 of back of work, ish. Tomorrow we will be walking for 20 minutes, an increase of 5 minutes just as we planned. The legs continue to look good, probably as good as they ever will, and she started using the Back on Track wraps today for the first time. So far so good. She is very sound at the walk, which makes me a happy kid. What does NOT make me a happy kid is the current shavings situation in my stall. At the other barn, the rule was to have like a foot of shavings in every stall, seriously. It was a bit insane but it kept her feet high and dry (literally) and therefore worked out okay. But at the new barn, with the ComfortStall system, they use way fewer shavings, just enough to soak up the wet stuff. In theory this works, but in practice it just doesn't work at all. Gogo's stall, always bone dry when I leave at night, is SOAKING wet every morning, so much so that it bubbles and squishes underneath her feet. She is standing in her own filth and the guys don't usually get to her stall until almost 10. I can counter this by cleaning her stall myself, but it still doesn't solve the issue if I can't use as many shavings as I need to. I'm going to ask if I can pay for some extra, or just tell the guys to add more to her stall, because it's bad. Her feet are just melting and it's horrible to watch. I am fighting a losing battle with them and it's a nightmare. I can't keep them dry, so it's all I can do to at least try to keep them clean even if that means they're still wet. I must find a better solution for all this. It's driving me completely insane.
Last but not least, here's a little Perch eye candy for those of you Brego fans from when I rode him in the New England Hunter Trials:
That was one amazing ride. Even though the judges hated drafts. A-holes. We were awesome.
Who wants this browband for Christmas? Yes ma'am, I do.
Proving her heart of gold and guts of steel at the 2009 American Eventing Championships
Posts
69.7%, Reserve Champion first time at First Level!
Encore H.T. 2008 - Gogo's first real event!
10 comments:
Is James "ugly" or "diseased"? lol
Dangit now you have me hooked on that song too.
Yes, horse-stuff splurging is so much fun!
Hunter judges hate anything that's not a super fancy sport pony or warmblood, maybe thoroughbreds if you're lucky. No paints, no drafts, no mustangs (one of the best hunters I've seen was a badass Kiger, though I'm not very educated in hunters except for what I read in "Practical Horseman" and see at friends' shows lol, and and I know I sure can't even ride over a jump nicely to save my life.)
Awww man...I'm jealous, the Equine Affaire sounded great!
Down with the draft haters. I've been to events where Klein and I will ride up and people will look at you like "Uhh what is that doing here?" Whatever. The Hunter mindset sucks.
Those back on track back braces are WONDERFUL. I tore a disc in my back this spring, and the brace helped a lot. Definitely think it sped up the healing process... plus, they fit very nicely under riding clothes.
Have you tried adding pelleted bedding to Gogo's stall? It really soaks up the pee. I have used it for years and it works really great in combination with shavings. Just put the pellets where she usually pees the most and then fluff the shavings around it. (And no, I don't wet the pellets first -- totally defeats the purpose of them in my opinion...)
Argh. I hate barns that are stingy with shavings. I was at a barn like that, but at least it was cheap. Can't imagine why a super fancy barn would skimp on shavings...confuzzling.
Sofie has a Himalayan salt lick, and she LOVES it. She used to barely touch the loose salt that was in her stall, but now the barn owner says she can hear her licking away at that thing on the moniter.
Brego is a hunk. I hate breed snobbery.
That versatile horse contest sounds right up Gogo's alley.
I'm so happy for Gogo staying sound on those tendons! Good luck in your schooling!
I have to say, Brego is looking better than ever! You hear that Daun?! He looks FABULOUS! I miss you too, and arguing food with you.
Andrea, you are keeping my motivated. I just bought my first pony of my own. After riding for so long, it's surprisingly intimidating to be in charge of every aspect of his care. Your barefoot work with Gogo is keeping me upbeat about the prospect of getting Guinness's shoes off (or at least getting him out of pads AND shoes).
New blog reader! :)
I wanted to comment on your problem with Gogo's feet. Are they falling apart because they are wet, or because they are wet with pee? If it is the urine that's the problem, you might try soaking in some apple cider vinegar once a week or so. The acidity of the vinegar helps to counteract the urine. And it's cheap!
You guys looked great! Those judges need to get over it! (I own a perch/TB and train a full perch, I can relate)
I also went to the Equine Affaire. I spent the least amount of time that I ever had, and still had plenty of bags. I guess I'm just getting more efficient ;)
LOVE the browband! I bead, I just need to figure out how to make those work and we'll be all set. I'll be sure to stock some 18" and up ;)
I'm a silent "stalker" of your blog, so to speak. I have a friend who is a low-level eventer with a nice warmblood mare, and she keeps her barefoot, as well. I have recently pulled the shoes from my gelding (diagnosed navicular 3 years ago) and am using KC's philosophy with a new AEP farrier, and am using the PHW. I will be switching to the Pro kit in the next couple of weeks. I can let you know my thoughts. I love the PHW, but my gelding gets a lot of miles put on him as a lesson horse, and he keeps coming right through the toe before the 4 weeks is up. On the flip side, he's not sore at all, and his hoof is really coming back nicely.
I just wanted to let you know that I'm happy with my decision.
The whole stall cleaning issue is exactly why I clean my own stall. And, for safety of mind and Shorty's feet, I buy extra shavings and add them as needed. Most horses have a light dusting of something that resembles shavings; Shorty has a minimum of six inches at all times. The poor horse has huge scars on his elbows and hocks from not having what he needed, and I've promised him he will never have to endure that again. Its well worth the forty bucks a month for 2 extra bags of shavings a week. That's when having a bigger paycheck comes in handy.
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