Axel back on the long lines

I ran out for a few minutes before the Christmas holiday to drop of gifts and check on the boys. I put them both in the arena together again and was ready with my camera. And I got nothing. They apparently were not feeling it so I groomed them both real quick and put them back out to enjoy their round bale.

Cody rolls from Elise Ferguson on Vimeo.

After the very cold holiday I picked a warm melty day to go visit again. Though the warm and melty means it's supposed to rain and snow and freeze this coming weekend, ick. Both ponies were excited to see me, go figure, and came right up to the gate. I was crinkling some plastic and they were sure it was something truly great. Unfortunately for them it was dewormer. But I managed to deworm both horses without very little issue. Axel did end up spitting some of his out but I think Cody kept all his where it belonged.

I grabbed Axel and brought him into the arena. Another boarder and a friend were coming in at the same time and Axel started acting like he was going to have a nice run but as soon as I untied him he just stood there. I groomed quickly and tacked him up to do some ground driving. I think he could have benefited from a bit of a run. He did pretty good at first but started in with the bucking when the combination of two other horses being lunged and a dog barking got the best of him. At least that solidified my idea to not ride him any more this winter. I'm hoping this ground driving thing will help him. He has a hard time staying on the rail right now without leg aids but that should improve. He seemed to be walking out pretty well and didn't seem like his knee was bothering him too much. He even had a few moments of a very light trot that almost seemed sound. Though I can see how crooked he is while I'm walking behind him. I'll have to figure out how to get him more straight despite his sore knee. He might need an appointment with the chiropractor this spring if I can save up some money.

New Friends

I am such a bad photographer's wife/horse mom. I did not bring my camera out to the barn yesterday and it would have made for some nice photos/video. I met with a gal that's going to be riding Cody once a week to help me keep him in shape as I become more and more out of shape as it were. We put both boys in the arena since they were getting fidgety in the cross ties. And that's when I should have had the camera. Axel jumped around, was rearing and running along with Cody. They were playing a little and having a decent time. But of course I did not catch any of it to show. I've never actually seen Axel rear like that. I've seen Cody play with other horses like that before but Axel usually just hangs out.

When they were done messing around, N tacked up Cody and I got Axel set up with the long lines. She tried out Cody and I long lined Axel for a little while. Cody seemed to be behaving well enough. She had him canter on both leads which he did but he'll need a little work, he gets a little stressed out. Axel did pretty well on the long lines and his knee didn't seem to bother him at the walk at all. Next time I'll have to set up some cones or something to weave around and make it a little more interesting, maybe some ground poles or something.

Over all I think it went well. It'll be nice having someone come out and work Cody for me. Especially with WCR stuff starting up in January again, then I just have to worry about keeping Axel moving around.

So Much Snow

Visits seem to be few and far between these days. Partially because it's cold and snowy and partially because my back is so messed up I haven't been able to do much to begin with. But! There's a light at the end of the tunnel. My back is starting to feel better and I might have found someone to ride Cody on a regular basis. That would leave me to just have to worry about getting Axel back into ground driving. So more on that after this weekend.

J had plowed a bit of a space in the boys' pasture so they could get around and I could open the gate and all that. The snow is higher than the waterer. Both horses were pawing at the snow trying to unearth some hidden hay when I arrived. There was two small paths out into the deep snow and back, someone must have taken a little loop just to check things out. There are still no paths way out into the pasture though. Lazy ponies are sticking close to the round bale at all times.

Axel isn't in the mood to run, and it hurts his knee from Elise Ferguson on Vimeo.

I put Axel in the arena and tried to video tape him running around but he did very little. His knee still seems pretty stable though it looks a little knobbier. He's still swollen as ever of course and not terribly interested in doing any work. I brushed him quickly and got the knots out of his mane and managed to pick his feet. Then I just did a very quick little session of walk-on and whoa on the lead line. If I could get a couple nice warm days I could work on getting his legs cleaned up from the mud fever but so far that doesn't seem to be happening any time soon. I just hope that stuff can't thrive in the freezing temperatures.

Cody stretches his legs a little from Elise Ferguson on Vimeo.

Cody ran around a bit more with some encouragement. I put him on the lead line and worked on some walk-on and whoa and some bending and turns on the forehand and haunches. Just trying to get him tuned up a bit so he's not in complete vacation mode when his new rider comes to try him out. He's still swollen as well but doesn't seem any worse for wear.

Chubby Ponies

Ran out to the barn last night after work to find the farrier already in the barn finishing the last horse before mine. J had him come out early and I made it just in time to grab my guys. He trimmed up Axel first and despite the "please hurry up" look at Axel's face, he handled his right knee very well. It must be retaining a bit of flexibility still so that's good. I had both boys tied in the arena when they were done while we chatted for a bit with the farrier. Danny and Vinnie were in the arena as well and everyone was very quiet. It must have been nice to just rest out of the cold and wind on decent footing for a while.

We discussed Cody and Axel's swelling. The farrier said every time he's seen something like what my guys have it was due to extra fat. Which I think stands to reason. Axel is totally chubby has been for years, he's just a big guy. Cody wasn't huge last year and the round bale really helped him. But this year he went into winter a lot more fit and maybe he had just enough weight that adding to it was just what he needed to add that swelling. So I think once again we're at old + cold + no movement + eating too much = swollen horse.

Now with the snow in the pasture it's interesting to see where the horses have gone. Someone has a spot for rolling but mostly they've stuck near the feeder or the round bale. There's one set of tracks that goes along the fence line out into the pasture maybe 10 feet but that's it. No one has gone frolicking in the snow. The other groups of horses I've seen all over their pastures and frequently see them playing. Cody and Axel just love their hay. I wonder what would happen if they had round bales all year ... I might have to buy super wide saddles!

Snow!

Still suffering from back pain so I haven't been quite as ambitious getting out to the barn as I should be. I did finally get out on Sunday to see that the boys are much happier now that it's snowed 6 inches. They can just about walk around their pasture like normal without slipping and sliding. I noticed no one has gone for a run in the fresh snow on the opposite side though. I guess that round bale is just too tempting.

I put Axel in the arena and brushed him off quickly and removed the tornadoes from his mane and the icebergs from his hooves. He wasn't too interested in running around on his own but I grabbed a lunge whip and clucked at him and off he went for a few bucks and a few laps. He had a bit of a gimpy trot but pretty much the same quality that it's been all this fall so I'll take that as a good sign. He's puffy as ever and he looks more pregnant than I do. I think he might have an eating disorder. I couldn't even pull him away from my grooming bag when he found the bag of treats in there. I had to scare him away. Seriously. He must thing he's a camel and he's trying to store up fat or something.

I brought Cody in for a while as well and got his hooves cleaned up. He does have swelling on his belly and sheath, not quite as bad as Axel but it's there. He definitely doesn't want me touching his business but that's how he usually is. He took a few laps around the arena with a bit of encouragement as well. I'm really hoping to get this back issue resolved so I can get back to riding at least a few more times before I can't get myself up there. Then I really have to get on the ball and start ground driving both horses. It won't be all that much exercise for them physically but maybe it'll keep their brains going.

Wish I Was a Detective

So I went out to the barn last Wednesday just to check and make sure everyone was right side up (stole that phrase from A, makes me giggle every time I hear it). At that point the boys had been back on round bale for not quite a week. Of course Axel was swollen up again, more like he was last year. I wasn't surprised. Other than that everyone looked pretty pleased with themselves so I went back home to get ready for Thanksgiving.

Between Thanksgiving festivities and throwing my back out (and being lazy when it gets cold) I didn't make it out to the barn again until last night, a full week later. Everyone was still on all fours when I arrived. I actually got side tracked by an injured deer that Jason and I tried to chase down and put out of it's misery but it apparently wasn't as injured as I thought and we couldn't find it after it ran off.

Let me just say, the boys are not impressed by their pasture right now. They were both standing up by the hay feeder and it took me 10 minutes to get Axel down to the gate. He wouldn't move. I thought maybe it was his knee bothering him. Really it was the frozen ground. Every step he took was slow and careful and followed by several minutes of waiting and me begging him to keep moving. All the mud froze in nice hard lumps all over the pasture with patches of ice between. I get the feeling both horses had done some Bambi moves prior and were very uneasy about moving. I'm actually looking forward to the 4-6" of snow we're supposed to get this weekend, maybe it'll make it easier for them to move around.

After skating Axel across the drive way we finally made it into the barn. Luckily there as no hay in the arena so I was able to turn him loose to do what he wished. Turns out his knee wasn't actually that bad. His mud fever is pretty nasty and it's way too cold to do anything about it. (I might be able to scrub them with hot wash clothes, scrub with chlorhexidine, and then maybe wrap them with polo wraps or towels til they dry next time I go out, that might not be too bad) Anyway, he wandered around in the arena a bit, tried to steal my shedding blade, the usual. I scraped some of the crusty spots he had from laying down and he wandered a bit more. Then he got excited a took off for a few minutes. A little bucking and running and snorting. He acted like he wanted me to play, he kept running up to me and stopping and then taking off again. I was going to get the big green ball out for him but it was pretty deflated and I wasn't in the mood to pump it back up. When he calmed down I skated him back out to the pasture where he stood and refused to move out of my way.

Cody took about as long to get from the feeder to the gate but we found a better route up to the barn so he didn't have to skate quite as much. He took off almost immediately when I put him in the arena. He was rearing, and jumping, and running, and having a great time. I suppose after standing still and tense on the ice it felt good to move a little. He ran around quite a bit more than Axel before he settled down enough for me to groom and pick his feet. I did notice Cody's sheath is now swollen as well. I couldn't tell if his belly had any edema and he sheath wasn't nearly as bad as Axel but it was puffy for sure.

So I have no idea what that means. Cody didn't swell last year and he didn't swell on the first round of hay bales this fall. But it's colder and it's icy and I don't think either horse is moving at all. So maybe we're coming down to it just being cold + lack of movement + too much eating + being old. I really wish I had a definitive answer though. I hate ignoring it not knowing exactly what it is. It's certainly not bothering Cody at all, though he doesn't want me to touch it which is normal for him.

As much as it'll suck having to feed horses in the winter, I'm looking forward to having the horses at our own place someday. I want to put Axel on a few more supplements but it's just too much work for J&J to feed powders or make sure Cody's not eating Axel's stuff. Plus I'd love to be able to grade the pasture and things like that to help de-lumpify it, or make it less muddy or just whatever it needs. But I oh so love not having to go out in the cold and feed every day.

Now that I'm pregnant it's not going to be long before I'm going to want to stop riding. I'd really like to get someone to come ride the horses for me weekly but J has made it known she doesn't really trust folks from the internet so finding someone online to ride might not be the best idea in her eyes. Sadly I don't know anyone in this area that needs a horse to ride.

Winter Already?

I mustered up enough motivation to run out to the barn on Monday. I'm pretty sure that's going to be increasingly more difficult to do as it's dark and cold out all the time. Boo. Both horses were standing far out in the pasture looking forlorn and bored. I stood at the gate and waited. I paced around a bit. Pretended to go up by where they get fed. Crinkled my pockets pretending to have treats. I even went into the barn where the feed is (to check on Axel's supplement). They both just stood at the far end of the pasture watching. Since it just dumped rain and snow on us seemingly out of the blue I knew the ground wasn't actually frozen and I wasn't about to go wading through the mud to get the horses. I ended up walking down the driveway next to the fence. When I headed back up toward the barn Axel decided to follow. Right through the mud. Then Cody decided to follow at high speed. Right.Through.The.Mud. Yuck.

I grabbed Axel and brought him into the barn and tried to scrape as much mud off him as possible. I'm not quite sure what the deal was, maybe I just tickled him but I was using the shedding blade and hit a spot on his right flank/rib area and he stomped down. It didn't seem like it was a directional kick but more of a "HEY WTF!" stomp. I poked a bit and couldn't find anything out of the ordinary so I just steered clear of that spot and finished grooming. I lunged Axel for a few minutes in the arena. He wasn't too excited about working and he wasn't offering any trotting or cantering. He wasn't feeling 100% but I don't think the little grooming incident was affecting him at all. He was short striding a bit but that's not terribly unusual for Axel.

His swollen bits don't seem to be getting worse. His sheath is slightly swollen on his right side and he still has a lump on his belly. It's move down to the lowest part of his stomach and is mostly on the right, almost in the center and about as big as my hand. I haven't decided what that means. They've been off round bales for a couple weeks now. I would think the swelling in his belly would take a while to go away but who knows. We'll see what happens when they get put back on round bales, I think this weekend. At least he'll be happy.

Cody had planted himself squarely in a nice muddy spot and was visiting with the neighbors over the fence while waiting for dinner. I didn't have my muck boots so I decided to just let him be for the night. He'll get his turn later when I remember my boots.

Not a happy camper!

Last Sunday Axel was in fine form. I brought him into the barn and tacked him up, lunged him for a while. He was feeling pretty lazy and wasn't interested in running and bucking at all. I finally got on and walked him around for a while. It was so nice out I decided we should head down the road a little so we could keep moving but get some fresh air. We headed into the ditch and walked along until we got to the spot between the two fields. Axel stopped to look around and be the usual lazy Axel. I asked him to turn and head between the fields and before I knew it I was on the ground next to him and he was grazing. I have no idea what happened. He wasn't pissed as far as I could tell, there was no tell tale tail swishing or ear pinning. So I don't know what his problem was but he had all four feet off the ground and I flipped over his shoulder. I'm almost positive I landed on my feet and then stumbled backward and hit the ground. I wrenched my arm, side, and shoulder trying to rescue myself and keep hold of the reins. Though I had no need to worry since Axel was more interested in grass than going anywhere.

I grabbed him and tried to lead him over to the side of the ditch so I could mount easier. He decided (after weeks and weeks of standing knee deep and running through mud) that he was not going to step in the wet part of the ditch so he launched himself over the ditch and kicked my right leg in the process leaving me with a purple goose egg bigger than my hand. Needless to say Axel spent some quality time on the lunge line in the arena after that. He actually cantered both leads soundly until he was sweated up pretty good. Probably the most exercise he's gotten in a year. He even did some trotting that looked more on the side of sound than usual. Maybe a little stretching out is good for the ole boy. I was very unhappy with him so after he ran enough I put him back outside and went home.

My next trip to the barn on Tuesday was a little calmer. I just groomed both horses and scrubbed up their legs with some Chlorhexidine to try and fend off the mud fever. It just won't stop raining and they haven't had a chance to even dry out and now it's getting too cold to get the hose out so I'm left with mud, wet rags, and long hair. Ug. If they ever dry out I'll try and shave them both up a bit but who knows when that'll happen.

Back to Work, Again

I went to the barn armed with a plan, sort of. The plan is to get Axel riding more. And to maybe put them on small squares for a few weeks to see what happens, or maybe not. I was still deciding at the time. Cody seems to have managed to stay out of the mud lately. Axel, on the other hand, has not. Most of the mud on his legs was dry but near his hoof it was still pretty wet. Since I planned to ride I need to put his bell boots on so I scraped as much mud off as I could.

It's amazing what a mess he leaves behind when I groom him. I was sneezing dirt all night. So much to Axel's dismay when I was done grooming him I tacked him up and brought him into the arena. I started by just lunging him for a while. I was hoping he was feeling as frisky as he was the other day and I wouldn't have to force him to pick up some speed. But he was pretty content just walking. So after he walked along in a circle (which he's getting almost good at) in both directions I clicked a few extra times to see what he'd do. First I got the "WTF" look from him and then he'd hop up in the air like a bronc a few times and then break into a trot for a few strides. I asked him a couple more times, I didn't really want him to trot, cantering seems to be a better gait for his knee but he just was not into it last night. He did manage a few strides of canter in each direction but there was a lot of crow hopping to get there. His trot was actually not terribly lame and I think if he'd bend his knees and pick up his feet it would go a lot better. I had forgotten his second pair of bell boots, I was going to put them on all 4 feet in hopes of inspiring a little less shuffling.

So we wrapped up the lunging after only a few minutes. Probably over 5 but I'm sure less than 10. Axel has not been pleased to wear a bridle lately. Not sure if it's just the year vacation he had or if something is bothering him. But I put his bridle on, convinced him to stand still at the mounting block, and hauled myself up on his back. He actually walked out really nice for the first lap or two around the arena on a loose rein. Then he started chewing on the bit and it seems like when he starts doing that he stops moving well. So the next 20 minutes or so I was after him to keep moving. I tried a few things like backing him up, wiggling the outside rein, holding my hands a little higher, and bending him both directions in attempts to get him to stop chewing on the bit and start paying attention. Didn't really work. He was paying enough attention to me that I was using mostly leg and seat cues to change his direction. He almost seemed like he was going to settle in near the end of the 20 minutes but as soon as we stopped to rest he started up again. If he doesn't settle in after a couple weeks of regular riding I might have to investigate his bridle and bit a little more. He did make it the full 20 minutes without a change in his lameness which was nice and after I got off he seemed the same and moved out fairly well. He wasn't interested in rolling, he wasn't really sweaty at all.

He's definitely low on muscle tone these days. It's hard to tell since he's so beefy to begin with but you can see between his back legs when he walks, normally those muscles rub together. And when I shift my weight to dismount he really braces himself and grunts a little. I should really get the chiropractor out to adjust him. He usually doesn't need it but a year off of riding and moving in general might have taken a toll. I just have to find the money. There so many other things he probably needs first like another knee injection, teeth floating, things like that.

So in the end I talked with J and he has some small squares he kind of wants to get rid of so he has room for the tractor in the barn. I hemmed and hawed over what we should do. On one hand I don't think it really has anything to do with the hay and I hate changing more than one thing at a time. On the other hand if we're going to test that theory we should do it now when it's still warm out. So he's going to put out small squares for a couple weeks and we'll see if that makes a difference. In then end we'll go back to big rounds for the winter because Cody just really needs it. My thought is keep exercising and if he gets better with both small squares and more work we'll see what happens when we add rounds back into the mix. If I wasn't worried about him eating fences posts or Cody losing too much weight, I'd say Axel could stand to drop a few pounds. He's probably better off being on the lighter side of things with his arthritis and ringbone but he's destined to be retired sooner than later and I think he'd rather be fat and happy than thin and mobile!

Really? Again Axel?

Cody was actually fairly mud-less last night. Hairy and dusty, yes, but very little caked on mud. I grabbed him first since I planned to ride a bit. It's hard to get back in the habit once you start slacking. It's just so easy to groom and throw them back into the pasture. Anyway Cody was feeling a bit frisky so we did quite a bit of lunging first. Changing directions and backing up and all that. Once I got on he seemed fairly calm and actually spent a lot of time licking and chewing. We stuck to the walk for the most part and worked on some neck reining, circles, and serpentines. We managed a couple really nice turns on the forehand and almost got a side pass but not quite. I keep trying to work more going to the left since that seems to be his stiff side but it requires a lot of fighting to get both our bodies cooperating. We did manage to make it through all this work with almost no sweating and it was in the 50s so it was nice to not have to blanket after riding quite yet.

Axel was another story. I wasn't going to do anything with him last night until I brought Cody out and noticed his belly was swollen again. Ug. So I brought him in to check it out and see if I could get it to go down by lunging. So he walked in both directions for about 10 minutes total and there was no change. I should have gotten on and ridden but it was getting late at that point. I just keep going back to the round bale. How is the round bale causing this? It's a different hay supplier than last year but it's the same hay field he's been eating off all summer just in big rounds instead of small squares. It's not even first cutting. My first few thoughts are to do a powerpac, take him off the round bale for a couple weeks and see what happens, try antihistimines, and actually ride him and see if any of that works. I actually don't think it'd be allergies, how would that last all winter? Right now I'm thinking we'll pull the round bales for two weeks and I'll try and get him more exercise then add the round bale back in and see if keeping the exercise up helps. Unless the vet comes up with something else. It probably wouldn't hurt to do a powerpac anyway since I don't keep up on deworming too well but they are kind of spendy so we'll see what the vet thinks of that.

Round in Circles

Since the rain and the wind finally stopped I was able to make it out to the barn last week on Thursday. It was still pretty chilly but at least the sun was out. The pasture wasn't as nearly swampy as I thought it would be but the horses were covered in wet mud as usual. I ended up grooming the dry parts and then lunging both horses in the arena. I would prefer to free lunge them but there's a few bales of hay still stored in the arena so that would not be a successful lunging session to say the least.

Axel actually walked out on the line pretty decently but when I asked him to keep walking he kicked up his heels and cantered away throwing in some bucks for good measure. He did manage to get the correct lead in both directions when he did canter. He had a few moments of trotting which weren't completely sound but didn't look too horrible.

Cody had his chance to kick up his heels as well. Any of his lazy summer attitude was definitely gone. It might have been the 3 days of constant wind that had him worked up but he was more alert than he's been in a long time. Hopefully he'll keep some of that energy through the winter so we can get some work done for once.

Uninspired

I'm feeling very uninspired lately. It mostly has to do with the mud. So much mud. The horses are living in a bog. On top of that it's been raining all week. I'm pretty sure they are going to go from bog-living to bumpy ice rink living sooner than later. There's no way this water is going to go anywhere before it freezes. Ug. I foolishly thought having the round bales would mean the horses would stay on the dry side of the pasture. Oh no. When I get to the barn they are standing on the far side grazing the non-existant grass and staring at me. Sunday I ended up tricking them into thinking it was dinner time so I didn't have to wade through to get them. They paced back and forth on their side of the swamp trying to figure out what to do. Finally Axel took the plunge and instead of tip toeing through the muck he went full speed, mud flying everywhere, and for good measure he threw out some bucks just to spread it around a bit. There is next to nothing I can do when they are full of wet mud like that. You can't brush it off. Luckily it's still warm enough that the barn owners have the hoses still out. So I sprayed both horse's legs off for what could be the last time this fall. The warm water was actually steaming off their legs. I did a very poor job on Axel's legs. It's very hard to see black mud on a black horse. Cody's was much easier. Surprisingly Axel's mud fever/scratches aren't bad at all. He has one spot with some big scabs but that's it. I expected to see much worse. Cody's was spread around in little scabs here and there. He has a few larger ones that I just can't get off yet. The small flaky ones seem to come off easily just with the hose. So I scrubbed them both up with chlorhexidine and sent them back out side. They, of course, approved since they had just gotten a new bale of hay.

New Camera

We picked up "my" new camera the other day so I yesterday I thought I should go out and give it a try on the horses. I definitely need practice still, I kept cutting off everyone's ears or nose and the first 10 photos were all blurry or focused on the wrong thing. I guess it's been a while since I've used a real camera! The cool thing about this camera is that it shoots 1080p video so HD horse videos will soon to follow!

The boys were happily munching away at their hay and wondering why I was just standing there clicking at them and not bringing them into the barn. When I was done shooting I did grab a brush and just bring it out to the pasture to give them a once over. You can see in Axel's photo they are still covered in mud so I didn't go below their bellies. If I can scrounge up some time this weekend I'll have to hose them off and get them scrubbed up again. The mud is not receding so it's kind of a pointless task but maybe it'll kill a few bugs.

Playing Catch Up

Alright so I missed a few posts which makes it very difficult to recall when I went to the barn and what I did. I do know that two weeks ago the day after riding Cody between the fields the other boarder and I went out and I rode Axel down the road. We went nearly the whole mile before turning around. I did end up dismounting a bit before the neighbors and walking the rest of the way. Axel was tripping a bit and having some issues with the gravel but once I dismounted he walked the rest of the way back sound as a bell and quick fast even. I'd say he's been pretty darn sound for the past month or so.

Pretty sure I got out to the barn sometime last week as well but I think I just managed to do some grooming. Last night I went out for another lazy grooming session which turned out to be more lazy than usual. Axel was fairly muddy but most of it was dry with the exception of his feet. Cody, on the other hand, must have run through the mud when I had Axel in because he was covered in wet mud. I brushed the dry parts and ended up just putting him back outside. Can't do much with wet mud.

Axel seemed a little bit off again last night but walking from the pasture to the barn isn't too far to really assess him. I'd like to get him out on the road a couple more times before it's too late. Then we'll start some ground driving in the arena and move up to riding. The deep footing seems a little hard on his knee so we might have to work up to to it.

Riding between the fields

Since Jeff is out of town for the week I naturally use every free day I have to go out to the barn and hang with the ponies. I went out to the pasture to grab someone and Axel comes booking it over to me, completely and utterly sound. So I groomed him and tacked him up and set out on the road. And I kicked and kicked and kicked. And he stood there and stared and didn't move. We made it halfway down the block before I finally gave up and turned around. He did manage to walk most the way back without stopping until we got into the driveway. If you'll recall when I first got Axel this is how life was, thus his nick name "thigh master." After riding him I wouldn't be able to walk for days he required so much leg to keep moving. I guess he's back to his old self after not having to work for nearly a year.

Another boarder showed up right as I was heading out so when I got back I got Cody tacked up and we set out on the road for a little ride. With inspiration from the other horse Cody actually made it down the road almost faster than a snail. We decided to turn into the ditch between the corn fields and check that out. Both horses must have gotten a little wind up their butts because what was a calm slow ride turned into a much more hyper walk/trot complete with a few spooks and the other horse doing a might fine PRE horse impression. They finally calmed down by the time we got to the other side of the field. We happened across a guy in a truck scoping out a place to bow hunt, I guess we'll be wearing orange from now on. We had one more spook on the far side of the field when a bird flew out. I admit, it scared me too so I can't really blame Cody. We were going along at a nice decent walk on the way back down the road when something snapped in Cody's head and he took off for no reason that I could find. I got him reined in and made him turn around once and we did some serpentines to get his mind off of whatever made him run in the first place. A tractor came up behind us so I pulled him down into the ditch and he decided to pull his litttle running backward into traffic move. I have no idea what his deal was, we were calm, heading home, going in the direction he prefers so there was no reason to start having a meltdown. When we got to the driveway I turned him around and got several "okay" steps backwards before dismounting and calling it a night.

I padded out the turnips I picked from the farm but most the horses had no clue what to do with them. Cody and Axel had a few bites but I think they were hard to chew or something. I dumped the rest in the pasture, maybe they'll get around to figuring them out. If the other border is around tonight and Axel is still feeling sound I might see if she wants to go for a quick ride down the road. Perhaps another horse will be a bit more inspiration for him. I think he should be able to manage a slow flat mile and if not it's not too far for me to dismount and walk.

What's Our Motivation?

Before heading out to the farm for the weekend I only managed to sneak out to the barn on Wednesday. I wasn't feeling overly motivated so I groomed both horses and tried a bit of lunging in the arena. Axel just for a few minutes at the walk. I asked for a trot but he was quite reluctant to go anywhere. Cody was being his lazy self again. I'm going to have to figure out how to get him moving again. The best I can figure is that I need to work with him on the short leadline with some change of direction and then switch to the lunge line after he's for sure paying attention and hopefully more alert. After fighting with him on the lungeline for a while I unclipped and chased him around the arena to get him moving more. At least that way he was able to get into a canter and stretch his legs a bit.

Home Again Home Again

Well the boys survived the week while I was in Colorado. Not only did they survive but at some point they were blessed with a round bale in their pasture. I swear to god they look fatter already. I'm really going to have to stay on top of things and keep Axel moving this winter, no slacking. Maybe having a round bale when there is still grass will help ease them into it. I guess time will tell. What I do know is that they already have a good start on their winter coats. Axel is almost all the way black again and Cody is starting to look like a teddy bear. I guess it's time to make sure the coolers and wool blankets are at the barn. How does this happen so fast?

I just ran out to check on everyone so I brought Axel in to groom. His wound is looking good I didn't even put any UHM on it this time. I did give him some MSM as usual. He was walking pretty good just lazily. And since they have the round bale now it seems like they are spending a little less time in the mud. I scrubbed Axel's back legs again. Next time I'll have to try and shave them up again and I'm almost out of Chlorhexidine so I'll have to pick up more of that.

Cody's scratches weren't looking too bad either but his back right leg seemed a bit stocked up so I scrubbed him as well. I might have to shave his legs too just so I can keep an eye on them. I put Cody in the arena for a few minutes to do some circling and we worked on driving over the fake bridge. The plan for both horses is going to be a lot of ground driving and lunging this winter. Now I just have to finish making my driving lines.

Gorgeous Sunday

We're headed out to Colorado for a wedding this week so my trip to the barn yesterday was my one and only for the next week. I figured I better get out there and count everyone's limbs and get a handle on the status quo so when I get a phone call stating that one of them has decided to amputate something, I'll know how bad it is.

J and J were getting the big boys ready for a carriage ride when I got to the barn. I didn't have too much time since there was a ton of stuff left to do at the house before leaving for a week so I opted to not go with them. Axel seemed like he was moving pretty good so I saddled him up in his dressage saddle and set out on the road for a quick trip. Axel was very very sticky and I didn't have a whip so we inched our way past the pasture and didn't even make it to the trees. The team passed us so we turned around and headed back to the barn. He didn't seem terribly "off" just annoyed and stubborn. Granted this would be the second time he's had a saddle on since last December. I guess I'd be annoyed too. I also didn't give him any bute so cutting the trip short seemed like an okay idea just in case.

In the meantime Cody was acting like I hadn't taken Axel away in years. He was calling and running around. Not sure what got into him. Another boarder was there and had forgotten her bridle so she was bummed that she couldn't ride with us. Probably a good thing since her horse had thrown a shoe anyway. But it would have been nice to get a longer ride in. She was hand grazing Steele out in the ditch when we were tacked up and ready to head out. I got a little speed out of the drive way. I asked for a trot and Steele was standing at the end so Cody was a little more willing to move. We took the ditch (slowly) down to the path between the fields. So far Cody hadn't tried to turn and bolt so I asked him to turn into the drainway between the plowed wheat and the bean field and then I asked for a trot. It took a couple times to keep him moving and I asked for a canter. We took maybe 10 sort of bumpy strides in the canter but when I asked he went back down to a walk and was calm about the whole situation, despite having his head up in the air like a giraffe. So I asked him to turn around, which he did without bolting. His reward was a walk back to Steele with a loose rein where I dismounted and let him graze. I probably shouldn't reward him near the barn like that but he did behave very well.

I ended up hosing off both Axel and Cody's legs before I rode. J&J had the warm water hose already out so the boys got a treat in that respect. Axel's wound is looking okay. I think the scab was coming off so it was a little raw looking but not too bad. Cody has got himself some mud fever on his back shins (basically) so I actually shampooed his legs and then scrubbed them with chlorhexidine. I was hoping he'd drop while I had the bucket of soapy water but he's not a fan of the hose so I didn't get a chance to clean up his man bits. At least he's been letting me use a baby wipe, it just doesn't clean as well. The mud out there is like cement I don't know how they get it all out of the Clyde's feathers. Even with warm water, shampoo, and scrubbing Cody's legs were still pretty dirty.

On my drive home I passed the team coming up the highway in perfect sync so I slowed down and stuck my phone out the window to take a photo. Wish I would have had a real camera!

Just a quick ride in the arena

Not a whole lot exciting on my last trip to the barn. I decided to give Axel a shot without any bute this time. Unfortunately he was having an off day so I rode bareback in the arena for 5 minutes at the most. So that was a little disappointing.

I tacked up Cody and rode him in the arena while J rode Logan and tried to convince him that Cody wasn't going to chase him. Cody tried to convince me he'd rather be napping but with a little help from Mr. Dressage Whip we got a little inspired. Just some trotting and a tiny bit of canter so I could convince him I could ride without yanking on his face. He's very inconsistent so we'll be cruising along just fine when all of a sudden he surges forward and leaves me behind and usually yanking on his face. I haven't quite decided what I want to do to work on this issue yet but I'll come up with something.

I generally spend a lot of time and effort trying to keep Cody on the rail which right now means he's nearly always counter bend and my inside leg is always dying from exhaustion. We had been working on a little bit of leg yielding and things like that which Cody never seems to understand until he wants to avoid doing something else. Frequently I'll push him to the rail and instead he'll either speed up or spin around like I asked for a turn on the forehand. He actually executed a very nice turn on the forehand for me on Tuesday even though that was not what I was asking for. So I played along and kept asking and insisted he go around a full 180 degrees. Good to know he can do that stuff just wish he'd do it when I asked!

After that I worked on getting the brush through his tail (need to get more show sheen the miracle groom doesn't work as well) and I was able to clean up his bits and pieces again with no kicking. Next time he gets a bath (with warm water) I'll see if I can convince him to let me clean him up with a sponge and soapy water, works much better than just a baby wipe.

Axel on the road!

I really should keep better track, I can't recall if I went out to the barn on Friday or not. I think I did and just groomed but who knows. I did go out on Saturday after some extensive napping. I decided to groom outside again, the weather was perfect. I took Axel up to hose off his legs again since it's been a while. The mud just won't go away so it's kind of pointless but I want to keep tabs on the mud fever and make sure it's not getting any worse. He's actually got it on his shins (basically) right now. There's really not much on his ankles where it usually is but the front and back of his left rear cannon have some weird scab like bumps. Those don't seem particularly awful, they are more like clumps of skin and hair than they are scabs. I scraped off as much as I could and scrubbed him down with the chlorhexidine as usual. I hosed off his front feet as well and put some more Underwood Horse Medicine on his wound. It's looking pretty good, seems like it's healing up decently. I decided since Axel seemed to be feeling pretty good the past week that for a change of scenery we'd go out on the road for a quick ride.

If Axel stayed at his current state I'd be happy. I grabbed his bridle this time but opted to get on bareback since the picnic table makes such a nice mounting block. Axel was a little figity with the bit and spent a fair amount of time diving for grass but other than that he settled in to "work mode" a little better than I had expected. We walked to the west for a bit and then to the east, staying on the shoulder area where we wouldn't have to fight with gravel. I think overall he remained more sound than he did when we last rode in the arena. And really, how many people can get on their horse bareback for a ride down a semi busy gravel road after the horse has been out of work for 9 months? I didn't time it but I'm sure we didn't go for more than 10 minutes. I hope I can get him back in shape enough to do easy trail rides at the walk. Even if he needs a couple grams of bute every time we ride, a couple times a week shouldn't be too big a deal. I think the combo of the injection and the supplements seems to be finally paying off. We'll see if he'll ever get back to trotting shape or not. I think walking and carrying weight will be the first hurdle. I'm trying to go conservative on the pain meds so I can see if riding is making things any worse for him, so far it seems like it's having no negative affect.

When Axel was done I brought Cody into the barn to groom and tack up. He needed another ride on the road, I'm determined to keep it up and see if he improves at all. There's bound to be some trail riding this fall and I'd like a sane horse. We made our way down the driveway and down the road pretty slowly. Once we got past the culvert and a few moments of "I won't go forward" things picked up a bit. We actually made it down to the second to last field entrance before the intersection and Cody was moving out and not weaving so I asked him to turn around. Of course that was the moment a nice big wind blew up his tail and he scooted forward so we turned around and tried again. After that we walked back to the barn at a nice pace with no trotting. Except for the moments of not wanting to move forward we're making it further and further each time. I'm still trying to reward him for going forward without hesitation so I haven't pushed him further than the first mile. Next time we have someone to go with we'll most likely go further.

Cody on the Road - Try Try Again

It was too nice out to not go for a ride down the road even if it had to be a slow one with Cody. I groomed and tacked outside to avoid having to clean up the barn aisle since I was short on time. Cody was his usual pokey self going down the driveway. He decided he needed to go left out of the driveway first. I assume he was looking for his almost-girlfriend, Diva, who has since left the barn. When I turned him around it was slow going again down the first part of the road in front of the pastures. We ended up in the ditch that they had mowed fairly recently. As soon as we passed the first culvert Cody stopped and started his backing up routine. When I finally got fed up with asking nicely and kicked him on he gave in and moved forward. I asked for a trot and a canter to wake him up but the canter ended us in the middle of the road. So we went back to the ditch and continued away from the barn. But I had his attention at this point and he moved forward without proding so we turned around (calmly) and headed back to the barn.

I generally make Cody walk past the barn before we turn in so he doesn't get any ideas. So we stayed in the ditch and passed th driveway at a bit of a trot. When we turned around to go back past the driveway I turned him around again and this time he didn't want to go back to the barn. He was dead set on going back down the road in front of Diva's and Dolly's pasture. Then he was dead set on going past the pasture toward the highway. I'm not sure what got into him maybe he was lost. I finally turned him around and aimed him back at the driveway. So it's still not relaxing to ride Cody down the road but he's getting better, slowly. It's been a long time since we've gone all the way down past the first intersection with or without some one else, we'll have to give that a try. At least the rides haven't been scarey or dangerous like they were earlier this year. And of course when we returned to the barn everyone got their last two cobs of sweet corn as a reward for being just so darned cute.

Everyone's got their groove back!

It's been a while since I've gone to the barn and felt like I got done as much as I should have. Axel seemed to be feeling okay in the pasture so I brought him in and gave him some MSM and bute and cleaned him up a bit. Flies seem to still be an issue but I'm out of fly spray so I didn't clean off all the mud on his legs, plus most of it was still wet. When I put him in the arena he was probably 95% sound at the walk. He wasn't feeling terribly feisty so I didn't put his bell boots on (I didn't think it would have been a good idea over all the mud in the first place). I scrambled up on him bareback and he walked off. I'd say he went the first 5 minutes 90% sound and maybe dipped down below that for the last 5 minutes. I tried to keep him moving the whole 10 minutes. He stopped quite a bit in the last half of the ride and started backing up a few times but I wanted to push him a little to make sure we were getting past any behavior/laziness issues and were just dealing with soreness. Overall he was pretty stable and didn't seem to get any worse the longer I rode. Lazier for sure, but his gait stayed constant.

Before I rode I picked up both front feet and held each knee bent for a minute. It seems like after the farrier was here he walked out so much better and I wondered if it had anything to do with being a little more stretched out. So I flexed his front knees and stretches his front shoulders before riding. He still braces himself when he stops (head up in the air) and when I go to dismount, though this time he didn't grunt as I slid off. I'm still not sure if that's pain related or just Axel related. I flexed his knee again after I dismounted and then did some massage on his front shoulders, back, and rear end. He seems to really enjoy having his rear end muscles massaged. And of course I scratched his itchy spot behind his girth. Anything to give him a good memory of being ridden. When we were done I gave him a couple cobs of sweet corn that Jeff decided were past their prime for our personal consumption.

I decided that I'd just do some ground work with Cody instead of riding in the arena for a change of pace. We haven't really worked on anything in a long time. He really needs some time on the lunge line building up some muscle but he also needs to remember that he has to move when I tell him to. So we started with some regular lunging but he was reluctant and it was hard to get him to move so I removed the lunge line and got him going at liberty. Without the lunge line I can weild the lunge whip a little more effectively and inspire a little more movement out of the old man. So he trotted around looking very nice for a while and then cantered around in both directions. When he was nice and awake I put him back on the lungeline to get a few more structured circles out of him as well as some change of direction. By this time he was back to his responsive self, changing directions with energy and paying attention. So I'm thinking we must get back into the habit of working on this sort of thing more and I have to make sure I don't settle for less than an energetic response to my requests.

Cody on the Road - Another Attempt

J&J were just about to hitch up the boys for a ride down the road when I had grabbed Cody out of the pasture. J asked what I had planned and told me to "throw a saddle on and ride" in response to me not knowing what my plans were. I had Wednesday off to head out to Canby for the wedding but Jeff had to work so I used some of my time up at the barn. Unfortunately I didn't know how much time I had so I could have spent much more time out there than I did. Cody has been pretty sluggish lately so before I got on I asked him for some circles and change of direction in the arena. He's not nearly as peppy as he used to be but he seems to still be paying attention. He was very concerned that the clydes were heading down the drive way without him. I took that opportunity to mount up and hopefully have a little more inspired ride down the road than usual.

I did get him to trot a bit down the drive way and his speed was a little faster than the snail's pace he usually finds but the clydes were far enough ahead that they weren't much for inspiration. Luckily that also meant Cody wasn't going to feel the need to chase after them. We did make it down the road with very little incident. I didn't make him go all the way to the intersection and picked a moment when he was calm and not weaving to turn around. And luckily our change of direction did not mean bolting for home. He picked up a little faster pace but that was about the extent of it. Cars passed and he ignored them and he refrained from grabbing for grass. So overall I'd say the ride was slow but successful. I hope I can recall this fact and keep riding the old man all winter so he stays fairly cooperative. Which might not be too hard if Axel decides to be lame for the rest of his life.

Speaking of, I'm pretty sure I rode Axel a second time last week but seem to have lost track of when. It was maybe Tuesday; bareback with a halter and lead and only for a few minutes. If you'll recall he sped around the arena the time before kicking up his heels and was not worse for wear. So I got on a second time and he was his usual gimpy self but as long as he's not getting worse I think we shall persevere. This time, however, he was quite sore after I dismounted and led him back to the barn aisle. But after standing in the aisle for a few minutes he walked out fine. I've been giving him 2g of bute on the days that I ride just to take any edge off. The next day he was the same as ever so his momentary soreness must have been just that. I am tempted to save up some cash and have that knee x-rayed again next year just to see if anything has changed. We'll see how he holds up this winter. I have the long lines ready so even if I don't ride I'm going to try and keep him moving. Axel's other injury seems like it's healing up decently. You can see more skin starting to grow back so that's a good sign.

Bath Day

Friday I was going camping all weekend so I just ran out to check on the boys and make sure everyone was still in one piece. Axel's wound looked like it was either scabbed over or covered in mud, or both. I did get quite the welcome, both horses were standing head first in the lean-to and when they heard me open the gate they both whipped around and started knickering. Too bd I didn't have any good snacks for them.

Camping ended early on Sunday so I was able to make it out to the barn on a hot sunny day. Axel was a little gimpy so I decided not to ride him afterall and opted for baths instead. With soap! I was scolded afterward for not using the warm water but it was so hot out I thought maybe the cold water would feel okay. Axel didn't seem to mind as he stood pretty decently for the scrubbing.

Cody, on the otherhand, was not too happy about the situation. He paid me back by rolling right away so you couldn't even tell he had a bath. I tried out the Underwood Horse Medicine on Axel's wound and one of his feet with mud fever, we'll see how that works on it. Cody's back legs were so dirty down to the skin I wasn't even able to get them all the way clean. I don't think he has mud fever, I'm pretty sure it's just dirt. I should have grabbed a scrub brush or something and worked on it but he was pretty unhappy about the bath so I just went as fast as possible. If I hadn't had given them the baths I don't think I would have noticed that they both have bot eggs on their legs. So now I have to find my bot knife and remember to bring that out and try and get them cleaned up. Sheesh horses.

The Mud

Picture this: Sorrel paint horse with white stockings up to his knees + black black black mud = sorrel paint horse with black stockings up to his knees. I ran out to the barn late last night just to check on Axel and take off what I guessed would be a nasty muddy wrap. I was right about that. In fact the diaper that I had used was long gone and it was just some muddy vet wrap left. I tried to get it off in the pasture but the flies were bad so no one would stand still and after Axel slimed me with mud I decided to grab a halter and lead and take him out of the pasture. I didn't bother washing off the wound since it was covered in mud and would be covered in mud seconds after cleaning it. So I can just hope that it gets a chance to dry out and heal a little over the weekend. At the very least I hope it doesn't get any worse. I was curious if he was going to be extra gimpy from his mild bronc impression in the arena the night before but he was booking it around the paddock pretty well so either the flies were bad enough that he forgot he was sore or he was feeling pretty okay. Maybe a little exercize is what the doctor ordered. This cool weather must be a nice pace for the boys as well. Sadly I didn't get any photos since it was dark and everything was covered in mud.

Lame, huh? Coulda Fooled Me!

I decided it was time. Axel needs to get back to some sort of work. Not hard, mind you. The vet was very adamant that I not do something that will make his condition worse. But the last time we chatted discussed the fact that standing around not moving was not going to help his arthritis so I think getting him walking is the key. If I can get him so that we can walk him down the road or trail with a little bute before hand and no heavy duty trotting or anything like that, I think that's the way to go. I don't think it's going to make anything worse at this point. The vet also suggested that I get some Surpass which I agree with and had suggested a long time ago. So I'll add that to my list of things to get.

I made this nice little graph of his soundness since the day he got the injection. Just for fun of course, that's what I do. So it was finally cool out so I made sure to get out to the barn. The wrap on Axel's leg was so black I thought he had lost it in the pasture somewhere. You couldn't even tell the vet wrap used to be yellow but it was still on his foot and it actually kept the wound clean. I hosed him off and brought him back into the barn. It seems like he's got some scabs on the backs of his legs higher up than he usually gets for mud fever but I can't quite figure them out so I made sure to scrub them good just in case. The scabs are staying to a minimum on the rest of his legs so that's good. If it would stop flooding in his pasture maybe I could stop worrying about it so much but at this point a quick scrub is much easier to deal with than if the scratches got as bad as some of the other boarder's horses. So I scrubbed his back feet and his cut with the Norwex cloth and then some chlorhexidine, then I put some tri-care on the cut, then I wrapped his cut again, and put on his bell boots in the back. I gave him some MSM and some bute since I planned to ride a bit and it had been a long time since he's had someone on his back.

When I brought him into the arena he nearly plowed me over ready to go so I unhooked his lead rope and let him go on his way. All the doors were open so he had to check out each one and then he took off. Cantering, trotting, you name it. The lame horse was not looking so lame all of a sudden. Sure he wasn't 100% at most gaits but he sure didn't seem to care. After about 8 minutes of him running and trotting and looking around he seemed to calm down so I grabbed his lead rope and tied it up like reins and led him to the mounting block. I will admit now that it took me three tries to get on. The first two times I jumped up, was laying over his back, tried to swing my leg over and felt myself going head first toward the ground on the other side of the horse so I bailed and landed on my feet. Third time's a charm I guess and I finally made it up on his back. He walked out with a bit of a limp but it was pretty stable and he was willing (for a few minutes). I didn't want to work him any longer than 10 minutes total including his little stint as a crazy horse running around the arena so I only stayed on for maybe 2 minutes. Basically a couple laps in each direction. Since he's started having all these issues I've jumped on bareback a couple times and I've noticed when I go to dismount he's very unhappy. He puts his head way up in the air and grunts as I swing down. I'm getting down on his left side, opposite of his sore knee, so I'm not sure if his back is sore maybe or what. The last couple times I got around to trying to do some massage on his back he seemed to really enjoy himself so perhaps that's the key. Old boy needs a masseuse apparently. Too bad he's already spent his allowance! To end the evening I took him for a walk down the road just to the end of the pasture and back. I think we're lacking in the stamina department right now, he got pretty slow just after that little bit and it didn't seem like soreness, just tiredness. So we'll try and keep up the 10 minutes of moving for a while and then increase by 5 after a few weeks.

Hopefully I can pop out there quick tonight and remove that bandage and leave it off for the weekend, maybe it will scab up. I'm just hoping the proud flesh doesn't get too bad. I should have taken a photo of it last night but I forgot, maybe tonight.

Makeshift Surgery

Axel may be accident prone but he is really the best patient I could ask for I think. I actually beat the farrier to the barn this time as did two other boarders. Since they already had horses in I messed around getting my saddle and stuff out of the car, put it in the sun to dry more, and hung out for a bit while they had their horses trimmed and shod. I grabbed Axel and brought him over to the tree to hose off his feet. I half thought about giving him a real bath but decided against it. The cut on his foot was looking okay. The flap of skin wasn't completely shriveled up yet and the wound itself was a little meaty looking. He might be getting a bit of scar tissue. I'll have to do some research on how to prevent that from getting too bad. I got him groomed up, scrubbed his back feet with the Norwex cloth, scrubbed in some Chlorhexidine on both his back feet and his wound, and then put some tri-care on the cut while we waited for our turn. He was starting to get a little antsy waiting so we walked around a bit on the gravel beside the arena so he could at least keep his wound clean for a few minutes.

The farrier trimmed him up taking extra care on this right front since that's his sore knee. I guess he had forgotten about that particular issue of Axel's but noticed Axel stiffen up ever so slightly as he picked up that foot and immediately remembered. When he got around to that left front with the cut and flap of skin he asked if I wanted him to nip that off. I told him he could try, I wasn't sure how much of it was still alive or would be painful. Axel stood there with his foot on the stand while the farrier tried to get the flap of skin off with his nippers. Then he tried another nippers. Then he had to resort to his hoof knife because the flap just wasn't coming off. Axel didn't move a muscle the whole time. So either it didn't hurt at all or he's just that awesome. I'm guessing the former. That little flap of skin bled like you would not believe so I grabbed a diaper and some vet wrap that I keep in my little first aid bag and we wrapped up his foot. I left him in a stall for a while but it was apparent he was unhappy with that situation so I put him back out in the pasture. I figured it'll at least stay clean for a little bit while it clots up and I'll just unwrap it in a day or so and see how it's doing. I'll have to remember to restock my first aid bag as well.

Cody was the usual patient boy for his trim. He had some troubles with his front feet on the stand stretched out I might need to do some more leg stretches with him and help him get relaxed in that position. He might have just been stiff from Saturday's ride though he trotted up the yard in front of the barn while I was leading him up to be trimmed.

We Can Ride Trail Ride

Well after a whirlwind summer we finally made it to the We Can Ride Trail Ride Fund Raiser weekend. I went from having no horse to ride, to having a friend's horse to ride, to having my own horse to ride. J&J offered to bring Cody for me which worked out well in the end since Cinder is getting pretty old and deserves his time off and that meant Tricia only had Dusty to offer to me and/or Anne.

So while I packed as much stuff in my mini as I could, J&J loaded Cody and their two TWHs into the big trailer. Supposedly Cody had no issues loading. Though when he got off the trailer we noticed he had a big scrape on his back right hock. Since he loaded calmly the best we can figure is he just stepped on himself while in the trailer, maybe shifting his weight at a stop or something. Cody was a little sweaty already getting off the trailer but that's pretty normal, he gets nervous and sweats. So he stood tied to the picket line for a while and grazed a bit while we finished getting everything ready and had lunch and all that. He was actually very patient. We tacked up and tried to get everyone organized to go. J&J had already set out on the trail. Cody started off as he usually does, trotting and worried about life. The last time B and I rode this trail he settled down pretty quickly so I was hoping and waiting for that moment. But it didn't come. He pretty much trotted the whole trail. Around the time we got up to the road and started heading back to the trail head is when he started to settle in with bouts of trotting to keep up with Vinnie. We did lead for a few minutes but that didn't seem to make him any happier. He might have been better off in the back but we didn't try that this time. He was a ball of sweat by the time we could see the trail head. I did get one little stretch of canter beside Steph and Boogie (gorgeous saddlebred canter on him). At least when Cody is tired there's nothing scary about his canter since I know he'll stop and not get too wound up.

After the ride I untacked the sweaty boy and dumped the pools of sweat out of his hoof boots. I hosed him off at the well and then tied him up to the trailer. He actually stood at the trailer quiet for a long time. He must have been tired. I ended up loading him to go home. J&J's trailer has a ramp and that did not seem to faze Cody at all, so that was good. In my mind a ramp would be easier, no big step up. Cody balked once but got in pretty decent after that with just J standing behind him and telling him to step up. Since I had to pack up my car, unpack my car, and get to Minneapolis J&J were just going to take Cody home and turn him out for me. I imagine he got in a real nice roll when he got home and caked himself with mud that I'll have to chisle off him.

Trail Ride Prep

I decided if J&J were going to bring Cody to the trail ride for me on Saturday I better put him to work so he's hopefully not a pain in the butt for them. I set up the "bridge" in the arena next to the wall with the two barrels (which I now remember I forgot to put away - doh) on the offside to simulate a close-quarters situation. I made Cody circle and change directions a few times (lazy pony) before walking him over the bridge in both directions. Then I sent him over the bridge with no issues. Well the only issue being laziness. But it was good to see he'd drive over the bridge even when it was loud and wobbly. Hopefully he'll walk into the trailer just as easy.

I worked with him for about an hour including riding. We walked (slowly), trotted (reluctantly), and even cantered on both leads (once and very spastic). We spent a few seconds on the turn on the forehand but he really will only swing his butt to the left. We tried to circle left and that was a fight more often than not, Cody is not left handed apparently. His neck seems a bit thicker on the left side as well so maybe he does need some stretch and massage in that direction like I conveniently ignored from the chiropractor.

When we finished up I cleaned up his bridle path and tried to clean up his whiskers. Cody prefers to try and eat the clippers instead of being scared of them. It makes clipping whiskers very tricky. I'm still questioning the amount of heat on his back from that Tacky Too pad. It just seems like no matter how cool it is out he sweats a good deal under the neoprene or whatever it is. I might have to go looking for some research.

When I put him out Jeff drove up on my motorcycle for a visit so we grabbed Axel and cleaned off his wound. He actually had stayed out of the mud since the night before so it was looking pretty clean, just full of flies. So we cleaned, scrubbed with Chlorhexidine, and borrowed some Swat to put on it and keep the bugs away. So far I think it's healing well, I just hope it doesn't get proud flesh or scar too bad. When it closes up I suppose I'll try the MTG on it but I think that'll be quite a while, it's a big wound.

A Nice Barn Trip

For once (and I'm knocking on wood and crossing my fingers and throwing salt over my shoulder right now) my trip to the barn was pleasant. Axel was waiting at the gate so I didn't have to wade through the swamp to get him. He wasn't pleased as punch to be hosed off but the most he did to protest was pick up each foot. I cleaned off his wound and hosed off his back legs as well. His cut was looking pretty good. The skin flap is shriveling up and the cut itself didn't look too horrible. A thought maybe it was getting infected but at this point I don't think it is. It's light pink, not too oozy, no jagged red edges, and it didn't seem hot or too painful to the touch. Of course the flies love it but I know as soon as I put him back in the pasture it'll be covered in mud anyway. I scrubbed his back legs with the Norwex cloth, let them dry for a while, and then scrubbed with Chlorhexidine. They are looking pretty good actually. A few scabs a little higher up than he usually gets in the spring but the swelling has gone down in the back right leg.

I put some Chlorhexidine in the cut on his front foot. I'm hoping it's still effective even if it doesn't get scrubbed in. I did scrub around the wound with it and Axel seemed to appreciate that a bit, I suppose it's itchy as it heals and I was keeping the flies away. I tried to scrape the rest of the dried mud off his body but I didn't want to get too much dust in the wound so I took it easy. I should try and sneak in a bath yet this summer, he hasn't had one yet and the warmer days are getting fewer. Though the last time I bathed Cody I discovered there is warm water available. I didn't get Axel moving save for the walk to and from the barn but he's looking pretty okay, hard to tell on the gravel. Drat and I forgot to give him some MSM, oh well.

Cody had of course left his fly mask laying in the pasture. At least this time both he and the mask were on the near side of the swamp so I lucked out with both horses and didn't have to don the muck boots. The sun must be getting just low enough to keep him from getting too bad sun burn. I'll probably leave their masks off starting in the next few weeks, maybe September. Cody didn't have nearly as much mud on him as I thought he would and it must have been a while since he was in the wet because it was all dry. After I got him groomed up and put back in the pasture I chatted with J&J for a while mentioning the We Can Ride Trail Ride Fund Raiser this Saturday. I said that I was maybe borrowing a horse since I didn't think Cody would fit in A's straight load. So J&J decided to attend and they will bring Cody for me. I have to be early to set up so I'll just get my saddle and stuff in their trailer Friday night and they'll just grab Cody Saturday morning and bring him over for me. I'm so glad the old man gets to go to the ride (he might regret it but oh well). I just hope he loads okay for J. That leaves Dusty open for someone else to ride and it's always kind of silly to own two horses and not be able to have either of them with me. I'll have to make sure Cody gets groomed up real nice on Friday night, see if I can get my brush through his tail ;)

Mud Season Again

This was the photo I was sent by A who was watching after Axel this past weekend while I was in Colorado. Kind of hard to see what's going on but it looks good to me. We'll see what it looks like when I get out there tonight. She said she thought it was maybe starting to get a bit infected so I'll have to make sure I get it cleaned up really good.

The other update I got while I was gone was about Cody. B sent me a message on FB about my silly horses.

"I saw how Cody gets mud up to his knees! Sunday after I put Diva back out I saw him in the middle of the pasture not far behind their shelter. Thought he was on his knees mid lay down, no he sunk so far into the mud there that he was up to all four leg to the top of the white. And he'd stand there and graze like that, then hoist a leg out one at a time and move and graze some more, without having to stretch his neck so far down! Hope he doenst ever get stuck!"

Sounds like I will be hosing off both horses tonight.

Axel Misses the Vet So Much

Maybe I should tell Axel all about Jeff's new toy, a .44 Magnum. Because it doesn't seem like anything else is preventing him from trying to mame himself daily. I'm going to Colorado for the weekend so I thought I better run out quick last night and clean up Axel's back feet in an attempt to fend off the mud fever a bit. Sort of a pointless task since it rained 5 inches on Tuesday but I'm sure it doesn't hurt to at least try. I half thought maybe I wouldn't clean him up but I saw he was pretty much covered in mud, you couldn't even tell his back feet were supposed to be white. So I tied him to the tree and grabbed the hose and started spraying down his back legs. They actually cleaned up really nice since I had shaved him on Monday. The scabs were soft from standing in the muck all day so most of them came off with just the hose. I sprayed a little mist on the rest of him to cool him off since it was a billion and a half degrees out. His fronts were pretty muddy so I decided I might as well clean them up too even though he doesn't usually get scratches up there. Low and behold one piece of loose hair I can't seem to spray off. Well gee maybe that's because it's a big ole flap of skin that he decided to try and remove himself.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, I'm leaving for the weekend and the barn owners are probably going camping, what better time to hurt yourself! So I sprayed in and around the cut trying to clean it out. There seemed to be something stuck in there but I couldn't tell if it was mud or flesh. I discussed his injury with J and we concluded there wasn't much that could be done about it save for cleaning it out. S took a peek at it as well as A and they both said they'd bring him in over the weekend and hose him off and make sure it wasn't turning gangrenous or anything. Thank goodness for nice boarders! I did email and call the vet to see what he thought but I haven't heard back and I'm running out of time (though A said she could meet the vet there if I couldn't make it). The general consensus on the interweb is that he'll be fine just probably have a nice scar. It seems like mostly skin and probably didn't even bleed much.

So I scrubbed Axel's back feet with the Norwex cloth, picked more scabs, and scrubbed him with the Chlorhexidine (I really should get some stock in this stuff). The good news so far is that the mud fever doesn't look too bad on the back legs and I think maybe the swelling is starting to go down (I suppose standing in cold water/mud helps that a bit). He's also walking pretty okay and if it would ever get to a temperature where he's not out there sweating from just standing still I might get to see him move more. I put some chlorhexidine in the wound on his front foot and tried to scrub a bit, he wasn't too pleased with me scrubbing though. I also tried to put some Tri-Care on the wound but I doubt that did any good. Without jamming my finger in there I was only able to really get the edges.

And I just got a call back from the vet that said we're doing all the right things, can't stitch it at this point so just keep it clean and call back if it gets nasty.