OK, I know I'm supposed to be posting more about Aidol's history but it's been a really long day AND a new FaceBook friend pointed me towards this video today. As bad as the day was, this video was a shining part so I thought I'd share. The philosophy of this trainer is pretty interesting too. Oh, and he is my new FaceBook friend. Kinda cool!
Although I must admit as I watch this, I wonder about swimming next to those legs. What do you think?
Part 1
After that wreck we tried everything I could think of to get the Arabian horse to settle. The only place Mark appeared comfortable was with his head tucked right up into Aidol's tail. There was Aidol on his first trail ride being the "big brother" for the spooked older horse. It was a sight to see.
At first it looked like we might make some head way. The horse seemed to be content riding right up on top of Aidol. We thought if we went along that way enough, the horse would finally relax. Then we'd get to a check point for our draw.
As usual at check points like this horses would get stacked up waiting to make their draw. There were always horses before us still waiting for their numbers and more would come in behind us as we were waiting.
From the moment Mark saw strange horses he would get rattled again. The more horses there were the more rattled Mark got. Dave would end up getting off the horse waiting to make his draw. If he got back on before we left the camp we were doing good. I'll bet that first half of the ride, Dave spent more time out of the saddle leading his horse down the trail than he actually spent in. Not my idea of a great trail riding experience.
Because this ride was around a lake, there weren't the usual cutbacks that could take a rider quickly back into camp. I'm pretty sure if there had been, Dave would have opted out of the rest of the ride. Can't say that I blame him, the ride really wasn't going as planned.
There was one thing that was going really well that was Aidol. The young horse didn't seem to mind being in front or having Mark's nose shoved up his b*tt. He didn't mind the horses stacked up at the check points. He really didn't seem to be bothered by much of anything.
Half way through the ride, I decided to switch horses with Dave. By then the man had settled enough I didn't think he'd bother the young horse at all. As long as Dave was calm, I believed Aidol would probably be too. It was time to see if Aidol would be as good for Dave as he was being for me.
As I've said before, Dave doesn't know much. Sometimes that can be a good thing. Dave didn't know enough to understand there could be risks in riding such a green horse. Dave had no fear of the situation at all. To Dave, this was his beloved horse and he believed Aidol would take care of him.
Getting the man onto the 15.2 H horse wasn't a pretty sight. It hadn't been pretty on the 14.2 H Mark even with me holding the horse and a stirrup. Dave didn't really have a "feel" for what his body needed to do to get onto the bigger horse. We really could have used that crane.
Aidol didn't let any of Dave's bumblings bother him. Granted I was holding the horse but someone holding has not prevented many a horse from walking off. Aidol stood there like he was asked waiting for Dave to haul himself up the horse's side.
When Dave finally did get to the point he could throw his leg over the horse, the man soundly thumped the horse on his croup. Aidol didn't even flinch at the intrusion. He stood there the way he'd been taught. The horse stood perfectly as Dave picked up the reins and he didn't walk off until asked. I couldn't believe this was the same horse, I'd mounted just an hour ago. Aidol was indeed taking care of Dave.
For me, getting on Mark was pretty much how it had been getting on Aidol. The horse didn't want to stand still. He wanted to walk off and get up close to Aidol. Luckily for me that hand shorter horse is much easier to mount. Even if it wasn't graceful, I managed to get myself on and situated before the horse got into any trouble. Once again we were off.
Right from the start, I had a jigging horse but then that didn't surprise me. The horse had been rewarded for jigging by a rider who dismounted. I figured as soon as the horse realized I wasn't going to get off and walk, he'd quit with the behavior and I was right.
From that point forward the only time I had issues with the horse was when others wanted to pass or when we got to those check points. At the very sound or sight of another horse, Mark was instantly fried. The horse would not settle until all strange horses were gone. I wondered if this was going to be a permanent thing or if it would only be on this ride. Only time would tell.
Aidol finished up the ride like a champ. Dave decided trail riding was fun after all. It turned out not to be such a bad day. Mark probably wouldn't agree but he was really glad to see our horse trailer. He actually whinnied when he saw it, silly horse.
As we groomed up our horses to put them away, I discovered the stingers on my horse. There were probably about a dozen or so on Mark's shoulder and his neck. They were hot and swollen. It was no wonder the horse was so worried every time we got near other horses. Those riders had stirred up the bees and he'd been stung. In the horse's mind he probably associated the stings with strange horses. It was amazing he'd behaved as well as he had under the circumstances.
To be continued...............
The Down Time
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Part 1
When I'd first heard all the commotion behind us, I had turned my horse to see what was happening. As the horses in our group fanned out in the small clearing to make way for the approaching riders, I watched things unfolding, not really believing I was seeing what I was. There wasn't a shred of concern from the approaching group. All they could think about was getting ahead, faster and faster. You would have thought we were riding some kind of race instead of playing a poker hand.
The horses in our group got so spread out many were off the beaten path. Horses were going through tall grass and brush during the hottest months of the year in this area. Anyone who knows this area knows you're just asking for trouble doing that. It's bee season and the ride organizers don't sweep for bees off the trails.
The approaching riders dove into what ever places there might be room for them still heading on in their accelerated gait. The number of horses in that little clearing doubled in an instant with half of those horses running, the other half trying to stay under control.
It looked like a scene out of some old cowboy movie where the bad guys are attacking the good guys. Only in this instant, the riders didn't stop to fight, they did their damage on the way through.
In disbelief I saw two horses from this group of inconsiderate riders rush up behind Mark carrying my now not so composed husband/newbie rider. The horses separated at just the last moment, whooshing by the now frightened Mark, one on each side of the gelding.
Mark didn't know how to take this encroachment on his space. He may even have actually been bumped those riders were so close. I watched in horror as the gelding whirled around and Dave's saddle slide off to the right.
"WHOA!.........WHOA!........WHOA!" Dave screamed as he tried grabbing onto the horse's neck. Dave's eyes were as big as saucers and there was a pitch in his voice I have never heard before. If this horse was going to stop it was going to be by the sound of Dave's voice. I saw arms flailing in all directions grabbing for anything that would hold. The man was nowhere near a rein and knew nothing about a one rein stop if he did.
As it was I couldn't believe the man was still in saddle. I've seen many a rider hit the dirt from less dramatic a change in direction as Mark accomplished that day. Adding to that a saddle hanging precariously right in the middle of the horse's side, Dave had given that horse quite a ride. Now Mark stood there like a rock as he had been commanded to do with Dave hanging from his side.
Ever so carefully Dave managed to get himself back up onto the top of the horse. It was so odd seeing the man pulling himself up to the top of the horse with the saddle still hanging off his side. Then Dave began straightening the position of the saddle from up top pulling on the horse and wiggling himself around. How he did it, I don't know. Neither does he, nor any of those in our small group who witnessed this near disaster but Dave managed to get the saddle back on top of the horse before he dismounted.
Of course, the riders who caused this wreck were gone.........racing off down the trail. They probably never had a clue what kind of damage they had reeked. I doubt they would have cared. They probably would have blamed the "spooky" Arab who'd endured an assault on a trail ride no horse should ever have to endure.
Riders from our group went flocking to help Dave. Before I could get to him the horse was unsaddled and in the process of being resaddled. Riders were sharing safety tips with Dave as they put him and his horse back together. When Dave remounted, we were back on our way. I never even got off my horse which was probably a good thing after what it had taken to mount in the first place. My head was still spinning for the events I'd just witnessed. Aidol didn't seem to notice that anything was wrong.
Marks' confidence was shattered. The always quiet reliable trail horse was now a basket case. No amount of comfort was settling the horse down. Every time other riders came up behind us the horse fractured ed again. For the first time in his trail riding career, Mark was a jigging, lathered mess.
The condition of the horse wasn't doing anything for Dave's confidence either. We ended up splitting off from the group so we could slow up to see if we could calm Mark but that didn't work. I think by this point Mark was feeding off of Dave's lack of confidence and Dave was feeding off Mark's. It was not pretty.
Luckily no one had been physically hurt but the emotional trauma from this incident just seemed to build the farther we got down the trail. We were too far to turn back and I wasn't really sure how Mark would respond to coming at strange horses head on. It was a catch twenty-two.
Part of the time Dave dismounted and walked thinking if he led Mark the horse would relax. I felt bad for him but didn't really know what to do. I wasn't convinced that Aidol could deal with the rattled man any better than Mark. I was really thinking this trail ride had been a horrible mistake.
To be continued........
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Part 1
I probably should have mentioned in the last post that Aidol is a true 15.2 hands tall while Mark is 14.2 hands in the way that many owners of horses and Arabian horses in particular are known to measure them. Getting on Mark I could almost do without a crane. Getting up on Aidol with that extra 4 inches felt more like going for an extra foot....... but we got it done and that's what counts.
Did I say up front that this was a big ride, probably one of the biggest poker rides I have ever been on. I don't know if it's size related to the easy terrain of this ride or what but there were horses and riders every where, or so it seemed.
Of course, the more horses you get, the more inconsiderate people you get too. Up until this ride I had only experienced problems with people on the trail a couple of times.
Usually any trouble has to do with passing. There's just something about "how" strange horses go by each other than can make or break the experience.
If the riders care about their horses and their safety and the safety of others, things usually go fine. It's those riders who believe they "own the trail" and everyone else should get out of their way that can really cause problems. This ride seemed to have more than its share of the later.
I'm pretty much a walk kind of gal out on trails I'm not familiar with. Now with Dave along for his first ever RIDE, let alone a couple hour long poker ride, walking was our course of action. Most riders on the other poker rides I've been on were pretty much of the same thought.
Right from the start I knew this ride was going to be different. Before we ever even got out of the parking area, riders were flying by us. Some horses trotted, some loped, others galloped by.
I remember a big Daffodil ride I went on with Mark where he wanted to keep up with the other horses. Luckily Mark had grown wiser about such things or Dave would have had his hands full. Mark was content to plod along being a perfect baby sitter for Dave.
Aidol didn't seem to mind staying right there with Mark. Even though this was his first exposure to trail riding, the horse seemed to be perfectly comfortable just taking in the scenery and following the trail. Even when other horses went flying by, Aidol didn't flinch or get strong. He just kept along with the pace set by Dave's horse. There was no hint that Aidol hadn't done this a million times already in his short life.
Lots of the riding at Fort Lewis is on old logging type roads. The particular section of the fort we rode in that day has a lake in one part and real trails that circle around the thing. I'd never ridden this section before then so I didn't really know what to expect. All I knew for sure was this would be relatively flat compared to the usual rides in the Cascade Mountains.
Mark is a great trail horse. He likes to walk out and Aidol just followed right along. Before long we actually caught up with a group of riders. The area was wide enough we didn't have any trouble going by them. The funny thing was once we did pass, those horses decided to stay right with us. Evidently they were looking for a leader.
Now we're riding along in a group of about ten horses. We came upon a brushy area but the trail was well marked so I just kept following those markers hoping I'd get where I needed to be.
All of a sudden behind us we heard all kinds of crashing sounds. I didn't know if we'd stirred up some kind of wildlife or what. Something was certainly going on. Whatever it was, it was coming our way.
Most of the horses got a bit agitated at first except for Aidol and Mark. It wasn't until I saw the first rider galloping around a corner that I realized we were being overtaken by another group of those inconsiderate riders.
As these horses grew closer our small group began to spread out in all directions. Some horses had panicked looks on their faces looking for some place to run. Most riders had a good handle on their horses and managed to stop the stampede. The approaching riders got half blocked by congestion and had to slow down but they did so reluctantly looking for any path possible to run through.
These approaching riders spoke as they neared. "You don't mind if we pass, do you?" like they were giving us a choice. There was no choice, they were coming through whether we made room for them or not. The problem was, they weren't giving us time to make room for them either. This was not the kind of ride I had hope for Aidol's first ride............ or Dave's for that matter.
To be continued....................
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Since today is supposed to be our last nice day for a stretch, I made sure I got a chance to squeak a trail ride in. Riding around in circles doing arena work can get boring for both me and my horse so I'm always happy when the weather breaks enough we can get out into the hills and mix things up a bit.
Before I could hit the trails, there was stuff here to be done. Also, I had an appointment this morning with an insurance agent to see about getting a new bid for coverage on this farm.
Our current policy does not have a local agent attached to it and I'm thinking that might not be so good if I ever have a claim. Besides considering we're always adding on to something, a local agent will help us make sure our coverage keeps up with what we have. There's nothing worse than thinking you have coverage only to find out you don't.
Since this local agent is an active member of our club and her company sponsors whenever asked, I thought I should see if her company might be able to suit our needs. I'm tired of spending my money on companies that don't give back..... and particularly for insurance. My insurance bills for a year could support my farm for months. It would be nice if some of it went back to my club.
One of the things that was needed to get this quote was an inspection and dimensions on all my barns. Of course, we can't really see the barns without visiting the horses too, so this agent and her husband got to meet my herd up close and personal.
Being a horsey gal herself, she came prepared with carrots for the horses and she even managed to located a Milk Bone or two for Delilah and Sugar. As you can guess, she was a big hit here.
Visiting the horses and dealing with insurance issues took longer than I had hoped. Instead of heading up to the hills for a long ride, I took Legs just over to the small series of trails at the park where I ride. That way I got to work on some arena work first. Then we headed off to cool out on the trails.
I've been working Legs on some small hills back there in trails of the park. It's more fun to build up the muscles in his back that way. During the week we can trot and even lope back there. Usually on the weekends there are too many walkers with their dogs and we don't really want to smush anyone and have cause for a claim on that insurance I must carry because I own horses.
Today, we didn't come across any walkers with their dogs. We did, however, come across a loose dog. He was marked like a rottweiler but not built like one. He had a big attitude and thought he was going to chase my horse.
Legs is not bothered by dogs. The horse actually likes them and cats too. He's been known to stroke them gently using the side of his face if they'll let him. It's amusing to see this stallion ever so gently rubbing up against a cat or a dog. Here, our critters are used to his behavior and actually seem to enjoy a little time spent with Legs.
I'll never forget the day I learned to deal with chasing dogs by sending my horse after them. I guess I'd just never thought about it before that time. Instead I'd always tried to keep my distance and hope the dog did not charge. Now, when a dog approaches with a bad attitude, I turn my horse right into the dog and go after them.
This dog today did not think much of such an advancement by my horse. As I moved Legs toward the upstart the dog backed up a step or two indecisive about what to do. I urged Legs forward more and the dog wheeled around running off with his tail between his legs. After that anytime we came near this dog, he ran which was ok with me. I'd rather have that than the thing nipping at my horse's heels.
I don't think Legs has figured out yet that we are chasing dogs. I wouldn't really want him to think that dogs are meant for chasing although Aidol certainly used to think that was the case.
Part 1
Aidol was known in those days when tied to pull back sometimes in new or scary situations. Ever since his bad experience as a yearling this had "vice" had started. I just never knew when it might happen. Now, I was a bit worried about tying the horse to the horse trailer to tack him up. I didn't want to start off scaring the horse before we ever got out onto the trails.
I tried to get my stuff all together so I didn't have to leave Aidol to retrieve things from the trailer's tack room. I figured if I could attend to my horse without distraction I could probably get Aidol through without any thoughts of pulling back.
I don't know why I thought I could accomplish this without interruption. I was dealing with Dave who didn't really know what he was doing either. He had seen me saddle horses plenty of times and had even thrown a saddle or two up on a horse for me but he had never been responsible for saddling a horse completely on his own. Turns out in this situation Dave was a bundle of nerves and didn't remember much of anything he'd learned up until this point. Getting on a horse and actually going for a ride had Dave's brain short circuiting big time.
I had the horses tied on opposite sides of the trailer so there was no bumping and moving from side to side. I expected Dave would have enough trouble saddling a horse that wasn't cross tied without adding to the mix horses colliding with each other causing even more movement. Also, I wasn't sure how Aidol would deal with being bumped if he already saw the new surroundings as something threatening.
The only problem was to help Dave, I had to leave Aidol. Each time I heard Dave's plaintive summons I took a deep breath and hoped that Aidol would remain calm while I was gone. Then I bit my lip so I didn't take my impatience out on Dave.
Mark (barn name for Malachite) was a champ about this whole ordeal. The horse didn't seem to mind Dave's fumbling nor me correcting Dave's mistakes. The horse stood there like a rock as Dave struggled with everything from brushing to leg wraps and on into throwing that saddle on his back. The horse just never moved a foot even when the saddle was sitting more on his croup than his back. For me Mark would have been picking up his feet and swinging his b*tt from side to side showing his displeasure if I'd taken that long.
Aidol didn't know what to think about the breaks in his saddling procedure as I left him to help Dave. Although the horse did act just once like he might pull back, he didn't. The horse moved around a little but really was not bad. I was really proud of how well he handled this new experience especially with strange horses and riders walking by throughout the process. The signs said Aidol was going to do just fine on his first trail ride.
Once we were finally ready I helped Dave get into the saddle making sure his stirrups were the right length and he was holding his reins correctly. Then I made sure he remembered the horse's cues before I got up onto Aidol so we could down the trail.
I remember Aidol didn't really want to stand still for me to mount. I know some say to pull on the inside rein to bend the horse around the rider so if the horse walks off he walks around the rider. Others say to do the opposite. Pull the outside rein so if the horse walks off he doesn't walk ON the rider. BUT for either of these to be helpful the rider must be nimble and quick springing up into that saddle in the first place.
Neither of those words has applied to my mounting technique in a very, very, very long time.......... much farther back than my experience with owning horses began. Even when I bought my first horse I felt the best means of getting myself into the saddle would be the use of a crane. Second best might be a mounting block but unfortunately those things just aren't available out on the trail.
My problems getting on a horse come from various things. I can't seem to get my foot into the stirrup without using both hands to jam it in there. Then I must drag myself up from the ground onto the horse's back because there just isn't the strength in my legs to push me up there. My upper body strength is lacking as well so when I say "drag" I really do mean drag. Any horse that doesn't want to stand patiently presents a tough challenge for me because all of these things get more difficult when you add the element of trying to hit a moving target.
You might see cowboys in the movies doing those running, swinging flying through the air leaps onto a horse's back but those cowboy stunt men are NOT 40 something or even older women with the additional padding all over their bodies that comes from having babies. I know few, if any, women my age who take mounting a horse for granted. We each have our own technique but it's a given it's not likely to be pretty.
Getting on a horse who doesn't want to stand still definitely compounds the issue for all of us. Most, including me, would try to get someone to hold the horse and maybe even hold the off stirrup if possible. That wasn't going to happen in this situation. Then add an audience of strangers already primed to slam those people riding the "crazy Arabs" and we have a situation loaded with stress. There was no doubt about it Aidol wanting to walk off made me sweat.
In an arena I can take a young horse to a corner to encourage the horse to stand. Out in the open in a strange place there wasn't even a tree handy that would work as a barrier. I was afraid to use the horse trailer as such since Aidol wasn't sure how close he wanted to be to that thing anyway.
I was beginning to think I wasn't even going to make it on my horse when Aidol decided to stare at something off in the distance. I took advantage of the horse's trance like focus to get my foot jammed into the stirrup. I nearly had myself pulled up to the saddle when the horse began to move. By that time the adrenaline kicked in at the thought of ending up in the dirt in front of a bunch of strangers so I managed to get myself the rest of the way into the saddle........ and we were on our way...............
To be continued...............
Getting Started
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Part 1
Before I could do anymore riding, I wanted the two bones to heal in this darn finger. I wasn't taking anymore chances on doing any damage that might make those miserable pins stay in place any longer than necessary. That meant I was staying off of any and all horses at least until physical therapy started.
This was my first broken bone as an adult. Granted I didn't begin my adventure with horses until I was forty but that shouldn't have meant I would have problems healing but I did. No one really knew why I wasn't healing like I should, only that this injury that should have healed in a few weeks took months to heal.
When I did get into physical therapy those two fingers seemed to be cemented into place. There wasn't even a tiny bit of movement in either of them. I didn't think sitting in corn husks up to my wrist was going to do anything to get either finger moving and the manual manipulation to force them to "give" was not fun. I mentally cussed out that farrier at each and ever PT session.
Eventually I ended up with complete mobility in my little finger but only partial mobility in my ring finger. I have total movement in the first digit of my ring finger but probably only about 50% in the second. Despite those pins this finger ended up crooked as well.
The end result was I cannot close my hand completely.
Because that was my "rein" hand for riding western I was worried that finger might look to a judge like I was trying to do something sneaky with my hand. The rule states the hand must remain closed at all times. I worked hard in PT to get that stiffness out of my finger so I could show with a closed hand but it just didn't happen. After several weeks of physical therapy with no improvement it was time to admit I was stuck with a finger that would not wrap around my reins.
For years after this accident I rode western horses in the full bridle holding my reins in my right hand instead of my left. Some might wonder what difference that makes. According to western protocol you're supposed to hold your reins with the "off" hand from your roping hand (even though pleasure riders don't really have a rope). That means a right handed person would hold those reins in the left leaving the right hand for the rope.
In western pleasure people would assume I am left handed because I showed with the reins in my right. Technically speaking, I hold my reins in the "wrong" hand whenever I do that because I am in fact right handed.
With age I've gotten used to the fact that finger does not close around the rein so I guess it feels less conspicuous to me now. I've learned to not be so concerned with what a judge might think. Now I tend to show with the reins in my left hand even though my ring finger cannot close around the reins. However, from time to time I go on auto pilot and pick up those reins with my right hand. Don't be surprised to see pics of me riding with either hand. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to how I get to that.
Once I did get back to riding Aidol was pretty much on the back burner for me. He was not "my" horse, he was Dave's. When I had extra time I rode him still working towards getting enough miles on him that Dave could ride him on the trails.
Working in time to ride Aidol just didn't seem to be happening like it should so I decided maybe the best way to deal with this was to do some trail riding with him myself. I'd been doing some poker rides with my show horse to change things up a bit. He was doing so well, I figured maybe Dave could ride him while I rode Aidol. That way Dave would get to learn a little about trail riding and Aidol would get some experience on the trails before the two were ready to have a go at it together.
My show horse, Malachite, had already done a couple of poker rides that summer. The horse had even been stung by a couple of bees on our last ride. The horse had handled the situation well. There was nothing to say he would not be a safe horse for Dave to ride.
There happened to be a poker ride over on Fort Lewis that August that was a fund raiser for one of the local fire districts. It was a relatively flat ride so I considered it to be a good choice for a baby horse and for a rider like Dave (who just happened to have never BEEN on a horse before).
When we got to the site, the place was swarming with horse trailers. Just finding a place to park turned out to be a chore. Dave began to worry about ALL those people.......... thinking he was probably going to make a fool out of himself............. and he sure didn't want to be doing that in front of all these people.
I laughed at his apprehension and told him not to worry. It's the nature of poker rides for people to be in small groups. If anything did happen it would probably not be witnessed by anyone but me........ or at least that's what my experience had been up to this point.
Still Dave was worried but I wasn't about to let him back out now. I figured the way things were going if I didn't get him on a horse soon, he would lose his nerve all together. What would be the point of having Aidol if Dave didn't ever want to get up on a horse.
To be continued....................
Tales from the Trails
On the left in this pic is Lindsay's pony, Poa Moa Punch, the middle horse is Aidol and the foal is Dandy.
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Part 1
Well, I was right. Surgery was the call of the orthopedist. I had a 66° rotation in the bones of my finger. The only thing that would get things lined up properly and keep them there involved surgery and pins.
The docs schedule was full for over two weeks probably because he was considered to be THE MAN for hand repair. I would have to wait if I wanted this doc to repaired my finger properly. Even though I wasn't crazy about the wait, I decided to go with this doc.
The surgery was scheduled and I was given another prescription for drugs to "hold me over". They also did a different type of splint to add more protection to the finger while I waited for the surgery to take place.
This doc saw plenty of horse people. He knew I wouldn't be staying away from my horses while I waited. He knew protection for the finger was as important as anything else he had to do for this patient.
There was another little twist to the two week wait. It just happened to be during Victorian Country Christmas http://www.avictoriancountrychristmas.com/ at the Western Washington Fairgrounds http://www.washingtonfair.org/ in Puyallup. Now you might be wondering what that has to do with my finger being broken by my husband's Arabian horse.
We were buying that horse on a contract. And like Scandalous, I was paying that contract for Aidol from the sales of crafts I made. Victorian Country Christmas was my second biggest show of the year. I wouldn't be able to make up lost sales from this show. I was going to have to do the show AND have the surgery no matter how tough a task that might be.
VCC is a magical show......... not just big. All the booths have facades of Victorian store fronts and all exhibitors must be dressed in costume consistent with the theme of the show. That meant if I needed help manning my booth because of my surgery, I'd have to be tracking down appropriate attire for those folks.
It also has paid admission. I had a limited number of passes for booth help so those would have to be managed too if I required extra help to deal with my finger.
As the schedule turned out, set-up for the show began the day after my surgery. That didn't sound too bad until I HAD the actual surgery. I probably could have toughed it out had it not been for one thing........... that one thing was those PINS they put into my finger.
You see I had these eight pins sticking out of both sides of my finger. Those pins were laid out in a spiral pattern that matched the pattern of the break. That finger and the pinky next to it were enclosed in a cast. As my hand swelled from the aftermath of surgery, those pins began to rub on the inside of my cast............ the result wasn't just annoying............. it was excruciating.
I am not a wimp when it comes to pain. I've experienced a lot of it in my life, both physical and emotional. I know how to buck up and take it. I certainly know how to do it without crying or complaining.
BUT this thing with the pins rubbing on the inside of my cast was just too much. The pain killers didn't even touch the edge let alone give me any relief. I couldn't think straight, let alone manage a busy show like VCC. I had to get it fixed so I called the doc.
The made the time to get me right in and I left my older kids setting up my booth. Anyone who knows me knows that just doesn't sound like me. I am a perfectionist about everything I do and that booth set-up can affect sales in a big way. I never would have left if there had been another way.
So I head off to the doctor thinking they can solve the problem. They look in at the pins and see the redness developing and get a little worried themselves. The cast was cut off. X-rays done to be sure everything is still OK and then they tried figuring out how to put the cast back on so nothing rubbed this time. It sounded good.....but it didn't work out that way.
I made it through VCC with 5 cast changes before the docs finally gave up and modified some kind of splint for me. No matter what they tried, after several hours those pins would start dragging against the inside of the cast. That would cause more swelling which in turn caused more dragging of the pins. It was a vicious cycle with not relief.
I felt like someone was shooting electricity right through the nerves throughout my hand. After a while even taking the cast off didn't bring me relief. It was only after they gave up on the cast altogether and they left my fingers exposed that I began to feel any relief.
In the meantime my kids and other vendor friends were keeping my booth running. It wasn't the most professionally run show I've ever done, but we got through it and I made a chunk of the first payment for Aidol. I guess it all turned out ok........ but the thought of those pins dragging against the sides of that cast still makes me cringe to this day.
To be continued..............
Physical Therapy and Beyond
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Part 1
Unfortunately I had not thought about what might happen with rings on my finger while I was holding horses for the farrier. By the time the man left, my hand was so swollen it was impossible to remove my wedding band or my engagement ring. At the very least they were going to have to be cut off.
We didn't have anything on the farm that would do the job. I needed a doctor and quickly. I knew the rings were cutting off the circulation in my finger. It was beginning to turn blue...... well, maybe it was more like purple. I knew looking at them I never should have taken the time to stand there and held horses for the farrier. What I should have been doing was heading somewhere to get those darn rings off.
Quickly does not apply to the emergency rooms around here. They're more like an extended stay facility only before you get help so I decided not to even attempt to go there. Instead I headed to the closest Doc in the Box which just happened to be about 4 miles closer than the ER. I thought maybe there I could get reasonable help.
You know there's a reason those places get disrespected with a handle like Doc in the Box. You'd think with all the stories people tell that we'd all stay away from those places and they'd go away. At least that's the way it is around here. Unfortunately I heard most of the "bad" stories after I had my own to tell.
They did get me right in at Doc in the Box. They took x-rays before they did anything. They didn't want to cut off my rings until they knew what they were dealing with..........or at least that's what they said.
I don't know what it is about x-ray technicians that they must twist the hurting body part into some kind of pretzel but that seems to be what they do. I envisioned what kinds of torture I could do to the x-ray technician as she manipulated my hand into her various poses.
All the time the x-rays were being processed, my finger continued to swell even though I had brought ice from home. No one at the Doc in the Box ever even checked to see IF I had ice let alone to see if I needed more.
When the x-rays were finally ready, the doctor held them up to the light. According to this doc my finger was not broken, only badly sprained. They cut the rings off. Put a splint on my finger.Gave me my x-rays and a prescription for drugs. Then sent me on my way.
Just like the farrier, I wanted to choke this doctor right then and there on the spot. There was NO WAY my finger was NOT BROKEN. I may not be an expert but I could see the break on that film. Not to mention the bone couldn't have been turned 90° off straight and just be sprained. The darn turn was right in the middle of one of the digits for Pete's sake!!!
The only good thing about this Doc in the Box's diagnosis was it got me out of there. No telling what this guy might have done if he'd have tried to "fix" this thing when he couldn't even tell it was broken in the first place. At least I had the rings off, circulation was restored (or at least I hoped it was) and I had real drugs to get me through to an appointment with a REAL doctor.
This was before cell phones for me and maybe for most folks so I headed for home to call someone. By the time I got home my regular doctor's office was closed. The swelling in my finger seemed to be improving so I felt comfortable with waiting until the following morning to make an appointment.
Even with the drugs that darn finger kept me up all night. I couldn't believe how much something as little as a finger could affect my whole body. I was glad when the sun finally came up and it was time to call the doctor's office.
When I made the call they told me to head straight in and bring my x-rays so that's what I did. Of course when I got there they wanted their own x-rays.
Taking the second set of x-rays was not much better than taking the first set. Although this technician seemed to be aware what she was doing was causing me considerable pain, she tried to be gentle and acknowledged my discomfort. She also tried to be as quick as she could while still being thorough. I couldn't believe the difference in the treatment or the quality of the films.
As we waited for these new x-rays to process, my doc looked closer at the ones from Doc in the Box. Even from those not very clear films my doc could see the break to my finger. This was definitely not JUST a sprain. With clearer pictures he'd be able to tell how bad this break really was.
Once my doctor got the clear x-rays he pointed out the curve in the break. With a spiral fracture like this, what I needed was an orthopedist. It would be too easy to screw up the mobility in my finger if this break was not treated properly.
The doc's nurse made the call to the specialist. Next thing you know I was on my way down the road just a few more blocks. Again x-rays in hand, I was really hoping two sets would be enough. I didn't want to have to go through the torture of another set.
It just so happens this doctor's office was right across the street from the hospital. I didn't like the sounds of that much........ it sounded to me like surgery. That's the last thing I wanted to hear.
To be continued.............
The Treatment
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Part 1
Poor Aidol was quivering and shaking and not really sure if he should listen to me. I could tell the horse had experienced strong flashbacks. He even acted for a moment like he didn't know where he was. I tried to soothe the horse with my voice only putting enough pressure on the lead to remind him I was there and he needed to listen.
The horse wasn't sure what to think about my light flicks of the lead. He wanted to run but he didn't want to be in trouble with me either. I caught a look of recognition cross his face as he dropped his head down just a bit to take a closer look at me. Then the horse walked forward to me still quivering.
I tried to stroke the Arabian horse to reassure him. Standing there for just a moment trying to settle the horse, I was no longer able to tune out the pain racing through my hand and up my arm. Before I even checked out the cause, I moved Aidol back up to our starting position. I wanted to let the horse see there was nothing to fear.........just this big dumb guy who made a mistake.
From this point forward I'm a little fuzzy about the details of the rest of Aidol's experience with the farrier. While Aidol made his escape from this man's rude intrusion the lead rope was jerked out of my hand and caught my wedding ring on it's way. Pain shot down my finger, through my hand and halfway up my arm as the horse hit the end of the lead.
After I managed to get the horse back into position next to the farrier is when I looked at my throbbing finger. I couldn't believe what I saw. the thing was going sideways.......... that's right.............. sideways. The tip of my finger was now pointing towards my thumb.
My stomach flipped just at the sight of my finger. Without thinking I grabbed the crooked tip and jerked my finger straight. Don't ask me why I did that. I don't really know. I think it might have been the shock of seeing that finger so crooked. Whatever it was obviously jerking on the finger didn't make it feel any better. It didn't straighten it either although it did make it a little straighter, if you want to call it that. It still didn't look normal in any way.
After that I didn't look at my finger unless I had to. I tried to keep it out of the way and to ignore the pain. Looking at the finger or acknowledging the pain made my stomach flip and the last thing I wanted was to pass out. Aidol needed an active advocate not an unconscious liability. I was trying my best to be sure the horse had that.
To be honest, I wanted to choke that farrier right then and there on the spot but I didn't. All I could think about was how hard it had been to GET a farrier to my place and how Aidol really needed his feet done. If I could get this guy to pick up the horse's feet as I had instructed him in the first place and not further traumatize the horse, we could get the job done. Then I wouldn't have to worry about that for a while and I'd have more time to find a CARING farrier before the next visit was needed.
Despite the fact my whole hand and over half my arm were now throbbing horribly, I demonstrated to this guy how to pick up Aidol's feet. The horse was such a good boy even though he'd just had a major flashback to those miserable days of his yearling year. The horse stood quietly for me to lift all four feet. Then he stood quietly for this ******** who had just scared the horse half to death.
It seemed like forever before this guy finally finished with Aidol. I was sweating by now but still focused on taking care of my horses. We had one more trim to do on Lindsay's pony before I sent this guy on his way. Only then did I think about doing something about my finger.
To be continued..............
The Injury
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Part 1
It was in November when I found myself facing the prospect of a new farrier. Having heard horror stories at the show barn I knew farriers are just like horse trainers. There are good ones AND there are bad ones and probably some in the middle. I was really worried about ending up with someone who didn't know what they were doing or one that wasn't kind to the horses. Either way would be a losing situation for me.
I figured the best way to find some one reputable was to ask those people that I knew from this area. For me that meant the people at the feed store. They were pretty much it for my contact with other horse people other than my friend, Joy Manning but her farrier wasn't taking on new clients.
Funny thing about the feed store was they directed me to their little bulletin board. That thing didn't give me much confidence. I was pretty sure that farriers posting cards to pick up clients were either new or had issues keeping clients. Either way there wasn't much hope of a farrier that would know about Arabian show horses there.
Sure there could be the possibility of an experienced farrier being "new" to the area so that would be a reason to post on a feed store board. Knowing how far farriers travel for clients I thought the odds of that were slim to none. I looked through the cards anyway but didn't take numbers.
I think I finally ended up with a number provided by one of the feed store clerks. This farrier was somehow connected to her and had good references. I'd learn later that references are only as good as the experience of the person giving them. As usual that lesson would be learned the hard way.
The day arrived for this farrier visit and he talked a good game. As we worked through the first couple of horses I felt a little more confident. The horses seemed to get along with the guy and their feet looked like I thought they should.
It was only when it came time to do Aidol's feet that the light bulb went on in my head. This guy turned out to be darn close to my worst nightmare.
I always warn people who handle my horses what their issues might be. I don't want anyone caught off guard or injured because I didn't give them necessary information. Any horse can have quirks and it's good to know what they are BEFORE you find them out for yourself. That way you can adapt your behavior to maybe ward off problems.
I told this guy right up front about Aidol's issues with having his feet picked up. As usual I went into great length because I wanted him to understand how important it was to deal with the horse THE HORSE'S WAY.
That meant instead of reaching over and grabbing a hoof, you needed to put your hand gently on his shoulder or hip (depending on front or hind) while talking to him and slowly run your hand down his leg. When you actually reach the foot and want the horse to lift it, you need a light cluck and the horse will readily accommodate the request.
I also told this guy what Aidol would do if he didn't follow my instructions. The horse would jump out of his skin. Fly backwards and try to escape in no uncertain terms. The fact Aidol had no history with this farrier only guaranteed the horse would be MORE concerned NOT less. Aidol would be wary just looking at this big hurken guy wanting to touch him, let alone pick up his feet.
The whole time I'm talking this guy is nodding his head. I'm getting the "Yes, Mam" treatment so I think the farrier understands. He asked no questions but I really thought he got it..............that is until he got near the horse.
This guy, with no warning, tries to bend down and GRAB Aidol's left front hoof. The horse's eyes bulged. His head flew straight up in the air as he flew backwards as fast as he could travel. The horse continued his backward flight until he hit the end of that lead and beyond. Then he started to fight to get free.
I flew back with him trying to get the horse under control despite the fact a searing pain shot through my hand. All I could think about was calming the horse and worrying about the rest later. Aidol didn't need this to become a major incident.
To be continued................
Getting Done
I just got this in an email from a friend. I'm not normally into forwarding things on but this struck a note in my heart so I thought I'd share it here.
Part 1
Fortunately I was able to convince Dave he better do something about buying this Arabian horse. Maybe it was the argument the horse was going to double in price if he continued to do well in the ring that finally got to Dave. Whatever it was, I was glad when Dave finally admitted out loud he wanted to buy this horse.
I immediately called the trainer to set up an appointment so we could do paperwork. This horse was going to have to be purchased on a contract just like Scandalous had.
Aidol had already been entered in two more horse shows. The trainer suggested so "deal" to get the horse shown at these shows since we really didn't have money for training or show expenses especially after having just bought this very expensive horse.
Looking back at this "deal" on the showing and training I'm not really sure if we made out OK on it or not. I know the trainer did pretty well but I think we were probably pretty naive. Seems to me when it was all said and done, I could see how the only thing we'd gained was seeing the horse be shown. The trainer got all the cash. But then, guess that's how it goes for many with horses in show barns.
It was only after show season was over that Aidol came home to our farm. Maybe I should rephrase that to say after "Aidol's show season" was over. There was still plenty of show season left just nothing more that Aidol had been entered in.
The horse showed at both Region 4 & 5 Championships and then came to our farm sometime in late July. My friend, Wendy, brought the horse out to us. She brought her gelding, Chaz, along with Aidol for the ride. Aidol and Chaz had been turnout buddies at the show barn.
Aidol had never been transported alone before so it was good that he had not just company but a horse buddy along for the ride. The horse made the trip quietly, just like an old pro.
Once the horses arrived, we turned both Aidol and Chaz out into our front field. The horses ran around bucking and kicking and playing like they'd both been here all their lives. I think when Dave actually got to see Aidol here on our place is when it finally hit him that this horse now belonged to him. The man acted like it was no big deal but I could see the wet corners to his eyes.
Aidol never did seem to notice there was any difference between our farm and the place he was born and raised. Even though he had come from the horsey Hilton and now moved into the slums, the gelding just didn't seem to care. He was happy to be here with his mom and his new brother, Dandy, and his two new pony buddies.
Dandy had been born A Baby Boomer Dreams of Arabian Horses Part 9 The Foal just a couple of weeks before Aidol arrived. It wasn't long, however, and they were fast friends. I think Scandalous actually liked that her oldest son kept her youngest occupied, even if it was over a fence.
It was not hard to transition Aidol into the field with Scandalous and her foal when Dandy was bigger. The mare would graze while the two boys would taunt each other as colts will do. Aidol always seemed to know how the play should be with a baby horse. They were good friends as well as good brothers.
The plan from the start was that I would put the necessary miles on Aidol so that he would be broke enough for Dave to ride. I hauled him back to the show barn and took a couple of lessons on him to be sure I understood his cues. As it was, it turned out his cues were opposite of those I'd learned on Scandalous but that didn't seem to be such a big deal.
It would probably be good to mention here that this was really back in the days of me beginning in the horse industry. We had bought this farm less than a year before Aidol came to live here. We were really learning the ropes and making plenty of mistakes.
Things were rolling along just fine until it was time for a new farrier. Our old farrier had some kind of family issues come up and actually moved away. Finding a new farrier when we really didn't know the area or any other horse people around was really a pain........but not as big a pain as the new farrier turned out to be.
To be continued...............
The New Farrier
The horse coming forward in the pic is Chaz. The one in back showing his cute little b*tt is Aidol. They were quite a pair.
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Part 1
It was well into the Arabian horse's two year old year before the situation with his feet was coming along well enough to even attempt getting his feet done safely. By that time a new groom had come to work at the show barn and she'd fallen head over heels for Presley. It was beginning to look like both colts really would come out the other side of their terrible ordeal without residual damage.
In the late fall groundwork was started on Aidol. My friend, Linda, who was then working at the facitility as an assitant trainer, got the task of dealing with the horse. Her slow good natured manner made her a nice fit with this horse who had been so terrorized.
Before long Aidol was going along beautifully in the long lines looking happy to be having a job. Linda ran the lines like she would for any country english pleasure horse. The horse could get so big and bold we both thought that's what his job would be.
Around the turn of his three year old year, a new trainer to the barn got the job of actually getting up on Aidol's back. This trainer was also quiet and laid back with his horses like Linda so Aidol took to him easily. By this time the owner had decided that Aidol would make a great western pleasure horse. The horse's ground driving changed a bit but that didn't seem to phase the horse. He just took it all in stride and learned to carry a rider too.Aidol took to that job like he'd been doing it most of his life.
I posted about his brief but profitable show career in the beginning of the series Looking Back................ Aidol
All this time Dave watched Aidol grow up, he pretty much referred to him as "his horse" even though we didn't own the horse nor could we. I was still making payments on Scandalous. The year Aidol turned three was the year I finally got the contract on Scandalous paid off.
From the time the last payment was made, I began talking to Dave about maybe buying Aidol. Even though I had earned the money to pay for Scandalous myself, I never would have bought the mare without Dave's support. Now it seemed to me if he wanted Aidol I should step up and help him.
I think the whole idea of committing to another long term contract to pay for a horse overwhelmed Dave. It didn't matter that it was Aidol because in Dave's mind he was at the barn and he could see him whenever he wanted. I tried to warn him the horse was doing so well under saddle it probably wouldn't be long before the horse would be sold....... but that didn't seem to break through Dave's fear either............... talking about buying the horse was all we did.
When the Daffodil Futurity came along we were right there on the rail. Dave was like any nervous owner watching "his" horse from the rail. He was such a wreck I didn't even want to stand next to him. His behavior was so distracting I couldn't pay attention to the class.
I did manage to see that Aidol got both of his leads correctly. That was really the only problem it seemed the horse might have. He took to the traffic in this huge class like it was no big deal and he did his job every bit as well as he did at home. Aidol was definitely a star for a baby horse in his first ever class.
Dave was convinced that Aidol had won the class hands down. The funny thing is the horse could have bucked through the whole thing and Dave would still have believed the same thing. In his mind Aidol was the best horse in the world and he was convinced the judges SHOULD know that.
We were elated when Aidol was announced as the reserve champion. Even though I didn't know all of the big players in the class back then, I knew it was a big deal for this greeny gelding to have done so well. I knew there were horses with much more ring experience that Aidol had beaten.
Trying to make our way out of the arena to go great "our horse" as he exited the arena, I overheard people talking about the big flashy bay gelding. I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach because I knew that recognition meant Aidol would probably find a new home sooner than later. It was time to break through those defenses of Dave's so he didn't end up with a broken heart.
The trainers knew we were interested in the horse. That day at the show without even talking to Dave I went so far as to ask them to give me a first right of refusal........ which they agreed to do. That way the horse wouldn't be sold out from under us before I got Dave to understand he really could loose this horse he loved so much if he didn't act soon.
To be continued..................
Coming Home
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Part 1
Both Arabian colts returned to the place they were born needing their feet trimmed. Their hooves were not absolutely horrible but they needed attention that's for sure so Aidol and Presley were put on the schedule for the next's farrier's visit.
We knew when the colts arrived that each had issues. We just didn't know how deeply those issues ran. No one thought to check to see if it was still possible to pick up their feet when the boys were added to that list. We just assumed since they'd been fine with it when they left, they'd be fine now.
You know what they say about assuming. It was certainly true in this case. Even though by the time the farrier arrived some major gains had been made in the behavior of both colts, getting handled by the farrier was more than either could tolerate.
It wasn't just that the farrier couldn't pick up a foot, he couldn't even get close enough to touch one.Both colts went into survival mode when the farrier bent over to reach for a foot. There was bolting, striking, biting, you name it. No holds were barred by either of these colts to protect themselves from this invasion into their space.
Because their hooves were not horrible the decision was made to postpone the trims until the young horses were better able to deal with the situation. Then we spent some time with the farrier just getting to know these boys instead.
We got a brush and curry to let the farrier do some bonding of his own. Because the man had already breeched their trust by reaching for their feet, neither horse wanted to allow the man to even touch their bodies at first.
Of the two, Aidol came around the quickest and was soon letting this man stroke him and brush him but the horse never quite got over that concerned look in his eye. The farrier decided the colt allowing him to groom without dancing all over the place was going to have to be enough for that day.
Presley was not so forgiving as Aidol. Even though his favorite groom was holding him, the horse nearly mowed her down to escape being anywhere near the farriier. Lucky for this horse, the farrier could see the response was reasonable for what this horse had endured.
I remember the man shaking his head in disgust as he mumbled something like "The farrier that did this should be shot!" I have to say we, grooms, pretty much agreed. It was clear from the behavior of both horses they had intense fear specific to getting their hooves trimmed.
After this visit from the farrier is when I began the water treatment with Aidol. I don't really remember why I thought this might work but something to do with bathing another horse triggered the thought. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try and the experiment was on.
Lucky for me Aidol was not particularly frightened of the wash rack. He looked at in the same way he always had. He wasn't sure he wanted to go in but once he got there he was pretty good. I was able to cross tie him without incident.
Every day I made some time to put the horse in the wash rack to run water on his legs. Once I had Aidol tolerating strong pressure on all four legs (which took weeks), I moved on to trying to touch his legs with my hands.
I began each session using the water pressure first. Then I would put my hand on the horse's body above the leg and ever so slowly make my way down towards the leg. I didn't just move in one direction either. I went towards the leg and then back to my starting point trying to build up the horse's tolerance to me getting anywhere near his leg.
I watched the horse's face to see how he was tolerating this procedure so I could back off before the horse actually rejected the advance. I wanted to avoid a negative response from the horse if at all possible.
Sometimes it worked and others it didn't. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason why Aidol would tolerate me getting near the leg and when he wouldn't. I tried to pay attention to external distractions or anything else that might give me a clue to make it easier to teach this horse nothing bad was going to happen if I touched his leg but the horse wasn't convinced.
I think I'd worked on this part of the drill about a week before I ever really touched a leg. It was another week before I could leave my hand on the top of the horse's leg.
Gradually I was able to move my hand farther and farther down the horse's leg. Eventually I was able to move my hand all the way down his leg and the horse would stand for me. I got him very comfortable with that before I ever asked him to pick up a foot.
To be continued...............
Now a Three Year Old
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Part 1
I can remember the tears in my eyes as the horse finally decided it was ok for Dave to touch him. I knew how fragile this reunion could be and I feared it would not last. I hoped for both their sakes I was wrong. The horse needed some time to remember days passed. The man needed to know the horse could be reached. Yet one wrong move could easily shatter the horse's trust.
The Arabian horse's initial recognition to Dave's voice had been clouded by fear and then shattered by Dave's anger at what had been done to "his" horse even though that anger wasn't manifested at the horse. The mere scent of it had been enough to crush all history the horse had with this man and the safety he represented. It would be naive to think this present bonding was enough to heal all the hurts of this horse.
I could only imagine what had happened to Aidol and his sidekick, Presley. The once bold colt had been reduced to a trembling insecure creature afraid of literally everything that moved. My mind could not, would not process the transition. It was impossible to deny the situation because it was standing right there in front of me. Yet my mind continually questioned its reality.
Every time Dave came to visit the horse, he had to go back through trying to win the horse over. Each time it got a little easier but it was weeks before the horse didn't startle at someone, anyone entering his stall. Even then we had to approach the stall slowly, open the door even more slowly and talk soothingly to the horse.
There was an interesting dynamic to this situation. You'd think if it was impossible to catch either of these colts in their stalls it would be even harder to catch them outside. Yet, that's not how it was.
Outside these two colts were more like themselves. They weren't 100% like they'd been but they didn't have that same desperate fear of being approached they had in their stalls. When it was time to catch them up after their turn out, both colts would come forward without much trouble. They'd flinch at being touched and any unexpected glitches in the haltering process showing they'd lost some of their confidence, but they didn't freak out at every little thing.
There was an exception to this. The first few times we put the colts out, they ran wildly for what seemed like forever. Then when it was time to come in, they did not want to be caught. Only if the feeding had been done could we catch them.
Such behavior is typical of a stalled horse who hasn't gotten regular turnout. When they do finally get out, they don't want to come in until something more important, like food, beckons them. I suspected this colts had been kept locked up even before I learned that had indeed been the case.
The fact the horses had more confidence outside suggested to me their outside experiences had not be marred like those in the stall. Whatever bad happened to them happened inside the confines of their stall walls.
The other colt, Presley, was not fortunate enough to have a "Dave" in his life. His owners didn't see him in the same light. He was merely livestock. He was the product of breeding a great mare that had ended in the death of that mare. He was not a superstar so he didn't have much value. This small colt destined to be a gelding was seen as a mistake.
The colt was lucky that the grooms were touched by his plight. None of us could bear to see his distrust of humans. Each did what she could to heal this colt's wounds as well. No one tried to rush him or force him into anything he couldn't handle. We spent as much time in our busy days as we could to get this young horse right with the world again.
It was months before these colts acted "normal" again. Even at that there were still times the colts were haunted by flashbacks of those dark days. We never knew when those frightened creatures would reappear............ well............. except for visits with the farrier.
To be continued................
The Farrier
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Part 1
I've never known Dave to really stay focused on something much except for maybe cards and the TV but now that this Arabian gelding was distressed Dave locked in on his intent to sit there until Aidol came to him. His brain must have been going ninety miles an hour trying to guess what the horse "might" be doing behind him. The expression on his face reflected every little move the horse made.
A first the horse didn't know what to think with the man standing with his back to him right near the stall door. The look on the horse's face was as intense as that of the man's. Each was trying to figure out what the other was up to and the horse still wasn't convinced this man was up to anything good.
Eventually the horse dropped his head down just a bit and I gave Dave a brief nod. The horse's ears locked forward and Dave began to talk slowly trying to soothe the horse.
It was the usual nonsense kinda talk we all do to our horses.
"Hey, buddy!"
"How ya doin?"
" Don't you remember me?"
Dave just kept standing there. Every now and then throwing one of those phrases out hoping Aidol would give up that fear and come forward.
Gradually the horse's eye softened and his head dropped even lower. Then he took a step.........then another..................... and then another. Aidol now stood right behind Dave smelling him but not touching him and still Dave didn't move.
"Hi there."
"It's not so bad here next to me."
"Are you gonna let me touch you?"
Dave slowly lifted his hand and the horse raised up acting like he was going to leave. Looking at my face Dave could tell he had pushed too far so he just as slowly retracted his hand.
"OK, I can wait"
And wait he did until Aidol was actually touching his clothes, really taking in the scent of this man standing in his stall.
Then Dave tried again to move his hand towards the horse. This time the horse stood his ground until Dave actually touched his muzzle. The horse instantly retreated in a frenzy to the back of the stall.
Dave didn't react to the sound of the scrambling horse other than to take another of those deep deep breathes. The horse turned to look at him and even took another step in the man's direction.
While the horse was still some distance from him, Dave took the opportunity to slowly get some carrot pieces out of his pocket. Carrots had always been Dave's secret weapon with Aidol whenever he was trying to catch him up out of the field. The horse always knew Dave would be there with plenty of carrots.
Aidol recognized the rustling of the bag in Dave's pocket. I could see the allure of the carrots crossing the horse's face. Would it be enough to bring him back to Dave? I wasn't making any bets. I had never seen a horse go from being a pocket pony to being so frightened of humans before.
The horse did take another step closer to Dave. His nostrils were flaring trying to catch the scent of those carrots. He even stretched his neck out a little not wanting to take another step so Dave began talking to him again.
"Yep, you know I've got them."
They're right here in my hand."
"Do you want some?"
"You're gonna have to come get them."
"I'm not gonna hurt you."
Finally the horse took that final step up to Dave's side. He even began nosing Dave's hand looking for his carrots. Dave let him take them one piece at a time and he gradually turned his body so he was facing the horse's side.
"It's OK, boy."
"It's just me."
" I would never hurt you."
"I love you."
Slowly Dave raised his hand to touch the horse on his neck. Aidol took a deep deep breath of his own and dropped his head. Next thing you know he was nosing Dave's pocket looking for the rest of his carrots and Dave remembered to go slowly to get him some.......
To be continued.........................
The Yearling Year.......Progress
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Part 1
Dave's heart was cut with a knife when he saw this beloved colt trying to escape up the stall wall. The man was so inexperienced with horses he couldn't even grasp what could cause this reaction in the horse. All he knew was this colt he loved so much was now running from him. His heart ached at the rejection.
Even though the colt stopped immediately when he heard Dave's voice, the man just couldn't comprehend what he had witnessed. This colt climbing the walls one minute and frightenedly sniffy from the corner the next just did not compute with the image Dave had of Aidol in his mind.
It took a lot of explaining for Dave to understand what was happening to Aidol. Dave's such an animal lover it had never occurred to him that others might not be so kind. Once he realized what must have happened to the horse then, and only then, did Dave get mad.
I've only seen Dave angry a handful of times in our entire thirty something years together. At the moment the light turned on and Dave grasped what Aidol must have endured, I thought he was going to break something. If he'd known the name of the guilty party, I have no doubt a big piece of Dave's mind would have befallen the culprit, if not some form of physical violence.
Yet that anger welling up in Dave was a trigger for the horse. The instant I saw the rage, the horse again began climbing the walls. I had to grab Dave by the arm to pull him from the stall so the horse or even Dave didn't get hurt.
Again it took a lot of explaining for Dave to understand what he'd done. He just didn't have enough experience to get the horse's reaction to the rage. Even though Dave didn't touch Aidol, that horse knew trouble was coming to get him.
This intuitiveness totally ruled out the horse's experiences with Dave. The fact the horse would react with such fear just by having an angry person near him was beyond Dave's abilities to comprehend. Yet it was hard to deny the horse's reaction to Dave's anger. It was living proof Aidol had learned about rage........... and what he'd learned had not been good.
I still remember the broken look on Dave's face when this second message sunk in. This horse he loved so much and so looked forward to seeing was scarred in an unimaginable way. Looking at Dave you'd think he'd been scarred too.
Dave has always been able to get through to animals when no one else could. I have heard stories about arrogant cats and vicious dogs who love Dave. The bigger the challenge the more determined the man could be. Maybe he didn't get HOW this happened but he sure knew how to fix it.
After a lot of deep cleansing breaths. Dave managed to put aside his anger and walk back into that stall. He didn't approach the horse. As a matter of fact he turned his back on him........... and he stood there.................waiting for the horse to come to him.
To be continued...............
The Yearling Year.........Contact
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Part 1
I probably should note these Aikon colts were all full of themselves. It wasn't just a trait reserved to Aidol. While he may have been the leader of the pack, all the colts were just as naughty to get to and from the field each day. These boys had big attitudes in every way.
I remember one time when the youngest colt, Earl, came all the way in from the field backwards because he refused to walk forward. He was still at his mother's side when this happened. He was small enough you'd think you could wrap your arms around him and get him where you wanted him to go but that didn't work on Earl. He was living life on his terms even at that age. I was glad to be the one leading the mare.
Sometime in the fall the band of colts was broken up. Two of the boys were sent down to the facility where their sire now stood because "people were always looking for Aikon colts there." Aidol was not one of the colts to go, nor was the smallest colt, Presley.
It was at Scottsdale that I next saw the other two colts. Now yearlings they were there being shown. I went to their stalls to see how these boys were doing. I got there just in time to see both colts let out for a large group of people to see.
Both colts were standing on their hind legs and pawing the air. Some one up front said, "Oh! Aren't they just the cutest little roosters!" The very thought made my stomach turn. I was sure glad that Aidol had not befallen this fate and even glader that Earl had left the farm when he did. I was glad I didn't have to deal with him anymore.
I heard later both of those colts were sold at Scottsdale that year. AND for a nice chunk of change. Some rich guy from the Midwest bought both of them. I never heard anymore of them after that but that could be because I never did know their registered names. They will always be Eric and Earl to me.......... although Earl was the really incorrigible one........and Earl was a sweetheart underneath all that bluster.
Not long after my Scottsdale adventure, Aidol and Presley were shipped out as well. This time the reasoning was they were going some place where they could grow up and learn to be horses. It sounded good.......too bad that's not what happened.
About six months later the trainer stopped by to check on these colts and didn't like what she saw. Next thing you know both Aidol and Presley were back home. Aidol had an ugly gash on his leg that hadn't been tended to and both horses were scared to death of nearly everyone........everyone but Dave that is.
I don't know what happened to those colts when they were gone. I know they were supposed to be turned out every day in a field with lots of room to play. I heard later, they were locked up in their stalls and never got out but that's not what caused that fear. Something or someone thumped on these boys.
When these colts left, they had life pretty well figured out. They knew how to lead, bathe, clip, get their feet trimmed and even get shots without a fuss. When they came home they were jumping out of their skin at raising a brush. Both horses needed trims but you couldn't touch their feet. When I say you couldn't touch them, I mean it was impossible to touch them unless you wanted your head kicked off.
I can't even tell you how many hours I spent with Aidol standing in the wash rack squirting water on his feet to desensitize him to being touched. As the horse got used to the water, I turned up the pressure. Finally the horse quit quicking at the spray and I was able to begin the work of teaching him to let me touch them.
Presley was just as bad as Aidol. This colt had never been agressive before. Once I knew the water treatment would work on Aidol I began doing it on Presley too. This colt, however, took longer for the water treatment to work. I attribute that to the fact he really hadn't had anyone bond with him before he left like Aidol had.
Dave was miserable the whole time that Aidol was gone. When he found out the colt was back he was right down there to see his friend. When Dave first opened the stall door the poor colt was climbing the back wall trying to get away.........until he heard Dave's voice.
To be continued................
Clues
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After posting about my injury riding the Arabian gelding, Aidol, Lytha asked how I got this horse and for more details. Looking back I see that Lytha is correct, I've posted about the horse here and there but guess I haven't done anything specifically about him. We all learned a lot from this horse so there's sure lots to tell.
We first met this horse at Feature Farm in Auburn, Wa. where I worked as a groom. When we first met him he had just been weaned and was being turned out with three other Aikon colts. Aidol was the flashiest of the group and also the biggest bully. Right from the start he had that "look at me" attitude.
Dave feel in love with the colt the very first time he saw him. He would show up at the farm about the time he knew we'd be putting the colts in just so he could get the chance to lead Aidol into the barn. With his big attitude Aidol should have given Dave nothing but grief. Dave knew nothing about horses and even less about baby ones.........and less than that about colts with huge attitudes but Aidol didn't care. Something about Dave spoke to that colt. They were fast friends right from the start.
Aidol wasn't particularly fond of going back into the barn at night. On many an occasion the colt would bolt right as someone tried to put a halter on his face. If horses could explode into condescending laughter, that' what that colt would have been doing as he ran off. He knew he was tricking humans into thinking he would be caught just so he could play his silly game.
On more than one occasion the grooms needed to get help to catch up Aidol. The trainer that owned the horse always acted a little gruff at the inconvenience but she would come out to show them how it was done. Aidol didn't really care that she had better skills than any of us grooms. She was fair game for his antics.
Not being the most tolerant with his tomfoolery, she'd get a bit frustrated with the colt's games. When her idea of showing us "how to do it" didn't work I think she secretly wanted to strangle the little bugger........ but then strangling him (figuratively, of course) wasn't even far from my mind either when he pulled this sort of crap.
Dave on the other hand loved days like these. Especially those days where he managed to show up just in time to show the trainer "how it was done." He'd walk into the field asking for the halter saying "He'll come to me." Of course, the trainer thought that would never happen. but Aidol never failed to come running at the sound of Dave's voice. They were buddies............right from the start.
To be continued................
The Yearling Year
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Part 1
I guess I should mention I had no fear about being hurt again when I finally did climb back on a horse after this accident. I don't know if it's because I just have no sense or if I didn't hold the horse responsible for the wreck. I just know that in my mind the wreck was a freak accident having to do with the way the gate was constructed. I didn't think it was the horse's fault.
I thought what the horse did when I asked him to go up to the gate was a totally reasonable response for any horse. His reaction to the sound of the leather of my boot grabbing the gate was reasonable as well. Added to that the fact the horse only jumped one step before settling made me feel like I could trust this horse. All these things put together influence my no qualms attitude about riding again.
That's not how it was when I took that fall a couple of winters ago. Certainly the fact I was at least fifteen years older affected the fear in that case. Then there was the head trauma that pretty much scared me silly. Between those two things, I have plenty of residual fear for both accidents.
After the regional championships I continued riding almost daily when I could fit it in around my physical therapy appointments. It was easy enough to schedule the appointments after I got a chance to ride so that I didn't miss them because I was sore..... or just plain exhausted from the stress of having the scar tissue manipulated.
I continued on it PT for months and months. I continued to make progress through all of this so imagine my surprise when I was told by the PT that my therapy had to end. I was surprised because I was not 100% recovered. I still was missing the upper ranges in my mobility.
The reason for stopping treatment turned out to be my insurance company. It seems to them a recovery of 80% of my mobility was considered "reasonable" in their book. They wouldn't pay for anymore treatment than that so that's where I was left. I tried to fight this decision but got absolutely nowhere.
I was left with only 80% of my range of motion. I was (and still am) unable to put my arm up over my head. I have limited movement in the higher ranges out to the side of my body. I am also missing some of the normal rotation in that arm.
Now imagine working with horses without having complete range of motion in the higher ranges. Things like putting blankets on and off, clipping, bathing and just every day grooming are affected by this limited movement even if the horse acts perfectly fine.
The days a horse does something unexpected when I'm using that arm can result in an unexpected injury....... or sometimes breaking loose scar tissue like Legs did the other day. However, more often than not it's an injury I get instead of an unexpected gain.
Over the years I've had many of those injuries that wouldn't have occurred if I had normal movement in my arm. The unnatural movements that happen because of the frozen aspect of the joint have caused some very painful times. Most of them have resolved on their own over time.
However, sometime this fall or early winter I endured another of those injuries. This time it did not resolve like all the others had done. In fact over time, it actually got worse. I found myself going to the doctor to get muscle relaxants. Instead I got ordered to physical therapy again.
Now it's been months since I started this second round of PT that essentially was caused because the insurance company didn't see fit to pay for my completed treatment in the first place. The extra amount of time they're paying for now is already double what was projected back then............AND I am not finished.
As of my PT appointment last night, I am to go back to the doctor for an MRI. This injury appears to be complicated by the decision made by the insurance company back then. While there has been continued improvement to the injury in PT, there are definitely oddities complicating my treatment. It's looking more an more like my rotator cuff has been affected. The rest of this chapter is yet to be written.
This picture is of Aidol right after we first got him.
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