After such a long drought, Texas is finally receiving a ton of rain! We actually have moved into an excess amount of rain for the year, although we still have not caught up for the last two years. So, as you can imagine, the grass has been growing like mad - and has been for about 2 months now.
Arthur was being kept up in a small paddock by the barn to keep him off of the grass as it first started growing after the drought. He has been doing really well with the emergency diet from the Equine Cushings Yahoo Group. Now, the group is of the opinion that you should never, ever let a cushings horse/pony out on any kind of grass. Hard core, no grass at all. But I have been struggling with that idea - and I can tell very quickly when Arthur is getting owie. I know for certain that when the grass grows either after a drought or first thing in the spring, that it is too much for Arthur. But he was eating the grass all last summer without trouble (when it was dried and brown). I have also read that the fall grass is actually the safest grass (lowest in starch). That combined with the consistent rain we have been getting made me feel that our grass is not stressed at this time, and I wanted to give Arthur the opportunity to be out with the herd (not to mention his paddock had become quite a muddy area, and I wanted to get his feet out of that situation as well). So I started letting Arthur out on the grass at night (when the grass is lower starch than during the day) for over a week and saw no sign of laminitis, so we started letting him out both day and night about mid-October. Actually, it was Oct. 10 to be specific, since that was the Horse Expo, and I had to use the panels that make his paddock for the Expo. Arthur has been out on pasture (coming in for 4-5 hours a day over 2 feedings of beet pulp and hay) for over 2 weeks now, and he is SO Happy to be a horse out with the herd again! My main concern are his feet, which I have been watching very carefully for the first sign of soreness. But so far, so good. I will continue to monitor him at every feeding and will keep him up again if I need to. But it appears we are to the "safe" time of fall grass, and soon it will all die off and then we will be home free until next spring.
So, I know that the wonderful ladies at the Equine Cushings group would probably admonish me for letting him have any grass at all, but I feel it is important to look at each horse individually. In another situation (a severely foundered horse/pony), I would be much more careful. But for our Arthur who has had mild laminitis a few times that we were able to clear up quickly with a change in diet & keeping him off grass when it was dangerous/starchy, I feel confident that with close monitoring of his comfort, I'll be able to make changes accordingly. At his age (25), quality of life is also important, and I want him to be happy. Not to mention that moving around with the herd all the time helps keep his arthritis from bothering him. In the last two weeks, on several occasions, I have seen him trotting and even cantering to come up for feeding time, which I have not seen in a while. To me, that's what being a horse is all about - feeling well enough to be out there running with the herd, free as can be.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Arwen at the Expo
Arwen at the Expo
Isn't she gorgeous??!!
Becky brought Arwen to the Expo for me early Saturday morning - she loaded perfectly, but not before rolling in the mud... *rolling eyes*... So I had plenty of grooming to do - it really was too cold to give her a bath and I didn't have that much time while I was running between clinicians.
If I had any question as to whether Arwen was actually raced or not before the Expo, I am 100% certain now. Becky pulled her out of the stall during our live auction to walk her around and get comfortable with the new location before I was to take her in the ring and present her in hand. Well, the auctioneer's voice sounded very much like a sportscaster calling a horserace... Arwen's heart was racing and nearly pumping out of her chest when Becky first walked her out of her stall. Arwen's eyes were intensely aware of her surroundings and ears perked forward looking around for the race she assumed was going on.
It took Becky nearly 30 min to convince Arwen that there wasn't really a race and that she could calm down and relax. We also put my saddle on her - with a little work. She surprised both of us and kicked the first time we went to girth her up, but I'm not convinced that it wasn't related to being concerned about going to a race.
When it was time to go into the ring, Arwen was relaxed and perfectly behaved. We trotted along the rail when we were called and Arwen followed my pace easily and never tried to get in front of me or misbehave. I was so proud of her! She had a few people asking about her for a possible barrel prospect - I sure hope someone is interested in her! I would love to see her go to her forever home soon!
Isn't she gorgeous??!!
Becky brought Arwen to the Expo for me early Saturday morning - she loaded perfectly, but not before rolling in the mud... *rolling eyes*... So I had plenty of grooming to do - it really was too cold to give her a bath and I didn't have that much time while I was running between clinicians.
If I had any question as to whether Arwen was actually raced or not before the Expo, I am 100% certain now. Becky pulled her out of the stall during our live auction to walk her around and get comfortable with the new location before I was to take her in the ring and present her in hand. Well, the auctioneer's voice sounded very much like a sportscaster calling a horserace... Arwen's heart was racing and nearly pumping out of her chest when Becky first walked her out of her stall. Arwen's eyes were intensely aware of her surroundings and ears perked forward looking around for the race she assumed was going on.
It took Becky nearly 30 min to convince Arwen that there wasn't really a race and that she could calm down and relax. We also put my saddle on her - with a little work. She surprised both of us and kicked the first time we went to girth her up, but I'm not convinced that it wasn't related to being concerned about going to a race.
When it was time to go into the ring, Arwen was relaxed and perfectly behaved. We trotted along the rail when we were called and Arwen followed my pace easily and never tried to get in front of me or misbehave. I was so proud of her! She had a few people asking about her for a possible barrel prospect - I sure hope someone is interested in her! I would love to see her go to her forever home soon!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Arwen - A few days with a Trainer
Arwen went to stay with Becky Strassner (a Frank Bell certified trainer) this week to be evaluated. We went knowing that Arwen had been raced as a 2 and 3 yo, (she is now 9), she let me tack her up and sit on her, but did not want to move her feet at all - she did not understand any cues I was giving her. Becky started out with ground work (as all good trainers do!) and I made time to go over and watch to learn as much as I could. I took Arwen over on Monday evening, and Becky spent some time with her out in the field just letting Arwen be a horse and spend time with her to get to know her. On Tuesday, she did groundwork in the field using a rope halter - and a rope lead - that does not have any metal hardware on it! I have taken the time to study the Parelli methods a bit, and although I can see the effectiveness of their methods, that big piece of metal that connects the lead to the halter slamming in to a horse's jaw just seems a little excessive to me.
On Weds. I got to see Becky work with Arwen in the roundpen on the ground. Arwen was very responsive and seems to be a very fast learner. But she worries sometimes - as is the nature for Thoroughbreds to be sensitive. The good part about Arwen is that if she does get worried - she comes back to her handler quickly and is able to return to the task almost immediately. She tried very hard to learn & understand what Becky was asking her to do. Becky felt that she would have no trouble tacking her up on Thursday.
Thursday came and Becky had Arwen in the roundpen with her personal horse, Bugs. The goal was for Arwen to see Bugs go through the steps, and to see what she wanted her to do. (and for me to practice wit Bugs so I could learn proper signals). Becky started off by working both horses on the rail to teach Arwen to join up. As soon as Becky took the pressure off, Bugs immediately turned and came in to Becky and would stay at her side whatever direction she went in. Arwen, on the other hand, was not as easy to join up. Arwen would stop and give Becky her attention, but did not understand to come in to her and follow her at her side. So Becky gently guided Arwen with her arm under her head and hand on her cheek, to show Arwen that she wanted her to stay with her. Another thing they had practiced a lot was being in step with each other - when Becky stopped, Arwen learned to also. Both of their feet moved and stopped at the same time. Then Becky worked with giving to pressure - lowering Arwen's head by gently milking the lead pulling downwards. And then doing the same to each side. She would get Arwen's head to one side, and then rub her face, eyes, ears, and nostrils to teach her that it was okay to be close with a human. She rubbed down her back to her tail and helped he relax and gently rub the underside of her tail - all of these things are rather intimate for a horse and help them know they are safe and can relax.
While standing on the near side, we put the rope on the far side and ran it along their far side all the way behind their rump, and then gently let them turn around to the right to follow the rope, and using "pressure", asking them to move off in a circle. When you are done, you "wind them up", asking their hindquarters to engage and step deeply across one another 3 times in a tight circle. What was interesting was that Arwen had no idea how to do that at first - she would shuffle sideways with her back feet, stepping on herself occasionally, but it took some practice before she would really cross over with her back legs.
Arwen also learned to back both by giving at the poll and also by using your body energy to push them backwards. Everything that she learned on the ground translated directly to the saddle.
Becky first got on her bareback - she said that you can feel their muscle tenseness much better when it's directly under you. Arwen stood well for mounting, but preferred to follow me riding Bugs bareback in order to move off. Becky encountered the same thing I had seen before - she had no idea what any leg cues were, and did not understand to move forward gently. But she was quick to follow Bugs, as any racehorse would know to do as they are often ponied around when they are not galloping down the stretch.
Becky put the saddle & pad on her back - letting her smell them first - and Arwen stood fine for both. At this point, I was back on the ground leading Bugs just in case Arwen was silly. Becky worked her on the ground first, asking her to move, circle, step under herself in a tight circle, until she was confident that Arwen would be okay for her to mount up. Mounting was uneventful, but she still preferred to follow Bugs for a while until she got the hang of things, and eventually, Becky was walking her around away from us. She even trotted her around once or twice, but Arwen seemed concerned, so she stopped.
Overall, it was a great first ride, and I learned a lot. My favorite part about what I learned from Becky was the gentleness of it all. Of course, I tend to be very calm, so I did have to use more energy, but I felt good about all the things she was asking me to do. I never put Bugs or Arwen in a place where they seemed concerned or uncomfortable.
On Weds. I got to see Becky work with Arwen in the roundpen on the ground. Arwen was very responsive and seems to be a very fast learner. But she worries sometimes - as is the nature for Thoroughbreds to be sensitive. The good part about Arwen is that if she does get worried - she comes back to her handler quickly and is able to return to the task almost immediately. She tried very hard to learn & understand what Becky was asking her to do. Becky felt that she would have no trouble tacking her up on Thursday.
Thursday came and Becky had Arwen in the roundpen with her personal horse, Bugs. The goal was for Arwen to see Bugs go through the steps, and to see what she wanted her to do. (and for me to practice wit Bugs so I could learn proper signals). Becky started off by working both horses on the rail to teach Arwen to join up. As soon as Becky took the pressure off, Bugs immediately turned and came in to Becky and would stay at her side whatever direction she went in. Arwen, on the other hand, was not as easy to join up. Arwen would stop and give Becky her attention, but did not understand to come in to her and follow her at her side. So Becky gently guided Arwen with her arm under her head and hand on her cheek, to show Arwen that she wanted her to stay with her. Another thing they had practiced a lot was being in step with each other - when Becky stopped, Arwen learned to also. Both of their feet moved and stopped at the same time. Then Becky worked with giving to pressure - lowering Arwen's head by gently milking the lead pulling downwards. And then doing the same to each side. She would get Arwen's head to one side, and then rub her face, eyes, ears, and nostrils to teach her that it was okay to be close with a human. She rubbed down her back to her tail and helped he relax and gently rub the underside of her tail - all of these things are rather intimate for a horse and help them know they are safe and can relax.
While standing on the near side, we put the rope on the far side and ran it along their far side all the way behind their rump, and then gently let them turn around to the right to follow the rope, and using "pressure", asking them to move off in a circle. When you are done, you "wind them up", asking their hindquarters to engage and step deeply across one another 3 times in a tight circle. What was interesting was that Arwen had no idea how to do that at first - she would shuffle sideways with her back feet, stepping on herself occasionally, but it took some practice before she would really cross over with her back legs.
Arwen also learned to back both by giving at the poll and also by using your body energy to push them backwards. Everything that she learned on the ground translated directly to the saddle.
Becky first got on her bareback - she said that you can feel their muscle tenseness much better when it's directly under you. Arwen stood well for mounting, but preferred to follow me riding Bugs bareback in order to move off. Becky encountered the same thing I had seen before - she had no idea what any leg cues were, and did not understand to move forward gently. But she was quick to follow Bugs, as any racehorse would know to do as they are often ponied around when they are not galloping down the stretch.
Becky put the saddle & pad on her back - letting her smell them first - and Arwen stood fine for both. At this point, I was back on the ground leading Bugs just in case Arwen was silly. Becky worked her on the ground first, asking her to move, circle, step under herself in a tight circle, until she was confident that Arwen would be okay for her to mount up. Mounting was uneventful, but she still preferred to follow Bugs for a while until she got the hang of things, and eventually, Becky was walking her around away from us. She even trotted her around once or twice, but Arwen seemed concerned, so she stopped.
Overall, it was a great first ride, and I learned a lot. My favorite part about what I learned from Becky was the gentleness of it all. Of course, I tend to be very calm, so I did have to use more energy, but I felt good about all the things she was asking me to do. I never put Bugs or Arwen in a place where they seemed concerned or uncomfortable.
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