Arthur update

I thought I'd give an update on Arthur. He continues to become more comfortable and seems very stable to me at this time. I had been feeding him beet pulp with a handful of grain, and then I cut the grain and started adding the Ontario Dehydrated Timothy Balance Cubes (ODTBC) and now he has decided he doesn't want the beet pulp any more. He just sifts out all the cubes and leaves the beet pulp behind. He was still eating it when I put his evening supplements (salt, magnesium, vit E) in it, but now he is leaving even that beet pulp behind. So, I guess we're just a ODTBC pony now. He also gets as much coastal as he will eat, but it is still last year's cutting, which, although good for a cushings pony, is not very appetizing to Arthur. The latest batch has been a little tastier, thank goodness. I hope he starts eating more hay, but at the same time, I recognize his teeth are pretty minimal at this point, and I think he likes his soaked hay cubes best right now. So, we are doing everything we can for this little pony that we all love so much. He is the most expensive horse in the barn by far right now. :)

Arthur on Pergolide

I thought I'd try to journal Arthur's progress as a Cushing's horse. He did beautifully out in the pasture this winter, but as the spring grass came in and I started keeping him off of the grass, he started to get laminitic/ouchy feet. I may have left him out on the pasture a few days too long, but keeping him off the grass was not doing the trick, and it had worked well last year. He has a 48' x 36' paddock attached to the stall that is all dirt. He also was not wanting to eat as much hay as he used to - I ran out of my winter supply, and the quality of hay the feed store had was just pitiful. I have since found a better supply of hay that he likes, and also adjusted his feed to include supplemental salt, magnesium, and vitamin E. I also have started driving to get Ontario Dehydrated Timothy Balance Cubes that are specifically formulated to be a balanced, complete hay cube, designed for Cushings/IR horses. Arthur loves them, but I have to adjust everything slowly. But the biggest change I have made is to finally put Arthur on Pergolide. It seemed we were able to control everything with diet last year, but the diet was not working this spring, so I finally made the commitment to keep him on Pergolide for the rest of his life. He has been on the Pergolide for a whole week now, and is doing SO much better. He is finally comfortable on his feet again - moving around so much more. Although he seems a little "dopey" after his evening dosage, overall he seems much brighter and more energetic. I guess I am learning that you really have to focus on the whole picture when it comes to Cushings - both the diet and the medication, good trims, etc. When one part is off, you end up with an uncomfortable pony. I am relieved to say that Arthur is again comfortable, bright, and eating well, and I love that little pony so much.

Busy Day!

Sammie rode Arthur on a pony ride through the field this morning and had a wonderful time!


At the beginning of the ride.


Grinning after trotting up to the top of the back of the tank. :)


Sammie closing her eyes and feeling the ride! :)


Crystal has graduated to the big field during the day - and gained 40 lbs over the last 10 days! Yay!



But poor Arthur is having to stay in during the days now to keep him off too much grass during the day.


Poor thing is pretty disappointed about it, but a necessary evil to prevent laminitis. We'll watch him closely and if keeping him up during the day isn't enough, we'll keep him in his paddock at night as well.

A beautiful day wouldn't be complete without a ride for me, too! I rode Rocky this afternoon - we had a very nice ride with walking, trotting, circles, and learning to "back" while mounted. I suddenly realized I had never really taught him that, at least not more than once, and recently listened to a podcast about being able to go backwards to help the horse be lighter in the front end. We practiced several times and he got it quickly - I continue to enjoy Rocky and his personality and the way we get along. It's such a special relationship we have - since I have been there since the moment he was born. And I'm the only one that has ridden him - well, Harlan did once. :) We ended the session with a few turns on the forehand and then a good grooming with lots of carrots. :) What a wonderful day!

A healing day with Arthur

Today, I finally got Sammie back out to the barn. I'm not sure how much was her anxiety and how much was the weather, but I was really glad I finally took her out there again. When we first got out there she was in her "contrary" mood and pretended the horses were different horses - like Sweetie was Rocky, etc., and that Arwen was Penny... she even said she wanted to ride Penny... I did my best just to listen and then remind her that Penny was in heaven, and she looked at me like I had lost it and said, "I know, Mom!" She joked around some more and finally said she wanted to ride Arthur, even though it was a little chilly for her taste.

Sammie gave Arthur a few small handfuls of alfalfa for a treat, which he loved. We tacked him up, lifted Sammie into the saddle, and went for a walk through the field with me leading Arthur around. We went down by the pond and saw how it was actually overflowing around the edge, and followed the water until there was a tiny waterfall as it headed down into a very small ravine/creekbed that I have never seen any water in before. I'm sure it always has some when it rains as it is the low point of our property (and the others around us) but it usually is very dry - especially in the summer when we venture down there. We then walked up the back of the "tank" (pond) and just were amazed at how full it was, and how beautiful. We traveled along the fenceline by the crazy cacti in the neighbor's field, and made sure to pass by Penny's favorite rubbing tree - Sammie's idea. Its all the little things that we point out that somehow the kids remember. I had a special tree growing up - or rather, it was just a funny looking tree along the road in a national park that my parents dubbed "Elizabeth's tree" - and they always pointed out to me when we went by. I finally had my picture taken sitting on that silly tree when I was soon to be engaged to my husband.

We traveled up to the front of the property - nearly to the end of the driveway (and the mailbox!) It was a fun idea to go get the mail, but Arthur started tossing his head and Sammie knew Arthur wanted to go back to the barn, so we started our way there. As we were crossing the field, I looked back when I heard Sammie giggling, and there she was with her chin up and eyes closed - and the biggest grin I have seen in a while - just enjoying the movement of the horse below her. I saw myself in her - I have done that so many times, although not in quite a few years. I will have to remember to close my eyes for a few steps next time I ride Sweetie. (Of course, it would be safer to have someone leading me around on her... lol).

Sammie really had a great time, and gave Arthur more handfuls of alfalfa after the ride. It felt good to be out there enjoying the horses together.

One last note - Arthur and Sweetie started shedding today! I don't know how it always seems to happen so suddenly, but I left the barn with horse hair tickling my nose - and stuck all over my shirt. :) Nothing like a good ride followed by a good grooming to help your heart.