So today I went out to the barn and finished trimming Rocky's feet. I did the front two yesterday and the back two today. I groomed him and noticed how well the hair has started growing back after his bout of pigeon fever (icky stuff - won't describe it here). He had been so lame the past few months before the abscess drained that I wasn't sure how he would be. Okay, I have to talk about it a little - the abscess builds a thick wall of muscle/soft tissue around it, and his body is in the process of breaking down the excess tissue. Unlike most pigeon fever cases where the abscess is at their chest/base of their neck, Rocky's was huge under his R shoulder. It made him very, very lame and stiff. He still has a spot on the front of his R hock that is swollen (we have taken x-rays and found nothing wrong with the bones). We are hoping that the swelling will go down/resorb soon on its own, but it may also decide later to drain - I hope not, tho.
Poor Rocky's mane had been neglected for a while so I trimmed it - nearly a foot of mane fell to the ground. (Reminds me that I wanted to do that with my own hair, but am still procrastinating for some reason). I know that western riders like the long manes, but for me, manes should be neatly kept. :)
So I put the longe line on the halter and took Rocky out to the ring to longe him to see where we were. I somehow had forgotten how much groundwork I have done with him, and love how I just point a direction and he goes out on the circle for me. The first time I asked him to trot, Rocky jumped into a buck and cantered around the circle. Not what I was expecting him to do, but oh so typical for him. It's like not a day has passed since the last time we longed together, but in reality it has probably been nearly a year. So I asked him to walk and trot and he is always so quick to come back down to a halt. So smart, just like his Momma. It crossed my mind that he is 16 this year. GEEZ. And Rocky has been with me from the moment he was born. I'll gladly take another 16 years with him, God willing.
He looked pretty sound - not perfect, but not obviously lame somewhere, and I knew I wanted to ride him - so I did. Normally, at that point I hear little voices about being afraid of "What if I fall" and how I need to be responsible for the kiddos and stay safe since no one else is around. But today, it just wasn't there. I knew what I needed to do, and the fears had melted away. Not sure why, but they were gone. My internal monologue changed to, "Well, maybe I will fall, maybe I won't. But I won't know if I don't get up there and ride" and to "the best way to get back into shape for riding horses is to RIDE, duh!"
We had a wonderful ride at the walk and trot both directions. Rocky still felt a little strange at the walk (from being lame for a few months with pigeon fever) but the trot was actually pretty even. No head bobbing or unevenness that I could feel. Weird that I could feel it at the walk. And then I thought, "Well, the best way for him to build muscle back is for me to ride him!" And thought about how Sweetie and I were so successful showing the year that I rode her several times a week and showed almost every weekend. It was part of our routine, we were both in excellent shape, and if I want to do that again, I need to be riding like that again.
Rocky is very smart just like his Momma, but generally much more laid back. Well, unless he is in new surroundings, then he is mostly sensible but definitely more energetic. It's the warmblood in him, for sure. I am embarrassed how dusty his bridle was, but I won't let that happen again! Riding brings me peace and mental well being. I can't afford not to be riding. :)
