Poll Of A Problem

My favorite dressage judge finally got to the root of the spazzy behavior this weekend.  It wasn't quite all mental like I thought it was.  Stinker was not releasing his poll correctly (I don't know why it was so tight but it was).  The result was anytime I asked for more than a slight slight flexion he would try and then spaz because it was hard/sore/whatever he was feeling.  Obviously, I wasn't feeling anything in his back/shoulder/hind end and the poll never occurred to me.

It's about time you figured out how to ride

Friday night we spent the entire lesson trying to get him to release and offer a little flexion in the walk.  He finally gave a bit so we called it a night.  Saturday morning he came out feeling great and was still tight but not as bad.  It was another lesson of walking.  At the very end I popped him on the lunge line and played with a new toy that she brought me (more on that later when I have media).

My hat has been reduced to a chew toy while I stretch his shoulders

Sunday, Stinker came out a little short in his right hind, but quickly worked out of it.  The lesson was quite similar to what we had been working on previously.  It was all about improving his ridability, connection, and keeping him supple.  He actually had a slow walk and wasn't trucking all over the place.  Sadly, I don't have any media from the weekend.

Such a sexy look

Overall, while we didn't get to work on the trot at all I do think I gained more tools to help him keep improving.  She really liked what I have been doing with him on the lunge line and loaned me some equipment that will really help him build up his top line.  She also said that his hind end looks great (muscling wise), which made me really happy since he lost all of his muscle due to the EPM.  Now I just need to get his top line going more.

Will Voodoo Work?

Back in December I decided to try acupuncture for Stinker.  At his first appointment he was quite reactive.  He wasn't great the first time he got a massage either, so I decided to give it another shot and three weeks later he had his second appointment.  For the second one he was sedated and was still quite reactive.  I hadn't felt a difference, but it is really hard to tell with him since there are so many variables to consider.  The vet that does the acupuncture was pleased with the changes in his shoulders.  To be honest, I couldn't tell a difference but I stare at him daily and I decided to take her word for it.

I can't seem to remember to take pictures of the acupuncture so here is the dental instead...

He had his third appointment on Wednesday.  I had decided that if he wasn't more settled this time that I would write acupuncture off as not for him.  Luckily she had attended another course between the second and third visit and had asked the instructor what the hell to do with him.  The instructor suggested that maybe his front was just too sensitive and to start on his hind end specifically around the feet.  There are specific terms, but I don't trust myself not to mess things up in my explanation.

The vet was a little unsure because typically when a horse is overreacting to things the hind end is the last thing you want to be messing around with, but she decided to give it a shot.  Surprisingly, he was relatively well behaved.  There was his typical "I'm nervous and unsure about this situation" behavior, but there wasn't the attempts to push through the handlers.  Nor the I really want to bust out of these cross ties behavior.

I really really really want to buy this but have managed not to do it (yet)

After she got the needles in his leg and one in his back, she wanted to try moxa (moxibustion) and this is where things got a little weird.  Moxa is dried mugwort and it smells a bit like pot when it is burned.  It is used to warm certain spots and stimulate circulation.  It can be held to the needles to warm them or just held over the spot.

I was pretty skeptical but figured since I was paying for the session I may as well roll with it.  It wasn't like it could harm anything.  It was really interesting to see him relax and start chewing.  He actually looked a little sleepy (which is pretty unheard of for him).  I am curious to see how he will feel.  In addition, he got two shots of B12 behind his ears to see if that will help his little hamster brain.  I am really excited to see how he does today.

Hopefully he will have his fancy pants on and a brain in his head

Pony Ride

My parents are in town for a visit and of course I drug them out to the barn with me.  They saw Stinker for the first time last year and I don't think they were very impressed.  Obviously we have made some progress since them.

They watched me ride and it was a decent ride so I think we are on the upswing with his brain.  After I got done I asked my mom if she wanted to get on.  I was very impressed she didn't even fuss when I gave her my helmet to wear.  She was a little hesitant, but I assured her that I would keep him on the lunge line and we would just walk around.

Feed the pony

Poor Stinker wasn't sure what to make of the situation.  No one besides me has been on him in about 5 months and he has strong opinions about who rides him.  Anything that is different makes him go OMG!!  He was a very good boy.  You could tell he was a little nervous but he kept checking in with me and only side stepped a couple of times.

I think my mom enjoyed herself and she might actually like him after this year instead of thinking I am totally insane.

Good boy Stinker!

Balancing The Frustration

If you have been following for awhile, I think it is pretty apparent that Stinker can be quite frustrating.  For the most part I think I am fairly good at maintaining my cool and not letting the frustrating parts get to me.  I have a fondness for hot horses and I know that jigging and general anxiety antics are kind of par for the course.

Stinker's thoughts about my opinions

Since he had his meltdown things have slowly been improving, but some of his old habits are sneaking back in and that frustrates me.  I thought that we were past some of these things, like a snorting dancing dragon at the mounting block.  Really dude it is the same freaking mounting block that has been there for the last year and half.  A sudden in ability to just walk in the general direction of the barn.  Trying to convince me that he can't bend left.  Jokes on you bud, I've seen you scratch your ear with your hind hoof.  You can bend left.

I don't think I am quite a ghostly white as my hand appears...

There isn't anything physically wrong with him.  Trust me we have done down every dark rabbit hole path there is when it comes to physical issues.  I really think that his little mental hamster decided to take a break for awhile and I don't know what I can do to bring him back.  Sunday, I was lunging him and I set up some short trot poles.  Someone decided it was necessary to canter through them.  Surprise surprise it was a lot of work and to express his displeasure he tried to buck after them and almost wiped out.

I am quite sad that I am unable to manage my flying dragon and film, because it was quite humorous. I wanted to hand walk him over some of the small XC logs and he decided that they were 4* fences and launched over them from a walk.  I mostly just rolled my eyes at that one and he kept repeating it until he would calmly walk over it from both directions.

Just for giggles

Hopefully, this phase will pass soon and I will be able to oh I don't know walk my horse again.  In the meantime I will keep trying to find the humor in his antics and hope that it will balance out all of the frustrations that I am feeling.

Lesson Not Learned: Fence 4 Stinker 0

Well Stinker thought it would be fun to play in the fence yet again...  Just to rewind he has been living down here for under two years.  On average he has gotten himself stuck in the fence about every six months.  The first time was within days of arriving.  The next time was when he was going to see a sort of local saddle fitter.  The third time was last year when we were going to see my actual saddle fitter.  Shockingly this time around I didn't have anything planned.

Such a sulky face

The fences are the white coated wire that can be hot, but only the top wire is ever hot.  So guess who tries to play over the fence (insert serious eye rolling here).  This is the first time there have actually been witnesses to his shenanigans, every other time they happened over night and he was free but banged up in the morning.

I'm dying can't put any weight on it

S was teaching a lesson and saw him messing around with the horses in the other pasture.  He kicked then started running forward.  When he started running forward the wire was caught on his hind leg and started pulling and popping off posts.  Luckily he realized he was stuck and didn't panic.  Instead he laid down.  She ran over to him and tried to get him up so she could get the wire off his leg, but he refused to move.  They ended up having to cut the wire to get him free.  Once he was free he hopped up flexed it a few times and went back to being his typical self.

Oh wait I can stand on it never mind

A couple hours later S saw him standing at the fence line where he got stuck snorting and giving it the hairy eyeball.  He didn't seem worse for the wear last night.  I couldn't decide if there was any heat or not (I thought I could feel a tiny bit but I am also extremely paranoid so that could go either way).  He has a little scrape, but nothing major.  I am hoping that he won't be any worse after spending the night in his stall.  I am just thankful that he was smart enough not to panic even if he isn't smart enough to stay of the damn fence.

Luckily, he looks cute!

New Year's Resolutions: Sinker Addition

I don't do resolutions, but Stinker had a few he wanted to share, so without further ado I give you Stinker's list.

New Year's Resolutions

By Stinker

• To remodel my stall some more.  They keep putting up mats on the walls, but Charlie has been helping me so we have half a wall down now.
• To practice my dressage more by following people around during their lesson.  I am so awesome I don't need a rider!
• To figure out what is in the tractor bucket.  I was almost there, but then the driver stopped and I walked into to the bucket.  I was highly offended, because I didn't tell him he could stop.  He laughed.
• To use my friends as chew toys more often.  This really helps improve my agility.  I am really good at spinning away from the kicks and dodging the bites.
• To use my human as a chew toy more often.  She is always telling me to respect her bubble, but she never respects mine!  If she can make me snuggle with her, she can donate some hats for me to chew on (she has enough).

Just a little nibble on the hat...

Lazy Weekend

I had an incredibly lazy weekend pony wise.  Stinker got Friday and Saturday off.  My latest thought as to why he had the meltdown was that he had gotten a little sore.  Either way I figured a couple days off wouldn't hurt anything.

Sunday, he was alright for our ride.  Nothing terrible nothing fantastic.  I think he is starting to settle back down.  Afterwards I gave him a bath.  There is nothing more satisfying than clean white socks, although I am sure they are already filthy again.  He is pro at getting dirty.

Alyssa's amazing portrait arrived!

In more humorous news there has been the saga of the traveling feed bucket.  He stopped eating his pelleted feed because of the supplements, so I started trying to hide his joint supplement in his timothy.  It did not go unnoticed and he has been expressing his displeasure by tossing his pan around.

First we have "toss pan out of the stall"

Next it was stack the pans