Thursday, March 15, 2012

Defining awesome!

awe·some

[aw-suhm]  
noun 
1.  My ride yesterday
2. My freaking rock star horse!
3. The weather this week
4. The vet saying, "You have yourself a sound horse"
5. This cartoon (I edited this post to add this because it fell under the category of awesome!)
The ride!  It has been great.  It is like all the time off we have had Steady has lost nothing.  And gained the starts of what appears to be a top line!  Say whaaaa??  You read that right.  It is true.  He has also gained a new start in training.  It is like a clean slate.  The things we were struggling with at the end of last season.  He was getting ticked at me for insisting on contact.  That is gone and the contact is just there.  He wants it and searches for it when it is missing.  The topline is allowing him to round his back much nicer than before.  We even did shoulder-in in both directions yesterday.  He still lacks the strength behind to canter on a 20 meter circle.  Every time I try he throws a "B you betta reconiz" buck at me and I let it go.  I know he just absolutly needs back end strength to pull out his super awesome fancy canter and I need to give him the time to build it up.  I need to remember to NOT rush him into it and the it will come again.  So we now just canter in a large area around the pasture and let him build some fitness back.  The stretching?  His new favorite thing.  He does it, he wants to do it and we have been able to get it at a trot.  Not as consistent as at the walk but still can get it. 
The horse!  He is truely amazing to me.  His abilities are so great and he is really coming into his own.  He of course has faults but don't we all.  But I understand his faults and know how to deal with them in a way that makes him flourish and that is an amazing thing.  It has only taken 2 full years but his body condition is finally becoming healthy.  All the worry, stress, money and everything else I have poured into and over this horse.  I really think the thing he needed the most was time.

Here he is last summer

His ars is skinny.  He is lacking some serious topline. 


Here is today

It may be hard to see in these photos but in person the difference in his topline is incredible. He actually has meat on is back and but now.

And here are a couple more just because it is my blog and I think my horsey is purtee.


The weather!  Wow!  I don't know how long 70's and sunny in March in Indiana can last but I do know that I will take advantage of it while it does.
The Vet.  I trailered Steady to the vet today and he got a good work up.  Soundness check and I heard every horse owners dream.  "You have yourself a sound horse"  Ahhhhhhh I could listen to that all day.  Accupuncture was next with moxibustion needles that heat up in his muscles.  It was facinating to see my horses back with smoking needles coming out of it.  Before he began I asked the Dr. if the needles usually bother horses.  He said no they really don't.  Well about 3 minutes later when Steady tried to high tail his ass out of the building when he started sticking him with needles.  The Doc decided to give him some sedatives...lol.  Leave it to Steady to prove the vet wrong.

Is this not one of the craziest things you have seen?  I had to snap a picture of my horses back smoking.
Then vaccinations, coggins and dental work.  Same thing with the dental work.  Normal dosage of sedatives don't do enough to relax the big guy and he then got to be blindfolded for it.

Rarrrr...it's the big scary, blind, metal mouth.
I really like my vet and I also love the fact that they let me hang around and get Steady's mane completely pulled while he was still sedated.  YAY!  I have never been able to do a full pull on him because HE HATES IT!  I don't care who you are and how many times  you tell me they don't feel it, I won't believe it.  He HATES it so I don't do it except for 5 pulls at a time and that is only if I don't care if I tick him off (never before a ride).  So about an hour and half later we have this!  A lovely pulled mane.  I hope that I can keep up with it with a few pulls here and there and also he gave me some stuff to chill him out so I can get it done at home!  I can't show up to the Horse Trials with a whacked off mane like I usually have.

Best picture I could get of it between him not cooperating hand the wind.

9 comments:

  1. Always fun to read your blog! I am glad that Steady is doing so well for you. Reading your blog helps keep me motivated with my horse! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am glad you enjoy it and that it even helps. Writing it helps me stay motivated :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. yah, sounds like happy days! It's taken me two years as well:) I agree with the mane pulling, they totally feel it! I don't pull, I do a funky scissor sliding trick and it looks just as great, but if she gets any indication that you may pull her mane, she gets super pissy.
    So glad to see your vet sedates and uses the mouth opener thingy (it's late and the actual name eludes me) I hate to see the old school way of floating, I just think it's mean when we have more advanced methods to do it. How would we like it if a big metal file was just jammed in our mouth and got to grinding away with out the dentist even having a good look at what he was doing. No thank you! Not to my horse!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bobby is getting accupuncture with his chiro Tuesday. I can't wait to be freaked out by needles coming out of him too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Riva had accupunture around her eye when her eye ulcer would not heal - I couldn't look...eye stuff freaks me out.

    Steady looks awesome!!! So excited to hear that all the worry and work is paying off and you two are ready to rock the eventing world this season. Hoping to see you guys out and about!

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Dude is looking FAN FREAKING TASTIC Amy!! Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  7. His mane looks great!! We have a couple at the barn that are holy terrors to work on, so I feel your pain there.

    The new and improved Steady is looking fabulous. I like it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I like how your horse filled out with his muscling, he looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Awesome is a great word!!! Love the cartoon too. I'm so glad Steady is looking so fantastic and being so awesome and that he is sound!!!!!! Yay!

    ReplyDelete

Steady and I love your feedback, so don't be shy!