Steady driving seat with a soft hand goes a long way

Just some fun photos from our ride today. He's learning to use his back and at times objects but is mostly willing to try. It's getting easier for him to lift and reach continuously instead of hold drop hold drop. Enjoy!

You know we're fancy because my pinkies are out.

Sixth birthday right around the corner

And it's time to start learning the big boy stuff! Apollo has had a very up and down time the last two weeks. Our left lead became a major struggle for us, so I had his chiropractor do an adjustment. Turns out his pelvis was like 100 kinds of crooked, and his atlas was jammed against the left side of his skull (um OUCH, no wonder he doesn't want to bend left!) Well ever since the adjustment, his leads have been fine...when he isn't bucking. Little mister has started crow hopping and kicking out BOTH leads, BOTH directions. I took him on a trail to see what would happen, and he didn't buck ONCE during either of our canters out there. Now later on during the ride he had a major meltdown tantrum over being told to trot when he wanted to canter. It was the kind of ride where I wanted to sell him by the time I got back to the barn. We're in the process of ruling out physical pain vs bad boy behavior. Does his body feel sore now that his alignment is correct because he's used to being incorrect? Is he now able to object to working because his body is correct? Is something pinched? Is there SI pain? I did find a muscle knot along his right bum cheek (right next to the top of his tail, maybe a few inches above it.) I have a magnetic ball massager mit I've been using on it every evening, and he seemed less reactive to me pushing on the area tonight. The first time he clamped his tail down and bunched his entire hiney up because it hurt. The next day he did the same, and today he only showed slight discomfort. I'm thinking he just needed some days off with massages on the offending cheek.

Well the next day he got his feet reset (he has shoes in front, barefoot behind.) My farrier has always been very good with him, but this time he must've gotten him a little short because he's ouchy, particularly in the right front. He isn't three-legged lame, not acting sickly, etc. He's just a bit short strided and "pitter patting" with his front feet. I gave him a day to see how it would progress, and the next day it was worse so I called the vet in a panic. She doesn't think he's abscessing (no crazy stray nails, no heat, no swelling, no increased pulse or any of that abscessy stuff.) She agreed she thinks it was the reset making him sore as he hoof tested positive in both fronts. He's getting Durasoled every evening with a toothbrush to help toughen up his soles, and he's gotten a few days off to just hang out and feel better.

I jogged him tonight, and he's improving but still isn't 100%. I'm hoping by tomorrow he will be okay to go on a W/T trail ride. In the meantime, we're practicing tying. He cross tied when I bought him, and he SEEMED to tie just fine when I tied him in the barn. Well we went XC schooling last fall, and within 30 seconds he sat back and broke away from the trailer (did not bolt, just walked a few steps away and stood.) I figured perhaps he doesn't tie as well as I thought. Of course I did nothing about it all winter because it was so cold, and I was miserable. Now that it's warm, it's time to tie!

We made progress today. He stood quietly while I was "very far away." Heck I was almost out of sight! He watched me walk away and went back to half dozing. We're going to work on this every day so we don't have any incidents when we start traveling. Tomorrow is our biggest test though--standing quietly while tied....for bath time. This horse's biggest ground manner fault is his attitude about bathing. Like any mud-loving young boy, he objects to the idea of cleanliness. Get sprayed with a hose? He's pretty sure it's acid coming out of that hose. He stands pretty still after the initial soaking, but there is a good amount of walking sideways and grimacing for that first splish splash. Tomorrow will be a big learning day....and I will feel much better getting the winter dirt out of his coat. I think it'll help him shed out better too--this booger just started shedding a few days ago!

He seems to be gaining weight too. He lost a bit in February with the horrible cold, so we've stepped it up with his diet to get the weight back on him. 

Last weekend

I just want a little more fat over his ribs, and I'll be happy! He will never look like a big chunky WB with a broodie belly, but I want him to get to a nice healthy weight for his body type. 

That's pretty much all we've been doing, working hard to improve our riding and all that jazz. As a bonus, enjoy my dog wearing a custom-knit birthday outfit. 

Happiness is my baby horse

Just a regular update I suppose. I've been working really hard on riding better, and I'm pleased so far. Sitting up better, using my "dressage seat" (belly button to knees) more effectively, starting to get Apollo to lift his back and drop his head. He can't do it consistently for the entire ride yet, but he's doing it easier and easier with each ride. He does get pretty tired toward the end of our rides though, so we practice neck reining and backing up.

Kissing his friend Benny

We're practicing setting up

Wow. WOW!!!!

Why couldn't I be born a hard keeper?

So in the last few weeks, Apollo dropped some weight. Nothing catastrophic, nothing Animal Cops-esque, but enough to make his already worrisome mother well....worry. We figured "it's bitter cold, lets up his TC Senior and see how he does." Then the feed store was out of alfalfa pellets, so he was missing his tummy-soothing third meal for nearly a week and a half. Then about a week ago, he stopped eating all of his hay. He would eat some, but for a horse his size and condition he wasn't eating nearly enough. He wasn't cleaning up his grain too well either (he's now up to 12lbs of TC senior per day plus 4 lbs of alfalfa pellets with one cup of canola oil.)

His weight on Sunday 3/16/14

View from the top with a random back bump that's going away (doesn't seem to cause him any problems)

I had a fecal run, and it came back great (it came back with the lowest reading possible that isn't 0.) The dreaded word came up.

Ulcers.

I treated him in January for them, but I used Gastromax3 for the last two weeks of treatment, and I'm not 100% sold on whether or not it works. I ordered a 6lb container of Rite Trac to see if it helped sooth his tummy--it would help hind gut ulcers as well (although he doesn't show any symptoms of that except for the weight loss.) It was taking forever and a half to arrive, and I almost had a meltdown last Sunday about his weight. I drove to Walmart and bought six bottles of generic human omeprazole. I had to do something. SOMETHING. Even if it didn't work. I had to do something right there right that second. I was too upset to even wait until the next day. Each bottle has 14 pills, and six days of treatment cost about $33 (as opposed to about $30/day with Ulcergard.) I also talked to my mother about what parasites might not show up in a fecal test, and it turns out tapeworms and pinworms don't show up? So I bought a tube of Equimax. For $13 I made myself feel better.

Wednesday rolls around, and I head to the barn, dewormer in hand. Our barn manager and trainer comes into the barn shortly after I deworm Apollo. She says to me, "He cleaned up all his hay last night! ALL of it!" She didn't have to take ANY out the next morning when she cleaned stalls. He had also inhaled his breakfast that morning. I was over the moon excited! He had been getting the omep. pills for three days, and he hadn't been dewormed until after he vacuumed his stall clean. Somehow these cheap-o general omep. pills from Walmart, which are at a much lower dose than a tube of Ulcergard, are working. I don't know how. I really don't. There is less medication in what I'm giving him. It's not designed for horses. It's totally affordable to treat him for as long as he needs it. He eats the pills in his "first dinner" with no issue. HOW IS IT WORKING???

I'm not sure, but I'm just going with it right now. He's oinking down all his meals and his hay, and he seems to be in good spirits (although he's always in a good mood.) Things are looking up, and the brutal winter finally broke. It's by no means warm out, but hey....it's above freezing.....

Inside leg to outside hand

I had a lesson yesterday, and it was the most productive half hour we've had! We're working on getting him to balance and not just point his shoulders anywhere he wants while he hollows his body and points his nose where I'm asking him to. It feels like his legs are actually under him now, and he's moving "within a box" instead of just throwing his legs out and hoping for the best. We did W/T, and he worked  up a good sweat and was quite tired as he's not muscled to really carry himself like that or work that hard.

Part of the video is tilted--sorry :(

He's not strong enough to hold it consistently, lifting his back and really reaching over his topline, but he tried his hardest. We were back at it today, and our ride started out frazzled because he decided he can't stand still to be mounted. He was close to a meltdown, pacing back and forth while facing the wall, snorting and scrambling. After a minute of that, wouldn't you know it, he was able to stand still! So it didn't start great, and looking back I didn't really give him a warmup to just stretch and relax his back before asking him to truly work, so he'll be getting a good warmup for ~5 minutes before I ask him to collect and reach. My half halts with my outside rein aren't consistent with when I'm using my legs, but I'm getting better. I also sometimes forget to release the half halt--I just hang on there and wonder why he's getting so frustrated......then I realize what I'm doing and feel bad. 

It's nice to finally have an "outer wall" with my outside rein and outside leg. It's really helping to control where his body (mainly his shoulders) go. I'm able to push him on top of his legs instead of motorcycling around (not necessarily the speed, he's been super quiet, but he's unbalanced so he banks like a plane sometimes.) We're getting there!

Pennsylvania Horse World Expo

I spent yesterday at Expo browsing the shops and watching a few demos. There really isn't much in the way of shopping--it's very western heavy, and the English stuff they DO have is mostly lower end. I looked at a few saddles, but the leather felt like cardboard so I didn't even bother sitting in them. I did get some good basics though. I got a cheap-o whip for XC, which is good because Apollo isn't the type to really need it. I bought it because I'm "supposed to have a whip" so for $5 I figured it was a good deal. I got a jelly scrubber with magnetic massage balls on one side (in purple of course.) Even if Apollo doesn't like it, I like it! Everyone in the shop was giving massages with them. I stopped by the Thornhill booth and got a pair of nice rubber reins with rein stops. Not too expensive, felt good in my hands, done deal!

I got my New Vocations shirt as well--I'd been waiting forever to get it. The one thing I really wanted (another bit) was nowhere to be found. I'll have to order it later on--just ordered feed plus vet bills are on the way. What we did see that we REALLY wanted....was this beauty....

A Kiefer 2+1 with an ENORMOUS dressing room. It's a gooseneck, a bonus because that's what I prefer. It was so big and roomy, and the floor mats were AMAZING. The reps recommended at least a 2500 to haul this bad boy, so when I find my rich husband.....

King of the crossrail

Today was our first day jumping since September 2013. He got a little rushy after the jump a few times, but one time he did canter away very nicely and quietly, so I let him continue on around the ring. Wouldn't ya know it, it was his bad lead too! I'll cut to the fun stuff--PHOTOS!

MOM THIS JUMP IS SO HIGH

Much better

My mother's horse staring down the mighty crossrail

BRING IT ON!!

Tantalus can do these jumps in his sleep

Also I have a really nice horse. JS. 

Practicing shortening our stride from just seat and thigh

Legs are supposed to work together but....oh well!

Such a baby TB! 

Such a good boy! This coming week is the encore of the polar vortex, so I doubt I'll ride much at all. After that we'll go back to flatwork to really get back into things. Hopefully the snow will melt soon because we need to do some trail rides!