Sick again...

The mild cold I had on the weekend has blown into something nasty. I'm on two puffers and an antibiotic so cross your fingers that it will work. Lucas is on his own this week, so I'm glad that I did ride on Sunday. I guess this is why I'm riding in January so that I can have weeks like this :(

Had massage therapy on Monday and my back/pelvis is a mess. My muscles and tendons are basically pulling my pelvis and hips out of position so lots of work to do on keeping myself balanced.

D's Mom died on Monday, funeral tomorrow

I did it!

Lucas has been in for two days while we integrate the new geldings into his 'herd'. Lucas is buddies with them from last year but the other two horses he's out with don't know them at all. So yesterday he got turnout time in the indoor and lunged and we did showmanship. The plan was for him to have breakfast inside this morning then go out around 10 and let him fit into the new herd. He's the boss, but will back down if he's outnumbered so we wanted to give the new horses a chance to fit in and have some of the round bale before bossy Lucas got out.

So I decided I would ride him while he was in, so I got him tacked up, lunged him while another horse was doing showmanship, kept him lunging even after that horse had left and then got on. Every thing was good for the first 10 min or so. We did our bending that we've been working on and moving his hips/hind end independently. Then I asked him to trot off... and we got into our old argument where he gets 'stuck' and we both get more and more pissed off at each other. I knew we had to get though it today as I wasn't going to be able to get out to the barn again until Wednesday. The conversation went something like this.

Me: Ok lets trot
Lucas: Nope
Me: Come on, move your hip here, and then trot off
Lucas: I'll move my hip but I'm not trotting
Me: (making clucking noises) trot
Lucas:Nope
Me: Ok fooling around time is over, trot now!
Lucas: NOPE Screw you!
Me: Nope, you're screwed.

It was at this point I got off and lunged Lucas for another 10 min at the canter, stood him back up at the mounting block and got back on.

Lucas: Now what
Me: We trot
Lucas: *sigh* ok

I finally got him to listen to me, and we worked out the 'stuck' issue by ourselves! I think he just wants to boss someone around, and figures I'm low man on the totem pole and he can do what he wants when he wants. We had some decent trot work after that but we were both worked up and pissed off and fought each other a bit. The walk work is helping both our flexibilities and its starting to pay off in the trot. I so want it to be warm so we can go work outside in the big ring!

I decided not to canter today and push the issue! I'm getting my back looked at tomorrow night and we'll try the cantering to the left again once I figure out whats going on with me. No point punishing Lucas when my hips are telling him to canter on the right lead even when we are going left.

And spring training begins.

I am no longer the only boarder riding on a regular basis! Although some of the kids have kept up with lessons on the weekends, I'm usually on my own during the weeknights. However Tankers owner was at the barn on Thursday night for the first time since Christmas. (Shes been spending more time on her family's beef farm but now that calving season is over she'll be at the barn more)

So we tacked up and rode together. Tanker was great, for having a couple of months off she went right back into work. Lucas not so much! He was quite upset that he had to share the arena, and that Tanker was in 'his' space! Considering that they can't bear to be separated when they are outside it was funny behavior. So after we got a couple of trips around at the walk, we had Tanker and her owner ride around us in tight circles, and pass us a couple of times in each direction until Lucas realized that it really wasn't that bad.

After that we had a decent ride, both of us had a break longer than expected with my flu, but he had some great trot work and we did some serious work on getting some control over his back end with some hip in/out work and even did some shoulders in as well. D told us to start working in some turns on the forehand to keep him from 'locking' up like he tends to do when something becomes hard.

My friends horse came in on Friday, and the girl that did some riding on Lucas last summer brought her horse back today, so the barn is filling up!

Our halter mare had her Appaloosa baby on Thursday! She a very well developed filly who is very happy and healthy and loves people, her only downfall is that she didn't get much color. I hope to get some pictures soon to share!

The flu

So you know how sick you feel most of the time when the only way you can figure out that you are actually 'sick' is when you cant leave the bathroom long enough to go to work... It started Sunday night and although I went to work on Tuesday, I should have stayed home, lets just say trying to find a place to throw up at work and not gross everyone else out is not fun.

So I'm home again today, Lucas is having fun with his mini-break. C and D finished putting on the kick boards in the arena yesterday so the arena is now back to being an arena instead of a construction site. The boarders tack room is on the schedule to be done over the next couple of days so it should look different by the time I get back to the barn. Horses that are coming for training arrive on the weekend so the barn is going to get busy. I think mine and Lucas' alone time in the arena during the weeknights is over!

Trail super star (in progress)

Lucas' trail training is really coming along! Last night we did a 'course' of 4 obstacles that could be done at least in both directions and I could back or walk threw a couple. The cone was set about 3 feet from the cooler/wall which made it a bit complicated but he never even looked twice at it. And we had a pole laid on top of three walk poles (see bottom right of the photo). He gets really worked up with horsemanship and equation patterns so I practiced the same pattern over obstacles a couple of times and didn't have any issues with him wanting to rush...

We did only walk last night, but took 1/2 hour to work on each obstacle then run though a simple pattern a couple of times. Considering that earlier this year (I guess that was only a month ago) he would rush over them in a hurry to just get it over with. (knocking everything down in the process)

We are still mostly doing walk trot work (with of course the trail stuff thrown in) we have been throwing in some canter work but the indoor and its uneven footing is holding us back a bit. I'm also having some trouble with Lucas' left lead again so next week I see the chiropractor then the week after that the massage therapist (my brothers girlfriend) so hopefully they can get my back and hips worked out and get me straight again. And yes I'm home again tonight with a heating pad on my back trying to work out the knots that I got last night....

Thank you for your comments!

Some days I just cant help myself, and I slowly spiral down into my own little RA caused funk. Thank you all for your supportive comments when I'm having a day like that! Becky brought up a good point...

"If you never got sick those moments wouldn't mean that much to you. You wouldn't appreciate them like you do. That's what I tell myself. There's so much I would take for granted if I didn't have RA - the other day I trotted down a flight of stairs and jogged to catch up with a friend... and it hit me that I was having an EXCEPTIONALLY good day...and it just made my whole day. I wouldn't have cared at all if that was normal."

Its true, when I have a great day I really appreciate it! Maybe I would have been a better rider, but would I have appreciated that moment that I had with Lucas last week or would I have just expected and demanded perfection from every horse that I rode?

RA has changed my life in so many different ways, I moved out of my parents house when I went to college, and other than breaks during the school year I didn't go back until I moved home when I started feeling 'off', and even then it was only going to be temporary until I figured out what was going on and found a grooming job in Florida.

At first I really did need help, driving more than 15-20 min was tough, and forget about me driving a stick shift ever again! I found it hard to do house work and have enough energy left to cook supper for everyone. (I had to leave my job at the same time too, and was unemployed for 2 years until I was able to go back to school) For a good explanation of how people with RA and other autoimmune illnesses deal please read The Spoon Theory http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory-written-by-christine-miserandino/

Right now my parents are letting me stay at home until I get my student loans paid off. (I couldn't pay rent, loans and have Lucas) However even though I'm now doing much better sometimes I still need help opening jars, milk cartons, getting objects (such as a frying pan) out of an award cupboard. In Oct I lost my balance in the shower and fell, I was ok but I wouldn't have been able to get off the ground if my Mom hadn't come in to help me. Some days you have to think about where you have been to appreciate how far you have come.

For 3 years I was too scared to ride. That's why this blog is called On The Ground, I figured that would be all I would be able to do... But now some days when I'm riding I think about the people who are healthier, who can do more on a horse, who aren't out riding. Me and Lucas might be 'Has been's" but were still going, even if some days its only at a walk.

Weather worries and even bigger worries

Ashley at The process of learning could use some special thoughts tonight. Her mare Ella (who came to be her horse in a heart wrenching way) just gave birth to a filly that is a bit too early. Shes on the way to the vets, hopefully there will be a good update soon.

In the weather worries its back to being -25 with windchill and after the 30 cm of snow we received on Saturday/Sunday I'm staying home for the night! Lucas and the other ponies got out for a run most of the day (the turnouts are sheltered from the wind by the barn and they all have blankets and free choice hay). And by now are in there warm stalls with warm buckets of water. Its days like this I'm happy that I don't have my horse at home trying to warm a barn all by himself! We managed the drive into the city today but there were several accidents and the highway to the city was briefly shut down due to a transport truck accident.

We started our own breeding season her on the weekend. Tanker got breed to the stud in the barn (the stud is by Radical Hour), and in two weeks we are expecting the first Appaloosa baby to be born at C and D's place. (by The Secret Pardon). 2 weeks after that will be the second colt by C and D's stud (the Radical hour stud), the first was Chilly. I'm really looking foreword to the Appaloosa baby, an almost grand-pony for me. I was working at the breeders farm when we bred this mares dam, and was present when the mare was bred to The Secret Pardon.

I also cant wait for my friends mare to foal, I and the "Aunts" (the owners of this mares dam, and her breeders) have a party planed for the 'grand-pony' and have already bought presents for her/him! This mare was one of the first that I started that went on to have excellent AQHA career and her breeders have been my very good friends since the moment that I've met them. (They are Lucas' adoptive aunts as well!) So fingers crossed that ever thing goes well.

What if....

I never got sick...



Most days I just deal with it. It sucks, it really does but I try not to dwell on it. I hate taking pills, having my blood taken, and having IV's every 4 weeks.


But most of all I hate the fact that it took away my dreams.


Lucas and I had a mixed ride last night, I thought we would just go out do a little long trotting then work on some backing obstacles. All was going good until Lucas tripped while trotting. It was bad, here we were trotting along and then there was no horse in front of me. Thankfully we were falling toward the inside of the ring and Lucas struggled but he managed to keep me on and get to his feet without either one of us getting really hurt. It was the same type of accident that hurt D so badly last spring, and it scared the shit out of me and Lucas. It took us both a couple of minutes to get our heart rate down and figure out that neither one of us was seriously hurt. I got twisted and banged around really well so my backs a bit sore, and pulled something in my right leg trying to hold on (he fell to the left). Lucas' front legs were covered in dirt and he managed to rip his bell boot, but both C and D had a look at him this AM and although they put more liniment on him they think he'll be fine by the weekend.

I knew that we needed to move on so after we caught our breath, I trotted him around another 2 times but we were both just doing it to do it. We were cautious but I'm glad that I didn't just get off him after the trip.

And then the best part. I had set up 3 poles in the center of the ring set up so you could trot up the center line (the long way) and trot over them. Then about 4 feet to the side of that I placed a pole. Kind of like below:

__ |
__ |
__ |

So we played around with the poles for a bit practiced walking around them and then over them.

And then we just "clicked"

I could ask him for each and every step as we walked over and though the poles, I could ask for each foot separately and tell him where to place it, and he listened and tried so hard. I could think about walking between poles one and two, then doing a very tight turn then walking between two and three which is a very tight turn but he bent and flexed and waited for me. Its funny but didn't cry when I almost fell of, but I did cry when I realized how hard he was trying and how well we were finally communicating together.

And this is where we come back to the point of this post.... What if I wasn't sick? How many of these moments have I missed out on because I was so sick, and tired I just couldn't put the time in to get to this point.

What could I have been doing/training if I hadn't had to give up my dream of riding for a living?

I know this is the path I was meant to follow, and that Lucas and I came together for a reason, but I always wonder, what if?

Wind turbines

A picture of my drive home today, some of the new wind turbines that are going up just outside of my home town. These are the biggest in North America to this point and are going to have to withstand some of the worst winds anywhere. And they are HUGE. One of the blades is 2 transport truck lengths.

I'm sorry I'm not able to post this better, but this is a video about a local equestrian who is battling a brain injury caused by a fall from a horse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngHiPa3gdvA

Great ride last night

Had a great ride last night, after lunging him I got on and did some 10 meter circles around the ring getting us both bending. We moved right into the rising trot after that, doing about 3 loops in each direction before changing across the diagonal.

We did do some cantering, the first time in a while, which was rough, but I was so happy with his trotting and bending I let it slide a bit. He was a bit weak in his stifles when he came home and was swapping leads behind on the lunge line. I've been working on strengthening him and doing some stretches before we work and its paying off, but I think hes still a bit weak and its showing under saddle. I guess that's what you get when you don't have your horse working from behind all the time...

I had a square set up in the middle of the ring and it was set up so he could take 2 trot strides in between each set of poles. So we had fun trotting though them, walking though them, doing figure eights, and trotting/walking into them turning and going out again. The trail obstacle work is keeping our brains busy longer than just doing the flat work that we normally do.

New phone means some test pictures.

Lucas and Max having a nice moment right before they started playing halter tag.

Max looking cute:



And Lucas looking cute too!

So my Motorola Milestone died a very painful death that even tech support couldn't fix. It was so bad my computer refused to acknowledge that it even existed (I have a program to fix/update my phone on my computer). So thankfully my birthday is tomorrow and my wonderful parents bought me a new iphone for my birthday!

Im still getting to know the buttons and tools but it seams really easy to use and the photo quality is great.

I was kinda planing on riding today but it was -15 and it was just too cold to get my ass in the saddle. Lucas' old mom is coming out tomorrow so he's getting a hair cut in the morning and she's going to ride (or so the plan is).

My show halter has lost a couple of its red stones and I was given some jewelery quality clear ones today so we are going to try and replace them with the clear ones tonight. If it works in the area where the missing stone is I'll just replace them all, I personally didn't really like the red stones!

Quiet rides, upcoming visits!

Had a very quiet ride with Lucas tonight, after about 2 trips around he started anticipating the cue to trot (and he was getting worried about it and getting 'stuck'). Anyways so we just started working on walk/halt/turns side passing and horsemanship maneuvers.

So we walked for 1/2 hour, its kept him from anticipating anything and kept both of us happy. Its not accomplishing much but if its keeping us both happy and looking foreword to the next ride that's worth it. I don't need to be a drill Sargent every time I ride.

We finally got some snow yesterday so all of the ponies had a good run and roll today for the first time in a long time. The ground her has been frozen and other than walking around the horses weren't getting much exercise outside.

Lucas' old Mom is coming to visit on the weekend. Shes a really nice girl and shes looking foreword to getting to ride him again. So Lucas is getting a hair cut tomorrow so he looks good!

I have lots of ideas for posts floating around in my head, I'll try and type them out soon I promise!