Happy Anniversary!

It has been exactly one year since I brought Cupid home.  It has been an interesting year with a lot of highs and a few lows, but I couldn't imagine not having Cupid in my life.

He is still recuperating from his injury.  Luckily it doesn't look like he damaged any of the tendons or ligaments, and it's not in the joint.  He is sensitive to the touch but is not lame on it.  He is getting a little antsy being cooped up in a stall all day and gets a little rambunctious when I bring him out to graze.  But he is pretty good about letting me clean and bandage it.  The vet said it would be about another week before the injury granulates, then we have to see how much scar tissue is developing and might have to clean that out.  Assuming no complications, it will be about 6-8 weeks to recovery.

Injured.... again!

Cupid had been a little on/off since what we thought was the abscess last month and definitely off the last few days, so I thought I'd set up a vet appointment just to make sure there isn't anything serious going on.  The day of the appointment I come out to find him with a huge gash below his knee and his leg swollen up huge.  :(  Poor baby.  Thankfully the vet was already there.  She said it was a puncture wound and we cleaned it up and got antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.  Cupid will be recuperating in a stall for a few days. 

Mental Game

People who don't ride sometimes ask if riding is really a sport, doesn't the "horse do all the work"??  My answer to that is an emphatic no.  Sure you can just be a passenger and not do anything, but proper riding requires a lot from the the rider.  For me there is a big difference between my lessons and when I'm riding alone.  Even though I try, I don't have the same focus alone and get a little lazy.  When I have my lessons I can get tired and out of breath, and feel sore the next day.

As much as riding is a physical sport, it is definitely also a mental one.  The partnership between horse and rider I think is pretty unique among sports, even though working well with your teammates is essential in a lot of different sports.  Horses easily pick up on our moods and emotions, and if we are worried then they think there is something they should be worried about too.  Horses need their riders to be present and confident.  But sometimes when we mess up the horse is there to bail us out!  Even though Cupid is young and green he is a great partner, and we're really learning how to work together. 

Usually riding helps me clear my head and not think about the stresses in my life, but every so often it can be too much.  I had such a lesson last week.  I lost my nerve a bit, even though we were jumping a grid we've done before and Cupid was behaving perfectly.  Something about how the fences come up so quick irrationally terrified me.  My trainer noticed and asked me what was going on, then we backed off a little.  I felt like I let Cupid down that day by not riding with the focus and confidence that he deserves.

Since that was a bit long and maybe more serious than most of my blog, here is something to lighten things up.  Cupid's pasturemate is showing that the grass is indeed greener on the other side of the fence!

Luckily our next ride was much better.  Even though I was a little worried, I was able to focus much better.  Also we had another horse and rider in the lesson and I think that somehow helped me relax a little.  We started out with a single little crossrail which gradually was raised into a 2'6" vertical, no problem!  Then we did the grid and it was much less intimidating this time.  Even

Our last lesson we did a little poles course - great practice for navigating around a course without the stress of actually jumping.  We went through it at a trot once, then cantered the entire course.  Up to now we generally just canter on a circle and with the exception of the serpentine exercise a few weeks ago Cupid has never cantered around the arena changing directions.  But he was very relaxed, came down to a trot easily and picked up the correct lead each time I asked!!  I was very proud of him.  The exercise was also good practice for me as I kind of forgot where I was going once, I need to work on memorizing my courses!

Cold, damp May

Cupid and I have been taking it a bit easier in the past few weeks because though he got mostly better he didn't feel totally right.  First it was the hoof, then I think he may have slipped in the pasture because he had some scrapes on one side and seemed a little sore.  So he's just been in light work, no jumping and didn't even canter for a few weeks.  We've been working on getting him used to riding with more contact.  He doesn't like it, it makes him pretty fussy.  And I don't help matters any because my hands tend to be pretty open so I let him pull the reins.  Lunging him in the side reins helps, he's gotten pretty used to that so I just need to work on myself!

We tried on a dressage saddle.  Unfortunately it didn't quite fit him, it was a little too wide, but I thought it was comfortable.  I'm keeping an eye out and hopefully can find one second hand that fits us both.

May has been very cold and damp.  Cupid is near the coast, and it's only 15 minutes from my house but it often quite a bit colder and wetter.  Here he is looking like a camel while I keep him and my saddle dry before our lesson, and with a banana slug!

Feeling Better?

Cupid seemed fine this morning.  In fact he was feeling very frisky.  I walked him a couple laps around the barn, then let him into an empty paddock and after investigating it for a few minutes he wanted to play!

His regular vet needed to give him a vaccine anyways, so took a look and said Cupid looked sound.  No elevated pulse, no sensitivity to hoof testers, nothing.  I don't know whether to feel relieved or apprehensive...

Foot Bruise... more time off

I came back from my conference Tuesday night.  Wednesday morning Cupid and I had a lesson.  I could definitely tell that I hadn't been riding!  Cupid got off a little easy in the first part of the lesson as we focused on my equitation.  I still have the same problems of tilting forward, arms too straights, hands too open, legs too far back.  Then we worked on canter serpentines with simple lead changes, something new for us.  The first time Cupid got all the leads correct, but I need to plan ahead a little better so we change before the turn.  We did it again the same direction (starting on left lead) and I rode it a little better the second time.  Without me realizing, on one loop Cupid changed leads on the front but not the hind.  I think once we do something then he kind of figures it out.  Which is good and bad, because sometimes he tries to anticipate what I'm going to ask before I do.  Sometimes I actually want something else, but he gave me the other thing so nicely I let him get away with it!  Or he does a really super canter transition but I didn't ask him for it, our trainer has caught on and tells me I need to make him trot and wait until I ask.  Then we changed directions and Cupid did not get all his right leads.  Usually on account of me not sitting back or letting him rush into it when he's not properly balanced.  It was a really good exercise!

Then on Thursday we had another lesson scheduled.  We started with some warm up exercises for me including toe touches, swinging my legs (oww on my hips!), and lifting my legs off the saddle (also oww, but got a little better eventually).  I tried a little trotting without stirrups and Cupid kept going to a walk.  I thought he just didn't like my on his back/not posting.  But then we realized he is off, again.  :( He seemed a little sensitive and warm on his right front pastern.

The trainer's vet was coming out later this morning and was able to take a look at Cupid.  She said it looked like a foot bruise, maybe an abscess.  So Cupid's right front foot is wrapped with poultice and he is going to be in a stall a few days.  Hopefully that's all it is, and clear relatively quickly.

Time Off

Cupid and I diligently did lot of lunging while our trainer was gone.  We also worked on our circles, riding through the corners, soft canter transitions, and yielding the haunches.  We were to have our first lesson back yesterday, but as I was walking Cupid to the arena I thought he looked stiff.  It was a cold drizzly morning so I thought he would work out of it.  He seemed okay at the walk, but as soon as I asked him to trot he was head bobbing lame.  So, end of lesson.  Nothing too obvious, his right front knee felt a little warm so I cold hosed it (and the other knee and his shoulders as well just in case.)  I went back in the evening and he was already walking much better.  I'm sure he was actually hurting, but I think he may be the type of horse that does overreact a little.  Which is both good and bad!  I will be gone at a conference so he was going to get a few days off anyhow, though if he looks okay I may give him a light right tomorrow before I go.

When I first got Cupid he was not very interested in grass, or just too well mannered to try while he was being led.  Now he doesn't let anything stop him!  He will go up or down steep hillsides, through brambles, over branches and logs, or anything else in his path!  Sometimes I think he may be part goat.  He also loves to eat moss off trees, and I'm pretty sure he was eating part of a rose bush.