Sore backs and new tack

I've started this post a few times this week because in a word, this week a has been HELL. I worked 3 freelance jobs between Thursday and Sunday, adding 20+ hours on to my already insanely busy schedule and regular work time. I had two big meetings this week and I have another freelance job tonight after work. I'm not saying the extra money isn't nice (and needed) but I am worn out. On top of all that I have had literally the worst week at work in 8 years. The dust is starting to settle, thankfully.



I made it out on Monday afternoon to see Riley and I was pretty excited to ride after being so busy! My friend E rode him on Tuesday and Friday and he was very good for her! Friday she rode him in draw reins and she said he figured out what she was asking very quickly relaxing and lifting his back. YAY! It's pretty great having a former advanced rider sit on him when I can't! Before we rode we took a little excursion to Bartville Harness Shop. It's 8 miles from our barn and omgIwanttospendallmymoneythere. They make all of the Nunn Finer bridles for Bit of Britain (and some other stuff too) and it's wicked cheap (comparatively). It's a really neat place in the middle of Amish country and it's even lit with gas power lights! I was totally overwhelmed when we first arrived. Literally, rows and rows of beautiful handmade leather goods at great prices. They have a nice selection of used things too. I kept it together and tried to stick to my list... I wound up with; a figure 8 bridle (beautiful padded leather), a set of sure grip rubber reins (fancy and so nice), a BEAUTIFUL padded leather breastplate, a yoke attachment for over the neck on the BP, brushes, a pulling comb, buckets, a whip, a collar for Hugo, and some leather conditioner. Phew, all for $300. So awesome. The bridle alone costs close to that on BofB. We got away from the shop as quickly as possible in fear of spending any more money and I grabbed my pony. He is in bad need of getting his feet done, the clinches on his shoes are starting to pop and his back feet have little chips -- the spring grass has his feet growing like weeds! But they looked okay enough to ride (and we have nice footing). As I was grooming him and still shedding out the massive piles of fur around his back, I noticed him wiggling a lot more than usual in the cross ties. He's not the quietest horse in the cross ties, but he's not naughty either, so I was a little puzzled. I grabbed a softer curry comb and when I got to his back again he threw himself backwards and started snorting. Upon further examination it was clear that his back was VERY sore. He was extremely nervous about me touching it -- and there were sort of oval shaped puffy spots on either side of his spine). We pulled out every saddle in the tack room and tried them all on him to see if there was a glaring reason for the soreness. We put the Pessoa on that I've been borrowing and he snorted and protested. It fit horribly. I did notice a change in his demeanor the first time I threw a leg over him in that saddle, but he's so out of shape that I expect some soreness as he builds muscle. E's been riding him in her dressage saddle, which after playing musical saddles, we discovered was the only one that fit him (and I would say it fit him 80%). I also noticed dry spots on the pad from our long hack a week or so ago that would explain the location of the puffy, sore spots. I felt pretty bad for him but I wanted him to work because I know that part of his issue is simply a lack of muscle. He can build up some muscle without me on his back and right now I'm fine with that. There's no sense in riding him in a saddle that really doesn't fit and I'll just start looking around for something in the meantime. I realize his back is going to change quite a bit over the next few years and I'd love to hear your suggestions of a good all-round saddle to get us through for now! I'm looking for something wool-flocked with possibly an adjustable gullet system so I can change things up a little. And I don't mind spending some money on pads to make him as comfortable as possible.

Seriously? Adorable.

Anyway, I decided that he SHOULD work, so we threw on his new bridle (omg, so cute) and a surcingle, grabbed the neck stretcher and headed down the arena. It was freshly dragged and someone had made a dressage arena out of ground poles , so we had loads of room (and E could ride her boy at the other end and we'd be out of each other's way). Riley warmed up on the lunge really well. We w-t-c in both directions, doing a couple of transitions on both sides. He was a little sticky about going right (his stiff side) but settled and got down to work. I grabbed the neck stretcher and sent him out going left. He fought it a little at first, but I got a big release when he dropped his head and neck and we got some lovely deep sighs out of him! I was so pleased with how much he had retained from our last lunging session. I flipped the line over and sent him right and we started to have a bit of discussion. Riley is a very clever boy, I will give him that. He really wants to get an A+ and tries hard to figure out what you're asking, but he knows damn well that I suck at cracking the lunge whip with my left hand so he abuses it. Walk/trot were fine after a little bit of chasing on my part but when I asked for a canter transition he tried every evasion technique in the book. He swung his high quarters out and raced around, he tried to bolt over to his buddy in the ring, he stopped and looked at me planting his feet, he turned around on the lunge line and went in the opposite direction (the last two evasions are so NOT okay, btw). So I made the circle smaller, reorganized myself, and started again... and we kept fighting and fighting. I literally migrated from one end of our giant arena to the other chasing him on a 10 meter circle when I realized we were both a bit cooked. It was hot, the work was hard (and worse, I was just at the point where I was about to give him lots of praise and call it a day but I wanted just one full canter circle going right to end on a good note): Here's a visual of our showdown.

Battle Redheads: This time it's personal.

I'll admit that I got a bit frustrated and we both kinda got stuck. But I have to give him credit. He was beautiful up until that point and he is just coming in to work. I need to remember to wear a watch so I can be more mindful of how much I am asking on the lunge to keep things consistent. Finally, E got off, and I gladly handed her the whip and lunge line. She had witnessed the stand off and felt like a fresh set of eyes and hands would be good (I agreed). She worked on getting him "unstuck"... simply by asking for forward, no matter what direction or at what gait. It was really nice to see her break it back down to the simplest exercise to help him chill out and get back to work. Once she got him moving his feet, she sent him back in the direction we wanted (right) and asked for several quiet transitions before calling it a day. Phew. Who knew not riding could give us both such a work out! I was really happy in the end and he's not the kind of horse that holds a grudge so we can only move forward from here. We gave him a muscle relaxer and some Bute and stuffed him full of treats before I turned him back out. He'll have a light week this week, E said she'd lunge him for me to give his back a good rest but keep his muscles working, and he's getting his feet done this week.

At this point in his training, it's all baby steps. I am taking things deliberately slow with him. I want him to have lots of little successes in his training and right now with my limited free time, this is a good plan for both of us. I'm hoping to make it out on Sunday for a little bit, and I likely just lunge him again, since we don't have our saddle issues figured out. It's good for our relationship to have solid groundwork, so all in all, I'm okay with that.

Hiding from the rain in their run-in shed, Bennet and Riley share some hay.

In other news, Riley's boyfriend is moving on to a new home today, in fact, his exercise rider purchased him back she loved him so much! They will miss each other, I'm sure of it!