Training question

[Rushtawin]

Lately my trainer or I have been working with my mare twice a week (it's finals/final projects time) - mostly just lounging and free lounging... but I have a month long break coming up and physically won't have transportation to work with her more than like, once a week.... so what should I be focusing on for those once a week sessions? Continue with the lunging and whatnot since I can't ride quite yet until I do the physical therapy for my ankles?

She turns four on April 30th and she's confident under english and western saddle, I'm hoping to point her towards dressage/jumping if everything holds up and if her growth plates close up... last time I turned her out in the arena, she galloped about and randomly jumped and aimed both her back feet at kicking the air, her rear hooves were at least 8' in the air (which amused me)

[ratherrapid]

if ur only going to train once a week, be gentle! you won't get much done, but, it's better than nothing. trust you are arranging to have your mare turned out every day. they deserve that.

[Rushtawin]

We mainly do W/T/C on the loungeline and off it, and she's on turnout from early morning until late evening. She's not a horse who does well cooped up in a stall.

[ratherrapid]

she'll be a little stronger then. good luck!

[ratherrapid]

she'll be a little stronger then. good luck!

[Rushtawin]

Everything's been so productive lately. Today and yesterday I was able to get to see my horse - groomed her, lunged her, tacked her up, walked her around, untacked her, cooled her down, and then groomed again. She's amazing free lunging, whereas lunging on a loungeline she's great until she's sent towards my right, then she majorly tries to challenge going in that direction.

We're taking everything slow and easy, she's excelled at whatever trivial tasks we work on for the day - today I figured it'd be fun to pick a random distance and halt her after it, alternating the distances and stopping places each time, and she's always stopped within two strides of me asking her to with a gentle weight shift and light touch on the reins. However, she still seems to be a bit off in her RF fetlock, mid January the lameness specialist vet and my favorite farrier are going to show up at the barn so we can figure out if it's just her old injury acting up, or what.

I plan on having a full lameness exam done and hopefully can still keep her barefoot like they'd said I could. My trainer tends to go to the barn on the days I'm not there, so she was excercised on Friday and then on Monday, and then also Tuesday night , as I was there Tuesday night and Wednesday evening. Under saddle, she bobbed her head towards the right and crosses her front and hind legs at the walk even when walking in her favored direction, to the left, on Tuesday, and I felt she was crooked, but today, she wasn't walking funny and seemed fine. So confusing.

I almost wonder if she bruised her foot or if she's working on a front absess, but I can't see anything when I looked and she didn't seem sore with me putting pressure on her sole or hoof walls. And she doesn't show ANY lameness at all while being lunged and I watch her like a hawk before letting her go to a faster gait. The arena is soft dirt, not too deep, but ideal for riding. It's not frozen, so I doubt concussive forces are affecting her soundness.

Occasionally her LH stifle and hock seem stiff, almost wondering if she's favoring the RF while she's turned out or in her stall when I'm not around to watch her. The farrier and the vet I talked to both said so far that she's fine for lunging and light riding to keep her moving. It just puzzles me that she's not consistantly showing signs one way or another, and she's not showing any signs of swelling or heat and her digital pulses on all four lower legs seem even.

[skeenan]

This is just a thought... I'm thinking that if she isn't very supple to the right and if your trainer does a good amount of work in that direction, that she could be more sore on that side. Or basically, not symmetrical in her muscle tone...

If she is very one-sided, it could make her seem off if she's not showing signs of lameness... just a guess, I could be wrong. But if she were my mare, that's what I'd be looking into... the way you say she feels "crooked" and not tracking straight...

Free-longing and loose longing is fine, but doesn't do a lot to start developing the muscles of a horse's topline to support riding them in a frame (getting a horse underneath themselves, balanced & using their hind end). If you're going to spend a lot of longe time on your break, maybe you could consider longing her in tack with side reins. I feel it's much more productive work to do on a longe line. Not too severe an angle at first (and she needs to get used to the constraint) and only about 15 minute sessions at the most—it really works the back muscles and your mare is also young. Long-lining is also effective ground work, as you are also working them using the bit. It's helpful to start teaching them to flex at the poll and to relax & give in to bit pressure (which will be apparent when she drops her head and relaxes). To me, it's the best kind of work you can do not being in the saddle.

Just my opinion, FWIW...

[Rushtawin]

You know, I should mentally kick myself for not thinking of that. Actually, from May until the end of September, she was in side reins while tacked prior to being ridden. And it did wonders for her topline. And she adjusted well to it, loose at first, and then gradually tightened. Today and yesterday, she had fun while being lunged - stretching her nose to the ground as she was going around the arena... it looks comically dainty and I was happy because that'll help her dressage frame (said the trainer) with the downward stretching.

[ratherrapid]

if u have a mystery lameness as u describe, might consider focusing on the hoof first to save money. there appears to be nothing this horse is doing that would cause lameness other than rider on her back without shoes. if she is a thoroughbred that could be her problem. possible abscess also, as u said. there are of course many possibilities. let us know. im guessing hoof bruise from your post.

[kezeli]

Im' going with sore topline muscles also. It makes sences if she goes "off" intermitently, especialy if she hasn't learned to use her body much yet. OTTB's are usually stiff, no flex/bend in the body at all, nobody cares if they bend in a race.

[wilf]

Hey Rush, at the risk of seeming planktonik, I will finally chip in to this conversation as I have the greatest respect for your disciplines. As a t-bred racing trainer I do not concern myself with much more than getting along with the owner/jockey/groom/blacksmith/weatherman/racing secretary. Its a tough mostly unrewarding existence,especially for someone who loves horses and racing. The problem is that you have not given us the history of said horse as it seems that you are diligently working to overcome a myriad of problems. Perhaps the horse would do well with a spell at grass? Let me know how you fare, best wishes!

[freshman]

Sounds like you'll have some answers after her scheduled lameness exam. But your mention of her crossing her hind legs at a walk and trot makes me wonder if, barring any lameness that that isn't exacerbated by flex tests or blocked out with regional limb anesthesia--both standard in lameness exams--she may have a subtle neurologic problem. Perhaps residual of an infectious disease, wnv, epm, etc, or a cervical/spinal lesion.

Hopefully this is not the case and the vet will find a minor, managable lameness problem to account for these things you've seen. But maybe something to keep in mind if all else checks out OK. Your plan to have the vet specialist examine her sounds like a good place to start.

Keep us posted!

[Rushtawin]

Happy holidays and thanks to all for your continuous input!

The year overall has gone quite well... Dec 1st marked the one year anniversary of me adopting my horse "Babe" - in the PQ database under her reg'd name, Tyler's Run (Radio Star x Tyler's Tops). I'd adopted her from my college because of her behavioral problems - they were looking to sell her as a broodmare prospect but she responded to me (to everyone's surprise, including my own) and I agreed to adopt her as is, even with the distinct possibility that she might not remain sound. She'd broken her fetlock in a round pen accident and had healed prior to me meeting her.

The first thing I did was to schedule her next farrier appointment and get the vet out to microchip her, as she lacks a brand, as she never made it to the track because of the injury. My farrier detected ossification in her fetlock, but had seen her in the arena before his exam, and remarked she had the speed and strength that she should have made it to the track. He detected bruising on her soles, as hers are thin and she's flatfooted. He then slowly began to correct her hoof angles. The vet remarked she should be fine for starting groundwork and learning how to go under saddle, but that there wasn't any way to guarantee anything.

And thus, because I was having issues with dizzy spells and a lack of transportation, I hired the boarding barn's western trainer from mid January until mid February to start her under saddle once her groundwork progressed adequately. I asked that he only use his seat and leg to direct her, and he honored my wishes and started her under saddle with a halter and leadrope and his trusty saddle. Even when she got moved into a bridle, she was ridden on a completely loose rein. We were also careful not to let her blow up in response to being tacked up and to take it at a slow pace - mostly to protect her legs (her growth plates aren't closed) and to protect her as she's the type of horse who would work herself into the ground if we weren't there to limit it. I was the 2nd one on her back on Feb 15th. She was at that facility from Dec 1st until Feb 16th, when I switched to a training barn 3 miles away which concentrated on training and competition for dressage & combined training.

There, I was the 2nd person on her back, and the 1st one on her back in an english saddle. I'd already taught her how to lead without a chain and not to spook into people or bolt when grazing or being led outside the barn. I'd gotten her over being barn sour and she was able to learn more confidence. For the first few months, I just lounged her to keep her muscles toned and of course, every time I was there, I groomed her extensively (as per normal) to help speed up her acceptance of having her legs handled. I'd taught her to crosstie prior to getting her, and over time, she had no reservations about letting me clean or handle her face, head, ears, belly, udder, and mare parts.

She also learned to stand for having her mane/tail groomed, being blanketed, having a whip rubbed over her, and letting me clean up any injuries she'd occured - she'd run through an electric tape fence and as the omega mare, occasionally had bite marks over the point of her hip. She thrived with being turned out with buddies, finally, as the prior facility hadn't allowed that. Starting at the 2nd barn she'd been boarded at, I introduced her to a dressage saddle and since the ground was so frozen, kept her at a walk, and taught her how to accept pressure on the bit and how to bend around my leg around turns, circles, and serpentines. Essentially we just walked around the arena, just fine tuning aids. She learned that the mirrored wall wouldn't eat her and neither would snow falling off the roof. We also worked on ground manners and stall etiquette.

In May, college let out for the summer, and I was stuck at home, an hour away. So I agreed to put her into training at her farm. From May until October, she was exercised roughly every other day by her trainer - learning to be balanced for 5 minutes at the trot and canter via lunging in side reins and ground driving. Though I never was able to see the work in progress, her top line became developed and she was in good physical shape and remained sound. She stayed there until October first, when she was moved to a location halfway between my house and my college (I live on campus except over parts of summer and winter break).

There, my trainer exercises on the days I can't make it up there. We resumed her under saddle work when her groundwork again got her to the point where her muscles seem developed enough to carry tack & a rider. Due to a mystery episode of her acting lethargic and having heat and swelling in her RF fetlock and acting stiff LH hock & stifle, I called the vet out on an emergency call at the beginning of November (I think it was the beginning of November). We did a whole panel of bloodwork which came back normal, and so did her Lyme titers. The vet essentially couldn't figure out what was wrong, and advised me to wait and watch.

So time passed and she regained soundness and her energy levels returned. She maintained her body condition and once again, we picked up gentle groundwork via lounging, watching her like a hawk for any signs of lameness. The routine goes like this: take her out of her stall or paddock, walk her into the arena, tie her, and pick out her feet. Then she gets curried and brushed and examined for any heat or swelling or abnormal behavior.

Afterwards, she usually is free lunged (but sometimes I put her on the line) to help her warm up and so that I can inspect her gaits at the W/T/C before tacking her up and checking her legs/feet again. Then she is free lunged with the equipment on to make sure that hasn't caused any lameness. Afterwards, I'll get on her and walk her around, mixing up the direction or pattern to keep her interest. I make sure that my dressage trainer is there to make sure I'm not causing her to go crooked, and she was there the day the horse began crossing her legs so oddly. She's been on her back before too and hadn't noticed a problem until that day.

We've been watching her and being really careful not to push her or trigger a random lameness episode. I called the vet and farrier - so we have tentative dates set up for them to come out and evaluate her. Her tack fits correctly, though it's hard to keep borrowing saddles since she's growing like a weed. She outgrew her 5" french link snaffle bit too. I know horses don't always totally stop growing heightwise until they're 6, but she definately surprised us because she's definately shooting upward. She's on 2# of Strategy feed, free choice hay, and supplemented with Accel vitamins/minerals. She has a LikIt and a JollyBall to entertain herself while stalled, and usually has access to a small outdoor area or is turned out, usually with a buddy.

We've been excercising her lightly 3-5x a week, depending on the weather and our schedules. I've been careful not to overdue her training and to be very careful to make sure her training progresses correctly. She was lunged in side reins at barn #2, and chances are that we'll return to side reins in the not so distant future. She's made a ton of progress with her manners and training, she has a great work ethic and reacts positively to us. My trainer and others at various barns think she can probably make it to 2nd level dressage, and we're crossing our fingers that she's sound over fences, because she had ideal form the time she randomly jumped the mounting block and definately excels in aerial maneuvers when allowed to kick up her heels in the arena (without a rider, of course).

She's learning about ground poles during her most recent lunging sessions, I'm hoping she stays sound enough to jump once her growth plates close. I'd be happy with her whatever she ends up doing, and I'm not going to push her and the vets have okayed lounging and riding so far. She did fine on her flexion tests and unfortunately, they haven't shown up on days she's off. For awhile, I had her out on the grass, just being a horse, but she just was unhappy and antsy without a job to do. Which is why over summer she'd been put back into training.

So I guess my next step is reverting to my favorite farrier (now that this barn lets us use our own farriers, where the second one didn't like that so much) and having the lameness specialist come in. It might be a hoof bruise or maybe she just needs front shoes. She could have sore or unbalanced muscles or perhaps a residual neurologic issue - I really don't know. I'm just trying to figure out what it could be and let the vet/farrier rule them out, one by one. But lately she hasn't acted sore or had any other odd symptoms except the leg crossing since that lameness/lethargy episode over a month ago.

It's been a long, but productive year. Aside from random groundwork sessions to keep her mind occupied when I can't make it to the barn, she's completely being trained once again by me, now that my ankles hold up to lunging her and gentle riding - and now that I'd recovered from panic attacks following my March 10th fall (not from my horse) and subsequent back/neck injuries. Ironically, it was Babe whose back I was on in between lessons and the only horse I hadn't panicked on after that whole incident - and it took me 4 lessons on 3 other horses I knew well to get over my panic on other horses.

Thanks for bearing with me on her background/year's recap and I hope everyone's foaling and holiday seasons go well