State of Cinder

 First off, happy fifth birthday Cinder!! 

We hauled up last Sunday for our second lesson/pro-ride with potential new trainer (who will go by Trainer M). Cinder was both better and worse for her. Better in that she was a little more relaxed at the barn and with M on her, but worse in that she tested M more and was very slightly off. M said it felt like the right hind, which has always been Cinder's weaker leg. 

Still super tense with M up, but not quite as giraffe like as the previous week

They did walk/trot/canter each way and Cinder had a bit of a hissy fit about picking up her left lead. I was slightly frustrated and embarrassed about bringing a naughty horse into the barn, but M handled it well and was very complimentary of Cinder. I ended up getting on for the last 15 minutes and while still tense for me, Cinder did relax and go around quietly. I did feel what M felt in regards to the hind right and made a plan to haul Cinder up on the following Wednesday to see M's vet. 

Cinder no want to canter on her left lead

M's barn is out of my regular vet's area, and M's vet is there almost weekly so when Cinder moves in she'll be seeing M's vet anyway. Might as well see her for this lameness. And she also does chiro and Cinder was due for an adjustment. I really, really liked M's vet. She was incredibly thorough, and we ended up doing flexions and radiographs of both hind hocks and stifles. The left hock and stifle looked great, but the right hock has a small area of concern. We decided to do a round of Adequan and if that doesn't help, we'll discuss injections. Thankfully its mild, and we caught it early, so hopefully the Adequan does the trick. For now Cinder's hanging out in the pasture at home, and once we're towards the end of the Adequan series I'll start hauling back to M's for lesson or they'll have a stall open up and we'll move in.

Waving the White Flag

Since I last blogged, Cinder and I haven't done all that much. April was one of the wettest months on record, which is a good thing since we need the rain, but didn't really work well with only having an outdoor arena. As I found myself going days with out riding, I was less inclined to hop on Cinder alone. And considering I'm alone 90% of the time, I didn't ride much. Add in some brutal work stress, and my mental and emotional game is pretty much shit right now. 

I did do a couple of bareback walks with Peebs because sometimes you just need your best boy

I've decided that for my mental health, I need Cinder in a program. I need to know she's getting worked regularly, so I'm less fearful of getting on her alone. I'd like a trainer to get on her first at a show if she's worked up. I need regularly scheduled lessons to hold me accountable. I also really miss having a barn family and the social aspect of a bigger barn/program. 

I also recommend taking your horse's b-day pics early for a quick pick-me-up

 

So, I'm on the hunt for a new trainer and barn for Cinder. Peebs will stay at our current barn since he's currently retired and it's a great retirement facility. As much as I love Trainer A and all that she's done for Cinder and myself, she's an eventer and I'm a hunter. I want a h/j trainer and program that goes to the shows I want to do. I've talked with A and she understands, and I did say that if whatever program I try doesn't work out, I'll go back to her because she's my safe space. 

I failed at getting media so enjoy this one blurry pic

I've been in this area long enough to know what barns/trainers I'd want to/be able to afford to ride with. After talking with her a bit, I scheduled a haul-in trainer ride with my top choice trainer. She's a little over an hour away (boo), but is very nice, has a good group of students (both ammys and kids), and her philosophy seems like it meshes with mine. Cinder was pretty wound up, and wasn't so sure about potential new trainer on her back (only the third person to ever ride her, so fair) but I really liked how potential new trainer handled her. We go back this Sunday for another lesson with her. She doesn't have an open stall till June, which is both good and bad. My anxiety wants Cinder in a program ASAP, but this gives me time to work with PNT without fully committing to her program and completely changing both my and Cinder's lives.