Thursday Things

 We're almost three weeks in on Cinder's ulcer treatment, and it really seems to be helping. She felt and looked better after just a week, and has continued to put on weight and been great under saddle. She starts a step down dosage this weekend, so hopefully progress continues. 

Hello

We've made a bit change since coming back from Canada. For the most part she went fine in the French link and the Dr. Bristol, but we never quite got that nice hunter frame that she had years ago in the mullen mouth. The only reason we switched out of the mullen mouth was that she could get a bit heavy in it, and had no brakes when she got wound up. I suggested that maybe we should try a mullen mouth pelham. Trainer M was bit skeptical (I do like that most horses in her program go in French links, but she can be wary of trying different bits) but Assistant Trainer I agreed with me. Cinder was very taken aback by the pelham for the first few rides, but has learned to accept it. She's so much lighter in it, and I can find that hack winning trot in her, and don't have to fight to get it. I also bought the same bit in a d-ring, so our plan is flat her in the D and jump/show her in the pelham. 

The barn held a little show for the lesson kids, complete with scary Halloween decorations and Cinder didn't give a single shit. 

Peebs continues to be the bestest old man. I took him out to the arena last week to play around and part of me really wants to ride him again, but he deserves his retirement and I absolutely do not have time for two riding horses. 

Cinder and I jumped our first 3' fence together in our lesson last week and it felt awesome. It was the second fence of a one stride, so I didn't feel too intimidated coming up to. Cinder actually jumped it much better than the smaller fences we had warmed up over. She was like "Bitch finally pointed me at something worth my effort."

Post Season Slump

 With summer show season over, and Oregon hitting our hottest part of the year in late August-mid September, we had a bit of a summer slump. While at Tbird Cinder lost some weight, but Trainer M was on it and we upped her feed at the show and at home. She did gain some of the weight back, but then we had a week or so of ungodly (for Oregon, I know it was nothing compared to the east coast) hot and humid weather and she dropped weight again. She's always been a horse who doesn't handle the heat very well, so I wasn't too worried about it. 

I rode one of the lesson horses on a hot and humid day to give Cin a break and almost fell off laughing at how different 15hand grade pinto Delta is from Cinder. I did have a lot of fun though.

But Cinder never seemed to put the weight back on, and started looking a bit too thin, even when the weather sorted itself out and fall started to make it's appearance. She did have a minor gas colic three weeks ago when we had a string of a few days with lows in the high 40s/low 50s and daytime highs in the high 80s/low 90s. While Doc was at the barn treating her, we were talking about Cin's weight and general body condition. I told Doc I didn't want to be that person, but I was suspecting she had ulcers. With how wound up she was at Tbird, the weight loss and poor condition, and how she seemed to be struggling a bit after we got back made me suspicious. Doc agreed with me and we scheduled Cin for a scope. 

We did have one fabulous lesson mixed in there where we jumped the triple

And what do you know, we have ulcers! There were grade 3 and 4 gastric ulcers and suspected pyloric ulcers, but we weren't able to get a good look at them because Cinder still had some water in her stomach. We're starting with omeprazole, and might add some sulcralfate in at the end of the omeprazole treatment. 

I dogsat for my parents last month and their new dog Rosie was absolutely enchanted by the horses. Peebs was a Very Good Boy about her yipping and squealing as she tried to get near him

Cinder started her treatment over the weekend and I got a report that she was lovely for her trainer ride yesterday. Finger's crossed we continue on an upward trend and can get these ulcers under control before we hit the depths of winter and cold weather Cinder makes her appearance.