Womp Womp

 Well, we didn't make it to the show this past weekend. Or at least Cinder didn't make it to the show, I went and helped out on Saturday. Which really wasn't the worst thing ever, considering it was 92 on Saturday and 95 on Sunday. 

When she cast herself a few months ago she ended up with that lovely split

Cinder got into something, or scraped the shit out of herself, and it blew up. She had scrapes, skin sloughing off, and swelling all down her left front. 

It kinda looked like when she had the reaction to the Voltaren back in February, and a couple nights before the leg blew up she was dewormed. I'm thinking she might have rubbed some of the dewormer on her leg, and had a reaction to it. Neither I nor Trainer A have heard of something like this happening, but both of us believe that if it could happen, it would happen to Cinder. The vet's coming out today for a few other horses and A's going to ask her about it. 

The good thing is that Cinder was sound on the leg, it just looked horrible. She got cold hosed, I scrubbed it with chlorohex, slathered it in the antibiotic and steroid cream the vet gave us, and wrapped her. I did make the mistake of giving her the molasses flavored bute in her grain instead of her preferred citrus flavor and she declined eating both dinner grain on Saturday and breakfast grain on Sunday. So Sunday morning when I went to check on her I had to remake her breakfast and hand feed her like the diva she is. 

Nope, not spoiled at all 

Trainer A said other than some scabbing, the leg looked normal yesterday and she's going to ride her today to see how she does. Today is Cinder's 6th birthday, so apparently she wanted her birthday weekend off, complete with spa treatments. 

Foto Friday: Chugging Along

Not much exciting has happened since the eventing derby three weeks ago, we've just been chugging along working on the basics.  We are headed off to our second hunter show of the season this weekend and hoping to make our hunter derby debut.  And, I've renewed my USEF membership and upgraded my USHJA membership from an outreach membership to a full membership, and signed Cinder up for a lifetime registration, for the first time since 2009 in hopes of making our rated show debut in August. So I guess you could say things are getting serious. 

We did attempt a trail ride after the derby but Cinder decided to not cross the bride she's crossed many times before. After spending an hour trying to get her over it, she finally put one hoof on the bride and we called it a success. She got called many bad names on the walk of shame back to the barn.

I was going to do attempt a solo trail ride a couple of weeks ago, but on our way out the BOs started up the chainsaw to clear part of the trail, so we turned around. No need to tempt fate with a chainsaw.

I felt sad about not finding a tack shop while in Europe, so when SmartPak was having their sale Cinder ended up with the flower power fly sheet and fly mask. She has successfully removed the fly mask a couple of times in the pasture, so she's got a different one on but I still love this fly sheet. We had two nice days in the 70s when she wasn't wearing a fly sheet and she got a little sweet itchy on her belly, so she'll be living in a fly sheet till it's time to switch back to winter blankies.

I did hop on Peebs one evening. He hasn't been sat on since October, and it's almost two years since his first suspensory injury. He was 100% sure that since he's retired he doesn't have to put up with my bullshit, but was good boy and wandered around the arena for 10mins while I watched a thunderstorm roll in. He felt very wide, hollow backed, and very short compared to Cinder.  He's happy living his best feral horse life, living out in the pasture 24/7. He was also thoroughly offended about having to get a bath and wear a fly mask. 

Aspen Farms Eventing Derby April 2023

 So, when your trainer mentions doing an eventing derby (xc and stadium fences in an arena) the week after you get back from a two week vacation, you obviously say yes, right? Originally I was just going to have Trainer A take Cinder, but I was feeling brave and signed myself up to show as well. I did a round at starter (18") and A did a beginner novice round. I will say thank you to show management, as the courses were set so soft that I said the starter looks tiny. 

I honestly think the crossrail was the biggest thing we jumped. All photos bought from Ashley Kemp photography. Horrible quality brought to you by blogger

Trainer A was also showing another client horse, Jazzy, and her gelding Metro. My division was going first with my ride time at 8:47 and Metro's last round at 5:30. A had four rounds on the mares between 10:40 and 12:45. We opted to take A's new-to-her 4 horse LQ trailer which was great, because I ended up taking a nap in the afternoon on the couch. 

Pretty much jumped this from a walk.

Between Cinder not wanting to load at 5am, and the 2.5hr drive, we were a little later getting to Aspen than we liked. I quickly walked my course, tacked up, and got on. Thankfully they were being lax with ride times and taking people as they were ready. Cinder was a little up in warm-up, but settled once we started jumping. The plan was to start trotting the first few fences, and see how she felt as the course went on. 

She throws her tongue out when she's unsure of something, and my mouth is open because I was talking to her the whole time.

The arena we were showing in is beautiful, with tress all around it, a large hill on one side with places for people to sit, and an ambulance parked in one corner under the trees. Cinder didn't care about the people on the hill, but the ambulance and paramedics under the trees were absolutely terrifying. Coming out of the start box she felt good, popped over fence one (little log) and then stopped and tried to turn away going to fence two when she saw the ambulance. I got her going again and we continued onto two and three (both little logs). Four was the cross rail above, and it was heading towards the ambulance. I think Cin was a little confused as to why we were trotting logs, but once she saw the cross rail it clicked that these were jumps, and she actually jumped it. She was still scared, and tried to stop on the way to five (the wood boxes) and we jumped them from the walk. 

The start of her saying "Hell no"

The original plan was to go straight after the boxes, go into the corner next to the ambulance, and then turn to fence 6. Cinder was pretty sure we were going to die if we stuck to the original plan, so we just walked between two bigger jumps and picked the trot back up once we turned away from the ambulance. I was a little worried that she was going to try and bolt going away from scary corner, but she didn't and locked onto the little vertical we had as the next fence. The last two fences we shared with the hopeful division (2'3") but they still looked small to me. They were a little coop and another log. They both ride fine and while it wasn't the round I was hoping to have, I was really happy with how I rode and handled things. I'm finally feeling confident that I can get Cin around (baby fences) if she has a melt down and I trust her enough to know she's not going to try and kill us by doing anything stupid. 

Cinder didn't really like this yellow oxer and jumped it big to show her displeasure

I hand grazed Cin while watching other rounds go, while A got Jazzy ready, and while A showed Jazzy. Then we switched and A got on Cin and I held Jazzy. A did a quick warm up with Cin (she was getting tired and thought having to go twice was bullshit) before taking her to the ring. Cinder was still convinced the ambulance was terrifying and stopped at fence 2 because she was so busy staring at the ambulance she didn't see the fence. A got her over it, but their course took them into the scary corner between fences three and four and Cinder stopped on the way to four. A got after her and Cin kept moving, but was rattled. They made it around the course, but it wasn't pretty. There was another rider ready to go after A, but then no one else had come up from warm-up so after the other rider was done, A asked the judge if she could go in and just trot around. The judge gave the ok and A went in for a schooling session. They did a big trot circle by the ambulance and Cinder was able to relax a bit and trot away calmly. 

Again, not the round we were hoping for, but a good schooling opportunity. And now we know that Cin dose not like ambulances so if future shows have them parked next to the ring, we will school the shit out of her first. Cinder also learned a lot about having to hang out at the trailer, and on the trailer, all day at show and behaved herself pretty well. I'm sure being exhausted played a role, but for the most part as long as she had hay and a friend she was quiet all afternoon while we waited for Metro to go. I entered this show as a schooling opportunity and to keep getting Cin out to things, and it was a good growth experience for both of us.  

Queen of Dings

 Charlie might be the King of Dings in blogland, but I'd like to submit Cinder for Queen of Dings. On Saturday night when trainer A was doing night checks, Cinder got cast in her stall. Cin was able to free herself, but not before she scraped up all four legs. After checking her out, A decided everything was fairly superficial, gave her some bute, and tucked her in for the night with some extra hay. 

When I came out Sunday, she was in the pasture and looked sound walking in. Her right front (the one that blew up post Voltaren) was pretty stocked up on the inside of the leg. Her chemical burn is healed, but the hair is still growing back, and Cinder whacked herself right above it Saturday night. I have a feeling this leg might be more prone to blowing up now. There was no heat in any legs, so I turned her out in the indoor to see how she looked. She was bit stiff in the canter, but sound thank goodness. I took her back into the barn, washed all the scrapes off and treated her with silver spray and the antibiotic/steroid cream the vet gave me for the chemical burn. I don't trust anything else but the steroid cream on the right front for now.

No wound pics, so have one A sent me earlier in the day Saturday. She ponied Cin while doing trot sets up the hill. 

I had a lesson scheduled Monday afternoon, and while the RF was still slightly swollen, Cin was still sound so we decided to do the lesson. We had some really nice trot work and Cinder felt great, but the canter was pretty ugly. We started going to the left and had probably our ugliest canter transition ever. A did give me props for keeping my calm and riding her through it, but it was obvious Cin was still uncomfortable. She felt stabby behind, and I brought her back to the trot after a couple of circles. We switched directions and she felt better going to the right, so A had me get up in my two point and let her go forward and stretch. Cin felt better as we kept going, so we went back to the left and while not 100%, she was definitely less stabby. 

A is riding Cinder today before she leaves for Galway Downs and I'll ride/lung on Thursday before I leave on vacation for two weeks. The massage lady is coming Saturday, so hopefully she can soothe out any lingering issues for Cin. I've told Cinder that she absolutely can not try to unalive herself in the three days that A and I are gone at the same time, and that I would really appreciate it if she doesn't do anything for the whole two weeks I'm gone. I'm not keeping my hopes up though. 

The Ides of March

 Technically my run of bad luck started in February, but hopefully we can break it now. After Cinder's Voltaren induced burn started healing and she was cleared for under saddle work, Trainer A rode her once before cruelly abandoning me going to CA for a horse trial for a week. She reported that Cin was a little spooky for the ride, but when I came out two days later Cinder was foot perfect for me. 

Would this creature ever be naughty? Yes, yes she would

When I rode two days after that, a Friday, the weather was horrible with strong winds and hail that started about 30mins into our ride. I wisely chose life and ended the ride when Cinder grew about three inches with the start of the hail. I don't blame her, it was miserable out and I've never run up the hill from the arena to the barn faster. I rode again on Sunday, and after having a little conversation about proper upward canter transitions, had a decent ride. 

On Monday I rode during my normal lesson time (Trainer A had just gotten back from CA and had cancelled lessons) and Cin was spooky as shit. She was convinced there were monsters at the far end of the arena. I kept riding her through it and actually got some nice canter work out of her, when bringing her down to the walk she spooked at nothing, dropped her shoulder, and spun me off. It was a slow fall, and I realized I was coming off as soon as I felt her shoulder drop out from underneath me. I landed on my hip and rolled to my back, hitting my head slightly. I sat up and cursed for a minute as Cinder stood five feet away looking guilty. I wasn't hurt so I got back on and walked for a few minutes to reassure both of us, and to dry the tears of frustration on my face. There's a boarder who makes a big deal of out everything who was there that day, and I absolutely did not want evidence of my fall to be apparent and for her to make a thing out of it. 

From the day she was perfect

I texted A and told her what happened and asked if she could put an extra training ride on Cin for me that week. She agreed and texted me the next day saying Cin was still pretty spooky. She had also been a little crabby while getting groomed by both me and A. We think these transition months in the spring and fall, when the weather is bipolar and she's transitioning into/out of heat are hard for her. We started her on Mare Magic and I ordered a calming supplement to see if those help. If not, we'll ask the vet what she recommends. 

Destroyed a four month old bridle that is now sold out

I was only slightly sore after my fall, but three days later on Thursday of last week, I came down with a nasty cold. I had to cancel my lessons on Friday and Monday because I could barley leave the house, let alone ride. Trainer A has been putting rides on in place of lessons, before she leaves again today for Ram Tap. And of course Cin had to be naughty. Yesterday after A rode, Cinder made a dive for the feed cart before A could untack her and stepped on her reins, breaking her bridle in two places. Then this morning A was working her before leaving, and Cinder pulled a hind shoe. FML mare. 

Not the pictures you want to get from your trainer

I guess Cin gets more time off till I can get a farrier to put her shoe back on. Trainer A will be back next Monday, I think, so hopefully we can settle back into somewhat of a normal schedule.

If You Have to be Lame, You Picked the Right Week

I normally have a Monday night lesson, but we decided to give Cinder the day off after the show. Trainer A usually rides her Tuesdays and either Wednesday or Thursdays, and I have another lesson on Fridays. The weather forecast was calling for snow and very cold temps, so we figured we would play her work schedule by ear. 

I hate winter. Where I live we really didn't get that much snow that stuck, but it did get down to 10* with the windchill

Cin had a little bit of fill in one front leg after the show, so we decided to put some Voltaren on it (from a tube I've used on her before) and throw a set of standing wraps on her. That was apparently the wrong decision, as the combo of the Voltaren and the wraps gave Cinder a chemical burn. Whoops.

It ended up getting a little bit bigger than this pic shows

It looked ugly, and the whole inside of the leg was swollen, but it didn't seem to bother her that much, and she was never actually lame. I was able to leave work early on Tuesday, swing by the vet's office to grab some antibiotic cream with steroids, and go up and doctor Cin. We left the wraps off, and kept her in with hand walking for a few days, which she would have done anyways since the snow started Wednesday night. What better time for your horse to need to be on stall rest than when the barn is covered in 4 inches of snow and ice and the pastures are closed. 

She was very skeptical

 

Trainer A told me not to come up on Friday as the road to the barn was still pretty bad. I did make it up Saturday and with A's approval gave Cinder a free lunge in the indoor. She wasn't as wild as I was expecting her to be, and A said that she had been very well behaved for her hand walks. Cin looked totally sound and since most of the snow was melted off the pastures I said I was ok with her getting turned out again on Sunday. 

Trainer A was putting some horses on the eurociser, and since Cin has never been on it and I don't know how to use it, I asked if I could throw her on as well. We put her with two geldings, and her pasture buddy Jazzy. Cinder was very confused at first, but didn't freak out like I was expecting. I guess she really is growing up. Once we switched directions, and she was behind Jazzy, she kept trying to move the chains out of the way to get to Jazzy. I'm glad she was so good for her first time on the eurociser.

MDT Winter Show February 2023

Cinder and I had our first show of the season together last weekend. One of the local show series that we've done in the past has been looking for a bigger venue to host their shows, and used Cinder's barn for their first show of the year. Unfortunately none of their other shows will be held at SF, but I'm glad this one was. 

No one ever uses the viewing room normally, but it was nice to hangout there while waiting

 This was a two day show, and Saturday we had a 2' over fences class, and the under saddle. Jumpers ran in the morning, and there were a lot more jumper entries than hunters. Cinder stayed in for the day (as I wanted to keep her clean) so when I came out to the barn I gave her extra hay and hung out in the viewing room/show office to watch the jumpers. They held classes in the indoor on Saturday, but moved outside on Sunday. 

Spoiler alert. Also, my mom watched from the viewing room and took the pic from inside, hence the glare from the glass

Cinder was a little confused about why there were so many people and new horses at her house, and the extra jumps at the end of the indoor, but after a lot of walking settled into work. We focused on getting her to put her brain to use in warm-up, and then popped over all the fences once. She felt really good and the fences looked small to me, so I was pretty confident heading into our round. There was an odd end fence that I opted to trot since it was a tight turn heading towards the gate, but otherwise the round was solid. We got the strides, got our distances, and I was really happy with us coming out. Cinder was little looky in the under saddle as some people sitting up on the bank by the barn got up halfway through but she kept it together. We ended up winning both classes. 

insert tiktok side eye audio here

Like I said early, we moved outside to show Sunday. I was supposed to do a 2' hunter round, the 2' medal class, and a 2' derby.  The jumpers had been moving pretty fast but then slowed down and I ended up getting Cinder ready too early. We did a little warm up before I hopped off and let her hang out for a bit. When I got back on she was definitely annoyed and confused. We schooled fences in the outdoor and she was tired, but good. They were having us enter with one gate, and leave by the far gate and to get back to the in gate you had to walk up to the barn, and then back down the hill. Normally when we leave from the far gate and walk up to the barn, that's where I dismount and Cinder was very confused as to why we weren't doing our usual routine.  

the show photographer was sick, so someone bribed a teen into taking pics on Sunday and she gave them to everyone for free! thanks random teen!!

She felt a little more on edge as I went in for our hunter round and got very distracted by a horse coming in from turnout. She picked up the wrong lead, got offended when I tried to bring her back to the trot to change it, and I made the executive decision to trot into the first fence. She was diving down on my hands, and then would get very offended when I went to correct her. I did end up circling in one of the lines because she was so heavy in my hand. It was definitely a schooling round, but I'm proud of myself for not getting flustered, and for being confident enough to keep schooling her. We placed second out of two for that round. 

moments of cuteness

Trainer A and I talked after the round and decided to scratch the other two classes. Cinder was obviously done with us and there was no point in pushing it. Between getting her ready to early, and everything not being our usual routine at home, I think her brain was fried. It's different going to a show and doing new things, but having new things happen in her usual environment just threw her off. And this was only her second two day show so we're still learning what works best for her. 

We did end up champion for the 2' division. I'm really happy with how I rode, and even though we struggled a bit on Sunday and had to scratch, I'm glad I could ride her through it and not let my anxiety take over. Onward towards the rest of show season!