The silence is killing me 😭
Options
Replies
-
@mgood4x4 I actually had it on my to do list to check out this thread today. Good to see you and your good news!
It's hot down here. Miserably hot. Hasn't rained in weeks and we are under extreme heat advisories from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM every day. I rode a few times at 6:00 AM, but I just can't do that and then work until 6:00 PM. Too much. So, I've been continuing to ride at 7:30, 3-4 times a week. I missed the week before last due to sickness, but I rode this past week. Still on the $20k horse. Still in the arena. There are some advantages to boarding! For example, I've been riding with some world champion hopefuls and learning a LOT by watching them ride (and listening to my trainer yell at them).
Your trail ride sounds like an adventure! How are the bugs up there? I don't see any fake dragonflies on your bridle.
We've been so dry we are at least getting a break from the mosquitoes, for a change.
I like old cars. I like to drive a vehicle right into the ground before I pay out for another, but my current ride was never meant to be my only vehicle. It's a 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder and it is NOT a workhorse!
My late husband brought it home one day to be a little fun weekend car and, well.... Life happened!
0 -
Hello group!
MIA for a while 😅 sorry for the "silence". We've been dealing with quite a bit around here. Our new windows & doors were installed earlier than expected - 3 day job completed 9/13/23 and made a HUGE improvement to our home. I then ordered custom blinds & got them installed just before my birthday. Right now we are in the middle of my "auto-waterers" project for the horses. The units arrived in the Spring, but we have had so much going on that we just finished installing the waterline to the barn. We have 1 hole ready, but still need dig to run the waterline across the barn, dig the 2nd hole, AND install a drain in the ditches for both.
Halloween is over for most everyone, but we are having our 🎃 Party 👻 this Saturday. I'll make sure to post some pics 😁
I was riding with my new friend until Monday, 9/11/23 - On our last trail ride Slate slipped going across a damp bridge 3 miles into the trail. When he fell, his left front leg went left between the metal fence guards & wood bridge, & right front leg went straight forward, but his body twisted & his hind legs went to the right. My friend tied her horse to help me, & stayed at his head to keep him laying down for the moment. He stayed still and allowed me to push his hind legs underneath him so he could roll over them and get all legs on the left to free his front leg. It was the only way he was going to be able to get up, but of course now 3 of 4 legs are through the metal slats = I was horrified, but kept my cool. Slate was scared of course, but very trusting in me to get him out of this mess. I pulled his legs from under the metal slats but he couldn't get traction on the slippery wood so they went back under the slats. My friend had a small hand saw that I used to cut down a 4" thick tree that I laid down just above his legs. I pulled his legs free again and allowed the tree to drop flat creating a solid barrier for Slate to push from... He was able to get up! Very tender but did put weight on all 4 legs, so we walked back across the bridge (very slowly-I only allowed 1 step at a time). Bleeding everywhere from both left legs, but the worst was his left hind. I always ride him with a support boot on his right hind because of the old injury so I used it and a rag from my saddle bag to cover the deepest cuts and slow the bleeding. He was a trooper! Walked all the way back to the trailer, where I rebandaged with some vetwrap my friend had in the trailer. We both loaded up and she drove us home. On the way I called the vet to meet us...
Dr. Tyler said "this is BAD!" He only gave Slate 50% chance to recover because if the bone or tendon gets infected, it will cause tissue death and he will need to be euthanized. He put stitches where he could but several wounds was missing skin all together and he wasn't sure the stitches would hold. RX: heavy antibiotics, pain injections, strict stall rest, and wound care directions, Dr. Tyler would be back to check progress on Friday. When he returned for the 2nd visit, Dr. Tyler was surprised with how much tissue grew over the bone in only 4 days, so he was pleasantly optimistic and said that Slate might actually recover if I stay diligent with his care. Dr. Tyler returned again 10/05/23 to remove the stitches, and was very pleased with the healing progress and my diligence. He said it looks so good that Slate should recover 100% (with scars). I am still cleaning, treating, & rebandaging his left hind every other day, but Slate is showing no lameness and I am riding again!
Soooo - How's everyone else?0 -
Whew! Hopefully getting back to normal (at least until Thanksgiving). I am still cleaning up my Halloween decor and there is a caldron of candy sitting in my living room floor that tempts me more often than I'd like to admit 😅
As promised, here are some of my family's costumes...
Dwayne & I were Smurfs
1st place winner was Mama Jan - One CRAZY Muther Clucker!
2nd place was Daughter in Law - Dead Bride
3rd place was Son Ben - T-Rex
We have a lot of fun every year! I hope everyone else had a great Halloween as well 🎃
0 -
Love the costumes! We didn't do much for Halloween. I went to the barn party (boyfriend stayed home sick) and passed out candy to trick-or-treaters.
I'm so glad to hear Slate is recovering! What a scary experience and what a brave boy! My Princess probably would have panicked, thrashed, and killed us both.
I'm still riding with my Western trainer. Still on horses I could never afford on my own. Yesterday his daughter was riding a $125k reiner. He was a stunning dappled dun with a butt like a small planet, but I've bought houses for less than that (not recently, of course)! I'm still working with the big quarter horse mare from before and also with a little red roan cutter who is just a joy to ride.
We're at that time of year where the temperatures keep bouncing around, so we're on constant colic watch. It's 86 degrees right now, but last week we had some mornings in the 30s. We just got over a Strangles outbreak, too, so everyone is extra cautious. Fortunately, my girl managed to avoid catching it.0 -
@Mouse_Potato - I've never been to a "barn party." Is it like a normal party, just held in a barn?
I know colic is a serious condition and has SO MANY causes... Anything that increases stress in any way can cause it, but I've never really considered weather fluxuations to be a significant factor as long as there is adequate water and shelter. I suspect with more horses getting anxious over many different things as would be in a boarding barn, it is generally more stressful than just two at home. And Strangles... OMGoodness!! Praying for you and Princess 🙏
Well, many of my strength workouts for the last 4 weeks have been in the barn digging & shoveling dirt, hauling it out & back with the wheelbarrow. We finally finished filling in the main drainage ditch today😅 This means... We finally have the automatic waterers installed in my barn - THEY ARE AWESOME!!!
0 -
Hello everyone!
Our Horse Enthusiasts group could be an active & successful platform for all of us, but I'm tired of complaining about the lack of activity here. So, in a final attempt to encourage MFP to implement Push Notifications for Groups, I have submitted my request to the "Feature Suggestions and Ideas" thread in the Community main categories. There is an option for MFP members to VOTE on suggested features and my hope is that if my post gets enough votes, that it'll be considered. If you would also like to get notifications from your MFP Groups when another member posts or replies to a discussion that you follow, please VOTE HERE!! I am also hoping that the feature will include selecting or turning off notifications for specific threads.
Don't worry, I'm not abandoning this group or going anywhere. I will continue to post my horse stories here and would love to read about everyone else's trials & adventures - horse related or not I've just come to realize that fussing over the lack of activity in groups due to MFP shortcomings is not a positive or motivating conversation. So lets get back to the fun stuff! Tell me whatcha got 😎
@Mouse_Potato - I read that you are still working with your western trainer and expensive reining horses, but are you still riding your Princess too?0 -
👋 Hi Group,
Posting yesterday's ride stats from my Garmin, just because 😁 I forgot to stop & it after riding Sunny so I just let it continue tracking for my ride on Slate. 10 miles in a day isn't too shabby for November 😅
0 -
HAPPY NEW YEAR 🎆🎊🎇
I really wanted to start 2024 with a New Year ride today... but it's spittin' ❄ flurries out there today 🥶 So, I've decided to restart my yoga and strength training programs again instead. So glad I went for a ride on each horse yesterday since it was much nicer outside 🌞 It was a great TROT workout for Slate, & good time spent in the saddle for me.
So what's YOUR horse & health goals for 2024?
0 -
@mgood4x4 Sorry I haven't been around much lately. I haven't ridden the past few weeks because I broke my darn foot! I'm in a boot for now with limited mobility. To make matters worse, in the strangest coincidence, I broke the foot I was scheduled to have surgery on next Thursday anyway. So, I will be out of the saddle for at least 8 weeks to start the year.
I'm glad to see you are riding, though. Princess will have her training rides while I'm recovering, of course, but I guess i won't be making much progress. I can still go out to the stables and watch, but I haven't even been doing that what with the holidays. Plus I'm soooooo tired! Not sure if it's age, holidays, hormones, or just needing rest to heal.1 -
@Mouse_Potato - OUCH 🤕 That's rough! I saw when you initially broke your foot & posted to the MFP news feed the bad news saying no more exercise for a while. I do hope you heal quickly & that surgery goes well ❤️🩹
The holidays have wreaked havoc on my diet & activities, but I'm the only one to blame. For some reason I just find excuses to go overboard every year! Restarting my goals & weight loss journey for 2024 almost the same place as last year. I'm thankful though for everything in my life (I have it pretty good 😊). Hope you had a wonderful holiday as well. All the best wishes in the New Year to you & Princess 💝1 -
@mgood4x4 Well, the year has started slowly for me. Recovery from my surgery has been much slower and harder than I expected. Not sure if it's my age or if I just had unrealistic expectations. I spent a week on crutches before I could even take baby steps. Since then, every day has been a struggle. I haven't been out to the barn in about 3 weeks. Next week I am supposed to at least get released from the boot, but I have no idea when I might be able to ride again.
How is the new year treating you?0 -
@mgood4x4 Hi! OMG I have seemed to miss a lot. I'm so glad Slate is recovering nicely. What a horrifying experience for you both! Looks like he's on the road to a full recovery - phew!
@Mouse_Potato I don't know you, but I hope you have a full and speedy recovery from your surgery. Us "horse girls" need to stick together. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like there are too many of us on MFP. Weird!
Anyway, I ride every weekend and once during the week. I've also been doing showmanship and following the TRT Method training - it's really cool and I'm glad I joined that group. I was an English pleasure/jumper for about 35 years, and when I lost my heart horse in 2021, I wasn't sure I'd ever get another one. Somehow the angels were watching over me and sent me my paint boy. He will be 8 in April and was gently started when he was 5 which is great as it gave his bones the proper time to grow and form. I started riding him English and Western for fun, but when my new barn owner let me try her dressage saddle that she wanted to sell .... let's just say it's the most comfortable and secure saddle I've ever owned. It took me months to pay it off but it was so worth it. She's a die hard dressage rider and it is literally like learning another language, but it's fun. I'm not going to ever be doing high level shows, etc. and I'm not loving the headsets of most dressage horses, so I'm extremely comfortable keeping him in a balanced headset and working him slowly and steadily. I'm the "odd" one on the barn that loves her horse like a child - ha ha! We have bonding days, spa days and work days and they're all just as fun to me and I hope to him! I also love to ride him bitless with my bareback pad which really makes the rest of the boarders and the owner look at me like I've lost my mind. Oh well. I've always learned to ride with my seat and subtle other cues and to create a partnership so that's what I'm doing. My long term goal will be able to ride him bridle-less but that's going to take a while because he's still young. Here's a picture of my cutie! He's already around 16.1 and I hope he stops soon!
0 -
@jumpthemoon Your boy is lovely! I hope you have many wonderful rides ahead of you. I am not familiar with TRT Method training. I will have to look that one up. It's kind of funny that you are discovering dressage at the same time I've gotten tired of it.
It's a gorgeous day here - 70 and sunny! - so I got out and saw my girl and gave her a few cookies. Obviously I can't ride, but I loved on her a bit. I'm still lurching around like Igor, but I am hoping once I'm released from the boot the doctor will give me some stretches to do to get back to normal as quickly as possible. I was planning to do my second surgery immediately after I recovered from the first, but I may have changed my mind. I severely underestimated how hard it was going to be! Let's not even talk about the weight I'm putting on since I can't exercise!2 -
Hello group!!
@Mouse_Potato - My January was slow as far as getting back to my diet & exercises (including horseback riding). I lack motivation when it's cold out 😅 Otherwise, 2024 is good & I have increased my riding this week - thanks to the very mild weather❣ I also saw in the news feed where you were finally released from the boot a few days ago and now back to exercising. Do you know when you might be back in the saddle?
@jumpthemoon - 16*1 is also Slate's height. At '5" & 47 years old, I find it pretty difficult to mount from the ground WITH my saddle. How in the world do you mount him bareback?? He is stunning though - LOVE the light colors! I also am not familiar with TRT method - what does TRT stand for? I googled it, and found some info, but not what the letters stand for (my guess is tension reduction training??).
Unfortunately, this group is still not very active. So today I've decided to try something new - When I FINALLY check here & find a new post in the group (or post myself), I'm going add a comment to my news feed so at least my friends will know there is current activity here. Not sure it will have any effect, but at least its a way for me to do my part 😁
TTYL
Mitsy
0 -
@mgood4x4 Yes, i got released from the boot last Wednesday, but my foot is still very painful. I didn't expect the recovery to be quite this slow. At the moment, I am not even tempted to put that foot in a stirrup! The doctor said I should be at 100% at around the 12 weeks mark, so 7 weeks from now. We shall see. I'm trying to get back to working out and get my eating under control. I've gained 4-5 pounds, which isn't that bad considering I've been laid up since December 16th. I am thinking I will do the second surgery around the end of July since that's really the worst time of year to be outside (for us).
I am 5'3" and about to turn 50, so I am very grateful that Princess is just 14.3! 1 -
Hello Group!
OH dear! I just realized that my last message is missing a 5 😆 I am 5'5" & 168#. Probably crazy, but I hope to one day be athletic enough to mount my horse bareback from the ground 🤪 I've seen it done on YouTube & at a riding barn I visited MANY years ago - so I know it can be done... just not sure if I will ever be able to do it.
So, after my last comment promising to "do my part", I did mention on my News feed that there were new posts in the MFP Horse Enthusiasts Group for anyone interested. I was really hoping for a few of my MFP friends to post in the group (not necessarily this discussion) since I have 22 friends and at least 12 of them have "horse" in their profile picture, user name, or somewhere in their news feed. Anyway, I intend to keep posting just in case someone would like to share their journey. Please don't get me wrong, I LOVE the conversations we've had here so far (@Mouse_Potato) but sometimes I feel like I'm bragging about my horses & rides when I really only want to spark chit-chat with others that have the same passion.
Anyway... I rode both horses yesterday and today.
February is half past & I'm feeling pretty good about it 🤠
0 -
And today... My Mom started "Riding for Fitness" with me again. We're going to take it really slow since she is 67 years old, 5'3" and over 200# It's been over a year since she's been in the saddle so it'll take a few weeks for her regain flexibility, balance, & confidence. Slate is always good to her
I installed the Equilab app on her phone so I could add her as a rider for Slate and still track his activities when she rides him.0 -
@mgood4x4 Sorry I haven't had a lot to contribute. Recovery is slow over here. Still hurts to walk, though that hasn't stopped me from getting my steps back up. I credit my flexibility training with allowing me to mount from the ground. Not everyone can get her foot as high as an aerialist!
Good to see you are still riding and getting your mom involved as well. I think it's wonderful that you can share your love of horses with her. My mom has been gone for over ten years now, but I can still picture her in her high heels looking bewildered in the middle of Jenks Feed & Supply.
I'm hoping in the next week or so to at least get out and watch my trainer even if I can't ride. I feel so disconnected right now.1 -
Hello everyone!
My mother has been riding Slate with me on Sunny 5 times now 🤠 Our last 2 rides, she trotted a few straight lines up the paddock with me on foot leading Slate (so she could get the "feel" of trot). Finally, the last ride after me on foot during her trot, she felt comfortable enough to trot Slate with me trotting Sunny alongside - she's getting her confidence back! 😎 I am delighted to be able to share my horse passion with her in a way that can help her get healthy as well. My next thought is to offer the same benefits to my Aunt so they can ride together (my riding is a bit more active than she can handle). My Aunt Mary Kay (AMK) has recently moved back home from CA now that she is retired.
@Mouse_Potato - no apology necessary. You offer plenty of great conversation. It has been a couple weeks so I'm interested in how you are progressing. Also, you mentioned in your post mounting from the ground - is that Bareback? I can't even mount Sunny at 13h3" from the ground bareback. I can mount both horses from the ground with the saddle stirrup. Anyway, did you at least get to watch your trainer ride like you wanted?
ANYONE ELSE want to share?? 😉0 -
@mgood4x4 Still not much to report from here, I'm afraid. I cannot believe how slowly this foot is healing. I should be cleared to ride in another 3 weeks, but right now I am skeptical. It honestly doesn't feel much better than it did 2-3 weeks ago. I can walk without limping now, but it still hurts.
It's rodeo time down here, so I've left my trainer alone to deal with all that. I will probably reach out to him this weekend and see about coming out in the mornings next week. I haven't tried to mount bareback from the ground in a long time, so I don't really know if I could do it or not. It's generally frowned upon at my barn. I have been able to stirrup mount every horse he's put me on. Even the 17+ hh mare.
That's great that your mom and aunt will ride with you. I am the only equestrian in my family. Really the only active one at all. I think I might be a changeling. 0
