tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34386596345518384492024-03-12T19:49:39.707-07:00Thomas EquinasThomas Equinas and his battle with EPSMLisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-38664599317261512672011-07-24T14:43:00.000-07:002011-07-24T14:43:59.635-07:00Dressage Days 2011<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdRu6Y1KyNYJS0qHghow4MtmHeRbamZFeaUKoSCQVUG-dpUSLmQ9aToOErsd-CRSxegbO06vikqyvbNAT2FCwQTTIvFtNRGVhBo1dHLI5r1zpEzie6mZ_ABXAwdRVGVeOXjmQ3f-C5YI/s1600/IMG_0518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdRu6Y1KyNYJS0qHghow4MtmHeRbamZFeaUKoSCQVUG-dpUSLmQ9aToOErsd-CRSxegbO06vikqyvbNAT2FCwQTTIvFtNRGVhBo1dHLI5r1zpEzie6mZ_ABXAwdRVGVeOXjmQ3f-C5YI/s320/IMG_0518.JPG" width="284" /></a>At the GMHA June Dressage Show I earned one of two required 60% scores at Third Level Test 3, putting me half way to a trip to our Regional Dressage Championships in September. With Tom's steady improvement this summer, I've been hoping we could make this happen. The weather has been making things a little tricky lately. Very hot and humid days have forced me to ride early in the day. That's fine for Tom and me, but not so great for my studio work. I usually use riding as a reward after a full day of studio work. When I ride first, there's no incentive to slave away at the drawing table!<br />
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I changed Tom's diet and added more grain and alfalfa pellets back in mid June and it has been paying off. He's muscled back up and has quite a bit more stamina. He has barely had a blade of grass since last Fall, and that seems to really help him too. Yesterday I loaded him up and headed off to GMHA for Third 3 at 1:30 in the afternoon. It was nearing 90 degrees when we got there. As I warmed Tom up he immediately started breathing very heavily. I wasn't sure what the best plan for warm up would be, but I just did short sessions and gave him lots of walk breaks. We had a lovely test with clean flying changes and only one break into trot at the end of the test, in a corner, where it didn't really count much. The judge wasn't as happy with it as I was, but we did manage a second place but the 59.48% was just a little shy of what I needed. I was very happy with his attitude and willingness, though, and came home happy.<br />
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Today it was cooler (high 70s/ low 80s) and I rode a little earlier. In the warm up he was as he was in June, not as interested in the work for the second show day. He seemed negative, but did manage to work through everything. He reared once when I pushed him in canter half pass- the first time he's threatened me with that in a very long time. I'm thinking (hoping) that he was just a little cranky and thought that might be way to get out of work. When I smacked him and sent him forward he seemed to give it up pretty quickly.<br />
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We went in the ring and I rode more quietly today; going for a more organized test. It paid off. The judge (a different one from yesterday) liked it and we got a 63.59%! That got us second place, Reserve Champion for Third Level AND a ticket to the Championships!!!<br />
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My goal now is to continue to try to strengthen him so that the canter work can get better and better. I've been to the Championships for Third Level once before- in 2006- and the inability to carry a whip (for championships) cost me a lot of points. We'll work on that "GO" button now, and fitness, and connection and general well-being, AND I'm keeping my fingers very tightly crossed!Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-8488872614227259312011-06-30T13:19:00.000-07:002011-06-30T13:19:50.234-07:00Back to writing...After a little hiatus (actually caused by severe feelings of apprehension and doubt about the "progress" of Thomas' condition), I'm back to continue with this discourse about EPSM. Don't get me wrong, Thomas is doing quite well, I have just been feeling anxious about talking about it. Maybe I've been worried about jinxing the situation, or maybe I just didn't want people holding their breath, hoping for good results at an upcoming show or whatever. Anyway, I'm back, and here goes:<br />
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I spent the months of May and June working Thomas here at home. First, we rigged up our barn so that he can go freely in and out to our sand ring and back to his stall. He LOVES this change! Bugs have always bothered him, so the ability to just bail and go back to his stall appeals to him greatly. He's moving around more and that definitely seems to help his muscles. We did, however, have to resort to running a hot wire along the top of the fence (Thank you Bart!) because he was leaning over it for the grass and snapping boards daily. Not having grass (poor horse) has helped him too.<br />
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By mid-June I was noticing that his rotund shape he had blossomed into upon starting the oil regimen last fall, was starting to waste away. His hip bones were protruding again and his rump muscles were looking weak. I had my vet take a look and she suggested feeding more calories (from oil) and added protein (from alfalfa pellets). Now he's getting the following to eat:<br />
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morning: 1 qt Poulin CarbSafe<br />
1 qt. 15% alfalfa pellets<br />
1.5 cups canola oil<br />
3 flakes hay, soaked<br />
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noon: 1 qt Poulin CarbSafe<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 1 qt. 15% alfalfa pellets</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 3 flakes hay, soaked</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">supper: 1 qt Poulin CarbSafe</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 1 qt. 15% alfalfa pellets</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 1.5 cups canola oil</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 1 scoop Quiessence (Magnesium)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 1 scoop Senior Flex</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 2000 IUs Vitamin E</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 1.5 lbs (dry) beet pulp pellets, soaked</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">late night: 3 flakes hay, soaked</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It's a lot of stuff. My feed room looks like an apothecary. But he seems to be doing pretty well. I started soaking the hay just recently because we got a new load of first cut hay in, and he suddenly started to feel like he had bricks tied to his feet when I rode him. Soaking the hay is supposed to take some of the sugars out, so I hope that helps.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Work-wise he's been going very well. I remember last winter wishing that I could just get on him and work him in a nice low frame to warm him up and not have to deal with all of his fussiness at the beginning of every ride. Well now he comes out, takes about 5 minutes of walk warm up and then proceeds to a lovely, bouncy long trot and will even happily pop into canter. I work him pretty forward with all of this. His instinct is to suck back and get behind my leg, but it's getting better.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">From there he gets a walk break and then usually I do canter work. We've been able to work on lengthening and shortening the frame as well as counter canters and shoulder-fore to half pass steps. Now that's what I call progress! The left to right change is still very troublesome. But if I can get him to let go of his right side, the change will usually come clean.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Walk break, then trot work. This is where he starts to poop out some times. Generally his trot work is better than the canter work, so I work the harder one first, in case he just can't go any more, and then the trot work is sacrificed a bit. He lets me know. Everything gets much harder to do. His stride will start to get shuffling instead of swinging and he will stick his tongue out. Some days he can go a full 45 minutes and get a good dose of trot work in and never really tire noticeably.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCpVhKd24QOQOxUWaEtqS8_5-1oEhgm9QdrIQ1ukfGaLax7xZYWU7SrTds8_sbTUH93l4amIwqIM3tQxvE7FQn4Tk3a78O0dre1Nt-LyBlMkOSYqytOPN_9tXW839VHK54uxarZu-ULoU/s1600/DSCN0048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCpVhKd24QOQOxUWaEtqS8_5-1oEhgm9QdrIQ1ukfGaLax7xZYWU7SrTds8_sbTUH93l4amIwqIM3tQxvE7FQn4Tk3a78O0dre1Nt-LyBlMkOSYqytOPN_9tXW839VHK54uxarZu-ULoU/s320/DSCN0048.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">On the 18th and 19th I took Tom to the June Dressage Show at GMHA. He was SO happy to get braided and go to the show! On Saturday I warmed him up for 3rd 3 in the Dust Bowl and he acted like an old pro. He strutted around like, "This is the way it's done!". He surprised me with his willingness, and in so doing, I think I warmed him up a little too long. We went to the White Ring to do our test and he was all business, and seemed genuinely excited to be back out there! The trot work was really consistent and pleasant. We got a lot of 7s (even on half passes which used to be our bugaboo). When we got to the canter work, suddenly he ran out of steam. Lauren video'd it and I can see where his hind end got further and further out behind him, until he just couldn't maintain the canter. He broke 3 times and we got a '1' for the right to left change which didn't really exist. I got comments like "Rider needs to be more diligent about keeping the horse in front of her leg."Hah! If she only knew! We came away with our qualifying score, despite the poor canter work, because the trot was SO good! I was very happy with him and most of all I was pleased that he was so willing and excited to be there.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I took him back on Sunday and the thrill had worn off. I suspect he was still a little tired. I kept my warm up short and sweet, but the test was lack-luster and we ended up with the same score even though I kept him from breaking out of the canter.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">So our first post-EPSM-diagnosis-show is under our belt and we are entered in Dressage Days in July. I'm hoping that the alfalfa will help him to have more stamina and strength. I will try to be more consistent with my postings on here. Feedback is welcomed!</div>Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-77346826407442077962011-04-01T05:33:00.000-07:002011-04-01T05:33:37.356-07:00A Good ReportMy vet called yesterday with the results of the blood work done a couple of weeks ago. Thomas' Vitamin E levels were a little high, but that's OK. She says you worry when they're low; not high. He is showing no signs of insulin resistance and his blood glucose levels are normal. Hurray! The Rx is to keep doing what I'm doing.<br />
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My husband and I are taking a well-deserved vacation next week. It's not easy to get away when your big babies need so much attention. I am very lucky to have a friend who knows Tom very well and is willing to work him for me for the week. Kat is trained in Natural Horsemanship and is also an accomplished dressage rider. She helped me with Tom 3 years ago when he was rearing (the first signs of what we now know is EPSM). I have called on her when we've gone away before, knowing that she can ride Tom and deal with his idiosyncrasies. This time I had to load her down with oil, beet pulp, Vitamin E, Magnesium and Tums! Although Penny (the barn manager) takes good care of Tom's feed, hay and general needs, someone else needs to oversee his supplements and work schedule. Kat will go there every day while we are gone to give him his supps and to work him. When we get home in a week, I hope that the snow will be gone and I can bring Thomas home and continue with his work here. Then I get to figure out how the new spring grass will fit into his lifestyle. It's all part of the learning curve, I guess!Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-42102630323244528722011-03-28T18:18:00.000-07:002011-03-28T18:18:45.464-07:00A Quick UpdateStill waiting on the blood test results from last week. I've been giving Tom 6 to 8 Tums tablets when I tack him up. He loves them and really likes having treats back in his world. I don't know if the Tums have anything to do with it, but he's been much happier to work. More consistent and less obstinate.Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-70409683635495470812011-03-25T06:29:00.000-07:002011-03-25T06:29:45.050-07:00Post Vaccination ReportYesterday I tacked Tom up, thinking that I'd just loosen him up a bit and expect extra stiffness from 2 days off and a neck-ful of shots. I'm happy to report that he wasn't that bad. Yes, he was stiff and reluctant to move at first, but after 10 minutes of walking then trotting, he loosened up quite nicely and worked well. I didn't push the issue. My goal was just to get him comfortable. The only cranky session came with left canter. He was reluctant to bend and didn't seem to want to push from behind at all. To the right was good and we really got rolling along and had some fun. To the left got better, but never as loose as the right. We played with some trot work and I put him away with lots of pats.<br />
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I've been feeding Thomas 6 to 8 wintergreen Tums before I ride. He LOVES them! The vets at New England Equine suggested I try giving him those before work. They felt that even though he doesn't have ulcers he may have a sour tummy, and the Tums might help with that. They are low in carbs, so a good treat for EPSM horses. The extra calcium can't hurt either. It was bothering me that I couldn't give him ANY treats. A handful of hay just doesn't seem to cut it!Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-6621511785279084132011-03-23T16:57:00.000-07:002011-03-23T16:57:43.758-07:00A change of paceYesterday the snow was still coming off the arena roof so I decided to do something different- I thought a distraction might work to keep his mind off the weird noises and shadows.<br />
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I've free-jumped Tom a couple of times but he's never really seemed to enjoy it. Yesterday I set up a little cross-rail with a pole for a wing in and one out. There really wasn't much holding him in, but I decided to give it a try. He loved it! He joyfully cantered back and forth over it. I put it up a couple of times and it ended up at about 2'9". He was really into it by then! I'm the only one out there in the ring and I've got one hand on the lunge whip, the other on my iPhone (hence the rather rough shots, sorry).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxIKI8sn9KHQKfIYcLiQx73Vd7eZSttwri8_UgpmemWinp0KNK1RPK0sbtkydxuxf_QPqHjuHcWPibKbniMEQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Maybe if this dressage gig doesn't work out we'll take up Grand Prix jumping!<br />
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Today Tom had vaccinations and blood drawn for a Coggin's test and to check his glucose, insulin, Vitamin E and Selenium levels. I asked my vet if I should worry about the IM injections of the vaccines, and she didn't think I should be concerned since he has never had an adverse reaction to them before.<br />
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Tomorrow I'll plan to work him lightly and see how he feels.Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-58518846824552132322011-03-21T10:21:00.000-07:002011-03-21T10:21:32.641-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is interesting. I'm posting 2 videos for comparison. The first was last August, struggling through Third level, test 3. It's painful for me to watch. Notice how disconnected everything behind the saddle is. He seems to be dragging his hindquarters along. I'm surprised the judge didn't mention the uneveness. Also notice how he halts with his hind legs way out, then steps even further back with the right hind. Ouch!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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This second one is SO much better. This was filmed on Saturday (3/19/11). He hadn't been diagnosed with EPSM in August. He's been on the new diet since November and the change in his movement is pretty evident. He's much more connected. His hind legs look like they might belong to him and not to some horse following him! I will try to continue to videotape his progress. I haven't been able to see it either. Small mirrors only give you a little snapshot of what's happening at any given moment, and when he comes home in a couple of weeks we won't have a mirror at all! I've seen it on the lunge, but this helps to confirm for me REAL improvement.<br />
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</div>Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-45308229953745336852011-03-18T15:28:00.000-07:002011-03-21T07:03:23.233-07:00Feeling Hopeful!The snow is melting; the horses are shedding; it's staying light well past 6:30. Winter may actually be on its way out. And along with the yearning for all things green, warmer weather and weekends full of horse-related activities, I'm feeling like Thomas might actually be feeling good enough to join me in enjoying spring.<br />
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We've had several days this week in the high 40s and low 50s, and each of those days Thomas improved from the day before. Today the wind was clocking in with gusts of over 50 mph (!), so the plastic-covered arena was an interesting place, to say the least. One of the gusts at the beginning of our ride, made it feel like we were inside a balloon- the pressure changed and then the doors at the end banged and creeked. Thomas was incredibly brave. He only spooked one big one at the beginning, and to tell the truth, I spooked at that one too. It really felt like we might be carried up and out to the stratosphere! When he's brave I know he's feeling OK. His confidence is the first thing to go when he's feeling bad.<br />
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Today we worked on transitions trot to walk, walk to trot, over and over, until he relaxed and reached out to the contact through the transitions. Then I moved on to canter work. By the end we were doing a few collected strides to several lengthened strides on the circle. To the left was pretty good all along; to the right he was still reluctant to soften in his jaw. The tongue came out and he seemed to "tip" to the left- chucking his right rib cage out at my right leg. But it got much better and when he gave me a light, soft collected canter and happily lengthened the frame to a bigger stride I called it a day, gave him big pats and hugs and put him away treating him to his beet pulp, 2 cups of oil, Vitamin E and Magnesium.<br />
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I am very hesitant to say that the effects of EPSM are worse in cold weather, but so far it appears that might be true, at least for Tom, at least for this week...Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-43595759868909627022011-03-15T16:09:00.000-07:002011-03-15T16:09:58.418-07:00Spring is definitely in the air!After discovering the lack of ulcers, I've changed my tactics with Thomas a bit. Basically, I'm cutting him very little slack. He's been pretty good. A couple of minor shutdowns daily and then much improved work towards the end of a 45 minute session. Today I was riding with the big arena doors open, and no bulky parka! Hurray! I cooled Tom out with a brief hack down the road. He was fine until a pick up truck came up behind us and he kind of blew. But that's what he does and that's why I rarely go out for hacks alone.<br />
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My latest quandry is that I've been reading that people with EPSM horses have had trouble with their horses reacting poorly to vaccinations. Tom has never shown any adverse signs, but it does make me wonder. I'll be running that by my vet when she comes out next week to do his shots. I'll also have her check his insulin and Vitamin E/ Selenium levels, just to keep tabs on them.Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-23756139792706456172011-03-12T15:11:00.000-08:002011-03-12T15:11:23.110-08:00Better weather makes better rides.I got thinking the other day about Tom's reaction to the snow coming off the roof. He's been terrified of all the noises in that arena since we got there, and adding the view of the sheets of snow sliding down the roof put him right over the edge. In the video I posted he looks pretty calm, but actually he was too scared to move. His security blanket is the mirror in the end corner. He runs right back there for comfort from that other big, black horse. What I got thinking about is that when he shuts down he tends to be near the mirror. Not always, but enough that now I'm thinking that he's looking for help from that "other horse". The more I think about this, the more I think this might be a big part of the issue. So, I still don't know why he's shutting down and/or needing reassurance. Is he hurting, worried or something else? He tends to do it more when he's not completely warmed up. He rarely does it at the walk and is much more likely to do it on the left rein than the right.<br />
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Yesterday and today I focused on working him really low and deep (LDR- low, deep and round) in the warm up. It seems to help to loosen him up and prevents him from getting distracted and silly. I think when I first started working him after the EPSM diagnosis I sort of backed off and didn't really insist on doing things MY way ALL the time. Thomas is the type who takes advantage of any tiny crack left open, blasting through and creating a gaping hole, which is very hard to close up again. In sealing up the "cracks" he seems to settle into work much better. He shut down once today. It was to the right and away from the mirrors, but I was able to shove him right back into a marching walk, overbending right, and demanding forward! He didn't do it again, and the work became really good after 40 minutes or so.<br />
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My question now is, "Is he playing me?" I'm quick to back off if I think he's hurting and maybe he's figured that out. Now my job is to figure out if his anxiety is for real, and caused by a physical problem, or is he just checking my sympathy barometer for the day? He's moving SO much better than he had been prior to the diet change, and his musculature is much improved too. To me that must mean that his body is working correctly. Now if I could just get his head to cooperate too, I'll be all set!Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-34264728573836532212011-03-10T17:18:00.000-08:002011-03-10T17:18:30.494-08:00I'm Back!Sorry about my absence. I have to admit, I got pretty discouraged and started wondering about the whole "why am I doing this?" thing. Thomas has been consistently inconsistent. Even though that's exactly why I started writing this blog in the first place, it's also why I stopped for a while there. I thought writing here would help me to figure out why bad days with him happen, or at least vent some of my frustrations. But then I let little demons in that make it hard to write about things not going as well as I'd like.<br />
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We've had some really good days where he has been happy to work on a little bit of collection, counter canters and even the rare flying change or two. We've also had some really bad days where he is reluctant to move- literally stopping and refusing to move forward at all. Then, when I can finally get him to move he's balky and stiff.<br />
<br />
One day a couple of weeks ago I took him out for a hack with Penny and her big horse, Sobe. It was an unusually warm February day. The dirt road was soft and there was a hint of spring in the air. About 15 minutes into a nice ride, we were happily (I thought) trotting up a gradual incline, Sobe was ahead of us by a bit, when Thomas all of a sudden put on the brakes. He just stopped in his tracks and started to go backwards. I had my dressage whip and I tapped and clucked, encouraging him forward, but he "didn't wanna!" Penny said that his tummy was all tucked up and his eyes were way back in his head, like he was in a lot of pain. I got him going and just a little ways up the road he did it again. I let him walk and he seemed to relax eventually and we did manage a decent trot on the way home. Penny and I got thinking.<br />
<br />
Could this be ulcers? I had come to the barn earlier than usual and Penny and I had decided on the hack on short notice. Tom hadn't had his grain (1 little quart of Carb Safe) yet. Were stomach acids causing this behavior? He does this in the ring too, but not quite as adamantly as this episode. And it does seem to be more likely to happen if he's working on an empty stomach. So I started feeding him handfuls of hay prior to putting the bridle on. That seemed to help. I called my vet and asked about ulcers. She said it certainly could be and suggested I have him scoped because the GastroGuard is so expensive for a horse Tom's size, she didn' t think it was a good risk to just treat him and hope that he'd come around.<br />
<br />
Thomas had a camera stuck down his throat on Tuesday. It showed a beautiful, pink tummy, with no signs of ulcers at all. I couldn't help but think that ulcers would have been a nice, easy fix. I could medicate him for a month and he'd be happy and good to go onto wonderful things. It wasn't to be. His stomach is fine. Something else is definitely bothering him. So onward and upward.<br />
<br />
I worked him yesterday and he was pretty good, considering that he had 2 days off and 5 hours standing on the trailer on Tuesday. Today I went over, fully intending to work him. It had snowed lightly all day and had changed to rain as I was driving there. The snow was sliding slowly off the roof, casting weird shadows and making awful noises. Thomas didn't even want to walk to the arena; let alone go inside! I just let him loose and chased him around for awhile. He really is terrified of arena snow. I'll attach a video clip here. He looks pretty mellow, but really he's petrified! Check out the sliding snow shots at the end.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/jQtRhItwsWs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-58944580863590120522011-01-05T18:08:00.000-08:002011-01-05T18:08:43.829-08:00Cranky BoyI had a lesson today with Jutta. I was hoping we could move on to some good stuff because he's been pretty good lately (since the snow came off the arena roof and things quieted down in there). He warmed up well and then she had me work on his walk to the right a little with a little haunches in on the circle. Then out of the blue (to Tom!) she said, "Ok, now canter." I just looked at her and explained that he was about as far from cantering as he could get. He does this thing where he puffs his sides out at me and feels like a brick wall against me. I can do just about anything I want up there with my seat, thighs, legs, etc and NOTHING will happen. If I add voice and/or whip when he's in this state, I can almost guarantee that he'll shut down. Stop dead. Curl up and threaten to rear. So I tried to ask for that canter and she kept telling me to get him on my left rein. Put my right leg forward. Play with the right rein. And he continued to get crankier and crankier. I asked her if she'd like to get on him, and she said, "sure!" Well, he was cranky alright. Kicked out, bucked (never reared) and generally said "NO!". She did, however, manage to get him forward and eventually he cantered. Here's a little clip:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/DtuZheeFzDM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>I got back on and he was getting tired by then. She got me to figure out that I need to play on the right rein and actually almost think counter flexion to the left to get him on that left rein a little. When I had him there, I could get the right canter then gradually ask for right bend. Yikes! My head hurts.<br />
<br />
Still waiting on that hay and feed analysis. I'll keep this posted!Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-63471406345215936322010-12-28T17:31:00.000-08:002010-12-28T17:31:23.024-08:00Day 53: Thomas doesn't like Dave Matthews!I know. It's been a while. Christmas set in and ran me over. I have been working Tom daily (except Christmas Day) and he's been generally high as a kite and very difficult. Lots of shying, bolting and leaping. Not exactly what I was hoping for as a way to unwind from the stresses of the holidays! Of course the snowstorm we had Sunday night and Monday didn't help. Yesterday when I went to the barn I thought I had arrived at the North Pole. The wind was blowing the snow totally sideways. Doors were banging. There was snow in the hall at Penny's barn. Tom walked quietly to the arena and I let him go; just free-lunging. He bucked and dashed and enjoyed the freedom in soft footing. I was happy that I had chosen not to attempt riding him!<br />
<br />
Today was milder. The sun got things up to the mid twenties. I packed up my Christmas gift to Penny- a sound system and iPod for the arena- and got there before the sun set. I set up the music and put it on one of my favorite Dave Matthews albums and went and got Tom tacked up. I brought him to the arena in saddle, bridle and lunging gear. I figured a few minutes on the lunge might take the "edge" off. 45 minutes later, I felt like it might be safe to get on him! He doesn't like Dave Matthews! The stereo is set up right next to the big arena doors. They were blowing in the wind, banging and clunking. Tom couldn't tolerate it. He was bucking, rearing, kicking out- you name it, he did it. I couldn't get him close enough to the stereo to turn the music down! I thought the music would help drown out the other arena noises, but every time there was a change in the music, he'd take off again. Fun. Anyway, I did get on him eventually, and just walked him around to cool out.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow Danielle from Poulin Grain is coming to test the hay. When she gets the results back we can look at his diet and see if there's something making him so high. Can't be soon enough, I say!Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-41011624297191952682010-12-19T13:55:00.000-08:002010-12-19T13:55:36.733-08:00Day 44: Better!Today the weather was almost exactly like yesterday, but when I brought Tom in he was half asleep. No problems tacking him up and he sauntered into the arena like an old pro. Richard was outside working with a circular saw and that didn't even bother him. He warmed up well and we worked on some shoulder ins and haunches in and simple changes, even on a circle. Got one super-good change left to right and generally good stuff.<br />
<br />
As I was cooling him out, Penny came in with her mare and told me that yesterday afternoon she set out to ride her big draft cross, Sobe. He is normally very mellow, but she said yesterday he was high as a kite. She didn't dare get on him because he was so "up". She said there have been some bear sightings around their place, so maybe that's what had these guys going yesterday. So, while I was thinking about plugging Tom's ears, maybe I should have been thinking about stuffing Vicks up his nose! Who knows?Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-34427907578591300132010-12-18T13:31:00.000-08:002010-12-18T13:31:48.572-08:00Day 43: The Sky is Falling!Finally, it's a little bit warmer today and when the thermometer got up over 32 the little bit of snow on the arena roof started to slide off. Penny's ring is one of the domed, plastic covered ones. When the snow comes off, not only does it make a weird zipping noise, but you can see the shadow of it as it lets go from inside the ring. Thomas has always been a complete chicken about snow on roofs, so I knew this was going to be a problem.<br />
<br />
Today when I tacked him up he was already uptight because the snow had been coming off the barn roof too. He almost broke the cross ties twice, when he heard strange noises. So I chose to tack him up to be lunged first. There were two other horses in the ring when we went in there (both being very mature and reasonable). Thomas scooted around on the lunge for 5 minutes or so before he settled down a little. The snow wasn't actually coming off the roof while we were in there, but any sudden noise would send him off. He did settle and looked pretty good and then he spooked and tripped himself and was off (lame) for a circle or so. He worked out of that and settled back down, but kept spooking and then tightening everything up again.<br />
<br />
So here's my question: does EPSM make their muscles hurt when they are nervous? Can the added adrenaline cause cramping? Today he looked fine, even relaxed and loose, until he got spooked and then he'd seize up and look very stiff and uncomfortable. It was a battle of opposites. I did get on him for a brief spell but he was so tight and uncomfortable I didn't pursue that for long. I put him back on the lunge so I could see what was happening. I was pleased to see that he was using his body quite well- really stretching over his back and swinging through his shoulder- until he spooked and then it would all fall apart for awhile, until he took a deep breath and released the tension, and was able to stretch again.<br />
<br />
I found this today on Beth Valentine's Rural Heritage (EPSM) site (<a href="http://www.ruralheritage.com/">http://www.ruralheritage.com</a>):<br />
"The aspect of nervousness is an <br />
interesting one. If you look at the topic of <br />
whole body glucose (sugar) metabolism <br />
you find that gender, epinephrine <br />
(adrenaline - which is increased in <br />
excited or nervous horses), exercise, and <br />
a whole slew of other factors come into <br />
play. We still have so much to learn!"<br />
<br />
So much to learn indeed!Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-56436525515383768082010-12-15T17:28:00.000-08:002010-12-15T17:28:22.425-08:00Day 40: Riding with LayersIt's still way too cold. The thermometer didn't get above 19° today (-7° C for you Canucks). I know a lot of people draw the line at 20 and say it's not good for the horse to ride when it's so cold. With this EPSM diagnosis I figure I'd better tough up and get out there- even if I just trot Tom around for a few minutes, that will be better than letting him stand all day. <br />
<br />
Today I got to the barn at 4:15 p.m. I had layered on so many clothes I could barely move. When I zipped up my boots over my heavy socks and long johns my circulation was nearly cut off. Half way to the barn my legs were throbbing and I decided that might not be a good thing, so I pulled over and unzipped my boots, rearranged my socks (thank goodness for skinny ankles!) and proceeded.<br />
<br />
When I started to ride I had double layers of mittens and gloves and I could barely feel the reins. Tom had on his wool quarter sheet and seemed pretty happy. I shed a layer of mittens about 15 minutes into the ride. By the end of 45 minutes I was able to work on canter transitions, trot shoulder in and a little bit of collection.<br />
<br />
When I put him away and fed him his beet pulp and supplements, Thomas was happily eating a bite, then walking over to his open door and looking out to the paddock to see what his buddies were up to. He's really happy there. Very relaxed and content. Now if the weather would cooperate a little we'd be all set!Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-52727375520700237182010-12-13T14:32:00.000-08:002010-12-13T14:32:22.557-08:00Day 38: Lots to do (and not enough time to do it)Sorry I've been absent from here for a few days. Busy times! I have ridden Tom every day except yesterday when it was pouring so hard, he was soaked and I was really tired. Yes. I whimped out. He has been good and I have been working hard on keeping his frame long and low; not using my nagging ankles and heels to push and sitting up tall to engage my abs as much as possible. It's working. Tom is going quite well and relaxing into some good basic work more quickly each day.<br />
<br />
Today I wondered how he'd be since he got soaked from standing outside yesterday and then he chose to stand inside today. Since he wasn't worked yesterday I was afraid his muscles would be bad. The one thing I had going in my favor today is that it was 45° this morning and it had only dropped to 40° when I rode at noon. I think if it had been colder he might have been quite a bit less comfortable.<br />
<br />
He still really wants to be heavy on the right rein and too light on the left. Jutta really wants me to work on balancing that out. Lots of counterflexion now and then to try to get him responsive on both sides of his mouth. Also, he sticks his tongue out on the left when he has relaxed into a nice frame. There does seem to be more "stuff" going on on the right side of his body. I have always said that he would do well with a wheel for a right hind foot, as he likes to drag that one along. Add the heaviness on the right rein, the tongue out on the left, and the lack of reactivity to the right leg and you've got a pretty lopsided horse!<br />
<br />
When I was untacking him today I had undone the girth on the left side and I walked around to the right to undo it from the billets on the right. That little unbuckling movement brought on a cow-kick from his right hind which was clearly directed at ME! He always seems to be extremely sensitive to the touch after he's been worked. Go figure. Needless to say, he got a spanking for that, but I really wonder if it's a physical reaction to something as he's generally not one to kick at his mother!Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-60821383094414972622010-12-08T17:47:00.000-08:002010-12-08T17:47:10.420-08:00Day 33: The First Lesson in a Loooong WhileI had a lesson today at Penny's with my trainer, <a href="http://www.appledore-farm.com/">Jutta Lee</a>. The last lesson I had was just before Vermont Dressage Days in August. Things had started to deteriorate with Thomas then, and right after the show he got the stick in his foot and things got really bad. The high point of my day was that Jutta agreed that Tom is moving better than he was over the summer. He's not very strong right now (due to the nearly 4 months off), but he's happy, moving forward and willing. Yay!<br />
<br />
We spent most of the session trying to get me NOT to use my calves so much. "Abs! Use your abs!" Guess I better start doing some crunches... Tom is such a good teacher. Every time I'd stop pushing with my legs and just concentrate on my middle, he'd zoom ahead. By the end he was trotting along , really swinging, and very stretched over his topline. We cantered a couple of times and to the left he broke into trot several times. It's strange. He doesn't lose his balance and run into trot; he just sort of breaks the canter rhythm and then we're trotting. I can pop him right back into the canter, no problem. Jutta says it's just a strength thing and that it's better to not make a fuss about the breaking. He's staying forward and he's willing to go right back into canter, so it should get better as he gets stronger. He's fine in canter to the right.<br />
<br />
It's supposed to go down to 8° tonight. I think I'll wait for high noon tomorrow to ride. Feels more like January than December right now!Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-11835188583394192892010-12-07T14:19:00.000-08:002010-12-07T14:19:57.259-08:00Day 32: BRRRRR.........I guess it's to be expected. It IS December, afterall. Yesterday I stood in our barn for over an hour while my farrier made and installed new winter shoes for my daughter's horse, Twist. The thermometer in our barn read 28°. John finished with Twist and he followed me over to Penny's to do Tom. The car said it was 24 °. Standing in Penny's barn for another hour while the wind whipped down the hall made it feel like 0°. I was too frozen to ride. I chased Tom around in the indoor for about 15 minutes then I came home and thawed myself out.<br />
<br />
Today the wind wasn't whipping around so much but the thermometer never got above 30°. When I went to Penny's Tom was standing outside with one of his new buddies. He was so busy socializing I had to go out and catch him. I decided to get on him without lunging and do a long, slow walk warm up. It's hard for me to lunge him when it's this cold- I end up frozen before I get on. He walked well and when I asked him for trot he willingly went forward. And he kept going! Suddenly I realized a huge difference. He was trotting under his own steam. I didn't have to push every stride or tap him with the whip to keep him going. He was just "trotting along"! What a concept! I suspect the change in routine with the ability to go out at will and possibly the change in hay (I WILL get both my hay and Penny's tested, SOON) has made him feel much better. His back end almost seems over active (is that possible?) and he doesn't quite know what to do with it. He tends to drift in and out on circles and I find I spend most of my time feeling as if I'm steering the Queen Mary around the ring.<br />
<br />
He got better and better today and I finished off with some skip-transitions i.e. walk to canter, trot to halt and we even got a couple of really nice halt to canter transitions with very little driving aid!<br />
<br />
I'm scheduled for a lesson tomorrow with Jutta Lee, my trainer, but it's not supposed to get much over 20° so she might cancel. She's one tough German cookie though; I haven't heard of her canceling for something as silly as cold weather! I'll have to wait and see.Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-70823438662311441232010-12-05T15:12:00.000-08:002010-12-05T15:12:49.295-08:00Day 30: Brunch and a Pretty Good RideMy trainer, Jutta Lee, held a wonderful potluck brunch today and Penny (the manager at Tom's new barn) and I went. Jutta is wonderful. I had been taking weekly lessons from her up until the middle of August, when Tom got the stick in his foot. I haven't had a lesson since then. It occurred to me the other day that the sequence of events is interesting, and if it hadn't happened that way, I probably wouldn't know now that he has EPSM. You see, he got the stick in his foot on August 17. He was nearly 3-legged -lame for a week. We assumed it was an abscess and I put him on stall rest (he didn't want to move anyway). After a week of that and no resolution to the abscess presumption, I started turning him out, but he didn't move much because his foot hurt. Three weeks later- thank goodness I was soaking and poulticing that foot like a crazy woman- the 2" long stick worked its way out of his frog. He was sound again. However, when I tried to put him back into work he was very uncomfortable. He'd lunge OK, but when I'd get on him he'd seize up. I felt like I was pushing a wheel barrow with a flat tire. Barb, my vet, came out and watched him on the lunge. I could tell she thought I was crazy- he looked fine- but then I got on him, and there it was- flat tire syndrome. That was when Barb decided we should check him for EPSM. In hindsight, the 2-3 weeks of minimal turnout was the worst thing for his EPSM. Now I know that his poor recovery from the stick had nothing to do with the stick itself. His muscles were all messed up. So, if he hadn't gotten the stick in his foot, I might have continued along wondering why everything was so difficult with him.<br />
<br />
So today's brunch was full of "How's Tom?" questions from other students of Jutta's, who had seen me trailering in for my lessons, or knew Jutta was driving out to teach me at home. They didn't know about the EPSM. The first reaction when I tell people is always a sad, "ohhh...", but I always say, "Well at least I know why he acts the way he does. Maybe now I can get him feeling better and get him back to his level of training (or somewhere close)."<br />
<br />
Now that I understand it more, I wonder about so many horses. It's such a vague disease, and it seems like we're just starting to be able to diagnose it and treat it with some hope of success.<br />
<br />
Today I added 2000 IUs of Vitamin E (daily) to his diet. He wasn't very happy about those gel caps in his beet pulp, but I think he'll eat them. I worked him in the indoor today for 55 minutes. He was tough to get going on the lunge, but progressed nicely when I got on him. By the end we were doing walk/canter/walk transitions and trot shoulder ins quite nicely. Jutta is coming to Penny's on Wednesday and I'll have a lesson. I can't believe it's been 4 months since my last one! Check back on Wednesday for a full recap!Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-53229413946905659322010-12-04T10:45:00.000-08:002010-12-05T06:03:24.337-08:00First Day In the New Digs<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46xR1FngGTl1Ug6bo6pDwHYr-kKitMPUYg-Qgxly-uMjlCX5HrW5WHh0QP1y3ki84XcYV3yQL-uzaUlrnkSNwbXcYKzF0Rj03zHtN5Fpmtt77JMRxrqGLgeM1GTgXZOhizHADuX6JFq8/s1600/photo-708146.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546900477118051218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi46xR1FngGTl1Ug6bo6pDwHYr-kKitMPUYg-Qgxly-uMjlCX5HrW5WHh0QP1y3ki84XcYV3yQL-uzaUlrnkSNwbXcYKzF0Rj03zHtN5Fpmtt77JMRxrqGLgeM1GTgXZOhizHADuX6JFq8/s320/photo-708146.JPG" /></a></div>I went to the barn late this morning to see how Thomas was doing. When I got there he was standing in the Paddock. He looked up and whinnied at me. I think he's feeling pretty much at home. He looked very happy. I brought him in and I tacked him up and took him to the arena and lunged him. He thought it was pretty strange. Domestic geese were outside running around and making lots of noise and there was a tractor making noise and a chain saw too! He handled it okay. I have a movie of him lunging and I will try to put that up on YouTube but here's a picture of him out in his paddock. All in all a good day and he's looking pretty happy in his new digs!<br />
(I know this sounds weird. That's because I dictated it to my iPhone. Sorry!)<br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="640"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4SqhFVAHNuc?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4SqhFVAHNuc?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-77837505110240357672010-12-03T18:22:00.000-08:002010-12-03T18:22:19.129-08:00Day 28: Moving DayWell, I looked at the forecast for the weekend and it doesn't look good. Cold at night and not much warmer during the day. It sounds like my ring will freeze and stay that way for awhile. I gave Penny a call and asked if Tom could come over this afternoon. She said, "Sure!', so off we went.<br />
<br />
Penny's barn is set up so each stall has a paddock chute out a back door. In Tom's stall (Penny was very generous to move her 17+ hander to the end of the hall so Tom could have the biggest stall) has a long paddock runway to a big pine tree and a small opening where she puts the hay. I walked Tom out there to show him around, brought him back in the stall and let him go. He took off and galloped down to the pine tree to find the hay. Penny started measuring out afternoon feed and the others started coming in. Tom came barreling back and galloped into his stall. Yikes! He was so excited! "Look, Mom! I'm in... and then... I'm out! And then I'm in again!!!" He'd grab a bite of grain, run out to his pine tree and then run back in for another bite. I wasn't sure if I should worry more about colic or a broken leg. When I left he was quietly eating hay. Outside. In the dark. I hope he can find his way back in tonight and not take down all of Penny's electric fence in the process. He hasn't been out overnight since he was three. When I turn him out at home he begs to come in promptly at 4:00. This will be interesting! If it works, it's probably the best thing for his EPSM. More reason to move around. Not galloping into the barn full tilt would be nice.<br />
<br />
I'll attempt lunging him in the arena tomorrow.Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-81405514164389772822010-12-02T14:54:00.000-08:002010-12-02T14:54:40.038-08:00Day 27: A Good Day!Yesterday it poured pretty much all day. I put Tom out in the ring with Willy, my youngster, and hoped they would play a little. They didn't. They stood there and looked sad all day. Me too. It was pretty miserable out there.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicgdZB0RaiSXqp03nR9fKRL-mg9gWs-ayNDFgpVj1ps-9jnajRlXfH0CO8l_kC7Lr13vhc1ADNJpJC0CRvxrWHdcE2QuGdbwxw_Se16HGFY8APi048uWhe-OUKxYhqq_RaEEnX79B3XIY/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicgdZB0RaiSXqp03nR9fKRL-mg9gWs-ayNDFgpVj1ps-9jnajRlXfH0CO8l_kC7Lr13vhc1ADNJpJC0CRvxrWHdcE2QuGdbwxw_Se16HGFY8APi048uWhe-OUKxYhqq_RaEEnX79B3XIY/s320/photo.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My view from up there...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Today the sun was shining and my ring cleared up (and it was thawed too!) Tom went out in his pasture for the day and when I called him to come in he came galloping over the knoll and slid to a stop at the gate. He warmed up well; not nearly as contrary as he was on Tuesday. I stuck to my "no leaning" rule and he got better and better. By the end he was even allowing me to ask for a little collection in canter- something that has been extremely difficult for quite some time now. He felt so balanced and happy that I asked for the right to left change. He got a little croup high, but it felt clean and he allowed me to regroup him and go ahead and ask for the left to right change (his harder one). It was beautiful! I stopped, told him he was wonderful (really wonderful!) and put him away.<br />
<br />
I've been having a few discussions with people who are following this EPSM epistle . It's really interesting to see where symptoms cross over. I suspect people who focus on dressage notice a whole different set of problems than people in other riding disciplines. The people I've been talking with are primarily focusing on dressage and we tend to notice hind end (engine) problems. Tom has been about 2 months on the changed diet with added oil. Barb, my vet, said to allow 4 months for complete adaptation to the new diet. So far I'm pretty happy. Tom definitely has more "engine" and is much more able to move correctly. Yes, there have been good days and bad, just as I was told would happen, but in general there definitely is an improvement.<br />
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I've written to Dr. Eleanor Kellon, DVM, Equine Nutrition Specialist, and asked her some basic questions about how and when EPSM develops. She sent me a study (a PDF file) that's quite interesting and I'll share it if you email me and ask. I'm still trying to find time to really study this. There's a lot of science in there, but I think it has some of the answers I was looking for about the onset of the disease. I hope this might help some others too.<a href=""></a>Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-62646742939916220672010-11-30T18:21:00.000-08:002010-11-30T18:21:51.004-08:00Day 25: Leaning and CareeningToday was challenging. I don't know if the clip job left him cold and cranky, or if he was just having a bad day, but when I brought Thomas out this afternoon it was pretty tough. I walked him for 10 minutes and did some walk/halt/walk transitions. When I asked him to trot ( going left) he shut down. He hasn't done this in quite awhile and it's a sure sign that he's feeling bad. When I ask for the trot he pushes his body against me; puts his head down and just sort of locks his body, with his feet planted. Three years ago when he first started doing this he would shut down like this then rear- straight up. Now I know what to do. I keep my hands low, bend him and drive him with everything I've got- voice, seat, legs and whip- and he goes. Today he popped right into trot. It was stiff and uncomfortable-feeling, but it was trotting.<br />
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We had about 30 minutes of stickiness. Just not very willing to go forward. He shut down once more (again going to the left) and then I talked myself through the situation. What he was doing was sucking me into holding up every ounce of his 17.3 hh body! He leans sideways- falling in or falling out- and he leans lengthwise- pulling his head down and all of his weight onto his forehand. All of a sudden I just made the decision not to allow the leaning! When he pulled I used my core strength to put a wall up so he couldn't pull on it. Like a very strong half halt. I read somewhere about how half halts are like holding a child's hand. When they start to go astray you grasp more firmly, just enough to redirect them, then you soften and just "hold" their hand. Well, my "child" was running full steam ahead with his shoe laces untied into Mack truck highway traffic, so my "redirecting half halt" was a little strong, but the important part was the softening after; going back to hand-holding. He must have run into that traffic at least 50 times today and in every direction possible! But each time I corrected him he got a little better, and it lasted a little longer. When I first started him today and he shut down in that first trot transition, I thought there was no way we would try cantering . But with my "no leaning" policy in place we did manage to work on canters, both ways, with NO TROUBLE!<br />
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Getting back to the EPSM. was the bad start caused by EPSM? Or was he just being cranky, or was I having a bad day? I don't know. What I do know is that I was able to work through it and have a nice horse to ride for the last 15 minutes. When I was done, I cooled him out with a walk down the road again. On the way home, the other 3 horses in our gang decided to run along the fence line. Thomas hollowed and threatened to lean (by this I mean that he pushes all of himself against me, all at once) but I caught him, redirected him and said, "Don't you dare!" and he settled back down and walked almost-quietly while the rest of them egged him on. Good Boy, Thomas!Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3438659634551838449.post-73503148738118871512010-11-29T18:29:00.000-08:002010-11-29T18:29:19.934-08:00Day 24: Racing StripesI wrapped things up earlier this afternoon and headed over at 2:30. I put Tom on the cross ties, taped him up 'til he looked pretty, then went to work with my trusty clippers. There are times when Tom drives me crazy with his spooky, jumpy behavior, but then there are times when he shines, like today. He stood like a rock. (Maybe I had so much tape on him that he couldn't move.) Even in the ticklish areas. He didn't move a hoof. What a good boy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEasTs1lwsbqujQKNhhIBi_wVXNZqFnhP4z-1TT9bBUnV_usID-KzwQi7XxmdPJvEi7_-uGKAlsMZL5XSKBYC8pgr622Ap0k_QopQZFp0jUyfMCLtnV1jpHYgmoABZJP6BfeA8GPlYn0/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEasTs1lwsbqujQKNhhIBi_wVXNZqFnhP4z-1TT9bBUnV_usID-KzwQi7XxmdPJvEi7_-uGKAlsMZL5XSKBYC8pgr622Ap0k_QopQZFp0jUyfMCLtnV1jpHYgmoABZJP6BfeA8GPlYn0/s320/photo.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>It still took me almost two hours, and when I declared him "finished" I looked outside and the sun had gone down and the ring was starting to freeze. Drat! So I tacked him up quick and stuck him on the lunge for 20 minutes. He looked great. His new racing stripes camouflage his newly-added flubber and he looked sleek and elegant. He was even moving really well. I hope he doesn't freeze without his woolies. Poor guy. I always feel mean doing this to him. But he does sweat an awful lot and cooling him out can be very tedious.Lisa Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08894979020993504053noreply@blogger.com0