The One with My Musings

When it comes down to it, there are just no guarantees in the horse world. I read a quote the other day that exemplifies this thought: “Horses are just a form of white collar gambling.” How true!! We spend our time, physical energy, emotions, and money on these creatures, and we’re not even guaranteed that our hearts won’t be broken along the way. In fact, we are pretty much guaranteed that our lives will be filled with turmoil, disappointment, discouragement, heartbreak, and misfortune.

As we are only days away from the ’08 Olympics in Hong Kong, I cannot help but feel the disappointment of those that have come so close to the end of their goal, but not entirely made it. Perhaps the most emotionally charged story for me is the loss of the super pony Theodore O’Connor (ironically ridden by Karen O’Connor – no relation of course!). Lost not because he didn’t qualify, or didn’t win over the hearts of every horseman (eventer and non), but because of a freak accident at home. An accident that could have happened to any horse – but of all horses (!), it happened to him. I know I am not alone in saying that Karen’s loss is incredibly palpable; I feel it almost as my own. (Perhaps it’s because I see so much of Teddy in my own three year old – Sudi.)

But Karen’s story doesn’t end there. She’s working on her own happy ending, albeit slightly altered. She has made it to her fourth Olympic Team. Perhaps not on the horse she first dreamed, but she made it on a horse very special in his own right: Mandiba. Karen and her fantastic groom Max have worked with Mandiba from the very beginning, and in the span of three - four years of riding, he has made it to the Olympics - and safely. WOW! – How utterly amazing! These victories and moments are, what I believe, what we LIVE for in the horse world.

Not all victories and moments are the type of the colossal achievement of being named to an Olympic Team though. Some moments come from the joy gleaned by your horse galloping up to you in sheer excitement to see you. Others come from the first time you get on a horse, or the first time you canter, to completing your first horse show, your first jump, your first cross country course, your first dressage test, your first hunter course, your first hunt, watching your child ride for the first time, or your green horse finally grasp a concept, or a foal being born. I, personally, find watching my horse happily graze or go on walks brings me much joy and is a great stress relief at the end of a long day.

This is why we’re here in the horse world: because horses have an intrinsic magnetic quality that refuses to let us go. These moments, and most likely the small ones which sustain us, are worth EVERY bit of heartache and pain that may come along the way.

I am SO blessed to have the horses in my life that I do. It is by God’s grace that these remarkable animals grace me with their presence. They are God’s gifts – that He gave, and He can, of course, take away. While I may never know His reasons for allowing disappointment, I can rest assured in the knowledge that He allows EVERYTHING for a reason. There was a reason He decided to take Teddy, there is a reason we don’t achieve the goals for which we’re striving, there is a reason my horse got his abscess. No matter what, though, God is in control, and He is working everything out for the good of those that love Him (and their horses, of course *grin*).

The Exciting One about Karen and Mandiba, but SAD News for Heidi and Northern Spy

NEWS FLASH: Karen and Mandiba are now on the 2008 Olympic Eventing Team!!!! What a fantastic accomplishment for Mandiba and Karen. I am just super happy for Karen. Go Team USA!!!

Click here for a current list of the US Eventing Team for '08!

http://www.useventing.com/competitions.php?section=fei&id=1605

(I would like to express my sympathies to Heidi White on losing her spot on the team due to a minor injury that Northern Spy sustained. I cannot begin to imagine her dissapointment.)

The One Where I'm Sick and Tired of being Sick and Tired

So I suppose you may be wondering why it's been about a MONTH since my last posting. Well. Where do I begin? (First off, everyone is alive and kicking still...although healthy is another question).

So, it all started pretty much a month ago. I was coming off my great spring show season, a great lesson, a great Parelli Clinic and then WHAM: Sudi rolled into a fence and chopped up all four of his legs. His legs pretty much looked like they'd been attacked by a werewolf with long scratches from stifle to fetlock. *sigh* Thankfully he didn't break or sprain anything though, so there was no need to call then vet. He seemed a little stiff, so I gave him some time off and Horsey - Aspirin "Bute" in the hopes that he'd get over this in a few days to a week.

Then WHAM: I come out to the barn and Sudi's hooves are crumbling to pieces. All of a sudden too. No warning - nothing. I opened his stall door, and there he stood: hooves with huge chunks missing. So Sud became a captive (and not a happy one, let me say) in his stall for a few days. I made many (probably too many) frantic calls to my farrier - who by the way was sick and dying. I think he thought I was totally over-reacting until he came out and saw how atrocious Sudi's hooves looked. He said they got so bad because they grew at an amazing rate. He said he'd never seen that type of hoof growth in an Arabian. (Maybe too much Fish Oil? That's one supplement I can cut back on then hehe :) ) At any rate, he trimmed Sudi's hooves way back to avoid any further cracking damage, and guess what? He was short/halfway lame. *sigh* More time off.

Then Wham: Sudi runs into a fence. He had just gotten back into work, and I was lunging him at liberty when he felt a bit too frisky and took off. Well he came up to a corner and was in a full out gallop. I saw the look in his eye like he thought about jumping it, but then got too close. Brakes were slammed on, his body careened into the corner, and boards were snapping and popping. Thankfully his shoulder landed on a post that held most of his weight and only the top board of the fence popped off. He was able to regain his balance, and of course then took off at a gallop again, tail flagging from his scare. So again, Sudi was all scratched up and stiff and had way too much energy. So now, more rest and a LOT less Fish Oil. *another HUGH sigh*

Then, just when I'd had a terrific ride bareback, I bring him in the following night and WHAM: he has a HUGE, hard, lump under his jaw and has a fever. Well, an emergency call was put into the vet on call, and it was determined that the vet needed to come out to test for a bacterial infection and the S word - Strangles. Well, the vet came out and said he was fairly certain it was Strangles. Sudi needed to be quarantined and watched very closely for any changing signs. He also took about $400 worth of lab tests to verify that it was/was not Strangles. Well then the waiting began. We had three days before we would know ANYTHING. Sudi's situation never changed, but he seemed content in his round pen (except for a thunderstorm I saved him from) and his attitude and appetite seemed OK. Finally we heard back from the vet - and we actually had GOOD news. Sudi did NOT have Strangles! YAY!!! Well my jubilation quickly ended. If he didn't have Strangles, what did he have??? All I know is that he has an abscess in his left lymph node. We've been giving him hot compresses and bute to try to reduce the abscess or get it to soften enough to either drain on it's own or be lanced. Jump to a week later.

I get a call from Tammy, my BO, and WHAM: Sudi has hives all over his body and seems to feel miserable. I rush out to the barn and verify that he does indeed have HUGE hives, so I dose him up with some Dex and Bute and then come to realize he has a fever again. ANOTHER emergency call to the vet. Well the vet didn't think it was necessary to come out, but said to watch him and keep giving him dex and bute. Well we think he might have gotten into some old/possibly moldy hay which caused the hives which caused the fever.

On a good note, Sudi is his same happy self, and is seeming to enjoy the hot compresses. This weekend will be lots more compresses and still no work. We're hoping with the intensive compresses, we can have something resolved by Monday. That's our prayer anyway. And, hopefully we'll be able to get back into the swing of riding.

In other news: My mom is riding Kehbir bareback! Yay! He is coming along so well. He's still such a child, but his gates are becoming way more consistent and the amount of bucking while be lunged is decreasing. YAY!!!

If all goes well, we'll be able to do some XC Schooling up in Aiken and head for a schooling HT up in Tryon the end of August.

Until then, hopefully you're getting in more riding than I am!

The Second One with Good Quotes

"If you have it, you have it for life. It is a disease for which there is no cure. You will go on riding even after they have to haul you onto a comfortable wise old cob, with feet like inverted buckets and a back like a fireside chair."
-- Monica Dickens


"You break your nose, you break a window, you break a promise--all of which prove to be a negative experience, so why would you break a horse? A horse is started on a journey of a lifetime of learning. He is your partner, and once he is broken, you may never be able to fix him."

--Tena Bastian in Tips and Tidbits for the Horse Lover

The One with the Fishes

So apparently I own a fish. Or a duck. I can’t quite decide.

Sunday was brutally HOT. After giving Sudi some recovery time from the show, and since we’d gone on a hunter pace the day before, I decided that we could work on some basic ground skills. IE: Entry into water. When I say so. (Please don’t laugh – that’s rude :-P) Yes I know he’s an Arab, and trust me - I understand, my thoughts went there also.

So to facilitate this feat – I decided to borrow Tammy and her Parelli guru Halara. Halara bounded into the water and then abruptly stopped to splash around and create a wave pool. Sudi, at seeing her enthusiasm, promptly sniffed his way in until I ended up having to unclip his leadline to let him go. I’m telling you, he’s a fish! (Or a duck??)

Kehbir thought Sudi was crazy and totally didn’t understand Halara’s enjoyment out of splashing. It did nothing for him. So he rolled. He rolled until he got his head wet and knew he’d been deceived! At that point, he’d had enough and bounded out of the pond.

Sudi and Halara had a most agreeable time, and decided they would make a future play date as well.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

The One with the Bestest Ponies Ever

I had a fabulous weekend. TRULY fabulous. In light of the fact that I was still very tearfully morning the loss of "Teddy," I am relieved to be blessed with such success as what we experienced in Savannah. My usual show nerves were shot, and I was basically determined to just have a good weekend with my horse.

I took off from work on Friday so that Tammy and I could have the horses unloaded and briefly ridden that evening before the show. Our very mature, very fabulous 14 year old friend, affectionately known as Jazzy, came along for moral support, videography, and basic grooming help. We were more than thrilled for the help! And I have to say Jazzy is one of the best grooms I've ever experienced! (Besides my fantastic mom, of course)

Our trip down to Savannah was pretty uneventful, although I was sure it was going to start pouring down rain at any instant. The weather held out, however, and was perfectly delightful for our afternoon hack. Tammy and I were able to take Willa and Sudi around the grounds and around the scary judge’s booth for the morning's dressage rounds.

I managed to school Sudi over a small cross bar and 18" veritcal, and he even showed Willa a thing or two about the ropes of jumping as well. Although, I have to say Willa was a bit dramatic about the jump and tried a couple times to fall on her face when she thought the jump might bite her. Tammy took it all in stride though, and schooled her excellently.

Friday night lent itself to cooler weather, and we dressed to head downtown to a fancy dinner at The Shrimp Factory. (A coworker of mine had put me in touch with our client contact there and arranged for us to have a nice gift certificate to the restaurant). If you ever head to Savannah, STOP by the Shrimp Factory for dinner. Our evening was simply delightful – could not have asked for a better time!

The latter evening was dampened however by the fact that Tammy's favorite Trakehner mare Bunny was experiencing colic type symptoms, but with lameness. Thankfully my mom was able to be with her while the vet came out for examination. (She didn’t have colic but rather bowed a tendon and severe pain)

On Saturday morning we were able to waken early to get over to Silverthorne stables to braid. I had never braided an entire mane by myself before, and Jazzy had never braided period, so we set to work on Sudi's mane (despite his best attempts to maneuver around us, squish us into walls etc.) Within an hour, he was completely braided and beautiful. Although the braids weren't perfect, I was not terribly worried since it was our first time, it was a schooling show, and Sudi is only three. There's only so much a three year old can take! (or his stressed owner for that matter!)

Sudi and I were the first to do our dressage rounds, and he was a complete hard worker! After a nerve wracking warm up due to his incessant whinnying for Willa, he entered the dressage arena and really focused. Or as much focus as he oculd muster as a three year old. I was even more thrilled when he actually EXTENDED at the walk and reached forward!!! WOW! He ended up with a 57%, placing us in second in the Green Horse Intro A class! (the first time we didn’t come in last! – Hallelujah!). Either way, I was so markedly impressed with his improvement, I couldn’t swipe the smile off my face. I would have been that happy even if we’d come in dead last.

My radiating mood indeed lasted into our next class where Sudi was so amazingly consistent. Although he was avoiding contact in certain areas, he was beginning to bend around his corners and circles – my main goal for the entire event. He came out of that class, Green Horse Intro B, with a 61.5%, putting him in 1st place! (Even above Willa!).

The Judge, Pam Kimbell, was amazing and offered me some really good insights:

• Even as a three year old, he needs to strive for contact. While we’re technically not asking him to be “on the vertical,” contact is essential for rounding.
  


• She also gave me a good thought from Klimke. Riders often ask in dressage “How much?” Klimke’s simple answer is: “Enough to make a difference.” Then we get to reward.

After our thrilling dressage rides, I was more than confidant to take on the Hunter Ring. I took Sudi back to his stall for about an hour break. He planted himself in front of his fan and munched on hay contentedly.

Meanwhile, it took me about an hour to peel off my dressage breaches and put on ones more appropriate for hunters. That was a CHORE - especially when there’s not a single room on the show grounds that has air-conditioning, and it feels like upper 90’s outside.

We made it safely back into the hunter ring for our Baby Green Hunter U/S walk-trot class. There were only four of us, so I knew we’d at least get a ribbon. ;-) My only complaint about the class was the footing. It was horrible. The sand was so thick, I felt like every last step was going to be our last. Sudi was a complete champ though. He went around the ring like he was made to be a hunter. We actually ended up, to my amazement and delight, winning the class. Tammy said that the clincher was our trot to halt transition. I simply laugh at this because halting is one of Sudi’s “rewards.” He LOVES to halt. (Gets us brownie points for our dressage halt scores too!). He would have been content to stay halted and not go get his ribbon too. ;-)

Our last class of the day was the baby green cross-bar class. There were a total of six-seven jumps (I can’t quite remember), and we jumped, or rather trotted happily over, four-five of them GREAT. We had a stop at the number three jump (a simple white cross-bar) because we came into it at a strange angle and he was sure it looked like a horse-eater. After a simple sniff he hopped right over it. I pressed on to the next two jumps with as much forward movement as I could possibly generate in the mile high sand. However, we had another stop at a flower box, where he not only stopped to smell, BUT eat the flowers as well. I gave a more than mild nudge and we hopped successfully over that one as well. While we ended up last in that class, I definitely came out laughing, and Sudi came out thrilled that he was done for the day.

All in all, we had a fantastic time at the show. Tammy came out the Lowest CT Score Champion as well – with a fantastic score of 33!

Now we’re on to bigger and better things: Lessons and auditing a Parelli clinic!

The VERY Sad One with the Loss of the Super Pony

Yesterday marks the very untimely passing of perhaps one of the greatest equine athletes this world has known in years. Theodore O’Connor, known to his family, friends and fans as “Teddy” was humanely euthanized on March 28, 2008.

According to statements from Karen and David O’Connor, Teddy was being ridden when he spooked, threw his rider and then bolted towards the barn. As he approached, he fell and slid into one of the barn doors lacerating all of the tendons in one of his back legs. Three on-scene vets unanimously agreed that there was simply nothing that could be done to save Teddy.

If I am still tearing up at the thought of Teddy’s passing, I cannot begin to imagine the heartache and loss that the O’Connors and Teddy’s owners must be feeling. As one said, he was the “People’s Pony.” Everyone in America was cheering this bravest of brave ponies on as he had just been named to the 2008 Olympic short list.

Teddy was truly and inspiration to many and to his sport. This is a tremendous loss for the equine community that will be felt for years.

My prayers and condolences go out to all those who were an integral part of Teddy’s life.