Darr on the Brink of December

Sarry is feeling a bit under the weather , so I am taking Darr reporting duties. In today's news:

• Erin was unexpectedly away in Ottawa on Wednesday (!) so we weren't able to have our lesson time with her. No worries. The four of us had a lovely time riding (Darr and Sarah, Ginger and I) with the arena all to ourselves. We are hoping to spend some time with Erin soon, particularly Sarah can begin work with the draw reins and later on, lunging per your notes.
• We are staying on track with the program you sent - 3 sets of approx. 2 minute trot intervals and lots of varied walking -  spending about 40 minutes altogether in the arena.  Sarah is continuing with large circles and wide-curved serpentines.
• Darr continues to look healthy and happy, moving smoothly with no sign of stiffness.
• Ever since the chiro treatment, Darr has been extra energetic. From the first day, he has been alert and willing to go, but now he is raring to go. Sarah reported that he was verging on breaking into canter more than once, and she had to rein him back. This was while she was working a two-point at a brisk trot. Probably a good sign! Hey people! Let's get this show on the road!
• The bumps on his rear hoof are disappearing; we have been remiss on reporting on this front. Apparently the Hoof and Mane treatement works!
• Darr is most co-operative with the ice treatment, by the way. It doesn't seem to bother him in the least to have a giant ice bag strapped around his leg. Interesting, since he doesn't seem too fond of his boots.
• Your notes, Jenny, are superb. Very detailed and methodical, so thank you very much! Helpful both for us and in communicating your intentions to Erin, too.
• Darr likes to chew on his cross-ties.
• And, last but not least, here is a silly picture:

 

Where are the treats?

I can't say enough about his pleasant disposition. He is one of the quietest, friendliest. most curious horses we have ever had the pleasure of riding. Very sweet indeed! While I am no horse trainer, I have to assume that you and Victoria have treated him kindly and well.

Boots

So happy to hear he is back in action and feeling good!

I am thinking, why don't you ask Erin what she thinks about boot/leg protection?  I think you can certainly lose the back ones - I never liked that style and seems like he doesn't either!  Ana hated them.  And then for the front, Erin may have something, or some ideas, about what is best as he progresses. 

Trot'n'Roll

After a few days off, Darrington was ready to roll yesterday! He was good as usual when tacking up, but once I got on his back, he didn’t want to stop! Not that he was bad, just a little restless. It was a good ride, nonetheless. Although, afterwards, the little bugger decided to poop on my stuff. I guess it was payback for neglecting him for a few days. Anyways, we’ve decided not to use the polos yet (because my polo technique isn’t quite up to snuff) and I think we’re going to start leaving off his back boots as well if he doesn’t really need them. He did a lot of stomping yesterday, trying to get them off. That’s all for now, and hopefully we’ll be going to see him again today!

Darr's Moving Smoother Now

A quick update on Darr!  After three full days off post-chiro, Darr was moving beautifully today. No sign of stiffness. He was quite energetic, too, clearly wanting to work and to get moving. Not sure if the time off inspired his restlessness or the weather: first snowstorm of the season today. Well, snow, mini-hail, sleet and slush.

We rode for 25-30 minutes today, walking and trotting in keeping with his program to date. We haven't connected with Erin yet in person to hear a full report as to the chiro but we'll let you know as soon as we do. We are planning to spend a our lesson time with her this week to talk about Darr, his recovery program, draw reins, etc,. We'll take your notes, Jenny, and let that be our launch point, and we'll share Erin's view form the ground.

Sarah will be back soon with her own "from the saddle" report. 

Darr Taking a Post-Treatment Break

Darr has been enjoying a few days off from the ring after his chiro treatment on Wednesday. Sarah visited him on Wednesday, but she rode Andre the Gentle Giant for her lesson (Andre, who looks like he should be pulling the Budweiser wagon but moves with remarkable grace):

That's a lot of neck to brush!

Sarah will be out to ride Darr on Saturday and we will have a full update!

Schedule for November 19-25

Hi Lisa and Sarah,

I am forgot to hit publish on my last post attempt!  Sorry for the radio silence on this end :)

Mainly I was just going to say that for this week, it would be great if you could incorporate 30 second - 1 minute trot intervals into his walking.  I am thinking three sets would be good, with a few minutes of walking in between.  And then as before, no tight circles or abrupt movements as much as possible.

That's not great news that he appears stiff - was it just in general, or with respect to one leg, or his hind end or something, did Erin say?  And did it get any better as he continued?  I am just wondering if it is possible that he is a little lazy, or perhaps not fully comfortable without shoes on, or if indeed he has done something to himself... Keep me posted on that, and if it keeps up and you have video capabilities, would you mind taking a short video of it?

Talk soon!  Hope Sarah's play tied up well and she had fun.

Week 2 Report

Unfortunately, my phone isn't 100% compatible with blogger, so a couple times it didn't save and it didn't post. So today I will quickly highlight the events of this week:

Wednesday: Finally, we have everything we need! We had a nice long stroll without the distraction of traffic around us, and he was lovely as usual :)

Thursday&Saturday: Nothing much to report today, just another good walk.

Sunday: First trot! Woo! Great fun :) Although, at one point, Erin observed  that he was moving a little stiffly. She suggested that something might've happened to him in the paddock. Other than that, he was good, and happy. He didn't seem to be favouring that leg at all, but we'll check further into that tomorrow.

Today's Update

Sarah walked with Darr for twenty minutes both yesterday and today. All is well. Next day out:  Saturday!

Mane, Tail and Ginger

For today's stable visit, we had the Mane 'n Tail Groom, in hand, as well as Darr's new 54" girth and Mane n' Tail Hoofmaker. Sarah used to always treat Sebastian's hoofs with this stuff to keep him hoofs healthy, so we thought Darr might benefit from the same treatment. Let us know your thoughts.

We were lucky enough to get out the barn earlier today, so had the arena to ourselves. That's a rare treat. The horse-riding hordes typically descend shortly after four o'clock. 

Here's a quick pic of Darr and his paddock buddies, Sydney and Reggie. As you can see in the photo, Darr managed to get his halter off his face and down his neck. Sarah adjusted it a notch (and cleaned it, again -- seems to be a mud magnet!)

Hi Mom!

I rode Darr briefly today after Sarah's work with him. I carefully walked one lap of the arena with him. I am quite sure that he immediately picked up on my novice rider status, but by half-way 'round I clued in to keep my leg on a little better and he actually picked up a working walk for me. Exciting! He was probably just indulging me because I gave him a thorough head scratch earlier. 

I will be riding another horse, though, as I have signed on to part-board Ginger, the veteran mare who I lesson on. That way, when Sarah comes out to ride Darr, I can walk and trot around on Ginger. It is a heck of a lot warmer than standing! And hopefully, I will develop a better riding seat.  We do expect to get out tomorrow, too, and then on Saturday. Looking forward to some trotting intervals next week.

These Boots Were Made for Walking

Another day, another ride! Despite the pouring rain, we went to see Darr today, and he was his usual good self. He didn't object too much when I kept him from his grain, and other than some head-swinging (he was very interested in the horse in the stall beside us who was intent on guarding his food) while I fumbled around with the bridle, he was a good boy. He was a little restless in the ring and I think he's about ready to start trotting soon, and we'll probably do some on Saturday. The arena was very crowded today, but he handled it like a pro.

In other news, he doesn't really seem to like his boots (he's been kicking at the back ones and rubbing at the front ones) and since i'm starting to get the hang of polo-wrapping, I think we'll switch to those. Tomorrow we'll be off to Greenhawk for some more shopping, and hopefully this time we'll get the right girth! 

Darr's Mud Fever (?) Status

Yes, it's Darr's hoof (right rear). Just an update on the mud fever status. 

 

It is looking better than it was; it is certainly no worse. You can see two bumps here (the dark patch and the lighter one below it) That is the extent of it. We put zinc on it, at Lesley's suggestion, but we are going to get some MTG, per your mom's advice (she kindly emailed me with info & directions for use last night).  We are going Darr-shopping tomorrow, so will have the new stuff for our next trip out on Wednesday. I will inspect his other feet more closely when we are out next and let you know if there are other developments. Lesley keeps an eye on him, too.

BTW, Keep us posted on your thoughts about shoes. I know you had a plan in mind, and carefully explained, and I have completely forgotten. Though it seems to me that we discussed how the particular slant of his hoof can impact on his tendons (and this is why those of us with lousy knees sometimes wear orthotics, but I digress). I do have four shoes that your mom gave us.

Also, he is out of treats, a situation almost unheard of for us. We will rectify that immediately, as it is our position that horses should be suitably treated after all work :).

In other news, apparently, Darr and Miley (our cat, for those of you who haven't met her) share a love of having their necks scratched. I was brushing some sand off of Darr's neck today and he cocked his head down and leaned in so hard, well, I thought he was a cat. That is absolutely Miley's gig. So, Darr had a thorough neck massage today. He also enjoys rubbing his cheek on Sarah.  

Cheers! Sarah will be posting her walk-update, too.

Week 2 - November 12-18

Thanks for the update Sarah!  Glad he has some buddies now.

I just wanted to post to say if you guys can keep the same work going for this week - that is, just walking exercise for as long as you like, that would be great.  We'll see how the week goes since I know you are busy and then we can re-assess at the end of the week and hopefully start some trotting next week depending on how much you are able to get out!

Hope Aladdin is going well!! 

Workout Number 2

After a long week, we were finally able to get back to the barn. The first thing we noticed upon arriving was that our favourite ungulate was not in his usual paddock. Although, a long walk to the far pastures revealed that he had been moved to a new pasture with some friends (pictures soon)! He did seem happy to see us though :) He was a little restless on the walk in and at first when he started tacking up, but he settled down quickly. I got on and we did a solid 20 minutes of extended walk, collected walk and lots of circles. He seemed quite content after that, and dove happily into his hay when we put him away in his new stall (he was relocated because Matty came back). Hopefully, we'll be able to go see him again soon.

Program for Week 1 - November 5-12

Hi All,

So for this week, if you'd like to just continue walking him under tack for around 15 minutes or so (or as long as you like without freezing your tootsies off), that would be just great! 

And then anytime you have the time you can apply an ice pack while you are untacking (you can put him into his stall with it on too and multitask with putting blankets on etc) for about 10 minutes. 

I hadn't seen your more recent posts, this blog is a great idea!!

Jenny

Darrington's Road to Recovery: Day 1

Technically, I suppose it is Day 2, as Jenny walked Darrington for 15 minutes yesterday!

Today was Sarah's first day on Darr. Here they are looking in fine fiddle (as my British friend & graphics guy Michael likes to say):



Today's workout: 1-lap warm-up on the lead line; 20 minutes walking laps, big circles, across the diagonal, moving from a working walk to an extended walk and back again (this is mom's report from the ground).  We kept his cooler on throughout because it was darn cold.

Comments:  HE IS SO CUTE!!! and curious and attentive. Sarah is delighted that Darr is so responsive to leg cues. What a treat for her.

Next day out: hopefully Monday and/or Wednesday, depending on the homework situation.

Darr at the Barn: Day 2



Darr meets the flamingoes

 

Today, after being suitably groomed, Sarah took Darr for a walk in the arena on a lead line: 

 

 

OK, clearly I have to work on the quality of my video.

 

Sarah and Darr worked up to an extended walk, performed some circles and also executed a few turns on the forehand. Darr was most intrigued by the jumps, particularly those with flowers. He also sniffed the ground at some length (some hound in his blood perhaps?)

 

Afterward, Darr exhibited some restlessness in his stall, walking in semi-circles and flinging his right rear leg behind him while Sarah wrestled him into his blanket. It was almost grain time, mind you, so he was probably a little annoyed that his barnmates were eating while he had to wait. Can't say as I blame him. Sarah notes that once he is working full-time again, he is more likely to be relaxed.

 

 



50 Shades of Bay....Not

My Name is Darrington, and no, I am not a Bay. Today, I moved to my new home at Top of the Hill Farm in Oro-Medonte. My new riding buddy, Sarah, came out to visit me. I like her because she smells good. First, she gave me a once-over with a curry-comb:

Then, she combed my mane and my tail, and picked out my feet. She told me that I was especially handsome and rather tall.

She even cleaned my halter (but I think she was just looking for excuses to stay at the barn longer):



She gave me some apple treats and promised that she would come back to see me tomorrow. I think I'm going to like it here: