DefinitelyDressage.com

heddylamar

Mom definitely adds another element to finding sitters. Usually it’s finding farm sitters for the horses and dogs and cat. I understand! I'm the occasional farm sitter, elder horse/dog/cat/chicken/cow sitter and garden caretaker, and Mom's stand-in on-site caretaker for Dad ... not that he needs on...

heddylamar

{{{So many hugs}}} It's so hard watching our loved ones grow older, and even harder when you're the primary caregiver. Is your sister near enough that you can trade houses and take a short vacation? Both aunts — and the second/third(?) cousin — who cared for my grandparents during their declines wer...

heddylamar

I'm a huge fan of the donation! If not Pony Club or another local horse cause (we have several therapeutic riding programs around here), is there another cause your friend supported?

heddylamar

My aunt's well into her 60s and does 15+ mile day hikes in the Cascades, as well as multi-day rides on her horses in the back country. She has "retired" from dressage ... really, just quit actively training and competing. She still trains her trail horses through third level. Mom's several...

heddylamar

Two of mine were handled daily as foals — as was Maia — and there was/is NO way you'd ever get to walk up to them while down. On the other hand, I've got an adorable photo of Maia at the vet hospital at 3 months old, very sick and on all sorts of fluids, with several vets and techs on their knees ne...

heddylamar

Maia stays lying down, and will lick my foot while I rub her hide. But all the others I've had, including my other mare Anzia, leap up the moment a human approached.

heddylamar

I'd have a mare attempting to strangle herself

I do have both mares change directions in front of me, but it's like what you see here at 7 seconds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtsMaGG3reg

And, yes, I lunge in a rope halter 90% of the time.

heddylamar

Yeah. It's deep. Between that and the stirrup bar placement, it doesn't work for me. But, neither my mom nor aunt are tall-ish with long legs.

heddylamar

When mom moved to Memphis and bought a house with a metal roof, her formerly chill dog became terrified of storms. Mom taught her to get in the bathtub, and it became t-bug's chill spot when anything distressing was going on ... like a crate. Since you already crate the greyhound, can you try someth...

heddylamar

Do you mean the sofride? Both my mom and aunt ride in older models. It's a very comfortable saddle, and works really well for both of them. Most are foam flocked, but some are wool flocked.

heddylamar

Oh no, Ryeissa. I'm sorry your horse is going through this too. I applied ice and cold hosed the injection site, and, after talking to the vet, gave 1g bute/day for several days. She's completely fine now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It was the EWV/Flu/Tetanus/WNV combo vaccine from Boehringer Ingelheim. I've given it...

heddylamar

I was impressed by all of you who are able to ride 5 days a week. I'm self-employed and WFH full time. Riding mid-day is easy, provided there are no pending deadlines. There are weeks when I only manage 2-3 rides, and weeks where I'm in the saddle 7 days. Before I went independent, I was only in an...

heddylamar

Nonetheless, there is a number on the packaging to call the manufacturer so you can report the adverse reaction--important for the company to know when there is a problem. Thank you for this, Sue B. It didn't even occur to me to contact the manufacturer — I've done so now. After a few more days of ...

heddylamar

I answered for normal times when Maia's in regular work :P Hopefully we'll be back there in the next few weeks (fingers crossed). In the meantime, I'm riding the other LOH, Anzia 2-3 times a week. She's getting FAR more work than our normal once a week jaunt, albeit all at a walk on account of achy ...

heddylamar

Lol. Goals? I'll settle for riding again.

heddylamar

My old pony was an escape artist. He would lift gates off their hinges, or climb them. It got so bad we finally electrified the pasture gate.

heddylamar

I need clear feedback. If a metaphor isn't working, don't keep harping on the same damn thing, find another way to explain what you're asking me to do. And do not ever yell. I will walk out. Other than that? I need homework. I'm not someone who rides with my trainer weekly — it's just not possible w...

heddylamar

Here's some good info on the baucher and how it actually works: https://nsbits.com/lifestyle/benefits-of-the-baucher Heddylamar, since according to that there is no leverage, I wonder if what Maia responds to when she gets strong is the poll pressure being released as you pick up rein pressure? I'v...

heddylamar

I use a double jointed baucher on Maia. I wanted the stability, and the teensy amount of leverage it provides without resorting to a gag bit. When she really barges through my hands, Maia backs off pretty quick, so it seems to work. We’re still working on yielding to my aids, and I didn’t want an ar...

heddylamar

Maia is back to normal ... running around, airs above the ground, all that jazz. Thanks for the ideas. I’ll get a fresh tube of banamine before next spring’s vaccines. I have one dose on hand, but knowing she’d likely need more for several days, I went with bute since they shouldn’t be given in clos...

heddylamar

This is a new reaction experience for me. I gave the all-in-one vaccine on Saturday — right shoulder, from the manufacturer that my super sensitive mare has had no problem with in many forms for years. Anzia still had no reaction. Maia's had no problem with it, ever. Instead, Maia swelled up all dow...

heddylamar

Have they threatened you with a Woundvac yet? If they do, talk to me. There are things that can make it easy (er) Oh God, wound vac. Weeks and weeks of that misery with the last series of foot surgeries. I hope you are spared! The poultice bandages did the trick, so I avoided the wound vac. Fortuna...

heddylamar

I rode for the first time in 47 days today :D Anzia and I went for a wandering walk. I figured she'd be a safer bet than Maia. Despite the ortho's okay, I'm definitely not ready to be back in the saddle. I have a hoof-print sized chunk of rock hard and numb scar tissue on my inner thigh ... it shoul...

heddylamar

He's a handsome boy, Moutaineer!

heddylamar

I adore Tana French! Haven't read Witch Elm or Searcher yet. I normally save her books for international flights ... and we all know how that's gone lately. I do need to travel to Seattle this summer, and am trying to decide if I'm going to fly or drive. Time away from work (I'm self-employed) v. ri...

heddylamar

Gorgeous trot! Keep channeling that energy for good

heddylamar

The ortho cleared me to run and ride — a full FOUR weeks earlier than expected!! I'm not expecting much. Everything works correctly ... but I still have a good softball+ of extra volume in my inner thigh. And I have to keep up the icing, elevation, and compression until that's gone. Who knows how th...

heddylamar

Canning kettle, pressure cooker, vacuum(s) [I kill them], giant box of tools, and electric lawn mower have been some of my favorite gifts

I bought my own tractor ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

heddylamar

blob wrote:I'm fully anticipating that I will feel crummy. But yikes, I really hope I don't get any of the nausea and vomiting. I would gladly take a longer/higher fever to avoid any GI issues.

I hope you’re spared! It was a miserable 24 hours.

heddylamar

We both had our second Pfizer vaccine yesterday morning. I was progressively achier all day, and went to bed early because I was tired of it ... little did I know :( I was up and down all night with nausea, vomiting, and fever. Spouse moved into the other bedroom at some point, so I hoped he was spa...

heddylamar

OMG. That's awful, Sue. I am so sorry.

heddylamar

I think arresting the spin with counter bending would be helpful; something I should know, but don't do reflexively enough in the moment. I walk myself through things like this at the walk, or on another horse (sorry, Anzia :lol) until it becomes automatic. With Anzia, and now Maia, I don't have ti...

heddylamar

Maia had a very similar period (it's probably partially documented in the 2013 thread). It took me a while to figure out the pattern. It turned out that when she balked — and went up — it was mostly due to some perceived blocking from me. Too much contact, any contact, too much leg, too much seat — ...

heddylamar

Not yet! I will if that becomes a thing. The big threat right now is opening it up and putting in a drain if I get another infection. But, the three weeks of four different antibiotics seem to finally be working (knock on wood), and the ortho has me using a drawing poultice.

heddylamar

How are you doing? I hope you are healing, too. My leg is a shadow of it's former self :lol: I still have about 2 baseballs worth of blood clot and an open wound. It's the perfect breeding ground for infection — which I've been through a few times now. Ideally, I wouldn't be out at the barn until t...

heddylamar

Xrays are good — no foreign bodies, and no damage to the coffin bone. And Maia's still perfectly sound (Can you imagine walking on a really bad hangnail? All I can think is OUCH!!) The vet said to keep doing as I have been — all the gorilla tape + epsom salt poultice + gauze — for a few weeks. She's...

heddylamar

Eek. Good point, tlk. Made a vet appointment. She's sound ... but not keeping the duct tape boot on. I'm going to go pick up several hoof boots (guessing what size will fit), and over sized bell boots to make bandaging a bit easier. I'll ask the vet about makuna honey. Stall rest is not an option un...

heddylamar

Maia tore off a chunk of hoof wall today — not up to the cornet. She's sound. It bled, copiously. I rinsed well, washed with chlorhexidine surgical scrub, packed with sterile gauze, and covered in vet wrap and duct tape. Neither BO nor I have dealt with a wound like this in a long while. Beyond infe...

heddylamar

Maia — who's always forward — went through a similar balky baby/tween period. There was nothing physically wrong with her. But, for about 18 months if I asked for too much at any moment, she'd hit the brakes. OTOH, if I stopped and mentally reset, then didn't ask too much we'd be off. It took a few ...

heddylamar

Surprisingly this past month has actually been good for my fitness. I've been having kidney problems for much of the last year, on top of the preceding hip injury, and it's just sucked my will to run out of me. If you knew me IRL, you'd understand just how alarming that is. I'm the freak who goes ou...

heddylamar

I have two credit cards, and savings ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

heddylamar

Moutaineer wrote:I also managed a half pass--it just wasn't in the direction it was meant to go.

heddylamar

When I'm riding (side eyeing Ms. Maia), one of my fellow boarders and I regularly set up grids and cavaletti. One of my favorites for Anzia (and friend's mare) is a walking exercise with four poles set similar to in the Bow Tie fan (SF's Horse Journal Link) set at 4' apart at the center of the poles...

heddylamar

Ouch! I'm so glad it was a bruise only landing.

heddylamar

We got our first round of Pfizer yesterday. DH is experiencing no side effects, but I've had a headache all day. That's a side effect I'm happy to experience.

heddylamar

OMG. Jingles for your herd, Chisamba.

heddylamar

StraightForward wrote:Tesla really turned the corner on cantering today.

This phrasing made me laugh. Good work, Tesla

heddylamar

Ouch. Poor Laddie! I hope there's a clear cause — not a fan of mysteries.

heddylamar

Woohoo!!!!

heddylamar

That's awful, Chisamba. I hope your horses are safe.

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