Great road ride with Dude and friends

On Monday afternoon, all the stars aligned and I didn't need to get home for anything, meaning more time at the barn. When I got there, Kate was saddling up Spot for a ride so I asked if I could go along with her. It ended up being us and Farrah on Jackson.

We rode out through the field toward the outdoor ring. It's so pretty this time of year, with a million shades of green as the trees leaf out. The grass is so high, it's unbelievable. The horses were dying to stop and graze. We rode all the way to the field boundary where there's an open section to access the road. We then turned left on the road to head back toward the barn. Traffic wasn't too bad and there were only a couple speeders. Most people slowed down as they approached us. There were quite a few motorcycles and one cyclist.

All three horses were great, looking around curiously as they walked and unfazed by the intermittent traffic. It was Dude's first time out on the roads this spring; I think Katie may have ridden him out once this winter. He was so relaxed, I had the reins loose and swinging. All three horses kept shifting positions in the line-up, but in a calm way, and none of them seemed to mind when they got another horse's nose in their tail. They all seemed perfectly happy to plod along, and it was really pleasant.

When we got back to the intersection by the barn, we decided to go down Chapin Road. The intersection by the barn is a little bit hairy. The main road, Old Stage, is paved and people tend to fly up the hill that is right before the intersection, and many take a quick right onto the dirt road the barn is on. Off that road is a hairpin right onto Chapin. It's definitely a good spot to by hyper-aware of oncoming traffic and to be completely sure the coast is clear before making a move.

The ride down Chapin was nice also. That road doesn't get much traffic at all. When we turned and headed back to the barn we were on a slight uphill grade, and I could feel Dude really working his hind end. When I took the saddle off back at the barn, he was sweaty under the saddle pad, so it was a good workout for him. I think we were gone close to an hour.

On Friday, Dude has an appointment with a holistic vet that we've seen before. She flies in from Utah 2-3 times a year to meet with clients. We haven't seen her in about 3 years, both as a cost-cutting measure and because we haven't had much need. I'd like to talk with her about Dude's winter weight loss and how best to handle it going forward, and a couple of other minor things. He'll also have a chiropractic treatment -- his saddle is so heavy and I feel like I drag it across his back, which isn't good. I've always enjoyed our appointments with her and I'm looking forward to this one. Looks like it will be a late arrival to work after a couple morning hours at the barn!

Back in business

Spent some quality time at the barn today which was good, because this past week was rush-rush-rush. Had given Dude the previous week off because of his little wall-kicking lameness episode, then I was so busy I didn't have a chance to do anything with him during week #2 after the wall kicking. I lunged Bestie about a week ago, and then she also got to have a week of leisure.

It was great today to go to the barn and not feel rushed. Yay for weekends! Dude and his buddies have been switched to a back pasture; they're rotating other horses through the lovely grassy paddock where he was last week. The field he's in now is kind of a mess because it has woods all around the perimeter and doesn't seem to get a lot of sun to dry it out (not that we've had a lot of sun). So it's quite soupy along the lower fenceline and the back corner that adjoins Bestie's field. I now know his field well because I had to walk it today to find his fly mask.

I got him all cleaned up and saddled up and then we headed to the outdoor ring. He was peppy, which was nice, and I took it as an indication that he was feeling pretty good. He just seemed to be happy to be out and about. One thing about Dude, no matter how much time he has off, you can jump right on him with no repercussions.

We got out to the ring and it was great, just damp enough to not be dusty. Trotted him a little bit and did circles around the jumps that were set up, then went out and around the perimeter of the ring to head back to the barn. The dark clouds rolled in all day, but it never did rain. The temperature was slightly cool but pleasant, and there were no bugs. All in all, a nice day for a ride.

Once we got back, I untacked him and then took him to the wash stall to scrub his legs. I noticed last week that the creeping crud that we usually encounter on his back legs is on his front lower legs also, so I've been scrubbing with Betadine whenever the weather permits a moment in the outdoor wash stall. I think they're looking better. Will probably scrub again tomorrow. I just did a search on it (which would've been quicker if I hadn't gotten mixed up about pasterns vs. cannons), and it seems like "gelding crud" is a pretty common thing that people battle with everything from Betadine to MTG to Neutrogena T-Gel shampoo). Plus he's got a couple nicks on his lower back left leg that I've been cleaning off and putting ointment on.

Looking forward to going to the barn tomorrow ... it's supposed to be in the upper 60s and sunny!

More issues with Dude

Dude just appears determined to cause trouble. His old neighbor Jonah moved back into the stall next door after time away training in the South, and they shared a few ugly faces through the chicken wire before settling down. During one of the ugly face-making sessions, I happened to be across the aisle in Bestie's stall when I heard a crash, like a kick, against the wooden wall. I didn't really think too much of it until I went over to Dude's stall to groom him and noticed he was favoring his back right foot.

I got him out and walked him and the strange thing was that he would walk a few steps and then go gimpy, walk a few steps, then go gimpy. It wasn't consistent at all. I hosed his back leg down, which he didn't like, and after debating with myself, told Larry to go ahead and turn him out in the morning since I figured he would NOT be happy and would likely cause more trouble for himself stewing inside. I gave him bute.

The next day I called in to see if I should come by the barn, and Larry said he looked better. And was behaving outside; always nice to hear. So I waited until after work to go by, and he did look fine. Granted he had two doses of bute since it had occurred, but I expected to see at least a little limp given how bad he had been the previous evening when he went "off."

The kick happened on Saturday. It's now Wednesday and I'm considering taking him off the bute to see how he does. He's apparently had a pretty quiet few days outside, and I haven't ridden him. So we'll see.