January 2008

Welcome to the new year. After a few weeks off, I have lost track of the week count in Prince's training schedule, so you'll find reference instead to dates now. We've had some changes, most notably the entire barn moved to a new facility on Jan. 1. The upheaval was a bit challenging for the humans involved, but it was a big, fun adventure for Mr. Prince. All the horses on the place seemed to know something was up and there was a lot of uncharacteristic skittishness, cranky arguments between longtime neighbors and a few attempts to destroy the barns. But Prince was pretty much unfazed. On moving day he climbed right into the trailer, rode quietly and then wanted to go exploring immediately on arrival. "What's over there? How about there? Come on! Let's go see!" He settled into his new home, a cozy stall with a run, in spite of a very nervous neighbor and the general confusion of moving equipment, tack, tackrooms, bedding, etc.

He has now explored much of the property, dragging me along on the leadline not in disobedience but in sheer innocent curiosity to see what's behind each structure and tree. He's such a funny guy. He (with the rest of the new arrivals) is especially enamoured of the small grass turnouts. Even though the dormant bermuda is brown and dry, they're all grazing happily no doubt with visions of summer green. He also repeated his behavior of gazing across the arena fences studying the surroundings for a significant time during each of his first few turnouts. When he does this, he shows absolutely no evidence of nervousness or fear of the unknown, just an enthusiatic nosiness! He really is quite a character.

After having the first two weeks as settling in time (because of my schedule, not because he couldn't have gone right to work) he's back to work. I was pleasantly surprised that our first longe sessions in the new arena and dressage ring were really productive. I had anticipated some hijinks and lack of focus, but with just tiny reminders to pay attention he worked obediently and in balance at all the gaits both directions. He has grown up so much in the last year. Back then it was a bit of an adventure leading him from stall to turnout and he always ran away and played games when it was time to be caught. Thanks to his owner's diligent groundwork and an extremely effective few sessions of clicker training, he has lovely ground manners and nearly always comes to meet me at the gate when it's time to come in (well, not when he's grazing in the grass turnouts!)

Speaking of Prince's rescuer, she has decided to start looking for a good permanent home for this wonderful animal. She has other animals needing her special care just now, and says when she took in Prince she always knew it was just a temporary "home" as he found his way back to soundness. So, if any of you who have been reading his story is interested in owning this very special horse, please contact me. The focus of the search for a new owner is based entirely on him having a very good, loving home where he can continue to learn and grow. All serious inquiries will be carefully considered!

February 2008

This month was a bit more of a challenge than I expected. After a relatively smooth move and settling-in period, we had a bit of a training setback. Prince became uphappy under saddle, uncharacteristically refusing to move forward and even kicking out behind when pressed to go. I did not interpret this as a behavior problem; instead I searched for physical issues that led to the change in attitude. First I went over his back looking for soreness, and didn't find anything obvious. Prince gets regular bodywork as part of his rehab and the ground exercises I do are also hands-on, so I'm pretty confident that I'm familiar with his problem areas. I did find some reluctance in him to lift his back, which is what I ask him to do to initiate forward motion under saddle. Further exploration showed me an area on his right ribcage that looked flat - the intercostal muscles had locked down for some reason and he was holding through his entire right side. Could be an injury from turnout - a hard bump or a kick that didn't break the skin.

Then I double-checked saddle fit. I had changed saddles on him before the move, choosing a dressage saddle with a bit wider tree that seemed to fit better as his back came up. (Look back at Week 19 to see how the topline changed.) The saddle I rode him for the previous months had started to seem narrow and to interfere at the withers when he lifted his spine. The wider saddle still seemed to fit fine, but I experimented with slightly different positions and added a set of shims to the front. No change. I returned to the first saddle, including a narrow set of shims to eliminate any chance of interference with the wither and he was pretty happy. Combined with some targeted massage to loosen up the right ribs, this change seemed to work fine. Just goes to show that saddle fitting is an art, not a science, and we do best when we listen to the horse as the ultimate authority on what fits. When I met Prince he had a pretty normal "track back" - tight, sore and hard as a rock. I suppose he may just have become picky about how saddles feel on him now that he knows what a soft, elastic back feels like. That seems fair.

March 2008

The big news this month is that Prince has a new home! He left mid-month to start his new career at a busy breeding and training facility with a new owner who knows and prizes his racing bloodlines. After the breeding season is over and training starts for the youngsters, he'll get a tryout as a pony horse. Hope that work we did longeing with another horse will pay off in good pony horse manners.

The move was a big adventure for Mr. Prince, who I think was really ready to move on to something new and different. His new owner reported he traveled well, got off the trailer calmly and settled right in to his new pen surrounded by a bunch of fat broodmares. I'll sure miss his sweet, engaging personality and those big brown eyes that caused one of his admirers to nickname him "the boyfriend horse." But I'm very happy he has a great new home and can go on to explore what he's meant to do with a good basis to help him stay sound and happy for many years to come.

Guess that means I have an opening for a new rehab project. so contact me if you have a horse who could benefit from my approach! Meanwhile, my two horses will miss their friend and playmate, but no doubt will like having a bit more of my attention.