I think it's safe to say Diego is settling in well at the new place. This month he's taken to scrapping with neighbors over stall gates in the barn whenever we walk past, he's perking his ears when the pasture horses creep closer to investigate us, rather than looking worried and hiding behind me. His personality is coming out in full force: bold, energetic and bully-ish. The barn manager expressed surprise and amusement over it just this week. We all agree spring is in the air and he's feelin' it.
Once I got his diet settled and squared away last month, then it was time to address his trim. His hooves need a different trim now than they did though the winter: change of terrain, time passed and work intensity all demand a change. Change is by nature difficult for me and I find my habits and muscle memory slow to alter, so I've taken a step back and given him a month without any hoof changes and will alter the trim as needed soon.
So what's left on the agenda after diet and trim + regular in-hand work is all addressed?
RIDING!!!
I've gotten to sit on him quite a few times on calm evenings at the barn after our walks. That in itself was HUGE.
I spent some time feeling down and guilty though after my first few mounts: Diego kept moving away from whatever mounting object I was using. We know eachother well enough for me to know this is from a hesitancy due to pain, not a desire to 'get out of work' (this horse could outwork ME if he wanted). I got on him anyway (the part I've been feeling guilty over), and once mounted he seemed perfectly fine, if anything, antsy to walk and really stride out. His huge strided walk is back in full force! Slowly though as we've progressed to taking 10 minute rides down the driveway - I start to feel less guilty. Some well timed articles detailing the horses' two fold ability to live in the moment and protect their body from pain AND also remember back to painful memories and protect their body from that remembered pain (whether currently relevant or not) surfaced this week and I found myself analyzing the situation yet again. Diego has alot of remembered pain from years of imbalance and his lumbar issue, then a year of being forced to work with a rider on his back when he had sore and sometimes laminitic hooves. I cringe at the thought but that was the reality... meanwhile I had been frustrated as I could be looking at external solutions like tack changes and joint supplements. I find it interesting that after a handful of decent, very short rides D has come to stand still (albiet impatiently) for mounting.
Since we only spend 10-15 minutes each time with me riding I've been at a loss for what to work on. One thing I decided this time around - was I did not want to let him go 'long and low' 100% of the time. Learning how the back works I've learned that letting the nuctural(?) ligament take up the slack and hold me up (which is what it's doing when he lowers his head way down) will not accomplish my goal of building back muscle properly. Naturally I don't want him to go around tense, high headed and hollow either, so there had to be an in-between.
So far he's operating at 100%, meaning as always he remembers and can execute almost anything right off the bat: leg yields, half passes, shoulder in, haunches in - you name it! I was shocked. Instead of starting back at square one, mentally he's starting back at square 8 out of 10! I have to be careful to remind myself his body isn't as far along as his mind is, but regardless he's surprisingly flexible. Maybe all this time healing those hooves have truly helped him in that he's not moving with hoof pain anymore!
I've taken to trying some shoulder ins this week, with varying degrees of rein contact. I do enjoy riding on a very loose 'live' rein, but in light of not wanting his head all the way down to or below his chest 50% of the time I'm forced to ride with more contact than either of us are used to. I'm thinking this is a good thing in a way though:
1) his bitless cavessons that I use don't seem to transmit the 'drape' of the 'live rein' very well, so he's not alert and responding to the rein till it hits his neck for the most part.
2) anytime I take up more contact he gets excited, stiff, raises his head and does his age-old shuffle/jig, expecting us to go galloping down the barn aisle. O.O
Yeah... no dude.
So slowly I plan to get us used to both types of contact again. I think that's going to be important. Maybe eventually when he can comfortably carry his neck higher again, we will return to a looser 'live' contact but with higher carriage. Granted I'm not trying to force a frame here, and if I get the slightest hint that he can't do something, I certainly won't insist. I think that's an important part of our rehab, trust and mutual respect.
On the horizon? Long walks. I think he will be able to handle those soon. We've spent almost a month taking these baby steps to riding, in April I want to try him on varied terrain and longer distances. The goal is 30 minute walks for the end of April!
