*poof* (part 2) June 11, 2008
Posted by kimayars Uncategorized
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It’s just one of those weeks I guess…
I started lunging Tigger today just as my instructor showed up. We were just heading to the left when she walked up and said, “He looks off.” I looked closer and noticed that he was favoring the right a little. Then I noticed a slight head bob. Tigger is smooth enough that he has virtually no head bob when trotting. But, I convinced myself that it was just him being stiff, uneven footing, I didn’t have him properly bent, he had a rock in his shoe, etc… We stopped him and felt for heat and (luckily) his legs & feet were stone cold. We picked his feet for good measure and sent him on.
It was still there. Subtle, but there. Hmm… What should I do? Call it? Ride anyway? I was kind of torn.
So, I sent him on to the right. There was no doubt anymore, he was off on the left, probably somewhere in the shoulder. His left knee wasn’t breaking and the head bob was more pronounced.
Dammit.
On one hand I’m glad I have an instructor who is very observant and attune to the horse. She didn’t make money from my lesson today and could have asked me to get on to see if it would loosen up over time. I love her ethics. Instead of a lesson I got a good dose of sympathy from her (which I needed).
On the other hand, I’m very discouraged. I took the time off from work to FINALLY get back in the saddle and be able to do it without rushing. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. I’ll check back in a day or two and see how he’s doing. Hopefully he’ll be sound for my lesson on Monday.
Instead I trimmed his bridle path and gave him a tennis ball massage (he’s seems to really enjoy those). We did some belly lifts and a few stretches, then I turned him out on grass. I think overall he was happy with the day’s events. I was a bit dissatisfied.
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