Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Chamie Goes Boom And Miles Is A Pony

It's raining. It has been raining. It will keep raining. So awesome.

No, no it's not. The mud at the barn (which is not usually a muddy place in most areas) is approaching epic proportions this winter.
Today was especially fun because I got to feed all the horses in the evening. Even with everyone behaving themselves, I was wet and muddy and annoyed afterwards.

It wasn't always so! I got to the barn around 2 pm today in a pretty ok mood, considering I've just weathered the stomach flu and falling down the stairs and bruising my ass in places I never knew could be bruised. I hadn't been out since Sunday, and 2 days in a row of not seeing my ponies is kind of unheard of these days.

Miles was more than his adorable self, cantering through the mud to see me. He was head to hoof disgusting in places not covered by his blanket, and a leeetle pushy, wanting to punish ME because his head was one giant piece of dried mud and he thought I should stand still so he could take care of the situation on my coat.

Chamie was her normal cool, calm, colleted self, except when I went to pull her blanket off. One whole side was covered in mud...not like she had rolled but like she had fallen. Great. Still, she was moving ok and all legs were cool and normal-sized. I decided today was the day we Pony.

After figuring out how to get Chamie's leadrope from the saddle (we tried a couple variations, since I was NOT mounting with her attached to begin with), things went great. I learned that I never ride Miles one handed, since he had no flipping idea what I was doing with the reins at all. Thank god he was listening to my leg aids. I also learned Chamie was not going to be the grump in this situation (I totally thought she was going to revolt at some point being so close to Miles, particularly if he pulled his Hey Baby act). No, Miles was the one putting his ears back and snaking his head. WTF? I can't say he was a bad boy, because he never did anything more than that, but I was astounded that he objected to his lady friend next to him-especially because I know he is used to "being" ponied as a former racehorse. You just never know, do you?

Anyway, I was ultimately really proud of them both, mainly because no one did anything dumb and they more or less listened to me. Unfortunately, even though I had her walking maybe 15 minutes, I noticed Chamie was bobbing her head and limping. Awesome.

I got off, of course. I checked her all over and I *think* it's her left shoulder. It's definitely her left front something. Her leg still seemed cool and ok, but she flinched ever so slightly a couple of times when I ran my hand down that shoulder. Still, no heat anywhere. I gave her some bute and debated leaving her inside tonight, but she has always looked better with a little movement (no matter how little), so I'm hoping I don't get a call from the barn tomorrow morning saying she is 3 legged lame. Poor old girl. FU Mud!


Nope, no pictures, not even one. I just had to put up some kind of post...semi-frequent blogging is a sickness. Someone should really look into it.

7 comments:

  1. Hope you feel better soon - and Chamie too. Good on you for getting out there and riding anyway!! :)

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  2. Ponying success! Yes, I know the "Oh, wait, this horse doesn't know neck reining" while in the middle of it (insert Chamie for a video camera in same hand). Maybe Miles was saying "HEY, I'm top dog cuz I has Mama on ME!!!"
    I hope your Chamie feels better and after a few days (which would be expected to feel sore) feels back to normal! You feel better too!

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  3. I'm sure you did this, but just in case: make sure you discipline Miles for making faces at her. It is a dominance thing, and the last thing you want when leading or ponying is the two horses fighting each other.

    Poor Chamie. Mud is the pits.

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  4. Poor Chamie! I hope she's feeling better soon! Mud is never any fun, especially for the horses... unless they like mud baths. :)

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  5. Ponying--always fun to try :) Just did it the other day. I guess the thing is, our OTTB's are used to being the ones ponied, not leading the other. All ours don't seem to mind quartering another horse, but we've only used the 9 yr. old to lead the others--a little more experience under the belt (but not much). Hope Chamie is better soon.

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  6. Calabar says mud is only good for coating himself. Otherwise, it is useless and dumb. Hope Chamie is okay! I have never tried ponying either of them, though--yes--racehorses should be used to it. Trail riding, Bar settles right in with his head by Steve's leg--unless he feels like being in front. That also happens.

    Take care and happy holidays!

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  7. Sarah-

    A Merry Christmas to you and your family - two and four legged. Best wishes for a healthy, happy New Year!!

    (((♡♡♡)))

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