Ridecamp: [RC] Pictures and updates

Hope all had a nice Christmas.
I posted a mess of pictures to my site at webshots.com
http://community.webshots.com/user/psdendurance

   This should work

Pictures of SKAT ( I call him KAT) As well as other horses and stuff.
 OMNI
A short follow up on the stifle tendon blister. He had two. I went back
Dec 12 and Dr Wilson said he needs no more. He is quite sound now,
going down hill very well. Only the very steep downhills bother him
some.
NO MORE head tossing going down hill. Guess the 'sticking' tendon and
locking of the stifle must really hurt.?
He is going a bit easy and does not want to work. We are going back to
vets in Jan or Feb for a hit of cortisone to stop the inflammation and quite
the joint and  tendon down.
The size of the tendon went from a flat rubber band to the size of a
little finger, quite an improvement.
Hopefully as we get back to work in Jan, he will be ready for some easy
rides this spring.

ME- Well thats another issue. I am still not doing right. Still a bit
sore most of the time. When I ride or do too much? I pay for it that
night. Just not getting healed as planned. Its almost a year now.
I am going to another chiropractor. I found a few massage therapists
and have done 2 sessions. Not sure the massage therapist is doing any
good. She sort of reminds me of the LTJ team touch method. Too much
touchy feelie style. So I found one that does more intense methods of
Swedish and Neuromuscular Therapy. Anyway I will give this one a try.
I also found and acupuncturist. NOW that was some therapy. It was
strange but seemed to help. I suspect I will be going to him bi weekly
 I really cannot ride much in my current condition. So while Omni will
 be ready to go? I will only be able to get ready for LDs??

 KAT  the next problem. My condition and the weather has prevented me
 from really getting a working plan going with him. I am a bit
 disappointed in our progress. He was not as ready to go to work as I
 had hoped. I had to start from the base. He is a bit 'up' and quite
 wired, more then I was ready to deal with. I just am not as quick as I
 was.
 He spooks at most things. We had to start from the beginning with all
 my JL programs. We dont have a round pen, but the lounge line has
 been working. He now comes to me 'most' of the times when called. We
 do keep away if he tries to move away from me.
 He now leads very well. I figured out his buttons and made new ones.
 We take walks in the woods, to get him use to things.
 We have saddled him and take hand walks.
 He still wants to freak out and take off when he is frightened and
 pressed into doing too much.
 Shoeing or trimming was a task also. I had him holding his foot up
 but he did not want it locked in between the knees or held extended in
 the forward position. MY shoer did a good job without anyone getting
 hurt. I have since worked more with the foot thing, He now holds it
 up as long as I want and I can lock it with my knee and take it out front.
 That took a week.   He does have GREAT hoofs
 
 His worse problem and the most dangerous is the REARING.
 When tied he use to rear - we fixed (well sort of) that by working the scary stuff
 in hand and just tieing him up and leaving him there. I use a neck
 rope and a slide loop on a ring with knot.. sort of like that stall
 tie, then I added a bungie. What fixed him was to let him go back at
 first, then increase pressure slowly, he would give and come forward.
 He sort of self taught himself.  I have to constantly do the heads
 down thing and get him yielding to pressure.
 I had to keep my distance when he went up.
 Until we get this fixed on the ground I dont plan on getting on him.
 I DID mount one time- Carol had him in hand, but when I settled in the
 saddle he stated to 'act up' she drops the line and takes off.. I
 bailed ...More settling ground work needed.

 He still will not load. We had to force load him to get him home. BAD
 deal. We were working the load problem with the BP trailer but its
 gone. Now we have to use the one he was forced into.
 We work everyday - I feed him in there. Started with standing out
 side and feeding from the floor. Now he gets the front end in and
 eats. He has loaded all the way, but freaks out and comes out fast.
 If I try to hold him he goes up. We have to try to work with less
 pressure just before he rears then back off.
 We did have a 3 to 9 second adjustment. When he went up - WAY up and
 pawed at me... I had the lounge whip in hand and was ready.. the front legs
 got the 'treatment'. .. then we went back in the trailer.
 We are on day 5 of the program. Today went well - he went on all the
 way 2 times and while he unloaded, he did not rear.. and then came
 right back on. This is going to take awhile.

 Hope I did not bite off a bigger job then I thought. Heck I trained 5
 horses from the start and re-trained Omni... I SHOULD be able to get
 this boy finished.   I cannot take him to a trainer until I get
 the loading issue fixed..and  that is going to be the major task.

 Good thing I have lots of time...We work about 1 hr per day plus in
 the field socialization sessions.

 One may ask why bother, well I DO like him. He just is not use to
 doing things - at least not my way. He does not like pressure of any
 kind and wants to bolt or fight. He needs to learn I am the alpha horse and
 not his best buddy.
 He is built the way I think a good trail horse should be. He has no
 physical problems- that is use induced issues. Legs - joints are great. A
 A natural foot. He is very balanced and moves great.
 All I need to do is work on the head part...Then we can build the
 physical horse.
 He does trust me and is beginning to show respect. The gentle methods
 take longer but I hope to end up with a great horse.
  If all goes well I hope to be riding (base training) him by Feb or Mar.
-- 
 Roger                          mailto:roger@xxxxxxxxxxx



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