Ok, so here is the low down skinny on everything Princess Pony. When I got Dutch 6 years ago he was a mess. Over 400 lbs under weight, no hoof care for the last 3+ years, and very, VERY green. We had a few years of trainer troubles, falls (and the concussions that go with them), and lameness issues. The end result: I know this horse backwards and forwards, but I am still scared of jumping 3 ft; Dutch is sound. but his feet truly look terrifying; and my body is on the mend, but I am at least 30 lbs over weight.
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| I really do hate this picture, but it is honest about what we look like right now. |
Our other issue is conditioning. I love the sleek well fed look of a show hunter. Dutch is a hard keeper who believes that turnout exists for no reason than doing gallop laps for 15 - 20 mins every couple of hours. This means that instead of this:
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| Photo from wikipedia |
I tend to have this:
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| Summer 2011 |
Right now, due to roughly 4 months off over the winter because I had knee surgery, he is in perfect weight.
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| Spring 2013 |
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| Summer 2013 |
I rode throughout my recovery - shhh, don't tell my doctor. However, it took over six months for my knee to be comfortable in a saddle. So I bought a big western bareback pad and schooled dressage. I LOVE that pad and so does Dutch. He is so much more relaxed and soft. I have started doing all my flat schooling in it. We started jumping again in the Spring. It was like a light clicked on, not all the problems are gone but jumping is fun again. So we are just schooling right now. I ride on the fat 2-3 times a week and if my legs feel good I jump 1-2 days well. We also go on fun little trails, mostly walking, just as a mental breather.
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| The BEST view in the world!! |
Soon I hope to be
here again, but without the fear. That video was cut to not show the tears and refusals and the yelling, oh man the yelling. He is my sweet soft pony again and although is is still not an easy ride, we are trusting each other again.
As I was able to do more during our rides it became clear that having no shoes was not working. He was being trimmed every 4 weeks and his feet had never 'looked' better. His soles were still too thin and soft for any taxing footing, including sand arenas. He had been barefoot for 2 years. We tried booting him and it worked great while we were under saddle - but if he stepped on a rock in turn out he would be sore for weeks. When I went in for surgery the rider that worked him 1-2x per week could never get his boots on, and no one cleaned up his toes between trims. It all just seemed to fall apart. So we put shoes back on and he is sound. He still does not like gravel, and his feet bruise easily, but he is ridable everyday.
So there we are. Getting back to work, making compromises, enjoying life.
