June 2015: Deli’s health and conditioning update.

Some signs have been alerting me to the possibility Deli has something hormonal going on – the unusual fat deposits, a change to her heats where she is even lazier than normal, and being slow(er) to shed out this spring. She could be experiencing early signs of cushings (an equine disease of the pituitary) or have something going on related to her reproductive organs. Or it could be a hormonal issue related to her metabolism (like insulin resistance or equine metabolic syndrome).  Several of these conditions are inter-related. It could also be something else entirely. She has always carried fat in certain places without a hint of metabolic issues. She does not seem to have one of the first signs of cushings: excessive thirst and urination (though she is pastured, so it’s hard to follow those things) and the pot-bellied appearance without being able to gain weight. She is shiny and has energy and her feet are in good shape – especially now that it is reliably dry.

I’ve put her on chaste-tree berry because that herb has good properties of balancing hormones and is often used for horses leaning toward cushings syndrome. I’ve also put her on a liver cleanser at my horse masseuse’s recommendation. Luckily none of these things are on the AERC banned substance list. We have also switched her and her pasture mate (who is also a fatty) to a lower-quality hay.

If I don’t see some changes within the next two months I’ll be having the vet out to test for cushings and do a metabolic/hormonal panel on Deli. Cushings in particular is an “old horse” disease and can be managed various ways. Obviously, I’d rather something less serious is going on but I’ve slowly learned to take things as they come with this horse.

Sometimes I wonder if Deli is having a sympathy-pregnancy/foal. We just had a foal born on the property and Deli is oddly interested in it when she has never given foals a second look before.  And the day after the filly was born her udder puffed up slightly. I mean, it could have also been a fly bite to her udder but… it is kind of suspicious, isn’t it?

If she does have cushings it is still in the very early stages and I have a viable plan.

 

Overall Deli has been doing really well, I think. Up until this week, where I have been sick with the flu and not riding her at all, she has been getting regular conditioning. I worry that we should be doing MORE and that I’m asking for too much at the same time. But she seems unaffected by the mileage increase in a bad way. She LOOKS more fit, she has more energy. She’s still a lazy pony in many respects (she says: I conserve energy for when it's IMPORTANT, human!), but she certainly prefers hitting the trails to anything else we could be doing. She can walk all day. If we had better footing to contend with I bet she could trot a lot of it too. The fact that the last time we went out to ride 10 miles she offered to canter up a hill shows she’s more game than ever.

Deli’s skin is doing really well too – I’ve figured out supplements that seem to help her hot-spot flare ups from insects. When she does have a flare up I have developed a system of topical applications that calm down the inflammation. This includes some of the previously mentioned creams/medicines (T-ZON, Tricare, my coconut oil concoction) and now just plain old aloe vera gel. Aloe is just another one of those things that I should have everywhere as it is absolutely essential for my OWN skin care (having red-dead skin, I burn TOO easily). It’s just another Deli-maintenance thing I needed to figure out and keep on top of!

My saddle-future is still up in the air. I AM getting a demo saddle in early July and have saddles I might be able to borrow from folks within the lovely endurance community. Still, I can’t afford to get a new saddle right now unless I am able to sell my current dressage saddle and use that money to get something new. There is still part of me flinching at the idea of making another huge investment when I don’t know if Deli is going to be able to (or want to) to the kind of miles that will make her a successful LD horse. Of course, to most endurance riders LDs are just the easy stuff. Not “real endurance” and pretty insignificant when it comes to distance riding.

It’s still a huge hurdle for Deli. And having her complete an LD in good shape is a huge hurdle for me, too.

I can see myself doing LDs easily. My fitness level is the best it has been in YEARS. I'm not saying I'm the most fit person out there, but I'm on the right path and I intend to stick with it. I am also the lightest, weight wise, that I have been since I was hit by a car and forced into a sedentary lifestyle by injuries in 2009. That feels great, too, though I am still not done with that journey either.

As long as I watch out for heat stroke and dehydration being on a horse for 6+ hours just sounds fun. (The heat stroke and dehydration is a big deal, but it’s also another management problem and not a deal-breaker.)

I am committed to going to the Bandit Springs ride with Deli in mid-July now. I haven’t yet committed to the idea of doing an LD, but it is a possibility. If something doesn’t feel quite right (or it’s in the 90s that weekend), I can opt to do another intro ride. I hear the trails are beautiful there and I don’t want to miss it either way!

My friend from the East coast riding the piggy pony in May.

I’ll have a demo saddle at the time, so I could possibly use that for the ride. I don’t know that it’s going to be a great fit though (it IS just a demo) so it will really depend on Deli’s opinion of the whole thing.

At least there is forward momentum of some kind in horse-life even when most everything else in my life is stagnant right now. Deli, as always, is a bright point. 

She may be a "cupcake" horse (a term I've heard endurance riders use to refer to their accident prone "special" horses), but she is my soul-horse. After all, I'm kind of a "cupcake" human in the same sense. 

We are probably too alike, Deli and I. 

(Except she's the looker.)

Deli’s big rehabilitation update – and saddle fit issues.

So Deli?

She’s doing pretty darn good, all considering. As I believe I’ve mentioned the “new” barn, which is just someone’s backyard barn, not a fancy “boarding barn”, is a huge step up from the kinds of things I’ve seen while boarding my mare the past couple years.

Her rehabilitation is pretty much at the “build up strength” stage. We have only been stalled somewhat by the dreaded problem of saddle fit issues. That, and the weird as heck weather this winter. It is winter, right?

I am going to share something that makes me cringe somewhat. I like seeing a smooth finely muscled and healthy horse as much as the next person. But I’m going to share photos of my horse, who is out-of-shape and coming back from what is, in reality, at least two years of rehabilitation and rest from various injuries.  Never the same injury, mind. She has yet to re-injure any of her specific soft tissue problems, though her right hind is a huge weak spot for her since this leg has been hurt in various respects. It's not particularly pretty, though SHE is the prettiest creature to walk this good green Earth. Obviously.

So first, a photo of her the day after we moved to the new barn about a month and a half ago (we were still in solid re-hab phase then, coming back from that horrific bite injury):

She is not standing on particularly even ground in this shot but observe the more swayed back, the pointing hind end, and general discombobulation. I am very happy to be away from the previous barn because the hay was no good, she was being harassed and beaten up (and the barn staff didn't care), and she wasn’t in a field big enough (or dry enough) for me to be very happy about it. This horse needs lots of room to move. Don't they all, though?

Deli is a VERY high-headed horse (courtesy of that Saddlebred in her, I’m sure), and her conformation does predispose her to a sway back. My vet was right in saying that just hand-walking and lounging her wasn't going to help develop her back muscles. When I'm riding I’d really like to get on top of building her top line this year because she is turning 16(!) and will be officially over the hill. Sort of. She’s still an Arab so I’m fully expecting her to live and be happy well into her 30s.

Next, a photo taken just a couple days ago:

I think she looks better. Her topline is more filled in, though it obviously needs work. She's also a better weight, a testament to having better quality hay and more room to move.

One thing I can’t help but notice when compared to much older photos of a very fit Deli: more of a dip behind her withers. This is something I have been fighting against a lot lately: the problem of her current saddle combined with her big laid back shoulder and very far forward heart girth. Yes, I use a contoured girth. Yes, I have tried SEVERAL types.

Another reference picture.

 My County dressage saddle has been with us for a long time, but I’m coming to accept that both our conformation has changed over the years (and various injuries to both of us) such that it may not be viable for much longer. This, and the change in our sport-focus (from dressage to trail and endurance riding) makes the saddle less suitable. Yes, I know many people do endurance in a dressage saddle, but for long term I want something that spreads my weight out more, is more comfortable for me (this saddle is REALLY really uncomfortable if I’m in the saddle for more than 5 miles. Like, crotch bleeding uncomfortable), and does not have the continuing issue we have with fighting fit issues caused by Deli’s forward heart girth and big laid-back shoulder. Ideally I'd want something that would still allow me to ride in a dressage-y position, balanced with legs underneath me. And I definitely need something I can get into a comfortable half-seat or two-point in, because that's how we canter these days.

I do have another re-flocking planned very soon to see how much we can get this saddle, which was custom made for Deli and I around seven years ago, to stay good for us at least in the short term. Because saddles? Saddles are expensive. My lovely mare was one of those fabled “free horses”. No such luck for my saddle! And used, without being specially adjusted for Deli, probably isn't going to cut it.

I’ve recently tried several other brands of saddles, including a Tucker and Startrekk (which is treeless). Neither fit well, in large part due to that forward heart girth issue. She’s going to need something with forward-set billets or other special rigging to accommodate this conformation. After sitting in one at Convention, I am coveting the Specialized Eurolight. The idea of being able to tweak saddle fit as Deli changes shape is very appealing to me. As is something that stays comfortable for me on the long miles of trail I'd very much like to ride.

The Startrekk before we started work. That girth crept even further forward.

In the meantime I have been doing more “strength training” than under-saddle work. This involved free lounging Deli over small x-rails (to build her hind end) or with her neck stretcher. I have also been riding her some with my Skito bareback pad, which has helped me realize that my seat is still good and I don't experience pain in that situation. But riding Deli bareback much isn’t great, as ideally I want more between me and her back. 

I’ve lost 30 pounds from my top weight, which is great, but I’d still like to lose 15-20 more before really getting into endurance riding. Luckily it is coming off slowly but steadily – the healthy way. (As an aside, thank you to all the lovely people who commented on how good I looked at the PNER Conference; I never see it because I look at my boring face every day.)

Deli isn’t back sore yet, but I care too much to push to the point that she would be. Her health and happiness is the most important thing. With the upcoming re-flock I’ll also ask the saddle fitter to see if anyone is interested in my awesome dressage saddle. It’s an unusual size (County Competitor 18” and XW, with knee blocks custom made for someone with long legs). Is anyone interested? It’s an awesome saddle, and I won’t be able to afford something new until I sell this one.

Along with bareback riding, I also threw on some new tack which may help with the forward-girth issue at some point: a crupper. This is a piece of tack new to me, and it requires a back-center D-ring – which my bareback pad has but my saddle does not. Deli could have cared less that it was there regardless of how tight it was or whether I was tugging on it at the time. That’s not too surprising as she LOVES having her tail massaged and pulled (it’s a stretch for their spine).

Bootyful.

 She really does love having her tail pulled. The above photo is also a good reference so that I can SEE how much even her croup is. After the fall and bite, her right hind croup was  somewhat atrophied. Consistent programmatic (boring!) work has improved that leaps and bounds and she is much more comfortable all around now.

Deli is headed in the right direction. I'd much rather worry about saddle fit issues than her being injured and in pain, you know?

And she's happy and healthy and my own barn anxiety has faded. Now I just get to enjoy our bond, whatever the world has in store for us next.

Last time: the physiology of exercise and warm-up in horses.

When I sit astride her, I soar, I am a hawk.

“He leaps from the ground as if his insides were light as hairs. He’s a flying horse, a Pegasus, breathing fire out of his nostrils. When I sit astride him, I soar, I am a hawk. He trots on air. The earth sings when he touches it. The lowest part of his hoof is more musical than Pan’s pipe.” – William Shakespeare, Henry V: Act 3, Scene 7.

Horses inspire poetry because they are poetry. Today I sunk my fingers into Deli’s thick chestnut coat and thought: this is what home feels like. This is where I belong when the fear of the unknown threatens to unseat me.

Granted, I’ve been calling lots of things poetry lately. Legal contracts are poetry to me. Every word, and its placement, has meaning in a legal contract.  Horses are a different kind of poetry – an emotional rather than intellectual delight for the mind and body. Maybe we, as humans, need both types. I certainly do.

The things I do for my horse are somewhat less poetic. Today I paid to have Deli adjusted by a chiropractor, and then to have her hooves trimmed. Later this week she will get dental work and my saddle will be re-fitted to her changed shape. 

On top of those expenses, I’ve started running again with feigned gusto. It’s hard work and I’m not a naturally athletic person! I may not have the trail access I want (and arguably need) to condition Deli up for endurance competitions right now, but that’s no excuse for me to not condition myself up.

And hey, look! I’m barefoot and booted too. Like pony, like willing human servant. I’ve found these funny-looking Vibram shoes are my life-line to fitness: I can walk and even run without every step being painful in these shoes. For a while after being hit by that car I feared that I would never be able to hike or enjoy exercise again, given that every step felt like a knife being stabbed into my hip and knee. With these shoes, the only pain I experience is the good kind: muscles burning with fatigue.

Right now? I’m ready for more adventures. I’m ready to keep living the poetry that is belonging to a chestnut Arabian mare.

In other words: I'm ready to hit the trails and pound out some miles. I think Deli is ready, too.