Heart breakers

Horses can be the biggest heart breakers.  One day everything is perfect, the next, nothing can go right.

Fiona has had issues behind before, but as she's gotten stronger most of those issues have gone away.  She had been very sound since her return from Aiken with very few of her 'flat tire' moments where she'll lose her balance and stumble behind.  I've always suspected a loose stifle on the right.  When I first got her and she was out of condition, she would stumble in corners constantly.

On Friday we had a lovely dressage lesson, but she had one of her flat tire moments followed by being off for the length of the arena before coming back.  She also had a couple of bad steps later in her ride, but it was there and gone before I could even pull up.  Today she had another flat tire moment when I asked for a lengthening and she wasn't eager to push off of that hind.  Not lame, but guarding that hind leg.

Of course this happens when she's got a XC school on Wednesday, a dressage show on Saturday, and a schooling three phase on Sunday.

She's on bute as of tonight and tomorrow she'll be getting a relaxing, stretching type ride with her new junior partner.  Monday the chiro is out and he'll be checking to see if she needs another adjustment.  He's also a vet, so if there's something more dire afoot, he can recommend bringing in her regular vet.

I'm edgy and tense, but it's not something that I can actually do anything about.  I just have to wait and see what happens.  The last time she did this, she got a bit of bute and some time off and came back just fine, so I'm not quite in panic mode.  Not quite yet, anyway.  We'll see what changes we have to make this week in order to get her in tip top shape once again.  Hopefully it's just a bit sore, like my right knee has been bothering me for the last couple days, and we'll both be back with some anti-inflammatory and TLC.