Repair work

I'm extremely grateful that when I had to suddenly disappear, Theo was cared for.  It's why I stick with full board.  If something happens in my life, I know my horse has food, water, shelter, and eyes on him.  When I let Trainer A know that I'd be out for awhile, she picked up some extra rides on the beast.  That certainly helped me relax since my horse was being groomed and ridden.

When I got back, Theo was rather cranky.  He just wasn't as relaxed in the aisle or under saddle.  It took double the ear rubs and sweet talking to get him to relax and engage with me.  It was weird, like visiting past Theo when it took conscious effort to get him to come out of his shell and engage.  Taking the time to completely brush his tail out, condition his summer coat, rebraid his mane, and scrub out his ears got his reactions back to what I expected.

Why did I think letting his tail go untrimmed was a good idea?  It's twice as wide at the top now.

During his regular massage, we discovered that Theo has been clenching his jaw which is not something he usually does.  His face massage is usually a formality, something he enjoys because he likes having his face rubbed and not because he has tight muscles.  Yesterday he reacted sharply to having his jaw manipulated and it startled us both so much he almost hit me in the face with his nose.  I was expecting him to sink down and make funny faces, not snap back and away.  His massage therapist kept at it and worked until he was chewing and making faces again, but it was very odd.  Combined with his locked up poll, he appears to have a lot of rage stored away.

Our best guess is that he locked Trainer A out from his nose to his tail, particularly on the right.  After his massage, there was much yawning and a softer eye.  I'd already ridden him and worked on getting him back up in front of my leg.  I knew he'd locked my leg out, but I didn't realize just how much he'd locked out the bit.  I was going long and low for much of my ride to get his topline back on board with the program.

He's not spoiled, I have no idea why everyone says that

What the heck happened while I was out?

I know they had a fight but I'm starting to think the fight was the end of a multi-day escalation.  Theo will usually give someone a couple of warnings before he gets to the point of a real fight.  Trainer A doesn't take a warning the way I do.  I back off and change tracks when I get a warning behavior.  Trainer A tends to correct.  This is part of the reason why I bought Theo while she avoided riding him while he was a school horse, their personalities clash.  Not a problem once a week, but with multiple rides in a row, it apparently came to a head.  She said one tough ride, I suspect it was a build up over several rides whether or not she was aware of the building storm.

After four days of work, a massage, hours of grooming, and a whole bag of cookies, I got my pony back.  He came up in the bridle and offered some hard work.  I knew he was back when I had to say 'easy killer' because he was surging against the bridle in the walk.  We picked up the canter, did a little half pass, changed direction, repeated.  It's only quarter line to center line, not at all steep, but he's getting more comfortable with the idea.  Considering how long it took to get the idea of leg yield into his head, I'm not surprised that it's taking a long time to get him to comprehend going lateral in the canter.

He's so much fun to ride when he's in the game.  He's my bouncy ball that really gets into his work when he finds it mentally challenging and he knows he's going to get a reward.

Hard working pony that knows cookies are incoming

Tomorrow will probably be a jumping day to put a bow on our return to business as usual.  I want to make sure his brain is back before he gets a day off. 

I also have to think about what my plan is for when I travel in the future.  If he can no longer work with Trainer A, what's the plan?  Who can ride him?  Really, not a lot of people unless they're supervised.  When he's good, he's very very good but when he's bad?  Holy crap clear the ring.  Most of my friends don't have the skill set to manage naughty Theo or pick up the warning signs that there's a problem coming.  I hate giving him time off but I might not have much of a choice.   

I have somehow ended up with a one person horse.

Taking it easy

The world keeps turning even when you're sick.  I offered a friend a ride to a schooling jumper show back before all of my health stuff happened and I didn't want to back out.  Ratbag pony needs miles and a local outing with cross rails isn't something to be missed.  Twenty minutes in a trailer barely counts as a trip.

On the flip side, I really didn't feel up to jumping around at 2'6" or actually competing.

I messaged the show secretary and got moved to the 2' division and entered as 'not to be judged'.  Popping around a 2' course with no competition pressure?  Yeah, that sounded a bit more my speed.  Theo needed to go on the trailer to keep Ratbag pony company so I might as well jump something.

Ratbag pony went first and did a good job being brave to his crossrails for his very first jumping outing.  There was much wiggling and looking but he didn't stop or refuse.  A couple of them I wasn't sure just how he was getting his butt over the fence with all four legs going in different directions, but he managed it.  His owner was very happy with his performance and with each jump he was visibly getting more confident and sure of himself.  By the end of his second course, he was starting to actually hop over and land cantering with his ears pricked. 

Ratbag is looking really good these days, he's loving single owner life and proving to be a really fun horse to show.  Look at him tied at the trailer!

After I finished cheering and being supportive, I warmed Theo up briefly.  The sun was already getting to me so I kept the warm up brief and basic.  My first course featured two bucks where my beloved pony informed me that I needed to get out of his face and quit riding backwards.  He can only babysit so much!  They were fair and not at all malicious so I let go of his face and let him carry me more.  In my second course he was much happier and cruised around with a relaxed stride.  It's so basic for him, he didn't really need me for much other than picking out fences.

During the roll back turn between fences 10 and 11 on my second course, I had a moment of 'whoa, not feeling good' so I was very happy to go straight from fence 11 to the gate and dismount.  I sat in the shade with some water and let my horse stuff his face with clover. 

My babysitter

No regrets on my outing.  Ratbag needed those miles and it was absolutely perfect for him.  22 fences in very short order so he really got a feel for what his job is.  Theo didn't really get anything out of this other than a change of pace.  He was my babysitter, keeping me safe when I was at about 70% of my usual self.  Enough for me to know but not enough for most people to notice.  I definitely got some questions on why I was jumping little and unjudged.  I look fine, but I'm still sick and I'm taking it easy just like I'm supposed to.

Thank goodness for ponies that still know how to pack when mom needs a hand.

Hello, beautiful

My follow up appointment got me all green lights but orders to take it easy.  I smiled and said 'oh, so I can go to my show on Friday?'.  The doctor looked me up and down slowly and asked 'are you a trainer?'.  So it appears she's dealt with horse people before.  Hee hee.  I assured her I'm an amateur and that it was just a schooling show where I'm giving a friend a ride.  The official answer is that I am not in any danger of hurting myself by getting back to work, but I needed to take it easy.  The antibiotics were doing their job and I was feeling much better, but I'm still sick.  I still get tired much easier than I'm used to and I need to give my body a fighting chance to finish off this infection.  I agreed to take it easy and my doctor rolled her eyes.  I don't think she believed me.

On Wednesday I stopped off to groom my pony.  I was being good!  I just wanted to go to the barn and see the beast.  I figured I would reset his pasture braids and get his tail brushed out.  Trainer A mentioned that he'd been a bit of a loon for his ride that day so I was NOT to ride him until she'd had at least one more ride on him.  Fine, fine.


I got to spend an hour grooming and fussing over him.  A lot of that was getting his tail untangled.  What a mess.

But he looks so innocent!

Tonight I got to tack up and head to the arena.  My lower back is starting to forgive me for the lumbar puncture but I didn't want to push my luck.  I just wanted a nice twenty to thirty minute ride to test drive my body and see how it was doing.  Trainer A was having a hell of a day with kids popping off left and right.  When she saw Theo, she pointed at him and said 'and then there was that'. 

Apparently they had a tough ride today.  He was giving her the hoof instead of going forward and, well, things escalated.  That explained why Theo was not at all interested in coming out to play today.  I spent the first ten minutes doing walk work with lots of pats and cookies to change his ear set and get him back on board.  I was relieved to find my lower back soreness had zero effect on my ability to sit.  With lots of encouragement and cookies, Theo shook off his bad mood and started to engage for me.  It'll take a couple more rides for him to settle back in to our groove. 

Don't worry, papi, mom is home and we're going back to work.

Diagnosis

Instead of going to my horse show, I took a trip to ER.  Again.  This is not a trend I'm enjoying.

On Wednesday my fever started.  Thursday the headache started.  By Friday my headache was bad enough to make me feel frantic and my neck was joining the party.  I couldn't find a comfortable position, my head was throbbing, and the fever kept coming and going.  Advil wasn't helping at all.  I hit 102.5* at one point.  Husband couldn't tell if I was woozy from fever, distracted by pain, or possibly more confused than usual.  Friday night I called Teladoc to get some advice.

Considering my symptoms?  No one should be shocked that I was directed to go to ER.  I wanted to go to urgent care but she said that with my symptoms, they'd just redirect me to the hospital since they wouldn't have the machines needed for imaging.  I was at least in for a CT scan when I present with a bad headache, a painful neck, and a fever of 102.5.  She was suspicious I had something tick borne, but since she'd worked in ER, she knew urgent care would just bounce me.  I hadn't spotted a rash but hoped she was right.

My devoted nurse who would like me to get better faster so we can get back to walkies time

I told my poor husband that we were off for ER and we drove the 40 minutes to the closest hospital that I will accept.  Upside to working in my industry, I know what hospitals to avoid.

We hit the dead zone between daytime activity and the late night rush so we were in a room within ten minutes and saw a doctor within 20.  With my symptoms, yeah, she had to rule out viral meningitis though with my activities and location Lyme was on the list.  A late bleed from my hit to the head in June also came up as a possibility so a CT scan was going to be at the front of my tests.  Viral meningitis is contagious so everyone started sporting masks around me and there's only one way to have a definitive diagnosis.  Lumbar puncture.  At this point in the conversation I started hyperventilating and the very kind doctor ordered up some Ativan for me so I could get through the round of testing she was about to order up.  1mg, I'm such a lightweight.

CT Scan, a gazillion blood tests (including a full tick panel), and a lumbar puncture.  Thank goodness for the anti-anxiety medication or I don't think I could have done it.  So many needles.  I had two IV set ups and then they had to take a separate blood draw because my blood wasn't cooperating.  The good news is that my blood work came back in good shape and my central nervous system is fine.  I even got told my brain is normal!  Spotted a bit of sinusitis but that's pretty normal for me.  No damage done by the incident in June.

The doctor did spot something while examining me and asked me about it.  My Atavin addled brain didn't think a thing of it.  She asked about a mark on my ribs.  I said 'oh, I wore a dress that's a hair too small on Tuesday and it gave me a rub'.  My husband had asked me about it on Wednesday while he was helping me look for a rash.  It was just a little red spot right under the line of my bra.

I was sent home with a prescription for doxy which seemed a bit odd to me since my Lyme tests weren't completed yet.  And then I caught a glimpse in the mirror of my ribs.

SON OF A BITCH.  You may not be able to see it in the photos, but it is an absolutely classic circular rash with a little pink bump from the bite in the center.  It's a good 10" across now.  It blew up after the chills and fevers started (and I couldn't really turn my head to look in a mirror), so the good news is that I'm on doxy within a week of the party getting started.  My doctor rather forcefully 'suggested' a doctor for my follow up.  My doctor knew what I had by the time I left but we have to wait for the official results of the cultures that are still cooking.  But she was able to clear me of viral meningitis and everyone got to take their masks back off.

Lumbar puncture was not fun (0/10, would not recommend). 

It was a long night of testing and waiting.  They gave me a hit of a very strong NSAID to get my headache under control once my CT scan came back normal.  I also got a little (like half dose) of Dilaudid to take the pain down quickly and get me comfortable.  I never accept narcotics so I was in some real pain to allow the half dose (I insisted on not having the full dose).  After that, I mostly slept.  When I was woken up, it was with discharge papers because they were done running all their tests on me.  I didn't have an official diagnosis, but I did have my prescription, my recommended follow up, and a very strong suspicion.

Since I've been cleared of anything contagious, I'm free to leave the house now.  The doxy is unpleasant like all antibiotics but I'm managing to keep it down.  I'm using the nurse recommended dosage and schedule of Advil to manage my headache and a neck support pillow to stop the cycle of pain in my neck.  I stole my husband's seat so I can watch TV when my head/neck are freaking out and I need to hold quite still.  The expectation is that the symptoms will start to abate pretty quickly now that I've started the doxy.  Early treatment is crucial so my prognosis is good.

I'm still falling asleep multiple times per day.  It's almost like my body's working very hard on something.  My lower back is still displeased about being stuck with a needle.  I haven't been out to see Theo and I'm not sure when I'll get out there.  Definitely not until after the heat breaks, I don't need any more rounds of fevers.  I hated missing today's show, but it turned out to be the best call.  I didn't exactly pick up a random summer flu.

That was easy

I was all anxious about whether or not to show in the extreme heat but it appears I might not get a choice in the matter.

I've had sore muscles on and off since Saturday.  I was blaming my position work in the dressage saddle and Theo's way too big trot now that all his joints have been juiced up.  It was mostly in my hips which is typical, a little in my knees  And then my back started to get into it.  And my shoulder.  Really, body?  Every little issue decided to wake up and demand attention at the same time.  I'm used to this but it struck me as odd that I had achey abs even when I hadn't ridden in two days.

Last night I spiked a fever for who knows what reason.  No cough, no sneezing, just a fever.  And I'm not someone that gets fevers very often, I didn't even realize what was going on until my husband walked into the living room and found me under a throw blanket.

Him:  What are you doing?

Me:  I was shivering, it's cold.

Him:  It's 78* in here.

Me:  Oh.

Him:  That's not normal.

Me:  Oh.

My human thermometer was dead since neither of us have needed it since . . . last decade?  So we got creative.  First I tried the digital meat thermometer I use for cooking.  That told me 103* and I was certain I was going to die.  I run cold and I've never seen a high fever.  Cue much eye rolling from the husband as he rummaged up the laser gun temperature reader thing he uses for brewing.  Industry specs, very accurate.  According to his reading of my ear, 101.1*.  Okay, good, probably safe to go to bed and rest.  By that point I was also picking up a headache but who knows if that's related, due to my panic, or because I was dozing in my recliner with terrible support.

Or my restaurant poisoned me.  I felt fine at dinner.  Just sayin' . . .

I could touch my chin to my chest with ease so I decided it probably wasn't meningitis swelling my brain.  No nausea, either.  Anxiety is fun for these situations.  I took two Alleve and went to bed.  I forced myself to not bundle up too much in the 70* bedroom though it felt like the arctic.  By midnight, I had all blankets off the bed (my poor husband) and was having fever dreams.  About 3am I woke up covered in sweat.  This morning at 7:30 my fever was gone.

I'm still not coughing or sneezing or anything.  I have a bit of a headache that feels like a dehydration headache so I'm forcing fluids.  As a precaution, I'm missing my work team's fun outing today so I don't get our nurses sick.  I'm very disappointed, especially when I mostly feel fine!  Tired due to really awful sleep, a bit of a headache, but totally ready to go out to a brewery.  But one of the nurses is also doing home care for her mother and fevers are no joke.  I will keep my germs at home.  I guess some viruses start with a fever and then the rest of the party shows up later.

ETA:  And then I fell asleep for an hour after writing that so apparently I'm not fine, I'm stubborn.
ETAA:  And then my fever came back so I'm apparently still sick.

So a show in the high heat and humidity probably isn't going to be an option with whatever the hell this is.  Still have sore muscles though I haven't ridden in four days, so that's starting to register as odd.  Husband is in charge of notifying me if I start acting feverish again because I, apparently, don't notice.  I let my Alleve run out with no return of the fever, but who knows.  Trainer A is exercising Theo for me today since it's going to be in the 70's and he could use a hard school while we can get it. 

To show or not to show

I spent the last week getting all of the maintenance done on my horse.  He's feeling good, being sassy, and we've got a show on Saturday.  All lights are green.

Then I see this.

Seriously??!!  There's a reason I live in New Hampshire!  And that's the actual temp, the heat index will for sure be over 100*.  From experience, Theo will be panting and dripping sweat just from existing.

My ride times are at 10am and 10:30am so it won't be 100* yet, but it will probably be 90*.  It's just two dressage tests but come on, that kind of heat is not something Theo does well with. 

Now I have to consider whether or not I scratch.  I've got good ride times so it's right on the line of being reasonable but do I want to try to trailer in those conditions?  I'm so torn!  I don't want to throw away entry money but it's going to be so hot and miserable.

I'll be debating on this all week.

Western dressage vs traditional dressage

I get asked this a lot, especially at shows when I mention that I do both.  Sometimes even in the same weekend.  What's the difference between western dressage and traditional dressage?

Here's the perspective of one rider that started with traditional dressage and then stumbled onto western dressage.

Our western dressage debut in 2018

Tack, obviously.  That freaking 35 pound saddle is a dead giveaway as to what style I'm working on.  Horns are not required on the saddle but western style fenders are.  There's also very different rules regarding bits.  My loose ring snaffle is allowed for both disciplines, but a curb is allowed at all levels in western dressage.  Ports of up to 3.5" are allowed as are bitless bridles, bosals, and spade bits.  You see quite a variety of rigs, though the hands down most common is a small Myler curb bit.  Even Theo owns one.  For some riders having more bitting options is a reason to go western but I've heard rumor that the rules will change to snaffles only at the lower levels in the future.

Short shank Myler bit, good occasional reminder when pony decides he wants to hang on my defective shoulder

Two hands are allowed at all levels and with all bits, but one hand is also allowed with a curb bit.  Two reins (a bit and a bosalita) is also allowed and I'm tempted to train Theo to a bosal with the goal of going two rein.  Probably this winter to keep us from going crazy in the indoor.  One day, in the distant future, I want to ride a test one handed.  It's a good goal to work toward.

The movements are a bit different between the two disciplines.  Turn on the forehand is seen in competition starting at Level 1 and keeps showing up right through Level 4.  Turn on the haunch is a stationary movement and goes up to 360 degrees.  Want to work on your horse's balance and attention?  Do a 360 degree turn on the forehand right into a 360 degree pivot on the haunches.  There are no mediums or extensions, just lengthening of stride in jog or lope.  Not all tests have lengthens or might only lengthen one gait.  A lot of movements hint at reining patterns.  No flying changes until Level 4, but you also get half pirouettes and a canter entrance at that level so it's a big jump from Level 3.  There's more halts in general and a lot more reinback, including reinback on centerline.  Yikes.

Level 4 Test 4, currently the highest level test

You can talk to your horse and cluck at them, which I love.

Jog and lope are, in reality, not that big of a change from trot and canter.  Especially with the collected gaits, I change very little between the two rings.  The neck still lifts, the hocks step under and take more weight, all of that.  I turn the dial up more for the traditional dressage ring so that he shows a bigger trot and canter.  In western dressage, Theo's natural collected gaits are quite good and I let him just do his thing.  Not having to turn the dial up keeps him in happy, floppy eared pony land and keeps our harmony score up.  It's most definitely not western pleasure gaits but don't expect to get great scores just because of big gaits.  If it doesn't look easy to ride, looks tense, or feels frantic, it's not going to score well.  Think about the kind of gaits you'd want to live with if you needed to spend hours in the saddle or the gaits you see in ranch pleasure classes.  You want to get there in a timely fashion, but it needs to be something you can live with all day.  Your horse also needs to look like they can keep it up for awhile. 

Doing a good job of looking very chill

The biggest difference in my experience is in the expectations and the scoring.  The emphasis is on a horse that looks obedient, attentive, and easy to ride.  Light contact, light leg, harmonious picture.  Heavy contact is a big no no.  Instead of a submission score, it's a harmony score with a coefficient of 2.  Harmony is usually our best mark.  When the judge says your horse looks like a blast to ride, you know you just got a good score.  You're being scored on how easily and smoothly you as a team complete the test.  Your goal is to make your horse look like a super fun, easy ride that the judge wants to kidnap for their own barn. 

Not really all that different

In traditional dressage, I get hit a lot for Theo not having big enough gaits or enough energy.  Those requirements change in western dressage.  Your horse must be forward thinking but not at the expense of rideability.  Your horse needs to be uphill in collection but it can't look tense.  I still get 'needs more ground cover' in my lengthens, so that doesn't change.  A horse that doesn't halt well or jigs is going to have a hard time.  Halts are everything in western dressage since you're doing it all.  the.  time.  Also straight lines away from the rail and down centerline.  The Level 3 Test 4 with the canter-halt-turn on haunches-canter sequence is brutal if your horse drifts.  Spoiler:  Theo drifts.

This is the old Level 3 Test 4 but you get the idea, scored 76.7%.  This was also our judge at our last show

Western dressage is getting more popular.  It seems to hit that niche for riders that find traditional dressage to be out of reach for them or their horse but still want to focus on the precision that the sandbox requires.  Several of the more nervous ladies I know feel much more comfortable presenting at the jog and lope in a western saddle.  Less emphasis on 'get them more forward' and more saddle for them to grab on.  Showing in jeans?  Sign them up!  And the pretty saddle blankets.  They own QHs and paints because that type of mind makes them comfortable.  Now they have a chance to show them in a venue where they feel comfortable and those wonderful minds are rewarded. 

For Theo, western dressage is the better fit.  It matches his personality and natural abilities.  We will still show traditional dressage because, I want that dang Bronze.  I also find that the traditional dressage training pushes us to improve his power and forward thinking so my western dressage tests look easier and easier. 

If you've got access to a western saddle and there's a western dressage show, it's fun to try.  Some horses do very well with the change in emphasis.  It's new movements for a seasoned competitor to learn and you get to show in jeans.  Seriously, showing in jeans is amazing.  White breeches are dumb, give me dark wash jeans any day.