Walkabout

Everything feels tediously slow...but Quest is doing better. She wasn't handling the stall rest well and while not ideal, the only other option was allowing her to rejoin her friends outside. The pasture turnout has done a world of good for her mentally and she has gained back most of the weight she lost last month.

And to my huge relief, mareface has been behaving and keeping all four feet on the ground during handwalks without any extra doping. The vet gave her an long-acting sedative with 3-4 week acting strength the first week in May during the follow up exam; she totally overrode the same sedative  in April when she was confined to "stall rest" though so fingers crossed it helps take whatever edge off to keep her calm and quiet for as long as possible.  

I also touched up Quest's feet for the first time in awhile. We haven't been on the trails in almost two months though meandering in pasture has kept them in decent shape for the most part so it was quick work. Second shockwave treatment will be happening later this week with vet follow up visit in about three weeks time when we conclude the third and final session. Fingers crossed that we hopefully get the okay to start walking undersaddle by then.

Let It Go

I got in three rides with Smokey this week already and it has done wonders for my mental health. I'm happier and I feel more energetic despite stepping up my activity level. During my last yoga class I started relaxing earlier in the session; it usually takes me close to the entire hour to finally let go of distractions that play around the edge of my mind.

Relaxing is as natural as breathing when I am with horses though. On my first night working with Smokey, A suggested that I lunge him first. When I turned him out in the dustbowl, someone decided that he’d rather stick right by me instead of taking off. Capitalizing on the moment, I decided to do a quick liberty session with w/t, whoa, and back up. There were some sticky moments but overall Smokey was so very good and mirrored my every move. Clever boy…He might not be my Quest, but he’s certainly sneaky sneaking his way into my heart already. We finished the night with a great w/t/c bareback ride hanging out in the arena with A and T. It was the happiest I had been in a long time.

I purchased a navy saddle pad just for Smokey’s use earlier in the week from someone on FB and it arrived yesterday just in time for me try out. The weather was gorgeous and the trails were beckoning so we headed out with T and Nickers for a quick jaunt.

It was our first time out together and Smokey did fine. He got quick at points but it was never bad, just excitement at being out of the ring and moving along. We did w/t/c and he responded nicely to my requests to half halts. Being on the trail again riding with friends did me a world of good. I had no idea that I missed it so much. I feel very fortunate that I was the first choice when A and D were looking for someone to pick up rides on Smokey. I’m not sure how long the arrangement will last but I’m going to enjoy every moment now.

Tomorrow is Quest day. I’ll go to the barn early morning to give her some loving and do our handwalk. I feel guilty that my work schedule and the distance prevents me from taking a more active role in her rehabilitation and spending more time with her during the week. This mindset is totally classic me though- trying to change things that are out of my control. I’ve always been tough on myself and I don’t think that’s going to ever really change but I can work on moving forward and focusing on what I can do.

While Quest's injury has set us back quite a bit from our initial goal, as a wise friend recently said me “…this will be over before you know it and you'll be on the other side. You'll look back on this and it'll just be a blip in your adventure with her.”

And you know what, I totally believe every word of that.