Taking a breather...

Argh.. so now I think I broke my pony.... Well.. I don't know... I rode again the other day and he was sluggish again. And then I started thinking.. he was sluggish at Poplar.. even at training. What's wrong with him?!?! Maybe he really is hurting.... Originally that was my thought but then he clocked around the rest of the course at Chatt Hills schooling. So I thought, well if he's hurting, wouldn't he be stopping at more than just one particular fence? It really seemed like he wasn't understanding.... But then... when he started acting like a school horse.. you know, the kind you have to keep kicking.... well, that's just not Fleck. He and I both share the need for speed! So... I ran bloodwork... unremarkable. I'm sending off EPM titers.. just in case. And giving him about three weeks off... and doing the animal communicator tomorrow am. He's going back to Dr. Brown on the 18th..  And I'm going to take him to Dr. Dayton, Dr. Keeton, or even UGA if those don't help. Or maybe even if they do.

In a way it's great timing... I had this week off and was able to spend time with Mike, and just chill. I did ride some, but not like I would have. Then I worked at the day clinic today, go back to work tomorrow for my normal week plus an extra 5 hours Saturday plus it's Memorial Day weekend.. then I go to the beach for five days, come home and work 2 days at the day clinic, then work my next week. So it would be really hard to keep riding during those three weeks anyways... So he gets a month off more or less. He'll probably end up being ridden about 5 times during that month, but it'll all be light rides. So... you know.. he deserves a little Summer break too.

And then Peri suggested I have Kathryn look at him. She's Sunny's massager. Only it's not just massage. It's pretty cool! It's ... okay, I have no idea how to spell it, but... reike energy type stuff... But it seems to be very anatomical and pathophysiology related too. I mean, the energy stuff is very holistic, but how it's all tying in appeals to my science brain. So anyways.. Kathryn worked with him and she said that she felt like he was very blocked in his shoulders and that it could certainly be playing a big role. So... I'm optimistically hopeful that this will make a huge difference!! I mean.. I know he's got issues.. he's a 15 year old event horse who's been ridden hard the past few years at the least. He's gonna have some arthritis and some discomfort, but... I'm hoping it's all just mild/normal/expected wear and tear and will still be managable. And that this will give me back my lean mean goofy speedy eventing machine!
I did hop on tonight just to see. So far....seems to be helping! He seemed happier today... granted he may just have been REALLY hungy, but he neighed extra exuberantly tonight for dinner. And he felt very loose and good tonight. I didn't feel any lame steps and he seemed happy enough trotting around. I didn't have to kick, kick, kick. However, he was still a little sluggish in his walk and while the canter wasn't hard to get.. it was a little hard to keep and he did fall out of it when I took my leg off. It just wasn't quite as labored as the other day. So.. fingers crossed. But hey, it was better than the other day! And as Kathryn said... we only got through 2 layers of it yesterday.. there's plenty more. So... fingers crossed.