Well poo!

So... it was cold and icky out Saturday and since it was "Mike Day"... I opted out of riding. Really wishing I hadn't because on Sunday Fleck was lame. :( Well poo! We had a fun XC day scheduled with Beth at Ashland. I spent almost an hour carrying standards and poles out to the field so that I could work on some technical stuff. And because it was so wet out I did it by hand, not with a truck. Argh... So then I got all tacked up... studs, boots, martingale, breastplate, etc. Walked him down and as I picked up the trot, he suddenly went lame. Almost three legged lame! What on earth?!? So I hopped off... nothing in his foot, nothing in his boot. Got back on and he was better but obviously off. So... I did some cantering thinking maybe he was just locked up in his stifle and that would smooth him out. He was happy enough to go too! Not like when his knees really hurt and he just didn't want to. So we cantered a bit and then trotted and he seemed almost sound. So I thought I'd see what happened. He's got scabs on his hocks from sleeping and I thought maybe he busted one open and it just smarted. Well, we trotted over a baby log and he was happy to do it.. but still off. So I quit. Not worth it. But... almost worth it...argh! I was really looking forward to the jumping lesson. And we had a photographer... Sigh... oh well.

So back home we went and I ended up bringing Danny back out to play. Which was fun. Poor Fleck was worse by the time we got home. Really ouchy and holding his foot cocked. It was a back foot so I wasn't super panicky. I knew it wasn't his knee, so... I was okay. Mostly. Luckily, my BFF is super vet and she said she'd stop by on her way home that evening. So I uploaded everyone else's fun pictures while I waited. She got here and it looked like it was an abscess. He was definitely tender in a very specific spot near his toe that was hot and soft. And he was walking toe to heel and resting that foot. So... soaking and wrapping commenced! I was hoping that it would pop quickly because it was so acute and so painful!

 Not so though. The next morning he was still off and ouchy. So more soaking and more wrapping. Although I will say that he was MUCH better. But not quite right. Tuesday was the same. I cancelled my dressage lesson. :( Then Wednesday rolled around and he looked 95% sound. So I thought well... I'll just go for a nice slow walk hack. He's going to be walking around in the pasture anyways.. and I don't weigh much... and maybe some forced exercise will force it to come out! So we went over to Ashland. Despite the sunshine it was bitter cold! I rode in my dressage saddle so I wouldn't be tempted to do much. And I was a little worred about his jump saddle and his back. Christina chiroed him while she was looking at his foot and she said his back was a little tender. So anyways.. no stirrups day four for me. We did some trotting in the fields and he was actually pretty sound so I trotted along. Unfortunately we hit a patch of gumballs and suddenly Fleck was lame again! Holding his foot up in the air lame. Argh.. I got off, checked him out, and within a few minutes he was putting weight on it again. We headed back in and by the time we got back to the XC field he was 75% sound again. So then I started to wonder if it was a stone bruise. It just seemed like he was okay until something touched it or pushed on it and then he would be super sore for a bit, then just slightly sore, and then gradually better. I guess an abscess could potentially do the same thing to. So we headed back and he actually wanted to play and canter a bit, so I let him. 

Then on Thursday he looked much better so I headed out again for another trail ride. This time I was hoping to jump the jumps I had spent the hour putting up. I had to take them down today so.. it was my only chance. But I was brave.. and put on my jump saddle without stirrups! Day four! We mostly walked on the trails as Christina wasn't feeling great, but we did some trotting. Fleck felt great! Of course I cheated and gave him some equiox. Although I gave it because of the jumping not because of the foot, but I figured it couldn't hurt either way. I knew it wasn't a tendor or anything... and a bruise or abscess wouldn't be hurt/made worse by a little bit of pain relief. So Fleck felt great so I decided to do a bit of trotting and cantering in the field. He still felt great so I thought I'd at least jump the angled line I set up. It was supposed to be a Doug Payne exercise he posted about in Practical Horseman, but I'm not sure I set it up right. It said to set up a vertical in the middle. Then walk 25 feet from the standard and place another standard. Then make it a jump perpendicular to the middle jump. We did this on both sides, so it was a triple with two strides on a bending line IF you did it parallel... but if you did it perpendicular... I saw no way to jump it without....??? No way to jump it! So I made it parallel and Fleck rocked it!! He stayed straight in the middle of all three. Whoo hooo!! We did it 3 times and then I called it quits. But go me too for not having stirrups and still keeping a pretty decent position.  :)
 
So... it wasn't the big schooling I wanted, but at least I got to jump some of the stuff I set up. He gets Friday off because of work and then hopefully Saturday and Sunday he'll still be sound. So far so good. Then it's a long week of ER and day clinic work so I'm hoping to squeeze in many rides. Because soon it's Pine top!!!