Back to riding!

Back to full time riding!

In all actuality, I've been back in California for almost a month now, but I just haven't updated this blog of mine. I'm slacking, and I promise I will get back into it.

Kandee when I arrived home, seemed happy to see me. Needed a lot more weight, but she had gained some while I was gone. So I started her on a ration balancer, along with rice bran and flax. She is off and on with beet pulp, so I fix it for her and if she doesn't eat it I just give it to Porscha.

Porscha is gorgeous, filled out, and sassy. She is going to be my 50+ miler, as she is a trotter. Kandee trots, too, but is more inclined to want to move out at a canter and gallop more than just trotting. Porscha's trot is huge, and we move out. Not to mention the knee action - she'd make a good park horse.

I had to get a new farrier, thanks to mine not calling me back. Kandee was such a hellion last time for shoes, but this time she stood calmly and feel asleep as he pulled her shoes and put on a new set. Porscha had to have a lip chain, but we're working on her and strangers around her feet.

Porscha and I got caught in a barb wire fence, here is the story copy and pasted from the forum I frequent:

We just cannot catch a break, or at least Porscha can't. I think I need to change her name to "Badluck Pony".

I was on my way home from a short trail ride [only 7 miles], and we were almost home, about 2 miles out. We were cantering [think western pleasure canter, it was nice and slow] up this wide trail. It has houses on the right, and an old barbed wire fence on the left. I've ridden this trail for over 15 years, and have never had a problem.

Something spooked Porscha, which is odd because Porscha usually doesn't spook at "natural" things like rabbits, birds, etc, she saves it for things like ballons and whatnot.

Anyways, I think a rabbit took off under her feet, and she jumped sideways. Into the fence. We crashed into the fence, which was more like it. We promptly went down, and Porscha was stuck.

She got her head and neck stuck and intertwined in the top and middle twines of wire, then her whole body slid and went under the last wire. And let me tell you - she was STRUGGLING. I was scared shitless, and I was STUCK on her because my leg was under her left side. There was nothing I could do except try to stay away from the wire, while she struggled. I asked her to WHOA, and she hesitated for a second or two, then just lost it again.

Finally, the top two wires broke [very very old, rusty barbed wire] and she managed to get up and only have her feet tangled up in it. She pulled away, and I just closed my eyes and prayed nothing was ripped clean through.

Finally got to her feet, and I jumped off. My heart was beating so loud, and I thought I was going to die. She had gotten the wire wrapped around her hocks, but it broke away when she really pulled. Then I looked at her front left and my heart sank because it took a big chunk out, and you could see white.

Porscha stood there panting, and I just sat in the middle of the trail and bawled. I had no service on my phone, and I didn't know what to do.

Finally got up and we walked very, very slowly home. Ran into a neighbor who used to be a vet, and he's been riding for over 65 years. He used to work at the King Ranch. But anyways, it was total luck he was in his yard. I was on the phone crying to my best friend, and he commented on my hot pink half chaps, and I got off the phone and told him what happened.

He picked up her leg and looked at it [Porscha actually let a stranger pick up her leg!!!!!!!!! ] and said it barely missed the important stuff. So he brought me up to his barn, and put Corona on it for me.

Her back legs didn't go deep, just a bunch of gouges but nothing near anything major. She ripped her muzzle pretty good, and I had blood all over me from that, but otherwise she's relatively okay...

I almost had a heart attack. I was crying the whole way home. And my poor horse was so good for everything, even the tetanus shot. She kept nuzzling me as we were walking, because I had my arm over her neck while I was walking, looking at me like,"What in the world are you crying about?"

*sniffles* I'm still upset. My poor horse. I'm just so lucky it was old wire, and broke so easily. We almost flipped over it, but she got tangled and pulled down.

Anyways, this is in health because I was wondering what else should I do. I put triple antibiotic ointment on all the other cuts and scrapes, corona on the bad leg.

Things are okay now. There is a bit of swelling on her leg, but I had her sit with an ice boot on this morning for 30 minutes, and it looks better. I'll probably ice it again tonight, and then sweat it out next week.

Kandee also came up "off" on Tuesday, so I sweated her leg out and she was fine on Wednesday morning. I'm not having the best of luck right now with the horses, hopefully that changes.

Kandee is officially entered in her first Endurance Ride. June 14th [or is it 9th?] Descanso 25 mile LD. I'm not sure how well we'll do, but we're going to try our hardest. =)