Isis moved better today. She stretched out when I brought her into the ring in-hand for some free lunging. Slight limp, but not much. At one piont, she was feeling great — tossed her head, whirled around, snorted, pranced… What a relief! Maybe this brief retreat into lameness has past. Related Images:
Continue reading...Kim (Ceffyl)
Soreness, part 2
Isis is still lame today. We’re going to give her a bute tonight and tomorrow and see how she does. The liniment seems to be helping. The lameness is very strange. It is worse going counterclockwise in the ring, and barely noticeable going the other way. Hard to pick out what is causing it when her feet are sore from the rocky trail. Related Images:
Continue reading...Ouchy Kid
Isis was incredibly sore the day after the trail ride. We both were; although she certainly was worse off. My legs were sore, but not bad. Her entire body was sore. She carefully walked around, picking her way through the paddock to walk over to me. I rubbed her down with liniment and walked her in the ring for 15 minutes in hand. Enough time to get some exercise and stretch her muscles...
Continue reading...Trailers, loading, and tension — oh my!
Last night I was a little worried about riding Isis on the trail. Would she listen to me? Would she pay attention and not freak out? We’d never ridden in a wide open space or woods, much less with a horse she didn’t know. Trail worries were soon replaced by trailering ones. Isis doesn’t load very well. Last time, it took several hours to get her to load. During the phone call last...
Continue reading...Trail ride jitters
Isis will (eventually) start lessons just like Logan has. He’s been doing very well and has been a real champ about it. He’s so much more fun to ride now. Yesterday I lunged both Isis and Logan. Friday Isis had a full workout with a nice bath. Saturday was Logan’s turn for the majority of attention. It had been severl weeks since I’d done much with him. He saw the bit and actually...
Continue reading...Shadows
Several times over the summer I’ve though caught glimpes of a shadow-cat wandering around the house. Is it my eyesight? A left-over of the floating filiments seen in migraine-inspired sight? I’m not sure. The shape always seems to be Basette-sized, slipping around the edges of my vision. It’s comforting to think she might drop in every now and then and visit. Shadows like memories filter through the morning mist like dust particles speckling...
Continue reading...Yeehaw!
This has been a mixed day with some excellent news! This morning the vet came out to examine Isis again to make sure she is sound. After the routine exam, the vet watched Isis trot in the ring. She’s sound alright. Only a sound horse would try to kick me with her back feet while we were trotting! She has never done anything like that before! I apologized to the vet and immediately...
Continue reading...Back in the saddle…
Isis has been a real trouper this summer. And last summer too. She’s been recovering from laminitis and a tendon injury. Her feet have been looking better. Last time the vet was out, she gave me a regimen for Isis to gently ease her into riding again. The riding has been going well. We’re just doing basics, walk, a few minutes of trot, and some more walking. All on level ground. No trails,...
Continue reading...Finally!
After ages and ages, I finally rode Isis! Not much because she is still recovering from her tendon problem. The vet asked me to ride her for four weeks on a slowly increasing work load. The first week we walked undersaddle 15 minutes. We’re slowly building up to about 30 minutes this week. Next week, we’ll add a little trot (3 minutes). The following week we’ll double that trot time to 6 minutes....
Continue reading...Linux, linux every where…
My friends consider me a geek because hardware is a hobby; so is software, but that’s another story. Tweaking machines for better performance is fun. Figuring out why a particular setting or chipset works better then another is challenging — and much more enticing then watching Fox News. Two weeks ago the power supply blew on my Win XP box. I’ve done some hardware configuring, but never replaced the power supply. This box...
Continue reading...Isis update
At least there is some good news: Isis is no longer lame! Her swollen tendon looks normal. The vet will be coming out on Tuesday to do a sonogram on her tendon to verify that it’s fully healed. If it is, then Isis will begin a light work routine until her hooves have fully recovered from the laminitis after-effects. Isis has a condition called ‘seedy toe.’ Last week, the farrier noted that her...
Continue reading...Riding lessons
To be sore enough so you can’t walk, take riding lessons! Join the few, the proud, the walks-like-a-cowboy crew! And grin like a fool while you’re doing it! I’ve had my third lesson in as many months and it’s a blast! My friends look at me funny like, “I thought you knew how to ride?” And yes, I do, but it never hurts to hone your skills, especially if you are planning on...
Continue reading...One Last Purr
Basette was my Little Black Wonder Cat. She recently crossed the Rainbow Bridge on June 11, 2004. It has been so hard to try and write anything here since that time. This blog journaled her story, the intense roller coaster ride from February through June, and beyond. Funny how treating and nursing a pet through an illness brings you closer together. She was so intensely good about everything. Basette has always been my...
Continue reading...Young, Spry Basette
One of the scanned pictures of Basette; she was seven. This is the Little Black Wonder Cat(tm). See the sparkle in her eye? That sly calculating look? She was purring when I took this photo. She posed for a series of five pictures. Such a photogenic little critter. I took some of the original pictures to the vet’s along with a poem I wrote (which will be posted later). They were so delighted....
Continue reading...Basette’s ashes
It seemed appropriate to post this picture today since Basette’s ashes have arrived at the vet’s. It was the last picture I took of her, minute before she was put to sleep. It’s painful to see how different she looks. So lost. She wasn’t there any more; her mind had fled the misery her body was in. (Yes, the picture is that small for a reason. Click on the thumbnail for a larger...
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