Today was the second day of the test ride in the Prestige Venus K monoflap. Yesterday when I rode, it was in the small square ring behind the barn. That ring is on a slight incline and not quite large enough to have a straight line for any distance. Kasane did very well in the small ring yesterday, but I didn’t have a chance to ride in the larger ring because of a...
Continue reading...Horses
Comparison of saddle length
For comparison purposes, here is a picture of Kasane in the Courbette Magic Dressage. I took these pictures to show off the new saddle pad, but they turn out to be pretty good at showing the saddle fit. See how long the saddle panels are? You can tell by where the saddle comes over her back — it comes over her lumbar. When you look at the front of the saddle, see how...
Continue reading...Saddle fitting pictures
Here are pictures of the saddle fitting. After the saddle fitter took Kasane’s measurements, we went through most of the saddles in the shop to find one that fit me and had short enough panels for her. Most of the used and new saddles I sat in didn’t fit my seat bones. The Prestige Venus K monoflap fit my seat and was so very comfortable. (It is the pretty saddle with the fancy...
Continue reading...Bareback
No saddle that fits properly so we’re going to ride bareback. This should be fun since Kasane isn’t crazy about having dangly legs on her side without the saddle. A good learning opportunity. My legs are going to be in great shape. Related Images:
Continue reading...Dressage saddle fitting for Kasane
Day started early. I was at up at 7:45, tried to go back to sleep, dozed until 8:15. At the barn to meet the farrier by 9:30. Groomed Kasane and Prize and then had their feet trimmed. The farrier said that both of them had great feet, so that is always good news. No thrush (foot disease), no strange cracks, no blemishes. Just good strong feet. We had a full house today with...
Continue reading...Happy birthday Isis
Isis would have been 19 today. Same birthday as my little sister. Happy birthday, my dear girl. You are so missed. Related Images:
Continue reading...Finding information about insulin resistance in horses
A friend of mine emailed me this weekend about insulin resistance in horses. She has a new boarder with a horse with IR and wanted to learn more about managing this condition. One of the best sources is the Equinc Cushings and Insulin Resistance web site (http://ecirhorse.com/), which summarizes the Yahoo Group with the same name. (See information below in the next paragraph). The IR treatment page is very good. I have found...
Continue reading...Tonight, we write
The characters are playing. Specifically: one story, Ride Softly, is pounding to be written. I’m seven pages in, which doesn’t sound like a lot until you consider it’s the most fiction I’ve written in a year (much less in two sittings). It’s Isis’ story, with a twist. When I write her scenes, I have my eyes closed and the tears stream down my face. There are two scenes that were the hardest: when...
Continue reading...Chronicles
I’ve always been a writer, and it’s always made sense to me to deal with issues by writing. I was reading through old posts on here and discovered just how much I’ve captured of Isis’ saga on this blog. Same with Basette and Ambush, my old kitties. A friend here at work suggested pulling Isis’ blog posts into a book to detail exactly what happened to her. Maybe others can learn from what...
Continue reading...Patterns
Patterns can be comforting routines. You fall into them like a comfortable bed, with a few sharp pokey bits that you know to avoid. Lately, I go to the barn, love on a mare, take her for a walk to help rebuild strength, give her a hug, and turn her back out to her paddock. Which mare am I talking about? Kasane or Isis? Tuesday I took Kasane for her walk with another boarder...
Continue reading...Update on Kasane’s injury
Before Thanksgiving, I noticed Kasane had been off on her back left. Some time in November, Kasane did something to her stifle. Kasane’s lameness wasn’t acute. It wasn’t an obvious lameness. She just wasn’t moving right and she didn’t worked out of during riding or free lunging. I gave her a week off, and then rode her lightly the day after Thanksgiving. The following day she looked off again. Because Kasane’s lameness didn’t...
Continue reading...Nominate Fudge’s EPM Blog
When Isis was diagnosed with Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis, one site provided answers and informative discussion about this disease, current treatment options, and tests: EPM Horse.org. One of the keys to successfully treating EPM successfully is early detection. The more people know about EPM, the better chance they will have of recognizing the disease and treating it sooner. Fudge’s Mom, the owner/writer of EPM Horse.org, is taking an unconventional approach to promoting awareness by...
Continue reading...One thousand posts and counting
This post is the 1000th entry on Y Ceffyl Du. It’s only taken seven years to get here. I’ve blogged the tales and tribulations of four cats, five horses, and major events in my life. Here’s to Isis, Basette, Stella, and Ambush, who have passed and are missed. Their antics and memories are chronicled here. Here’s to Rajiyyah, Logan, Kasane, and Prize, two still in my life and two with other people who...
Continue reading...Gym and not riding
A “perk” of the apartment complex where I live. Half of the machines look um… well used, so I won’t touch them, but the elliptical machine and the treadmills are fine. Yesterday, I started an actual workout program and went to the gym by myself for the First Time Ever. It might not sound like much, but considering I’ve only been to a gym to work out twice before (and then with a...
Continue reading...Memorial for Isis at home
I have a glass book case at home in my bedroom. I cleared one of the shelves for pictures of Isis and for all of the cards I received for her. The sculpture is one Mom gave me a while ago. It always reminded me of how I felt giving Isis a hug. Related Images:
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