Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Lucy rearranges her paddock

Lucy's chiro appt was yesterday. He texted me a few times during the exam, since I was stuck at work, to ask me questions like when her teeth were done and what saddle pad(s) I have been using. I like this chiropractor because he doesn't just make the horse go pop and then call it a day. He takes everything into account, right down to the horse's tootsies. He reported that she only tried to kick him once (sigh), her neck was sore, her SI area was very tight, Lauren's saddle doesn't fit at all, and my saddle is going to have to be replaced in the future.

Uhhhhhhhhhh...

Ok, well this was a lot to digest on a Monday after a very long meeting at work. Poor Lauren, but at least my saddle fits well with the help of the fleece 1/2 pad I usually ride in. As for the kicking, this is nothing new and she doesn't try to kick the person, but she does tend to kick out slightly when her hind end is being messed with (I suspect she's just uncomfortable). I hope this was the case with the chiro because I really hate when she's naughty around professionals who are trying to help her. As for the neck soreness, that was confusing until I got to the barn after work to find Lucy down on one knee, butt up in the air, head twisted to the side with her left cheek on the ground wedged under the fence to get at the grass on the other side. "Well, this explains a lot," I thought.

I think I will get a second opinion on my saddle before do anything drastic. I cannot afford a saddle change right now and while the chiro assured me it was perfectly fine to ride in with the half pad, I want to plan for a change if that's what has to happen so that I'm not caught broadsided like I was last time (similar to what just happened to Lauren, except I had no saddle to ride in). I have a fabulously talented saddle fitter and if there's a way to fit this saddle to Lucy, even if I need to adjust the tree, that would be preferable over getting a different saddle.

Then I got a really fun phone call today at work to let me know that Lucy had gotten tangled in her hay net and in her effort to free herself, she pulled down a bunch of fencing in her paddock. Luckily this is not the fencing that keeps her in her paddock; rather it surrounds a tree and some vegetation that the barn owner doesn't want the horse to get into. It's steel panel fencing and I bet she really scared herself pulling all of that down. I am so grateful that Maddy got to the barn not long after it probably happened, fixed the fencing, doctored Lucy's scratches (her LF has a nice long scrape on the outside of the cannon bone), and rigged up a better system for her hay net.

I am not really a big hay net fan but she wastes hay like it's $0.50 a bale (um, try $7/bale) and the hay net really helps to keep hay off the ground and in her belly, instead. This causes a few problems, though, because I don't want her twisting her head to get at the hay, so I leave the hay net as low as I can without risking her getting tangled in it. Clearly this backfired today because she DID get tangled in it, so it's going to have to get rigged up a bit higher.

I just can't win!

Good news is that after work, I went to bring the horses in and feed them, and I let Lucy have a quick free lunge in the indoor before I gave her dinner. She rolled in her favourite spot, had a nice trot, then took off in a bucking and leaping fit up and down the arena that lasted a solid two minutes as I stood there with one eyebrow raised and an amused smile across my face.

Thank god I didn't decide to ride that beast today.

9 comments:

  1. Regarding the hay net situation, have you tried any of those "slow feeder" options? I know that's not the reason why you're using a hay net, but there are other options out there (that are cheap) that are safe(r) then a regular ol' haynet. I know you're on CoTH, so if you haven't already, check out some of the slow haynet threads ... there are a lot of neat ideas that might possibly work for your situation. Otherwise, best of luck with Miss Lucy.

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    1. I haven't but I'm not opposed to the idea. I was thinking of asking my crafty hubby to rig something up that will keep the hay off the ground but not allow her to get caught in it, kind of like a slow feeder.

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  2. I am always worried about Pippi getting caught in her hay net at shows. Thankfully Lucey was okay(: I suggest the show feeder as well if you have room for it in your stall.

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  3. Does your saddle have wool flocking or panels? Dr. Katz mentioned my saddle didn't fit Miss Mollie so well anymore but said replacing the panels with wool flocking would be just as effective and far cheaper. A friend of mine had her saddle ref locked with wool in the last year and it was around $200. Still not cheap, but certainly cheaper than a new saddle!

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    1. it's wool flocked - that was a "must" when I was saddle shopping since my last saddle was foam flocked and the saddle fitter was unable to change it to wool because of the way the panels were constructed.

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  4. First off, I am so glad Lucy didn't get hurt! That could have been bad.

    Your hay is $7? Really? Can you ship me some? (lol)Ours is $13.99 a bale, and the Clydes eat 30 pounds a day, each. Hay here is expected to go to $19 a bale this winter due to the drought. We are stocking up right now.

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    1. yikes :( :( $19?! I wouldn't be able to afford that. I keep hearing how hay is $3/bale in NY so that's why I sometimes get bitter for paying more than double that just a few hours away.

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  5. NibbleNet makes a slow feeder that you stuff hay in and then leave on the ground. I could see Lucy enjoying tossing that around as well as eating out of it.

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  6. I can totally picture your description of Lucy on one knee to get under the fence; I guess the grass really is greener on the other side!

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