Falcon has an injury of unknown origin. I am hosing it out everyday, putting betadine on it and some other wonder dust or something....I wish he would heal, but he has so much movement in this area, it keeps breaking open.
Monday, July 6, 2009
My Falcon no longer flies
Falcon has an injury of unknown origin. I am hosing it out everyday, putting betadine on it and some other wonder dust or something....I wish he would heal, but he has so much movement in this area, it keeps breaking open.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Helloooooo I am back...
Wow! It has been a long time since I have blogged. Ok, well, Long Story Short!
My friend Karen and I went for a ride in April. A lovely warm day. Falcon was fairly well behaved.
we had a nice canter up a short hill and did a lot of walking and trotting since it was our first day out in a few months.
I was just recovering from a stomach bug too and was fairly weak. We were just about a half mile from Karen's house when a small red truck came blowing up the gravel road.
He slowed down and stopped while Karen passed. Falcon and I were farther behind, the fella inched towards us and waved me to pass. As I came up even with his truck he stepped on the gas....spun out and sprayed stinging gravel on me and falcon.
Falcon went straight up the steep embankment to my right and I turned him back I thought to myself...yippee, I stayed on! BUT my hip was out of wack so I kicked my foot from the stirrup. Falcon was still slipping on the slick gravel road. He dipped and splayed out and I flew over his right shoulder.
My foot was stuck in the stirrup and I remember reaching up with my hand to loosen it and seeing Falcons belly and legs and I hadnt even hit the ground yet!
WHAM I went. Falcon went straight up in the air and took off bucking like a bronch up the road.
Karen didnt seem to know what to do...help me or get the horse. I was stunned, breathless, I told Karen to leave Falcon, that he would come back.
Sure enough....galloping back he came when I called him. He wouldnt have if there had been other horses to follow.
I climbed back on, but man did my right side hurt. I got off, I got on, I got off. I couldnt decide which was more painful, riding or walking. That was the longest half mile I have EVER walked.
I didnt go to the E.R. until the next day. My whole back/right side was ripped up and bruised and my right knee was as big as a grapefruit.
X-rays did not show any breaks so they gave me vicoden and two weeks off from work.
two weeks later the pain was worse then ever. So I took another week off. The Ortho surgeon pushed on my ribs and said....ohhhh you have broken ribs no doubt...non displaced ones don't show up on first x-rays...it takes 2-3 weeks.
8 weeks later, I still have some aches and pains, but all is improving....BUT NOW....OHHHHHH dearrrrrrrrrr.....Falcon must have gotten got in some downed trees or something and has ripped up his back leg.
Bad time of year with all of the flies....I am hosing his leg everyday, betadine, flyspray and antibiotics....OHHHHHH BOTHER....and I move to CA in two weeks. Now he can't be ridden by the lady who was going to keep him conditioned for me.
Falcon will have to go back to training if he ever gets better...he has had wayyyyyyy too much time off from school!
My friend Karen and I went for a ride in April. A lovely warm day. Falcon was fairly well behaved.
we had a nice canter up a short hill and did a lot of walking and trotting since it was our first day out in a few months.
I was just recovering from a stomach bug too and was fairly weak. We were just about a half mile from Karen's house when a small red truck came blowing up the gravel road.
He slowed down and stopped while Karen passed. Falcon and I were farther behind, the fella inched towards us and waved me to pass. As I came up even with his truck he stepped on the gas....spun out and sprayed stinging gravel on me and falcon.
Falcon went straight up the steep embankment to my right and I turned him back I thought to myself...yippee, I stayed on! BUT my hip was out of wack so I kicked my foot from the stirrup. Falcon was still slipping on the slick gravel road. He dipped and splayed out and I flew over his right shoulder.
My foot was stuck in the stirrup and I remember reaching up with my hand to loosen it and seeing Falcons belly and legs and I hadnt even hit the ground yet!
WHAM I went. Falcon went straight up in the air and took off bucking like a bronch up the road.
Karen didnt seem to know what to do...help me or get the horse. I was stunned, breathless, I told Karen to leave Falcon, that he would come back.
Sure enough....galloping back he came when I called him. He wouldnt have if there had been other horses to follow.
I climbed back on, but man did my right side hurt. I got off, I got on, I got off. I couldnt decide which was more painful, riding or walking. That was the longest half mile I have EVER walked.
I didnt go to the E.R. until the next day. My whole back/right side was ripped up and bruised and my right knee was as big as a grapefruit.
X-rays did not show any breaks so they gave me vicoden and two weeks off from work.
two weeks later the pain was worse then ever. So I took another week off. The Ortho surgeon pushed on my ribs and said....ohhhh you have broken ribs no doubt...non displaced ones don't show up on first x-rays...it takes 2-3 weeks.
8 weeks later, I still have some aches and pains, but all is improving....BUT NOW....OHHHHHH dearrrrrrrrrr.....Falcon must have gotten got in some downed trees or something and has ripped up his back leg.
Bad time of year with all of the flies....I am hosing his leg everyday, betadine, flyspray and antibiotics....OHHHHHH BOTHER....and I move to CA in two weeks. Now he can't be ridden by the lady who was going to keep him conditioned for me.
Falcon will have to go back to training if he ever gets better...he has had wayyyyyyy too much time off from school!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Sweeping out the Cobwebs
Today was beautiful! 61 and sunny, BUT very windy. I decided that I would take a ride on Red Dog and let Karen ride Dakota. We headed down through the woods as usual and made the 0.5 mile loop up to the driveway.
At this point, Griffin, the labradoodle decided to attack the hens and I had to make Red trot over and threaten Griffen. The hen squawked as she was freed. Hit the pasture fence and bounced through...and hit the ground running.
I decided that maybe it would be best not to take Griffin since there were new calves in the pasture. I locked him in the kennel while Karen went to the barn to get a breastplate for Dakota.
The woods were barron, the leaves damp and moldy and the ground squishy from the thaw.
We reached the open field and gingerly trotted around the edges. Everything was muck. The field had been plowed and replanted with winter rye which was peaking its little green shoots through the mud.
It wasnt a very good decision of mine to slop through all of that mud. The horses ended up with muck all over their bellies and girths.
The open grassy pasture was a welcome site. I hopped off and did the gate duty. Red did not want to stand still for mounting..but I worked with him a bit on that and then we trotted and cantered around a small part of the field, crossed the stream and skirted the larger part.
The cows and calves were all huddled in a hummock trying to get out of the wind.
Karen didnt seem too interested in more cantering. She was tired from shoveling gravel all morning and stressed by her car and family.
Red was pulling to go home, so I pulled him back towards the west and cantered him up a hill away from Dakota. I circled him several times and as we neared the pond a huge gust of wind came and blew up waves in the pond. At the same time Gemma came up over the hill and Red spooked and took off running at full speed and gave two big bucks. I managed to stay on and hauled back on his reins. I was really unbalanced after the second buck and was so totally glad he hadnt given a third one.
Regaining control we circled the pond and met up with Karen and Dakota and rode to the gate. This time Karen hopped off and did gate duty.
Red was chomping at the bit and tried to race for home. I whirled him around and whacked his butt. He was MAD and kicked out wildly to the right then pranced sideways angrily...I made him STAND and calm down then allowed him to walk towards Dakota. From there we mostly walked until we reached the driveway and there I let red trot out.
He really was mostly a very comfortable ride. I told Karen that he is better without shoes on. She didnt think it would make any difference...but she hasnt ridden him unshod...so maybe tomorrow....
It was GREAT to be back on a horse!
At this point, Griffin, the labradoodle decided to attack the hens and I had to make Red trot over and threaten Griffen. The hen squawked as she was freed. Hit the pasture fence and bounced through...and hit the ground running.
I decided that maybe it would be best not to take Griffin since there were new calves in the pasture. I locked him in the kennel while Karen went to the barn to get a breastplate for Dakota.
The woods were barron, the leaves damp and moldy and the ground squishy from the thaw.
We reached the open field and gingerly trotted around the edges. Everything was muck. The field had been plowed and replanted with winter rye which was peaking its little green shoots through the mud.
It wasnt a very good decision of mine to slop through all of that mud. The horses ended up with muck all over their bellies and girths.
The open grassy pasture was a welcome site. I hopped off and did the gate duty. Red did not want to stand still for mounting..but I worked with him a bit on that and then we trotted and cantered around a small part of the field, crossed the stream and skirted the larger part.
The cows and calves were all huddled in a hummock trying to get out of the wind.
Karen didnt seem too interested in more cantering. She was tired from shoveling gravel all morning and stressed by her car and family.
Red was pulling to go home, so I pulled him back towards the west and cantered him up a hill away from Dakota. I circled him several times and as we neared the pond a huge gust of wind came and blew up waves in the pond. At the same time Gemma came up over the hill and Red spooked and took off running at full speed and gave two big bucks. I managed to stay on and hauled back on his reins. I was really unbalanced after the second buck and was so totally glad he hadnt given a third one.
Regaining control we circled the pond and met up with Karen and Dakota and rode to the gate. This time Karen hopped off and did gate duty.
Red was chomping at the bit and tried to race for home. I whirled him around and whacked his butt. He was MAD and kicked out wildly to the right then pranced sideways angrily...I made him STAND and calm down then allowed him to walk towards Dakota. From there we mostly walked until we reached the driveway and there I let red trot out.
He really was mostly a very comfortable ride. I told Karen that he is better without shoes on. She didnt think it would make any difference...but she hasnt ridden him unshod...so maybe tomorrow....
It was GREAT to be back on a horse!
A paradox
The short days of winter really are VERY LONG! quite a paradox. I have not been motivated this winter to even think about endurance riding. And, I have only ridden twice...short rides at that.
There is quite a mindset for Endurance and I must say that after the initial week long adrenaline rush high that I had after the Fort Valley LD in October...I had a state of depression going on for a few weeks.
In January, I had the opportunity to fly to Sacramento, Ca. There was a professional archer/hunter on the plane in my row of seats and we talked about the adrenaline rush/depression syndrome. He gave me some good tidbits of advice that he had gotten from an Olympic runner.
He said to make a plan for your next goal/quest. Put it in writing...in easy to follow steps and make an effort to start attaining the simple goals.
I have yet to make my list...I figure I might be too far gone at this point...BUT if I do manage to motivate myself to get back on the horse, I might have my starting point at least. IT is sunny, warmer today...maybe today is THE DAY!
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