Day 42: Bitter-Sweet Kind of Day

Morning vet check for Joker - nerve blocks

You know what's the most frustrating in equine veterinary medicine? Let me tell you - there are some amazing advances in diagnostic tools (at times at a price of an average monthly income, mind you, but there are available) yet treatment options are severely lacking in abundance.

It didn't come as a surprise to neither myself nor Helen that the improvement Jojo showed on his vet check was nowhere near good enough to warrant topping up of the work. His condition has been chronic for many years and with most likely diagnosis being osteoarthritis of multiple joints in both hind legs, the conclusion was that the best solution for Joker is to retire him to the life of a lawn mower. He is comfortable and happy to be out 24/7 which makes him an easy horse to retire even though he is only 8 and might potentially enjoy a large guinea pig lifestyle for another 15 years!

We were chatting through various options, however, and wondered whether he would make a good therapy horse for equine facilitated therapy sessions...he has a very interactive nature with clear wants, likes and dislikes as well as sure being able to teach what leadership means ;) I think he would make a grand "teacher" for some corporate training sessions. Do any of you dear readers have associations with equine facilitated programmes?

My late birthday coffee treat from Helen at
Maison Blanc, Henley-on-Thames

I will miss my sessions with Jojo but agree with Helen that it's the best solution for him. She tried everything she could to give him a healthy ridden life but sometimes due to a chronic nature of some issues, it is kinder not to pursue ambitions that simply harm the horse.

We popped Mr Joker out in his field with plenty of hay and set off to "celebrate" his early retirement and my late birthday treat at a little Cafe in Henley. You might notice that horses, books and coffee shops do and will feature rather often in these daily records of mine ;)

Indulgence experienced, we carried on few minutes down the road for my teaching day.
The grey ex-racehorse, Merehead, who two weeks ago had his first McTimoney treatment hasn't looked back since. There are levels of softness and bounce to his movement that he is showing us glimpses of and that make him very exciting to watch.  
Today he had his second re-check and was found by Sam from Back-In-Line to be improved greatly so we are on the right track with the schooling pattern. His next check up is in 4 weeks and if he works as he has had so far, I think we can make greater progress with his alignment and body comfort in that time.

The other little ex-racehorse machine, the bay boy, who has his first BE event coming up in March, worked yummy today too. He is a ball of tense energy so I focus his lessons on relaxation and obedience. He had his first check-up with Sam today which gave us some insight into his schooling challenges and it was really fascinating to hear about potential causes coming from skeletal point of view!

We have some exercises for both boys to add on to the schooling mix and the bay boy has his next appointment in 2 weeks.
The young girl with a little chestnut mare I started teaching recently did very well too - great end to a sadder start to the day.

Very proud of this rider, she has made some great improvements in her riding and works hard on her explosive, full blooded boys but don't you just love this guy's goofy face :-D Adore him :) 

Now, thanks to some re-scheduling of next two days of my work I have Thursday and Friday to catch up with my online projects and get stuck in my geeky tasks which I am very much looking forward to! Oh, and the lie in tomorrow ;)

Day 37: Suppleness - Joker's go at shoulder-in

Starting the work on shoulder-in

It is believed that shoulder-in is one of the most important exercises in a gymnastic development of a horse. It is also one of the top suppling exercises on horse's shoulders and strengthening on the hind legs.
Here's Joker's attempt at it.



Left shoulder-in/left positioning is much easier for him as his left shoulder is much more supple than his right. He tried his best today though, I was very pleased with his attitude, concentration and willingness to have a go even though it must feel difficult with his degree of stiffness. Because of that, I asked him for a very slow walk in which I could control him more and in which it was easier for him to stay off his forehand.

The rein back, even though he drags his hind feet like a professional ploughman, was very obedient, willing and straight (he tended to throw his back end to the side whether I asked by the fence or not). Great session all in all. Now, I have the Aspire Newsletter drama to sort out (technology can be tricky!) as well as finishing off the content of an interview one website is doing with me.

I hope you're enjoying Jo-jo's adventures and having a good day yourself! :)

P.S. Check out this ingenious short video: Purpose of Dressage explained in 4 minutes 11 seconds...! 

Until tomorrow,
Wiola

Day 36: Measuring improvement...

I like to search for cat-like qualities in horse's movement - the elasticity, the soft bounce, the fluid weight distribution between each limb, that joint softness and rebound . Every horse will have some degree of those qualities and when improving movement I like to observe how much of a cat a horse can become ;)
I don't know how long I will work with Joker for yet but regardless of where he ends up I decided to stick to my gut instinct and continue working on his suppleness first before I spend more time on top of him.
It's so easy to spoil a horse, so easy to encourage braced, hollow back and due to chronic nature of Jo's issues, he has way many more bracing instincts than release instincts.

Remedial schooling is like a turtle on a mission to get to the sea ;) Painfully slow, sometimes you stand still, sometimes you go backwards. Sometimes you question yourself every moment whether you should push harder or back off, prioritise activity or ease of movement, ignore certain behaviours or react upon them.

I generally trust my gut feeling nowadays. If I listen to it I usually end up somewhere closer than farther from the right spot. To fine tune that feeling, I stay open minded and learn every day. There is not a single horse that I could think "oh yes, this one is identical as that one so I know exactly what to do here". There might be similarities indeed but all issues are as individual as the horses are.

Following a very, very slow and tiny improvements in Joker's work, today the incremental jump was much larger. He was more expressing, more focused, more elastic even if in his terms this still doesn't mean a huge deal. However, I was very pleased and mostly happy that he showed more joy from the work.

The video below is a short footage that Helen took on her phone as I forgot my camera. He shows some negative emotions through his tail at the start but rest of the video is quite a true reflection of the general theme of his work right now: some nice steps with soft, relaxed neck followed by braced steps.

When changes are so small, I prefer to measure improvement by the level of enjoyment the horse has from the training. Today, he was awesome :)

My plan is to do some gentle lateral work in-hand tomorrow.

Day 30: Mostly for the hoof nerds ;)

I wonder, what on earth happened with today! I swear it only started a minute ago. Sometimes, the day just goes by way too fast. Alas, I am very pleased with Joker today, he was yet again a little better than he was yesterday so everything crossed he continues to improve and finds his mission in life.
There is still a lot to be done to make his movement truly better as well as increase his motivation to work. For all hoofcare obsessives out there, I took some shots of his hooves last week and will take some again on Thursday when Helen is around to help. His bars are in need of work on some harder surfaces but he is otherwise one of those horses that you can take shoes off and he carries on as if nothing much changed. He does react to very stony ground of course but his movement is otherwise the same as when he was shod all round.

Joker 26th January 2015. Few weeks out of shoes. Previously shod all round. Top: front feet; bottom: hind feet

And a couple of photos from today...

There are good moments and there are bad moments but overall I am very happy with his work today. He's got gentle lateral bending work in front of him next week, walk hacks with Helen and short schooling sessions under saddle with me mostly in walk. 

Having a few minutes work under the saddle today for the first time in about a month

Now, I have a morning train to catch so must sign off and catch some sleep.
Until tomorrow!
Wiola

Day 26: Vlogging with Joker and random thoughts on training

Some believe in reading illnesses from hair, pictures, animals taking to them and the likes. I don't. I do, however, think some people have learnt to observe the signs most of us ignore, then acquired the knowledge to interpret those signs with varied level of accuracy.

In my little vlog from this morning, I filmed certain sign on purpose. You can see me placing my hand on various spots on Joker's neck - I am not pressing at all, simply holding my hand on his coat, not even touching the skin much. I know he has some level of tension in his neck from the way he moves but by his reaction you can see clearly when I discovered his problem spot. 

Notice that he doesn't react much to normal grooming, or even patting, he is a little weary (check his facial expression, ears and position of the head) and also watchful as another horse in the field is playing with fencing (and eyeing up my camera which I had rested on the post). However, when my touch changes into searching touch, he doesn't want me there. It's quite a normal reaction of any prey animal, he knows I know he has a weakness there so he tries to shake me off. 

This and many other observations are the key to me when working with any horse. My routine with Joker is a good all-round, non-manipulative, relaxing massage that isn't complicated and any horse owner can learn it. Once I'd run my hands over the points he fidgets at, I repeat again, this time stopping for longer and waiting him out. He relaxes to the point he has a snooze for a couple of minutes and then we start in the arena. 

Today was the third time I worked with him and he is learning quickly that he isn't allowed in my personal space. Thanks to this I can suggest to him how he can position his body in a more gymnastic way as he works on a large oval. If I wasn't next to him, he would happily fall onto his inside shoulder and moved with his neck braced to the outside on the right rein and drifted out on the left rein. His natural crookedness, reinforced by chronic issues, governs him strongly at the moment so he isn't enjoying the work as much as he could. Keeping myself very close I can influence his posture better although I haven't asked for much yet. 

I liked his attitude today. He had a couple of moments when he tested the purpose behind my actions but was otherwise obedient and tried hard to do his part. 

It's not my aim to simply make him go around better, I want him to enjoy it and discover more comfortable way of moving. He pushes much stronger through right side of his pelvis too which makes elastic turning difficult for him. 

His jog had more spring today and he offered bigger trot by himself towards second part of the session. Sadly, the rain started to fall and I had to hide my camera so no video of the better set. 

I want him to move with less bracing through the neck on the ground before I get on him so the next session will be polework and then jog sets again focusing on lateral bending, softer, lower neck and deeper over step. 

Now, I've got to cook some pasta for dinner and then evening book work for me so until tomorrow!
Wiola

Day 23: Finding the barriers

Take a deep breath as you look at that picture. Can you sense that wonderful, sharp freshness of the air that hurts your lungs and throat just a little bit but you can't wait to inhale again? That's how it was this morning indeed. My kind of office ;)

Vet's decision on Jo-Jo is to carry on with our remedial schooling month. He is starting to get the scheme and lets me move his legs into different positions without bracing each time. Slow, gentle relaxation movements like this let him tell me straight away if anything hurts too much to bare and I can stop immediately.

He enjoys the little massage rather a lot now too and was horizontal from relaxation today. In the arena, I am mainly observing and learning where I can push and when I need to back off. We need him to work out a better way of moving and that means finding out where the barriers are and moving them an inch at a time.
His pattern right now is to work well, then over-react at something, face me, plant his feet and either change direction or refuse to move. I am letting him work out he can't have it that way with me so it takes some time as I have to wait him out on some occasions.
I follow the thinking of making the right thing easy and the unwanted thing difficult. He is a clever horse and I can see he is getting the idea. He is also stubborn and likes things his way at times so I have to be careful not to start a battle with no winners.

Some more thoughts and pondering time on the Academy's structure and logistics for me today. Sometimes we get on with day to day tasks without letting the mind wonder about bigger picture often enough. At first, it feels like I am staring at the white wall wondering about my sanity but the more I stare, the more details seem obvious - you know, like little cracks in paint work, small pattens, brush strokes, uneven surface here and there.
I can't say I can see the brick work beneath yet ;) but some ideas are forming!

Day 22: Keeping up with the Joker

Everything about Joker's movement today was slightly better than on Monday. His reaction to a simple massage technique I use with him was also more positive. However, the owner finally managed to get hold of his full health history from previous vet clinic so we shall see what the current vet thinks is the best course of action in light of those documents - whether to continue with original plan of 30 days remedial work and medications or to start with a more diagnostic approach earlier.

For those interested, here is some information about the type of injury he suffered several years ago: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/ceh/docs/special/Pubs-SuspBrochure-bkm-sec.pdf

I'd spent most of the afternoon and evening on my laptop working on the book and on organising next month's lessons plans for my non-horse owning clients. Although I am tempted to keep on working on the book at the moment, I also want to be off the computer before midnight. Sometimes it's difficult to find a good solution to my creative side wanting to work at night and my reason telling me to grab some healthy amount of sleep.

Until tomorrow!
Wiola

Day 19: Frosty, sunny Monday

Very gentle mobility/relaxation movements where the horse can stop whatever hurts or is uncomfortable at any time

Horse language in all its complexity is really quite simple - as long as we learn to observe and listen, we will probably hear everything we need to know. There is knowledge required to interpret what we see and hear for sure but many a time, signals are clear. 

Today was my first morning working with Joker one to one. I spent some time with him just going through the body work/massage I have learnt as it's good at finding tension areas in horse's body. 

Relaxation is the key with rehab horses. 

We had a glorious, sunny morning, just a touch of frost but it's always easier to layer up for dry cold than icy downpours. After handling all of Joker's legs I was rather warm! 

Work wise I gone back to basic groundwork just finding out his push points and keeping everything comfortable until he has more trust in me and let me cross some discomfort boundaries. 

All Joker's shoes are off and my hooves obsession kicked in immediately. There are some interesting points about his hooves which correspond with the way he uses himself so I might take some sole shots to keep track of any changes.

My afternoon rider on Foundation programme rode the best yet, my train on way home was only 20 min delayed (ok, I'll skip how freaking freezing it was at the station ;)), I de-frosted in a super scented bath and got myself a decent to-do list for tomorrow. I class that as a pretty ok day :) 

Until tomorrow!

Wiola

Day 16: Meet Joker, quick musing on equestrian fashion and other thoughts of the day

Meet Joker. A horse that is very easy to like :)

Joker being trotted up for the Vet this morning by Helen, his owner

Jo-Jo as I call him is an 8 year old Warmblood gelding. I am helping the owner to rehabilitate Joker's movement issues so I thought I would introduce you as I will probably mention him quite a bit in this daily blogging adventure.

We started together in July last year with brining Joker and Helen back to work as they had both been off for a long while due to injuries/health issues. It was a very slow process in various weather conditions, arena issues etc etc but we were making progress.

August 2014

In the autumn, Helen moved Joker to a yard with very good facilities and this has helped a lot with our ability to schedule regular training sessions.
Joker isn't lame as such i.e. as the vet would call it "isn't lame enough to nerve block" but he has a chronic, ongoing mechanical issues that stem most likely from an injury he sustained 4 years ago to one of his hindlegs. As a result, he has a rigid way of going with lack of engagement or any sort of effort from his back end.

Helen and Joker - 25th October 2014

In October 2014 we started having some really nice, more supple trot work and introduced canter work. By November he was getting stronger and his rhythm improved well. I was pleased but with the work we were doing, I would expect him to show more changes to his action.

At the end of November 2014 Joker spooked while out hacking and made his way back "home" at very unsuitable speed and manner that was really not ideal for a horse in rehab. Following that incident his movement deteriorated to near the starting point back in July and he was moved to a yard with 24/7 turnout to rest and have more out time.

Several weeks later, the decision was made to try to investigate what was going on. We now have a plan of action for the next 30-40 days and I really hope he responds well to his medications, supplement, physiotherapy sessions and rehab schooling.

I will start working him myself from Monday so if you would like to follow Joker's rehab journey, stay tuned. Helen hopes to find him a loving, hacking home if/when he becomes sound enough to be sold. Despite the incident out and about, he is a fabulous hack when ridden in company and although wouldn't suit a novice/first time owner, he is a lovely "person" to be around. Keep your fingers crossed for this chap!

Now just a cheerful note on equestrian fashion trends! I can't quite believe I am saying this because I generally avoid wearing anything horse-related in my non-working life simply because I think spending 99% of one's life with horses warrants other elements in that last 1% ;)

However, I seem to have turned into an equestrian fashion supporter somewhat without even realising!

Well, you see, I love my long leather boots (they are not riding boots ;) but don't own skinny jeans. The black jods seem to do a rather good job replacing those jeans. Also, I own many more pairs of jods and breeches than trousers (actually I have a grand total of one pair of jeans) so since everyone is walking around with knee pads and full seat jods as their normal wear, I am officially giving up the fight and joining in ;)

Until tomorrow!