I had two interesting rides today. I decided to ride Holly western to work on position. Carla has been riding her and she is a little more tuned up. Steering seems to be my greatest challenge as you really have to ride off of your seat and leg and not rely on your hands which I obviously do too much! So I spent most of my time practicing riding circles, squares and straight lines trying really hard to get Holly to go where I wanted without using the rein. A good self taught lesson for me, boring for Holly.
Astaire was my next teacher. He has had a couple of days off so I was excited to try out what Kris helped me with on Tuesday. Wow! What a difference! When I expected that every step be supple, balanced and connected and when I rode in self-carriage, I was able to sit the trot and perform balanced transitions. I realized that I had been allowing Astaire to be lazy with his work. Raising the bar really helped as I was able to ride him in a more connected frame which helped him balance more on his hind legs and not tip onto his forehand. Light bulb day for me! Looking forward to practicing my skills on Jake and Astaire tomorrow.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Relative Elevation!
Carla, Megan and I had a great lesson with Kris Hamilton today. Kris started out talking about relative elevation meaning putting the horse in a suitable frame for its training, conformation and age. We had a mixed group of horses Wind Song, (new dressage horse schooled to 4th level) Big John and Jake which really illustrated varying degrees of contact and frame for the small audience of barn workers and staff. Kris talked about suppleness and balance EVERY step. We were not allowed to accept poor quality, rushed, tense, not forward or tripping steps at any gait. This required us to be in self carriage ourselves, engaging our core muscles and using the lightest aids possible. Nagging was not permitted the softest touch was required and the cliché that Carla and I have been talking about for the last few days “less is more” again seemed so true!
All the horses were great. Carla and Wind Song did some lovely shoulder in, haunches in and half pass. Kris had Megan canter John around 3 or 4 times counting her strides and only using her leg on the 4th step. This was a great exercise for both of them and Megan soon had John cantering without his little bucky hop that he likes to do. Kris focused on my position which was exactly what I needed reminding about the importance of connection, keeping my hands connected to the horse’s mouth and showing me when my hip was not following enough causing my body to rock or twist. Very helpful, I am sitting up better since I started seriously riding again so the next step for me is to improve my balance so I can follow the horse at any gait, and not ride with reins that are too long and a dropped contact!
All the horses were great. Carla and Wind Song did some lovely shoulder in, haunches in and half pass. Kris had Megan canter John around 3 or 4 times counting her strides and only using her leg on the 4th step. This was a great exercise for both of them and Megan soon had John cantering without his little bucky hop that he likes to do. Kris focused on my position which was exactly what I needed reminding about the importance of connection, keeping my hands connected to the horse’s mouth and showing me when my hip was not following enough causing my body to rock or twist. Very helpful, I am sitting up better since I started seriously riding again so the next step for me is to improve my balance so I can follow the horse at any gait, and not ride with reins that are too long and a dropped contact!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Follow up blood and urinalysis for Max
I am happy to report that Max’s kidney enzymes are back in the normal range indicating that his kidneys are functioning well. The previous levels were most likely due to the insult from the bladder stone. Urinalysis indicated that the inflammation was greatly reduced and cystitis resolved at least for the time being. After talking with Max’s Doctors and reading about the suggested procedure in veterinary texts I am going to hold off on having the second stone removed at least for now. It is encysted in the bladder wall so the greatest risk is from it getting larger. The last urine sample contained a lot of calcium carbonate crystals which are the building blocks of Max’s particular stone. Max will start on Vitamin C (30 grams) which may make his urine more acidic. Equine urine is alkali and contains a lot of calcium. The pH and the high calcium content set up conditions for crystal and therefore stone formation. Lowering the pH should help reduce the growth of the existing stone or the formation of additional stones.
Stone formation in horses is not all that common, researchers believe that the mucus produced by the kidneys protects against crystal formation. One article which really helped my understanding of the condition, symptoms and treatments came from Compendium Equine: Continuing Education for Veterinarians® it also has a couple of great pictures of a bladder stone both inside and outside of the body.
At this point I feel good about taking a conservative approach, Max’s Doctor at the vet school felt that body condition, appetite and overall condition would be good indicators of increased cystitis or movement of the stone. I may choose to do a follow up urinalysis in a month to see if the Vitamin C changed to pH, but if all goes well we will follow up every 6 months with blood and urine analysis.
So Max is hanging out with his friends at the Equestrian Center for the summer which makes us both happy!
Stone formation in horses is not all that common, researchers believe that the mucus produced by the kidneys protects against crystal formation. One article which really helped my understanding of the condition, symptoms and treatments came from Compendium Equine: Continuing Education for Veterinarians® it also has a couple of great pictures of a bladder stone both inside and outside of the body.
At this point I feel good about taking a conservative approach, Max’s Doctor at the vet school felt that body condition, appetite and overall condition would be good indicators of increased cystitis or movement of the stone. I may choose to do a follow up urinalysis in a month to see if the Vitamin C changed to pH, but if all goes well we will follow up every 6 months with blood and urine analysis.
So Max is hanging out with his friends at the Equestrian Center for the summer which makes us both happy!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Summer is my time to ride!
Max seems to be doing well, pretty much demanding attention at every opportunity. So today he was very happy that I needed to collect a urine sample which caused me to hang out with him for quite a while. He was not so keen on the blood sample being taken! These samples will be evaluated prior to him coming off the antibiotics and analgesic drugs in a day or two.
I am having a good time riding this summer. I usually have a project horse to play with over the summer break which I thoroughly enjoy spending the time doing ground work, earning their trust and usually spending a lot of time on elementary control and communication under saddle. This year I have two really nice, well trained horses to ride - Jake and Astaire. This is allowing me to work on myself for a change. Both of these horses give great feedback when you don’t do things right. I tend to tip forward and this just puts them on their forehand. I am finding that it takes quite a bit of core strength to maintain a good position with an open hip angle. Astaire really challenges riders as his trot is very bouncy even when he lifts and softens his back. Jake’s challenges are different, he looks to his rider for confidence and does his best work when he is ridden forward and confidently. Both these horses make you want to ride well to show them off which is a real treat for me! We are still spending a lot of time on the basics, relaxation, rhythm, suppleness etc. It is really fun to feel the partnership that is possible with a horse that has been well trained and knows his job when the slightest cue from your seat can create a balanced canter or a smooth leg yield.
I am having a good time riding this summer. I usually have a project horse to play with over the summer break which I thoroughly enjoy spending the time doing ground work, earning their trust and usually spending a lot of time on elementary control and communication under saddle. This year I have two really nice, well trained horses to ride - Jake and Astaire. This is allowing me to work on myself for a change. Both of these horses give great feedback when you don’t do things right. I tend to tip forward and this just puts them on their forehand. I am finding that it takes quite a bit of core strength to maintain a good position with an open hip angle. Astaire really challenges riders as his trot is very bouncy even when he lifts and softens his back. Jake’s challenges are different, he looks to his rider for confidence and does his best work when he is ridden forward and confidently. Both these horses make you want to ride well to show them off which is a real treat for me! We are still spending a lot of time on the basics, relaxation, rhythm, suppleness etc. It is really fun to feel the partnership that is possible with a horse that has been well trained and knows his job when the slightest cue from your seat can create a balanced canter or a smooth leg yield.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Max continues to improve
Max continues to do well, he was very “tucked up” when he returned from the vet school but now looks like his round self again. He still drips a little urine when he exerts himself (like today when he decided he was tired of standing on three legs while Chad worked on the other one) but the amount is minimal and I did not need to wash his legs down this morning which is the first time since I bought him home.
So I had thought until now that Max had a low pain tolerance and was basically a wimp. This was based on his strong reactions to needles in any form for shots or to stitch up injuries. He has been known to strike with his front legs at the thought of a needle and has in the past tried to squish people against walls if they were trying to do anything that was the least bit uncomfortable. After the way he put up with the pain of a bladder stone and how he was so patient with the vets in Raleigh I have to change my opinion! I think that perhaps he has a high pain tolerance (no pain symptoms at all when he was passing the stone!) and that his behavior was learnt at some point in his life due to the way he was treated. He has a disfigured nostril which must have been quite dramatic when it occurred and would have required some kind of medical attention. So this incident has been enlightening and once again affirms the need to educate people how to handle horses so that a horse like Max, who only wants to please, does not develop dangerous behaviors because he was misunderstood and most likely mistreated at some point in his life.
So I had thought until now that Max had a low pain tolerance and was basically a wimp. This was based on his strong reactions to needles in any form for shots or to stitch up injuries. He has been known to strike with his front legs at the thought of a needle and has in the past tried to squish people against walls if they were trying to do anything that was the least bit uncomfortable. After the way he put up with the pain of a bladder stone and how he was so patient with the vets in Raleigh I have to change my opinion! I think that perhaps he has a high pain tolerance (no pain symptoms at all when he was passing the stone!) and that his behavior was learnt at some point in his life due to the way he was treated. He has a disfigured nostril which must have been quite dramatic when it occurred and would have required some kind of medical attention. So this incident has been enlightening and once again affirms the need to educate people how to handle horses so that a horse like Max, who only wants to please, does not develop dangerous behaviors because he was misunderstood and most likely mistreated at some point in his life.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Max is brighter today
Max is doing better today. NCSU called yesterday to check on him and wanted to make sure he was urinating OK. Well that can be pretty hard to monitor unless you actually just hang out with him for a few hours. So of course that is what I did today until he decided he was ready to pee. In the meantime he was pretty convinced that I should be grooming, grazing or otherwise entertaining him. Even putting a fresh bag of shavings in his stall had little effect. He really is much brighter today and was very interested in everything and everyone which is his normal behavior. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he will continue to improve.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Max Update
Tuesday’s blood work still showed signs of possible kidney failure and an ultra sound of the right kidney showed an increase in accumulated fluid. I believe the left kidney is was still too deep in the body cavity to be assessed. Given this news and after discussion with Max’s Doctor, we decided the best plan was to bring Max home and monitor his progress to see if this is a chronic condition (which is a possibility), Max’s norm or something that will improve or worsen over time.
I left early Wed morning to get to the Vet school by nine so that Max could travel when it was relatively cool (of course it was super hot yesterday). Discharge was pretty quick and his student and Doctor were very helpful answering my multiple questions and making sure I understood the care he needed when he got home. Rising sophomore Alexandra Fullerton was also at the Vet school doing an externship which was great as she kept Max supplied with apples during his stay.
We made it back to the Burg in time for Max to settle before I was scheduled to present the summary of my trip to the NAEAA conference to the equestrian staff, administrators and business faculty. After our brown bag lunch I was able to clean Max up and observe that he was pretty much back to normal. He came home on SMZs for the urinary tract infection, and Phenazopyridine which is an analgesic drug to help him feel more comfortable. One side effect of this drug is that it turns the urine bright yellow and everything the medication touches turn yellow including Kellie’s hands and Max’s teeth and tongue. Max’s student from the Vet school called me today to let me know the urinary culture came back and the SMZ’s should take care of the infection.
So Max is home, eating, begging for treats and acting pretty normal. The plan is to reassess his blood and urine before he comes off of his meds in a couple of weeks. The elevated kidney enzymes in his blood are an indication of kidney failure which maybe chronic and progressive and which has a poor prognosis. In the meantime the barn staff will be extra vigilant for any changes and Max will enjoy being spoiled more than normal – if that is possible.
I left early Wed morning to get to the Vet school by nine so that Max could travel when it was relatively cool (of course it was super hot yesterday). Discharge was pretty quick and his student and Doctor were very helpful answering my multiple questions and making sure I understood the care he needed when he got home. Rising sophomore Alexandra Fullerton was also at the Vet school doing an externship which was great as she kept Max supplied with apples during his stay.
We made it back to the Burg in time for Max to settle before I was scheduled to present the summary of my trip to the NAEAA conference to the equestrian staff, administrators and business faculty. After our brown bag lunch I was able to clean Max up and observe that he was pretty much back to normal. He came home on SMZs for the urinary tract infection, and Phenazopyridine which is an analgesic drug to help him feel more comfortable. One side effect of this drug is that it turns the urine bright yellow and everything the medication touches turn yellow including Kellie’s hands and Max’s teeth and tongue. Max’s student from the Vet school called me today to let me know the urinary culture came back and the SMZ’s should take care of the infection.
So Max is home, eating, begging for treats and acting pretty normal. The plan is to reassess his blood and urine before he comes off of his meds in a couple of weeks. The elevated kidney enzymes in his blood are an indication of kidney failure which maybe chronic and progressive and which has a poor prognosis. In the meantime the barn staff will be extra vigilant for any changes and Max will enjoy being spoiled more than normal – if that is possible.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Max is spending a few days at the vet school
My dear partner Max is currently at the NCSU Veterinary School recovering from a painful condition. Over the weekend we noticed that he was dribbling a little urine just a drip, drip, drip type of thing but all the same not normal. Monday morning his urethra was swollen and extended. Veterinary investigation revealed a stone the size of a grape which had travelled down his urethra and was blocking the normal flow of urine. Once this was extracted (poor Max he was a superstar throughout this whole episode) they were able to drain his bladder with a stallion catheter.
Max was referred to the Vet school for further diagnostics to establish if this stone was the lone ranger or if there were others. The Vets and students at NCSU were fabulous and very efficient. They scoped his urethra and bladder using a color camera which was pretty cool to see. The procedure took quite a long time as they wanted to flush some of the accumulated “sludge” out of his bladder as well as evaluate if the flow of urine into the bladder was normal. Although there was significant swelling and trauma the general consensus was that things were relatively normal. They did however find a second stone which looks pretty sizable on the scope. They said it was difficult to attain an accurate measurement of its size.
The Vets followed up with kidney ultrasounds and blood work looking for abnormalities. Although, there were a few abnormal indicators they felt that these were likely caused by the stress of the day. Having listened to the options I decided that Max should remain at the Vet school and provided today’s blood work comes back normal (they are primarily concerned with kidney damage) he will have a standing procedure on Friday to remove that second stone and clean/flush his bladder. The Doctor assured me that the surgery is pretty easy on horses with of course the usual risks associated with this type of medical procedure. At 27 years of age I wanted to be sure that Max does not have to endure too much to fix the problem.
He was on fluids last night and was urinating during the night, which is a good sign. His appetite is good and he appears to be in good shape considering what he has been through.
So keep Max in your thoughts, although he is 27 years old he is in great physical shape and my hope is that he will be able to return to a normal horse life once he recovers.
Max was referred to the Vet school for further diagnostics to establish if this stone was the lone ranger or if there were others. The Vets and students at NCSU were fabulous and very efficient. They scoped his urethra and bladder using a color camera which was pretty cool to see. The procedure took quite a long time as they wanted to flush some of the accumulated “sludge” out of his bladder as well as evaluate if the flow of urine into the bladder was normal. Although there was significant swelling and trauma the general consensus was that things were relatively normal. They did however find a second stone which looks pretty sizable on the scope. They said it was difficult to attain an accurate measurement of its size.
The Vets followed up with kidney ultrasounds and blood work looking for abnormalities. Although, there were a few abnormal indicators they felt that these were likely caused by the stress of the day. Having listened to the options I decided that Max should remain at the Vet school and provided today’s blood work comes back normal (they are primarily concerned with kidney damage) he will have a standing procedure on Friday to remove that second stone and clean/flush his bladder. The Doctor assured me that the surgery is pretty easy on horses with of course the usual risks associated with this type of medical procedure. At 27 years of age I wanted to be sure that Max does not have to endure too much to fix the problem.
He was on fluids last night and was urinating during the night, which is a good sign. His appetite is good and he appears to be in good shape considering what he has been through.
So keep Max in your thoughts, although he is 27 years old he is in great physical shape and my hope is that he will be able to return to a normal horse life once he recovers.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Faculty Development by Jackie Dwelle
Faculty development comes in many formats. Continuing education is certainly one of them! This morning Pebbles and I had the privilege of riding western with our colleague Carla Wennburg. For me it was a great experience for many reasons. First I am from England and never had the opportunity to ride western growing up, second as the dressage coach I have seen how riding western has helped my team riders and I wanted to experience it for myself and finally I love learning new things and finding out how they work. Of course as with anything new there is a learning curve from how to secure the cinch, to correct leading procedures to the fact that the horses are a lot shorter and you just mount from the ground. (Yes, I led little Holly, up to the giant TH mounting block causing much hilarity from my colleagues.)
So where did we start? With elementary control of course! Two hands, ask the horse to go to the bridle and then ask it to carry itself. (This is how I started with Holly with Carla saying, “just ride like you ride dressage.” Pebbles rode Harley with less contact.) Once I figured out not to hurry the jog (dressage makes you want to ride forward) then I was able to stop and steer very easily. Holly was very responsive to the voice when it came to stopping! Loping was the next thing and I had to really concentrate on being tall through my upper body. Canter to halt easy! We have to get better at those downward transitions in dressage. Carla showed us how to spin the horses and then had us finish up riding squares. It was fabulous!
So I had to try out some of this on the dressage horses and it was Jake’s turn today. We have been working on transitions within the gaits and he was amazing, going softly into the bridle and seeking contact which he has been a little tentative about lately. His canter was relaxed and adjustable and his halts improved as I remembered that when you train the voice is a VERY useful aid. It probably did not hurt that I rode with a more open hip angle and focused on using my outside aids to turn.
Looking forward to riding more western this summer - Thank you Carla!
So where did we start? With elementary control of course! Two hands, ask the horse to go to the bridle and then ask it to carry itself. (This is how I started with Holly with Carla saying, “just ride like you ride dressage.” Pebbles rode Harley with less contact.) Once I figured out not to hurry the jog (dressage makes you want to ride forward) then I was able to stop and steer very easily. Holly was very responsive to the voice when it came to stopping! Loping was the next thing and I had to really concentrate on being tall through my upper body. Canter to halt easy! We have to get better at those downward transitions in dressage. Carla showed us how to spin the horses and then had us finish up riding squares. It was fabulous!
So I had to try out some of this on the dressage horses and it was Jake’s turn today. We have been working on transitions within the gaits and he was amazing, going softly into the bridle and seeking contact which he has been a little tentative about lately. His canter was relaxed and adjustable and his halts improved as I remembered that when you train the voice is a VERY useful aid. It probably did not hurt that I rode with a more open hip angle and focused on using my outside aids to turn.
Looking forward to riding more western this summer - Thank you Carla!
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