FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread 12

[HairOfTheDog]

What you say is what I fear, of course. And in wanting to let him rest and adjust and recover I haven't really wanted to work him, but with all this dreary weather they've all been doing nothing but stand around and it was really starting to 'get' to me, wondering how he was doing.

What I want is the reassurance of seeing him run around and play again.

Here's the video of Bay yesterday when I played with him. A few bobbles, but the ground isn't even and he's in a really tight circle. Overall though, I thought he looked more chipper and I was relieved.

Video of Bay 'lunging' 12-13-07

[FrogInABlender]

You might want to look into a treeless saddle for him. I've been kinda looking at Trekker Treeless Saddles. They're the only ones that even remotely look like a normal saddle. I'm partial to the Pro Endurance model, but the Dressage Master is really nice too if you need that kinda look. They come in narrow, regular and wide widths too.

[FrogInABlender]

It’s a good sign that he’s willing to move that much with that little encouragement. His feet obviously aren’t hurting that bad.

Are you still treating his feet for that black stuff or has that pretty much cleared up?

[HairOfTheDog]

Not much of the black stuff, and I don’t think anything that won’t clear up and wear off on it’s own. I picked his feet and sprayed them the first day, but now I’ve decided to leave him be and not go out of my way to pick them, if he’s ouchy the dirt being packed in there will help him on the gravel we do have.

[FrogInABlender]

And if you want a western saddle, the Royal King RB Auto Adjust Flex Tree Saddle . BladeRider has one and it's a similar design to the Ortho Flex. It fits all of her widely-varying-sized horses. I had this saddle first and it fit all of mine too. The only reason I sold it to her was because the fenders were too long for my legs, so if you're short it won't work for you.

[Beaker]

Please don’t beat yourself up over Bay. You certainly do your best by him! Farriers are a crap shoot, imo. You never know quite what you’re going to get until something happens, for better or worse.

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm trying not to... thanks :~) I thought he was better today:

Update 12/14:

[Duchess47]

What horrible destruction. And a huge clean up job. It looks like a lot of those trees are going to require someone in them cutting branches that have cracked or split but not come all the way down.

I’m glad the garden tree made it okay though.

And really sorry it isn’t going to warm up. All week the weathermen here have predicted we get into the 40’s during the day - today is five days of not getting up to freezing even. I sure do hate winter.

[Duchess47]

Hope you can stay home until the snow melts. I’ve about decided I should stay home until the daffodils bloom :)

If I weren’t feeding a squirrel and a bunch of quail at work I’d seriously consider it - I’ve still got some vacation time left.

[Duchess47]

Bob got a flex tree Abeta that is really nice. Try checking the tack stores for used saddles and haul the horse in to try them out. Could be also that they will let you take one home to try the fit.

[Duchess47]

He doesn’t look as stiff in this video although he does look ouchy in one area - maybe rocks or gravel there? Not lame, just tender.

[Duchess47]

I didn’t watch this video since they take so blasted long to load but I’m glad to see it warmed up enough for the blanket to come off for awhile.

[Beaker]

He certainly looks a lot better in this video than he did in the last one you posted. I still saw some head bobbing and gimpiness, but he was moving out more, and a little more freely. In the last video, he looked sore. I also see some “Bayness” back in him. :-)

[HairOfTheDog]

Thanks for saying so :~)

So Beaker, are you still in snow?

Becky - How’s it going there... how’s your weather now?

[FrogInABlender]

He does seem to have a little more get-up-and-go in that video, so that’s a good sign. Hopefully he’s on the mend!

But one other thing, just sometime when you’re out there taking pictures, take one of him from his left side, the side without the mane, from the withers forward and the point-of-shoulder up. I just want to look at the crest of his neck. I saw a little bit of it in that video but would like a better look.

[HairOfTheDog]

OK will do. I just looked through pictures taken in the past, and I’ve got cresty pictures from ‘05 and not so cresty pictures since. He’s always been cresty. Sometimes he looks really cresty and sometimes he doesn’t look so much. It depends on the pose, whether he’s compressing or extending. I can take a picture that makes it look either way.

I do intend to talk to the vet this year about IR issues just so we can all stop wondering :~)

[Beaker]

I am still in snow. Yesterday morning I got stuck in a snow bank at the top of the driveway, and had to call AAA to come and get me out. It was embarrassing! But I got to ride in my car on the back of a flatbed tow truck. It added some excitement to my day.

[HairOfTheDog]

You rode ~in~ your car on the tow truck? :~)

[Beaker]

You rode ~in~ your car on the tow truck? :~)

Yes! :-D I got stuck at the top of my driveway, so the guy had to park perpendicular to the street, blocking both lanes of traffic. I got in the car, and had to start it so that I could put it in neutral and steer the car up the bed of the truck while he pulled me onto it. Once the car and I were on the truck, he asked me if I would be able to get out of the car and climb down off of the bed. Those beds are pretty high up there, so I declined, because really if I had tried to climb down, I would have hurt myself. So, I got to stay in the car while he maneuvered and drove up the street to let me back down. I was both exhilarated and terrified. :-D

[HairOfTheDog]

Heh... I’m just disappointed that there are no pictures... ;~)