Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The Last Big Push

Sorry I have been MIA...I have a friend from Arizona staying with me and we have been busy. Doing horse stuff. We buddied at the last 2 rodeos. Moon had a decent enough run at Montrose. Back to being a 17.8 on a standard pattern. Not quite good enough to be in the money, but I was pleased. 'A' was one hole out of the money and I was 2 holes out.

The next day we loaded up and headed to Westcliffe and I was feeling pretty good about it. Unfortunately, Moon just does not handle the ground at that arena well. If it's dry, it's shallow and shifty (last year we skittered around the pattern.). If it's wet, it's shallow and firm. He just can't get into the ground and doesn't clock (We had a 19 second run. A full second off the mark). So I don't think we will be going back to Westcliffe next year. At least, I won't bother taking Moon.

I cannot complain about how Moon is running. He feels confident and is slowly edging back up there in times. I'm getting a little 'handsy' with him again between 1st and 2nd, so A recommended trying tying a loop of rope around his neck and when I come off of the 1st barrel and get my hands set, I can just pick that up with my hand and then even if I do pull, I can't bring my hand up and I won't pick up on Moon's face. That is really the key to making good runs Moon...stay out of his face after the 1st barrel. I'm getting better, but it's slow going to perfection. ;-)


'A' pulled the last hole for a check in Westcliffe though. So good for her. :-).

I have continued to work with the big bay horse. He wants to revert back to his hyper vigilant state, but every time I handle him, I just make sure to give myself plenty of time and not stop working with him until he relaxes. If it takes 15-20 minutes to put a fly mask on...so be it. He throughly enjoyed his spa day though...

Full bath, mane and tail scrubbed, mud packs and feet cleaned, scrubbed and trimmed. Every so slowly this horse's truly sweet nature is coming out. I haven't gotten a chance to really work with him under saddle again though. I tore my round pen apart to make pens for A's horses and I am just rather enjoying spending some 'quality' time with the big bay.

I was starting to get a little frustrated with the little sorrel, but I finally grasped the oddity of his on again, off again lameness and resolved that as much as I hate being a mean person...he was just going to have to work through rebuilding his back and hip muscles. I've come to the conclusion that is all it is...He is so stiff and muscle-bound that the vast majority of what is going on is just the ripping apart of old, immobile musculature....


I am going to have the chiro go over him and Moon this week when I pass through Gunnison on my way to another rodeo. The last real problem I have yet to work through with the little sorrel is his tendency to spook at things in his peripheral vision. If the chiro does not find anything wrong with this horse's poll that would/could be the cause of that little problem...I think I have a plan...

The problem is, while Bugs is starting to turn a decent barrel...He keeps spooking at the dumbest things...a clod of dirt, a shadow, the actual barrel....and he only does it AFTER it comes into his peripheral view. I was talking with a friend who takes a lot of horses off the track and she said that she has successfully used 1/2 blinkers on horses with similar problems. In Bugs' case, I could just cut the 1/2 blinkers down to where only the very back and bottom of his peripheral vision was blocked. He never spooks at anything in front of or directly to the side of him, only at things that are on the ground and only when he mostly gets past them and sees them in his peripheral vision. It's strange to be sure. I've never had a horse that has done this before, but it seems to run in his mother's side of the family, as both Bugs' dam and sister (out of the same mare) had/have a tendency to be overly bothered by things that are on the ground, by their feet. Possibly a depth perception problem?...

Anyway...As for the last big push...

I'm off on a 10 day run. I am trying very hard not to be so very disappointed in this rodeo season...It just has not gone at all like I had hoped it would. But...This is the very same time last year that Moon came on and started placing and winning...So I am hoping (and praying) that as this season winds down, we finally hit a little lick and start picking up some checks. Things have been improving steadily...all we need now is a little luck.

I guess if we hit a lick, we will go ahead and finish the season strong. If we don't...

Hell...I dunno what we'll do.

I really don't.

Stay home and hit the last of the jackpots?

Plan one rodeo at a time?

Take up a different event?...

Crawl in a hole and whimper?....LOL...Well, maybe not that...at least not for very long anyway...

:-D




9 comments:

Kalin said...

Sigh your horses are so pretty...Wish my Bay had that mane and tail! At least his mane is getting there...sweet itch doesn't work well for me when I want long mane. ;)
As for the ground, have you tried using some different boots??
Hope you work everything out!

cdncowgirl said...

Good luck on this 10 day run... and stay off Moon's face ;)

Question about TBB's spa day, those mud packs, is that what's on his legs in the pic? What is it for?

Crystal said...

Oh so glad the Big Bay is getting nicer, I cant wait til you get him able to run, he will be so awesome!

I hear you on things not working out like you planned, but maybe this 10 day run will change it up and you will be back in the way it should be :)

kestrel said...

Good luck, you never know when it'll change out for you. Glad to hear things are going well. Interesting on the peripheral vision, don't see why it wouldn't run in families, just like eyesight in people families.

Genie said...

If you come to Durango, please stop by the announcer's stand. I'm timing the rodeo and would love to meet you.

BrownEyed Cowgirl said...

Cdn-A mud poultice is what is on his legs. It's for cooling, soothing, tightening and drawing out inflammation in joints and tendons..or muscles...although I have found the Cool Pack Jelly works better over the topline than the mud.

I prefer the Sore-No-More brand, but have used several different brand names and they are all at least somewhat effective.

An added benefit in the summer is that when you slather the legs with mud, they don't stomp flies as much. The mud protects the legs for a day (or so) from flies. :-)

With Moon, I alternate mud and liniment rubs. At home I usually cold hose until the legs and body are cooled out then liniment rub. On the road I don't always have access to a hydrant for a thorough cold hose, so I'll quickly hose him off (or wipe him down) and mud his legs, from knee down on the front and from stifles down on the rear and then slather Green Pack Jelly over his shoulders, back and hips.

BrownEyed Cowgirl said...

Genie-I am up in Durango on Sunday morning. Can't wait to meet you.

:-)

BrownEyed Cowgirl said...

Kalin-Moon is what you would call a 'light runner', he is not particularly strong in his stifles, so if the ground is shallow/hard, he doesn't have the strength to dig in.

Of course, this gives him an advantage when the ground is deep because horses that dig in get slowed down, but not Moon. He likes the cushion of deeper ground, less jolt to his stifles, but because he doesn't dig in he hardly ever gets bogged down in his turns.

It's a Catch 22...and you just learn which arenas work better for your horse. Got to those and avoid the ones that aren't conducive to their style of running.

Sherry Sikstrom said...

I am betting you will just keep on trying, you dont seem to have a lot of "quit" in you