I decided to put out 4 trot poles for Gunny to go over, in hopes of defining her top line, since she seems like she's getting a little sway-backed. As soon as I got on her today, she dipped really hard underneath me. I thought maybe she just lost her balance, like when you mount when the horse isn't square.
I rode her today, she did quite well. I tried deletion when she came off the rail. I'd back her to the point she'd come off of it, and begin working again as soon as she was in the right place.
She tripped over the trot poles because she didn't pick up her feet, so they were caddy wampus the entire time. I tried to only trot her very slowly or walk her over them. When she decided to take huge steps over them, I did come down on her back pretty hard and I felt bad.
I worked on speeding her up and then slowing her down just before the poles, to prepare her, just like you would for jumping. She responded quite well.
I decided after our ride to test her back for soreness, because her dipping kind of worried me. I ran my fingers down the outside of her spine down her back. Right in the middle of her back she dipped and started to twitch. It was obvious that she was sore. I felt horrible. It was in an unusual spot -- I am not sure that it's just because she's never been ridden english before and that's a spot that hasn't had much stress with her western saddle, or the fact that she's not nearly at obese as she was before, since she doesn't get free choice hay, or a combination of both. It's right where the seat of the saddle is with my English saddle...not quite as far back as the loins, but, around that area. Either way, I feel horrible for hurting my horse. I put some liniment on her back and tried to massage it a little. It hurt her, for sure, but I tried to do it gently and let her know that I didn't mean to hurt her. I'm going to give her the day off from riding tomorrow, as much as I hate to back track her progress. Maybe I'll try western again since it has different pressure points and I have my new CSI pad. See if that makes a difference. I've had such a hard time with her seeming to be sore ever since she lost some weight from switching barns.
She's probably a body score of 5 maybe 6. She used to be around the 7 range. She has withers now, and is lacking the fat on the topline. She's not skinny by any means, but she's definitely not fat, and I think that may play a factor in how my saddles fit. Maybe it's a lack of muscle...but I've been riding her consistently 3-4 times a week, walk and trot.
I'll keep you posted.
Meaghan you may have bruised her back. Giving her a day or two off is a good idea. Changing saddles is also a good idea. The new pad will help. The English saddle may be too narrow.
ReplyDeleteMake sure you have the poles set at the correct width - 3 feet apart. She'll need to speed up when she goes over them so she can reach. She'll also feel jerky as she lifts her feet high enough to clear the poles.
When I first started working Babe over poles she was sore, but more in the hocks and loin area. I had be careful I didn't overdo it and give her time to get in shape. She was using muscles that had not been used in ages.
If she hits a pole and moves it, you need to reset the pole at the correct width.
I went to the hardware store and got a piece of PVC pipe - 3/4 inch, 10 feet long. I used a permanent marker and made lines every 3-feet. I use it for setting poles. It's easier than having a tape measure and I can leave it in the arena. I glued another piece on the end to make it 12 ft long. It's perfect for setting poles for trotting (3-feet apart) and loping (6 feet apart).
It's great Dunny is a body score of 5. But you are correct the old saddle may not fit any more.
You may want to check how much protein she is getting...hay and grain. If the protein is low she'll loose muscle tone and it shows up along the back. How is your hay quality?
Send me an email with what you are feeding...how many pounds. elblazer@gvtc.com