So long, and thanks for all the fish

So, in kind of a crazy whirlwind, it all went off without a hitch and Fawkes is at his new home. Because I didn't expect it to go so quickly I wasn't prepared with anything.  I had to get a Coggins pulled and a brand inspection and he was due for the farrier so I wanted to get that done before he left too.  Somehow, it all got done and he left on Friday.

We got one last ride in too

 His new home is everything I could have asked for and I can't believe how well it worked out.  He moved to a facility farther away from the metro area with big fields for turnout and a really talented young adult rider.

Yeah, he looks pretty happy

I am definitely a little sad - we have been partners for 3.5 years after all - but I can't feel too badly.  He is in a great place with someone who is already in love with him!

As for me, I don't plan on taking a break from riding.  My horse friends are already generously offering up their horses and I might pick up a part lease this summer.  Hopefully, some other life stuff gets worked out in the next few months and then I can figure out my horse future.  It seems unlikely I will blog much if at all for a bit, but I am going to keep this active, keep up to date with everyone else's blogs, and maybe start up again when I have a new journey to share.

Once last roll in the indoor with that wild pony mane

Thanks for sharing in Fawkes' story!

On a Sunday (I'll think it through)

It has been a busy week.  I may have a home lined up for Fawkes, which would be surprisingly fast.  I will post all about it once it goes through...or not.  I have a good feeling about the situation but I guess I am a little superstitious and don't want to talk details until it is all done.  Of course there are an awful lot of emotions swirling around in my brain about the whole situation but I am currently delaying dealing with those.  Avoidance is my friend.

In the meantime, the weather here has continued to suck so yay for a barn with an indoor!  I spent the whole weekend riding.  Sadly, J didn't want to spend his whole weekend taking pictures of me but he did swing by briefly today.  I was lucky enough to get another ride on Tonka the wonder horse.  We started out a little fugly over a cross rail.

 Tonka can be very hard (for me) to trot over a fence.  He REALLY wants to canter the last stride but also is sensitive so trying to hold him to the trot but not drag him down to the walk is challenging.  We had one that wasn't documented-phew- where he got confused and sort of stepped over with his front end and then stopped.  Good horse.  Luckily, we eventually got it together and cantering fences is much much easier.

He is barely even trying.  Love it.

 I am a lucky girl to have such amazing horses available to mess around on.

Fawkes was also spectacular under saddle but sadly no photographic evidence.  J did get a couple pictures of him in cross ties before he left.  I asked for a leg wound shot because I wanted to capture that is it finally healing.  It really needs a day or two in the open air but since my horse currently lives in a mud pit, that will have to wait.

 It looks so tiny in a picture.  And I guess it is in real life but it has produced some truly gross weeping and swelling.  And Mr (not) Stoic hates for it to be touched.  So doctoring it has been tons of fun.  But I am happy with the progress and the fact he has remained rideable.  Definitely think we dodged a bullet with the damage level.

And on a final note, my very favorite picture of the day.  Fawkes and I do not have many sweet moments as neither of us really enjoy touching or snuggling.  However, they do happen sometimes and I am happy to have photographic evidence of this one.

A real ride, over fences and everything

I had my first real ride in awhile last night, and it was entirely unplanned.

In very un-Colorado fashion, the weather has been cold and rainy for days with no end in sight.  This is bad in the big picture because it inevitably leads to flooding and in the small picture because of the very bored horses that aren't getting turned out.

This is in our future with all the rain

I was planning to go to the barn after work to hop on Fawkes and let him just walk and trot some.  He seems to be fully sound again, or at least 99%, but the wound is still open so we are keeping it wrapped and with antibacterial ointment to ward off infection.  He lives outside but when it rains he refuses to leave his shed so he ends up just standing around and needs to move some.

However, when I got there, trainer R had already worked him for the day, cleaned his wound, and re-wrapped him.  Didn't seem to be any good reason to mess with his wraps more, especially when there were plenty of other horses who could use a workout.

So I got on Eric, the bombproof packer whom I want to steal, take home, and hide in my bedroom.  He literally doesn't care what you do in front of a fence, he has GOT this.  And in more surprising news, I rode really well.  A few times I tensed up or fell forward a little bit, but I didn't blow anything completely.

We were able to mess around in one line and do both the add and the stride, alternatingly (that is a word blogger, shut up), and then went through a bounce to a vertical no probs.  Got several really good lead changes too since I was pushing him to be straight.  Shout out to Fawkes on making me much more attuned to the need for straightness and the skills to get it.

Hopefully can keep up this weird trend of actually riding horses

Broken...sigh

After being stuck at a work event Monday-Thursday, I was looking forward to being able to ride on Friday.  I did get a hilarious call from my trainer on Thursday that Fawkes had been out in turnout and while all the other horses stayed clean, Fawkes dedicated himself to finding the one small puddle that was left and with monumental effort managed to coat himself head to hoof in mud.  She said she would bathe him Friday and he would be ready to go.

Except instead, it appears during his shenanigans in turnout he somehow managed to gouge himself on the inside of his left front, just above the fetlock.  The cut is so tiny it wasn't noticeable and didn't bleed much at the time, but it is pretty deep and by Friday his whole leg was swollen and it was oozing.

Blurry horse doesn't hold still for photos

He has spent the last few days getting cleaned and wrapped.  By today the swelling was down and he wasn't lame anymore but there was still a fair amount of....junk draining from it and it is still not close to scabbing over.

Still not interested in the camera lady.  where are my pity treats?

He will get a few more days of bandage changes and hand walking, then we will re-assess.  I am really, really, REALLY grateful that it appears to not be serious.  Still kind of bummed though.  Also, got the letter today that starting June 1st we have a $45 board increase.  Not surprising, but board is already painful and I am not expecting a quick sale here.  Especially not if Fawkes keeps up with the self mutilation.

Don't mind me, I will just be consoling myself in the corner here:

Keep on keeping on

Hasn't been much going on to share lately.  I was out of town on a girl's trip which was a nice break. We spent a few days mountain biking and hanging out and I was able to sneak in a visit to my dad before coming back.

Then right after I got back it was spring shots and sensitive red heads get a couple days off after that.  Nothing dramatic happened this time anyways, no swelling, fever, or other miscellaneous reactions.  Woohoo!

Enjoy random picture of baby cheetahs from many years ago at the National Zoo

Trainer report has been much the same.  Fawkes continues to improve and become a perfect citizen, except when he isn't.  I rode him Friday and today, and he was excellent both times with small exceptions.  Today he "refused" a pole on the ground because it looked at him funny or something.  But all the rest of the poles he marched over in stride.

His trot is definitely become a thing of beauty.  With basically no effort on the rider's part, he drops down into his hunter frame and marches along in perfect rhythm.  He swings his back and has gotten much more comfortable to ride.  He used to fling his head up if you pulled him off the rail and while that isn't perfect yet, he is now staying much more consistent through circles and across the diagonal.

Canter is also coming along although transitions are still about 50/50.  So we have had some nice rides, but nothing super exciting.  Trainer R is planning on asking one of the other boarders to jump him some more in preparation for selling.  I haven't met her but she is a very talented rider so it can only help Fawkes to get some over fences miles with her.

They had shaved one leg on each of the 4 babies to distinguish them

 No real action on the horse selling front and I don't expect it to happen quickly.  Haven't really considered what will happen after the fact - thinking I will lease for awhile and then reassess.  My finances could really use a break from horse ownership.

When you're on, I swear you're on. You rip my heart right out.

Haven't felt an awful lot like blogging when I have not been in a great space mentally.  When most of the words that come to my mind are obscenities, or worse, whiny, I don't feel like sharing my thoughts is value added.

However, in the vein of a general update: I did go ahead and post a sales ad for Fawkes as well as a giveaway ad on the COTH forums.  I have been contacted by a couple interested parties.  It is very early stages in the process so I am not sure if it will go anywhere, but at least I put it out there.  I still have very mixed feelings on the issue, but sadly the main feeling I got after someone contacted me was relief.  So I guess that is kind of telling.

Rides have been going pretty much the same, consistently inconsistent.  On Friday we had to ride in the indoor and he was being spooky and obnoxious.  My trainer was there, about to head out, and was considering having to get on him.  He wouldn't go into the one corner.  He wasn't going full Fawkes spook style but he would fling his head up and slam on the brakes from the trot.  He spent a solid 20 minutes like that before cooperating some.

Then on Saturday he was a complete angel.  Had a jumping lesson and he was calm, quiet, relaxed and perfect.  I even completely had brain death on one jump and collapsed on his neck.  With Fawkes this is usually a really quick trip to a refusal and one way ticket to the dirt.  For some unknown reason he saved my ass and jumped while rebalancing me.

So mystery horse stays mysterious.  He has been on the magnesium about 2 weeks now.  The last time the chiro vet came he said Fawkes was great and we can start going 8 weeks between sessions, so I am confident his back is good.   At least we are eliminating things and I will know I have tried everything I can.

The worst part of this rut is being demotivated to ride.  It is stunning perfect spring weather out and I don't want to hit the trails.  Of course it is CO so it will also snow at some point this week, but the idea remains.  I need to re-find my riding mojo!

In a rut

Fawkes and I seem to be a bit stuck.  He has been right on the verge of obnoxiously spooky most rides and I have been right on the verge of really frustrated.  At our lesson on Sunday, he kept spooking at the trainer's dog.  The same dog that has been at every lesson ever.  So clearly our rides have been super productive.

He was otherwise pretty good this weekend, although he has regressed some to sucking back before a jump or pole.  Not every time and I am not sure the best way to handle it.  My trainer just wants me to put leg on but even when I use all the calf I can, I still feel him slowing down and losing rhythm.  I have been forbidden to kick or sit down and drive (yeah, I have a few bad habits) so I have been clucking but my trainer doesn't want me to do that either.  So maybe I am supposed to let him suck back some?  Or maybe it is all in my head.  Honestly, I haven't prioritized resolving that issue.  And usually by the second or third time over he maintains rhythm so as long as he is going over, I let it go.

In general, I think we are both just kind of irritated with each other.  He loves his trainer rides and goes really well for them and I am like, fine, live with the trainers then.  Which has pushed me to the decision to at least post a sales ad for him.  I wasn't planning on selling him and there is probably a large chance he isn't going anywhere but.....he and I are clearly not a match made in heaven.  And he goes much more happily for the trainers.

So maybe, just maybe, there is a person out there that he would do better for.  I doubt there are many pros looking for an <16 hand, spooky gelding, but there could be a talented, ballsy rider with a tiny budget that would do well with him and it can't hurt to put the ad up and see if anyone comes along.  I would happily give him away to the right situation, if that existed.

In the meantime, we will just keep on keeping on.