Cleared to Ride!

The vet came last week and ultrasounded Jinx's leg. The sore on his leg is almost completely closed up. What was raw and pink 2 weeks ago is now skin. There is a small scab on his leg, and the vet and I are both unsure of whether hair will grow back in this area completely.

Today, I rode Izz, and ponied Jinx in tack. When I realized Jinx was completely calm, and not going to do anything stupid despite the windy day, I hopped on him for a few laps around the ring at the walk. Other than trying to swim in a mud puddle, he did very well for his first ride in quite some time. He was very willing, and very calm. All he really wanted to do was visit with Izz and make sure he was not getting left behind!

Progression of Jinx's Healing

His leg is FINALLY healing, so I thought I'd put a few pictures together to show what the progression of his healing has been like...

Here is the first, initial injury:

Here it is after the stitches, and after he had ripped out said stitches:

After healing for a quite a while, and things still not looking "quite right" a blood vessel burst, which can be seen here:

And here is it is, after all the trouble, money, and heartache, FINALLY HEALING!

And it is even smaller than this photo, but I have no had a chance to take pictures of it. The area is finally starting to get smaller, there is no swelling whatsoever in that area, and it is finally starting to look like a happy, healing pink.

At least 2 more weeks of wrapping, then ultrasounds, and we are good to go with lots of fingers crossed and lots of knocking on wood!

3 more weeks?

3 more weeks of wrapping.

Last week, there was some complication with his existing injury. A blood vessel, naturally created by the healing process, and aided with the use of SSD ointment, busted, and created a scene out of a horror movie:

Ridiculous.

And in the meantime, I wrapped his leg too tight (in an attempt to stop the bleeding) and created a small bow in the left hind tendon. It seems that the swelling as all but subsided, but he is going to require ultrasound in that leg before "returning" to training (if you can call it "returning").

So now I am wrapping every other day, and alternating Biozide cream and Entederm. And counting down the days until the next vet appt on 10/19.

It's been a long road to recovery...

The long road to recovery has been full of its ups and downs. Jinx is NOT a happy camper in a stall. We have had to keep him on Ace almost every day since his injury. I know that you really can't expect too much cooperation out of 2 year old, but he has been absolutely bonkers. A week after his injury, I turned him out into our indoor ring so he could stretch his legs and be free from a stall for a while. Oh yeah.... he was FREE alright. He went CRASHING through a board to escape the ring and go see his buddies. He escaped injury-free other than a scrape or two (which I might add, I think he deserved a little bit).

Then about a week after that, I was hand walking him, and he spun around a bucked out, hitting my hand. I thought he had broken it from how hard he kicked it, but I could wiggle my fingers and regained feeling in it a few minutes later. He has since learned that spinning and bucking on the end of a lead is NOT okay.

He has also learned that kicking out at me when I am trying to re-wrap his leg is not okay either.

So onto the up side of this story....

The vet came out and checked his wound yesterday. It is healing well, and we should only have 2 more weeks of daily leg wrapping. She also x-rayed his big knee, and they came back clean with no issues! She also said his growth plates in his knees are almost done closing, and that from now on he will be gaining height from his withers and other structures.

And a photo and a few videos...

We had to get "creative" in our training... here is little Jinx wearing a tarp, which he also walked over. He was quite good about everything.

And here are two videos of his turn out "celebration"...

And let the vet bills begin...

I went out to the barn Sunday evening to check on Jinx and Izz and give them both some cookies. I came upon Jinx and noticed that there was something wrong with his left hind leg.

So $774 later...Jinx is on lots of drugs, stall rest, and has stitches in his left hind leg. He's got a wrap that needs to be replaced every other day.  He's not too happy, but I guess to look on the bright side, it could have been worse.

Already Spoiled

Jinx had an exciting week after his first ride. He made a new best friend!

Justy and Jinx were side by side inseparable since the moment we put them together.

Jinx has also been busy learning that breaking the velcro cross ties is not OK, and that getting hosed and fly-sprayed is not going to kill him. He has accepted the hosing/bathing part, not so much the fly spray part.

Today, he went out with his herd for the first time. The first thing he did was find a nice, big, lovely mud puddle. This was the end result.

He was COVERED in mud on his left side.

I went on a little shopping spree today and bought some black SMB boots. I lunged him in them today, and he didn't seem to care too much about the boots. After some pulling, and my deciding to put the chain back on his nose while I lunge him, we did manage to pick up a canter both directions. Tracking left, he first picked up his right lead canter, and then successfully picked up the left lead canter with ease. Tracking right, it took him several tries to pick up the right lead canter. He cantered a few strides to the right before I paused and brought him back to the walk and praised him up and down.

I picked up a Bates saddle w/ an interchangeable gullet that I am going to try on him tomorrow. It might be a bit too wide in the rear panels for him, but I imagine he has plenty of filling out to do still. We sticked him today...15.2 at the withers and 16.0 at the butt. I imagine he will easily mature to 16 hands, considering he is only 2 years 3 months old.

First Ride!

I was SO proud of the little boy last night! First I applied some MTG to his legs, and formaldehyde to his hooves. I showed my mom how to handle him (he really is easy). His only issue handling is that he has NO respect for your space, which for a 2 year old, I'm thankful is his ONLY leading issue. He doesn't like to tie very well, and keeps busting out of the cross ties (good thing they are safety velcro ties). I imagine that will come with time and a lot of patience. I also lunged him in tack for a short while, and he did fine. He got the hang of that right away. After all of that, I got my mom to lead him around while I sat on him. He did not care one bit. We walked around for a lap each direction of the ring, until I could feel his little 2 year old mind starting to have a boredom meltdown, so I hopped off.

I am so proud of my little boy. I don't think I will get on him too often. Maybe once a week or so just so that he doesn't "forget" that it's okay to let people ride him. I am waiting until he is 3 to actually start any real training.

The vet is coming out on the 23rd to do a full workup on him. I'm going to have her check his teeth before I put a bridle on him. I imagine that having a bridle on will actually HELP with Jinx's boredom issues under saddle...he'll have something to play with.

But fly spray IS the devil!

Jinx's only vice right now (besides normal 2 year old behavior) is that he HATES fly spray. He spent a good 20 minutes making me dizzy circling round and round me while I just lightly tried to spray NEAR him. That session ended well though...he was taking cookies out of my hands while I sprayed his butt. He's not 100% sure that fly spray won't kill him. Hell, he's not even 50% sure, but that's better than nothing! I suspect it will all come with time.

We also learned the basics of lunging (aka, yes, it IS okay for you to circle around me). He used this to his advantage when I was trying to fly spray him, I'm sure of it. We also walked over ground poles, trotted in hand (lord he is SO lazy).

We got hosed off, because water, too, is the devil. And we ended the session with a saddle on his back! I even laid across him, and he didn't care at all! I bet he was, however, wishing I had the stature of a jockey. Another picture!

Busy Boy

Jinx had a busy first day, which included unloading, figuring out that his life had been turned upside down, making some friends and lots of enemies, meeting his new big brother, getting hosed and brushed, learning it's okay to take treats and that they are actually really yummy, and our biggest task yet: learning that fly spray is NOT the devil. He also got his whiskers trimmed off and his bridle path cut.

Today, we had a horse show at our barn. Which meant lots of things for Jinx to look at and freak out about. He was a little leery of the chairs and people cheering and clapping, but he learned to deal with it. I took him on the trail in hand walking with Cortney, and he was well behaved, except for the pulling. He only stopped to spook at the dogs barking and some birds flying out of the bushes. I also held him outside the ring for a good few hours so that he could socialize with people and get used to all of the excitement. He was very, very well behaved given that he had been at this barn for less than 24 hours, and then we threw a horse show into the mix.

I tried to introduce him to his big brother today, but Izz was having no parts of this strange new horse that was eating up all of his Mom's attention.

And now for a few pictures!

Almost Here!

So it looks like Rinka's name might be Jinx after all.

I just got a call from the transporter, who said that after a few minutes of hesitation, Jinx loaded up just fine and is now on his way from Maryland to Richmond. He's coming with hay, a de-wormer, and I still need to get in touch with Ignat to see what he is eating so that I can feed him appropriately once he gets here. Words cannot describe how excited I am to see my new boy and welcome him home.

Pumula Horse Carriers (http://www.pumulahorsecarriers.com/) is taking care of the transport, and I am already satisfied with a decent price, contract, and update of everything.

All I have left to do is go by the bank so I can get some cash to pay for Jinx's shipment :)

Things are coming together.

I am using a company by the name of Pumula Horse Carriers to transport my new horse. The owner of the company was very quick to respond to any questions I had, as opposed to some of the other transportation companies which took longer than I wished.

I just called Ignat at the farm, and he told me he would take care of the hay, coggins, and halter/lead rope needed to transport the horse. I emailed Cynthia yesterday but have yet to hear back. I am interested in what Rinka's current diet is, and if I can have some of his grain to help him slowly get switched to ours. Mom said they were only eating oats, but I was so lovestruck I didn't pay attention to what the horses were eating!

So now I am sitting and waiting through what will be a painfully long and difficult week. I probably won't sleep at all Friday. Sunday there is a show at our barn, and I will be excited to take Rinka out and how him off...I mean desensitize him to the show.

I can't describe how happy I am right now!

Getting more excited, less nervous!

A big thanks to Elaine for allowing me to come on and board at HLS. I am so thankful I don't have to scramble around and get the fence ready up the road. I can just unload and go. The whole "searching" process didn't take much time. I hate to be the person that buys the first horse they look at. But when I saw him I knew I had to have him!

In Love

So this is Rinka. He is a 2 year old, almost 16hh Thoroughbred. He came right up to me from the field, and was very complacent (as complacent as 2 year old can be). I have put a deposit on him, and am arranging his shipment later this week. Unsure if his barn name will stay Rinka.

Now there is lots of scrambling to get ready for his arrival. To be honest I wasn't ready to make a decision so soon, but he is so cute and sweet, I knew I couldn't pass him up. Now I'm getting the fence ready and looking at all of my options.

I'm not throwing an official welcome party yet, nor have I posted this blog on my facebook yet, because I want to make sure everything is final before I start spreading the news.

I couldn't be any more excited or nervous!

Dillema #1

I am faced with my first dilemma.

Mare vs. Gelding

I have only owned, and mostly ridden geldings. Mares and I have never gotten along. Really, besides being able to breed, are there really any GOOD qualities of a mare?

Besides that, if I get a mare, she can live ride across the parking lot at the same barn, and in the event that I need to go out of town, or can't come one evening, there will always be someone there to feed her. However, if I get a gelding, I will have to board elsewhere.

I have gotten the 'okay' to board at the little field down the road from HLS. Board is cheap, although I will need to re-do the fence. Barbed wire fencing is a NO GO for me. The poor gelding would be alone in his field, and would get little interaction with other horses, aside from me taking him down the road for a visit. The grass however, is very luscious, and he would be easily kept fat and happy. I have already gotten in touch with my Dad, who will either help me, or have his friend help me re-do the fence in the event that I do get a gelding.

Now I'm looking at fencing options. Regular post board, or electric, or both, or something completely different.

It's a GO!

After creating this blog several weeks ago with the intentions of starting my search for a new horse, things never seemed to fall into place well enough for me to say, "I'm officially horse shopping." But, I'm officially horse shopping! If you're reading this, I hope that I may be entertaining enough to keep you around in my search for my next equine partner. Once I find that partner, the blog's not over! I will continue to document the training of my new friend. This should prove to be entertaining since I am mostly interested in purchasing at OTTB.

Why am I looking for a new horse when I already own one? I'm bored. Very bored. I love my horse to death, and Lord knows he keeps things interesting, but the simple fact of the matter is that he does not have the brain, nor the athleticism to jump. While I feel like an immature whiny brat for wanting a new horse because mine can't jump, I have come to the conclusion that I am only interested in what is best for all parties involved in this situation. Let me give you a little background...

It all started with of course, the inevitable bite by the horse bug. That, and being fortunate at the time to have a Dad that was dating a woman with a horse named CiCi. Since he was much too young, and after a an almost fatal accident, much too dangerous for me to ride, I took lessons on some older, kinder, horses. Swinger and Rumors were patient souls that winter of 2001. That following spring, my Mom took an interest in my equine hobby addiction, and we stumbled upon a big barn behind my horse, Hunter Lane Stables. The Wilsons have been kind enough to feed my addiction ever since. I have ridden everything from small ponies to big warmbloods at HLS, have leased a super slow QH, and been dumped by a super fast TB. Actually, falling became somewhat of my specialty (I lost count after 60....yes, seriously). Fast forward to 2005, I was looking for my own horse, when a little Arabian named Prince was given to me. "Prince" didn't seem to fit his personality so he became "Izz," and I began my journey in training my first off-the-track horse. Combine speed, with hormones from being gelded late, with the flighty Arab brain, and you have your ideal first horse. I hope you can sense the sarcasm.

Ever since then, I have been trying to teach my horse that it's okay to jump, that he will surely live to see another day. He is convinced otherwise, and after 5 years I think I am giving up. Don't get me wrong, he is great at other things. He can gallop really fast, buck, spook, throw his head up in the air, and don't forget eating...he is GREAT at eating. Okay, so he'd be a great first level dressage horse with a little bit of training, and we've been cleaning up in the Hunter Pleasure classes, but I have been doing those things with him for 5 years. I'm BORED.

I got the OKAY to board a mare at HLS. So of course this week I'm going to look at a gelding.

But look how CUTE he is:

http://canterusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4151:rinka-dinka-doo&catid=50:delaware-park-trainer-listings

And now I'm off to a long, long day at work. I am working four 10-hour shifts so I can have Friday off to go look at that little guy!