Always Brewing

Well Saturday morning Bill and I had to meet with someone at a country club we are considering for our wedding reception, so I had to get out to the farm early. Just as well that I went out early because I beat the heat, and I was awake at 4am anyway from overwhelming excitement of "I'm getting married". I have 15 months of this now!?! Aye yay yay. I need to stop watching Say Yes to the Dress before I go to bed :-)

So I lunged Jim and rode Pepe, typical Saturday stuff. Jim looked good. Still a grade 1 lame all the time, every so-often he jumps into a grade 4 instantly, and is 100% crippled. Luckily, when he does this he brings himself down to a walk, shakes out of it, and when he's feeling better he steps himself back up into a trot. It's a very peculiar motion and it is heart-wrenching to watch. Something inside me says it's in his poll - like he has more chips there & we never considered looking that high. I really hope my gut-instinct is wrong.

I think it's in the neck because it's certain times when he tilts his head while he's trotting or shakes it to play, or when he lifts it up at any point to look at something, he gets stuck - it seems like his head and neck are stuck in one place and the pain is shooting all the way down through his feet. His whole front end is totally effed. Back end - never misses a beat.

Pepe is MUCH MUCH more broke than I originally thought and extremely fun!!! I didn't ride him Sunday because after lunging Jim and teaching Lucy I was way too hot and tired. But Saturday morning he really stepped up his game. Another boarder keeps ground rails out for her horse so I use them to my advantage. Pepe will come out of the corner soft, step up and open up his stride when asked, and carry his momentum up, over, and through any rails in front of him. YES! I love that feeling - a horse that is WILLING to work. Absolutely love it.

Another thing that I was tickled about started last week. He liked to try & wiggle out of the ground rails then and cantering through one time he tried to dodge out last second and popped himself into a flying lead change. *Note in head: Use this for later*. Well, what do you know. Saturday morning he came out of the corner, stepped up to the one-stride (ground rails only), landed and when I stepped out, he popped a perfect change. WOOOOOOT!! Sign. Me. UP for this guy!!! He is SUCH a fast learner and he's so sweet, so sincere. I swear if Jimmy tips over and dies I'm just going to put Pepe in his stall and call it a day. Jimmy: You've been replaced. I'm sick of your drama.

Okay, obviously that's just simply not true. I'm willing to keep giving Jimmy time, since it's all I can afford to do. Come next spring if we're still having lameness problems we will see what we can do. However, right now with remnant surgery and diagnostic things to pay off, and a WEDDING, my hands are a little tied. Jimmy will remain in his limestone lot alone with a lunge every few days & Pepe will be my riding release. We will get through this.