There is a small local dressage show at the end of February. Last year, before our winter, I had asked the organisers if I could ride H/C and sidesaddle and they were ok about that. Then winter set in, we had bad flooding and all the shows got cancelled for months and I never made my dressage aside debut.
So yesterday I did it. I posted off my entry form for February's competition, with a note asking if I could ride the training test non-competitively and sidesaddle.
Today Molly is LAME!
I'm pretty sure its a stone bruise. She is unshod at the moment, as the farrier came just before Xmas and didn't have time to put shoes on her. I thought she would be alright as she has tough little feet, but obviously not. Last week riding in my neighbour's arena (where the base course is starting to come through really badly) she pitched over on me and felt like a 3-legged donkey. I think she went down hard on a stone in her right front foot. She hadn't felt too bad at home on the grass but today she looks terrible and is obviously favouring it at the trot.
I just hope it comes right before the dressage. Unfortunately she is also nutty on too much grass at the moment and hugely overweight and I can't even lunge her, to help get her exercise level up and to burn some fat off.
It's not fair :(
Bad luck, Anita. It certainly presents like a stone bruise, possibly trying to become an abscess. Are you soaking her foot at all? Epsom salts, sugardyne?
ReplyDeleteIt must seem like the universe is conspiring against you (well, isn't that obvious?) and your attempts to ride down centerline aside, but remember that we are behind you (cracking lunge whips if necessary!).
Perhaps some additional bling therapy is warrented...
I'm not soaking it Robin but will do. I'm not sure if it is a stone bruise or just how incredibly dry it is here at the moment. Her frog is also quite cracked and might be sore with any pressure on it.
ReplyDeleteIts been fantastic to find you & Leila. I sometimes feel like giving up, as trying to ride dressage aside is such an uphill battle! But at least now I can bitch to you guys and you understand. My local horsey friends think I'm nuts :)
Believe me, I know the temptation to quit.
ReplyDelete