Blog Posts

I Need a Break

3/20/2020

I bet you do too. Fortunately, Facebook has been plastered with funny memes this week. No, COVID-19 isn't a joke, but people are hilarious, and thank goodness they are or else I'd be blubbering under the covers right about now. Letting some of the pressure escape with a good laugh at ourselves can only keep us healthier.

In Prose Works, Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, said, "If only the people would believe that good is more contagious than evil [...] how much more certain would be the doctor's success [...]." In this instance, laughter could certainly replace good without changing her meaning. In fact, it only strengthens her point.

With that, here are some of my favorite memes from the past two days.

Is this official?

As a teacher, I can't help but laugh ...

Stuck at Home?

For my fellow equestrians ...

Straight from the heart ...

Thank those folks still going to work - my husband works for an agricultural company, so he just left for work, keep scrubbing your hands, smile at everyone, and find something to laugh about. The British never had it more right than when in 1939 they encouraged their people to Keep Calm and Carry On.

He's a Player

3/19/2020

I showed up to the ranch the other day to find all of Izzy's toys flung over the fence again. It's a daily thing now. The barrel has been the one toy that he hasn't managed to fling at Speedy. That doesn't mean he hasn't tried.

It almost fit. And yes, that is his nose photo bombing the barrel shot.

I am not sure how calculated was the attempt, it no doubt began as an accident, but that barrel was very nearly on Speedy's side. This isn't a light weight plastic thing either. It's heavy. It's solid. And it is obviously the world's greatest toy.

Of course, Operation Blue Barrel wouldn't have been possible without a prior mission - the one where he dug a giant hole under the fence. That maneuver was probably done in an effort to actually get himself over to Speedy's side.

I mean when you think about it, it's quite extraordinary that he got the barrel to the hole. He had to have thought about that for quite a while. Did he look at the hole and then look at the barrel and calculate how much effort it would take to roll it across his field? And how did he keep his aim so true? Did it take him all night? Did he rest in between efforts?

Once he finally got the barrel poised at the hole, did he have a plan in place for what to do with it once he got it there? Did he think Speedy was going to help him? That hole is pretty deep, but what made him think it was going to fit?

Is he wondering how it got there?

I tried to pull it back out of the hole, but it was wedged in there so tightly that I had to go over to Speedy's side and finish pulling it through. Izzy of course just sat and watched me. Once it was free, I heaved it back over the fence and watched it bounce and roll until it gradually settled in a mound of sand. Speedy was out on the lawn. There is no way I could have done all that with him watching. It would have terrified him. The big brown horse? He just watched in absolute delight.

Everybody, everybody, let's get into it Get stupid Get it started, get it started, get it started Let's get it started (ha), let's get it started in here.

And then because it was clearly game on, he sauntered up to the abandoned feed trough and climbed up. He stared right at me and began to pound out a rhythm ... bang, bang, bang. I was certain it was Morse Code for let's get it started in here.

He can drum left or right.

I finally joined him in a game of I am going to jump on you. While standing on the feed trough, I "tried" to jump up on his back, but every time I bent my knees to push up, he swung his head around and nibbled at my legs. I crouched, he nibbled, I burst out laughing. It's really hard to leap up on the back of a 16'3 hand horse from a 10 inch "stool." It's impossible when you have the giggles.

Who knows how long the game would have gone on? When I spotted the ranch owner walking our way, I quit that "foolishness." When she came over to check on the other holes that Izzy had dug, he found it totally awesome that we now had a three-player game. Instead, she and I retreated to a safe distance. He can be a bit of a pest.

Izzy is a player for sure.

Being a Teacher During a Pandemic

3/18/2020

I have rarely done this, but I have edited the final paragraph in an attempt to say what I meant to say ...

These are certainly sad and trying times for sure. This certainly isn't the world's first pandemic though. Wikipedia gives that honor to the plague of Athens which in the 400s BC killed 75,000 - 100,000. In the 1520 Smallpox Epidemic, nearly 8 million died in Mexico. The Italian Plague of 1629 killed 280,000. And of course, there was the Black Death in the 1300s which killed 75 - 200 million Europeans, as much as 60% of the population. Don't they wish they would have had a Twitter account.

"The Black Death came from China and spread rapidly throughout Europe. By the end of the epidemic, it had killed 2/3 of Europe's population." - Vicki Rowe November 24, 2019

Before last week, no one in Kern County was paying much attention to the Corona Virus except on Facebook. We though the toilet paper debacle was quite hilarious. In all honesty, I think we thought it was a greatly exaggerated joke. Turns out it wasn't. On Saturday, there was no TP at my local Albertsons.

This is very true.

It was only when LA Unified closed its door that I began to worry. LA Unified serves 600,000 students. When they shut their doors, people listen. San Diego Unified, the second largest school district in California, followed soon after; they serve more than 121,000 students. My own district, which serves pre-K through 8th grade, provides education to more than 18,000 students. Bakersfield's only high school district, the Kern High School District, provides education to more than 40,000 students.

As district after district closed their doors, the Kern High School District waited until the Governor essentially made it mandatory. Whatever Kern High does, the elementary schools follow suit. I was glad that we were the last of the 25 largest districts in the state to close our doors. Today is our first day of closure.

In times of crisis, stability keeps us sane. Following regular routines helps us to feel safe. As districts began closing their school's campuses before the virus had even reached their communities, I worried about our kids. Knowing that a closure was imminent, I started having round table discussions with my kiddos. We pushed our tables to the side and formed a talking circle.

For that first circle, I told them what our topic was, COVID-19, and I handed out a talking stick. It's really a plush pony that's easy to toss around the circle. I asked kids to share what they had heard, read on social media, or seen with their own eyes. That first day, the circle was 32 strong.

After talking, I asked each of my kids to visit the website Information Is Beautiful. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out, it is the most non-alarming thing you'll see on the internet today. Their COVID-19 #CoronaVirus Infographic Datapack is the best visual representation of the disease that I've seen.

From the website, Information is Beautiful.

The next day, we again met for a talking circle. Our circle was much smaller with only 21 of us. Again, we shared what we knew and had heard. We talked about our plans for a lengthy school closure and what that meant for their education. We also dug through the WHO website. We focused on two areas, the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Situation Dashboard and the Myth Busters page.

In my own classroom, we finished each day by using Clorox wipes to clean our table tops and frequently touched surfaces like door handles and light switches. This is a practice we've done since the first day of school. My classroom also has a wall mounted hand sanitizer unit that the kids use whenever they want.

From the WHO website - Myth Busters page.

My talk circle on Tuesday was much smaller. There were only 17 of us. Again we talked about the craziness we were seeing. We revisited the Information Is Beautiful website, the WHO website, and the CDC website. We also found out that there was at least one confirmed case of Corona Virus in Kern County. That individual was visiting from the San Fransisco Bay Area. That information tipped the scales for my district. Tuesday was both my kiddos' and my last day until at least April 14th.

In preparation for a closure that involves 13 school days, my district quickly assembled packets and supplies to be sent home with each student at the end of the day. Fortunately, most districts around California already have a spring break scheduled during this time, so the number of missed school days will be fewer than what a 4-week closure makes it sound. For students who were absent, their packets were labeled and placed in bins in front of the school. Parents were messaged and asked to come pick them up.

Besides providing packets of grade appropriate schoolwork for each child, my district is also providing portable breakfast and lunch packs for any child under the age of 18. Between the hours of 11:00 am and 1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, a meal pack will be available at most of our schools in the drive through for any child in the car. The meal packs are being offered free of charge, Meals must be consumed off site to discourage large gatherings.

From the CDC website.

As a teacher, I feel strongly that it is my job to present the facts to my students. When I teach reading, I look for texts that don't have a hidden agenda, and when they do, we talk about it. For history, I strive to present both sides of an event. Just a week or so ago we discussed why the patriots of the American Revolution are viewed as heroes rather than the traitors they might have been had the colonists lost the war. In science, I present data that is known and accepted by the scientific community. And when it contradicts what religion says, we talk about that too, respectfully.

So when the world looked to be falling apart right in front of our eyes, my students and I examined the data from what seems like the most reliable sources available. Does the Corona Virus merit the social media attention, social distancing, and societal shut down that we're seeing? I let my students decide for themselves.

From the Information is Beautiful website.

As for me, I fear this is really just political maneuvering by both the Democrats and the Republicans. Is the shutdown of businesses both large and small truly necessary? Is it worth the cost? People die every day from a a lot of other preventable causes, and no one is screaming about them. Look at how many people will die today of Tuberculosis. Already in 2020, there have been 8,247 known American deaths caused by gun violence (source). Out of 7.7 billion people worldwide, only 7,873 have lost their lives to COVID-19, fewer than the more than 8,000 American who have died from gun violence. Why are we not angry about those deaths? Is it simply because those deaths, the ones from Tuberculosis and gun violence, aren't part of our every day experiences? And yet, long after COVID-19 fades away, those deaths will continue to rise higher and higher, year after year.

Do I think pandemics in general are fake or contrived? Absolutely not, but I do worry that this one might cause us to become jaded toward the next one. A more deadly one. One like Smallpox but more contagious with a higher death rate.

I guess only time will tell.

Sometimes I Need to NOT Horse Around

3/17/2020

Note: this all happened before bars and restaurants, movie theaters, and nonessential businesses were directed to close their doors. We're grateful that we were able to support our local small businesses one last time ...

Last week was pretty rough, and not because of the horses. This Corona Virus has really caused a lot of stress for most of us. As a teacher, I felt like my social responsibility had became nearly unbearable, but I think I'll talk about that another post. In any case, on Saturday, I needed to do something to clear my head and lift my spirits.

While I am at the barn, my husband typically goes hiking with the dogs. I think he was a bit surprised on Saturday when I asked if I could go with them, but he readily agreed. We loaded the dogs and headed to Kernville, a small mountain town just east of Bakersfield. Besides hiking, my husband wanted to pick up some Citra IPA from Kern River Brewing Company. It's sort of a big deal as they only release it once a year. Along the way, we stopped for a hike.

Greatest thing in the world according to Yellow Dog.

Yellow Dog lives for hikes. She thinks it is the best thing in the world. It's even better when all of her pack is there; that includes me. She runs and leaps like she's never been let outdoors before. You can't help but laugh as you watch her charging down the trail. It is no wonder that our four-legged buddies are used as therapy animals.

Tobias, our black lab isn't much of a charger. He prefers jogging down the trail, sniffing and investigating. Every once in a while he'll get his crazy on and blast across the countryside. Both my husband and I cringe as he does it though as his aim isn't always the best. Fortunately those wild outbursts only last a minute or so.

Tobias still thinks it's all great fun though.

We didn't go too far, just long enough for everyone to start breathing hard. Since we were hiking along the Kern River, there was plenty of water for the dogs. My husband always packs water for them, but it's more fun for them when they can lay in the water and drink as they go.

When we got to Kernville, my husband asked if I wanted to go antiquing which is the oddest thing I've ever heard him say. My head snapped around, and I looked to make sure he hadn't been body snatched. He had a bit of a sheepish grin on his face, but he explained that he was hoping we might find a "new" dresser for one of our spare bedrooms. I thought it unlikely we'd find what I had in mind, but luck was with us. It wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, but the shape of it was too pretty to pass on. We bought it.

I love the bowed front, the wooden knobs, and the carving along the legs.

While the shop owner cleaned it up a bit and got it ready to load, we went and had lunch. Kern River Brewing Company is very pet-friendly, so it wasn't an issue to have the dogs with us for lunch. My husband bought his Citra IPA, and then we headed back over to the antique shop to load up the dresser. When we got home, I gave it a thorough cleaning and then decided to give it a light stain. I wish I had taken before pictures, but I was too far into the project before I thought to do that.

For now, you can see where the old one sat, but this one is so much prettier.

The stain I had on hand was nearly an exact match, so all I did was cover up the small dings and nicks that come with age. The purists out there will hate me for it I know, but it looks so much nicer spruced up a bit.

The dresser was an incredibly lucky find. It is solid wood with dovetail joints and quite sturdy. I had been searching for one that was distressed black or distressed vanilla, but finding gently used in the color you want isn't always easy. While I didn't get the color I wanted, I loved the shape of this one so much that we bought it anyway. If I ever do find the perfect piece, we have another spare bedroom where the dresser would fit nicely.

We call this bedroom the dog room; dog comes standard.

I couldn't have had a better day hiking, shopping, and having lunch with my husband. My horses are definitely an important part of my life, but spending time with my husband is what soothes my soul when the world is falling down around us. Be safe and look after your own loved ones.

When Words Aren't Needed ...

3/16/2020

Is it Rewarded or Deducted?

3/13/2020

Judging is a complicated process. It takes a tremendous amount of work to get a judge's license, and once earned, you have to maintain it. Whenever I have the opportunity, I love to talk to judges about their process; how they feel about this, how they feel about that, what bothers them, what doesn't.

I love the judge photos.

One aspect of judging that I find interesting is the idea of rewarding or deducting. Whether it's true or not, some judges come across as stingy with their points while others seem more generous. At one show my shoulder in might get a 7.0 and at another, I'll get a 5.5.

Sometimes I know why the point discrepancy is there. Speedy's not a machine, and sometimes I don't ride him as well as other times. But sometimes, a movement will feel exactly the same as at a previous show, sometimes even the very next day, yet the score will suggest that the movements were not performed the same at all.

I have heard it said of Hilda Gurney, under whom I have shown more than a few times, that upon entering the ring, she's starting the horse and rider at a 6.0 and judges from that point, going up or down depending on what the rider shows. I understand this to mean that Hilda expects you to ride the test well. She's expecting to reward you for your hard work, and unless you screw things up, you're going to get a good score.

Other judges seem to work from the opposite viewpoint. They watch you enter at A with a 0.0 and expect you to prove that you deserve that 6.0 (or higher). These kinds of judges feel punitive in their scoring. Whether it's right or not, it feels as though you have to work harder for a 6.0 than if you were showing in front of a judge who has already given you that 6.0 and is just hoping you don't blow it it forcing them to give you a 5.5.

This whole idea of earning it or having it taken away popped into my mind last week as I was thinking about my students' overall classroom behavior. I teach 5th grade and currently have 31 kiddos in my class. That's a lot of little bodies to keep engaged, participating, and on task. I have a lot of little systems to help me. One of my favorites is the Three Emojis.

There are three time blocks during the day. We start the day at 7:45 and work until 9:35 where we then have a 15 minute recess. We come back in at 9:50 and work until lunchtime where we have a one hour break. We then work from 1:00 until dismissal which is 2:37. At the end of each time block, I judge whether the class as a whole was engaged and using an appropriate volume level. If so, they earn an emoji for that time block. When the kids earn an emoji, they get to pick a candy from the basket and they earn a check mark. Thirty check marks earns a lunch time party.

A typical day.

Lately, we haven't been earning any emojis. I think spring fever is running rampant through my room right now. Teaching is a profession where flexibility and improvisation are critical to your success, so I asked myself how I could motivate my kids to perform better. The idea of starting with a 6.0 popped into my head.

Instead of asking my kids to earn their emoji, I gave them all three as soon as they stepped through the door. At the end of the time blocks, I evaluated their performance and found that it was much easier to just let the emojis ride. When I was really honest, they hadn't done anything terrible enough to warrant losing them.

This like a 60% or better score.

Of course, they haven't been keeping all three emojis; even they admit that they do get too noisy and don't deserve the candy and point. It was a good lesson for me though. If we start with a higher expectation in mind, like a 6.0 or an emoji, the student or rider is more likely to meet the expectation. When we start with a 0.0, it's harder to find enough good to warrant that reward.

Since I am not a judge, I can't exactly give myself a 6.5. I can however, enter at A with the expectation that I am getting at least a 6.0 unless I screw up. Maybe with less hoping and more confidence I can push my scores up.

I would love to hear a judge's perspective. Any judges out there?

Another Lesson in Collection

3/12/2020

A trainer, or it might have been a friend, once said to me that dressage is like an onion. You just keep peeling back layers of the same thing. So it did not come as a surprise when during last Friday's lesson Chemaine Hurtado, owner and trainer at Symphony Dressage Stables, introduced another collection exercise.

With Speedy just having recovered from his abscess, Chemaine knew that he wasn't really ready for a "regular" lesson. He was sound, but I'd only ridden him once in three weeks. What we needed was to knock the rust off.

The whole lesson was about collecting while keeping the hind leg active and marching. Chemaine brought out an old exercise, but it felt brand new; the whole peel back another layer of the onion idea. We started at the walk and then halted, all the while keeping Speedy's hind legs active.

It sounds pretty simple, and it probably is, but it took a lot of coordination of my aids. The hand says whoa while the seat (and legs!) say march. For each gait, the collecting phase should have a piaffe feeling - marching in place. As always, Speedy wasn't the biggest fan. He's happy to work, as long as things aren't too hard, and he simply hates being told to do MORE.

Chemaine says I share a disproportionate amount of "blooper" photos.

During the trot work, we did the same thing but it was about collecting the trot with strides as small as I could make them while still trotting. While it doesn't look like a piaffe, it certainly had that feeling. There are several difficulties in doing this. The first is that Speedy of course tried to walk. The second is returning to a longer stride without him lurching forward.

To combat the "lurching," Chemaine instructed me to slowly increase his length of stride by asking for one or two longer strides before thinking medium trot.

Then we moved on to the canter. That was when I had one of those V8 moments. Do you remember those? The hungry person smacks themself when thy realize they could have had a V8. Yeah. I had a V8 moment about collection.

The exercise was exactly the same: collect him down to the walk while maintaining an active hind leg and then step back into the canter. All of a sudden, I heard Chemaine's voice speaking through the noisy static of eek this is hard, and I am probably messing it up.

As though I had a speaker directly wired into my brain I heard her say collect him all the way to the walk. I literally had to stop Speedy in his tracks to ask if I had heard her right: collect him all the way to the walk? The sudden clarity of that idea struck me like a lightening bolt. The canter should be connected to the walk. It should be a fluid transition. Finally having such a visceral understanding of the transition improved Speedy's walk to canter to walk transitions immediately.

The entire lesson was about adding more leg to my riding. I tend to babysit Speedy a bit without making him responsible for the forward. By adding leg (and the whip when needed), I was telling Speedy that he must engage his hind end in all three gaits in order to free up his shoulders and lighten his front end. When I rode him on Saturday, we tackled these ideas again. For Sunday's ride, he did some of the best half pass work he's ever given me.

The photo above came from that moment of pushing into a bigger trot after collecting the trot. Yes, he's behind the vertical in this instant, but what I saw in the video was how much his back came up in that moment of push. Even with his face behind the vertical you can still see that he's in an uphill balance. Chemaine explained that this collecting exercise is designed to achieve just that - a rounded back with the hind legs pushing.

I have the feeling that things are just getting started.

I Think I "Need" This ...

3/11/2020

In fact, I am pretty sure I do. I know that it's simply because show season is right around the corner, but suddenly, I want every blingy pad I see. I recently bought the Horze Dressage Satin Crystal Pad, and boy, oh, boy is it ever beautiful! This one, the Weatherbeeta Prime Bling Dressage Saddle Pad looks super sparkly, especially if you zoom in on the details.

Just yes.

On a day where coats are waived, which is every summertime show in Central California, I think this pad would look stunning with my burgundy show shirt.

Last summer.

Even better is that the pad also comes in navy (and black). And wouldn't you know it, but I have the same shirt in NAVY.

Yes, again.

I seriously can't decide which one is better, the navy or the burgundy. Speedy looks great in any color, but I sort of like the burgundy for Izzy.

Also last summer.

The pad sells for $65.99 which is pretty pricey. With a discount code, I can get it for $56.09, but even that is still a bit expensive especially since I recently bought the satin pad and haven't even shown in it yet.

It's even prettier in person.

I like making deals though, so here's what I am thinking. Izzy is scheduled to do a CDS-rated show near the end of April. If he does well, like scores at least 60%, I'll get the pad. I don't know yet which color, but I'll feel like he's earned one or the other. The risk in waiting of course is that the pad sells out of the color I ultimately choose. That's probably safer for my checking account though.

If only money grew on trees ...

Fabulous Feed Store - Fred C. Gilbert's

3/10/2020

Considering that I live in a pretty "horsey" community, we're not exactly brimming with feed stores. We do have a Tractor Supply, but it's a 30 minute drive (or more). There are also two or three other feed stores to my west, but they too are a solid 30 minutes away. The river corridor, where my boys live, is home to at least a thousand horses. With such a concentrated group of equestrians, you would think we'd have more feed stores nearby. It's a good thing that the one closest to the barn is fabulous.

Inside Fred C. Gilbert's - photo borrowed from their Facebook page.

Fred C. Gilbert Farm and Ranch Supply is a short, ten minute drive from the barn. It's also directly on the way to the barn from work. For me, convenience trumps most everything else; within reason of course. It's also family owned and operated. Whether or not that's the reason for the excellent customer service, it keeps me coming back for more.

March's haul.

Even though I love Fred C Gilbert's, I hate taking the time to stop in. Most months, I pick a weekday when I think my boys need a day off, and I buy everything that I think I'll need for the entire month. That usually means two bags of this, two bags of that, throw in two of those, and maybe a small bag of that one.

There are five kinds of feed in this photo!

The first week of the month tends to be pretty crowded as last month's feed is still in the rotation. Both horses share the rice bran, but the Senior CarboRaider is all Speedy's. The beet pulp is mostly for Izzy; Speedy gets a handful. They both get the peppermint wafers as well as the Horse Guard Vitamins.

Dated for easy identification.

About a year ago, maybe more, I started realizing that "stockpiling" posed some small risks, namely stale or old feed. Before I bring in the new bags, I always move my old bags and sweep the area clean. I then bring in the new bags and place them in the back against the wall. The old bags get placed in front. While I rarely keep bags for more than two months, it can be easy to lose track of which bag is oldest.

Lots of bags purchased in March.

About 6 months ago I realized that it was possible to keep shuffling the same bag to the back, especially on a month where something is on sale and I buy three or four bags of the same thing. I keep a Sharpie on hand to make notes on my calendar, so I decided to start writing the dates on the corner of each bag when I buy it.

Still working on February's bag.

Besides helping me use the bags from oldest to newest, it also helps me know how many bags I should buy each month. As the seasons change, I feed more or less depending on my boys' needs that season. By noting the date I purchased something, I can tell how quickly I am using it. It seems like a good idea, and since I do that same thing in my own refrigerator, I was surprised that I hadn't done it sooner.

Anybody else have a system for feeding the old stuff first?

Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction

3/9/2020

It's a lot easier to just call it PPID, or as many people call it, Cushing's Disease. After that post I did a week or so ago, I realized that I hadn't really done my due diligence. I heard "Cushing's Disease" a year ago January and simply gave Speedy his pill assuming that was that.

That wasn't really that, and unfortunately, that doesn't have a simple diagnosis, treatment plan, or recovery phase. The reason there is so much contention over the appropriate treatment of PPID is because there's a lot the medical establishment doesn't know. And even more so for horses in the earliest stages of the disease; horses like Speedy.

I spent a lot of time last week researching the disease; the Laminitis Site and the ECIR Group were good resources. PPID is a rabbit hole that goes on for miles and miles. There is no bottom, no end, no definitive answer. After realizing that I didn't really need to know the exact hormonal processes that were happening, I scanned the more technical aspects of the disease and focused my energies on treatment.

Several things jumped out at me. First, it is not necessarily easy to interpret the ACTH levels. To simplify things, the ACTH level indicates whether things are under control or not. A "normal" range is somewhere between 9 - 35. One problem with checking the ACTH level is that it can rise from a variety of factors, none of which mean that a horse even has PPID. Stress, whether from trailering, pain, or even seeing the vet, is enough to rocket up the ACTH level.

The time of year the test is given can also raise the levels. There is a well documented seasonal rise in all horses. From late summer, around August, all the way through to the end of December, all horses will experience a rise in their ACTH levels. Scientists don't exactly know why, but the reasoning is that it helps horses prepare for winter.

Some PPID experts encourage testing in the fall to see how high the ACTH levels rise. Others recommend testing when the ACTH levels should be at their lowest, January and February, in order to get a baseline measurement. There's no limit to the amount of times that you can test, it's simply a blood draw, but it's not cheap. I didn't look too closely at my last bill, but I think the test runs around $150.

The second thing I spent a lot of time researching was the dosage. The manufacturer recommends dosing by weight. In addition, the recommended maximum dose is 2 pills per day. While there are horses being treated with 5 - 10 or even more pills per day to control their symptoms, there is currently no published research using doses higher than 5 mg for a 1,000 pound horse.

Regarding the appropriate dosage, it should be noted that there is no cure for PPID. Prascend won't cure a horse; all it can do is control the symptoms. Even then there is no guarantee that Prascend will control them. That's why PPID horses still suffer laminitic events and ultimately death.

From the Laminitis Site, "PPID is a progressive disease, and the amount of Pergolide required to control the symptoms is likely to increase as the horse ages. Some horses only need Pergolide during the seasonal rise in the early stages of the disease. Many horses need an increased dose of Pergolide during the seasonal rise."

Once I felt that I better understood the disease, I gave Dr. Tolley a call. And as I knew he would, Dr. Tolley spent quite a bit of time with me formulating a plan for Speedy. The first thing that we both agreed upon was that Speedy is nearly asymptomatic. Of all the early signs of the disease, the only one that Speedy has is frequent infections, and those are limited to his feet in the form of abscesses. And interestingly, those have all occurred during the seasonal rise of the ACTH levels (late summer through early winter).

Dr. Tolley had three possible explanation for why Speedy's ACTH levels could have risen so dramatically while being treated with Prascend and showing no other clinical signs. A horse with levels like Speedy's should have shown something else to indicate the disease. First, Dr. Tolley posited that Speedy might not be getting the dose.

We talked about how the ranch owner doses Speedy. She stands with him until she hears him crunch it. Even then she watches closely for the "spit out." It happens every once in a while, but she's quick to locate it and pop it back in his mouth. She gives it to him in a place where it can be easily found if he does spit it out.

Speedy isn't the first PPID horse she's managed. Her own mare, Lilly, had PPID for more than 6 years before succumbing to laminitis. The ranch owner is an old hand at effectively delivering the pill. Dr. Tolley agreed that Speedy is more than likely getting his dose.

The second reason that Speedy's ACTH levels might have risen could be due to a "false positive". It is very possible that when Speedy's blood was drawn, he was under a high degree of stress, which we know raises ACTH levels. He had traveled nearly 40 minutes in the trailer, he was worried about Izzy's whereabouts, he was still dealing with a draining abscess, and he was facing the man who always sticks him with needles.

The third reason Speedy's ACTH levels might have risen is that his PPID symptoms are unaffected by the 1 mg. dose. This is a worst case scenario as it would suggest that his symptoms might not be controlled by Prascend. For now, we're going to assume his ACTH levels were high due to stress.

The next thing I wanted to know was how confident Dr. Tolley is that Speedy truly has PPID. When asked point blank how confident of his diagnosis was he, Dr. Tolley responded that yes, even though Speedy's symptoms are nearly non-existent, the fact that he has elevated ACTH levels combined with fall and winter abscesses, his diagnosis stands. Was there something else it could be, was there another explanation, should we look at something else? To each question, Dr. Tolley answered no.

Dr. Tolley has never resented my questions. He's never been offended when I've asked for a second opinion or when I've consulted a different medical professional. And in this instance, his response was the same; do more research, ask more questions, consult other doctors. He welcomed my perseverance and thanked me for really thinking about how to approach this disease.

So where does that leave us? First, we decided to reduce the dosage from 2 pills to 1 and a half pills for now. Dr. Tolley wants Speedy to maintain that dose for 90 days. At the beginning of June, he will come out to the ranch and do a blood draw with the intent of lowing Speedy's stress level. Getting the sample back to the hospital quickly will be a slight issue, but he thinks he can do it without affecting the results.

Based on that blood draw, we will either maintain the current dose or return to the 1 mg dose. We also have it in mind that we may need to raise the dose in anticipation of the seasonal rise in Speedy's ACTH levels. To determine that, we may need to do another blood draw in August.

When Speedy was very first diagnosed with PPID, I asked how many pills we could give him. Dr. Tolley's response was the same then as it is now. We can give him as many as we want, but in his experience, three or more pills haven't controlled the symptoms any better than the maximum recommended dosage of two pills. Every horse responds differently. We'll just have to wait and see.

When I pressed him for next steps, I was again met with his reluctance to answer. It was only when I finally explained that I wasn't searching for a miracle that he quit evading my question. Over the phone I could hear him give a sigh of relief. Essentially, we're already doing everything we can. That was his answer. We'll do bloodwork. We'll adjust his Prascend up and down. And we'll pray. I can do that.

Many of you have recently expressed your feelings about me as a human being. While I welcome comments and never delete the ones that are harsh or critical, I would ask that if you do choose to comment on this post that you do so in a way that fosters respectful conversation. I may not be making the same choices that you would make, but I am making them in consultation with my veterinarian. His opinion matters a lot more to me than does yours.

And life goes on.

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About the
Writer & Rider

I am a lifetime rider.
I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010.
Welcome to my dressage journey.

Photo by Lori Ovanessian

Email Karen

About Speedy G

Speedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. We're currently showing Third Level for the 2019 show season. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.

August 2018

About Izzy

Izzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are schooling and showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.

March 2019

Bakersfield Dressage approved!

FOR THE SMALLER EQUINE ATHLETE

I love her stuff!

National Awards

USDF Second Level Rider Performance Award - 2018

2nd Level Rider Performance, 2018

USDF First Level Rider Performance Award - 2015

1st Level Rider Performance, 2015

USDF Training Level Rider Performance Award - 2013

Training Level Rider Performance, 2013

State Awards

CDS Ruby Rider Award - 2018
CDS Second Level Horse Performance Award - 2018

Ruby Rider Award, 2018

2020 Show Season

Show Rating
(***) CDS/USDF/USEF
(*) CDS
(s) Schooling
(c) Clinic
(r) Ride-a-Test Clinic
(Q) Must Qualify

2020 Pending …
4/26 TMC (*)
5/31 TMC (*)
6/28 TMC (*)
7/11-12 El Sueno (***)
7/26 TMC (*)
8/8-9 RAAC (Q)
8/30 TMC (*)
10/24-25 SCEC (***)

2020 Completed …
10/26-27/19 SCEC (***)

Qualifying Scores for 2020

Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC)
3rd Level Qualifying
3 Scores/2 Judges:
Score 1: 60.405% Atkins
Score 2: 62.432% Atkins
Score 3:

CDS Championship
3rd Level Qualifying
5 Scores/4 Judges:
Score 1: 60.405% Atkins
Score 2: 62.432% Atkins
Score 3:
Score 4:
Score 5:

Working Towards:

CDS 3rd Level Horse Performance Award
3 Judges/3 Shows:
Score 1: 63.514% Lindholm
Score 2: 62.105% Lindholm
Score 3: 63.243% Wadeborn
Score 4: 60.405% Atkins
Score 5: 62.432% Atkins
Score 6:

CDS Sapphire Rider Award
Third Level: 63.514%
Third Level: 62.105%
Fourth Level:
Fourth Level:

USDF Bronze Medal
First Level - 70.179%
First Level - 72.600%
Second Level - 62.879%
Second Level - 61.970%
Third Level - 62.432%
Third Level -

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