¿Qué te pasa, caballo?

It never fails. When I don't make it out to the barn, one of my horses comes up with some kind of a problem. For this instance, it's Izzy. Before we left for Croatia, Izzy was doing great. He was supple, happy, and working really well. I was looking forward to trying some shows over the summer, and even Sean Cunningham, owner and trainer at STC Dressage, was happy with how Izzy had been working for me. And then I was gone for more than two weeks ...

May 20, 2023

Now, Izzy is Not Quite Right, NQR. I am slowly ruling things out, but I can't yet put my finger on it. At first, I thought he was just resentful because I hadn't been out for two and half weeks, so I did some hand grazing, grooming and ground work. Then I saw him step on a rock. I gave him a little rest while still keeping him busy so that any bruising might heal. Next, I suspected he was a bit body sore so I had the chiropractor out for a visit and gave Izzy a day off. I also put him back on the Gastro Elm and even started syringing one dose and mixing a second dose in his feed. On Monday, my farrier was out. I asked if he had noticed anything - I got there as he was leaving, and he said Izzy stood quietly without any indication that he might be foot sore.

Each day when I arrive, Izzy follows me along the fence, nickering for a treat. Even after he's had his treat, he keeps nickering for more attention. He meets me at the gate every single time, and seems genuinely pleased to see me. While I am grooming, he happily munches on his hay.

Izzy's NQRness begins when I start to saddle, and this is not the first time I've seen this behavior. This was something I worked on for a long time, but it had gone away only to reappear once I was back from vacation. The instant I bring the saddle pad out, he turns away from me and becomes tense. I've been saddling him a bit more slowly, and I always buckle the girth loosely to allow him time to take and release a breath. 

​Once the girth touches him though, he humps up his back and gets a spasm that lasts for several seconds and sometimes longer. The last few days, I've walked him around slowly until the spasms have quieted, and then I bridle him. He offers no resistance to bridling, and politely lowers his head and slurps up his bit. I walk him slowly to the arena. I've even taken to hand walking him a lap or two before I get on.

Before we do any trotting, I always let him walk until he tries to root the reins from me so that he can walk on the buckle. I do some gentle flexions to the right and left and will ask for a stride or two of leg yield on and off the rail. Once his ears begin to flick my way, I ask for a trot where he stretches long and low and then does his clear the lungs cough. He is still doing all of these things, but there is no bounce or lightness in his step.

I make every ride a little different, and especially so these past couple of weeks. In a nutshell, he just won't reach for the bit, and he's fighting me for control. He's braced and reluctant to move out. I have refused to take the bait, and have instead asked myself what it is that I want to accomplish. If suppleness is the answer, I choose a different gait rather than insisting it be done in the canter. I am truly working hard to eliminate the possibility of physical discomfort, but I am still not quite sure what is going on.

April 23, 2023

Yesterday after doing shoulder-in, renvers, and travers, I asked for a half pass. He felt absolutely horrible and almost lame. It felt like his shoulders were stuck. Since the chiropractor just adjusted his C7, I feel like this shouldn't be a physical issue, but I am just not sure. I really need a trainer's eyes to give me some feedback. With Izzy, it is hard to know how much to push. If I push too hard, he gets very resistant. If I don't take control, he gets resistant in a whole different way. 

My farrier did offer some helpful feedback. He thought there might be some arthritis happening that only popped up after Izzy was out of work for so long. If it is that, he pointed out the remedy is more riding to loosen him up to get his joints moving and lubricated. 

There has been no heat, no swelling, no wounds, and nothing to suggest an injury. ​I'm going to give it another week or so and see if I can get Izzy back on my team. I think he's holding onto a grudge and hasn't gotten over being "abandoned." If the behavior continues, I'll take him to the vet for a lameness exam. I consider myself fairly fluent in Horse, but I wish Izzy's English were a bit better. This would be a much easier problem to solve with both of us fluently speaking the same language.

​Maybe I should try Spanish ... ¿Qué te pasa, caballo?