I love you Rugby

Rugby 2004 - 2010
There is a painted angel who galloped through the gates of heaven today to run free in green fields and wait for the day we meet again. R.I.P, my Big Guy, Rugby.

Laughter amid my tears

After Monty, I promised my children that if Rugby became so sick that he couldn't be made well, that they would get to see him and say goodbye beforehand. So tonight we headed over to the grocery store for a bag of baby peeled carrots and went to see him. Rugby was still managing to stand and eating but so very thin and unsteady on his hind end. He seemed happy to see us and came over at the sound of the carrot bag crinkling.

My children hugged their big friend and he enjoyed their attention and all the baby carrots. I didn't want to try taking him out to graze as I was afraid of him falling. My boys got choked up but didn't cry, they gave Rugby carrots and then frisked off to run around the farm and jump the show jumps like they usually do. Kids have a resiliency that I envy.

I had brought my scissors to snip off some switches of his tail to have a keepsake made. To keep him busy, I gave him another flake of hay and put some baby carrots on top. He busied himself with his treat and I snipped off the first swatch of hair. After rubber banding the first clipping together I went in to get another. Again I offered him another handful of baby carrots. As I bent over to put them on the hay next to his mouth, I heard a loud, "RRRRipp!" and suddenly was aware of a breeze across my tushie.

My old faithful jeans, the most faded, loose and comfy, those of many long trail rides and days spent at the barn decided it was their time too, and simply split open across my rear along the pocket!

I slowly reached around and touched my butt, realized my undies were now on display and I laughed like a banshee. Rugby looked up at me as if I had lost it completely. My kids came running, took one look at mom's pink cotton drawers peeking out of her jeans and howled with laughter. My friend, who's old horse who is Rugby's closest horsey buddy was grooming him outside the stall so he could be with his friend one last time, looked over at my laughter and I turned to flash her and she gasped and cracked up.

Ah, the fates may be cruel but God has a sense of humor. My husband came in to see what all the noise was about and I flashed him, too. He smiled his evil little smile and said, "only you!" Then he chuckled. After that, the mood was lighter. I did tuck the grocery bag into my belt to have some butt coverage. It was the best I could do since my kids kept singing the Spongebob "I ripped my pants" song as long as it was in plain sight!

We gave our Big Guy another hug and left him to peacefully eat his hay. And though I was greatful to my husband for the cold beer we shared when we got home, my heart was lifted more by the simple act of my barn jeans heaving their sigh of relief


(I put one of my silky equestrian scarves inside the opening so the rip would be more visible in this picture.)

Letting Go

Rugby hasn't much strength left. Last night when I went to see him, he was standing in the stall, looking out his window, staring out into the grassy place in the yard. When I said his name he turned to look at me and nickered. I was shocked, he hadn't done that in a long time. I put on his fly mask and halter and took him out to graze.

He walked to the grass with a purpose and was eating greedily but he's begun to drop weight again and now he's very unsteady on his hind legs. Instead of walking on them he lifts them with each step and slowly paddles the air a few inches above the ground before placing them down. Sometimes they buckle and he has to right himself. He's weakening and I can see it is only a matter of time before he just goes down and I don't know if he will be able to get back up.

I let him graze for a long while then slowly led him home to his stall. He walked in carefully and tried to find a comfortable place to stand. I took off his halter and fly mask and he gently rubbed his head against me. Then he did something he hasn't done since before he got sick. He put his head over my shoulder and arched his neck to pull me towards his chest. He used to do this all the time - it was his way of hugging me.

I choked up as he turned and went back to staring out the window. I offered him some of the soft, sweet timothy hay that just came to the barn and he was happy to have it. He was still shifting his hind legs awkwardly and I thought for sure he wasn't going to be able to stand the night. But this morning he was still up and out in turn-out.

I took him out to graze and he's still bad in his hind end. There were two times I feared he'd lose his balance and go down. And I knew it's time to let him go. So I called the vet's office and have asked that they make him comfortable today and tonight, offer him whatever he can eat and tomorrow to have him put down.

I knew why he'd hugged me last night, he was saying goodbye.

I wish I saw what others may see

I know I should probably just have him put down. But Rugby is still here. Yes, they did administer Banamine yesterday afternoon and when I got to the barn last night, he was standing, walked out of his stall with me and down to the grass and hand grazed happily for about 40 minutes. But then when I put him back in the stall, he stood and I could see by the way he became very quiet with his ears slightly back and how he kept shifting his feet that his insides were bothering him again.

I expected a call this morning that he didn't make it through the night. But he did and was out in his turn out paddock at 9:00AM today. I walked down to see him and put his fly mask on as the small gnats were annoying the poor guy. When I work around him and interact with him, he still wants to interact with me. I can obviously see and feel he's not well but I don't feel that will to live is gone. But is he really living now or just existing? God, I don't know.

I contacted the woman with the farm in upstate NY and she has agreed to take him and keep him in her small quarantine pasture with a shed and watch him. I trust this person completely with his care but I'm having difficulty in saying it's a done deal as it will require a long trailering to get him there. Even though I will hire a trailering service to ship him in a box stall gooseneck so he has some comfort level, I don't know if he can handle it at this point. What happens if he colics and dies on the trailer? How horrible for him and what will it cost me to have the trailering service handle that?

I don't want to be ungrateful to her but I am also reaching out to people I trust here and seeing if there's something for him closer to home.

Should I even do this at all? Would it be more peaceful to end it for him here, in familiar surroundings with people he knows? Or do I take the chance and send him away, not feeling well, into a strange new situation, however kind and safe? Am I only hanging on because I have run up HUGE vet bills for my budget and if I lose him I have NOTHING. I have no savings to try and find a new horse but debt that still must be paid. Will I ever be able to own a riding horse again?

Every time I think I can let go, he shows just a little more heart, and acts a little like himself and then I'm torn apart again. Even though I've had to have my past two horses put down, I just KNEW that they had come to the time to let them go. Both circumstances told me immediately my only option. And though it hurt, I was at peace with my decision. I have no clarity, no answers and no peace.

Two Difficult Choices

So, as of today's phone conversation with my vet, I am at the fork in the road with two difficult choices.

One fork is to have Rugby euthanized now, before he slips deeper into discomfort and suffers further.

The other direction is to see if a woman my vet and I know and trust is comfortable having Rugby sent to her farm to live on pasture and see if living in the field on grass without the confines of stall and a stalled horses diet will save him. We will send her enough Banamine to keep him comfortable but will take no more measures medically to prolong this. We don't know if he will survive the trip upstate to her place. We don't know if she will feel comfortable with it and agree to a potentially terminal case to be in her care. And I completely understand if she says no.

If she doesn't agree to it then I will not let him suffer any more.

We need a Miracle

Long day at work and with family today. My vet called today to tell me Rugby has been laying down for most of the day. He's quiet, but you can tell he's not feeling so great. At this point there isn't much else we can do. The vet strongly suggested we pull one more blood panel and see if we have some revelation, at the very least to help me decide what to do. So I said go ahead.

My husband and I went to see him late tonight. He was laying down. He looks so thin. I went in and sat with him and talked to him and hugged him. He kept reaching his nose toward his water bucket hanging on the wall about a foot above his face so I asked my husband to bring it down for him. He sipped up about a quarter of the pail. I started crying. If he was thirsty and just didn't have the strength to get up for a drink it doesn't look like he's going to win this time.

Just sad. Waiting for what tomorrow brings.

Did I speak too soon?

I posted earlier today that it seemed Rugby had the worst behind him and he was slowly progressing toward getting better. Well, tonight I was hit with a call from the vet that he was down in his stall on his side. I went to see him and made him get up so I could walk him. Unfortunately he was showing some of the discomfort signs he'd exhibited in the past when his condition was really bad. The vet gave him a dose of Banamine and that's all we will do. We put him in a larger stall for tonight and we'll see what happens.

I'm shot. I can't do this much longer. Monty died and took all the good luck with him. If I lose Rugby too, I am finished.

I guess where there's life, there's hope

Rugby is still here. He has been through hell and is slowly coming back. At the time I last posted it was pretty bad. I finally requested that my vet just give him antibiotics. This was a suggestion from one of the vets consulted on Rugby's case. My vet was hesitant to do it since he had no idea exactly what he was administering antibiotics for, as nothing definitive has shown up on any tests. My vet was concerned if he gave Rugby antibiotics without knowing what he was treating, we could kill off the good bacteria in his gut and give the bad stuff a chance to get stronger. I saw it as our last chance. If this didn't work, I was finished and if he had another bad episode, I was going to have him euthanized. He has maxed out a credit card, caused me major emotional stress and it's affecting my family.

Things didn't change immediately for Rugby upon introduction of the antibiotics. They were broad spectrum and very strong. We were watching him very carefully and he was being medicated as needed in addition to the antibiotics to keep him stable. Then as the antibiotics ended their course, he just didn't get worse. He wasn't getting better, in fact he dropped even more weight and if I had to guess, his body weight registered about a 2 on the equine body condition score scale. He was stable, but now very. very weak and still laying down a lot.

The vet carefully gave him a judicious dose of steroid to stimulate his appetite and Rugby has slowly but consistently been eating himself back to life. I have been going to see him every evening and hand grazing him for up to 45 minutes. He eats a few "mini meals" throughout the day and at this time I'd give him a 3-3.5 on the BCS scale.

What I am still worried about is his "bottoming out" in his back end. Sometimes when he walks, his hind fetlocks just seem to knuckle over and he stumbles behind but quickly rights himself. The vet feels it is just extreme muscle weakness from the muscle wasting that went on through his illness. As he regains his weight and muscle, his co-ordination should hopefully improve. He's also developed a rather unsettling cough. It's not constant but usually happens when he starts to move. Again, the vet feels this is residual from his illness and it's compounded by the extremely hot and humid weather we've been having here in the northeast.

And slowly, Rugby has been returning to himself. His eyes are brighter and he's more alert. He's happily returned to his "home" stall from the medical barn and I can see he's been gaining weight faster since he's back in the company of his horsey friends. If I jog as I'm leading him, he will gamely try to jog along with me, sometimes he'll even canter a stride or two. Then he'll cough and we quit. He is sniffing my pockets for treats and I have thrown all my hand feeding rules to the wind and buy him a small bag of fresh carrots almost every night and snap them into pieces for him to enjoy.

It really hit me about a week ago, when I came to the barn in the evening on that first really hot day. Rugby was standing under his stall fan, waiting for me to feed him some treats and take him down to the grass. I led him out of the medical barn and noticed a new patient's stall door was open and the lights in the clinic were on. The card on that horses' door read "colic". Never a good sign. About 20 minutes into our grazing time, the vet came to the clinic. And a little while later, I heard the sound of the farm tractor starting up. And my heart sank. At 9:20PM the tractor starting up means only one thing - the poor horse didn't survive the colic, had been put down and now needed to be removed from the clinic for disposal.

I kept grazing Rugby and hoping the removal from the clinic would be finished before I had to stop grazing but it wasn't and I had to stop Rugby's grazing and lead him back to the barn. If I stayed on the grass any longer I was afraid for my own horses' health. So we walked quietly back, and as we passed the remains of the poor, chubby little chestnut who didn't make it, I looked at my big, skinny horse and whispered to him, "You're still here. I don't know how or why but you're still here. That horse was probably feeling well and healthy just 24 hours ago and you have been gravely ill for weeks but you're still here. You don't want to go, do you?" All I got for an answer was a sniff search for treats upon our return to his stall and he dumped my grooming bag to see what was in there, too. For Rugby, that was as good an answer as any. I guess as long as he has someone to spoil him with snacks and love, he wasn't ready to go.

Thank you to all if you kept us in your thoughts. I am sorry I left this blog in limbo but it was too depressing to keep posting about as it all was rolling over me. I just want to believe now that I will get my rideable horse back at the end of all this.

Nowhere

I apologize for the lack of further updates. It has not been very good. Rugby is still alive but he is not well. The ultrasound showed no physical deformities or tumors. The ultrasound specialist is also an equine internist and she and my vet discussed his case and have called other vets about it. Nobody seems to have a definitive answer.

Bloodwork is still not normal. Horse still has rounds of colic symptoms. But one shot of Banamine and he's comfortable again. He eats, he drinks and he passes manure and urine yet he's lost a lot of weight and strength. His coat is shiny, his hooves are growing well yet something has made him very sick. Now he's got swelling along his jaw and behind his throatlatch. It looks as if he has swelling around his cheeks, too. None of the tests, blood, urine or feces have given us an "aha" moment to pinpoint what is going on. I've even gone so far as to let the vet run a tox screen to see if something has been poisoning him.

I have tried all the vets suggested within my means. I have exceeded the purchase price of the horse in vet bills. I cannot afford to go much further with this and it is killing me. I gave up on hope weeks ago and now just wait to see what happens.

I don't know if he'll ever return to full health and I may have a very hard decision to make. So if I do not post it is because if this. If it comes to him either fully recovering from this or being put down I will post but I can't write about this roller coaster I'm on with him, it's too frustrating.

Hug your horse today. If he/she is sound, shiny and healthy, go for a long ride and truly enjoy it. I would give anything to truly enjoy riding mine again.

Something's Got to Give

"Horses are different from humans. We have to take responsibility for horses simply because they’re always in our care. They can’t get along without us. They’re forced to live in our world. That’s why the rules have changed: an adult horse in our world is still our responsibility. This doubles the burden for us humans. A human must be responsible for himself and for his horse. And when you succeed in both of those areas, life will be pleasant for you as well as for everyone around you." - Buck Brannaman

Mantra for the day. Actually the past few weeks. Rugby is not doing well again. Were it not for the magic of banamine which he's now needing on an almost daily basis we'd be in deeper trouble. Once he gets the shot, within 20 minutes he's up, alert and looking for food and water. This can last for 24 hours and then he gets uncomfortable again. He's having no problem passing manure or gas so though the symptoms say "colic" it's not exactly the case. Something is bothering his insides and the "phantom colic" episodes are starting to increase. Today an ultrasound specialist is coming to work on him with my vet and see if we can get a non-invasive idea of what in hell is causing him such discomfort.

This was taken last night as I watched Rugby while waiting for the vet to come and give him some relief. He may look cute but don't let that fool you. Prior to this shot he was flat on his side and kicking at his belly.

Holding my Breath

Rugby's situation keeps improving but I'm not relaxed about it yet. When I went to see him after work yesterday I was thrilled to find him back in his home stall and out of the medical barn. The I.V. port was out of his neck and he was as alert, standing up and bright as he was the day before. I took him out to graze for 5 minutes and he was devouring the grass with a good appetite. He's been eating bran mashes every day and I don't know that he's being offered much hay. My poor Big Guy looks so skinny to me. You can tell he's lost weight. Now instead of looking like a draft cross, he looks like a Godzilla sized racehorse.

One thing the vet tried different was to give him the Panacur 5-day Power Pack wormer. All our horses in the vet's boarding barn are on strict rotation worming schedules. Rugby was just paste wormed a month ago. The vet felt that maybe since Rugby'd been sick, and his immune system had taken a pounding, if there was a parasite migration going on it might be what is causing him additional stress at this time. So far it seems to be helping but I still feel on high alert.

24 hours later

Rugby got through the night okay and his condition stayed the same from when I last checked on him yesterday. Vet is happy he's comfortable but everyone is baffled by what keeps making him so uncomfortable. He's staying in the medical barn and they are monitoring him and everything this horse ingests. We should have the results of his blood and stool samples by the end of today. When he's showing symptoms, it will make you think of colic but he's still passing manure and wanting to eat. The vet felt no impaction and there's no reflux into his stomach. I'm going to visit him after work and the vet said I can take him out to hand walk and graze him a little.

My poor horse. I think he's tired of being sick, too. He got shoes on Saturday and was a doll for the farrier. I was looking forward to a return to light work under saddle and now this. Many thanks for your "get-better" thoughts. Keep them coming, this Big Guy needs to get past this.

Happy Mother's Day, please say a prayer for Rugby

Not a good Mother's Day. My kids have been laying on the love but my horse, Rugby is very sick again. He's in the medical barn now and the vet is watching him very carefully. He's not colicing in the usual sense of the condition but he's uncomfortable and it seems to be a continuing effect from the sickness that hit him for the last month. More bloodwork being done. I just want him to get well.

Better but still not Well

Rugby has been quite sick. For weeks. For 3 weeks he had the swelling along his belly and in his sheath and occasionally behind his jowls. Every day it looked different, some days it was so swollen that it was hard for me to keep patient and stay with the conservative approach of my vet. As if that wasn't bad enough, then the nasty diarrhea started (not to get too graphic... aww, hell why not - we're talking lift the tail and spray liquid poo in a 5 foot long stream diarrhea). The bloodwork indicated that whatever it was, was attacking his G.I. system and we had to immediately pull him off everything - bute (which we were phasing out anyway from the whole lameness episode) and his usual feed supplements. Then start him on UlcerGuard to stop the irritation and the diarrhea.

Now that belly and sheath swelling has gone down but he's definitely lost weight and his blood counts are still way off. Whatever hit him, hit him like a ton of bricks. I don't know if it was in reaction to his spring shots, a virus, that he ate something that triggered this reaction or God knows what but my guess is he's a pretty lucky horse to be here now.

I feel it may have been almost a "perfect storm" of events. The bute he was on for almost a month to help the lameness issue. Then he got his spring shots, then the swelling started several days later. I'd think that the bute should have also helped control the swelling but at that point maybe he'd been on it long enough for the added stress on his immune system to cause him the stomach problems - or something else got in the mix like a virus or he ingested something. I'm not a vet, I'm speculating based on what I know and all my years of experiencing the ups and downs of horse care. I'm just hoping he's now on the upside of all this.

As for his unsoundness. Okay, at least that seems to be doing well. He's been sound on the egg bar shoes since he got them 5 weeks ago and completely off bute for almost 2 weeks. I've been mainly lunging for 15-20 minutes at the walk and jog 3-4 times a week with the vet's ok to lightly stimulate his circulation to help with his swelling condition and every time he's been sound. Yay. I feel he can go back to light saddle work (walking and some jogging for no more than 15-20 minutes) but only if he seems up to it.

So, as I close my eyes and accept the vet bills like a firing squad, I'm hopeful this is coming to an end and he gets better. I was so looking forward to spring and nice weather to get his saddle training under way after this long and crappy winter. All I seem to be able to do with this horse is lose time.

Rugby is sick

So just as it seems my horse is sound, now he's sick. Not sure exactly what. Could be a reaction to one of his spring shots or something else. Poor boy has swelling along his tummy and sheath and today has diarrhea. Vet has been watching him and did blood work today. My poor sweet boy. I just came back from checking on him and he was laying down quietly in his stall and so were almost all the other horses! I guess 11:00PM is bedtime at this barn ;) At least he was quiet, not rolling or in distress. Will go there again in the morning and check on him again. I wish I could just sleep in the barn and stay with him all night.

So Far, Shoes Good

This Saturday makes it two weeks that Rugby has been wearing his egg bar shoes. And he's sound. I have been stopping by the barn almost every day since then and have been regularly lunging him for 20-30 minutes mainly at the walk but with a few times around at the trot to his left and only once or twice around at the trot to the right (his sore side). And he's sound. If there's any head nod at all to the right, it's almost as if I'm so paranoid that I'm making myself see things.

I even lunged him in the polo arena in the sand to see how it would affect him. I was also curious to see how he'd handle being out in that big arena after not being worked in there for about 4 months. He was a star! Rock steady, calm and completely in tune with my groundwork! A very pleasant surprise! One of the boarders commented on how well-behaved Rugby was and I told her it feels as if he's grown up a lot this past winter!

He's still on the bute but at a reduced dosage and this Saturday we will be weaning him off even that. I am considering adding an anti-inflammatory supplement to his feed to see if that can further help him. I've been reading about Devil's Claw and many people like the results.

Also, the vet agreed if he's consistent by Saturday that I can get on him and ride at the walk for a bit. I am super pleased with that. Each step has been adding something else and seeing if the horse stays sound or not. So far, so good!

Rugby's New Kicks

As of this past Saturday, Rugby now has a nifty pair of egg bar shoes on his front hoofers. He's a first in that department for me. I've never owned a horse that wore bar shoes of any kind. It was nice to work with my old farrier again. I'm reminded of just how good he is at his craft. I was also rather impressed when he took a look at Rugby's unshod feet and shook his head and said, "wow, his hooves are really nice. It's almost a shame to put shoes on him".

He took his time, Rugby was pretty good but very aware of what was going on. He wasn't overly nervous but he did get a bit fidgety especially when he smelled and heard the sizzle from the hot shoeing. My farrier was patient and kind and simply chalked it up to Rugby having "forgotten" what it was like to have shoes nailed on. The best part was when the shoes were on and the farrier brought out the rasping stand. As soon as Rugby put his hoof on it and heard the familiar rasping sound, his entire body relaxed and he submitted. All the nerves were gone! It was as if he just said, "ah, something familiar! whew!".

When my farrier was done he asked me to get my lunging gear and let's see what if any difference we made. At first it all looked the same. But the longer Rugby walked on the shoes, I started to see a difference in his stride. He was laking longer steps with both front feet, and landing the same. Gone was the shorter step on the side opposite his soreness. Then I asked him for a little trot. Pretty good to the left, still slightly "off" to the right. My farrier said only time will tell. He asked that I keep him updated with the vet's reports and to not let the shoes go past 5 weeks.

When I went to the barn on Sunday, I took Rugby out for a little lunging again, no more than 20 minutes and mostly at the walk. And was rewarded with a 100% sound horse to the left at both the walk and the trot and going to the right he was 100% sound at the walk and about 90% sound at the trot There was a marked and very visible improvement on day #2 wearing the bar shoes. My fingers are so crossed. If he can stay sound and can get back to very light work it will be enough for me for now. At least I can train and work on his steering and forwardness if I can at least do a little at the walk and trot under saddle.

Shooz for Rugby

Rugby will be wearing front shoes as of tomorrow. Based on his new X-rays and further discussion with my vet, we agree that front shoes are needed to give him support. The good news from the X-rays is that there is no change or problem involving navicular. But there is something there, however small, that my vet feels is an old injury to the coffin bone, possibly a healed fracture from Rugby's youth that is flaring up and he needs the stability of the shoes to help him. It seems egg bars are the prescription and my vet is speaking with my farrier to let him know exactly what he wants my horse to have done.

I remember his former owner telling me he wore shoes up front. Of course, I never thought to ask what kind since Rugby was barefoot and sound when I bought him. I figured it was just the usual considering he didn't give any indication of needing more at that time.

He's now walking barefoot better than he was but he's still not quite right. He's also on the bute and isoxiprene and I really want him to start weaning off that stuff. I contacted the farrier who used to shoe Monty and he's happy to come and work on Rugby for me. Tomorrow morning I'll be there to help my old farrier and Rugby get acquainted. I will miss working with my barefoot trimmer. I really like how he works around my horse and I feel he's been such an important part in my horses' impeccable manners when having his hooves tended to. He's not thrilled I've opted for the shoes. I understand that and respect his opinion. I've given it thought both ways and I just feel it's an option I have to try at this time.

In the meantime, I have been doing very light ground work exercises involving leading only. No lunging, since turning to the right aggravates his unsoundness. Rugby is the kind of horse who just craves interaction and mental stimulation. I gave him simple exercises like stepping over a pole forwards and backwards, lateral flexing, backing, turning, stepping up on a low platform and off and he was a star. He was so good that one of the other boarders was leading her aged, seasoned show horse around and my super green, unsound and unworked 6 year old had more self control! I even brought him to the mounting block and leaned on his back and he just relaxed and enjoyed the attention.

More and more, as my relationship with Rugby grows, he's becoming a star. He's already known for his perfect ground manners. Over the past weekend I brought out the clippers and he stood for having his face, ears and legs trimmed better than some of the best show horses I've met!

And I had an opportunity to ride this past weekend! One of the instructors who boards her lesson horses at the barn where I keep Rugby has often offered me a chance to ride some of her horses. I took her up on it and had a short but very sweet walk, trot session on her little thoroughbred. I'm still buzzed from getting a few minutes in the saddle!

Happiness is a Warm Day in March!

As I write this, I am exhausted. I finally got my two wild children to bed and one is simply resisting to the point where I have to keep getting up and making sure he stays in his bed. They both have testing this week at school and I hate having to fight him but he needs his sleep. Dozing off during an exam when you are 6 years old does not bode well for your future!

Today was just gorgeous here, weather wise. I've been a weekend warrior at best the last 3 weeks. Rugby's training consists of Saturday and/or Sunday and that's been about it. I have to give the big horse credit. He's actually been quite good considering he's been worked so inconsistently. With all the snow and ice here we've all been confined to the one small riding arena behind the main barn. I've been forced to perform lunging exercises in that small arena while 2 lessons have been going on. And Rugby has been a perfect gentleman. The other horses riding around his small lunging circle don't bother him and he's been content to simply walk and trot calmly. I am impressed. For a horse in the middle of winter that hasn't done much work, I know horses twice his age that would lose their mind in the same situation.

I did groundwork and rode yesterday and today and he was very good. All I can do under saddle are walking exercises. He's lost a lot of condition this winter (me too) and I even had to change the gullet in my Wintec saddle yesterday from Wide to Medium Wide. He's in need of work to improve his balance and steering again. He gets stiff through the neck and jaw to the right side and today I carried a dressage whip to tickle his haunch and help him move his hind end through when being asked to turn so he'd get the idea a little better. He's very long in the body and right now especially he feels like his front and rear are in two different zip codes!

But it's so good to ride, I'm happy with just walking. I feel we're on the right track and once I'm sure the weather will allow more consistent work, I'm setting up a session with my natural horsemanship trainer, Tony to get us back to trotting again.

Keep that warm weather coming!

My Cuddly Valentine Pony

I just got an awesome new cell phone and it's even more awesome in that it takes really great pictures. So I thought I'd snap some pix of Rugby to share for Valentines.


He's watching the grooms getting the bran mash fixins ready at the feed shed.


Isn't he a little shrimp? Remember, that's 17.1 hands of fuzzball!

How cute is this face? Even cuter in person! He was a good boy today doing what little groundwork we could. The ground is plowed in the small riding arena but slushy and icy in spots. He got special Valentine snacks afterward that my sons bought for him. They bought him a container of Stud Muffins. I got a laugh when I read the label. It says to feed 3-4 treats per 500 hundred pounds bodyweight per day. LOL! In that case, I should just give him the entire container! Last time I tried the weight tape on him, Rugby was wider than the tape and the tape only goes to 1350 pounds. The Big Guy rules!

Happy Valentine's Day!