12/30/07 Lesson - first time riding in two weeks

I lunged Willig, then Bob rode him about 15 minutes to "prep" him (my parents were here watching), then I rode him. About 10 minutes in, I was pouring sweat and exhausted. We went about 10 more minutes, but then I had to ask Bob to stop the lesson early because I was getting so tired. It's weird, because he's so smooth to ride, but I still get tired. Bob said it's because I'm tense and holding my muscles rigid.
Anyway, we worked on the same stuff: head bent to inside, ask for bend with outside rein half halts, ask ahead of the corners, add inside leg and keep impulsion and consistent movement through corners, don't lift my heels and squeeze as I get tired, sit in the canter, yell at him if he's bad.
I had a few questions, and Bob taught me a new fabulous trick. The trick was to hold onto the saddle pad with my inside hand to prevent it from moving around. It made a huge, immediate difference in the way Willig moved, but also in how I felt. I am relying a LOT on that hand, which shouldn't be moving.
My questions were about my back hurting when I ride (becuase I slouch and bend forward, and his big movement jars my back - I need to improve my posture), and I have been wrapping the lunge line around my hand (bad, I know) and when he jerks, how do I keep it from squeezing my hand (tie a knot in the end instead so it slides through my hand and stops at the knot).
It felt like a really good lesson, and I'm really looking forward to working him again. I have learned a lot the past couple weeks with the lunge line, but we're both getting bored.
The dexamethazone cleared up the hives right away. He has a couple tiny spots, but looks fabulous.

New Willig Photos

Willig and the Mystery of the Hives

I have been reading the Harry Potter books, which I can not wait to finish (I am not really a Harry Potter fan, though to the fans' credit, they're probably a lot less repetitive read one per year.) Anyway, hence, the title of this entry.

Willig has hives. Mysterious hives. They started with a couple bumps on Monday the 10th. Wednesday the 12th I started taking his temperature. Saturday the 15th I quit riding him because they looked like they would be uncomfortable under the saddle and girth. About Wed the 19th they started going down. Friday the 21st they were mostly gone on his body (with some "ripples") but a lot on his neck and some edema on his belly. Then on Thursday the 27th the small bumps reappeared, like they did on the 10th. The progression was small soft bump, hard small bump, flat round bump, bump with a depression in the middle, then spreading bump (for each one). They started on his butt and moved up to his neck, with only a few on his face and none on his lower legs. They never oozed or anything gross like that.

The vet came out last night, said she had no idea, and this is our approach:

Friday the 28th - 2 packets of dexamethazone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexamethasone) - I am mixing it with water (today I'll try oil) and syringing it since he doesn't eat grain, and to make sure he gets it all

Sat 29th - 2 packets dexamethazone

Sun 30th - 2 packet dexamethazone

Dec 31st - Jan 4th - 20 tablets twice a day for five days of prednisolone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prednisolone)

Jan 5 - 9 - 10 tablets twice a day for 5 days of prednisolone

Jan 10 - Feb 10 - 10 tablets once a day for 30 days of prednisolone

Then we tackle the environment:

Alice ordered different sawdust; we did have fir, which is supposed to be the least allergenic, and I think now it's aspen. This started last night.

Feb 11 - 18 - soak his hay

Feb 19 - 26 - buy new (presumably more expensive) hay

Feb 27 - March 4 - no hay - give him equine senior

March 5 - 12 - new sawdust (probably the bagged stuff)

March 13 - 20 - no blanket

March 21 - 28 - no carrots

Beyond that, I don't know what we'll try.

12/8/07 - Dressage lesson on Willig

We are making baby steps forward.
Earlier in the week, I boasted that I no longer needed my magic circle, like Dumbo realized he no longer needed his magic feather. However, I was the dumbo, and was simply reverting back to my old patterns.
Alice spent some time with me Thursday, then Bob spent some time working on lunging at the start of my lesson. It's very hard and frustrating, and right now, Willig isn't respecting me, and I end up following him, rather than pushing him forward. I got overwhelmed with the tips, so this week I am working on a couple more things, then next week I'll add a little more to my lunging repetoire.
Under saddle we made some more inching progress. Bob let me canter, which put my body in "fear" mode- locked up and rigid. Bob said I looked like someone from the special olympics - I was so excited but bouncing up and down in the saddle. It was another humbling, yet amazing, experience.
This week I am working on tiny canters (half circles), and then the same as last week - being consistent and working on improvements to position for both of us.
Riding Mercury now feels so weird. He feels so, so, almost unbearably slow, yet he has some ways he is so much better than Willig so it's kind of a relief not to have to think of so much while I ride.
Willig is playing with his jolly ball. He likes to throw it outside his stall into the aisle. Today he threw it into the pasture.

12/1 - Dressage Lesson on Willig

I will be riding Willig this week, and focusing on only a few things:
1. Keep him moving forward - don't lose impulsion
2. Keep him bent to the inside - because he's young, he wants to throw his head to the outside to keep his balance, and we don't want that habit to develop
3. Keep him paying attention to me - talk to him, half halts on the outside, lots of changes
And everything else: head set, legs off, no following hands, etc. etc.
Next week Bob thinks he should start jumping him, so he doesn't get bored.

Bob lunged him for me because I was afraid of making my shoulder hurt again (Thursday and Friday I suffered from what may have been a pinched nerve). Willig was acting up because it was cold (it's snowing!) and he had Friday off, and at one point, in slow motion, and very gracefully, he fell down. He got right back up and kept cantering like nothing happened.

We also talked about next season for shows. Bob thinks we should do a couple dressage shows, and that he should ride him Training level at the recognized Lincoln Creek show. I said that was fine, if he's ready. There are a lot of registrations I need to do. I'd like to take him to some day Dressage shows and ride him Training and have Bob ride him 1st or 2nd level in the spring. Then, if he's progressing, we'll go to the local unrecognized shows and derbies, and I'll ride Mercury and Bob can ride Willig at Novice or Training - whatever is appropriate.

Then Bob told me the story of German Christmas, which was very unlike American Christmas. From the web:
Also, in Germany Knecht Ruprecht and his helpers come on the 6th of December. German version of Santa who carries a switch to beat the bad children.