You may remember that my beautiful gray gelding, Andrew or Drew or Droodles had some behavior issues brought on by an undetermined injury, so he had to go back to the trainer for remedial education. I’m just kidding, Tarrin and her team have been working to rehab him.
I’ve seen him when I take lessons with Apache, and of course I’ve been getting updates, but today was my first time seeing his progress. Tarrin wanted me to see how he’s doing and make sure I’m good with the next steps.
One good thing about today was that, since I didn’t have an Apache lesson, Sara was able to bring Jhayati, who’s now 11 months old and learning manners. I arrived early for my lesson with Drew so I could watch how they work with the filly.
They’re making lots of progress with Jhayati, who had a lot of stimuli and new experiences today, like being in a stall alone, wind and dust blowing, and other fillies to neigh at. I was happy to see how she’s doing in lead line and impressed with how well Sara is dealing with childish antics. It will be fun to watch her in the coming months.
As for Droodles, his report card shows that he’s improved a lot, but still has back pain that causes difficulty in turning right. His neck is much better, and he had another bodywork session today, which confirmed continuing issues.
He received a dose of a horse anti-anxiety drug whose name I can’t remember. It helps with serotonin uptake, and should let him be calmer around other horses. The combination of pain and horse hormones was making him quite annoying.
Tarrin rode him today and explained it’s mainly walking in straight lines with a little trot, to keep his muscles in shape. Turning right he had issues, and his left leg still shows signs of weakness, but he wasn’t pawing and asking to stop today, which he had been doing.
Because he’s still not 100%, Tarrin has made him an appointment to see the fancy vet in Bryan to look into whether he needs a shot in his back to ease pain until his damaged vertebrae fuse (damage caused by being ridden by heavy people at too young an age). She will also get his head looked at from where Fiona kicked him, and get his necessary vaccinations and Coggins test. That sounds like $$$$$. But, it may be what we need to get him to graduate back into a rideable horse.
Mostly I want him happy and comfortable. I e missed being able to groom, stroke, and ride him. He’s not going to be a hunter/jumper candidate, but Tarrin thinks once we get past this hurdle, we can have a long relationship. I hope so!
Meanwhile, I have Apache, whose feet seem a little sore after his trim. Tomorrow I’ll put his boots back on. It’s always something!
The Hermits' Rest 