What's In My Grooming Box and How Do I Use It?

Down time at work and I haven't blogged much in 2 months, so, because I know you care so much. 

My contents have been pretty standard for roughly the last 4 years- tried and true stuff. Right now, I have some random things (*cough* for the grey horse) I wouldn't normally have, but it's still pretty consistent.

On the left:

The brush side

Black hard curry

Purple glitter gel curry (Hell yes)

Royal blue hard brush

Baby blue medium brush

Oster soft brush

Oster mane/tail brush

Pink glitter comb (Hell yes)

Royal blue hoof pick

Royal blue scissors

Mane pulling comb

Sheepskin mitt

I'm trying to slowly transition my brushes to Oster brushes- I really like the ergonomic grips.

On the right side:

Lotions and potions

Vetrolin Shine (I swear by Eqyss Marigold as my coat conditioner, but I mixed it up a bit; I like it fair enough, but will be back to the Eqyss when this bottle is done)

Pyranha Wipe & Spray- seriously the best, and so satisfying when the flies die as you spray it.

Swat

Fungicide- Candy has been known to get "funk" sometimes, and lately it's been growing on his right leg from being wrapped so much. I used to use Lysol, but picked this bottle up a year or two ago.

Baby wipes- picked these up for Sawyer's green spots and I don't know how I lived before! Great for cleaning up Candy's allergy-related eye goop.

Shapley's Easy Out- for the grey. Probably going to go live in my tack trunk with my ShowSheen as a a "show only" potion.

Vetrolin Liniment gel- I like the gel because it's easier to apply (in my opinion). I use it to massage out all the knots and tense spots.

Black sweat scraper

How I use it to make Candy beautiful:

Hard curry body and upper legs for 10 minutes.

Soft curry body all the way to the coronet bands for 10 minutes.

Flick off dirt with hard brush.

Soft curry face (more like Candy aggressively rubs his face on my hands).

Candy's motto for all brushing/wiping of the face. "If you have no hands, use your face."

Medium brush face.

Soft brush EVERYTHING. Spray a lil bit of coat conditioner, swipe until it dries, and repeat on the ENTIRE horse.

Rub down/buff with sheepskin mitt for about 10 minutes.

Pick feet (fascinating, I know)

Baby wipe face/tears/eye goop/snot bubbles/nose sawdust particles.

Brush tail- let me add, Candy is half Andalusian. He has enough tail for about 3 horses. I can brush that sucker every day and it will not thin.

Brush mane- Andalusian horse. The more I brush, the less I have to pull later.

Fly spray as needed.

This whole she-bang takes a good 45 minutes.

So shiny. Even shinier when he's fly sheeted 24/7.

And then we get turned out and roll. (Circa 2010)

And then snooze in the mud and scare the sh!t out of everyone when we refuse to get up. And no, he wasn't colicking. Stood up, streeeeetched, yawned, and shook it off. (Circa winter 2012)

What do y'all use? I am always looking for more things to add to my arsenal. Right now, all I'm doing is grooming, hand walking and a handful of bareback rides, so anything to pamper Candy is welcome!

-K&C

P.S. Walked in to re-wrap Candy's legs this morning, and saw a barn hand (a guy) petting Candy's nose and face. So sweet.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The good: Candy's rehab is going great! His left pastern area has been relatively consistent in staying tight and cool. The vet added 15 minutes of hand-walking (or a bareback ride 3-4 times a week) to be increased up to 40 minutes by the end of the month. If all goes well, Candy will be off stall rest and back out in the pasture!

My summer research position has been going well- I really like the lab I'm working in, and enjoy the topic of research.

I found and  (stupidly?) purchased a pair of TS Trophy Hunters for $110- that's $70-$80 less than everywhere else. I couldn't resist.

The bad: I terminated my lease on Sawyer (since he is technically for sale, I won't divulge details), and am currently horse-less. I am dabbling in lessons periodically, but haven't really been consistently riding for the last month.

I entered a 5k trail race (wut? WHY?)

I got the OK to pursue a second horse, but-

The ugly: I have to pay for that second horse myself (board/vet/farrier excluded- so the least expensive part of a horse). I currently have a small chunk of change from my research stipend, and am still working 8-18 hours a week in the ICU. I'm scraping my pennies together to see if I can afford anything that fits what I want: young, sound, 16h+ ideally, with a brain+scope to do 1.10m jumpers. Obviously, anything I do get my hands on will be green as grass. I just can't justify leasing when I'm scraping pennies together to afford something. I like the idea of buying because I could flip the horse and sell it when I graduate.

Missing out on show season because I have nothing to ride.

Feeling guilty because I have swapped around Candy's SmartPaks- I added Bute-less and changed from SmartCombo Senior to SmartFlex III to see if I can get Candy sound. If I can get him sound, ideally, I would love to do low, low level stuff with him, and maybe lease him out to an advanced beginner. I just feel so guilty- he's earned his retirement, and is content, even though I know he misses being in work. I hate the idea of having to drug him to be pain free, but, as my mom put it, most athletes have aches and pains they either work through or take mild pain relievers for. My trainer back home phrased it well, "Keep him comfortable, and ride him until he tells you this isn't what he wants anymore." Of course, bringing him back into work will be after the rehab process has ended, so for now (and for always!), I'm just working hard on keeping him comfortable, happy, and handsome!

Quick graze after his first hand-walk. He only tried to buck, rear, and bolt like 5 times while screaming his head off at his friends in the field down the hill. Old man tantrums. Then he tried to buck me off when I rode him bareback two days later, the sassy pants. Once I reminded him who was in charge, he was so proud of himself. He strutted around and stood in front of every jump. I was scared he might jump from a standstill- I could feel him tense and jig a little, the ding dong.

He's still so handsome, and in great condition for hanging out in a stall for two months!

"I want to roll in the dirt, jump things, eat peppermints, be treated like a prince, and run around with my friends."

-K & C

Less Than a Week

Less than a week off and I'm already itching to get back into the saddle.

Candy's left pastern area/fetlock has swollen up again, and I'm back to cold-hosing and Bute 2x a day on top of changing his standing wraps twice a day.

Sawyer is still "off", just kind of gimpy, for lack of a better word. My instructor, H, is really trying to push his owners to get a full soundness workup. I hope we get to the bottom of it and I hope it's fixable. He really will be a great ammy horse, and if we can just figure out what's up with him, he'll be a lovely 3' packer. I'll be bummed when/if he sells, but at least I'll have saddle and show time in the meantime if/when he gets sound.

Unfortunately for me, I've picked up running en lieu of riding to help keep my anxiety and depression (and my waist line) under control. I say unfortunate, because my parents are THRILLED I'm running. Our whole family runs (except me) and everyone always gets excited when I run ("You're a naturaaaalll", "You're so athletiiiiic").

I'm almost a little irrationally nervous that if I continue running, they won't help out with the horses because they're happy I've found another outlet. But that's just my paranoia and venting setting in.

After the drama of being tossed by a super fresh potential lease horse, a serious discussion with the parentals about finances (thanks, vet bills!), taking care of Candy, and Sawyer's on/off lameness, I've decided that once Sawyer sells, I will take a really good look at my riding career/hobby -decide what I want out of it, and determine if I can afford it, and proceed from there. One day at a time.

-K&C&S

Taking a Break

Burnt out and financially strained (thanks, Candy), so I think I am going on a hiatus from riding for the forseeable future.

Just doesn't bring me joy anymore; just heartbreak and arguments with parents. Time to reach out.

New Developments

It's been pouring rain, and Sawyer is still a little sore so I haven't ridden outside of a short 15 minute hack in the last week.

Candy is doing fab-u-lous! He's putting weight on his left hind, the swelling has gone almost completely down, and he's about as sound as his lil arthritic self can be. He's still loving the stall life, but I picked up a Likit refill and a Uncle Jimmy's Licky Thing (sugar-free) to keep him entertained. I think he fancies himself "King of the Barn" and always looks so proud of himself in his stall: "I've got a window, I've got a fan, I've got a Jolly Ball. This rocks." I've decided to keep him in Alabama with me rather than retiring him with his breeder; an 8 hour trailer ride would be too hard on him, and his breeder's board is more expensive than what I am paying for pasture.

I'm sure the other stalled horses think he's ridiculous.

Sawyer has officially officially been put up for sale, and the owner wants him to sell quickly. I'm still ~*toying*~ with buying him, but the funds are not there for his asking price (without parental help), and I'm not sure I want a Hunter for at least the next two years. I really do love him, and think he's a great kid, but I'm just not sure purchasing him would benefit either of us. I would more than likely sell him after graduation since I have no idea where I will be when I'm done with school, and wouldn't be able to afford to ship a horse (or two) away from the East Coast. Who knows what will happen though...

True fact: never seen this movie. I also don't know what I want.

However, I am really (guilty-ly) excited to be trying a new potential lease next week! He's a former mini-Prix jumper and looks super fun! Even if we don't get along, or the finances don't work, I still expect it to be the best hour of my life. :) And you know, school's out in 3 weeks. (4 finals, 1 surgery to go and I am half-way a veterinarian!!)

- K&C&S

Thing 1 and Thing 2

This past week did not go as planned. At all.

Finally recovered from the GI bug from hell to take a total of 1 final, 3 exams, and 6 quizzes in the past 2 weeks, and for some reason thought it was totally sane to show this previous week in an AHJA show (I'm chasing points- living my 13 year old self's dream!).

I flatted Sawyer Tuesday for the first time in a week (sick, tests, etc.) and he was BEAUTIFUL. I got a couple steps of stretchy, nose to the ground trot with his hind end really swinging. We've been working on using our hind end, and Sawyer is slowly learning that collection is his friend (because I also do really mean things like lateral work, and going in a straight line is nicer than going sideways). I also got a few solid leg yields at the trot and canter, which felt wonderful. By a few, I mean like a step or two, but that's progress.

Had an exam Thursday, so skipped riding Wednesday, and scheduled a lesson for Thursday. Bring him in for the lesson. All 4 shoes. Check. All 4 shoes tightly attached to his feet? Nope. So into a stall he went to be reshod in the morning. Can't ride Sawyer? It's ok; I'm savoring my freedom, so I go to bring in Candy. Candy- who is 3 legged lame and has a left fetlock the size of a very angry baseball. So naturally, I call the vet out, get the news that it's tendinitis, sesamoiditis, or synovitis, which all have lengthy recoveries attached. There go my lofty dreams of getting him re-X-rayed to gradually introduce work. I wrapped and sweat Candy's hind leg, gave the boys peppermints, a kiss on the nose, and called it a night. (Then proceeded to cry, and eat my feelings in Chinese food at the boyfriend's place)

It took 5 days, but he can put his weight on his left leg!

Being semi-productive during the 45 minutes Candy has freeze pops strapped to his leg

"Yes, I like this. Look at my fan. Look at my hay. The barn hand kisses my nose every time she walks by. I like this"

Get a call from my trainer the next day: Sawyer's right hind fetlock has swollen up. So now, I'm wrapping 6 feet twice a day (all 4 of Sawyer's and Candy's back feet), sweating both broken fetlocks, and icing Candy's now very hot, very painful fetlock twice a day, for 45 minutes. Obviously, for Sawyer, the show was a no go. Between gimp 1 and gimp 2, I am spending roughly 3 hours a day at the barn, not riding, just doing standing wraps.

Yesterday- Sawyer's fetlock returned to normal and he got turned out for a day of rest, and light work today. This morning (at 6:30 am), Candy got iced and wrapped; his fetlock has almost returned to normal, and he is like a little king surveying his kingdom on stall rest- he loves it.

On the bright side, my standing wrap skills have returned (I used to be able to slap on beautiful ones in fractious TB mares in under a minute a leg), and I taught the boy-frand how to do standing wraps. He was actually pretty good- I was impressed. I also got to deep clean my trunk and first aid kit, which needed to be done!

Can't wait to see what disasters this next week has in store...

-K&C&S (aka K & Gimp 1 & Gimp 2)

Crazy Times

Sorry for the long break between posts. Spring Break was a little nuts, then I got a really bad GI bug thanks to my elective that stuck around for 2 weeks through one hell week (3 quizzes, 1 final, 1 exam- all right after Spring Break). I have ridden Sawyer 3 times in 2 weeks.

Over Spring Break, my parents were down to visit, then the weather was bad. Managed to pop on Sawyer for another mini-clinc/lesson with Jason Costick (who remembers me a "K with the nose ring"). Sawyer was really good; we worked on finding distances using my leg to dictate the take off point as well as working on the "effortless" look a lot of hunters have. Being a quieter rider should help Sawyer find his lead over fences, and/or prep him for the change in the corner. I'm working on doing a simple, 1 trot step change until Sawyer is strong enough for a flying change. At the end of the day, we jumped a 3'6ish vertical! Sawyer is really starting to figure out life.

Last week, did some gallop sets with Sawyer. We never hit a full gallop, but I focused on really opening up Sawyer's stride and getting him to reach with his body while keeping organized throughout. It seemed to really help his brain. I researched his Jockey Club tattoo and found out he had about 3 starts and no finishes- so that in and of itself might be why he refuses to move faster than a hand gallop.

Finally think my illness is gone so I hopped on him last night for a pretty intense flat session. I worked on lateral work at all 3 gaits to really encourage him to be flexible and fluid through his hind. He gets leg yields at the trot and walk- it's not perfect, but it's there. There's a basic understanding of haunches-in and shoulder-in at the walk. Leg yields at the canter were lovely to the right, but sticky/not there to the left. We even got a couple steps of GORGEOUS stretchy trot (nose to the ground); it was so refreshing to feel him round through his back and swinging with his hind. I think with a little more transition work and lateral work, he'll actually become a pretty solid mover.

I might be showing this weekend- haven't decided. It all depends on how good he is for my lesson tomorrow.

-K & C & S