smellshorsey

Remember to Breathe

Here's a photo of Lily practicing a leg wrap on a friend at last Saturday's Pony Club meeting in Aiken.

I think we're all holding our breath. The national news makes me go fetal, and I don't dare open anything from my 401K. So I've turned off the news. The sun still shines. The horses aren't worried. And really, now, you can't live if you're not breathing.

Lily learned this lesson the hard way on Saturday at Pony Club. She had a great clinic with Richard Lamb, who told her group that they were all really good at one thing: not breathing. So he had them count (he also suggested singing but didn't get any takers) out loud while then went through a gymnastic and then over some jumps.

You could watch them all relax as they counted. The horses relaxed. The kids relaxed. The parents relaxed. Just remember to keep breathing. And counting or singing (I would have made them sing Christmas carols but I wasn't in charge).

All was well until they were winding up. Lily and Buddy approached a jump. Lily had quit counting -- and breathing. Buddy hesitated, then overjumped it. When they landed, Lily's weight was on her hands (on his neck) and knees (somewhere on his back/sides) and she was stiff from holding her breath. She was not relaxed, counting, breathing and going with the horse. To her surprise, and mine, she wasn't able to recover and instead, after several strides on an increasingly stiff and alarmed horse, she fell. It would have been a nothing fall, but she landed almost tangled up with him and as Buddy turned to gallop away, his hoof kicked her. It wasn't an intentional kick, but he hit her calf. Fortunately she had on tall boots. Even more fortunately, nothing was broken. She really hurt and needed ace bandages and crutches for a few days, but is okay now.

Richard Lamb was very kind and consoling. But he did happen to mention that it wouldn't have happened if she'd been breathing.

Sounds so simple. Just breathe. A good lesson for every situation.

The Proposition

This photo was taken in 2006 when Lily borrowed a school pony, Tudor, to ride in an event because Buddy kept bucking her off. Tudor was great and they had a wonderful ride and a great time. Too bad their dressage circles were, um, not very circular. Tudor was a good boy and did much to build her confidence. Since Buddy was doing a lot of bucking, I regretted that I hadn't found Tudor before the riding school did. I was one week too late.

If I had found this horse before we got Buddy, I would have bought him. He's a cute little QH-type kid's horse who's just perfect. He is fun and willing, and the riding school bought him a week before I called the man who was offering him for sale. Tudor was the one who got away.

Buddy is fancier and bigger. And Buddy is absolutely wonderful (now), though he will still buck. But I still have a soft spot for Tudor. I've tried to figure out ways to get him. And now he's available.

Here's the problem -- and the proposition. A while back Tudor went to summer camp and discovered that if he bucked, the little kids fell off and he was rid of that problem. So they put more little kids on him, and he bucked them off, too. So they put big kids on him. Guess what. Splat! Yes, indeed, he learned to buck the big kids off, the experienced kids, you get the picture. So the head of the riding school worked with him and restored him to respectability. An older, more experienced student then leased him and absolutely loves him.

But he's bucked her off twice. The second time, she broke her ankle. So now he needs a new home, though she still comes out to pet him, groom him, love him and wants to start leasing him again. The riding school owner is over Tudor and looking to find him a new career, new owner, new whatever.

The riding school owner, knowing how much we like Tudor, called with a proposition. We can have Tudor and work past this little difficulty. Lily is older now and very much experienced with a horse that bucks. When Tudor is back to the sweet self we all remember and love, we can sell him and get whatever we can for him, minus a small sum to go back to the riding school owner. Actually, it's not all that small of a sum. If we can't sell him, she'll take him back.

Paul immediately said, "no" because he is a wise man who knows that horses like to eat. Lily immediately said, "yes" because she's been looking for an opportunity like this.  I immediately said, "Hmmm."

There are lots of reasons why this might be a great idea. We like the horse. It would feel good to rehabilitate him and help him go to a suitable home.  Lily is trying to save money for a fancy warmblood (Buddy is half QH -- doesn't that make him a warmblood?). I like a project. I like Tudor. I like the riding school owner.

I called Jane today to run it past her. Jane doesn't have a crystal ball, but she does have a better sense of, well, better sense.

There are a lot of reasons that it might work. But between the depressed price of horses, the danger of bodily harm to Lily and the unlikelihood of us being able to make a permanent change in his behavior, I don't think I'll be able to say yes.

I'm sure Lily could ride him and get him where he didn't buck her off. But I'm not sure that he wouldn't buck off the next person. We don't need him, couldn't keep him, would have to sell him. I'm not sure we could find the right buyer.

And we're already very fond of this little horse. This might just be heartbreak on a stick.

Man Jumps off Horse and Drowns

I'm a worrier, and of all the things I worry about with horses, drowning has not been on my list. A man jumped off of a horse and drowned yesterday. Here's the sad but strange story from The State:

MAN DROWNS AFTER JUMP FROM HORSE

MYRTLE BEACH -- A 24-year-old Conway man who trained racehorses drowned after he jumped off a horse and into a pond, according to a preliminary autopsy.

Jonathan Durant, who worked at Nobles stable on Rogers Road, died at 10:24 a.m. Monday after the horse he was riding stepped into a pond on the property, said Horry County Deputy Coroner Tony Hendrick. He said Tuesday that Durant may have panicked once he was in the water after he jumped from the horse.

It's unclear why Durant jumped into the water, whether he could swim or why he could not get out of the pond, which was about eight to 10 feet deep, officials said.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at Conway Medical Center.

"There's nothing suspicious about it. It was accidental," Hendrick said.

"I just am not sure why he was unable to get out of the water."

Officials are waiting for toxicology results, which will take up to 12 weeks, Hendrick said.

Durant trained and rode horses for the Nobles Stables, owned by Bonnie and Leneau Nobles, according to his older brother Corey Durant.

"I couldn't believe that it was him. I went to the hospital. I saw him on the table, looking out of it. And I couldn't take it anymore, I had to leave. It seems like a dream to me," Corey Durant said.

"All he would say was he loved when he galloped and the speed to the finish line," Corey Durant said.

"We always stuck by each other. He was always pushing me to be stronger. I've been through a lot of trouble. He always came to me and said 'chill out' and 'do better.' He was almost a big brother, more than I was to him," said Corey Durant, 28.

Corey Durant will have to celebrate his birthday on Friday without his younger brother. The two had plans to go to the beach.

His mother, Virginia Durant Washington, said Jonathan Durant loved horses as a child, and that he started riding seriously after he graduated from high school.

"Ever since he was small he wanted to be a jockey. He said, 'Mama, I love to ride horses,'" she said.

Jonathan Durant's second cousin Denise Santoro shared his passion for horses. She used to compete in jumping horses over hurdles and dressage.

"He was so excited to tell me, 'Cuz, cuz, I'm a jock,'" she said. "We all have to die. At least he died doing what he loved."

-- The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News

Speaking of Riding Your Horse instead of Driving....

In my last post I mused about riding our horses for transportation. I came upon this NYT's story about a police horse who spooked at a backfiring motorcycle and threw his rider, then made his way through NYC to get to his home stable.

Surprised this doesn't happen more often. Here's the story:

After Throwing Rider, Police Horse Returns Home Alone

Aldo, a police horse on routine patrol in one of Manhattan’s busiest sections, may have lost his cool on Friday afternoon — but he didn’t lose his sense of direction.

      

About 2 p.m. at Prince Street and the Avenue of the Americas, Aldo bucked at the sound of a backfiring motorcycle and threw his rider, a veteran police officer.

The officer landed  on his shoulder and neck, as Aldo took off.

The reports of “officer down” sent officers of the Emergency Service Unit racing to the scene. Once the rider was determined not to be seriously injured, attention turned to the missing Aldo.

But the officers need not have worried. Within about five minutes, the horse made it back to the stable, where he was being looked at by department veterinarians, said Officer Martin Brown, a Police Department spokesman, who said Aldo suffered only a few minor cuts.

The riderless Aldo had gone south, then a bit west, a journey of about eight blocks, to arrive at his base, the stable alongside the First Precinct station house at 19 Varick Street.

The mounted officer, who was not immediately identified, was taken to St. Vincent’s Medical Center, where he was treated for minor injuries to his shoulder and neck, Officer Brown said. He has been on the job for 21 years, the last six of which were served in the Mounted Unit.

Aldo is 8 years old and has been on the job about a year. He came to the Varick stable in December after training at the Police Academy’s stable in the Bronx.

The police said that one 911 caller reported a riderless horse heading south against traffic on the Avenue of the Americas near Spring Street. Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s chief spokesman, said, “You know, Aldo knows his turf.”

 

I Want to Scare the Hel(met) Onto You!

See this helmet? The 12-year-old child (not Lily) who was wearing it walked away with just scratches from a fall where her barrel-racing pony somersaulted over her. WEAR YOUR HELMET.

Lily suffered a concussion when she fell off on Monday, even though she was wearing her helmet (which split and I haven't photographed). Lily could still have bleeding on the brain. We have to continue to watch her closely. And she can't ride again for at least two weeks for fear of re-injury. The doctor told me this today, and then x-rayed her spine, which is "negative."

Thank God her 4-H leaders showed her the film, "Every Time, Every Ride." She always wears a helmet, and made me promise to wear one, too. I'd hate to think what might have happened if she hadn't been wearing one. (You can buy the "Every Time, Every Ride" video here for $15 -- you have to scroll down the page to find it.)

Monday Lily was riding just the kind of ride where you wouldn't necessarily wear a helmet. Just playing around bareback with the horse in the backyard/pasture. It was a light ride to get outside a little after violin concert practice. Then something happened -- and she got a concussion and slammed her spine into the ground.

I'm in shock. If you ride horses, you fall off. Though she seems fine, I wish I'd taken her to the ER immediately. Instead, I first made her (with her agreement) get back up and ride some more (Bad Mom but a True if Stupid Horse Mom) and then I kept an eye on her.

What was I thinking?

I know the doctor thought I was crazy (Bad Mom) when I took Lily in to see him today. He said she had a second-degree concussion. And he told me all the things to worry about, and I'm about caught up on all my worrying.

She had a concussion, doing nothing, riding her own horse in her own yard. Wear a helmet -- always!

If you need more convincing, go scare your pants off (and your helmet on) here.

Yes, we're going to hang the split helmet on the tack room wall as a reminder for when we get overconfident about our mortality. Or worried about our hair.

And if you want more reasons to put on that helmet, go visit Behind the Bit. She's serious but a lot funnier than these other links.

The Fall that Broke Lily's Helmet

I didn't see it happen, so I don't know if Lily had a concussion or not. Yesterday Lily was riding Buddy with nothing but a halter and a leadrope -- just a quick ride because she'd had to stay after school for violin concert practice. It always happens on the quick ride, doesn't it?

She remembers arguing with Buddy over which way they were going. Probably not the best decision for riding with a halter and leadrope. And he got upset and she lost the argument. She landed on her back and cracked the back of her helmet (it was a new International schooling helmet -- the Styrofoam split from the bottom to inside back).

I couldn't decipher what had happened, nor how severely she was injured. Nothing broken but lots of scratches on her back and arms. She was willing to get back on, so she rode him for a little while longer. It was then I realized she was crying.

She was confused. Was that from fright, or a concussion? She was quite upset, she said because she couldn't remember. Was that because it happened quickly, or had she blacked out? She didn't know. I didn't know. She seemed otherwise fine, so I got her into a warm bath and gave her an Advil.

And I watched her. She developed a headache. I looked up "head trauma" in my childcare book. Then I started to worry. I shouldn't have given her the Advil. She hurt -- but more than that, she was upset (this child falls off all the time and is rarely upset). She didn't want to eat, ate a little, and threw up. This was nearly four hours later. At this point, I was ready to go to the ER. (I almost called a dear friend who's a pediatrician in another city but that didn't seem fair, especially since I know her job has been very demanding lately. And I didn't call our pediatrician because they will ALWAYS tell you to go to the ER, I suspect because of potential lawsuits.)

But we didn't go to the ER. Deep down I didn't think there was anything seriously wrong and neither did Paul. But I just wanted to be sure. (When I left the room, Paul told her that if she didn't quit being so melodramatic she was going to end up in the ER because that's where I was headed. I didn't know this until later.) Lily told me she was okay, just tired. I slept with her in case she had convulsions or anything else. She didn't go to school today, and slept for 12 hours.

I'm grateful it wasn't worse. Low-key riding with a halter and leadrope has done a lot to build her confidence and trust with Buddy. Until yesterday. I think the lesson she needs to learn is to pick her battles -- to make sure she's equipped to always win. Or save the fight for another day.

What did I learn? Gratitude -- and fear. And maybe even a sense that I can trust my judgment.

Always, always wear your helmet.

12-year-old Olympic Hopeful Killed in Riding Accident

This story makes me cry. From the Telegraph:

Olympic hopeful, 12, crushed to death by horse

By Nigel Bunyan

A schoolgirl tipped to compete in the 2012 Olympics has been killed in a horse-riding accident.

Shannon Bloomfield, 12, was taking part in an indoor jumping event when her mount fell on top of her.

She had almost completed the course when her horse, Poppy, failed to negotiate the penultimate fence.

It fell awkwardly, trapping the young rider, as horrified spectators looked on. Shannon was pronounced dead at hospital.

Yesterday, her parents, Darren and Wendy, both accomplished riders, paid tribute to their "sports-mad" daughter. (To read the rest, click here.)

Belated Horse Trial Results

In the rush of everything, I never really did talk about Buddy's first horse trials earlier this month, other than to say that all survived.

It was actually a little better than that. I just downloaded the Christmas pictures and the horse trial pictures were in the same batch. (I didn't take many pictures because I was too busy holding my breath.)

They had a good dressage test and were in first place, in spite of some slightly less than circular circles. Here's Buddy listening to what the judge had to say afterwards.

Here's Buddy noticing the lady who feeds him, who is also holding the camera. That Buddy is my biggest fan.

Notice the blue ribbon on the boot. Very exciting.

Lily and Buddy went to that same farm last Saturday to ride with friends. Wouldn't you know it? When they were schooling in the stadium jumping ring, Buddy refused the coop and Lily fell off. So glad he waited two weeks for that little performance.

Some days he's good. Some days he's not. Timed it just right that time.

Losing Confidence -- and Getting it Back

For most riders (except possibly for Sue at Flying Changes), falling off repeatedly can make you lose confidence. So can almost falling off, thinking about falling off, seeing somebody fall off, remembering how you fell off, and wondering when you are next going to fall off.

I remember one year when I was eventing my really fabulous best-ever horse (never written about him but it's coming) I knew three people who broke their backs riding. None were paralyzed, though one had a terrible time recovering and another had to quit riding. And I remember watching a girl from our barn who was a great rider on a fantastic horse tumble into the ditch obstacle on a cross-country course (they were both fine) and feeling a fear so great that it wouldn't have been greater if she had been my daughter. As soon as she proved to be fine, I immediately began to worry about me.

So I know fear. And I know losing confidence. And when I see it creeping up on my girl, it breaks my heart.

Not sure where it came from. My brave girl who rode her pony and Buddy like motorcycles, racing around and enjoying every stride. Who was always wanting the jumps put higher in lessons and Pony Club. Who really is getting better every week. Suddenly, she's not so sure she can do what she's been doing. What she could do a year ago. Or longer....

We have a long talk. She's hurting -- so I hurt with her. And Paul and I scheme on how to get her confidence back.

An e-mail and divine intervention later, and we have our answer: Jane

Jane (not her real name) is one of Lily's former teachers. The "kick-the-snot-out-of-the-pony" teacher. She's recovering from surgery (back trouble related to riding -- hate to even think about that) and she's well enough to come. I'm surprised she can come, because she's been working too much on her other job to teach for the last couple of years.

Jane is also the Camp Counselor at Hell Camp, the place where bad horses get to go for 30 days if they need "a reckoning." Lucy got to go there once, and when she came back, she had a lovely new attitude. (Too bad Jane doesn't run a diet camp for middle-aged moms.)

So Jane shows up. And the magic begins. Some adjustments to the bridle (addition of curb chain which we'll call "hay twine" because I don't own a curb chain) and a very boisterous lesson that starts with lots of extreme transitions. Not always pretty but this isn't about pretty. This is about Building Confidence.

And part of the charm is -- Jane makes Lily LAUGH! Even doing the scary stuff.

Buddy is not happy, but Buddy is not being abused. Jane and Lily have Buddy's attention. Buddy would rather drag around and do nothing -- or go "Yahoo" after the jumps. He's not allowed to do either. The lesson is fast, the jumps get high. The jumps get higher. The laughter continues. Buddy doesn't have a chance to do anything silly because there are still a lot of transitions, mostly  ending with a halt.

Wild, crazy, fun and safe things are done. Nobody falls off. Not even close. Confidence restored.

And then we had to go measure the jumps.

Thank you, God!

Falling off horses

If you ride a horse, you will fall off. This may lead me to buy shorter horses, as the ground is truly getting harder.

Lily had a whole riding lesson devoted to falling off. Or "emergency dismounts" as they were called. It looked like the riding teacher pushing her off to me.

I've never had an emergency dismount lesson. I tried an emergency dismount once and it was a disaster. I was in a bareback jumping class and had just completed the eight jumps. Everything was fine, until it wasn't. The horse I was riding at that time was crazy, and he decided to take off. He was fine while jumping. I don't know what happened in his little crazy head, but he got faster and faster. And he was truly fast -- he was supposed to be a polo pony, but was too crazy so they sold him to a 15-year-old.  Anyway, I had this bad feeling that he was going to jump out of the ring, so I decided to bail out. I put my arms around his neck and tried to sling myself off, but I didn't let go, so I ended up under his neck, right in front of his pounding hooves. I realized I had no choice here, so I let go, expecting death. He rolled me and spectators said that he stepped on my head. I do not believe this, as I would have noticed. To this day I am surprised that nothing bad happened. They quit having the bareback jumping class at that show after that. Sorry that I ruined it for everybody, guys.

The potentially worst fall I ever had was when my wonderfully reliable hunter mare slipped and fell in wet footing after a jump. First her front end went down, which pitched me onto the ground. I believe in rolling when you fall, so I rolled away -- and a good thing, too. After her front end went down, she flipped and her hindquarters landed where I had been. I would have been crushed if I hadn't rolled. She got up. I got up. She was shaking. I was shaking. But we were both all right. So, being a teenager, I got on and kept jumping.

What's your worst fall? Has it changed anything about how you ride or how you think about riding?

What are you thinking about in that moment when you are in the air? For me, it's a letting go. "I might die here. I'm in your hands, God. It's really all okay, but please don't let me be paralyzed."