Accidents happen vol. 2

Vallu with his icepack on his front left leg

What a day, again. Both the vet and the chiropractor visited today.

Basse managed to open up his stitches so badly that we needed to call the vet to come out again. I wondered whether it should be stitched closed again, or whether to cut the flesh away. Stitching would mean that we would probably have the same problem again within a couple of days when the stitches would start to become itchy, and Basse would open the wound again. Cutting the flesh away would result in Basse having one nostril a bit bigger than the other one, but there would be no stitching, just an open wound that would easier to look after. After some discussion with the vet, we decided that the best option would be to cut away the dead flesh.

Before (L) and after (R)

The wound is now clean and should be fine within a couple of weeks. This time he didn't get any antibiotics or painkiller, the only thing we need to do is to spray Vetericyn® 3-4 times a day on the wound, in order to clean the wound and kill any bacteria. Vetericyn is a great product because it has a pH neutral solution, which means that it doesn't sting at all.

After this, we had chiropractor Sybil Moffat come take a look at both Vallu and Rama.

I think Rama was such an interesting case. According to Sybil, Rama has his L6 (6th lumbar vertebrae) bent the wrong way. Although this doesn't hurt his movement or biomechanics, it just affects his appearance. 

L6 shown with arrow

Rama also has a twisted pelvis, with the right side being more crooked, but it causes the left side to be weaker. This was probably caused by a trauma, such as a bad slip etc.

 Sybil suggested doing walk and trot work over some poles to get the SI (sacro-iliac) joint to move more, since there was slight stiffness there. However, because Rama doesn't do pole work - he will jump over the pole at least a meter (neither mum or me want to try this out after seeing Ville trying to trot over a single pole and Rama jumping as if it was a 1.3m jump) Sybil suggested exercising him in the deep snow, as this would also be good for the joint.

Rama will now have a couple of days before having a week of light work and then going back into work.

Vallu was apparently quite good. He had the normal tightness that Erika also finds, when Vallu has used the muscles behind the saddle too much, causing stiffness in the SI joint. Sybil worked him all over gently, and also paid some attention to AO (antlanto-occipital) joint. Like Rama, Vallu's legs and neck felt good.

 

Vallu also got acupuncture! I have heard great things about equine acupuncture, and when Erika has done it on our other horses, it has really helped. I was really excited when Sybil said that she wanted to use acupuncture on Vallu. Acupuncture is used for treating many things, but for Vallu the idea was to reduce muscle soreness. Inserting acupuncture needles stimulates tiny nerve endings that carry impulses to the spinal cord and brain. This results in responses within the nervous and endocrine systems, leading to the release of neurotransmitters and hormones. Acupuncture increases the release of natural painkillers such as endorphins, and serotonin which act on the pain pathways in the brain and spinal cord, and can block the transmission of incoming pain signals.¹

Vallu was having fun during his treatment with his lead rope in his mouth!

Fun with Bastitini

Today was the first time that I rode Basse properly after Tuesday's little freak accident. Yesterday I rode him very lightly because he was still on his antibiotics, but because the last bit of the antibiotics and painkillers (metacam) were given to him yesterday, today he could work normally.

Look! You can hardly see the cut that Basse has on his right nostril! It's healing quite well, and hopefully within two weeks it should be totally normal.

A sugar before hard work makes the horse work better! Here you can see the new bandages well!

Baby piaffe! I use this technique to get Basse to activate his hind legs and to make them quicker, which really helps in the canter because the more active his hind legs are, the better quality the canter is. When he is slow behind, the canter becomes four beat and unbalanced. With his hind legs active, Basse's canter is easy to sit to, and he is more balanced.

Basse's trot felt really good today. One of Basse's strongest gaits is his trot; it's very even and quite bouncy and luckily very easy to sit to. He is also very balanced in the trot, making it easy to really ride him.

We practiced some leg yields in trot, and once again it went super well since Basse is an expert with them. Over the years that I have ridden him, leg yield has been the one exercise that has improved Basse all the time, and so we have practiced it a lot. Even though Basse has a weaker left side (which means that the left leg yield is sometimes hard to ride, as Basse pulls on the left rein and blocks his left side) this time both ways were equally good, with nice cross-overs and a straight body.

A big pat for such a good boy! ♡

All photos were taken by my auntie, Mariitta Heliö ©2013

Gifts from America!

Since my dad's work takes him to the USA nearly every month, we use this opportunity to buy products that we need because some stuff is just so much cheaper over there! As it had been a long time since dad had last gone there, this time we had a lot of stuff to buy. Dad goes to San Diego, on the west coast of America, and the shop that we buy everything from is Mary's Tack & Feed. 

One of the most urgently needed products was Horseman's One Step Leather Conditioner. This is surely the best leather cleaner and conditioner ever! As we have many leather products (bridles, saddles, head collars, girths, martingales etc) that need frequently need cleaning; our bridles are cleaned everyday, it's really important to have a good quality cleaner. The reason why I really like this product is because it is also a conditioner, so even when the leather products are used and washed everyday, they stay in a good condition and look great! (This is also available from Hööks and other shops in Finland - but its quite a bit cheaper in USA)

We also bought another leather conditioner, Oakwood Leather Conditioner. This is used normally on new leather goods as it works really well to soften hard new leather.

We also needed a new girth because we only had three good girths when Rama arrived. Dad bought a Stübben neoprene long girth. I love Stübben girths because they are soft, comfortable, and non-slip. The roller buckles provide easy adjustment with even pull and pressure, and the girth straps can be tucked inside the neoprene sleeve, giving a neat appearance. The neoprene is so soft that these girths are suitable to horses with sensitive skin around the girth area. They are also easy to wash and quick to dry and machine washable.

Another favourite find of mine from Mary's Tack is the Centaur Padded Lunge Line with Stopper (25ft long) Nice and thick, and the stopper (not shown in this picture) is really useful when horses decide to pull away, so that instead of getting rope burns, you can hold onto the rubber stopper, which fits nicely into the palm of your hand!

EOUS Plaid Polo Wraps are made with soft, non-pilling, thick fleece in an extra-long length. The bandages also feature a nylon tab at the edge of the velcro that makes it extra easy to remove and adjust. The blue plaid is a super cute but very different to what we already have. Luckily it matches very well with our blue Eskadron saddle pad! I put them on Basse today and my aunt took some photos, in which these look great.

Dad also bought some fun new over-reach boots for Nelli! Crimson red Professional Choice Ballistic over-reach boots, and they look amazing when paired with our red bandages and matching saddle pad! I think that Professional Choice is such a great choice for over-reach boots because they are very durable and look great even when they have been worn.

One of the last gifts was two of Uncle Jimmy's Licky Things! Made from ground corn, sugar, corn syrup, oats, soybean meal and hulls, wheat middlings and molasses products (and more..) including lots of vitamins! This alternative to the traditional Likit is apparently great tasting; our horses love them, and are packed with vitamins and minerals for horses' everyday needs.

Winter favourites

Over the last couple of months, we have bought a couple of new things because it has been super cold, and they have become virtually irreplaceable, because they are so practical and are used everyday! The items below are definitely on my winter favorites list.

Hector Showmaster woolen rug from Hööks

This is an incredibly warm wollen rug that can be worn before exercising, at shows and competitions and also in the stable. Very beautifully made, with a showy golden braided tailstrap. The removable surcingles make life very easy, and makes the rug very versatile.  When the weather has been really cold, and the temperature has dropped below -10c, I have paired this rug with another woolen rug that covers the horse's neck, giving double the warmth to our horses!  One of the biggest advantages of this particular rug is that it can be washed! Most woolen rugs that we have had can't be washed because they would be ruined, but according to Hööks, this rug can! Because our rug is so dirty already, this is definitely going to the wash in the spring when it won't be needed. I really recommend this rug, and it is still available from Hööks.

Kingsland Denison cable knit headband in brown

This knitted head band with fleece lining inside and Kingsland embroidery is incredibly warm! Although the design is very simple, I think it's quite eye-catching and the colour is so nice. I prefer headbands to hats, and since I adore all of Kingsland's products, I couldn't resist this. It has so useful, I've used it nearly everyday. I was really surprised (in a good way) when I found out that this fits underneath my helmet - at least a little bit - so that when I have to ride when it's nearly -20c, my ears will not freeze totally! The headband is surprisingly thin considering how warm it is.

HV  Polo Bodywarmer Vana in black

My absolute favourite thing that I've bought so far this winter! I adore all HV Polo clothes, but the amount of attention paid to details with this gillet makes it even better. The HV Polo emblem is very intricate, with silver, gold and white, and I think that it is just the right size - not too big so that it ruins the rest of the gillet and not too small so that you can hardly see it! With a detachable hood, imitation fur hood trim, front zip fastening and side pockets, this is a great addition to anyone's winter riding attire. This was also bought from Hööks, during their HV Polo sale when everything from this brand was -25% off!

One good, one bad

It would be too much to ask for that both horses would be good, wouldn't it? I thank my lucky stars that at least one was good, but it's always a disappointment one goes really badly. As both Nelli and Basse are out of work, today riding consisted of Rama and Vallu. Rama  normally goes first because he is so hyperactive, and once he comes in from the paddock he wants to get going again. Rama is that type of horse that really enjoys working, and can only truly relax after being worked. So whilst I was riding Rama, Vallu was sleeping in his stable!

I started warming up Rama very long and low because he had a day off yesterday. Rama couldn't get down and truly relax his neck or through his body because he was just so full of energy, nevertheless I carried on trotting and cantering him around the arena doing nothing more difficult than big circles. After about 10 minutes of active exercise seemed to have taken the edge off Rama, and finally it felt like he was able to breathe and concentrate again! I then let him have a small walk break to let him catch his breath, before starting proper training. Since Rama is an advanced horse, it is fun putting him through his paces. 

Today we practised flying changes and tempis, then canter half passes and a little bit of canter pirouettes, before practising medium/extended trot. Rama's flying changes have come on a lot since I first rode him; before he used to get really tense and bounce on the spot before being able to  actually change the canter lead, and now the canter remains smooth and collected, and the changes are big and straight. Tempis are a little bit harder for him, Rama starts to get a little hot and wants to run through them, but today he remained pretty calm and they ended being really good. I think it is very important to praise horses for good work immediately, so when the last four tempi set was good, I let Rama walk for a bit, and patted him. Then we moved onto half passes. Rama is a bit like Vallu to ride the half passes because he as well is weaker with his left hindleg, resulting in the right half pass being more difficult as he struggles with engaging the left hind leg and crossing it over. This also affects his left canter pirouette, where he doesn't really move his hind leg, but keeps the leg still which makes the pirouette ridiculously small and nearly impossible to ride through. I was satisfied when Rama managed to actually move his hind legs even though the rest of pirouette was very messy! 

Mum was with us watching me ride and she suggested that I try out the medium trot; which is something that I haven't tried with Rama before. The reason for this has been partially that Rama has not had the muscles to cope with such a strenuous movement or the energy to be able to do it, and that I haven't really practised medium trots with any horse for the last couple of months. Luckily mum decided to help me out and gave me a few very good notes about riding the medium trot on a long diagonal (I think the many years of listening to Henri's lessons and going to the competitions have paid off and mum has got lots of tricks up her sleeves!) She told me to do a small circle (10m) at the middle of the short side, before really riding into the corner and then choosing the correct direction for the diagonal and then straightening the horse and only then calmly asking for Rama to extend the length of his stride. And this worked; not that I am surprised! But I was amazed by how good the trot looked in the mirror and how great it felt! This was the highlight of my day!

Once Rama was cooled down and back at the stables, I then started getting Vallu ready. I was on cloud nine after riding Rama, but as soon as I started warming up Vallu I realised that something was wrong. Although I was only doing leg yield and shoulder-in in walk, Vallu was very tense and kept jumping and spooking, as well as doing piaffe instead of a proper walk. It honestly felt like I was sitting on a ticking time bomb! Mum came to the rescue once again, this time making me ride Vallu on a twenty meter circle around her in trot and in canter in both directions to see what he was like. I started on the right rein and the trot was not too bad, if you ignored the fact that Vallu was leaning so heavily against my hand and that the trot was tiny (it felt like I was on a pony!) The canter was atrocious, I could barely get Vallu to canter more than five strides before he fell back to walk or trot, and he constantly kept shaking his head. Mum told me to change direction and I did. The left trot and canter were better; less head shaking in canter and a bigger trot but it still felt awful compared to what he was like last week!

We think that Vallu may have pulled or hurt a muscle in his back yesterday in the paddock when he was bucking and running around, so after riding I massaged his back and  rubbed liniment onto his muscles. Vallu was pretty sore behind the saddle, so I think his gluteals and the back extensor muscle, longissimus dorsi, might be a little bit tight. Tomorrow he will be lunged and hopefully my attempt at massaging and the liniment will also help!

Horse's muscles