Round 2: XC

For last weeks lesson our barns XC field had just been cut and a few jumps had been put out. When trainer asked if I wanted to do stadium or XC it was a no brainer! So out to the fields we went!

 

He started out pretty amped up out there but as we warmed up and started jumping he found his groove. We started small with some intro logs that he just ate right up. We then moved on to the intro roll top and coop to some angled logs. He had no issue with any of it!

He was feeling very confident and bold so we upped the expectations a little and popped him over the BN roll top. This was his first attempt!

Next up was introducing something new... banks. I had taken up up/down the bank once in hand a few days before and he didn't have any issues. He did it great a few times before we approached it again and I softened my hands to much and he basically picked up all legs 1/2 of what he needed to and about face planted it. After that he was overly enthusiastic about picking his hooves up and was clearing it by about 2 feet. Thankfully it never backed him off of the bank and he was always willing to go!

We talked about tackling the ditch but we both agreed to wait for another day. It was at the end of our ride, he was tired, and we really want his next experience to be a positive one. So instead we agreed that I would bring him out in hand later in the week just to solidify that he didn't care about it any more. As a side note: we did go out later in the week and he went calmly over both the BN and N ditches very well. Now on to riding them!

Instead we finished by jumping the BN barn. Once again he didn't bat an eye and jumped right over. He is so much fun!

I'm very much looking forward to getting him back out there in my next lesson this week. Hopefully we have just as much success! Trainer and I talked about a potential big step up for him end of  July (at a certain amazingly awesome show 😃 ) and if all continues to go this well it just may happen! But for now... we are focusing on surviving the one days and horse trials in June at BN!

H/J Show

 

This past weekend there was a H/J schooling show at our barn that Bentley got to participate in. I kind of thought about not doing because that would mean I could sleep in on a Saturday for the first time since I can remember. But we had an amazing jump lesson on Thursday and our trainer thought we should do it. So we did. Not only did we do it but Bentley absolutely killed it. The course wasn't the best and had some sketchy turns/approaches and he never questioned me once. He is feeling so confident and willing! Not only that but he genuinely feels like he loves it. 

 

This is what two double clear rounds gets you... two red ribbons!

We did the 2' - 2'3" class first and because it went so well went ahead and did the 2'3" - 2'6". We haven't ever jumped a course of 2'6" jumps but I know that height isn't a problems it's the in between fences. There were green moments for sure but overall if you showed me his video I would never have guessed that 5 months ago he was still racing!

 

Very, very proud of my little man! As a follow up... we also conquered the ditch in hand! Will be testing it in the saddle next week once course officially opens. But after he got over one he went over all of them with no issues. There is hope!

 

Mystery Lameness

Since his appointment in April Mystic has just been hanging out. He wasn't on stall rest but was on limited activity. So he went into the pasture everyday but was not worked at all. Apparently that was enough to make whatever was bugging him at the April appt much better because when he went in for the lameness course at OSU the only way they could get him to show any lameness was ina  circle on hard ground. Where was he lame? On 3 of his 4 legs he was graded a 1/5 lameness. They threw the lameness locator on him (super cool tool!!) and it agreed with the students findings. When they flexed him he tested positive on his left hind and right front but when they took radiographs they were surprisingly very clean for his breed, age, and work load. Like they wouldn't even recommend maintenance hock injections yet! For a turning 10 year old heavy breed doing 3rd level and having jumped in the past I thought that was pretty remarkable. He does have a chip and a lesion on his right hock but they couldn't get him to test positive to flexions so they don't think it is bothering him at this point. 

Because he wasn't lame enough for them they couldn't block him to isolate the area/s causing issues. They did however block his side bone on the right (because it is massive) and said they do not believe it is fractured or causing him any pain. One piece of good news!! So basically we are down to soft tissue injury. Because they couldn't isolate an area they don't even know where to begin with ultra sounding anything. They basically did a full set of radiographs of him. Hoof/fetlock/Pastern on front and hind, knees, hocks and all angles of each. And nothing pointed to what was causing his lameness. So, because he tested positive to the hoof testers and his soles are thin we are starting with putting a front set of shoes on him with rim pads. I'm not convinced it is going to solve our problems as he has never needed shoes in his life. I think it will help given his sensitive soles right now but I do not think it is all that is going on.

So the plan is to put shoes/pads on (happening on Thursday), put him back to work, and see what comes up. They also suggested him being on Adequan which he already has gotten this year so we will just be sure to stay on top of it every 6 months. Potentially also adding in Ledgend. If he comes up more lame when in work he will go back in to get blocked and most likely unltrasounded. Low on the list is potentially getting a bone scan down the road but that is only if all the other plans don't pan out. 

So we don't really have answers but we have a plan in place. No fractured side bone which gives me hope! Now it's just going to be a hurry up and wait game where everyday I am over analyzing his soundness. Let the games begin! Fingers crossed for maybe salvaging the second half of show season?! His lesson kids miss riding him! But not more then I do 😊

 

(Backup) First big adventure

Rolex was incredible just as everyone else has stated. We lucked out on the weather and talk about a seriously inspiring week! It fueled my fire to come back and get on my boy! Here are some fun pictures:

 

    

Bentley unfortunately had an unplanned vet visit the day that we were flying to Kentucky. Yet another round of cellulitis. Will this ever end?! So instead of training rides he had the week off on stall rest. Thankfully he bounced back quick and was ready to go when I got back. 

 

Yesterday we had a dressage show. We did training test 1 and 2. I was extremely happy with how he handled everything and that our second test was even better then our first. I'm sad that our scores didn't really reflect that but the judge was very consistently low for everyone. We finished with a 61.?% and a 64.6% to win his training level test 2 in some solid competition! Best of all he felt very rideable like he knew the job at hand. All of the low marks were just due to lack of knowledge on his part (stretchy anything!).

 

 

Today we hauled out to another barn to go XC schooling for the first time ever. Not only his first time going XC but his first time being ridden in an open field. He was a great traveler and only got jacked up once the other horses started galloping around. I put him to work and he quickly settled into it and joined in on the jumping/galloping fun. He is jumping better and better with each lesson and really started to figure out the game today. We just did basic logs, coops, and tables but he was game and fun! Very strong, but fun! Another bonus is that he was great into the water also. He was once again exceeding my expectations ten fold when he decided at the end he was done. We tried introducing him to a little baby ditch and the gerbils all fell of their wheels at one moment. The time he made it over was when our trainer gave us a lead over. He ended up launching straight up into the air, taking her out, and landing on top of her. Thankfully she is okay (definitely sore!). It was pretty traumatizing to be that helpless on top of your horse while someone is under neath them 😳 Once my barns XC course opens I foresee many days of ditch practice. I'm sure once he figures it out he will be fine. He is just so dramatic sometimes!

 

Next weekend is a h/j show at the barn then two weeks till the one day events. Lots of work to do but he is going to be a blast to event once he figures it all out!!

Update

 

We will get the bad news out of the way first... 3 surgeons looked at Mystics radiographs and all agreed that his side bone is fractured. They also agreed that with the nerve blocks that were done he should have blocked significantly better, if not sound, which was not the case. So the potential of there being a bigger problem is still at play. The vet school is having a lameness course and they asked to use him. Thankfully that means I will get all the diagnostics done at no charge to me. So he will get re nerve blocked (and they will go up higher) and radiographed again. Also any other diagnostics that may need to be done if something else is found. So everything is up in the air until he goes in the first week of May. Either way, we know there is a long term rehab involved with the fractured side bone (and potential for surgery still).

Bentleys update is much better though! Here is a comparison picture of him when I got him versus last week. I wish his ears were up and he wasn't standing quite as funny but keeping him still with his head off the ground was quite the chore!

 

I think he is finally starting to look better to me. It's hard when you see them every day to see the long term progress but the ribs are starting to be covered! My vet even commented on how much better he looks and compared him to a swim suit model. His jumping is coming along and I can start to feel how his jump is going to be as he continues to develop. I think as the fences get bigger he will just keep getting better and better. 

 

He has a busy next couple of weeks. While I am gone in Kentucky (less then a week!!) he is going to get a week of training rides. This will be the first time anyone else has ridden him. The weekend after I get back he is doing the dressage show in barn on Saturday and then going back up to DevonWood on Sunday to do the derby again. Then the following weekend we are doing the jumper show that is also held at our barn. Can't wait for all the fun to begin! And very thankful that I have him to keep me going through this summer without the Wonder Pony 😃 

Here we go again...

Just when you start getting back into the swing on things something always has to go wrong. Especially with horses! Unfortunately the Wonder Pony is, yet again, on another unplanned "vacation". The diagnosis being a fractured side bone. Leave it up to my horse to 1) fracture a bone that he wasn't even born with and 2) fracture a bone that very rarely ever causes problems let alone fractures. 

 

I am still waiting to hear back from my vet as to what steps we need to take and what kind of time frame we are looking at. He sent Ponys radiographs to the radiologist and is trying to track down the surgeon to get their opinions. Worst case he heads to surgery to have it removed. Best case my vet calls and tells me happy late April fools (wishful thinking right?). As of now it sounds like we have a long road ahead of us. To say I'm heart broken would be an understatement. I love this Pony more then anything and am at a loss as to why the past year has been filled with so many lameness problems. I am hoping to hear back from my vet today to get a game plan. It's looking like Baby Bentley is going to have to step up this season! 

 

Thankfully I'm off to escape my pony problems in just over a week as I head to Rolex with some good friends 😃

Break Through

As I've mentioned before Bentley is a brave and game over fences but highly uneducated. I mean having jumped 5 times doesn't really make you an expert. The thing is... the dude thinks he's an expert! What we have learned about him is that he is very brave and game when he gets to do it his way (read: this includes running. Before the jump, after jumps, over the jump where ever 😂). In turn he was the equivalent of a one man wrecking ball because he would brace, run, and barely even pick up his legs. He was never out of control and he was quite pleased with himself but he would also either demolish a solid 50% of the jumps or have an awkward jump. To work on this we set some trot poles in front of the cross rail. He willingly went through but wasn't buying into doing it my way and instead had some rough approaches. After that he decided my way sucked (even though he never really did it fully my way) and if he couldn't do his way he wouldn't do it at all. Point him at a single fence and he was fine. 

 

The trainers working student been tacked up for me so I could get to my lesson in time!

So this past week I spent some time doing just pole work. But he had to do the pole work my way. The goal was to keep it simple and allow him to figure out the name of the game. He was great!!

 

Our pole work exercise 

 Fast forward to our jump lesson today and we had a major break through! The trainer and I discussed our new game plan now that we know a little more how he ticks when it comes to jumping. We started off with random poles throughout the arena. With no course we just trotted and cantered around over all the poles every which way. He was super rideable and was much more aware of his legs. Then we slowly added some jumps one at a time. He was looking for the jumps, not rushing, and actually felt a little rounder in his jumping style. He even gave me a couple of lead changes on his own. He jumped around intro sized fences with everything from flowers, to picket fences, to planks with zero issues! He actually even bailed me out of a few that I didn't ride well to and instead of running out or stopping he popped right over. Once he figures out how to use his body he will be quite the jumper I think. Love him!