Winter Music

 rode at home, lame again tracking right. tried to warm her up as best as i could. dressage saddle.

Well, I took Lyric to Ashland today because I wanted to ride her again and wanted to do a nice long warm up again. And it's no fun at home. Especially because she is so nervous in the neighborhood and it's a lot scarier riding on concrete and peoples yards. So we did.  I put the back on track on and her front back on track boots and then we tacked up. I put the dressage saddles on her. The peter horrobin is definitely too wide. The loxley seems like it fits her great so.. we tried it without the back on track pad. I hopped on and away we went. She felt good and was pretty forward and marching. Although she had to keep stopping and sniffing things.  had a good ride. trotted fine. saddle was sitting too low so put half pad with front shims on and then went to dressage arena. she didn't want to. but did well in the arena. lost her hind end a few times... not bad, but not super mild. canter transitions are still lumbery and awkward. but overall felt much better. still had a few...

 So confused!!   gave sucralfate before hauling. bit the chest bar a bunch. put dressage saddle with half pad with front shims.    tacked up, super nervous. hacked for 30 minutes. Super nervous. dredging equipment was loud. Spooked at a log... spooked at a tiny creek. but brave.    got to arena for lesson and trotted around. felt better than at the home arena. more forward but still feels a bit behind the leg. did a few laps then sat for a minute then jacel got on.  jacels findings: walk feels fine. trot feels bad. canter not great on right. feels like right shoulder area. lame steps right front intermittently. lame on tighter right circles and when first tracking to right. right lead canter feels icky like she had to swing her right front laterally to pick it up the first time. very much feels right front up high to jacel. She didn't think she felt stabby/slammy up front... didn't think that her downshifting when you take your leg off was an issue and...

  Ugh...  Managed to sneak in a short ride on Lyric today... I shouldn't have bothered. She felt like crap. We hacked up to the arena and I let her walk around for a few. She was sniffing the ground and investigating. Silly!    Then I picked up the trot and she was not happy. She was fussy and chompy and rooty again. And she feels lame behind now. She also is super sluggish and doesn't feel like she wants to go. If I dared to encourage her more forward with anything other than a cluck or a squeeze, like even a bump with my leg, she would buck or kick out. Sigh... We cantered but honestly, I was a little afraid to ask her to canter. I felt like she was going to buck into it or go into a bucking spree. She didn't, but she didn't feel good in the canter either.    I decided then to do the raised walk poles but I walked them, the trotted around to them again, then walked through them and repeated. We did it 3 times each way. And she started to feel a little bet...

 Fun hack with sharon. Held left hind in air again good ride though. not forging but a few steps here and there trotted pretty decently but maybe felt lame?? assymetric? But then spooked, so who knows?

 lesson. BRRRRR. 9:30 am and windchill of 19. but not too bad in arena. tacked up quick and hacked along edge of XC to get to arena. wanted longer walk warm up but didn't get up early enough. did a lot of stretchy trot on the buckle once in arena. she started out sluggish and bracey and lost her hind end at least 6 times. Hard!! Like made divots in the arena hard. cantered her and she got better and only lost her hind end once (after we jumped the grid a time or two). felt more forward and happy after we cantered.  rule outs: muscle myopathy, cold and tight, tight in general, KS, stifle stuff but seems more neuro than stifle, neuro, ?? then did canter poles and was game to reach for them. then slowly raised small jumps. talked with jacel. Jumping off hind end... really sitting and pushing. jumping straight. jumping out of stride. So... not inclined to think hind end, despite the falling out. and odd that she gets better with work and jumping, which again... doesn't lend toward...