Myofascial Release

My-o-what?  Yep, that is what I was saying too.  A while back Duke got caught up in the temporary fence so I decided to call a chiropractor to take a look at him.  I have used chiropractors in the past however lately when I've heard people talking about them the name Trish kept coming up.  After talking to some friends I finally got a number for Trish and scheduled an appointment.

Trish isn't your typical "crack'em" chiropractor.  She works more on soft tissue manipulations and what she calls myofascial release or MFR.  I must say when she was working on Duke I wasn't overly impressed as it looked like she was just touching Duke softly and not really manipulating anything.  Oh how I was wrong!

Prior to the fence incident Duke's back legs were nice and straight but after the incident his back right had started to toe out.  He seemed lethargic and just wasn't Duke.  I mentioned the leg to Trish and before she left it was straight again!  Trish worked on Duke 3 times and he's back to his normal ornery self.

I now have Trish working on Lucy.  I've always had issues w/Lucy's back right leg but since she isn't blatantly lame the vets don't seem to think it is a big deal.  Within the first session Lucy was walking better, more freely in the back end then I've ever seen her walk.  I'm so excited to see how Lucy will perform next year now that she is feeling better.

Here is some information about MFR.

Myofascial release is a manual therapy technique that is used to elongate foreshortened connective tissue and muscle. Fascia is another term for the connective tissue of the body that forms a three-dimensional system of support, cushion, and movement. The fascial system forms a web from head to hoof surrounding every muscle, bone, organ, blood vessel, nerve, and cell. Actually, muscle is made up of 98% connective tissue with biochemicals attached that produce a shortening of the connective tissue strands (contraction). When the horse is acutely injured or sustains repeated trauma from training, the fascial system tightens as a protective response.
Over time this can lead to poor muscular biomechanics, altered structural alignment, decreased strength and endurance, and produce overuse muscular compensations. Resultant is decreased performance and functional capacity of the horse. By elongating the fascial system we can restore the efficiency of this system. Therefore, restoring the natural abilities of coordination, strength, and power to the horse. During treatment the therapist identifies areas of hardness or tenderness and applies a gentle pressure into the tissue were the restriction is felt. This is held for 90-120 seconds following the releases through the connective tissue barriers. We have had great success with this treatment approach especially when utilized with other treatment techniques such as joint mobilization, therapeutic exercise programs, and modalities. The combination of these techniques are beneficial in creating pain free movement for the horse.

Here are some before/after videos of a horse I found on youtube (I have no clue who this horse is) that received treatment using MFR.

Here is the same horse after MRF.

Lucy isn't where this horse is YET but she's sure feeling better then she did.  She's striding out further then she ever has (just not quite as much as I'd like).

I get to have Trish work on me tomorrow so I'm excited to "feel" what Lucy feels.

A Clear September's Night

We are finally getting nice weather but we aren't getting to utilize it as much since the sun is going down earlier.  Last night the boys and I headed out to the farm early to check water as my nephew had accidentally left the hydrant on and dried up the well.  My dad had run a hose from the house and filled the tanks for me and then had me help him get some veggies from the garden for his critters.

On my way out of the barn I grabbed the catch rope and turned the electric fence off.  I headed down the pasture to open the gate so all of the horses could get to the big bale.  Cat and Belle immediately ran to the bale while Black and Duke ran to the back pasture.  I guess they thought the grass was greener on the other side.

I walked up to Cat and threw the catch rope around her neck.  As I was leading her to the barn decided it was to nice of a night not to ride.  I walked her over to the mounting block, hopped on and away we went.

It felt good to just "mess around".  It almost reminded me of when I was a fearless child.  She had me laughing hysterical when I stopped her and she automatically started to flex both directions.  I didn't stay on long.  I walked for the most part but did do a little trotting and cantering.

Here is a short video (from my perspective).  If you watch closely you can tell which way I'm asking her to go by her ear(s).

Stephens Forest

Monday I decided to meet up with a friend (Bobbie) and go to Stephens Forest for a ride.  Since it was the holiday weekend and Cat has been on vacation I opted to take Lu.

Bobbie doesn't live far from MIL so she stopped by and picked us up.  It has been a while since Lu was in a two horse but she went in without too much of a fuss.

Can you tell which one is Lu?

Bobbie and I were saddled up and on the trails by around 10:00.  Bobbie took me on some new trails I didn't even know existed.  They had most of my favorite trail features!

For not being out on a trail for over a year I thought Lu did very well.

After a few hours out we returned to the trailer to give the horses a quick rest while we ate our lunch.

Back out on the trail I quickly became very dissapointed in my fellow equestrians.  It was apparent some didn't believe in the "carry out what you carry in" saying as there were quite a few beer cans left on the trail and along the side of the trail.  

Up in the pines Lucy and I stopped for a rest as Bobbie rode through the pines.

Lucy was happy to stay and guard the tree while Bobbie explored.  During her exploration she found a trail I didn't know existed so we headed out to see where it would take us.

I had a nice, enjoyable ride w/Bobbie and Lu.  Lu was a pretty tuckered little pony though.

As the pastures turn!

Last week I decided to make the move and wean Duke.  He's just a little over 4 months old but he's very independent and wasn't spending a large amount of time nursing.  The drought has been hard on all of the horses and I didn't want to tax Lucy's body anymore then I needed to.

On Tuesday, MIL came over, loaded Lu up and took her to her house.  All of the while Duke was munching on his grain and never even noticed.  He's been very good about Lucy being gone and is adjusting well.

Wednesday I went over to MIL's as Black had managed to cut up her leg (we still haven't figure out what happened).  Poor Lucy!  Her bag was full and streaming onto the ground.  It must not have bothered her too much though as all she seemed concerned with was when she was going to get more food.

Duke got fitted with a new DUH halter on Thursday.  It is a bit too small so I need to check to make sure they have it tagged correctly.  It is supposed to be a weanling.  He doesn't have a big head so I can't see him needing a yearling halter already.

Shedding AGAIN!

Sunday the boys and I went to visit Lu at MIL's.  She was drying up well so I decided to go ahead and saddle her up.  Would you care to join me for a ride?

Yep, I saw Lucy's signature ears. lol  I really won't complain though.  I can't tell you when I rode her last and I'm guessing minus the bb ride a few weeks ago it was well over a year ago.  She was a pretty good girl.

After my ride Ty wanted to ride.  He loves Lucy!  So much I'm afraid I'm going to lose her to him in a few years.

I about fell down laughing when I heard him say "Lucy! Don't make me use the spanker."

After his ride he "informed" me he needed to wash "his" horse.  I'm not sure who had more water on them at the end of the bath - him or Lucy.

Rock Creek

MIL and I have been trail riding together as I want to get more miles under Cat's feet before going out in a group again.  Saturday we headed up to Rock Creek to ride.  It had been 9 years since we rode there last!

The ride we had Friday night was anything but relaxing.  Sis was a ball of nerves.  Lately she has been spooking at silly things like butterflies and a bunnies (damn those can be scary!  They just jump out at you from no where!).  MIL and I have discussed Sis's behavior and hopefully MIL will decide to fix it.  For now, my only concern is the horse I'm riding.

As MIL and I were going down the trail we were talking about different situations we've encountered on the trail and about how our riding styles have changed.  I was telling MIL about the time Chase and I ran into some turkeys up at Brushy.  Can I just say I hate turkeys!  Deer run from you but turkeys hide and then when they fly off they sound like a jet engine coming up out of the grass!

We were trotting down the trail doing ORS when all of the sudden Cat planted her feet, pricked her ears forward and her head went up.  I looked down the trail to see turkeys!  Lots of turkeys running down the trail we had to go down.  I looked at MIL and she looked at me.  I think if I had suggested going back to the trailer and calling it a day she would have been ok with it.  I refuse to become a prisoner to fear so instead of heading back I dismounted and made Cat do gw down the trail until I felt we were past the point of the turkeys.  I mounted back up and felt Cat let out a huge sigh.

The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful.  The trails were either wide and open or a little bit narrow but not horrible.  There were two bridges to cross that I don't recall being there the time before.  Cat kept the lead the majority of the time.  She gets nervous being in the back so I decided to work on one thing at a time.  I practiced whacking leaves with my new dressage whip which didn't go over well at the beginning of the ride but by the end both horses were ignoring my antics.  I'm starting to get some pretty good aim. ;)

MIL and Sis

On the way back Cat was nice and relaxed so I decided to shot a little video.  You might want to turn down the volume as I didn't realize it was that windy.

Not long after I took this video I felt Cat tense up yet again and yet again I saw a turkey running up the trail.  I decided again to dismount as I was pretty sure this one was going to fly up and spook her.  I put her to work doing the C pattern down the trail while Mrs. Turkey shuffled off somewhere never to be seen again.  I remounted and felt Cat let out a huge sigh again and then continued on our way.

At the end of the trail there were some beautiful pines so I decided to get a picture of MIL and Sis.

Since someone *cough John* was complaining last time that I needed to hand the camera over I decided to let MIL try to take a few pictures of Cat and I.  The first few I was headless, then there was a finger over the lens, then she finally manged to get one.  Cat was having nothing to do with putting her ears forward.

I forgot to empty the nuts out of my pocket I had gathered for my dad's squirrels so I promise the "buldge" isn't all fat.

Sweatin to the Oldies

Maybe that should read Sweatin to the classical, country and whatever other songs are on my blackberry!  I was sweating at the end of the ride too but not nearly as bad as Cat.

It is amazing at how quickly 10 minutes seems to go by when you are enjoying music.  I'm not sure Cat would agree the time went by as quickly for her.

One Pooped Pony!

I'm in the process of trying out a Cinch Hook.  I bought one hoping it would make saddling easier for the kids (this mom is getting tired of saddling all of the ponies).  Last night was the first night I used it so the jury is still out.  I will admit it felt really weird not lacing my latigo strap back up once I was done with the ride.
 

Drenched!

Friday night MIL and I headed up to Brushy Creek.  I had plans for Sunday but we wanted to get an early start on Saturday so we went up Friday night to spent the night.

Cat and Sis at Camp

The forecasters had predicted rain around noon.  Each time they've predicted rain we've gotten barely enough to knock the dust down so MIL and I weren't too concerned.  We were riding out in the morning anyways and would be back to camp before noon in case it actually did rain.

About a mile out it started to mist.  MIL and I decided to keep going.  Pretty soon that mist turned into a light rain.  We were really enjoying ourselves so we continued on.

MIL looking a bit wet

The rain wasn't horrible under the cover of the canopy.  When we hit the open areas we picked the pace up just a bit to get back under the protection of the canopy.

I had wanted to take Cat on this particular trail because of all of the water crossings.  Cat hadn't really crossed large amounts of water so I wasn't sure how she'd do.  She was first to go at all of the crossings and didn't hesitate for one minute.

MIL & Sis

We passed one other set of riders on the trail.  You could tell they were enjoying themselves.  Right after we passed them the rain let go and drenched us.  The entire trail became a small running stream and was becoming greasy.  Cat slipped going up one hill and I thought she was going to go down to her knees but she regained her balance and continued on without missing a step.

About 1 1/2 miles from camp we met up with the park ranger.  He informed us they were closing the trails and asked us a specific trail head to return back to camp (it is rocked so less chance of damage).  MIL and I returned to the trailer around 11 and packed to head home.

I sure wish we could have ridden more but I'm glad we got the rain.  Cat is doing better on the trails but I still have lots of room for improvement.  I have a feeling one of these days she'll be my "'ol reliable"

Things you find around the farm

Last night I pulled Cat out for a ride.  As I walked her to the trailer to saddle her up I noticed a tarp on the ground.  It must have blown off the hoop coop this past weekend when we had the "storms".  It looked like a good object to use to tantalize Cat to so I  picked it up and had a bit of fun.

Doesn't she look thrilled?

It kind of caught her by surprise when it started to come off (if you look you can see her cock her ear and kind of "scoot" out from under it) so of course I had to do it again!

Please ignore the poor filmography.  It isn't very easy to record w/a cell phone and hold the rope.

She still "looks" at it with her ear when it comes off but all in all I think she did pretty well.  After it came off I grabbed the tarp and dragged it back over by the coop with her following behind.

My "fun with the tarp" was followed up by a nice ride.

Elk Rock

Saturday morning we loaded up and headed to Elk Rock.  When we arrived DH and MIL went out on a ride while the boys and I unpacked.  Ty kept wanting to take Nikki to the arena to ride so I saddled her up and we headed towards the arena.  There was a gentleman in the arena and he was having trouble with his horse so I talked Ty into going up to the obstacle course instead.  When we arrived I could hear voices and then saw MIL and DH coming out of the trail.

Ty, DH & MIL on the obstacle course

Ty thought the bridge was pretty cool and after some struggles finally got Nikki coaxed into going onto it.

Victory!

Over the poles

After lunch DH was tired and Ty needed a nap so MIL and I headed out on our own.  It was a nice ride and both horses did very well.  When we returned we helped Ty mount up and took him out on a short ride.

Back at camp Ty worked really hard to keep Nikki's area clean.

DH started the campfire up for supper and then we felt a few sprinkles.  It sprinkled on and off with a few hard rain drops here and there but we managed to get a good meal cooked on the open fire.  Chase still hadn't gone out so he suckered MIL into going out in the rain.  She wasn't very excited about it but when they returned she had a smile on her face and said it wasn't too bad in the canopy.

Returning from a misty ride.

Sunday morning we all saddled up and went out as a family.

Ready to ride

We had a nice ride.  It was just long enough for Ty and all of the horses did well.  We saw LOTS of deer including a fawn that was lying down just feet from the horses.  I'll admit, it did make MIL and I (and probably Chase) a bit nervous but we made it through just fine.

When we returned Ty stayed back with me to help me pack up the trailers while MIL, Chase and DH went out for one last ride.  I had hoped MIL and I (and Chase) could have ridden on the yellow trail before leaving but we didn't get to so we will have to try that one next time we go.

Oh Lucy!

I had a nice, relaxing ride on Cat last night while DH and MIL were off getting hay for MIL.  They returned just as I was finishing up my ride.  I tied Cat to the PP while MIL and DH rode around in the arena.  I'm not one to sit and watch so I decided to hop on my trusty steed to see if she was still trusty.


It felt so weird riding her again.  She isn't built that much different then Cat but she is built just enough different to make it feel really weird going from riding Cat to riding her.  Riding her reminded me why I love her so much.  She acted like she'd never had any time off and immediately started to tuck her head to the halter pressure.

Ty was sitting on the mounting block whining that he wasn't getting to ride.  After about 10 minutes I got tired of listening to him and saddled Lu up with his saddle.  He does a pretty good job with Lu and she does a pretty good job taking care of him.  If my cell card wasn't full I would've gotten a video as it looks like she's walking on eggshells when he rides her.

Duke had been over pestering Cat but decided it was time for a drink.  He wasn't sure what that "thing" on Lucy's back was so he just followed her around a bit and then went back to pestering Cat.

Rain, rain, come this way!

We finally got rain!  They (the weather peeps) say cooler weather is supposed to follow as well.  I sure hope they are right about that forecast.

We didn't get much rain but I'm hoping we got enough to turn the hay fields green long enough to get another cutting.  Hay is sparse right now and what hay you can find is at a premium price.  I'm not really worried about our horses this winter but I do worry there will be a lot of horses abandoned, shot or starved because people won't be able to afford to feed them.  I've already been hearing about horses at the sale barns they can't give away.


Duke is growing and still continues to change.  I'm thinking about weaning him next month when he is 4 months old.  I usually wait until they are closer to 6 months old but I think the excessive heat and lack of grass is taking a toll on Lu.  Don't get me wrong, she still looks good but I also don't want to wait until she doesn't look good before pulling him.  He is drinking water and eating well and is used to being separated from her so I don't think it will be too much of a change for him.

Stand Still!

At the Clinton Anderson tour I decided to invest my money in hobbles.  I bought all of the hobbles except for the rope hobbles since I had a pair of leather hobbles at home I'd never used.

I've never hobbled a horse before let alone hobble trained a horse so to say I was nervous was a bit of an understatement.  It was time to blow the dust off the hobbling DVD's.

Cat didn't take to the one legged hobble to well.  She fought it and whacked herself up under the jaw a few times before deciding to submit.  I worked on this for a few days before moving onto the side line hobble.  She took the sideline hobbles very well.

When it was finally time to put the front hobbles on her I learned my hobbles were too big.  They must have been meant for a draft!  MIL was placing an order with DUH so I had her go ahead and order me the rope hobbles.

Saturday was the day - the day the world would stand still Cat would stand still.  Well that was the goal anyways.

She tested the hobbles a few times and then just stood there with her head down as if to say "ok I'm done".

Heat, Heat, Go Away!

Our temps have been brutal.  It has been hotter in Iowa then in California or Texas plus we still have the humidity.  The horses have been miserable, the chickens have been miserable (have you ever seen a chicken pant) and the humans have been miserable.

Saturday MIL and I were supposed to go ride but the temps were still in the 100's so we opted not to.  Sunday we finally had a cool down so I headed over and we loaded up and hit the trails.

MIL & Sis

Bending around the trees

Looks like someone had a good time!

Cat was one tuckered out pony

Back @ MIL's for some time on the PP (Patience Pole)

Post bath - time to relax!

It was a nice ride.  We rode about 4.1 miles at a nice, slow, steady pace.  We didn't come across any other riders but we did see a few deer and "heard" a few as well.  The weather this week is supposed to be nice but next week we are back in the 100's.

Wildwood Hills Ranch

Wildwood Hills Ranch is a ranch in rural Madison county providing life-changing opportunities and camp programs for at risk and disadvantaged children.  Periodically throughout the year the ranch opens up their equestrian trails to the public.  They ask for a $15 donation to use the trail and all proceeds to towards the ranch.

This past Saturday they had one of their "open trail" days so I decided to brave the heat and take Cat.  I didn't get there until later in the day but didn't plan on riding too long due to the heat anyways.

I met up with some riders and one recognized Cat so we sat and chatted for a few minutes.  She suggested I keep Cat on the "Mane" or "Main" trail as the other trails were quite hilly and took you through ravines and gullies.  While I'd typically be up for a challenge I decided I'd better be safe then sorry and stuck to the mane/main trail.

The trails were lovely, well manicured and marked well.  I ended up riding almost 3 miles in just over an hour according to Endomondo.

2.82 miles, 1h:03m:08s

For the most part not much bothered Cat.  There was plenty of wildlife to be seen including a deer that jumped out on the trail right in front of us.  Cat stopped and looked at in and then continued on.  According to a few other riders they were greeted by a flock of turkeys that flew up out of the grass when they rode by.  I'm sure glad they moved them instead of me!

Heading down the big hill towards the lake.

Checking out the boater on the lake fishing.

By the time we returned to the trailer most of the other riders had left.  Cat was pretty tuckered out so I let her rest at the trailer for a while before untacking her, wiping her down with a damp rag and then heading home.

One tired pony!

Can we go home please?

How many

Sleepy ponies do you see?

Cat, Abby, Black (standing), Belle and Nikki

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

Heck I don't even know what I've posted and what I haven't anymore!

If you actually read this blog and you haven't noticed - I have tabs up at the top for the horses so I can keep track of them easier.

Duke is growing up quickly and turning out to be a really nice little colt.

Cat and I have been playing around here and there.  I've been using Endomondo to track how far I ride and how long we are out.  Our last trip was 7.21 miles in a little over 2 hrs.  Most of that was at a walk or in circles.  I had a good laugh because Endomondo even showed where we zig zagged in the road.

Here is a short clip of how we ended one of our rides.

Some kids

Some kids like dolls.

Some kids like tractors.

My kid like chickens!

Did you ever dress your cat up like a baby when you were little? This is what Ty and his chickens remind me of.

He will grab a chicken and sit with it while he plays with his tractors. After a while we have to yell at him to put them down so they can eat/drink. He does and then goes and grabs another one. The funny thing is they don't seem to mind.

Pioneer Ridge

Saturday I met up with a few friends at Pioneer Ridge Nature Area.  We had planned this trip a few weeks ago but we weren't sure what the weather was going to do since they had predicted storms.  We decided to take our chances and I'm glad we did as it turned out to be a beautiful day.

Cat was a bit full of herself in the beginning but settled down by the end of the ride.

Me, Chase, and MIL

Water crossings

I thought Cat and Abby did very well considering their limited trail exposure in the past.

MIL and Chase

I don't know what it is but Chase has a way with Abby.  He can get her to do things most adults can't.

My pretty girl

Breaking for lunch

Circles

Anytime Cat would get too fast or too close to the horse in front of her we would do circles.  Once she started to relax I  started stopping her and backing her when she got too close.  Danny tried telling me I needed back up flashers on her butt, but by the end of the ride she was listening to my seat, was soft in the face and had a fairly decent back up which isn't something I've worked on much with her.

Plum tuckerd out!

I logged my ride on Endomondo.  I didn't have my gps turned on but we rode for 4.5 hours.  I now have my gps on so I can track my miles along with my time.  If you are a member feel free to "friend" me.