3 Day Event or BUST!

After learning/watching the T3D this past week/weekend I am super intrigued about doing one myself, next year, at either Novice or Beginner Novice division (Full Moon Farm does a 1/4 star event all the way down to Elementary division). I know this is ambitious and will require a LOT of hard work starting basically NOW! and I know nothing about how to train, what's required, or much of anything other than a vague concept of what happens. I have contacted one of the riders from this past competition to ask for advice and I will talk to my instructor but here's what I've found out (these are rules for T3D so it might be different for Novice or Beginner Novice which I'd expect to probably be unrecognized):

1. You have to Qualify. Sadly the qualifications don't include cute horse or a 500 word essay on why I love ponies. For the T3D you need to get NQRs in at least 4 recognized HTs at Training level or higher. I am not sure what NQRs are but I'm guessing National Qualifying Records?? aka do well at 4 recognized HTs and not a big fat E or RF.  One has to be attained as a combination. No idea what that means, either. So that in itself is a lot of time and training effort and money getting to all of those shows and actually getting through them and doing well.

2. You must be USEA registered. Because I normally compete in BN I only have to pay like a 'visitor's fee' and temporary registration. Looks like if I go Novice I have to register both me and Smash. More moolah. Especially if the qualifications need to be recognized events, this will just be an expense I'd pay in January and get it over with.

3. You and your horse have to be fit. Not like going on lots of trail rides fit, but gallop sets, trot sets, jumping courses without feeling like passing out, or hearing your horse wheeze after a gallop around the field and then going out and doing it all again the next day. This is where I need help. I know generally what to do but I know I need more guidance/training plan to get me and Smash fit enough for this. Thankfully this won't be too expensive to accomplish - just lots of time in the saddle and probably on the treadmill. It probably also means knowing how to take TPR on your horse in practice, too, so you know how fast your horse can recover in practice.

4. You need friends. Sounds silly but for this event you need at least 3 really awesome friends to come out and help you for the whole show. These friends need to be organized and know the rules and what to do so they help and not hinder your experience. Optimally you'd want friends who have done a 3 Day before and perhaps one who is a good braider and knows how to replace tack like studs in your shoes. They are going to help you get where you need to be ON TIME and help you not completely spaz out.

5. You need to know the rules. This event is not like regular HTs - there are jogs to be done (yes, there is a proper way to do it - and no, I don't know how), gates and phases to get to, knowing how fast or slow you and your horse are actually going, how to do math (Do you think I can strap my TI-83 to my reins??), and know when you can get assistance and when you can't. Not to mention deciphering the notes on your arm/tape.

6. You need to have fun! This is probably guaranteed if you're considering this in the first place, but like with any training, if you find yourself hating the process you should probably reconsider. Sometimes the idea of finishing spectacularly is more exciting than the actual preparation and work required to do something. So you need to really think things through. Regardless of whether you make it to the Awards Ceremony victory gallop on the last day of competition or just do a lot of training it'll be good for you and your horse. From what I can see from the very small research I've done so far, I'll be putting myself and Smash to the test of fitness and dedication and athleticism/heart to the sport.

I'm still doing more research to find out exactly what will be expected of me and Smash over the next year but this could be an awesome goal for us next year! We shall see what happens!

T3D and HT Weekend Spectacular

This past week has been crazy! Waredaca hosted their Training 3 Day event AND a recognized Horse Trial on the same week/weekend. Things started to get a little crazy the week prior when we were all instructed to move our trailers from our normal parking spot to further down the road. My trailer is my locker. So basically my car has now become my locker because driving down the road, then back, then walking out to get Smash, then putting it all back in the trailer did not appeal to me.

A few days later temporary stalls for the 3 day eventers went up in part of the cross country field. 3 rows of stalls for about 30 competitors, 1 being my friend from college. We were also limited to hacking in the fields and riding in the indoor ring and some limited warm up areas. I felt some what relieved I didn't need to really worry about where to ride since I was still dealing with Smash's abscess. Also, the field boarders got moved to a field closer to the barn which was more convenient for me. Smash was feeling better so she was not standing still when I tried to tie her to the tree and spooking at invisible monsters so taking her to the barn with cross ties was optimal! Feeling better + Tons of pent up energy = annoying horse.

By Wednesday all of the competitors were here and got to jog their horses for the vet and go on course walks with Steven Bradley! So cool! Thursday was the first day of competition: Dressage. It was also the day Smash finally got her shoe put back on! I am more than thrilled to announce Smash is sound! Abscess fully drained and she is ride-able again! :D You have no idea how happy that makes me! Friday was our first ride together after almost an entire month of her being off and it was awesome! In pure Smash fashion she spooked at almost everything and was very up until we got working and she calmed down. I could tell she felt good being back in work.

Friday was also Day 2 of the T3D - Steeplechase/Roads and Tracks/Cross Country day. I had never understood how this classic format worked until I saw it. Basically a rider has a start time where they go on a trail - Track/Road - for sort of like a warm up jog. They have to be at the Steeplechase start at a specific time. The Steeplechase area in this case was a cornered off part of the hay field made into a track/loop with 2 brush fences on either side of the loop. Each rider had 2 minutes to complete 3 loops of this track. It required horses to HAUL a$$ around this track! And you could tell this was every horse's favorite part since they got to go as fast as they wanted and their rider would not slow them down. Once finished this, typically your entourage would double check your tack (look for horse shoe issues/missing studs), hold your horse while you fixed tack, and gave you water if necessary before setting off on the second trail/road/track for a longer run.

You had a specified time to then rejoin your entourage at the 10 min vet box where you jog your horse in for the vet, hop off, and let your entourage start working their magic to cool off your horse as fast as possible. The vet's helpers would take TPR (Temperature, Pulse, and Respiration) every few minutes until your horse's vitals were back to almost resting/normal (temp of 102 or lower, 28-44 beats per min, and 10-24 breaths per min) for the vet to clear you to cross country start box. You had exactly 10 minutes to do this. If your horse does not recover in time they cannot go to the XC phase. We had one person walking the horse, another (me) sponging the horse down with ice water, and another using the sweat scraper to remove the excess water to enable the horses to cool down. Once the horse is vet cleared for vitals, the horse must be jogged again, and then the rider can remount and head to the XC start box. Then they are off for 24 XC jumps. Once they return from XC they must be cleared by the vet again, but this time there is no time limit.

Day 3 was the start of the recognized HT for the weekend and last day of the T3D. I was volunteering all day in the XC field but the format went like this:

* T3D riders did their stadium jumping and were presented with ribbons
* HT riders did their Dressage phase, headed to XC, THEN to stadium to avoid massive chaos

It magically worked out very well! And Sunday, despite Hurricane Sandy's pending arrival, went very well, for the Prelim and Training divisions. The show missed the rain completely and everyone got to compete! And I got to earn some Waredaca Bucks for volunteering *score!*

Next week is the last starter show at Waredaca for the year. I had hoped to ride Novice in this show but after taking all of October off (now because of a hurricane) there is no way it's happening. I considered entering in Elementary but thought no, I don't want to push Smash nor spend the money on an entry fee just for Elem. So I'll just wait for another opportunity. I already got an email for some December jumper shows so I will do some research and see if any of those look interesting to me.

It's been a very exciting week but now with Hurricane Sandy in the area I seriously hope everyone and their horses stay safe!

Mockumentary

Since Smash is still recovering (her abscess is finally all drained, I think! Farrier comes Thursday to double check!) and I have not been able to do any fun shows or riding I thought I'd share a horse related video I made my senior year of college about the Equestrian Team.

A little history: I attended St. Mary's College of Maryland in Southern, MD - not The Mount. It's a small public co-ed liberal arts college that was my home for 4 years. While attending I made sure to join the Equestrian Team. We competed in the IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Show Association) in all different levels of Hunt Seat Equitation, some dressage, and even some Western equitation! I primarily stuck to the Hunt Seat showing since that's what I had grown up doing. It was challenging because each school would host a horse show and you would pull a horse's name out of a hat that day to ride in the flat and over fences. You didn't get a warm up, either. Just a small note on suggestions and temperament of the horse. Example: Mr. Poe can be strong over fences but carry a crop U/S. It was a true test of your abilities to adapt to new horses and never got boring!

So my senior year I decided to do an independent study for comedic writing and came up with the idea for a Mockumentary not only to satisfy my independent study but also as a goodbye present to all of the graduating seniors that year. I made this video before YouTube (gasp!) and before there were affordable HD camcorders that used internal memory or SD cards (double gasp!) so keep that in mind since it's not super high quality. There are a lot of inside jokes, too, so you might not think it's all that funny but there are some moments anyone would at least chuckle at :) ENJOY!

P.S. no one told me my hair was sticking out like that when it was my turn. don't judge me. It was 7 years ago. (omg i'm old)

SMCM Equestrian Team Mockumentary 2004/2005 Part 1

SMCM Equestrian Team Mockumentary 2004/2005 Part 2

I don't know how to fix the audio to sync with the video... :( Sorry that Part 2 kind of sucks.

FINALLY!

It has finally happened! Good news for everyone! Smash's abscess is draining (and actually has been since the 8th) and should be all better in about 5 days!

I called another vet to come out and give me a second opinion because hearing her abscess hadn't popped in 2 weeks was disconcerting. Not to mention pumping Banamine in her system for so long was not something I thought she needed, either. Once the other vet came out she pointed out the same hole I thought I had seen on the 8th as being an actual hole from the abscess! The only thing is it was very small so while it had popped and was draining, it was taking a long time. She made the hole just slightly bigger and gave me instructions on what I need to do now to get all the pus out and get her on the mend!

What she thinks happened is a nail hit the 'white line' of Smash's hoof which sent the infection up into her fetlock and caused some celulitis. This explains the swelling we saw in her leg that first week.

So we've been doing a lot of this:

Smash, being Smash, only seems to tolerate 10-15min worth of soaking her hoof. I try to keep her occupied by brushing her while she soaks and checking the rest of her body but she always gets antsy. I don't blame her. Two weeks of having nothing to do and being sort of sore sucks. Even I'm antsy from not being able to ride her and it has been difficult to muster up energy every evening to go out and see her to change her wrap. Especially when the weather is poor! #Horseownerwoes

In the meantime I've been occasionally riding Tanner, my friend Amanda's, horse.

So cute! He is as big as Smash, if not bigger. I've taken a flat lesson on him and now a jumping lesson. He is not an easy ride! But I am very thankful for having any horse to hop on while Smash and Amanda recover from injuries. I'm at the barn every day - might as well ride, right? 

Aside from soaking and wrapping Smash up every day I thought I'd share a non horse photo *gasp! The horror!* just because it's not often I'm not in workout clothes or riding gear. My parents, Nick, and I were invited to a wedding last Saturday in Frederick, MD and it was a lot of fun. It made me excited for my own wedding coming up in 6 months! 

ignore the squinty left eye. I was being blinded by the flash

So there you have it. What I've been doing in the past 2 weeks. I am more than excited to get back in Smash's saddle and see if we can't accomplish anything before show season really ends! Stay tuned!

Health Update

This past week  has been a complete hectic and stressful blur. As you know Smash is lame. I noticed she was ouchy on Monday but things got SO crazy last week that I'm going to have to share.

I know as horse owners we all get very worried when our horses are hurt or sick. I think that goes for any pet, but it's especially hard with horses because you have to leave them in the trusting hand of your barn manager and pray your horse doesn't decide to impale themselves while you are gone or they are turned out.  I know 100% I worry nonstop about Smash when she is stressed, hurt, or sick and then I become a hot mess. I try to keep it under control and not let too many people see the craziness I'm going through and usually everything works itself out but I just hate feeling so helpless not always knowing what's wrong or what's best. Not to mention watching a horse gimp around on essentially 3 legs is very hard to watch! At least with my dogs I can pick them up if I have to!

Back to the timeline of events!

Monday - Smash was sore and lame but didn't see anything to be concerned about. Thought maybe it was a hoof bruise or something. Gave her some bute and turned her back out.

Tuesday - I went out to deliver her some bute and she was worse. Like not wanting to stand on her left hoof worse. I gave her bute and called the office to let them know. I also saw some swelling in her fetlock. Ensue panic. I was told to leave a message for the barn manager to come out and look at Smash in the morning for a second opinion. I went home and immediately started Googling what could be wrong. Google and the internet can be very helpful or very evil. When it comes to diagnosing myself, it's usually fairly helpful since I know exactly what kind of symptoms/pain I'm experiencing. But for dogs and horses it's evil. It could be any number of deadly illnesses/injuries that require euthanasia or it could be something completely benign that will heal in a few days. Nothing makes you crazier than thinking your horse has somehow suddenly contracted Laminitis and will need to be put down right before bed time.

Wednesday - Got a call from the barn describing now more swelling in other legs and definite lameness like I saw on Tuesday. They reassured me they'd give her Banamine (extra strength tylenol for horses) and put her on the vet list for Thursday. I figured at that point I wouldn't need to go out and see her. I was still slightly panicky but decided once the vet came out maybe I'd have a better idea of what was going on...until opinions got to me. Not my opinion, but opinions of others. Doubt might be the right word. Doubt about the expertise and knowledge of the staff and vet. So I'm already in this panicky fragile mental state thinking 'ok the vet will help me' and then I'm sent into a whole new whirlwind of stress when my trust in the vet is questioned by another person who had a bad experience with him. That was not what I needed. Here I am feeling helpless and not really having a vet of my own I trust and know since Smash thankfully has been mostly injury free since I've owned her when I hear he has misdiagnosed horses and doesn't know what he's doing. Can we say flip out mode? I had decided not to go out and see Smash that evening since someone already made sure she was alive and so I was in the parking lot of Giant when I'm being told the vet doesn't know anything. It took all I had not to burst into tears in my car right then and there thinking Smash was going to need to be put down after being misdiagnosed or I'd be bankrupt after needing to be seen by a million vets - none who knew what they were doing. I spent at least 5 minutes in the cereal aisle staring at the same boxes of cereal unable to make a decision because I was so overwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, I totally appreciate knowing there is some skepticism with the 'house' vet, but it's SO not what I needed right then. I tried to put it all aside and get through the rest of the evening.

Thursday - Thankfully I was given a call from the vet of when he was on his way. I rushed out to the barn and felt like I was seen very quickly. Thankfully the farrier is also at the barn on Thursday so he did a hoof tester (something I now know more about and how to sort of use) to find she had soreness all in her left hoof on one side. He pulled the shoe for me and the vet said it was a bruise right now (would probably turn into an abscess) and he would give her 2 shots (one for inflammation and one antibiotic) and give us a tube of Banamine to administer the next day. I was instructed to wrap her hoof everyday with a piece of gauze folded in half and placed on the sore side as support for the hoof wall. I was feeling slightly better about things but still worried since Smash was practically 3-legged and hardly putting any weight on her left leg. She was literally walking on her toe. I could tell, though, taking the shoe off did relive some of the discomfort so I felt slightly better.

Friday - Came out and Smash was actually putting more weight on her hoof! I felt elated! PROGRESS! Any improvement is great news! So I unwrapped and re-wrapped her hoof and went home feeling like I had done the right thing! Smash would live! She'd get to keep her hoof! I wouldn't have to drive to VA for the horse hospital. Until 9pm hit. Daisy - my dog - came inside very proud of herself with a swollen lip. And it was swelling more as the seconds ticked by. I'm pretty sure she got bit by a bug that didn't agree with her so I ran around panicking on what to do. Thankfully for the internet it told me I could give her Claritin so I did. The swelling stopped and sort of subsided by 11pm so I felt it was safe to sleep. Thankfully aside from the swelling Daisy didn't seem to notice or care she had a fat lip. So much for relaxing...

Saturday aka Day from Hell - I woke up to Daisy still having some swelling in her face. Normally I would wait at least 24 hours before going to the vet but I was worried if anything happened I'd have to wait until Tuesday (Monday was a holiday) to get her in to see the vet and I didn't feel like going to the emergency vet if I didn't have to. So I made an appointment. No joke, by the time we were seen by the vet her swelling was practically gone. *sigh* I guess better safe than sorry?? We headed home and I was then off to see Smash. I got there and found out her foot wrap came off. Not good. She was back to being very sore. :( I was not thrilled to see her digress back so quickly to toe walking and was feeling stressed out. I got a reassuring talk from one of the barn managers that I was doing the right thing and just to hang in there. I wrapped her back up and headed home feeling more than exhausted. I took a nap, was starting to actually feel bored, when it happened.

I got a text from a field-mate saying Smash looked terrible and should be in a stall and I needed to come out. At first I tried to reassure her that she was fine and I'd already been out when doubt and panic crept in. I freaked out thinking in the 4 hours since I'd been out something had happened to her. Maybe she tried to run, maybe the wrap came off again, maybe she tripped and fell, or maybe a horse gremlin came out and attacked her - who knows! So I jumped off the couch and fled to the barn. I cried hysterically the whole way. And not like in that pretty actress cry way, but in the dirty, don't care who sees me, snot all over the place way. I figured if I got it all out now I could hold myself together better when assessing the damage. I parked, got out of the car, and marched my way immediately into the field.

She was just how I'd left her that morning.
I kid you not.

Immediately I felt better but was still on edge. I found my friend and explained she was ok. But then I got kind of grilled about why I was doing what I was doing I was started to feel less confident about all of my choices. Lucky for me it was time to give Smash her Banamine dose for the day and I went to help administer it. I was reassured by the person helping that the barn staff was making sure to assess Smash every day and if there was an issue or concern, they'd first handle it and then call me. You have no idea how much better I felt! That I wasn't alone and Smash wasn't thrown out in the field without a care. That many people were concerned for her health and were there to help me. I went home that evening completely drained. I tried to cook one of my favorite recipes when the brand new box of noodles I had were infested with flour bugs. It was 8pm. I was in no mood. I boiled it anyway and made an effort to drain off any bugs. Extra protein?? Saturday Sucked!

Sunday - Back to the barn for Smash's check up. She was walking better like she had on Friday! I was very pleased!

Monday - She was even better! I'm wondering if the abscess popped. I'm not good at looking for holes or knowing what it'd even look like. The vet was out, too, and while he didn't see her he decided if she is not better by Thursday (his second visiting day) he and the farrier would work together to help Smash get rid of the abscess. I'm hoping after seeing such improvement that this won't be necessary. But judging how things have been going, I don't want to speculate r get my hopes up too high yet.

All in all things really have not been that bad for Smash. But mentally it's been hard for me. I have learned A LOT not only about horse care but how to handle myself and to be more confident in the decisions I make. The moment I stopped second guessing myself and the moment I started to just trust the people who were there to help me I relaxed a little. Seeing Smash hurt still makes me worry and stress out but if this ever happens again at least I know I'll feel more confident with some of the treatment I can provide, myself, and have faith in the staff at the barn to help me, too. That's been my week in a nutshell. Anyone wanna go get a drink to help me cope from it all??

Normal Horse Ailments = Embarrassing Owner Moments

If you're like me - you'd rather save a couple bucks whenever and however you can for horse stuff. Namely medication. Everyone knows how a simple tube of eye cream can cost $100 only to realize later you could've bought something at CVS that would've done the same thing for $10. BUT it seems like if you save a couple of bucks going with an  OTC (over the counter) option you end up spending your time in pharmacies in the most embarrassing sections and receiving some weird looks instead.

I consider myself pretty unaffected by what the teller's at CVS think but there have been a few occasions where I couldn't help but want to wear dark glasses and a hat for some of the things I've had to buy. While I was in college I owned another horse, Monty (The Full Monty), who had chronic scratches on his corneas. Scratches always led to eye infections and lots of vet bills. (later we diagnosed him with not creating enough tears which led to a dry eye which led to scratching and scratches and infections) Well on one occasion my vet told me to go to the store and get Monistat cream for the infection in his eye. Seriously. Monistat. Not only is buying Monistat cream embarrassing as it is, now stores lock them up (as if someone is going to steal and sell yeast infection cream on the streets... really??! Let the Monistat FREE!), so not only did I have to ask a store employee to unlock me some monistat but I then had to deal with the cashier's looks, too. I wanted to announce to everyone "THIS IS FOR MY HORSE'S EYE INFECTION! I SWEAR!" but I just know all people would respond is with one of those "you 'horse's eye infection' huh?? Is that what you wanna call it now? ...hope your "horse eye" feels better" and I'd still leave frustrated.

Around that same time Monty had a clover rash/burn on his nose that can be easily cleared up with Desitin. Diaper rash cream. So now I'm in my late teens in the baby aisle loading up in COSTCO on giant tubes of Desitin. Diaper rash cream isn't as bad as Monistat but, again, I felt the need to announce that this was for my horse and I did not have a baby with severe diaper rash. Nor was it for me or my potential diaper rash issues.

Smash has not caused me to buy too many embarrassing ointments for her thus far but just today I was looking for ichthammol to help with her abscess (I'm 99% sure that's what is plaguing her) at Target since it can be used on humans, too. I couldn't find it so I asked the Pharmacist if they had any to which she replied no they didn't carry it but when I went to CVS (Why is it only CVS carries all these weird creams and ointments??) to also keep an eye out for Boil Ease. You've got to be kidding me. Boil Ease?! *sigh* I pretended that was not something embarrassing to shop for and went on my way. I guess I should consider not finding ichthammol anywhere a blessing since further research on abscesses led me to being able to make a poultice out of Epsom salt and water but you better believe I searched CVS's aisles first for Boil Ease and when I couldn't locate it had to ask another pharmacist for help.

There are other OTC horse medications that aren't so embarrassing (thank goodness!) you can buy for common horse ailments. For example, Saline Solution is great for cleaning out wounds/cuts and Witch Hazel is a cheap liniment. Gauze is cheaper at CVS than the tack shop but vet wrap is NOT! And in terms of equipment human hair clippers are WAY cheaper (but do not come in large size for body clipping) than at any horse store.

What OTC medications/salves/equipment items do you buy for your common horse ailments? Share in the comments!

Lame

Sorry for the lack of blog posts. I've been running around like a maniac lately in my non-horse life (hard to imagine I have a real life not surrounded by Smash) and have not been very articulate and figured I'd spare everyone from random statements disguised as a post.

I was going to do a whole video on Rider Fitness (which I still plan to execute!) last weekend but my plans changed so everyone is going to have to just wait for that.

Last night, however, I made a concerning discovery when I went out to ride Smash. She's lame. She was fine on Saturday when a friend rode her yet 2 days later both front feet are sore. She's not "omg get her a cane!" sore and she has no physical signs of an abscess or wound or swelling. The only conclusion we can come up with right now is she bruised her feet running amok in the field with her buddies. Which - let's face it - is highly likely. I gave her some bute after she hobbled her way back to her field and you know what the darn horse did?? I took off her halter to release her back into the field and she took off cantering! Obviously she's not hurt THAT badly if she's going to go running like that. Makes me wonder if she faked it. Do you think horses or animals have the forethought to fake an injury or illness? Like they are in the field and see their owners/riders coming to get them and they think 'Oh crap. There she is. I am so not in the mood to be ridden today. Maybe if I fake lameness she won't ride me. Time to put on the pitiful ouchy eyes!'

SO that means this week's visits to the barn will be purely to check up on her and feed her bute and pray she recovers soon. This is a tough part of horse ownership no one tells you when you buy a horse. No one says "Buy this horse because you'll love taking care of her when she's lame" nor does anyone ever envision their horse getting/being injured. I'm very thankful that Smash does not get hurt/lame very often! *knock on wood* and I sincerely think/hope/pray in a week or so she'll be feeling better.

I guess I didn't really make a super interesting post today like I'd hoped - but I just wanted everyone to know what was going on. AND in case you're wondering, my Mom is recovering well! She got a hard cast put on yesterday and the dr cleared her to start riding again...once Smash is better. Don't worry - I promise to have a much more exciting post up soon! Stay tuned!!