Two Steps Back

I can't believe I haven't written for a while, but it's because I'm a little bit bummed about Skye.

First, just when we were hitting our stride in our relationship, life kept me from going out to the barn for several days in a row. The boys have an unbelievable homework load, and some of that stuff is pretty hard, so I have to help them with it.  (Really, did you learn about the difference in transverse wave and longitudinal waves and how they are measured when you were sixth grade? It's interesting, but still. The rope and Slinky experiments are bitchin' fun though.) And we took our annual fall trip to Asheville over the weekend, so I had to add another two days of little attention to her.

The look she gives me if I call her Honey Boo Boo.
She doesn't like it.

Anyway, she was in a funky mood on Sunday, then Wednesday I went out and helped feed her, and she was as rude as she has ever been. It was no doubt because she could even see the food in her bowl, and Girlfriend (another nickname for her) loves her food. It makes me wonder if the other feeders have allowed her to get away with being rude to them. I say this because even rude, she is never aggressive or ugly (no ears back or anything) and they may not feel the need to correct her behavior, but I keep my standards for her manners high. Anyway, I fed her, then checked her out, loved on her, and put her back out. When I let her go, she swung away from me and headed straight for the hay. This is totally unlike last week when she met me at the gate and hung out with me when I let her go, and walked quickly to the fence to see me in the van on my way out. This is a big lesson learned that our relationship thrives on attention and on really asking more of her. When I go away next time, I'm going to ask someone at the barn to get her out and groom her, or even work her in the round pen.

This quick retreat also explains so much about our relationship while she was at the Greenway. I would see her at least as often, but the quality of our visits was very different. I would be all alone, and a little unsettled by it. (All of her pasture horses were good, nice horses, and Skye has never been aggressive, but I was brought up to not ride alone. And if something happened, more times than not there would be nobody around.) She would not want to come in to begin with, standing until I got her her, usually not walking toward me. She would balk on the way in at least once, sometimes several times stubbornly. She wanted to stay with her boyfriend, and she made sure I knew it. So, it would be little sour from the beginning. I didn't get mad at her, but it made me sad, as it was not what I had dreamed of when I dreamed of having my own horse. So I would get her out, the struggle notwithstanding, groom her, maybe work her on the line, but it would be very short.  Since it would be 20 minutes with me 3-4 times a week versus almost 24/7 as the boss mare hanging out with the big lead gelding, I barely stood a chance of establishing a really respectful relationship. That situation might be fine for a different horse, but not with Skye.

So although I think I've cracked the code to getting us on track, it is really clear that a high level of attention is necessary to keep that doorway open. Which is actually good news, since I do love hanging out with my horse! Even when she is testing me.

Yesterday, she was aloof, but I got her feet moving around in the round pen, then left her in there because the vet was coming to the barn, and was going to give Skye a shot.

I finally got to talk to the vet, and she confirmed my gut feeling that with her recurrent lameness (she started limping again when the bute was stopped) she really shouldn't be ridden. Another reshoeing, a little more bute for a while, and a shot in one of her joints will put her on her way to soundness, but it will require some time. So, just when I was making headway, I'm out of the saddle again. I may be able to ride some of the other horses at the barn, as lessons are part of my board, so that takes some of the sting out of it, but the whole thing really bothered me for a couple of days.

Then I look at a picture of her, and I remember that if I could choose which horse I would most like to have of all the horses at the Greenway or at my current barn, I would still choose Skye.

Still the one.

I will be talking to the vet again soon and find out how much I can work her in the round pen. I've wanted to work on her lateral flexion and moving the hindquarters and front half anyway, so I'll make sure I can do that. Given that I have been flabbergasted at how much the groundwork helps under saddle, I can at least be confident that we are still moving forward.