Astro speaks

I was riding Astro one afternoon with my daughter and Piero. Shortly into our ride Astro started to throw his head around. Then he began swishing his tail and twitching. The next thing I knew he was doing a whole body shake, as if he was trying to shake me off. I literally grabbed his mane and hung on until he was finished. I promptly jumped down and walked him home. It did not happen on the walk home.

A few days later the same scenario occured, this time I was ready for it. Astro was trying to tell me something. In fact, he was trying everything he knew!

I contacted my trainer, and asked if she'd take a look at him. I rode him for her until the shaking started. At this point we thought it was the saddle. He was very sore behind his shoulder and it seemed to be slipping into that spot. We were proud, however, since his language did not include throwing me off -which many ponies would have considered to be the best option.

I tried a different saddle and rode for about 20 minutes. No problem. Yeah! The next time we went out, we were at the 30 minute mark and bam, there went the shaking. I jumped off and we walked home together.

Time to call the vet. Dr. Newcomb of Broad Run Vet. Svc. came out to take a look at him. (We love Dr. Newcomb! She is also a chiropractor and does adjustments on Scottie.) The Dr. checked him & said he has an injury to his right side. Maybe a broken rib. He needs rest and some stretching.

Thank goodness I am in tune with my horses. This is one of MANY reasons we need to listen to them. We listen with our ears, yes, but also with our intuition, our feel of them & with our heart. It is sad to think that some owners might have just slapped him for what would have seemed to be misbehavior.

And thank you Astro, for being patient and persistent with me.

Critters at the barn

Fall is in the air. It's beautiful: blue sky, sunshine, breezes perfect for spending time at the barn. Oh, and I can't forget to mention the wooly bears. You know, those cute, fuzzy orange and black caterpillars? They are everywhere! We make sure to rescue each one we see at the barn. There's a good chance a caterpillar's life would end badly if it continued to hang out around horses!


L.