Last week before my lesson, Keil Bay indicated his pelvic joint might be rotating out again, and then cantering left it became obvious something was off. He's been doing lots of yoga "cat" stretches over the past week too, as though trying to work something out.
This morning our equine chiropractor arrived and adjusted Salina first. Salina, by the way, has been cleared for three months! We were not expecting to get this much success with her so quickly. She's doing well.
While Salina was getting adjusted Keil Bay went into the stall most visible to the chiropractor and proceeded to shove his big butt against the wall, quite dramatically. Leaning against the wall that way is a big red flag for pelvic issues. He was determined that she see this - it was hilarious.
When it was his turn, he waited until she got to the left pelvis and then started bobbing his head up and down very quickly. That's the spot! As soon as she started the adjustment to that area he relaxed and let her work.
But at the end he kept backing up toward her as though she had missed something. She got the green box she uses to stand on back out and let him point his back end to her so she could work on the exact right area. He let out a big sigh and leaned back. All done.
What a guy! He gets the rest of the week off and then we're ready to canter left again!
billie hinton’s camera-obscura:
life and lessons on November Hill Farm
Monday, July 09, 2007
Saturday, July 07, 2007
thinking blogs
Camera-obscura has been named a Thinking Blogger site twice now, a few months ago and more recently by Matthew at Science Is A Method, Not A Position. I appreciate the nod and hope you'll go visit his site.
I'm not much for the blog tagging thing and am quite finicky about the way my blog looks, which is why I don't list favorite websites, blogs, etc. in the margins.
But there are some wonderful blogs out there, and this gives me the opportunity to point you in their direction. I also highly recommend visiting the blogs of anyone who comments here at Camera-Obscura - if they're here it usually means I'm a regular visitor to their blogs as well.
A few places I frequent:
Peggy Payne's Boldness Blog
Murderati
Melismata
Drachenthrax
LitPark
Faster Than Kudzu
French Toast Girl
Confessions of a Psychotherapist
Mantis In A Teacup
This also gives me the opportunity to invite you to comment, if you don't already. My intention here is for each post to open the door to conversation. Share your thoughts, experiences, and don't hesitate to ramble. I certainly do!
Enjoy the blogs!
I'm not much for the blog tagging thing and am quite finicky about the way my blog looks, which is why I don't list favorite websites, blogs, etc. in the margins.
But there are some wonderful blogs out there, and this gives me the opportunity to point you in their direction. I also highly recommend visiting the blogs of anyone who comments here at Camera-Obscura - if they're here it usually means I'm a regular visitor to their blogs as well.
A few places I frequent:
Peggy Payne's Boldness Blog
Murderati
Melismata
Drachenthrax
LitPark
Faster Than Kudzu
French Toast Girl
Confessions of a Psychotherapist
Mantis In A Teacup
This also gives me the opportunity to invite you to comment, if you don't already. My intention here is for each post to open the door to conversation. Share your thoughts, experiences, and don't hesitate to ramble. I certainly do!
Enjoy the blogs!
Friday, July 06, 2007
making space
This month I've consciously pared down activities on the calendar to create some empty space in midsummer. It feels good to see blank squares.
Like Keil Bay, going for something a bit different than the usual fare.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
riding lessons
I haven't written about Keil Bay and riding lessons recently, and the past two lessons were very interesting.
Last week we had not ridden in nearly two weeks and my expectations were low. But Keil was relaxed and loose, I had done yoga right before, and the saddle fitter had been to adjust Keil's saddle - the combination of these made for a wonderful lesson. We had some very grand moments together and it remains one of my favorite things in the world when he moves through his back, fully engaged, and I am right there with him.
Yesterday was similar but with a glitch. In the canter, going left, I could feel my left hip torquing oddly to the right - he was on the left lead but his hind end was torqued to the right as well. The amazing thing to me was that I am getting good enough to feel these things instead of having to have them pointed out to me. My trainer hopped on so I could see from the ground what was happening.
And then it clicked. He'd done many yoga stretches during the day and had also stamped his left hind foot as I was grooming his right flank. I'm almost positive his pelvic joint is rotating out of alignment again. It's subtle, which means it's probably not too far out, and it definitely happened since last week. Thankfully, our chiropractor is already coming early next week to see Salina, so we can get this taken care of quickly.
It feels like so many pieces of a puzzle are coming together. With the massage work, the chiro, the excellent training, the saddle fitter, and our progress, the rides become better and better. One day I'll have to do a video of Keil's amazing extended trot. The way he moves says it all.
Last week we had not ridden in nearly two weeks and my expectations were low. But Keil was relaxed and loose, I had done yoga right before, and the saddle fitter had been to adjust Keil's saddle - the combination of these made for a wonderful lesson. We had some very grand moments together and it remains one of my favorite things in the world when he moves through his back, fully engaged, and I am right there with him.
Yesterday was similar but with a glitch. In the canter, going left, I could feel my left hip torquing oddly to the right - he was on the left lead but his hind end was torqued to the right as well. The amazing thing to me was that I am getting good enough to feel these things instead of having to have them pointed out to me. My trainer hopped on so I could see from the ground what was happening.
And then it clicked. He'd done many yoga stretches during the day and had also stamped his left hind foot as I was grooming his right flank. I'm almost positive his pelvic joint is rotating out of alignment again. It's subtle, which means it's probably not too far out, and it definitely happened since last week. Thankfully, our chiropractor is already coming early next week to see Salina, so we can get this taken care of quickly.
It feels like so many pieces of a puzzle are coming together. With the massage work, the chiro, the excellent training, the saddle fitter, and our progress, the rides become better and better. One day I'll have to do a video of Keil's amazing extended trot. The way he moves says it all.
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