we hit a category 5 here tonight with Hurricane Rafer

Latest report from the barnyard:

Rafer Johnson bucked tonight when it was time to go back to his stall!

Wouldn't it be fascinating if we could have radiographs that matched his progressing activity?

It's pretty clear he is ready to be back to a normal donkey routine.

little storms

I was amused to see that the new tropical storm moving about at sea is named Kyle. My daughter and I speculated after Josephine that the K-storm would be Keil Bay. And it's pretty close!

Last night I was standing in the barn aisle taking a quick breather after my ride on the fanciful Keil Bay. I had let him out in the front field for a last hour of grazing before coming in for the evening. Salina and Rafer Johnson had been let out to the barnyard to graze.

Yesterday Rafer Johnson went through the fence (the non-electric part) two times, in order to get himself into the paddocks closer to his herd. He is definitely making moves to be back in the normal routine here. He will take any opportunity to leave his stall - no more leaving the door ajar as you muck him out - if you do, he might not be there when you turn around!

I was keeping a close eye on him for that reason, but he sneakily went into the little barnyard, which is fine, but then eased through the fence into the grass paddock, which is also fine, but separated from Salina.

I should have known what was coming next, but I didn't. Salina suddenly realized Rafer was nowhere to be found and she went trotting into the big barnyard to look for him. I opened the stall up that leads out to the grass paddock, and she trotted through there. Suddenly a flash went by. I saw the blur and felt the breeze. Something whirled past me into the big barnyard. It was only when it stopped that I realized - it was Hurricane Rafer!

He had heard Salina and they'd missed each other in the grass paddock. He tucked back through the fence and galloped through the barn aisle to find her.

It took me a few moments to even remember that Rafer Johnson has a CAST on. How the heck is he managing to gallop?

Three weeks and counting to what I hope is a smaller cast and a bit more freedom.

And may Tropical Storm Kyle be kind as he moves by.

opening new eyes to old problems

Yesterday we had the acupuncturist/vet out for the pony's second acupuncture session. This time she had me lunge the pony at a walk/trot in each direction so she could take a look at his movement, demeanor, and overall willingness in the arena. What she saw was a decent representation of the issues we've had with the Little Man.

He is a sharp looking pony, and he can be absolutely stunning both in the field and under saddle. He is talented, and a good soul, but he can also be stubborn and tense.

After the movement, she did a physical examination of his hind legs. She found mild soreness in the hocks, primarily in the left, and feels this is not due to a recent occurrence, but something he has been dealing with for a while. She thinks we may be looking at mild arthritis.

I was shocked. This pony is 8 years old. He's had many, many people involved in his care and training and performance. No one has ever looked to the hocks as the source of problems. I suspect we've been fooled by the good and bad days he has. When it's good, it's really good. And when it's bad, it's not bad enough to assume something is really wrong. We have never gotten past the 'pony' attitude or the tightness in his neck and shoulders. We never looked at what might be "behind" these other issues.

After I got over the shock yesterday, I began to think of things he does from a new perspective. He stretches his hind legs straight out behind him on a regular, near-daily basis. I've never seen a horse do this before - it looks like he is doing pony yoga. That now makes perfect sense. Think of the older folks you know with arthritis in their hands, and that measured, drawn out stretching they do with the wrists and fingers. It's exactly the same thing.

His grumpiness makes perfect sense if he has been experiencing mild pain. And the fact that he comes out of the arena soft and mellow fits perfectly as well. Once the hocks are moved and warmed up, they feel better.

I began to note how he stands, the way he shifts his weight, and suddenly it all clicked.

This vet specializes in Chinese medicine, and has a background in dressage. She asked me to try to view everything to do with the pony from the perspective of his hind legs - and the instant I did that, I began to see many, many things I hadn't seen just one hour before.

She suggested we continue with his work under saddle, but that we pay close attention to the warm-up period, that we let the hocks guide us. Walk him in big figures, with no sharp turning, until the stride lengthens from behind. She assigned me the task of watching for this while my daughter rides. Once he's not only tracking up, but getting some over-reach, we can move to trot work. And the trot work should continue until I see that lovely, soft swinging tail that makes the S-shape as it moves. It will only make that shape if he's moving through, with balance and rhythm and suppleness. Only then can more "work" be done.

I knew exactly what she meant. I've noted that tail movement before when my daughter rides, but not realizing what a useful clue it is in assessing soundness.

For now, as we continue assessment and treatment, which will include acupuncture and probaby x-rays, we'll back off jumping and galloping.

I feel relieved and grateful that last year when he was jumping 2'9" and then went sour to jumping, we LISTENED. There were a few folks who felt he should be made to do the work, but we backed way off. I wonder now what damage we would have done, both physically and emotionally, had he been made to continue jumping that height.

We did the warm-up exercise this morning. It took nearly 30 minutes for the walk stride to track up. It took 10-15 minutes for the trot to become balanced and the tail to swing in that characteristic way.

The vet also suggested that we apply moist heat to the hocks, mostly to let the pony know we now understand where the issue is. She said when he realizes we understand where the pain is, and show him that, his trust will increase, and he will relax and allow us to work with him to make things better.

My daughter and husband applied the moist, warm towels yesterday afternoon in the back field. The pony loved it, they said, and stood calmly while they wrapped his hocks in what I hope transmitted warmth, love, and the nurturing attention that comes from being heard - not only by the hock, but his whole pony self.

the week thus far

We've got a pony getting ready for an October full of Pony Club happenings. My daughter is keeping him busy with riding and practice loading onto the trailer. She loaded him 3x on Monday, and by yesterday afternoon's third time he walked onto the trailer with her without a halter or lead rope and stood there until she asked him to get off again. Pretty amazing, considering last year this time he was just recovering from some trailer trauma imposed by a few folks who thought forcing a pony onto a trailer with a rope behind his butt and waving a lunge whip around was the right way. We like ours better.

The pony has his second acupuncture treatment today. I think we are already seeing some change in his demeanor and movement. I'm eager to see how he does after this second session.

We have a donkey who has figured out he can ROLL even with his cast on! Rafer Johnson lowered himself to the ground two nights ago and proceeded to do his favorite donkey grooming duty. I was shocked to see that he managed to get the casted leg up and over so he could rub both sides of his body in the dust. This Friday marks the 3-week point since he was cast - halfway - and the plan is to radiograph and re-cast at 6 weeks with something smaller. My secret hope is that he will be so healed we might not need another cast at all. We'll see how it goes!

Keil Bay and Salina got chiropractic work on Monday. It wasn't supposed to be Keil Bay's turn, but as usual, he backed his big rear up to the stall wall and convinced me he needed a look. And as usual, the Big Bay knows his body and knows when he needs something. He had several fairly major things out, and he closed his eyes and let the chiropractor do her job. By the end, he was smiling.

Salina had one big thing out and she too was smiling by the end of her adjustment.

The chiropractor and I decided that when Rafer's cast comes off she'll take a look at him to make sure things are in place.

Cody did a wonderful job free-lunging on Tuesday, and also getting loaded onto the trailer. With all the characters we have in this herd, Cody is the picture of reliability and balance. No drama. Just doin' my job, ma'am. I think every herd needs a horse like Cody to balance things out.

Last night a cold wind blew in, and it's still here this morning. I was shivering as we sat in the barnyard, listening to Rafer Johnson and Salina grazing, while the geldings munched hay in the paddock. We listened to the night creatures, and my husband pointed out a satellite moving slowly across the sky. My daughter was talking about Halloween, and suddenly it felt like summer is truly gone.

the autumn equinox

I know the lands are lit,
With all the autumn blaze of Goldenrod.

-Helen Hunt Jackson


Today is the autumn equinox, a time of transition and opportunities to make changes in one's life. It is also a time of harvest, reaping what has previously been sown.

For me, autumn is a favorite season, and I always feel energized and excited. It's more of a "new year" feeling for me than the beginning of our calendar year.

Lately the labyrinth path has been marked by the tall, swaying goldenrod, which is said to have healing powers. Ted Andrews says that goldenrod helps us discover our own sacred quest, strengthening the aura so that we can remain true to our essence and our dreams.

On Friday, my daughter and I found an owl pellet in the dirt paddock. Owls swallow their prey whole, and the indigestible parts (fur, bones, claws, teeth) are regurgitated in the form of pellets. I noticed the pellet thinking it was an odd-looking piece of horse manure, and when I saw the white, I wondered what in the world one of my horses had gotten into. Upon closer inspection I recognized it - the fur, the tiny joints and claws - as the remains of an owl meal.

Ted Andrews says the owl regurgitating the pellet is a very symbolic act.

In the swallowing of the prey head first, the owl takes into itself the wisdom and energy of the prey. The regurgitation reflects its ability to eliminate those aspects that are unbeneficial and unhealthy for it.

This was the perfect thing to find on the threshold of the autumn equinox, the symbol of taking in and letting go, transmuting.

How well I know what I mean to do
When the long, dark autumn-evenings come.

-Robert Browning