Mag hates roofing blow torches

What can you expect a young horse to deal with....

Wednesday the vet was here cuz I wanted the teeth done on both Mag and Bellis, and I wanted the lumps on Mag's back inspected by the superior vet, and not the partner, who did lots of stuff to no avail so far (punch biopsy, lab analysis, injection against infection, lots of "natural" cures that Mag had allergic reactions to -- apparently the only substance Mag does not react to is H2O.)

He had to fight to get the plastic thing in Mag's mouth to do a quick inspection. Although Mag hates the dentist (his mouth and his left hind leg are his favorite personal properties) as you know he has a passion for chewing on every item in his environment, mostly plastic. So when the doctor tried to remove the thing, Mag wouldn't give it up. Cute.

I admit, my vet has no stall-side manner, he just does the job. And it could be that Mag reacted more strongly to his palpations because of his rough manner, but this is the vet who saved Baasha from the bridge, so he's my vet as long as I'm in Germany.

Mag was agitated as he inspected his back. Vet said it's an acute infection, to which I said, 8 months cannot be acute, to which he said, "He's in enough pain to call it acute."

I said, "I rode him yesterday."

He said, "Do you have a particularly distributive pad/saddle?"

Well, yah. He said my pad and saddle distributed the pressure enough to make riding possible.

OK then. (Was I hurting him?)

I swear I know how to test a horse's back, so I'm curious how I managed to ride. Hm.

He gave me Dexamethasone in DMSO. Oh no, not that again.

But he insisted, and I'm doing it.

Every day, this cortisone treatment with DMSO.

I had a nightmare last night about it, that I accidentally injected myself with DMSO, and my foot swelled up terribly.

SO far so good, Mag hasn't reacted to either of the drugs. I just hope they help. Praying. (Cuz what's the next option? Surgery?)

***

TP said, "Even if you can't ride, you can come lunge your horse in our lunging ring." Oh, right.

It was a gorgeous day yesterday so I walked him up there.

And get this, a bus scared Mag on the way. A city bus! He's never flinched even, as busses go by him. I often sit at bus stops to take a break and we watch the busses go by, 2 meters from his butt.

What is the matter with him lately?

At the sandy pen, I led him around and then started lunging him with my goal to get 6 canter circles each direction, rather than the 2 I'd been expecting lately. Well, I got a lot more, cuz he flipped out.

The roof people were there again, like last time, but this time they were, I don't know, firing the roof. With blow torches. 15 meters from the pen. It was LOUD. Like hot air balloons, right there.

Mag fruck out, scrambling around the pen in full gallop, bunny hopping his hind legs with his body at a 45 degree angle to the ground, trying to get away. He messed up that ring badly!

Twice in his "escape" he neighed frantically. That's heartbreaking - he was trying to tell the world (me?) "I'm in real trouble here." I just let him go, and spoke calmly to him the entire time.

He finally exhausted himself and before he stopped, I asked him to keep cantering, properly. He did so. I actually saw dampness on his  neck. Sweat on MAG!

Then I asked him to canter again, hoping for a calm 6 laps. No go - there were a couple of riders approaching - this round pen is directly adjacent to a public trail. Like, the riders can reach out and touch the posts. Mag couldn't control himself, he couldn't canter, he had to trot, and prance, and snort and blow and omgosh it was quite a show but I was pissed. Why would horses passing by be such a huge deal, esp. after the whole "real danger" thing he just went through?

The Icelandic horse refused to go forward because of Mag's prancing. The Tinker mare (Gypsy) had no trouble, and the rider smiled at me. I noticed a lady on foot take the Icelandic's bridle and help them pass, as I did my best to get Mag to quit the idiocy and just walk. Finally he did, but his mind was blown that horses could just....walk by like that.

Even though our pasture is in view/adjacent to public trail/roads, and horses ride by almost every single day, carriages trotting by too! Mag, you Dummkopf!

Then I asked again and got my 6 laps and as I finally let him rest (we'd been in there a total of 15 minutes at this point), the huge Noriker mare was being ridden down Hohestrasse and Mag had to gawk at her too.

Oh, I have to add that he did buck 4 times, but not those crazy rodeo bucks, just the exuberant/back stretching ones. I mean, there was slightly less violence and danger perceived by me. : ) So I just said, "Hey!"each time but wasn't worried he'd kill their fence as I have every other time. He was *tired* from his explosive galloping and had little buck left.

Obviously Mag is not used to working at TP's place with strange horses passing, which is strange, cuz we've been going there many months now.

I need to add that twice on this day I tied Mag short to their barn next to the three horses that live there, to get my things/put my things away. He stands tied SO well in strange places! When I offered to let him meet the TB mare, Silver, he didn't really want to. I think he knows she'd kick his butt.

And when I left him alone the one time in the round pen, it felt good again that he stayed riveted to that spot, waiting for my return. It does make you feel good to have a horse wait for you like that and not wander off to eat the overhanging rose bushes.

So I switched directions and asked for 6 laps to the right. And he gave them, and I had to smile, cuz this is his difficult direction but he was done fighting for the day.

Then I broke my whip, cuz it was dragging in a huge puddle most of the day, and when I used it it was so heavy it just broke in half.  (I *must* have a whip to get a canter, my horse is that lazy - not that I have to touch him, but I have to wave it/snap it when he breaks). I laughed and tried to fix it, and Mag was happy to approach me and stand with me as I did so. But that didn't work.

Oh, one of my other goals for the day was to get Mag to walk into the huge puddle when I asked. At first he hesitated, and then he stepped in. Funny, cuz on his own, he'll just walk in water, but being asked by me, the water's different. (Look Bambi, the water's stiff! Oh, that's something else..)

Then Mag started drinking that puddle, and it's probably not a good idea, since it's light grey with fine sand. Then he pawed and pawed, and I stopped him because I won't be invited back if he puts holes in their footing. Sorry Mag. Then he wanted to lie down. Good heavens I hope I don't have a horse who will lie down in water with me!

So I got my goals accomplished, somewhat differently than planned, and as I let Mag wander around afterwards, I was pleased that he mostly chose to follow me to see what I was up to. I was trying to re cut their drainage zone, with a shovel. He found it fascinating and drank some more.

Then he tried to roll but realized that rolling in cold wet sand is way less comfortable than fluffy hot dry sand, so he changed his mind. So cute, the look on his face as he "sat" there half up.

Cooooooold!

I brought my sandy, wet clean horse home and halfway there, on the fast part of Hohestrasse, where he ran over me last week, I told him to graze and I stood with him for a half hour. Several large trucks passed, and he was OK. It seems to be more of a problem when they approach from behind. Another bus went by, he was fine.

I brought my broken whip home and I want to turn it into one of those long ground-work type whips somehow. Sawing it with a saw did not work, but cutting it with wire cutters did (I've never done this before). I'd like to attach a floppy end piece that is bright enough for a horse to see easily, not sure how to do it. Do you know?

J, "Mag nickered to me today. What is the German word for nicker?"

Me, "No idea. In English we don't have such great words for horse noises either!"

In German there is a specific word for when a horse blows out thru its nose in relaxation. I know the word for whinny, but not nicker. And I wish we had specific words for the types of snorts horses do so much! Blogging would be easier, *lol*: )



Sorry no pics lately, but here is one from 2003 (?) labeled Foothills, so I guess that's the Foothills of the Cascades ride even though it doesn't seem that rocky right there (bloody rockiest ride ever). I'm on MC Rogue. He was a handful, as you see. When you see the nostrils of the horse between its ears, it's not a nice feeling. Check out the legs on Mac - he was a monster - I love the low, low hocks. I'm not a tiny person, he was a monstrous 15.3. If you look closely you can see the only place on his body that wasn't wet - yet - the back of his butt. Also I seem to be wearing my Crow tshirt (love that film) and have one of my flannels around my waist. I still have most of this tack - cuz it never dies. Wish I had my flannels today.

Oh, more memory lane suddenly - I was on him at Elbe, for a CMO, so, alone, and we started out at a little trot and he asked for his big trot and I said, "No Mac, just warm up a bit, please wait" and he did. When I finally said, OK, he was off like a rocket, flying over the ground in the power trot that he loved. All alone, no other horses, just for the joy of power-trotting the trail.  Baasha had that too. I was told by an experienced rider to limit that trot, it will make a young horse old.  I wonder. Aarene, I remember SB saying, "Looking good!" as we did that trot up a hillside alongside her.: ))) @ HOTR.

I had great times riding and camping with this horse, and was honored for the opportunity, I say, to his owner, who might possibly read my blog.......