Well there are only 4 months till our first ride of the season! How are your training plans coming? While I have been out conditioning my horses I have to say I’ve had some heart burn over my mare Tia.

Tia ended the season on a rather troublesome note. She seemed stiff in the front and then would go off. I was sure it had to do with being impaled by that stick in 2017. She has just never been the same since. I gave her time off however she seemed to become more stiff rather than less. I was sure it was scar tissue however, last time I checked, I’m no vet. I had Glenn Sinclair come check her out. He agreed that something wasn’t right with her. He gave her a nerve block, however, when circled counterclockwise she was still off. So I now had my confirmation it wasn’t her leg.
Glenn advised me to give her 3 days of Bute which I did. I also took advantage of the nice weather and booked a magnawave session for her. Others had indicated they had good luck with it so I was willing to give it a try.

Deb, from Winning Touch, felt a lump of scar tissue so maybe this was her problem after all? After the Bute and the session with Deb she started to move much more freely. I then started trying her back out on the trail. I did a 6 mile solo ride with her and she felt good. It seemed the stiffness was much less noticeable. After that I did a 12 mile ride with friends. She was a complete handful and tried to race off with me! There was absolutely NO way she was letting any horse pass her. It seemed as though my feisty Tia was back? I adjusted my reins as it’s preferable to have control over one’s steed!

The following weekend Wendy, Dianne and I did a 20 mile ride. Dianne, much to her dismay, rode Serenade and I rode Tia. If Tia was to go off I wanted it on MY head. I was super cognizant of my diagonals and of making sure she was using both her leads. I have a tendency to go 2 point when I ride her at a canter. It’s somewhat of a self preservation mode but a bad habit that I need to quit! I made sure I was sitting back in my saddle, keeping off her shoulders and trying to maintain good riding posture. She felt strong through the whole ride. The other thing we will do is keep to the saddles we know work for her. Maybe this has nothing to do with her but, for now, we will try this. While Tia has nothing left to prove I really hope I can bring her back. I will continue with the magnawave as she really seems to enjoy the sessions.

I know some people are afraid to try our sport in case they fail. I have had some epic failures. But isn’t that how we learn? While things didn’t go my way I still had an amazing time and I learned new and interesting concepts. There is always more to know in this sport. Lots more!

What are your goals? Have you set them? Some say if you write them down then you’re more accountable. If that works for you then do it. Want to ride a 15, 25, 50 or 75 mile ride this year? We will be offering them. Don’t know where to start, how to get fit or how to manage your horse? We can help you with a plan that works for you.

My goal this year is to ride the 100 mile ride at Big Horn. While it may not go as planned I know I won’t get there without making it a goal. Once the weather is a little less frigid we will start our hill work. And, as always, the fun of night riding. I must eat more carrots!

What if I fail? Ah yes but what if I have fun in just trying!

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