Ace has bucked me off. To be fair, I don't think it was his fault. I took him over the road and I thought as I led him up the yard that he was unhappy on his feet. The first part of the hill is very steep and he seemed very unhappy about putting his back into it. I thought it was that he did not want the pressure on his toes, and I sent him forward to check that he wasn't just being lazy. He did one enormous buck and I shot up his neck. I got back into the saddle, but by the time I had, he was piling down the steep slope back towards home and still bucking, and I thought that I would be safer on the floor than trying to stop him. I have grazed my arm where the plate is just under the skin and I wouldn't even have that injury if the plate wasn't there. But my pride is dented quite well :-)
I led him all the way up the hill to the flat piece on the top and got on. He was jumpy and feisty, but fine and we trotted circles until he was completely calm. With my heart in my mouth I rode him back down again, knowing that if I was wrong about the feet, and he was just napping, that I was in for a fun time riding down the hill. He was fine. Downhill, there was no pressure on his toes. He was very footie on some rounded stones in a gateway too.
I have changed his haylage lately to one which I thought was less rich. That seems to have been a mistake and I will put him back on the pure ryegrass. It may be better fermented, or cut later, or something but it must have less sugar in it. Either that or the pony cubes he's had have set him off, but he lived happily on a great whack of them every day in winter.
I am going to go and fetch him in at bedtime. He's out now with a muzzle on, but he has to come off the grass and be got completely right before we can test what he can and can't tolerate. Nic Barker's OH has a mare that can only do 4 hours a day on grass and Ace is looking similar. It is such a good job that I have the facilities to keep him in a nice big barn overnight, rather than imprisoning him in a stable.
I'm sure that the charcoal, and possibly the yeast, is doing something from the way his weight and poo changed. What on earth would he be like if he wasn't on it? We certainly know now why the German stud wanted rid of him as an unbroken 4 year old, don't we? I'll bet he had laminitis good and proper last spring and they couldn't ride him. My good luck, to get him cheap because of it.
C
Darn! It's never the first one that gets you, but the ones after. Only had Tucker let fly with more than one buck at a time once, and that was when a HUGE horsefly bit him. I hit the dust too, so I know exactly how it feels. Hope your arm is OK.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone can manage Ace's metabolic issues, I'm sure you can. It's just going to be a matter of figuring out the best combination of feeds, supplements, and turnout.
Just goes to show even the best riders can go off, and the best horses can act up. Have a feeling you may end up being a bit more sore than you expect, so do take care of yourself.
Oh pooh, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope your healing genes are up to recovering as fast as usual. Sorry it happened though.
ReplyDeleteTake care T
Hope you're not too sore!
ReplyDeleteI'm fine, thanks folks, just a little bit stiff on the right hand side of my lower back. The worst bit is where I grazed my arm from the inside out by rubbing it on the ground where the metal is inside it - not to be recommended. I'm going to buy a neoprene guard and wear it when I ride out in future.
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely my fault, he was sore. I can replay it in my head and I know exactly why he did it - pushed him to do something that hurt. I'm happy to school him later and know he won't do it again.
He was in the barn overnight and perfectly happy this morning. I'll ride later and report back.
C