I may be 1 year and 4 months behind on this....

But I decided to drag the blog out of retirement. Why? Because things were going SO. WELL. for me and Maxwell, and now....they aren't. We're on stall rest, guys. I need a place to come complain to.

A silent bounce board where I can rant, rave, cry, whatever. And share my experience of stall rest. I've been SO lucky in my life to never have owned a horse that required any sort of significant stall rest or recovery. But surprise surprise, now is my time!

Oh, Maxwell walked me down the aisle at my wedding back in October. I need to make a post full of pictures of that!

I guess we can start off with the backstory and diagnosis.

Three weeks ago, I came to the barn to do my usual turnout and stalls routine. I went to pull Maxwell out of his stall, and he was reluctant to move forward. That's unlike Max. He's not high strung, but he's ALWAYS ready to go out to turnout. I finally got him out of the stall and as we started walking, I noticed he was taking strange, short steps and flinging his head around. Then I saw it. The swollen front left leg. How did that happen?

It probably started out a little something like this....Baby Maxwell LOVES to play with his herdmates. And I would NEVER take that away from him. Except for right now, when it's mandatory for his soundness. You best believe, regardless of whether he injured himself in turnout or not, he will return to communal turnout when he's healed. Living in solitude is no life for a herd animal, and I refuse to be selfish. I may say a prayer from here on out when he is turned out, but I will never take that away from him.

So, back to his stall he went, and as of yesterday has been on stall rest for 3 weeks. The vet finally came out last Thursday. I had waited a little bit because at first I wasn't sure exactly what it was that we were dealing with. After standing wraps, stall rest and Bute, with the help of my ever so wonderful barn owner and friend Summer, we determined this was probably a tendon injury. Fast forward to last Thursday where it was all confirmed.

He presented lame at the walk and trot, hot, swollen, etc in the lower tendon region of his left front. After 2 weeks of basic care; stall rest, cold hosing, sweating, poulticing, standing wraps, hand walking, etc, the swelling and heat have minimized a TON.

The vet took a look at Max, did a basic lameness exam, and examined his leg. He did not palpate with any pain when the foot was on the ground weight bearing, but when the vet lifted his leg and palpated the tendons again, he was quite painful. Interesting note, I never realized it could present one way and not the other. I had no clue this entire time he would palpate painful because I had been palpating with his foot on the ground. Ya live and learn, that's why we call the vet out, right? So because he palpated painful and we still had some swelling, it was time for the ultrasound.

Sedated for the ultrasound

Thankfully there were no super obvious lesions or holes in any of the tendons. He has a few fibers torn in both his Check Ligament and Deep Digital Flexor Tendon. He did a number on himself, but thankfully it could have been SO much worse. I'm still waiting on a copy of the ultrasound once the surgeon takes a look at it, so I will have a bit more information about the tears at that point. Hopefully nothing else obvious comes of it when they're reviewed!

The prescription is stall rest for 6-8 months. We will stick with stall rest for now, and as things recover and he's cleared, he'll graduate into other small turnout situations before finally rejoining the herd. We made him a "play pen" out of pipe panels, so there's no chewing, and his movement is still minimal, but he can regain some sanity.

SO here we are, 3  weeks into 6-8 months of stall rest. And me as a worried horse mama...I'm freaking a little bit. Mostly because I don't want Max to be unhappy, or lose his sanity. I've spent most of my time researching things to help facilitate that, and I'm sure there will be many things that I come across as time goes on. See below for some changes I've already implemented to save some money...

Max being silly in his modified turnout before vet diagnosis

Max in his attached paddock that he tried to eat

Horses on stall rest can be expensive. You think it ends with the vet bills, but it doesn't. Not if you're doing it right. Follow up vet bills, added supplements, enrichment toys, and hay. Especially hay. I used to do a segment here where I would outline budget conscious items for horses. I've already found a few cost-saving measures to help offset some expenses I'm incurring above my normal budgeted monthly horse amount.

Shoes.

There's a big controversy when it comes to shoes and an injured horse. I honestly was a bit apprehensive to remove Maxwell's shoes once he was diagnosed, because....change is scary. But after talking with a trusted friend (thanks Summer) and doing a bit more research, we decided to turn this into a positive thing. The year of new feet. Max went something like 1.5 years post track life barefoot and he did totally fine. It was my choice to slap a pair of front shoes on him, and when I did, it was like trading in a Camry for a Ferrari. He moved much better. The thing is, though, that I had shoes put on him after I swapped farriers. The barefoot trimmer I had prior to my farrier now had kind of caused some issues in Max's feet that made shoes a viable option to keep his feet together, in addition to the added athleticism they seemed to bring. I never really got to see what my new farrier could do to make Max's barefoot feet their best. Until now! Maxwell's shoes were pulled today. I hear reports that he walked out of his shoes totally sound. That makes me very excited! Now we can focus on keeping his toe short, bringing his heels down, growing out the nail holes, and seeing if we can't get us a beautiful solid foot by the end of this stall rest. If things go well enough, we'll try to go back to barefoot! Why not?

Cost savings: $65 a month ($100 shoe cost - $35 trim cost)

Supplements.

Some people believe more in supplementation than others. I'm an in-betweener. I'm not die-hard, but if I use something and it seems to work, I will continue to use it. At about the 2 week mark, Maxwell began to get rather stir crazy on stall rest. He's still a pretty good boy in the grand scheme of things, but it made me sad to think he was in some sort of distress because he couldn't go hang out with his friends during turnout, or get enough fresh air day to day. So while I enjoy SAVING money, and CUTTING things where I can, I found something I needed to add while on stall rest. Something to calm and soothe.

I spent several days weighing my options with calming supplements. My vet had given me a bottle of Ace for the particularly "sassy" days, but I felt that something more gentle for day to day use was still necessary, possibly to take some of the edge off. The biggest useful piece of information I gathered from researching calming supplements were that they generally fall into 1 of 2 categories. Category 1 is for nutritionally deficient horses that are reactive and "naturally" appear high strung. Category 2 is more of an herbal focus with little or no nutrients added, and is directed towards horses who are not typically "high strung" but are experiencing some sort of disturbance that is causing them to lose their cool. Moody mares and their hormones, and horses on stall rest tend to fall into this category. I went back and forth between the two supplements below, before finally deciding that my horse would benefit more from herbal calming rather than nutritional calming, because he has a very balanced diet. He receives a large quantity of Magnesium, the primary "calming" agent in nutritional calming supplements, from other avenues, so I didn't think adding even more would do any good, but maybe the herbals would.

I went with SmartTranquility because it had ample amounts of herbal ingredients thought to support a better "well being" in both horses AND humans. Max hasn't received it yet, so I'll be sure to do a review on that product once he's had it for a few months. Smartpak also offers a money back guarantee on their "guaranteed to work" supplements. So after 2 months, if I've not noticed favorable results in my horse, I can discontinue the supplement and received my 2 months' money back.

Another supplement that Maxwell is on is Ugard. Looking through this blog, you've seen my trials and tribulations with Maxwell's stomach health, so it's safe to assume stomach protection is important now that we're on stressful stall rest. After trying supplements with different active ingredients geared towards the stomach, I've always come back to Ugard. I've tried taking him completely off and have also tried swapping supplements with different active ingredients. Nothing seems to work as well, or be as cost effective as Ugard. So naturally, now that he's taking a double dose of Ugard, I've begun to panic. $17 a month is easy to stomach at the normal dose, but when you double it, it kinda makes a difference to MY very slim pocketbook. On a search I went. I didn't expect to find anything to help facilitate a cost savings for this supplement. I refused to cut it. What would I do? Well, THANK GOODNESS, for once, I found something that is both superior AND cheaper than Ugard. Are you ready? This is my biggest cost savings right underneath removing his shoes. Introducing, LegUp Stomach Pellets. More about "LegUp" in the next post I do. They have some cost-effective options for a variety of things. Take a look:

I was SO happy when I saw the comparison, and the price! I'm currently paying $34.50 a month for a double dose of Ugard, which is providing Maxwell with 1,988mg of Magnesium and 1,704mg of Calcium--the two big "stomach buffers" in most antacid type supplements (and that's a DOUBLE dose!). 1 single dose of LegUp Stomach is providing 3,500mg of Magnesium and 4,000mg of Calcium, along with a guaranteed amount of Aloe Vera and Pectin-Lecithin. Ugard contains both, but not in guaranteed amounts, which leads us to believe they aren't in any significant quantity. The only other items contained in Ugard that are not in the Stomach pellets are Kaolin Clay and Diatomaceous Earth, both not in guaranteed amounts either. It has come to my attention recently, that the amounts contained within Ugard will neither hurt nor help a horse, but that in bigger quantities, they really don't help much if at all. So the change is being made. Same active ingredients in a more potent amount, for a LOT less cost. I'm totally down! Super excited for this one.

Beyond those two things, I haven't really changed much else. I've decided to keep him on his Tri-Amino supplement for as long as I can stomach paying what I do each month for supplements, because I really believe it is keeping his muscles in better condition than they have ever been in before. (well, since retiring from racing). That will be one I could remove if I needed to save a bit more, but at $11 a month, I'd rather my stall bound baby look handsome with less of a build up time when he starts to rehab.

Cost Savings: $20.51 a month swapping from UGard double dose to LegUp Stomach Pellets

Hay.

If anyone can help me find a way to save on hay, that would be great. Because there is no way to save on hay if you're feeding it the right way, as needed, as much as they want, 24/7. Sigh. I did purchase a bag of Timothy/Alfalfa pellets. I've been giving those as needed to entertain him in toys, and also a few scoops here and there as a supplement to his hay. I love seeing that he does seem to take a while to eat them, longer than hay, so he has something available to munch on for longer periods of time, at a cost savings overall.

Enrichment.

Maxwell loves wood. He will chew wood when he's feeling good (though not nearly as much) and has hay. But on stall rest? Beaver. He had a nice run-out stall until he went and ruined that by chewing on the fence. We're very lucky he can be stalled in a concrete block stall with a metal stall guard, to prevent any further defacing of property while he recovers. He even gets his "cheater turnout" in a metal pipe "corral" of sorts, so chewing is no longer an issue. But enrichment still is. The day he was diagnosed, I panicked and started ordering stuff. I ordered Max this:

Which seemed like a great idea. I gave it to him last night, and he rolled it around a bit, but overall didn't have much interest. I suppose it could have been because it was super dark and cold last night. But anyhow, I fill it with hay pellets and let him do his thing. Prior to this I had filled water bottles. Much cheaper, I must say, but an important issue came up about him possibly ingesting the plastic from the bottles. Because he's Maxwell, and he does stuff like that. :-) So I've not really saved any money on enrichment, I've actually added money because of it. He needs stimulation. I can see how bored he is getting. He used to spend the entire night playing with his friends in the herd. Now he spends his days alone. When I enter his "play pen" with him, he immediately begins playing around as if I'm one of his herdmates. Not exactly safe, but I cannot blame him, either. He REALLY loves to play, and he doesn't understand why he's not allowed. So I try to enrich him with whatever I can to help curb that desire to play. It doesn't always work very well because I can't be there as much as I wish I could, but I hope it does something. We go on walks, I hang out with him, and I've even begun teaching him "cues". I haven't purchased a clicker to clicker train him, but the thought has crossed my mind. He is already learning that "back" and a swoosh of my hands towards him, means back. And "come" with a curl of my finger, means come forward. Simple enough. We'll see what else we can convince him to do. I might have a circus horse by the end of this.


All in all, things could be much worse. I'm hoping the light at the end of the tunnel comes a lot sooner than the vet thinks. He's recovering quite quickly. I don't think I've noticed any sort of fluid or swelling at all this week in the affected leg. He's completely sound again. Things are moving in the right direction. We won't go fast, but we'll continue on at a controlled pace. I also don't want to over-baby the tendons. It's about time to start laying down new, strong tendon fibers, and nothing but controlled exercise and a controlled environment will help that. Things should start moving up from here. I hope!

Hello? It's me....

WOW!

I was doing so well on this blog, and then, silence.

In my defense, a LOT of things were/are going on.

Lots of changes, ALL GOOD.

Let me just start by saying Maxwell has been phenomenal! Things have been on the up swing for some time now, and he's just doing wonderfully!

Back at the end of May, I decided Maxwell could benefit from some "horsie bootcamp" at his Auntie Summer's house, to help with some ground work/manners road blocks I was coming up against with him. He did wonderful there for the 30 days, and I have to admit the thought of bringing him home was difficult. Maxwell had been integrated into a large group of geldings for his night time turnout, and he was thriving. Yes, he came in with some bites at first, but Maxwell is rather mouthy by nature, and probably deserved about 98% of what he got. He found his place in the herd, and the transformation that took place was amazing. His attitude changed. He finally had a "place". Prior to this, Maxwell was kept in a smaller paddock with one other horse for turnout. He had good and bad buddies, but would typically annoy them to death. You can only take so much of one "person" (or horse) before you get annoyed with them. Especially when they're as obnoxious as Baby Maxwell can sometimes be ;-) But being in the group of geldings helped him to understand his place in the herd, gave him a purpose, and a LOT of playmates to annoy. Maxwell was very happy with his arrangement.

Maxwell has never been what I would consider stall aggressive, but he was definitely stall "stressed".  He really hated having horses peering into his stall. The stall he was kept in prior to boot camp was wood boards about 1/3 of the way up, and then went to wire mesh from there up. Great ventilation, but terrible privacy for horses who require such. He spent most of his day biting the metal mesh, kicking at the wall, and generally just being really grumpy while in his stall. This is something that has significantly changed for him since moving to Summer's place. Her stalls are wood top to bottom. He can't see the horses next to him, and he likes it that way. He IS an ex racehorse. A horse who when stalled never saw the horses next to him. It's his safe place. His man cave. His fortress of solitude. It's amazing the difference in his attitude when something as simple as a more private stall is added.

The 30 days came and went, and I had a really hard time coming to grips with bringing him back. The facility I had him at was okay enough for the average horse. The things Maxwell was getting at Summers were things that just couldn't happen at this facility due to the way it was set up. I made the decision to keep Maxwell at Summer's. Two days later, I found out the facility I had him at prior was ceasing operations and closing down. Clearly, my gut instinct to keep Maxwell where I felt he belonged, was definitely a good one. We were finally home at Silver Race Farm.

Maxwell had a second round of Omeprazole treatment while he was under Summer's care for the first 30 days during boot camp, followed by a round of Sucralfate. His health is perfect, and his body is making some lovely transformations. Between a second stomach ulcer treatment, a hind gut treatment, and a reduction of stressors, my horse is finally flourishing.

I can't put into words the "thank you" Summer deserves. Without her, I would have a grumpy horse, at a facility that may or may not provide what Maxwell really needs. I am beyond lucky and grateful to be allowed to keep my horse at a facility that puts the horse's needs first. He's fed as much hay as he wants, is kept in a stall that keeps him calm and happy, and turned out with a bunch of mostly Thoroughbred friends to play with. Not to mention, the attention to detail. Every little detail. No stone goes unturned. Something most people can only dream of. I was so used to fretting over every single minute detail of my horse's care. For the first time since becoming a horse owner in Florida, I could relax a little. I could focus a little more on our training together. And boy is Maxwell progressing.

I've always been of the philosophy that slower is better. I'm not in any sort of a hurry to get Maxwell anywhere. I am taking my time to develop this horse as best as I possibly can. He's really starting to blossom. Everything is just starting to click. I've quickly become a better rider for myself and for Maxwell, and he a better horse, under the guidance and help of our new barn. I couldn't be more proud to say I'm a member of Silver Race Farm. That Maxwell & I are finally "home".

Our most recent photo together. Finally a horse and rider on the same page.

I just knew...

I'm going to be completely honest in saying it took me about 4 days to compose my words for this.

And even in those 4 days, I've been unable to completely convey into words what the last year has been like for me. That goes both equestrian-related and personally. But I'm going to try.


Every horse obsessed person who spends any amount of time online is guilty of spending hours scrolling through horses offered for sale. I'm guilty as charged. At the end of March 2015, I made the difficult decision to place my beautiful buckskin pony Bella up for sale. As much as I adored her, I'm a realist. I realistically knew her and I would not be a compatible match in the show ring. Finely boned large ponies and adult riders of average height just don't pin in the hunters. Bella was a blast to ride, spend time with, and especially to look at. But I yearned for something more. Something bigger, something a little better suited to my body, and more suited to what I wanted to do. So I put my selfishness aside, and posted her for sale. It's probably one of the hardest things I've done when it comes to horses. I still to this day wish I could have her just to have her. She's strikingly gorgeous and amazingly talented. After getting a couple of nibbles with the sales ad, I started to look into horses that I could see myself growing with; horses that complimented me as well as I could compliment them. Throughout this process, a certain horse kept popping up. Every single day, it seems, Baby Maxwell would show up on my Facebook news feed. Someone would comment on a photo his owner had posted, and that striking photo of his kind, gentle eyes would show up again. I would later joke that he was haunting me. He really was, I think. Someone somewhere somehow wanted me to meet this horse, and equally as important, his owner at the time, Summer.

I spent over an hour on the phone with Summer on that memorable Wednesday evening. Chatting about Maxwell, Bella, the whole shebang. Talking about Silver Race Farm and the gaggle of animals that call Summer "mom". I was scheduled to try two horses the following day, and made plans to come visit Maxwell the day after that. On Thursday during the drive to Lakeland, I spent most of the time gushing over Baby Maxwell. I managed to not utter "Baby Max" for the two hours we were at the farm trying the other horses, but the moment we were back on the road home, Baby Max came back out for discussion. I distinctly remember cruising down 301 as daylight disappeared chatting with my barn owner Kristina about this mysterious Thoroughbred. At one point she even said something along the lines of "It sounds like you already have your mind made up--and it isn't either of the horses we just went to see, is it? (Good job Kristina, perhaps you're a fortune teller, because you sure did tell the future!)

I got little sleep that night, impatiently awaiting my meeting with Maxwell and Summer the following day. I don't even remember my work day that day. All I remember is speeding down the road to get to the farm so we could head over to meet this beast. My heart was beating out of my chest, my stomach in knots. You would have thought I was going to meet a celebrity or the president or something SEEMINGLY much more official than a horse.

The moment we walked into the aisle of the barn and I saw that beautiful bay gelding standing in the cross ties, his gleaming caramel eyes shining at me, I knew. If I had any doubt in the few days leading up to this moment, I knew for sure now. I didn't even need to lay a hand on him. Summer actually had to invite me to look him over because I just stood there in awe of this creature. I've never felt that way about a horse. I'm not exactly sure why I felt this way about this one, but I've learned not to question gut feelings. We spent a few minutes together, as I got to know his "charming" personality. That would include swinging around to bite during grooming. Many people would have turned around and left at that point. But I knew. I knew his sour puss attitude was apart of what attracted me to him so much. Deep inside that big strong heart, I knew he liked it. He would never show it, and still doesn't, but I knew. We tacked him up, and off we went to an area where I could spend some time with Max under saddle. Up until this very point, Max had exactly 1 off the track ride. #2 started with Summer getting on first. Not because I was scared, but it's just my way of doing things when I try a horse, and typically it's pretty normal for the horse's owner to get on first. I want to see the horse "go" first. Summer hopped on and walked him around. At this point in time, obviously, that's about all he'd done post track. A few moments later Summer invited me to get on. Obviously we didn't do a whole lot, it being only his second ride, but I just freaking KNEW. I knew he was gonna be mine. He could have tossed me off and promptly took off and I probably would have still taken him home. His soul sucked me in and it was all over.

It's important to add in, now, that while I was gushing over this special horse, I was also taking careful note at the type of person Summer was. A professional, no doubt, who absolutely put every animal in her care first. Her quality of care, attention to detail, and her knowledge in the industry are paramount. This would be the perfect place for my little pony girl Bella. Good thing, too, as that evening once we returned to Kristina's barn and began turning out horses, I made that decision. In a few short sentences I told Summer that I just HAD to have this horse, and I really wanted her to be where Bella went. We worked out the logistics of it all, and by the end of the night Bella had a new mom, and me a new horse. It's safe to say I didn't sleep at ALL on that glorious Friday night, either.

I woke up extra early the following day. I got to the farm at about 7:30 in the morning and sat down in Bella's stall and sobbed. She didn't care. She was busy with her hay. But those few moments in the stall with her were so important to me. I brought her out and gave her a final bath. If you know Bella, you know that everything MUST be perfect for such a perfect pony. I groomed her up as best as I could. Summer hadn't yet met this beautiful pony, and I wanted her to look her best for her new mommy. As the clock ticked down and it got closer and closer to time to leave, that fluttering in my heart started again. Me and Bella had some special moments together before I loaded her up onto the trailer one last time. Tears rolled down my face. But I was truly happy. I had this overwhelming sense of peace. I would miss the little girl dearly, but the peace and calm resonating within really helped.

The drive was uneventful. Driving through Myakka is one of my favorite things to do. Until this point, I never had a reason to. I was getting anxious by the time we got there, partly to see my new boy again, and partly because I wanted Summer to see her new special pony!

Long story short, we exchanged food (horse, not human!), hugs, tears, smiles, and ultimately, horses. I wouldn't know it yet, but that was the beginning of an important friendship in my life. I guess the best friendships start with horses, hugs, tears, and smiles. Maxwell loaded up and we were on our way home.

Baby Max in his first few moments at home

A very special day, bringing home this lovely creature

I found the horse of my dreams that day. A year ago, today. I had always envisioned my dream horse to be a 4 year old Dappled Gray Warmblood monster. I came home with a modest 16 hand, 7 year old Bay Thoroughbred instead. And he couldn't fit the ticket any better for what constitutes "horse of my dreams." I see every obstacle, hurdle and challenge that we've worked through in the last year, and in each case we've triumphed, I've learned, we've learned, and grown together. I can't wait to see where myself and Maxwell can go.

The story doesn't end there, however. Maxwell and I have a bond I've not experienced with any other horse before. It's weird. I can't even quite put into words what he means to me, or how to explain that bond out loud. It's just there. The same can be said for the wonderful person that provided me such a magnificent horse, and who gives my favorite pony a wonderful home, too. I found a special kind of friend in Summer. I found someone who burns with the same passion that I hold. It's so hard for me to make "friends". It has ALWAYS been that way for me. I moved A LOT growing up. 3 states, 9 houses (while I was in school), and 8 schools. Needless to say, making a long-term connection to any human that wasn't family was rather difficult. At 7 years old back when the internet wasn't really a thing, it was infinitely more difficult to keep in touch with friends. At 12 years old, keeping in touch was more of a concept, but I had just spent the last 3 years befriending nature, animals, and perfecting my love of horses in Tennessee. I stayed in touch with the horse people. Keeping in touch was much easier as we moved around the 3rd state, but even still, deep roots are hard to grow when they keep getting pulled out of the soil. My oldest friend is the one I met on my first day of school in 6th grade. I'm grateful to still know her and call her a friend. Summer reminded me of deeper roots. You can meet someone once and feel that connection. Over the last year I've been lucky enough to see a friendship blossom. One that I believe can and will stand the test of time. The test that has failed me so many times in the past. I'm so thankful for Baby Maxwell, for Bella, for Summer. For the whole situation. There really are no coincidences in life. There was a reason I met Summer and found such a supportive, caring and loving friend in her. And Summer brought Maxwell into my life when I needed him and he needed me most. Summer came into my life right when I needed her, too, and has proven that over and over with her support in me both in horses and "life". I always thought I was a bit of a cold heart when it came to sappy stuff, but it's clear that when I get on the subject of good, important friends, and amazing horses, the tears are still able to flow, the heart flutter, and the face smile.

Summer & Maxwell, you are two beings in my life that mean a great deal to me. I wouldn't have one of you in my life without the other, and I feel like I need to acknowledge that often and express my extreme gratitude for both an amazing woman and an amazing horse <3

Celebrating a year together. He hangs his head in embarrassment of me, hehehe

Big smiles and a satisfied look for Max

OH HE LOVES ME. hehehe

My Muffin Rocks!

Today I'm just going to share something that I posted to my facebook on Sunday in regards to a wonderful ride I had on Maxwell on Saturday:

Yesterday something amazing happened. You see, Maxwell had one ride off the track before I brought him home almost a year ago. Yesterday, with the amazing support and help of one of my dearest friends, me and Maxwell reached a milestone. I was never sure what his capabilities would be as I restarted him, but kind of went with the flow and let him tell me how he felt. Yesterday we killed it. Maxwell jumped the highest he ever has. Which wasn't really that big at all, but was still a huge milestone for both of us, and opened the door to endless possibilities. He met that fence with such gusto each and every time. Summer spent a good portion of the lesson teaching me to set him up for these jumps, and by the end of the ride, the set up, distance and jump were pretty perfect. I learned a wealth of information about the horse I have. And I'm so happy to have finally reached that point. We may have taken the slow and steady approach, but it's my belief that we're building a more quality, athletic horse by doing so. I am forever thankful for the amazing support I find in Summer and the extraordinary heart I find in my horse. I honestly never thought we'd be past 18" by this point, but Max has clearly proven that he's game for this and therefore so am I. 

I jumped Bella 2'6 ONE time. ONCE. Prior to Bella, I hadn't ridden in 2 years. Prior to that, 3ft was a pretty comfortable height for me to pop over. But once you lose your Junior status, take some time off, and come back as an Adult Ammy, suddenly anything over 18" is pretty threatening for a while. I'll be the first to admit that my balls didn't come with me as I matured and grew up. I mean, they're there, but clearly they were sucked up or hidden somewhere for a while because once that fence gets over 2 feet, it makes my heart palpate just a little bit! WHY!? Possibly because as you move up the heights with a green horse, there's an extra level of uncertainty. I trusted my horse, my trainer, and myself on Saturday. This was scary at first glance. Once I realized how easily my horse sailed over it (let's be honest, he could trot over it or hop over at a near standstill technically), my confidence grew, and in that, so did his. Summer helped me find that sweet spot with Max. The pace that provided the power to the jump without the speed. The set up that allowed us to both confidently get to,over, and recover from, the jump. These are all foundations for jumping, obviously, but believe me, working your green horse on your own as an ammy with minimal outside help will quickly remind you that you DO need support. You CAN'T do it on your own. Even professionals require direction, support, and continued education. The first words that Summer blerted out to me while we warmed up that day: "why are you two going SO fast?! Why such a hurry?" When I didn't even realize how speedy we really were trotting around that arena. Once you set a pace and work on it day in and day out, you don't really realize, without eyes on the ground, that maybe you're a bit ahead of the speed you should ideally be at. Another simple example of why everyone needs someone. I'm so very proud of my Thoroughbred. He had SUCH a blast this weekend, and really proved to me that he DOES love this jumping thing. I'm not pushing him to do something that I enjoy doing versus what he actually wants to do (ask the same of the flat work, and he'll tell you that I'm pushing him to do something terrible, bahah). I've never seen a light in his eye quite like the glimmer every time I asked him to jump. I imagine it was the light he carried in his eyes as a race horse, when his heart was still in that game.

I love this horse. In case you didn't already know that!

Hehehe sorry for the weird music on the video, I was instructed to edit the sound out because Summer sounded like a little school girl squealing in excitement as me and Max took the leap and spread our wings. It's so special to have someone who feels the same passion and excitement as me, from the ground <3

OH! PS! Max has a birthday (and 1 year anniversary of ownership with me) coming up next week. I've ordered him oodles of stuff (not really). He's getting a pair of BOT quick wraps for his hind legs & ankles (and I ordered 16", so it's pretty evident I'll be having to return those when they get here tomorrow for the 14"...sigh.), a new dri-lex elastic girth (smartpak's), a new personalized fly mask (gotta wait a bit for that to arrive) AND! Smartpak's Plymouth Padded Fancy Stitch hunter bridle. That was an unexpected freebie due to a credit Smartpak issued me after removing a "guaranteed to work" supplement from Max's smartpaks. You get 2 months' worth of the supplement price credited back to your smartpak account. (more on that in another post)  I took that opportunity to finally upgrade Max's bridle. He'll be so happy with all his wonderful 8 year old Thoroughbred gifts! 

Rocky Raccoon

Okay, this is one of my jams. I have no idea why, but I love it. And it just so happens that I recently had an encounter with a real raccoon (not even remotely what the song is about), but I had JUST listened to the song, so obviously Rocky Raccoon became this little heathen's name. The song happened to come on just as I opened up blogger to write this post (long awaited, eh?) so what better than to outline my brief experience with Rocky, while listening to such a song.

Anyhow, Rocky and I first met last week. It was just dusk at the farm, the reflection of the setting sun to my far west beaming ever so slightly off the barn in it's last attempt to light the Florida sky. Then Rocky appears. Typically I don't have a problem with critters running around the farm. They were here first, theoretically, however I'm pretty sure the families at the surrounding farms have lived there much longer than Rocky, the hateful jackass thief he is. So Rocky shows up, of all places, scampering--no, no. Scampering is a great describing word, but it really doesn't describe what Rocky was doing...Meandering. That's better. So I see Rocky meandering out of one of the stalls that I had quite literally just pulled a horse out of. He stopped when he saw me, and naturally I just assumed he would scurry away at the sight of me. Oh no. Not Rocky. Rocky planted his striped ass right down on the dirt floor and just stared at me. I would have offered him a cigarette as he sat there pondering life's great wonders, but I don't smoke. I wasn't sure how to proceed with Rocky. Was he tame to humans because he lives near them? Was he rabid and just waiting to make his move on me? Is Rocky really Rockette and does she have a brood of little ones behind the barn that she's just waiting to defend? I just didn't know what to think of Rocky. His coy look just miffed me. I went about my business and pretended like his black beady eyes never met mine. Half because I wasn't THAT worried about him, and half because if he was rabid I didn't want to make any sort of threatening gesture at him that would insinuate I wanted to tango with a raccoon. I did want him to move along, as I had stalls to clean, the one he meandered ever so slowly out of and parked in front of, being the next on my list. I clapped my hands, banged some things around, but damn it, Rocky just sat there, watching me go back and forth. What an asshole, if you're going to watch me work, you could at least offer to help. I see those grimy little paws, you can hold a pitch fork, buddy.

Eventually Rocky grew tired of watching a human move senselessly in his mind, from stall to stall, picking out all the smelly stuff and leaving behind fluffy dry bedding. I caught a passing glimpse of him waddling around the side of the barn, and I thought that was the end of Rocky. He'd carried on, gotten bored with my lack of fascinating things to offer, and was on his way out. Not. By the time I got to the back row of stalls in this barn, in the general direction where Rocky took off in, the sun had long since gone, and it was dark now. The florescent lights flickered ever so slightly, as a banging noise was heard overhead. My first thought was something fell out of the tree and onto the barn's metal roof. My second, and correct thought, was that damn Rocky Raccoon managed to climb his fat self up to the roof of the barn, where he could peacefully watch me working below. I could hear each step he took. To put it nicely, Rocky was well fed. He wasn't hanging out because he was hungry, or if he was hungry, it was because his mom never installed good eating habits into his repertoire, and had nothing to do with being able to access food. I carried on, no longer worried that he might give me a zombie disease, but instead rather annoyed that this raccoon found it entertaining to sit on the roof and watch me work.

Anyways, he hung out on the roof for the entire two hours I was working out there, and by the time I left, there was no sign of Rocky any longer. Until the next day, that is...I noticed the tightly sealed and well stored container of electrolytes that sits outside of Maxwell's stall (hanging up, off the ground, in a basket) was missing. I thought perhaps the last of the electrolytes were used with that morning's feeding, as I knew he was getting low but thought he had a few weeks left. When my barn owner came out, she mentioned that it looked like something ripped off the lid to the electrolytes and strew the container and it's contents in front of my horse's stall. I knew right away it was that heathen Rocky. Was it his plan all along to wait until I left to raid my electrolytes? The world may never know. The mere fact of it is, Rocky, if you're reading this, asking is SO much better than STEALING. I see why raccoon get a bad wrap for being associated with criminalistic dealings. Your black mask and jail-bird black stripes sure help you live up to the title of HEATHEN. Your grubby little paws, to be able to open such an intricate lid that was sealed so well, proves beyond a doubt that you would have been more than capable of pitching in and helping me clean stalls the night before. You lazy, stealing bastard! I hope you ate those electrolytes. And I hope the terrible feeling of thirst followed close by. You didn't eat some kid's wasted sugar candy. You ate apple flavored salt and potassium. Glad to know you won't dehydrate anytime soon, if you ever made it to the water after consuming such an amount of them.

For anyone wondering, I really don't wish harm on Rocky, ever. He was never aggressive towards me, even though I had my reservations in the beginning, as any person should when coming in contact with a wild animal, no matter how small (or fat.)...and Rocky is alive and well. And still causing trouble in the barn. Someone left a SEALED metal tin full of peppermints for their horse right next to their stall. Last night I saw hundreds of little coon prints, many empty wrappers, and maybe only a handful of peppermints still intact in the container which originally contained close to 100 pieces. The moral of the story is this: Leave nothing for this fat coon. He needs a diet and an insulin shot at this point.

Okay, so that was my week....there's really NO point to that story at all, but the song coming on just cracked me up, reminiscing about my ridiculous new friend and his insatiable hunger for sugary items.

Maxwell has been working his tail off over trot poles and poles placed throughout the arena. We've been simulating jumps with poles lately. Not because he's not capable of jumping anything more than those, but really just to help us get a momentum, build a pace, and stick to it without getting excited. Maxwell is never out of control in any situation, he's a pretty level headed dude. Heck, there is this black duck that resides at the farm this time of year. He's another jackass. He doesn't have a name. Because I hate him. This time last year, he was the cause of my pony mare spinning in a complete circle top speed with me on top of her (reining is NOT in my future, guys) and flung me promptly on the ground. It was that duck's flapping wings that caused the chaos. SAME duck yesterday. Max and I were working in the dressage ring (more about that below), and this duck shoots out of the water (from underwater, either of us knew he was there) and takes off full speed, trying to fly, but skipping over the water, likely because his stupid duck wings are full of water. Obviously Max wasn't expecting that to occur, and neither was I. I spooked, and he saw the duck, took four steps sideways, and looked at me like WHAT THE HELL is that STUPID duck's problem, mom?! That's the extend of my horse losing his cool, for the most part, unless you're asking for an argument with him. Such a simple man he is. Oh, the duck is a Cormorant, for those wondering, though the local fishermen call them some pretty colorful words other than what they truly are called, because these guys, in addition to terrifying horses and causing scenes, steal bait right off your hook while fishing, too. Jerks.

So yeah, we were working in the dressage arena. Really, what it is, is that at one point we had a boarder out there who rode dressage, and wanted to have a ring to work in. They measured it out, and built 4 wood corners and put steaks around to help outline the ring. I decided to ride Max within the confines (no real fencing) of the arena to both test how well he's responding to my direction via leg, and also to start having him work in a more condensed situation. He went wonderfully well. He might have a future in the sandbox when all is said and done. (maybe.)...

Max has been going very well overall for me lately. We've been back in the hackamore just because he seems to stretch down and over his back the most while working in this setup, so for now, we go without a bit. We'll be implementing some jumping back into our routine now, as we've really got to start nailing that down if we ever want to get anywhere with it. Being an ammy on your own is tough, sometimes. I need that yelling but helpful voice on the ground to help me maneuver myself and my horse through mistakes and sticky spots.


Anyhow, that's about all I have to offer right now. Hopefully I'll have some great rides to report on after this weekend, and maybe some photos? It's not often I have anyone else in the arena with me while I ride, but I'm going to have to start begging people to come once in a while, because I'm really curious how me and the muffin are looking together!

Mr. Sandman last night after a good roll.

Winter Spring Summer or Fall

You know the song. I've discussed it here before. I've discussed it's meaning in regards to Maxwell. But what I haven't discussed is how that very song re-verbs back to me every time I see Maxwell. I'm pretty sure if he could sing, he'd sing me this song.


You see, I've been going through a rough patch lately. My health hasn't been the best, and I've had more miserable days than good. The one continually positive correlation in my life though, even throughout this awful patch, has been Maxwell.

Maxwell has kept me accountable. Maxwell has kept me active. Maxwell has reminded me that even on my worst days, when I'm lashing out or I've completely removed myself from everyone and everything, that I still have that one goofy friend who manages to make me crack a smile. I have that friend who relies on me constantly. I have that one motivator that keeps me active. The one being on this earth that I've promised to NEVER EVER let down.

If it weren't for Maxwell, I'd probably have stopped traveling to the barn, stopped being physically active when my body aches and stabs me in the gut. But I made a promise to Max. I promised that his needs would always be met, and that his care would always be above and beyond what should be expected for a horse. This includes his training and exercise. There are days where it literally feels like the inside of my body is dying. It takes me an hour to get out of bed and ready to walk out the door. If it weren't for Maxwell, I promise you most of my weekends would be spent laying in bed groaning. Instead, though, because I promised my best friend all of these things, I get myself together, whether it takes me 10 minutes or 2 hours. I pull my breeches on, figure out what cocktail of medication I need to make it at the farm for a few hours, and I get in my car and drive. I usually spend the first 5 minutes cursing the morning. Reminding myself that if it weren't for this "needy animal", I could be at home relaxing, maybe not feeling so badly. All those negative feelings, even the physical ones, seem to diminish, however, when I pull down that driveway and see my pretty bay's head poking out of his side window, ears as far forward as they go, staring intently at my little red car.

Time stands still when I'm with my best friend. The healing that takes place when in the presence of these animals is astronomical. I know I'll regret saying this, because it is quite possible that it's all a coincidence (I AM a realist, sometimes, after all)...but it's rare that my symptoms get to the point of limiting me while I am with my horse. They seem to be so much less intense when I'm at the farm. I'm not sure if it's because while there, my mind is focused 100% on Max, and therefore I'm not busy worrying about how badly I feel, or if he does, in fact, carry some magical medicinal property in his coat, slobber, or sweat. But I do know that it's a rare occasion that I feel so terribly as to have to stop what I'm doing, while in his presence.

There are days where riding sounds like a terrible idea, as most of what ails me is right in my stomach. But I still climb into that saddle. And we put down some fantastic rides. I don't even know how my body manages, to be honest, for there are times when I am doubled over in pain, unable to handle the discomfort my body at times produces, but I manage to put in some amazing rides, still, and Maxwell, my best partner, always tries his hardest for me. Don't get me wrong, he still tries to get away with things. He still acts silly, he still makes mistakes. But his trying attitude makes up for it. He might not perform each maneuver I ask of him perfectly, but he sure does try so very hard to figure out what I'm asking of him. That's the most I could ask of any horse. I especially love his imagination. I've never been on a horse who has such an idea about the world as Max does. He truly looks at new exercises and really tries his best to figure out what it is I'm asking. We tried raised cavaletti over the weekend for the first time. It was a hilarious fail, but once again, it gave me a wonderful glimpse into the mind of my Thoroughbred. He didn't give me the correct answer the first time through, but GOD did he TRY. It was a one side raised, to a fully raised, to an opposite side raised cavaletti. He managed the first and last perfectly, as we'd been working trot poles like monsters lately. But that middle one? Well, when he sees a solid obstacle in front of him, he's been told to JUMP! So JUMP! he did, even though the spacing was clearly for that of a larger trot step over. But by god, this horse managed to trot the first, jump the second, and find his body with enough time to properly trot over the third. We only went over it three times, and when I realized he just wasn't ready for the entirely raised cavaletti, we stopped. But his continued effort to figure it out, and put together the two pieces of the puzzle that he did know, speaks VOLUMES for the mind that he has. He has such a brilliant mind. Just because he thinks differently than a human, doesn't make him stupid. I think people really need to remember that when having a difficult time with their mount. These animals are pretty brilliant, and deserve far more credit than many give them.

So thank you, Baby Maxwell. You really needed a human when you retired from the track. You really needed your person. You had a rough last go of it, and deserved someone to build you back up to the horse that you've always been. I like to think you found that in me. But in return, you've been better than I could ever ask you to be. For keeping me going when I want to give up, not because of anything you've done, but because that's the easy way out, and I just don't feel good sometimes. Thank you for being the driving force that keeps my body moving. Thank you for giving me so many hours of bliss when I'd otherwise be in pain or discomfort. Thank you for holding up to your end of the deal, being the best friend a girl could ask for. I promise to keep up on my promise too. That's why you're back in 4 times a week work. No complaining, Mister. I know you like that firm round rump you've already started to define in the last 4 weeks. I'm sure your back feels it's best when it's strong and filled in with muscle. And I'm sure those harder weekend rides feel much easier now that you're working more regularly again. It's Spring now, Baby boy, and this is our year. I can't promise that I'll always feel my best, but know that you, being you, that silly silly Thoroughbred I fell in love with 11 months ago, is enough. It's enough to keep me going, to keep me working, to keep my motivation up.

I often wonder where you would be, without the good people at the track, Summer, and myself. But maybe I should start wondering where I would be, at this very moment in time, if it weren't for you.

Sorry I've been lacking so much in posting! It's been a rough go of it lately. I'm suffering with some pretty interesting stomach and GI issues. Now you all know why GI health is so important to me for my horse! I've started to live the pain! I'm going to try and make a better effort to post more. It feels good. I don't even know if anyone reads these...but who really cares? I'm perfectly okay with talking to myself. At least if no one is reading these, there's no one to make fun of me for talking to myself, right?? :-D Check back soon. I promise another post, not gushing over the amazing animal I own, will be forthcoming! 

The Man, The Myth, The Legend....The Retired

I have a very important announcement to make!!!

Baby Maxwell has officially been retired from racing for ONE WHOLE YEAR!

Okay, let me admit something really quick. His actual retirement anniversary is tomorrow. I'm writing this today, Friday February 26th because I don't intend to be on the computer for an extended length of time over the weekend and I wanted to get this important post done today for all to share in the joy :-D I'll be busy spending time with Max!

Baby Maxwell ran his last ever race on February 27, 2015 at Tampa Bay Downs in Race 5, A Claiming race for 4 year olds and up who have never won 3 races. Baby Maxwell ran 9th out of 9 the entire length of the race. Race notes state he was "outrun" which probably wasn't a surprise, considering his odds were something like 59-9. His heart just wasn't in it any more. Various notes from his last few races clearly paint the picture that Maxwell was ready for a new career. I got to watch a few of his races, including the last one he ran, online, and if I'm being completely honest, I thought it would be a little comical, to see the horse I've come to know so well run around the track and flat out lose. But it actually was quite emotional and my heart broke for my Baby Maxwell. He's number one in my heart, so to not see him being celebrated as #1 those days really tore at me. But his race career, while not the best, did yield two winning runs. Let's celebrate those two moments in time that Max was toted as top Horse for his race. Those are the two runs I want to always remember. Because he truly is a winning horse, in many ways other than racing, and that's how he should be celebrated!

I probably shouldn't post these, because I didn't buy them and they have a watermark on them....but I'm totally linking them to their proper owner. I do want to buy them, but just haven't gotten around to spending $22 per print. At some point I will! And I'm sure they'll be shared again!

© Coady Photography

© Coady Photography

This win photo was taken May 4, 2013 at Calder in Race #4. It warms my heart a bit to see Maxwell in the winners circle making owners and trainers very happy, just as he makes me very happy every day now!
















This win photo was taken August 3, 2013 at Calder in Race #10. I absolutely LOVE his finish photo, you can see he was ready to give even more to get his jockey across that line in the lead. I also love to see the winning photos with him covered in mud. If you know Maxwell, you know he thoroughly enjoys splashing around in mud puddles. Perhaps he should have run on a sloppy track more often, and could have yielded some extra wins ;-)












I feel making a big deal about the first year of retirement from racing is important. You see this athletic beast go through so many changes, peaks, valleys, and eventually perfection if you're careful and lucky. I'll have another bigger brag post on April 4th, when I celebrate a year of ownership with Maxwell. But for right now, I really just want to celebrate the horse he's always been. A dedicated athlete; bred, born and raised to be a winner. To always try his best. To put his heart behind everything 100% even when his heart might tell him no. Maxwell always tries. When he says no to something, there's usually a DAMN good reason why he's said no. His can-do attitude may not have won him as many races as his owners and trainers had hoped, but it sure does speak for the horse that he is. I've never had such joy in my typically monotonous rides throughout the time. He's always a pleasure. Always a joy. He's the horse I'd pick over and over to cart me around. I'm so proud to be Maxwell's biggest cheer leader, his #1 fan, his biggest supporter, his advocate and friend. There's nothing like the heart of a Thoroughbred.

Maxwell spends his time in a roomy 12X12 stall during the day, munching on hay in front of his 3 speed fan, casually swatting flies. By night he grazes the grass of a paddock that he shares with an evenly tempered mare who keeps his silly tendencies in line. I see him between 4 and 6 times a week and he's ridden between 2 and 4 times a week, always making progress and moving forward in his new career. Maxwell picked one of the TOP places in Florida to retire, the Bradenton-Sarasota area. He's a Florida retiree now!

Here are two photos from Summer, the wonderful woman who connected me to this wonderful gelding. These were taken while Maxwell was still residing at Tampa Bay Downs, and below that, two recent photos of Maxwell being Maxwell. More photos of this beast will be included in our 1 year ownership post ;-) 

© Summer Thurber

© Summer Thurber

Recent Photo of the sweetest boy ever!

With a HUGE personality <3