Making Some Progress, One Step at a Time

Auggie's Correction pad helps to solve some problems!

       

    The correction pad arrived in the mail three days later, and I was eager to test it out. Holly instructed me to put one foam shim in the right, front pocket of the pad and then place it between the saddle and the normal pad. Once I had tested it out, she would return to the farm to observe Auggie moving with the saddle and without the saddle to compare and make adjustments. This change could make a huge difference for the outcome of our training, as improper saddle fit can lead to all sorts of behavioral and physical problems. I was very hopeful that I was on the right track.

    That Tuesday, I tacked Auggie up as usual and included the correction pad under the saddle. He still threw his head when it came time for the bridle, but I was more prepared for that at this point and allowed him to lower his head into the bridle when he was ready. It was going to take some time to get it right, but I was starting to learn the horse and he was beginning to anticipate my next moves.

    

     I normally didn't give horses treats directly from my hands, (I preferred to put them in the food bowl to save my fingers!) but Auggie seemed to need some extra rewards to help encourage him. I started to keep a few "Meadow Mints" in my pockets for the occasional reward when he really deserved it, and as he learned what treats were, I saw his attitude begin to improve little by little. Gradually, he learned the joys of carrots, apples, zucchinis, lettuce, peppermints, horse cookies and sugar cubes.  When he took the bit, I tried to reward him quickly to enforce the positives. 

    As we exited the barn and went to the outdoor arena, I noticed that someone had removed the step ladders that had been there to serve as mounting blocks. I shrugged and figured I might as well use the hill just outside the fence of the arena. I wasn't sure how well that would go, but at least the grassy hillside was less intimidating than the mounting block was for Auggie. I figured he would have to learn this technique at some point if we ever made it out on the trails.

    I parked him on the lower side of the slope, just as I would have back on the trails in Wyoming and stepped into the stirrup carefully. To my surprise he stood like a stone, never flinching as I climbed into the driver's seat. He seemed content to stand on the grass and wait for me to get comfortable. I knew that I would ultimately have to use the mounting block long term to save his back, but it was relief to know that he could stand so well for this type of thing if the situation called for it. I wasn't sure if it was the correction pad reducing some of his pain or the fact that he just hated the concept of the mounting block, but his attitude was greatly improved that day. 

Auggie finally started to find some comfort with the saddle, but there was still MORE to do!

    The ride was slightly improved, but Auggie continued to stumble here and there at the trot. I began to feel concerned that maybe something else was going on besides the saddle that hadn't come up in his vet checks. Was it inattention? Lack of coordination? Difficulty balancing my weight? An old injury? His shoes were still relatively recent from Omega and his toes did not look long at all. He did seem to be more at ease, but there was still something a bit suspicious about that right side.

    Holly met with me a couple days later to watch Auggie in action with the correction pad. The mid-September sun was warm and pleasant as I took Auggie back out to the outdoor arena that afternoon to meet with her. With Holly holding his head, I was able to hop on his back without as much fuss, but he still wanted to walk off quickly once I was on. I was back to using the step ladder out there and Auggie just wasn't a fan of that.

    We went through several iterations of walking and trotting as Holly watched from the ground, asking questions and observing along the way. I hopped off, and she made adjustments; I got back on, and she observed. We took the saddle off and hand walked him without it; we put the saddle back on and watched again. 

    Holly picked up on the fact that his right, front leg was falling short every so often, sometimes taking a half step. This was more noticeable with the saddle on, but it did not totally resolve when the saddle was taken off. She felt the right leg for heat or deformities and couldn't find anything obvious that could cause lameness. She continued up the leg and into the shoulder region, brushing away his long, thick mane to get a better look.

    " So I don't think anything is actually going on with the leg, but there's this huge knot right here at the base of his neck where it meets his shoulder," she said as she gently pressed into the meaty area under Auggie's mane. As she pressed deeper, Auggie stepped back abruptly and threw his head.

    "Aha, there's part of the problem there! It feels like old scar tissue or something," she said as she continued to feel around the neck and withers.

    "Well, I guess that's where his harness would have been rubbing him when he belonged to the Amish," I replied with a sense of relief.

    "That would make sense," Holly said as she switched sides to continue the examination. 

    "Not so much on this side, so it looks like his right side was dominate under harness."

    "Well, it might make sense too that he would run unevenly on the roads because of the crown in the road. The right side would almost always be lower, so he had to compensate," I concluded.

    "Probably. There's certain areas that may be particularly tense and painful from that kind of life. The poll, the area around the tail, and of course the back. I think what we need to do is use the shims and the correction pad and make adjustments every 4-6 weeks as his body changes. He's going to need to be worked equally on both sides so that he can get more balanced and hopefully break up some of this knot in his shoulder that is kind of preventing him from moving freely. I definitely recommend things like massages and chiropractic work to help that along and I can send you some information about equine massage as well in the meantime."

    "Sounds like a plan. It looks like we have a lot to do!" I responded.

    "I would just take it slow with him. Don't underestimate what you can accomplish at a walk, lots of things like walk pirouettes and lateral movements; slow easy stuff to build him back up again. I wouldn't get into cantering too soon," she concluded.

    Now I had more answers. Even though it still seemed like a massive uphill battle, it was actionable and re-assuring to know that something could be done to help him along. The next phase would be finding a good equine chiropractor and scheduling his hoof care with one of the Farriers that came to the farm. I considered trying Magnawave therapy on him as well, to help with the aches and pains. If nothing else, this would be an exercise in patience and diligence.