Lame.
That about sums up Cruze’s life with me. Which sucks for both of us. I had plans for him when I brought him home which amounted to a lot more than one flat lesson in a torrential downpour and one cross country school.
But such is life.
I’ve decided to put him out to pasture, per se I mean he always is out anyway, and ignore his existence until September 5th when the farrier comes back and assesses if he can be safely shod with pads or not.
I’m not going to attempt another arena ride until that point. It just pisses us both off and we get nowhere. Part of his under saddle attitude is no doubt due to being painful though a lot of it is just him trying to see what he can get away with. The problem is that I don’t want to push him like I normally would because I know his feet hurt.
If it ever stops raining I’d love to start taking him out on the trail with his boots on trails I know have forgiving footing. If we are stuck to a walk, might as well return to my love of the trail and get him some exercise and a change of scenery from walking figures in the arena.
In the meantime though, why not spend money?
First, he is going on a course of gastroguard. I don’t like his rough, dull coat and he has plenty of reasons between the move, change in life style, and foot issues to have sprouted some stomach issues. If I’m not riding right now anyway, I figured it was a good time to treat him for potential ulcers. Good thing Hubby is a vet and gets a killer deal on this liquid gold.
Second, I splurged online a bit. He needed a new bit as the chunky French link snaffle was a tad too small and he hated it. He had been going in a d ring myler, so I decided to order one and see if it made a difference. Damn those bits are expensive though. I tried it on him once and it made an immediate difference. No more chewing the bit or trying to spit it out. I only walked but he didn’t try to rip the reins from my hands one time and was much, much steadier and happier. Nothing like a perpetually lame horse with champagne taste.
In the same order I threw in a jolly ball toy with a likit treat. My hope was that he would take to eating that instead of his wooden stall door. Anyone care to guess how that played out?
He took one sniff, threw his nose in the air and immediately returned to the door. Sigh. I don’t know. I’m either going to just remove the stall door and replace with a stall guard or cover it in Tabasco sauce.
The other item in the box was a new girth. He takes a 48″ and hated Gem’s antichafe girth as much as she always did. It didn’t have elastic ends instead claiming the entire length had stretch and both horses really didn’t enjoy it that much. I want to stack the deck in our favor once we do return to riding, so I got him a nice fleece lined girth that he seemed to approve of by not trying to eat me as I slowly tightened it.
Of course the husband questioned why I spent money on tack items for a non rideable horse, but one can always dream of riding the horse you specifically bought and paid good money for to do just that.
The last item was Keratex to help harden the sole and hoof wall.
In reality, my “ignore him until September” is really “don’t get your hopes up to ride while continuing to pamper and coax his health along”. I have texted back and forth with Trainer about doing some ground lessons and learning how to ground drive him because why not? Might as well work on something and it may just help once we do get back under saddle. It can’t hurt.
So that is that. I refuse to get worried or upset until the farrier says he has enough hoof to shoe him. The big guy grows on me daily and has been fun to get to know better on the ground without the under saddle stress. The pace season will start at the end of the month and maybe we can spend the fall hitting those and enjoying the cooler weather together. We will see what time brings us.
The Roaming Rider 
ugh.how was the water park hope you all had fun! 🙂 And I hope too that shoes can be but on the big red dufus next time. Hey at least you have a farrier! Trying to get one to get back to me is like shooting fish in a algae-filled pond. Not happening. But I digress.
I am glad you put him on ulcer-guard and are spending all the money on him and totally think you should ground drive the big goof ball too (and get video please HA HA HA).
I am glad you like him….because sheesh just imagine if u didn’t! PS I have a stall guard up for Remus and have a rope across Tate’s stall (his stall guard is on the way). Remus doesnt really chew the stall door but there are some marks on the one to the field so I put this up. Worth a shot. Stateline has a pretty nice cheap version of one that has held up even to Fat Buckskin leaning his poundage on it 🙂
Poor Poor Cruze. So misunderstood 🙂 HA Fingers crossed!!
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The water park was a blast!! So glad we went. Finding a farrier has been a nightmare made worse by the fact I work outside the home and no farriers work evenings or weekends.
Ground driving may end up being hilarious. If I can I’ll try to get video for your entertainment.
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Oh, Sara! How very frustrating. I hope this time off does wonders for you both.
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Thankfully it has been either an inferno or torrential downpour so not much riding to do anyway. It is fall and the start of the hunter pace that will bum me out of we miss
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Ugh that’s frustrating. But glad you got him new things! I think the gastro-guard is a good call! Amber likes elastic too. And either leather or fleece. Maybe felt. But that’s it haha. She’s pretty particular as well LOL. I’m glad you’re enjoying getting to know him! He seems like such a goofball and super cute even as annoying as he is.
Amber wouldn’t lick her lick-it either, and to finally get her to mess around with it I had to hang it on the stall wall like a roller and slather it in molasses. She certainly started going at it after that! Maybe that will work for Cruze? haha Oh those picky horses…..lol
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He is annoying but also super cute and cuddly and makes me laugh on the regular, so his current lameness issue is forgiven.
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Ground driving lessons sound like a lot of fun and definitely a skill that will come in handy (and one on my own list of things to learn!)
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I figure it can’t hurt and may help with his work related attitude issues.
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Yowza, what a bummer. Ground driving sounds like a cool thing to learn. I’ve never done it, but one of my friends did it with her young mare before riding her, and the mare is a champ undersaddle. It’ll keep him in shape, at the very least!
I laughed out loud at Dusty’s comment about buying tack, but you gotta do what you gotta do!
Agree on the bits- my last horse went in a $15 plain snaffle. P has gone from a Myler to a KK to a Nathe. Like $500 right there in bits over 4 years.
I hope the time off works and the farrier gives the ok for shoes!
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It can’t hurt and will give me something to do with him while I wait the eternity it is taking for his hooves to grow out.
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Subi LOVED that bit so…? You never know. Jiminy and I need to join you and Cruze in ground driving lessons… ASAP. Just saying. Oy.
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Jiminy ground driving would be adorable! Cruze is basically an overgrown pony so it will be interesting
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i mean. some ppl might see that shopping list as “ruthlessly practical” but i see that as like, the most exciting haul EVAR omg….. liquid gold?? soft flufffffy fuzzzzy girths?? and keratex omg!?!? yup that’s basically the stuff of dreams haha, or at least ,so my horses have thought 😉
i’m sorry that this has been such a rocky start for you and Cruze. it WILL get better tho! my fingers are crossed for good news during his next farrier appt 😉
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“ruthlessly practical” HAHAHA!! My splurges are pretty much that!
Hopefully by September he has enough solid hoof to shoe and we can move on from this rough start.
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Oh horses!!!! But at least he’s cute 🙂 I was cracking up as Dusty complaining about spending money on s horse who can’t be ridden… bc ummm he will one day be rideable so you must be prepared!!!! Plus he’s cute soooooo all the money for Cruz!!!!! Hoping both our boys are back in action soon bc it would be sad indeed if we missed out on the hunter paces!!!! So many fun places to go!!!
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The paces are my favorite thing to do, so he better be ok by then!!!
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Horses! I use Keratex and put it on twice a week. My horse is shod in front and barefoot behind. This summer has been hard on feet; hot and very dry followed by torrential ran and thunderstorms that left the paddocks waterlogged. So he has had a couple of chips on the hind feet but nothing too serious as yet. I started him on the Keratex four years ago due to thin soles.
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The original farrier recommended Farrier’s Barrier but it is a moisturizer and the new farrier was not on board, so I switched to the keratex. The cycles of hot then soaking wet have happened here as well.
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