A bit of Horse Heaven

This lovely weather that we have been having is great trick training weather!  Missy and Kitty have been doing a great job learning and trying to learn new tricks.  I've been so distracted by Kitty's injury, I really haven't had time or even felt like trick training....until this week...I thought to myself that it ain't fair that Kitty is injured and I'm just gonna pretend she's not!  We're doing tricks this week!  And boy, have I had a FUN time!  It's a bit of horse Heaven!!!  Kitty is absolutely amazing!  I wish I could get someone to take a video of all her tricks-she really does enjoy making me laugh!  She's quite the entertainer!  I'm very pleased to announce that Kitty has laid down for me 2 days in a row!!  And taking less than 2 minutes each time to do it!  This is not a trick I regularly practice because I prefer nice weather to try it in since I'm encouraging her to roll or go down.  Kitty is a tricky horse to teach things too.  She's very smart, but not very giving.  She wants to resist pressure instead of give too it.  So...I'm trying a harder/longer way of teaching a horse to lay down.  This method uses no force-no pressure-no nothing-just a cue!  You just encourage your horse to lay down on its own.  I first started this method in the summer. After a long sweaty ride, I would take Kitty into our new!!! sand!!! round pen!!!!!!!!!! (yes, I love it!) and look at the ground point at it and say down.  Of course she had no clue what I wanted at first, but when she laid down, I'd give her lots of praise and treats!  She understands this trick better now as she will always stare at the ground and paw-she just doesn't always lay down for me!  But we're on a 2 day streak!!  Also, I haven't tried to keep her down yet.  She usually lays downs-waits for me to give her a treat and pops back up, but I don't mind if this method is slow.  It's the only method that works for her.  The others she resists to extremes and this method she just goes down naturally.  If it's a long wait-that's ok with me and if she gets bored with it I guess you won't be able to say I didn't try!  :)  Here's proof that it did at one time work!

Good News or Bad News? (Kitty update)

Took Kitty to the vet today for an x-ray and the good news is no broken bones or fracture could be seen.  In fact, everything looked good even her flexor tendon!  Praise God!  So why is she so swollen?  Could be she bruised some tendons pretty bad in her "bump" accident.....you could see some swollen areas on the x-ray, but my vet, Buzz (he's a really nice guy!) didn't see a problem. He'll consult with his buddy Dr. Keller too so we'll see what he thinks.... So where does the bad news come in? He thinks it may take awhile for her leg to heal completely or it may not ever heal all the way-as in stay swollen...so we're not really sure what we can do but wait...WAIT???  I'm so tired and weary of waiting!  Isn't 4 weeks enough?  I guess God thinks I need a lesson in patience--He's right-I'm not patient, but will strive to be during this process.  Hopefully, Kitty will heal up and be 100% again.  If not, I will force myself to not feel sorry for myself--I've had her for over 10 years and I can't say enough good about her.  She has taught me many lessons.....I wouldn't trade her or our experiences together for ANYTHING!   I'm NOT giving up on her healing either!  I have ridden her lightly now for about a week and a half and she is holding up great!  In fact, after a ride the swelling in her leg goes down!  So....I'm trying to remain hopeful and positive that Kitty will be herself again! The vet told me that he had a horse that took 6 months to a year for the swelling to go down...so there is lots of hope in this if you look for it!  Keep those prayers going up!  

Waiting is hard....

If you have read my blog or kept up on face book posts, then you already know about my horse's leg injury.    Kitty is a VERY awesome horse.  I have had her for over 10 years and she is very special to me.  I'm not even sure what happened....all I know is that my horse has a swollen leg/ankle that just won't go down!  Now at about 4 weeks later, I'm finally going to take Kitty into the vet for x-rays.  I would have done it sooner, but we (including my vet) thought the injury wasn't as serious as I'm thinking it is right now!  I'm very nervous as all I can do for her is wait....wait....wait....wait till Wednesday morning.  I know God has helped Kitty and I through a lot of dangerous situations, but for some reason, I feel licked this time.  I guess it's because I'm wondering WHY?  Why would God do this to Kitty?  We had such a great year learning tricks, showing, trail riding, and even going to His Ranch to show the kids our tricks?  Why after that, would God decide that my horse had to get hurt...didn't He see the results?....kids and adults smiling and laughing and appreciating Kitty.....I thought this was what God wanted me to do with my horses...share their talents with others.....I can't even be mad at God either because there is no where else to turn--I feel trapped and confused.  I've cried myself to sleep praying to God for answers.....I just don't see the whole picture He is trying to paint-maybe I just don't want to see it.  Well, whatever is it-I guess I will be finding out just how bad my horse is hurt on Wednesday.  I don't want and do want Wednesday to come.  I sure would appreciate your prayers.........

Picture of her swollen leg...:'(

 Fun times together-just before injury