Update on Dandy's health

Well, it has been a week of treatment for Dandy with Cough Free. I evaluated her on Saturday, just going for a bareback ride in a near trail, she did good, we trotted a tiny bit and NO COUGH!!! I was thrilled! She still got her supplement that day anyways. I was planning on stopping them starting today (Monday).

Oh, and yes, I can trot bareback without ending up on the ground!!!! I did get off at the end of the trail when we were coming back because I only tied the lead rope to her halter and the knot didn't hold... LOL, she can do a one rein stop, once she realizes that I don't want her to turn circles like that! So she did stop... I tried to tie the lead back to the halter from her back (my girl is very patient), but I couldn't quite do it, she was fidgity and wanted to go back to the colt, which was screaming just a few hundred feet from us. I still managed to get her to stop and stand to try again, but no deal... Then, I heard my dad coming with the snowmobile, fast enough (he didn't know that I had taken Dandy for a quick ride), so knowing that I only had one "rein" and that it was one of Dandy's first times this year around the noisy snowmobile, I slid down from her and held her lead... turns out, she did great, even if my dad was charging our way... he did slow down and stop to talk to Dandy once he saw us standing there. She was still fidgity and wanted to go back to the colt... so I made her be patient a little more.

After my dad took off with the snowmobile, I made Dandy trot back to the barn on lead. I'm not usually for trotting back to the barn in any way, but I like her to be able to trot on a lead line when I ask. It's a good skill to have if you need to move quick out of an area while on foot. I cannot get on my horse bareback from the ground, even if I could when I was younger, I'm now bigger and much less strong, so I can't quite swing my leg high enough. Dandy is 15.1 hh and I used to get on a 15.3 hh Quarter Horse gelding bareback about 10 years ago... oh well... I guess times change... I wish I had taped that for proof... I still don't know how I did it back then! All I know is I thought it was easy, but no one else could do it. I used to grab mane, stand with my back to the horse's neck, swing my leg over and then just sit up straight. I'm probably scared to hurt the horse and I don't quite swing hard enough, used to work smoothly and very well though.

Anyways, Sunday, I was anxious to go on a longer ride. So I saddled up Dandy and put her bridle on after warming the bit in my hand as much as possible (my hands were frozen so I don't know how that worked out). I climbed on and practiced her skills a bit. Remember, we didn't ride for a long time!! She seemed a little rusted, but pretty good for having had a month and a half off! So we headed off. I found myself rusty as well... the last horse I had ridden was Peg a few weeks ago, lets just say that Dandy and Peg are two very different horses. Dandy and I made it to the hill (there is a hill on our land that takes you down into a mini valley with mountains each sides and a few ponds and creeks down in the middle. I didn't risk taking the hill down, because we would have to climb it up again and I didn't know if Dandy was in shape to do it. So we took another trail that hugs the side of another mountain, we have a choice to go up that mountain or not, so I didn't. By then, Dandy and I had trotted a bit in the packed snow. She was blowing her nose a lot, but nothing major at this point. She seemed pretty normal.

Towards the end of the trail, there is a downhill drop that is about 25 feet high and quite steep. Dandy and I always go down at a walk, but the momentum always sends her in a trot at the bottom (I know, she is just using the energy to go faster...). As soon as we were down the hill, Dandy coughed... three big coughs. I was disapointed and felt that I had pushed her too far. We only did a few little trots of about 10-20 seconds each... Our ride totaled maybe 1.5 km, maybe less. We didn't canter at all and there was no signs of cough before that time. I was very disapointed. I brought her back to the barn and decided that she would keep taking her supplements (Cough Free) for another week. I will give her this week off and give her a little ride maybe Saturday the 26th. It is supposed to be a little warmer, maybe that'll help Dandy.

I can't say that the supplements didn't help. Before giving them, I would only be done saddling up that Dandy would cough, if she didn't cough then, she'd cough as soon as we would step out for our ride... naturally, I wouldn't push Dandy at all. When the cough first came around, I could ride for a good while and she seemed to only cough when she was warmed up. Then her eyes got really blurry and her nose was running and oozing thick white stuff, she would cough in the pasture, at rest, she had fever and was very lethargic. Now, she doesn't cough at all in the pasture, she runs and plays without coughing, her eyes are as clear as ever and her nose is not running anymore. She is much more alert and playful. That's why I wanted to try a ride, she seemed fine. I'm not giving up, she will get the recommended amount of supplement daily for another 5 days.

I have some time off during the Holidays (Starting Thursday the 24th) so I will not be posting much during that time... I will take advantage of the daylight (we don't get much this time of year) to spend time with the horses and do things outside... as well as get a good dose of fresh air to recharge the battery.

If you are all wondering about the colt... here is a more recent picture of him (last week). He is now 6 months old and growing like weeds! He is the sweetest thing ever! Jet black (yes, even more than Dandy!) with only a star and his inner pasterns are white on both hinds.

Here is a side view of him. He is kind of in his ackward stage, he is downhill and clumsy, but he leads great and gives his feet. We are able to trim his feet without a struggle. He will probably grow up to look like his dad...

Here is a picture of his dad. Remember that these are Canadian horses, which are used as much for hauling than saddle... they are considered a draft breed.