No news is good news

Well, it’s been quiet around here. Amber’s abscess is now almost completely gone. There’s maybe still a pinky nail sized spot that’s healing over, but the swelling in the surrounding tissue has dissipated and I can put her noseband back on 3 instead of 1. Her jawbone on the right side is no longer sore to the touch, and I’ve noticed she’s been pushing even more into the bridle – that is, when I freaking actually get out to ride.

Spring is usually nice in Vegas, and while we have a cold winter, it usually warms up in February, then cools down and the wind comes into the valley in March, and it’s generally gone by the first week of April. This winter has absolutely been the winter of sustained wind storms. We’ve had gusts up to 51 mph that completely whiteout outside to where you can barely even see the barn, and the barn is maybe 10-15 yards away. Usually, we have wind, but never for so many days in a row. It’s been pretty crazy, and it’s either not windy at all, or it’s 30+. The horses are as sick of it as we are, and since there’s really just desert around, that sand gets really harsh when it starts blowing.

Saturday was really the only day I could ride, and it was another super successful ride on Whisper. Especially now that she’s much fitter due to lunging, she gives me a super canter from the start. It’s even a little “fast” for her, but it makes me so pleased that now “forward” is her new thought. She’s understanding that I want cadence and collection, and getting a lot more confidence in our “training” as well. She feels happy, ready to go, eager to please, and I’m just really pleased and honored she’s let me work with her. She’s a tough one, has continued to teach me patience, but the reward is huge. When you see me close my legs and lift my hand to take a bit of contact with her and she slows and sits back on her butt even just that tiny bit, it’s taken about 2 years to develop that response. She’s confident now that even if I correct her or have to correct her a little harder than usual, I always give her a wither scratch or a pat or a vocal praise once she does it. It’s so cool to kinda feel her calm down or try just that little bit harder once she’s praised. Her right lead still needs work – she tends to get stiff and to curl around your outside leg instead of your inside one, so we only do short spurts of really correct work to the right whereas we do almost the full arena twice to the left because she’s naturally better that direction. But she’s a rockstar, and while February was our only show for the spring season (no shows May to August because HOT) we’re not upset. It was a great introductory show, she was phenomenal, and we have more to work on that will help her succeed for next time.

I had volunteered as ring steward on Sunday – not knowing the show was last weekend. Oh well. It was the blast. The judge was so sassy and hysterical – I loved being her steward and scribe. But let me tell you – being a scribe and counting half scores for ranch riding and reining without coffee first thing in the morning was brutal. I shamelessly admit to using my phone half of the time lol. But she was very kind to the riders and gave them pointers. It wasn’t too windy yet to ride Sunday when I was done midday, but once I got home I fell into bed and slept. I was pretty exhausted. Plus I had some other things that really needed to get done (AHEM Mandy – way to procrastinate on taxes), and was still exhausted by the time I went to bed for work on Monday. So it’s basically been no riding and waiting out the wind.

On the plus side, Amber got new fly stuff. She looks bubble wrapped which, let’s face it this horse needs haha. So far, I’m really liking the product. I do think Amber gets sweet itch tho, so I’m hoping her new fly mechanism will help along with more of TTT’s tea tree shampoo and perhaps some meds from the vet. Her rubbing and itching can get really bad. So, we’ll see how all of this goes.