And what is going on with Siouxsie?
Kismet is the name of the game this time, my friends, and it’s brought me a new challenge.
First off, Siouxsie is fine. She is coming along nicely, but in true Siouxsie fashion, her progress is usually two steps forward, one step back. But that’s okay. That’s what she needs to be comfortable and happy while we figure out what kind of riding career will be best for her.
I have been riding her casually, and have recruited the help of a professional rider who is very kind and very talented. Every two weeks Siouxsie gets a gentle training ride with someone who’s less emotionally invested than I am in the outcome of her exercise. It’s great for Sioux and it gives me the chance to see which of her behaviors may be the result of my presence in the saddle, or perhaps some other variable. It’s been so, so gratifying to see Siouxsie go around so relaxed.
I made the mistake of turning my horses out on new fall grass recently. My life has been rather chaotic for a few weeks, and something very important slipped by my horsekeeping radar: the dangers of high sugar in growing fall grass.
What I first thought was a challenging, transitional heat cycle, now appears to be a flare-up of a hind-gut issue we experience every November. This month is the third autumn with Siouxsie under my care, and it is the third time she has shown the same symptoms in November. Even one of my veterinarians missed the possibility of a painful hind-gut problem and assumed Sioux was being “bitchy.” It took a few days for me to figure out what could be going on with her (spooky, spaced out, unwilling to go forward, pinning her ears and grinding her teeth for blanketing), but I think we are on the path to getting her comfy again.
Sucralfate is the fastest-acting therapy when her digestive system hurts. At the time of this blog post, we’re about three doses in to treating her after my realization that grazing on the new grass might be the culprit behind her discomfort. I’ll report back with our progress in a few days. But for now, Sioux will have some time off until her stomach feels better.
The other challenge I have with Siouxsie, is that I don’t have a saddle that fits her. The Schleese jumping saddle I bought (and had fitted to her by a professional) is literally the worst thing I can put on that mare’s back. Instead of riding her in that saddle, I’ve been hacking her around in my old Hastilow hunt saddle. It is hard, slippery, and stiff, but she doesn’t object to it, so at least we can get a little work in.
Thankfully, her pro rides are done in a very nice, well-fitting saddle, so that’s good! My new saddle is scheduled to arrive mid-January (I know. Ugh.), so Sioux’s winter training will be as consistent as possible with limited resources.
In the meantime…
Kismet rained down on us last week with an unusual set of circumstances that led to our adoption of one very sweet, OTTB mare. Owner’s Suite is her JC name, and we are waiting for her to arrive.
For the full scoop on this story, sign up as a Stall and Stable Friend or as a Sponsor for Owner’s Suite. I will be recording private podcast episodes that will chronicle her first year at Hoo Hollow.
