Fall Grab-Bag

How do you break a tooth?

I went to the barn one day this fall and noticed a hard bump on the side of Leo's jaw. It was one of those: "Was this always there and I never noticed before?" moments. I continued to ride Leo but scheduled the dentist to come out the following week. Turns out Leo broke one of his teeth!  The dentist had to pull out the pieces. Luckily Leo didn't crack his tooth down the middle to the root. Once the dentist pulled the pieces out, he was good to go. Yuck.

Insanity Slacking

You may be wondering where the 60-day Insanity completion celebration is...I have to confess that I only made it through week 4. Week 4 coincided with our move into our new house and Insanity took a back seat to the rest of life. Mike and I did go running a couple of times and we could run 3 miles no problem even though we haven't run in a year or more (thank you Insanity). But I do need to get back to it. I've had a month off now and don't feel as strong riding. Strangely, I also felt better when I was doing these killer workouts every day. 

New Dressage Saddle!

Patty Merli told me stop riding in my old dressage saddle in early fall because Leo's back was so sore. On one of her visits to the farm, I tried out a bunch of dressage saddles and ended up buying a Kay Hastilow saddle. Kay Hastilow is the master saddle fitter Patty trained with. She only has one saddle she has designed and manufacturers - this one...

The saddle I got has a petite flap. We discovered that most dressage saddle flaps are too long for my leg. Evidently I have a long thigh but short calf. It has an external knee block, which helps my leg from riding up, but also requires that I ride with a longer stirrup length (something I need to get more comfortable with). It has a wool skirt, which Patty prefers for Leo. PLUS (and this is the silly part) it has red/burgundy leather piping that matches my dressage bridle, so CLEARLY it was meant to be. 

Leo moves so well in this saddle and it much more willing to engage his back now. Plus, I am super happy to report that his back is not sore at all. Even though saddles are a huge expense, it's such a stress relief to know you are fixing or aren't causing any back problems in your partner. 

Fox Hunting is not for Leo

Leo, Georgia (Julia's lab) and I went out for a hack on a Tuesday and as we reached the edge of the corn field adjacent to the property, we heard hounds. Leo and Georgia went on high alert and I decided it would probably be best to turn around and head back to the barn. Well, Leo couldn't walk in a straight line - he just proceeded to trot sideways. Then the hunt came out of the woods. Leo and Georgia took off like bats out of hell - running in the opposite direction of the hunt which lucky for me was back to the farm. I didn't even bother trying to rein Leo in until we hit the cross country field. He then proceeded to do an extended trot all the way back to the barn. Needless to say, I don't think hunting is in our future. 

From our vantage point back at the barn, we watched the hunt gallop across the fields. It was pretty exciting and quite a site to behold!

Finger Fractures are stupid

Remember how I bent my finger back putting my saddle on the rack? Well, I finally got it x-rayed because 5 weeks later it is still bothering me. Turns out, I have a small fracture right at the joint. It appears to be where the tendon connects to the joint; Mike things the tendon probably stretched and fractured the bone in the process. The knuckle on that finger is still swollen and I can't get my engagement ring on, but they tell me it can take months for the tendon to go back to normal. At least the competition season is over so I can take it easy riding-wise. Who knew fingers could be so bothersome! 

Ciao Italy! 

Mike and I are headed to Italy over Thanksgiving. This likely means I will not be going to Aiken in the spring to compete unless something dramatically changes financially, but I am looking forward to wandering around Italy all the same. Last time I was there was the summer of 2000 so it's been a long time and I love Italy! This trip will be especially fun because we are meeting 2 friends in Venice who we'll travel around with. I personally find 4 people to be the optimal travel group size. 

Hopefully I won't be in horse withdraw. I'm in a serious love-haze with Leo following our last event. I've completely reverted back to a horse-crazed 13 year old - Leo is all I can think about!