Friday, August 1, 2008

Summertime Notes

I heard from my friend Wendy today. We attended junior high and high school together. Both of us were horse crazed girls. Then she moved to Idaho, got married and now lives on a small ranch that looks like it belongs on the cover of a greeting card. Anyway, she related in her email how the weather seemed so hot when she was trail riding. It was a whopping 80 degrees.

Just to show the disparity between our climates, 80 degrees is mild weather for us. It barely calls for sunscreen! Now, 90-95 degrees... that's getting hot for trail riding. And that's what it's been like by midday out here. So I hustled outside early this morning before the sweat could began to slither down the middle of my back. I gave Wally a good longe down in the arena behind my house, sponged him off (in an effort to help him be more comfy) and then tacked him up and rode around the neighborhood for about 30 minutes. I'm so happy that he seems fully recovered from his odd bout of soreness last Sunday.

I spoke again with Jennifer, my vet, and she really thinks that it's not a classic stifle problem, but perhaps something to do with a nerve being occasionally pinched or irritated. She compared it to over-exerting yourself, then plopping down on the sofa. And then, if you suddenly stand up, you feel a horrible pain or cramp so that you can hardly walk for a few minutes. Since it has only happened 3 times in a year and a half, and Wally recovers rapidly with no after effects, I think I'll refrain from spending $1,000 or more on a fishing expedition trying to pinpoint the cause of the transitory problem. Obviously, if it becomes something more chronic then I'll be coughing up the cash.

Let's all have a moment of silence in hopes that it doesn't come to that.

In the meantime, Wally is still on a diet. Color him Not Happy with Me. Then again, I've also decided that I'm perfectly fine with him being what I refer to as a "ladies recreational pleasure riding horse." In other words, he can just be a part-time trail horse/part-time arena horse/full-time backyard pet. After all, it's not like I'm free of any medical restrictions. Perhaps Wally and I both have to learn to live with our limitations.

By the way, I'm having another surgery on August 13. But that's a topic for another blog.

Meanwhile, I'm judging a horse show near San Diego on Sunday. Wish me well. I'm hoping it'll only be about 80 degrees down there. You know, like it is in Idaho.

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm wishing you cooler weather! It's been 102 here, and that's not with the heat index! Now THAT'S HOT!
I am going to be taking my 3 year old colt to his first horse show later today! I can't wait! He is very much a big pet, and he thinks everybody ought to just LOOOOVE him!
In contrast to Wally being on a diet (poor guy!) my Blue is a very lean guy. No matter how much feed I put in his bucket, he is just a narrow little guy! He is half paint/ half racking horse. We hope to have him trained to pull a pretty buggy!
Anyways, good luck at your show! Hope it's cooler there. It is supposed to be well over 100 here tomorrow. :(

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad i don't live in CA! I think i would go crazy from the heat. I like cold weather better even if it involves dragging water buckets and staying warm as you walk through snow, in 30 below ! the things we do for horse.

Anonymous said...

Wow you think 90-95 is bad,how about 105 thats what its going to get up to today.Its hasn't gone under 95 since summer started.

Anonymous said...

Wow, 80 degrees sounds wonderful. It has been in the late 90's here with the heat index in the hundreds. I was actually at a dressage clinic yesterday and the instructor trained in Germany and said they were complaining how hot it was there (it was about 80) and when she was telling them how hot it is here (TN) they were like "oh".

Cindy Hale said...

Well, as you might be able to tell from my latest post on my blog, the weather at the horse show was quite pleasant. But then, I was sitting above the action, fully enclosed in a nice breezy booth!

Tomorrow, however, I have to ride horses for Sue (my ex-coach). But I have to interview someone for an article I'm writing first thing in the morning, which means I won't saddle up until nearly noon. And that, my friends, means I'll be sweating in my half-chaps once again!

Anonymous said...

Good Luck with your surgery! I hope you have cooler weather. I live in North-Central Alabama and the heat and humidity here is horrible. We have a heat index of 110 today. Those who have 80 degree weather are so lucky!

Alecia