To Conclude

So often, real life stories aren't tied up with a neat bow and followers are left to wonder how the story ended.  I am happy to report that this story has a happy ending.  Larry has returned to New Jersey with R, his prior owner and caretaker during his racing days, to live happily ever after.  I think they were meant to be together, and I wish them all the best.  Larry's good looks will not be lost from the public eye - he will continue to be shown in hand and will be used for light riding, too, so he can continue to showcase the many shapes and styles that Standardbreds come in, including beautiful.  If you want to continue to follow his adventures, R started a blog for Larry at notsostandardstandardbred.blogspot.com before I had him, and I sincerely hope that he continues to post there now that Larry has come home to stay.  To follow my adventures with my new Standardbred, I have started a blog at redheadedstandardbred.blogspot.com.  Thanks for following.

Getting off the Ride

The roller coaster ride has continued since my last post.  On Lar's good days, I can almost convince myself that I can find a work around his condition and somehow make him a show horse despite the phantoms that plague him.  On his bad days, I just cry and feel my own spirit crumple a little more.  I know it's not his fault, but it still sucks.  It's time for me to get off this endless loop of rising and falling hope, of not knowing when or why he's going  to have fits.

Larry has a price tag on his head now, though it isn't much - just a few hundred dollars.  He's listed on the internet and I've been hauling him to every little saddle club show I can find (exploring some very rural and remote areas of the state to get there, I might add) armed with a stack of flyers and a smile forced on my face.  Even glossing over and downplaying his condition, there has been only a little interest quiet trail horse with "minor" issues, particularly issues like his. 

I have little doubt that I could give him away easily - to some scumbag who would put him in the next auction to turn a profit on a pretty horse's misfortune.  From there, he would change hands quickly and often, falling into increasingly desperate living conditions as his chain of owners discovered that he wasn't right.  I narrowly avoided this with the palomino horse of my dreams I bought from a horse trader a few years back.  And I won't go through it again.  (The abbreviated version: I bought a yearling from a shady horse trader, and as he grew a hip condition manifested itself.  Despite extensive medical care and a year of stall rest, the horse couldn't hold up to more than occasional light work.  When I tried to give him away as a pasture pet/light trail riding horse, the best offer I got was from a lady who told me everything I wanted to hear, including that she ran a horse rescue.  I arrived at a shabby single-wide in the middle of nowhere surrounded by ramshackle fencing on a steep 3 acre mud cliff.  Her "rescue" had just her personal mare, who was in foal.  I left him there despite my better instincts, crying the entire drive home for betraying a horse who had done nothing but trust me.  In short order, I discovered that she solicited free horses and quickly turned them for a small profit.  I managed to get him back through a clause in the contract I made her sign, but it was a close call.  I eventually found him a good home as a companion and trail horse, but it wasn't easy and I don't expect to get that lucky again.)  And I won't go through it again. 

What continues to amaze me about Larry is his willingness to stay cheerful and keep trying despite his pervasive (and by all accounts painful) problem.  You'd think after years of living with discomfort that he'd become surly and withdrawn.  I have no doubt that without the condition, he'd make a very nice horse for any rider or discipline.  I also don't blame his last owner for the condition. HSS is not especially common and many horsepeople simply haven't heard of it.  I knew something was off about Larry, but it took me several months to pinpoint what was behind his problems, and the horse came from a non-riding home.  Under those circumstances, it's easy to attribute an occasional fit to simple stubbornness and to call his behavior in the stall a quirk.

I've ridden this ride as far as I can bear it, though, and it's time to get off.  What kind of life is there for a headshaking horse whose biggest attributes are his beauty and tolerance?  I'm down to my last few options. If I can't find him a trail riding home, I may try to have him placed through a horse rescue as a pasture/companion horse where he can live out his days eating and hanging out with a buddy (good work if you can get it!) or donate him to the university as a research horse where he could be used to teach conformation to the students and participate in nutrition trials.  (I grant that the term "research horse" sounds scary, but having worked with them, I can assure you that they spend most of their days living the life of Riley and doing little else but loafing in the pasture interspersed by the occasional experimental diet and blood test.)  I hope that these options work for him, though in this economy I'm sure there's no shortage of horses being offered up on either front.  It's heart-wrenching to give him up, but it's even more heart-wrenching to keep him.  I cannot continue to ride this roller-coaster of hope and despondency, hoping for a magic wand and being crushed because it's just a common ordinary stick.  It's been a long ride in a short time, but it's time for me to get off now.  It's time for Lar to write the next chapter with a new owner and a job that he can do.


Video of his rotary headshaking and mouthing behavior in the stall.  Some days he does this nearly constantly when in the stall, other days not at all:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaVkmG4j6wk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNaApPBzjfI

Chasing Pavements

I have been mulling over the writing of this blog post for a while now.  As I turned on the radio and sat down to start writing, the Adele song, "Chasing Pavements" came on.  The lyrics are quite fitting to the the questions circling me right now.  "Should I give up, or should I just keep chasing pavements?"

I am facing some tough decisions on several fronts.  I know I am fortunate - I have a supportive husband who allows me to reach for my dreams.  I have roof over my head, food on my plate every night.  I have cars to drive, horses to ride, and pets to love. I have some tough decisions ahead of me, and it is better than facing a difficult future without the ability to make those decisions, but they are still tough. 

A sweet tabby face and chirpy meow greets me whenever I open my basement door.  Bob, the one-time barn cat who adopted me last fall, always has a cheerful greeting for visitors familiar and unfamiliar despite the FIV that has torn down his immune system and allowed giardia to ravage his innards.  Treatment only eases his symptoms briefly, before the raging diarrhea resumes.  We have exhausted his treatment options.  He is incontinent and I am constantly cleaning up his accidents throughout my basement.  It's a disgusting and constant mess, but I can't be too unhappy about it when he still so cheerful, chirping and purring as he bounds to meet me, though his digestive tract must give him constant suffering.  I know that I'm going to have to make that decision pretty soon, though.  His condition is terminal, and it will fully overcome his body and his cheery outlook.  Though he keeps chasing pavements (and my ankles), I will have to give up for him.  All I can do is make his last weeks on earth happy ones, but I hate knowing that his life will have to end at my hands. 

Larry and I have been chasing pavements of our own.  He is a beautiful horse, well-built, sensible in new surroundings, calm but curious, and full of personality.  He is so close to being just what I wanted in another show horse.  But I guess there's always a catch. For Larry, it is his headshaking syndrome - the neural condition that causes him to involuntarily jerk and twitch his head.  I've researched the condition, delved into his past, and analyzed his present.  I've tried nose nets, fly masks, every bit and non-bit in my tack trunk, different (and no) tack, different riding and training tactics.  I've ridden in near darkness and in blazing sunlight.  I've dosed him with melatonin and dexamethasone.  I've cried, yelled, whispered, and begged.  I can reduce his episodes via the nose net, fly mask, and/or melatonin but cannot eliminate them.  Weaning him off of the melatonin and onto the dex made me realize that the melatonin did more for him than I initially thought, but the dex did nothing.  Somehow, his great Standardbred nature has shown through the HSS complications and he's progressed under saddle - he now backs readily with the softest of bit pressure, moves off leg and seat pressure, bends around his corners, yields his hindquarters and forehand on command, drags a rattling jug of nails off his back, and pushes boldly through a curtain of water noodles, but he'll never be able to hold a consistent frame or go like a show pleasure horse with his involuntary head flip. 

I want so much for him to be my perfect show horse, but I think the time has come to realize his path and mine are not compatible.  I want to dabble in lots of disciplines - jump, do dressage, ride bareback, go western, and push the horizons of the Standardbred in the show ring.  With appropriate management, he is certainly rideable and capable of pleasure riding and the occasional fun show (where the equipment he wears and how he holds his head aren't so critical), but I think the type and amount of showing that I want to do isn't fair to him.  I can't show with a fly mask, using the nose net is contentious beyond all but the lowest levels of pleasure shows and is prohibited outright in dressage competition.  Even if there had been a pharmaceutical answer, I still would have misgivings about the consequences of medicating him forever.  I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable jumping him when an ill-timed head flip could have dangerous consequences for us both. 

I now face the reluctant task of finding him a home that meets his needs.  I had hoped to do several more shows with him this season, optimistic that I would have found a way to make us work.  I will finish out the show season as best I can; there are several smaller saddle club shows where there may just be a saddle club member looking for a beautiful horse to trail ride and do a few small shows with.  Somewhere out there is just the right home for him, and I hope, somewhere out there, is just the right new Standardbred for me.  We start these blogs hoping they will become the chronicles for future greatness - stories of a journey to the summit of some great peak.  I guess this one is just the tale of chasing pavement that didn't lead where I hoped it would. 

Back to the Lab, Watson.

Lar had his date with the vet this morning.  I am thrilled that my favorite vet chose to return to KY after spending much of this year at a practice in Colorado, and happier still that he's had some success with headshaking cases previously.  He confirmed my observations and Lar's video clips as headshaking. syndrome.  General physical examination and ocular and facial examination didn't reveal anything significant, though while taking heart rate, Lar's heart rate shot up rapidly from 40 to 65 bpm before easing back to 40 bpm.  (Possible link to his training anxiety?)  The modern age of computers, video, etc. sure makes things a lot easier, as this entire week has been too dreary, cold, and rainy to ride or put Lar on the lunge line.  In Lar's case, the vet thought allergies seemed like the most likely trigger.  He's had luck with twice daily cyproheptadine, an anti-serotinergic and anti-cholinergic allergy medication.  I asked about testing for specific allergens, but he thought it would be very difficult to isolate a specific trigger allergen (not to mention then trying to eliminate it from the environment if it's something common like grass or tree pollen!).

Scientific Content Alert - avoid the next two paragraphs if you're not interested in the underlying science!  Serotonin acts as a neurotransmitter in the body.  It is linked with feelings of happiness and well-being; many antidepressants are targetted towards promoting it, and some illegal drugs act by making its levels spike in the body.  It also participates in the process of blood clotting.  It causes vasoconstriction, and quantities of it in the body can pain sensations (for example, wasps and some snakes inject it into their prey when they sting or bite).  Acetylcholine is a generally excitatory neurotransmitter in the body that acts presynaptically in the sympathetic nervous system and pre and post synaptically in the parasympathetic nervous system.  (It's pretty convenient that I've concurrently been studying some of these topics in my anatomy and physiology class.)  It seems logical that cypro could be effective in some headshakers by reducing symptoms associated with allergic response and/or excesses of these neurotransmitters.

The downsides are that it generally requires twice daily administration (in less severe cases, it may be reduced to once daily administration) at a cost of a few dollars a day.  It is also prohibited by most horse show sanctioning bodies, so horses must be taken off of it several days prior to competing (meaning that their symptoms may start to return just when you really need them to be on their best behavior).  Its efficacy can be hit or miss in headshakers, but my vet has had a personal success with it rate higher than the average, perhaps because KY is such an allergen riddled region.  Another treatment option is pulse dosing with dexamethasone, a steroidal antiinflammatory and immunosuppressant agent.  Allergies are basically the overreaction of the immune system to benign agents, so that coupled with mediation of inflammatory response explains the probable course of action in headshakers.  With long-term administration, immunosuppression, weight gain, and GI upset can be a problem.  The accepted course of treatment with the dex pulse therapy is to administer a fairly high dose for three consecutive days, then repeat every three to four weeks.  This relieves most of the risks associated with long term administration and (with proper planning) doesn't require mandatory cessation of treatment prior to sanctioned competitions.

So the current plan is to discontinue the melatonin (which didn't seem to do anything for him) and try the dexamethasone as both a diagnostic tool and treatment.  If it works, there's a decent chance that the cypro will also work if I need to alternate or change medications.

 I still wonder about headshaking being the root cause of all of his issues, as he does have some ability to suppress (but not eliminate) his behaviors when you really get after him (as I had to last week after he nearly pitched me while having a particularly bad episode).  I have no doubt the physical component is real.  The better questions are (1) can it be suppressed? (hence all of the neural experiments and pharmacology) and (2) can he be happy and comfortable doing what I want him to do?  Ultimately, the answer may be a combination of physical and behavioral, and it's quite possible that the life of showing I want to pursue with him may not be the best route for him.  

Better living through pharmacology?  I hope the answer lies at the bottom of the dose syringe. but only time (and more experimentation) will tell...

Mindless Ramblings

As I write this, I should be on my way to New Jersey for the National Standardbred Horse Show, primed to see all my friends and add more accolades to my wonderful old mare's collection.  Or at least at the local show about an hour down the parkway, getting more mileage and experience for my would be show prospect.  Instead, I am at home in a quiet house, letting my mind wander over roads both traveled and untraveled.

I am continuing to read journal articles and trying to solve the complex HSS puzzle, namely what triggers Larry's fits.  I'm trying to keep up the motivation to continue riding and working with him, but it's hard to persevere when I feel like it only serves to frustrate the both of us.  Riding has become a series of neural experiments instead of a pleasurable activity and showing seems like a fruitless endeavor for us both.  My latest experiment focused on revisiting bitting and the effects of the fly mask.  I tried him in the curved sweet iron bit that he seemed to accept the best, sans mask or nose net.  Mild headshaking showed up after a few warm up laps at the walk on a loose rein.  I fitted his fly mask over the bridle.  This mask is his daily one, made of fine mesh, as opposed to the more traditional coarse mesh mask that hadn't yielded any difference when I lunged him in it.  With the fine mesh mask, he was more rideable than without it, though certainly not "cured."  The previous day, I had ridden him in the fine mesh mask in combination with his nose net and he was again relatively rideable. 

I pondered what these additional findings meant, and it was actually J who helped me make the association - wind.  Air movement across the face and in the nostrils seems to be Larry's primary trigger.  He isn't photic from what I can tell - the coarse mask didn't help, and his attacks don't seem to change day or night.  But the fine mask did help some, and it would block more wind than the coarse mask.  Likewise, the organdy nose net helps some, and it blocks some breeze on and in the nose.  The attacks get worse the harder he works, and especially about cantering, and working at speed produces more wind movement across the face and through the netting.  This would also explain some of the inconsistencies I saw when I first started using the nose net - I wasn't exactly tracking or monitoring wind speed, why he would have fits in certain arenas or areas without an obvious pattern, and why the tulle nose nets were less effective than the organdy ones.  Franklin County, where he was like a different horse, has an arena that is bunkered by earth tiers on all sides.  Coupled with his nose net, that would make for minimal breezes across his face.  Grant County, where he was also nearly symptom-free, was a very hot and muggy day - the type where the wind is still and thick.  The first time at Henry County, the outdoor warmup area likely had more breezes than the covered arena where he was better,  The second time at Henry County, with his nose net, he was better in the earlier hunt seat classes, but terrible in his later western class after a strong and windy storm system had rolled through.  This may also explain the day on the lunge line early in the Spring when he bucked repeatedly and bolted, a season that is notorious for wind.

Looking back, when I first got him in the fall/winter I thought he was bothered by his mane and forelock tickling his ears and face, so I started braiding it out of the way.  Now I realize that was his HSS coming out.  I was able to get some more information from one of his previous riders.  It turns out that he has had the same head tic and foot flipping symptoms for years, and his behavior on the track seems indicative of HSS, too.  She, like my initial assessment, thought he was just being stubborn and temperamental.  Because she only rode him periodically, she was unable to determine if there was seasonality to his symptoms.  She did indicate that he used to canter readily under saddle, but became less willing and more rebellious about it over time.  I worry that his condition will worsen over time.  I worry that at the end of it, I'll still have a horse plagued by phantoms and unable to cope with the demands of regular riding and showing.  I worry that what should be fun will only be torture for us both.  I worry that I am chasing answers more elusive than the wind that seems to set him off.


I started him on melatonin this week.  It may help seasonally affected headshakers, as it essentially fools the body into thinking that it is winter (thus stopping the surge of GnRH that prompts estrous in mares and sperm production in stallions.  Geldings lack the testosterone or estrogen surge that shuts the GnRH off, and GnRH's vasodilating effects is one possible theory for idiopathic headshaking)  It also offers some possible neuroprotective properties.  I'm not optimistic that it will work, as I have a feeling that he's untimately afflicted year-round, but it's one more thing to test and confirm or rule out.  Ultimately, I'm not sure how much I want to put him or myself through, chasing down what may be a winless battle.  Only time will tell, I suppose.  I've been seeking another show horse since 2005 or so, and I'm starting to feel like it's simply not meant to be.  I know Legs is one in a million and I'll never find her equal, but sound, sane, and trainable would be a nice start.

So here I sit, typing and rambling, sore from an evening spent pulling weeds in the fields, yet sadly with more satisfaction from that chore than riding, showing, or racing have brought me in many months.  I'm throwing myself a pity party tonight, admission for one human and a sad and motley assortment of down and out animals - Legs with her fragile feet but enduring heart, Larry with his beautiful face and involuntary head tic, Josie the flea allergic dog who can't stop scratching herself, Junior the herpes infected kitten who's amazingly still alive 13 months after I found him and thought him marked for death, Bob the FIV positive stray who's now living in (and making a mess of) my basement, Maya the 13 year old curmudgeon who can no longer thrive as a barn cat and now lives in the guest room.  Please, no more broken animals; I just can't do it anymore.

Puzzling Pieces

In my last post, I reported making the discovery that Larry has multiple symptoms of headshaking syndrome (HSS).  Ever since, I have been trying to assemble the pieces of his symptoms and his triggers so that I can figure out how to deal with this condition.  So far it has felt like someone mixed several 1,000 piece puzzles together into one bin and told me to solve them without any guidance or even the picture on the box.

I have been looking at scientific journal articles trying to see what causes and treatments have been investigated (though a lot are pay sites, which is unfortunate).  I have looked at public websites and forums about the condition (taken with a grain of salt - some are useful, some seem to be complete bunk like the one endorsing a costly homeopathic remedy that blames the condition on vaccinations but doesn't go into the modality of HOW vaccines would cause the condition or how their homeopathic remedy cures it).  I did find this excellent website about headshaking put together by a British university.  It addresses multiple facets of the condition and has a basis in scientific study.  http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/dbs/research/headshaking/ 

So here are the puzzle pieces I've been trying to fit together.

BACKGROUND INFO:
Larry is an 8 year old Standardbred gelding.  He was on the racetrack until he was 5 or 6, but only ran a few qualifiers and made one start.  He was kicked in the jaw when younger, but unfortunately I don't have any details.  He does have a small bony bump under his jaw that feels like a retained cap but doesn't seem to cause him any problems.  He was apparently difficult to train at the track and may have had some training anxiety issues where he would get very tense about being harnessed.  He was shown extensively by his prior owner (his track groom) in halter and showmanship classes, but was seldom ridden as his prior owner doesn't ride.  He had some walk-trot riding work in jumping and western pleasure with a couple different riders during that time period, but it was sporadic.  He never progressed to canter work, though he did jump (from a trot).

I got him in October of his 7 year old year.  He is generally quite laid back, kind of lazy, and seldom spooky to work with.  He is relaxed on cross-ties and totally unfazed by being tacked up.  He handles new environments well.  I honestly can't tell how much of a willing learner he is, since it is hard to assess any progress when the horse is constantly distracted by flipping his head.  He spent a fair amount of time stabled when he lived in NJ, but is now pastured in central KY (the allergy capitol of the world).


SYMPTOMS:
Rotary Headshaking - Larry violently flings his head in circles when standing with his head over the stall door.  I originally attributed it to dental pain or a learned behavior he'd developed at the track from boredom or anticipation of feeding.  He has done this year round.  He continues to do it even after the dentist examined him and gave him a clean bill of health.

Horizontal Headshaking - Larry has a tendency to jerk or twitch his head upwards and to the side on the lunge line and while ridden (it is especially noticeable while ridden, particularly at the trot).  It is very much like a nervous tic and he will often get very tense with his head and neck and will move very short and stiltedly at the trot.  On worse days, he will fling his head up, especially when asked to go from walk to trot, moreso than the typical "Standardbred Shuffle" they often do in anticipation of moving the weight of the cart and driver forwards when first starting out.  He does this both on the lunge line and under saddle.  Now that I am more aware of it, I have started noticing his tic in hand, too, both at home and at shows.  It is more manageable then because we aren't moving fast or doing a lot in hand. 

Striking at Nose With Forelegs - In an earlier post, I described Larry's semi-rear.  He'll be walking or trotting (usually trotting) along on the lunge line or under saddle and suddenly toss his head and flip his forelegs out individually, often accompanied by a grunt.  At the time, I thought he was being unruly and that he was basically flipping me the bird.  After reading more about headshaking, I now realize this was his attempt to rub his nose with his forelegs while moving.  Because I thought he was acting out, I had been punishing him for this behavior.  While lunging, I would make him change directions and work harder when he did it.  I found it hard to reward him on the lunge line since I couldn't get more than 5 or 6 strides without some sort of fit, though the feet flipping did reduce quite a bit the more I lunged him and punished him for it.  I was working him pretty consistently at the time, trying to "work him out" of what I attributed to "his bad attitude."  Under saddle, I resorted to striking him with a crop on the shoulder and spinning him the other direction.  The behavior was quite erratic under saddle, so I never could tell if that had any effect on the behavior, though for a while between the lunging and riding punishment, it felt like he was trying to suppress the behaviors somewhat.

Excessive Rubbing of the Nose - I have noticed this also on the lunge line and under saddle.  There was one day several months ago that I was lunging him and he trotted over a lap with his nose dragging the ground and his front feet brushing his chin.  I checked him for back pain, thinking he was stretching, but found nothing.  He has done it at other times, but that was the most blatant episode.  Lately I have noticed that he will rub his nose on his forelegs (or sometimes objects) a lot after a brief period of riding.

Snorting/Blowing the Nose - I have been noticing this one ever since I discovered the link between his behaviors and headshaking syndrome.  He seems to do it more when wearing the nose nets I made for him (more on that later).

Flipping the Nose or Upper Lip - He has always been a mouthy/nosy horse - the type that gets into stuff, chews on the leadrope or sometimes the fence plank, and generally wants to get his nose into things and/or mooch for treats (which I have been trying to curb by feeding a lot less treats).  On cross-ties, sometimes he will chew/gnash his teeth or wiggle his lips.  I have seen many horses that have mouthy and lippy behaviors without displaying any other symptoms of HSS, though, so I wouldn't take this as a definitive sign by itself.  He also chews the bit a lot, and I spent a lot of time trying out different bits (and a sidepull and a bosal) to see what he went best in, as I thought he might have a low palate.  Naturally, I had the dentist out first, who gave him a thorough exam and floating and gave him a clean bill of health.  I have a prior blog post about that if you want to see more detail.

Rolling - This isn't listed as a symptom that I have seen, but it may or may not be related.  Larry rolls more than any other horse I've known.  He rolls multiple times a day in the field, possibly because he is itchy, though he doesn't respond to currying as dramatically as my other mare who has very distinct itchy spots.  Other than this, he doesn't seem to show any other symptoms in the pasture. 

OTHER SYMPTOMS:
 Protecting the head, eye discharge, clamping the nostrils, hair loss/facial swelling (from rubbing), general hypersensitivity of the head.  Larry doesn't really show any of these symptoms.  He does like to hang out in the run-in shed on hot sunny days, but that could easily be good sense rather than avoiding sunlight.

PATTERNS:
This has been the most difficult component to determine.  There seems to be a stress component to his fits, as he gets worse when I am trying to teach him something new or we are in a new and stressful environment.  Though he is generally calm to handle at shows, under saddle classes do seem to exacerbate his head shaking.  Training wise, I can never tell if he has figured out a new concept (such as turns on the forehand and haunches) because of his fits, but inexplicably, weeks later, he was suddenly able to pivot on command whereas he wouldn't before.

Along with stress, work seems to trigger it.  The headshaking usually appears most prominently during trot work, either lunging or riding.  The harder he is worked, the worse it gets.  Last week when trying to get a canter under saddle (which involves a lot of effort on his part as he figures out what to do with himself), he went from a decent riding day HSS wise to pretty bad.  With his apparent training anxiety at the racetrack, it seems likely that he's been an undiagnosed lifetime headshaker.  Certainly the discomfort from his attacks could make him fear and resent harnessing and the many subsequent training miles he was expected to go at the track.

A common trigger for many headshakers is light.  This is termed photic headshaking and strong sunlight can set them off.  I haven't been able to pinpoint if this plays into Larry's behavior.  I mostly ride in the evenings to avoid the summer heat, so the sun is setting, though there are some long shadows and areas of sun vs. shade where we ride.  In June, he had episodes in the outdoor warmup area at Henry Co., but was quite a bit better in the semi-dim covered arena.  At a mid-July evening show, he had some awful episodes in the dim warmup area as well as the unevenly lit outdoor arena (rearing/bucking for the first time under saddle).  Less a week later, with his new nose net, he was ok at the outdoor Oldham Co. show (early evening), nearly perfect at the Franklin Co. evening show the following night, and great but tired at the sunny Grant Co. daytime show two days later.  (Mind you, he is only going in 2 or 3 classes per show, nothing more strenuous than walk-trot, and this was an aberration as I don't ordinarily show him more than every other week, so I'm not working him to death here.)  But last week, back at the Henry Co. covered arena (with nose net on), he was ok in the hunter walk-trot (with snaffle) and awful in the western walk-trot (with bosal).  One evening in late July/early August, we tried to get some video of him being ridden with and without his nose net.  Without the nose net, he responded by rearing in the same two corners of the arena every time, which could be related to the play of shadows and sunlight in the evening, but it's hard to tell.  With the net, he still flipped his head, but no longer reared.  I lunged him with his fly mask to see if shielding the light would help, but it didn't appear to make a difference.  I plan to try again to give it a fair shake. 


I presume there's a seasonal component to his behavior, but since this is the first year I've had him and it started so insidiously, I really can't say when it started.  I don't ride much over the winter due to weather and footing, so that makes it harder to determine the onset.  Here in KY in July and August, his behaviors do seem to be getting worse.  I don't know yet if/when it will abate in the fall.  Seasonality could be related to sunlight triggered hormone levels (eg the pineal gland's response to lengthening sunlight, shedding the coat and ramping up estrous hormones in mares) and also to allergens.  KY is often called the allergy capitol of the world.  My older STB mare has had mild allergies for years since living here, but they are confined to a seasonal runny nose and itchy skin and I treat her with oral antihistamines when her symptoms get too bad.  Larry hasn't shown any of these types of signs (with the possible exception of his rolling in the dirt, mentioned above), but he has been snorting/sneezing more frequently lately.

RULING THINGS OUT:
I initially thought he had bitting problems, so I had him examined and floated by a very good equine dentist.  I tried a wide variety of bits on him, finally settling on a three piece loose ring snaffle of moderate thickness for hunt seat use.  For western, I used either a thinner curved sweet iron loose ring, a side pull, or a bosal.  His issues were no different in the bitless options as with a bit.  I was told by the girl who rode him western before that he didn't like curb straps or the chain under his jaw with his western halter.  I have been riding in a snaffle, but did test this twice; he didn't seem thrilled by the strap, but wasn't horrible.

I thought back pain or lameness could have been causing his discomfort, but palpation and examination haven't shown either one of these to be problems, and trying Bute didn't change anything.   I also put him on a course of ranitidine, thinking it was stress or ulcers but there was no difference.

Some people blame such behaviors solely on poor riding.  I consider myself a pretty accomplished amateur rider with numerous national titles in a variety of disciplines with my older STB mare.  In addition, Larry shows the behaviors on the lunge line (with no rider) just as much as under saddle.

I initially thought it was stubbornness.  As described above, I put him in a regular work regimen in which he was rewarded with praise and less work for good behavior and had to work harder and longer when he behaved badly.  I saw some improvement in the worst of the feet flipping with the lunging work, but the other behaviors continued both under saddle and on the lunge line.  I found it hard to find opportunities to reward the good behavior, as he could barely string together half of a 20 m circle without flipping his head.  It got to the point where I would say "good boy" and he would plow to a stop after just 5 fit-free trot strides because that was the most he could manage. 

TREATMENT:
It is normal for horses to occasionally bob their heads in response to flies or other stimuli.  However, Larry does this and far more with and without fly spray and in the presence and absence of flies.

I tried lunging him with his fly mask once to see if shading the light would help, but it didn't seem to.  I will try working him with it again to give it a fair shake.

Another non-invasive option was the nose net.  It looks like this: http://www.smartpakequine.com/equilibrium-net-relief-muzzle-net-6680p.aspx except that I made my own out of black organdy (a sheer but semi-stiff fabric used for prom dresses, etc.) tailored to his nose in styles to work with both my English and western bridles.  At first, I thought this was going to solve all of our problems.  The first three times he wore it, he was improved at Oldham Co., and the best he'd ever gone in his life at Franklin Co. and Grant Co.  For the first time ever, he was able to trot multiple laps of the arena without flipping his head.  Less than a month later, though, it is only bringing about some improvement.  We videotaped him with and without it one evening.  He reared and cramped himself up without it, and with it, the rearing was gone, but he still had head flipping and snorting episodes.  This past weekend, he was somewhat ok with it in his hunt seat classes, but truly awful with it and his bosal in the western class.  He has started to flip it askew on his nose, so last night I put a flash noseband over it to hold it in place (anticipating adding an elastic cord to secure it under the jaw if that worked), but there was no improvement.  I also tried hair nets and panty hose over his nose, but he tried to pull those into his mouth and eat them so I gave up on that idea.

I haven't tried him on allergy medicine yet, as I wanted to try the non-chemical routes first, but that is next on the list.  I have a jar of Hist-All that I will probably start him on today.

The other move at the top of my list is to see what other veterinary options are available.  I wanted to gather as much information on my own as I could to make the most of the vet's visit.  (That and my sick cat took over any available veterinary funds for the month).  I really hope that there is an effective surgical option available.  I would really rather physically stop the problem than have to constantly medicate him or have a would-be show horse that can't be ridden from April through October.

I honestly don't know what I'm going to do.  I got him to use as a riding and show horse.  He is a gorgeous horse and has the raw materials to be a good show horse, but we can't make any training progress if he's too bothered by his head to learn, and it seems foolish to keep hauling him to shows if I know he's going to have issues more often than not.  (Before I realized he had HSS, I was hoping that I could work him out of his anxieties/issues by taking him lots of places and doing a lot with him, but now I realize that it's a neurologic problem rather than behavioral in origin.)  He's pretty limited as a show horse if we can't trot in a straight line with our head pointed in (mostly) one direction.  I certainly hope there's a solution to this puzzle, but right now I just have a whole lot of pieces and no clear picture.

Following Up

This has been a crazy week.  Two exams, 1 quiz, homework due, and I squeezed in three horse shows, and have autocross tomorrow, too.  Next week, 2 more exams and another quiz!  The pace of summer school is insane, but I still know I made the right choice versus staying where I was at.

My last blog chronicled the adventures of me and Lar at the Oldham and Franklin County Fairs.  I had planned to take Legs to the Grant County Western show in Saturday in a couple hunt seat classes and horsemanship.  But she was still a little sore following her last farrier visit and I decided it best to give her more time off.  She was trimmed a little shorter than I'd like, but her feet had broken up thanks to stomping at flies (despite her plastic shoes and the daily applications of fly spray the ponies receive) so there wasn't much alternative.  Contrary to most navicular horses, she's soundest late into the shoeing cycle and most likely to be sore following being reset.  The show had just a few classes that Lar could go in, two in hand and 1 riding, so I thought it wouldn't be too taxing to take him instead.

In hindsight I wish I'd skipped out.  He was a good sport, but pretty pooped after the previous two shows this week.  When I loaded him up to go home, he just stood at the doorway of the trailer with a "this is the last time for a while, right?" pleading sort of look before I finally coaxed him on.  In showmanship, he didn't even want to trot with me, which isn't like him, and I had to use lots of leg to keep him trotting in our pleasure class.  I don't think it would have mattered much anyway, since we were a bit out of our element and out of our league at a largely AQHA crowd type of show.  The show management decided to allow cross-entering between the WT and WTC classes which they usually don't do at this show, which meant that my WT class was full of trainers on finished horses just looking to cash in on the payback money being offered.  We were the only hunter horse amidst a crowd of fancy western pleasure horses.  Nope, not gonna be our day.

Placings wise, the show was a total flop.  But it did give me some valuable info.  I've concluded that 3 shows in 4 days is too many!  I'm sure 2 of them being night shows with carnivals was especially tiring for him.  It was my first time using his tail extension.  Everyone else at the show had one, so when in Rome...  The first time I put it in, it didn't look so great; the second time was better, but I'll probably reserve it for more important shows since it was hard not to rip hair out when removing it.  I learned that I can do a running braid in just over the time it takes to hold one flat class.  I also concluded that Lar looks/does better in hand when presented as a hunter horse.  He looks beautiful in his silver show halter, but compared to the real QH, he just doesn't have that heavy muscled stock horse look.  Riding wise, the old Lar would have had fits about being ridden when tired.  New Lar with nose net trucked on faithfully - he just needed a lot more leg.  But he stayed soft, focused, and on the bit.  This is HUGE progress over how we were going just a week ago.  He has forgotten how to back under saddle this week, so we'll do some refresher work on that - after he's had a few days of R&R to recover from all the showing.  I'm looking forward to all of the new progress we can make now that I have a more willing and relaxed partner!

On a side note, I have had four friends lose their horses unexpectedly during the past year (colic, laminitis, EPM complications).  It's a sobering reminder to the rest of us to hug our equine friends often and appreciate them for their individuality and all that they give to us while asking so little in return.

Eureka!

Larry's training has continued in much the same fashion as I've reported previously.  Small increments of progress, but still a fair amount of frustration.  He'll show me glimmers of the good Larry but punctuated still by the horse that refuses to bend, wants to stop every 5 strides, and flips his head in the air or gets tense and wadded up.  To stave off the drudgery of walking and trotting in circles every day, I proceeded to try some western with him.  He's not half bad even as green as he is, and I can tell that he has the potential to be even better.  I think he will have an easier time with the jog than Legs, who worked very hard for years to overcome her long-backed conformation and shorten her long hunter stride into a mincing jog.  (Legs' lope, OTOH, can't be touched by most QH  >:D )  I've been working him in a bosal since he's fussy mouthed and it also makes a clear distinction between his hunt bridle and his western bridle to help him figure out how to travel.  It works out pretty well, though sometimes he takes advantage of the lack of bit, ignores steering inputs and meanders about like a frat boy at a Friday night kegger.

Last week we made some real progress.  He was starting to trot longer and more steadily between head flipping episodes, and starting to bend and go in a relaxed frame on the bit.  Things were proceeding in the right direction and I was looking forward to our next show adventure, the Nelson County Fair, which would be his first night show with organ music, walking horses, saddle horses and the whole shebang.

He was unusually nervous when we arrived at the showgrounds.  I made an effort to walk him around the ring to relax him, but we had to leave after only a lap when they brought the drag and water truck in.  I made sure to have him ready early for our halter class so that he could see the sights and relax near the ring beforehand.  He was a little tense in halter, but stood pretty well and pinned 2nd.  I warmed him up under saddle in the grassy field near the trailers to further assess his mood and get him to relax.  He was distractable, but overall quite good.  When I got his attention back, he was actually bending some and going in a frame for bits and pieces.  But when we did our pre-class warm-up outside the ring, he was bad.  Lots of head flipping, grunting, tension, and feet flipping.  I tried punishing the bad and rewarding what good he'd give me, but it really didn't go well.  This really wasn't a spooky arena or showgrounds.  The fair wasn't going on so there were no carnival rides and just 1 lit concession booth with candy apples, funnel cakes, and the like.  Evening gave way to nightfall, but the arena was well-lit and not shadowy.  Some of the arena working equipment was parked outside the arena, and I let him investigate those.  The mud run area was near the warmup area, but it was vacant.  Larry kept giving it the evil eye, though, and I suppose at a glance it does resemble part of a racetrack with the long dirt stretch and low railings on both sides, so perhaps he was peeved thinking I was going to return him to the track.   

So our first class was Open Walk-Trot with 9 entries.  He started off ok, sort of in a frame and mostly a consistent pace, but things deteriorated quickly.  He kept having fits, and when he wasn't having a blatant fit, he was tensing his head and neck and trotting very stilted.  We trotted for quite a while, and as we were rounding the far end for the third time or so, he suddenly stopped, started hopping up, then put his head down and began bucking.  I was shocked.  He'd never bucked under saddle with me before.  I pulled his head up and got him back together, but the rest of the class was fraught with fits and tension.  I was pretty peeved at his behavior and schooled him pretty hard outside the ring after the class.  But the fits and tantrums continued.  I did my best to reward any sign of cooperation, but it's pretty hard when I could only string together about 5 strides of respectable tantrum-free trot, and every time I was about to stop and reward him, he'd have another fit so I'd have to keep working him.  Argh, frustrating.  Our next class was marginally better, but there was still a lot of head twitchiness, stiffness, and moderate episodes (but thankfully no more rearing and bucking).  We managed a 5th out of 6, only placing above the grown man on the tiny donkey.  Yes, there was a jackass in the class, but it wasn't the one with long ears... Grrrrrr.

I did a lot of thinking on the drive home.  I know he's a strong willed horse, but it seemed pretty absurd that he couldn't tolerate very light walk-trot work without throwing a fit.  I've heard of work intolerance, but in response to only half a dozen strides of slow trot?  I was getting the strong feeling that something else was going on.  I'd ruled out back pain, mouth pain, lameness and so on, but after some additional reading, I was beginning to suspect that Larry was a head shaker.  Research on the subject showed that besides afflicted horses that bob their heads constantly, others have periodic fits where they sometimes flip their heads, or try to rub their nose on their legs or the ground to stop the sensation.  That would explain the big head & feet flipping fits that he has (which are often accompanied by a grunt), the times I've lunged him and he's dragged his nose on the grass (without eating it), and his periods of tension and twitchiness.  Basically, head shaking syndrome in horses is a misfiring of the trigeminal nerve which runs down the face and innervates the eyes, nose, and muzzle, causing intermittent intense pain sensations to the face.  There's no single definitive cause - theories have linked it to allergies, genetics, photosensitivity, contact sensitivity, seasonal hormone fluctuations (primarily in geldings which are low on testosterone to shut off other endogenous hormones), certain vaccinations, occult dental problems, and trauma/defects of the head.  Likewise, there's no single treatment.  Anticonvulsants, allergy medications, drugs to block the pineal gland, and other meds have shown varying amounts of success.  Some are costly and have to be given 3 or more times a day.  Nerving has not been successful, as the horses tend to then rub their faces raw.  Some photic horses respond to fly masks to block the light, and some horses respond to face masks or nose nets which desensitize the nerve through constant light contact to the skin.  I can't really say what Larry's triggers are, though stress and stubbornness do seem to factor in.

The nose net seemed like a good place to start.  If it worked, then I had my answer.  If it didn't, I wasn't out much.  I tried a variant made of panty hose that I saw online.  It worked ok during our ride, but he still had some fits and seemed peeved by its presence over his whole muzzle and it was pretty unsightly, too.  A second, more subtle variant was a complete failure, as he merely worked it into his mouth and proceeded to chew it.  Commercial nose nets can be purchased for over $65!  Fortunately, I have a sewing machine and creativity.  A trip to the fabric store and an afternoon later, I came up with 4 prototype nose nets custom fit to Larry.  Unfortunately, I had planned to show him the following day, so I had no chance to test the nets out before taking it to the show ring.

The Oldham County Fair would be our proving grounds for the nose net (under saddle only, since he didn't seem to have his fits in hand).  He was again a bit nervous, but this time, the carnival midway was going on, and a Black Sabbath cover band was playing adjacent to the show ring, so I really can't blame him.  Oddly, it was the (empty) cattle pasture and barn overlooking the prison that caught his attention the most.  We did fine in our in hand classes, though he was a ball of tension in the first one, and was so sweaty by the Grooming class that we finished last despite all of my earlier grooming efforts.  We went in the ring for the Adult Pleasure WT class sporting our black organdy veil with tidy velcro loops securing it to the noseband.  And... he was pretty good.  He had forgotten how to bend and how to go on the bit, but he never wadded himself up, and had only a few small head twitching moments.  And, lo and behold, we won the class!  He was still a little twitchy in our next few classes (and who could blame him with the ACDC and Black Sabbath serenade), but largely free of major fits.  Certainly a BIG improvement over Nelson County just 5 days earlier.

 With no rest for the weary, we entered the Franklin County Fair the following night.  This was another night show with tent and organist in center ring, walking horses, call to the post before every class, and just to make it more exciting, the active carnival midway adjacent to the trailer parking and within sight of the ring (lots of flashing lights, whooshing noises, and screaming), an active golf course adjacent to the ring (Fore!), a poultry show across the way, and a tractor pull within earshot but out of sight.  Boy would this test Larry's mettle!  He got off the trailer and just stared and stared at everything.  He held himself together well, just did a lot of snorting, stopping, and big-eyed staring.  We had ample time to walk the arena (with lots of stopping and staring at things).  He was good in halter (only bested by an Impressive bred "real" halter weanling whose rump already had more muscle than Lar's entire [not unmuscled] body) and he was fresh but not stupid on pre warm-up lunging.  Net in place, we did an early warm-up just in case, and he was very good.  After looking around was out of his system, he remembered how to bend and go on the bit.  I was quite pleased.

This show had riders enter at the trot (or running walk), and I was worried about getting him to hold a pleasant trot that long.  Previously, we did best when the trot was very short and he didn't have time to get as fitful.  Well, we trotted for a long time, but he was a total superstar - soft and obedient on the bit, relaxed and trotting happily.  He was a completely different horse than 6 days ago.  For a moment in the English Country Pleasure class, I thought I'd brought the other horse (Legs)!  Our next class followed immediately, but even so, he remained fit-free and relaxed and placed very well in a large Ladies' Pleasure class.  We had a one class break, lightning tack change, and made our western debut together in Western Country Pleasure with our spiffy bosal tailored black net (which the judge looked at rather quizzically in the lineup).  He had an even better trip than he'd been schooling at home and took 2nd in a huge class of 12!  The good Larry finally came through.  I was so proud of him all night!  And yes, he finally got his A!

Eureka!  So Larry's a head shaker.  And I'd been thinking he was just stubborn (yea, he is) and something of a jerk.  It makes sense when I think about it in hindsight.  Hopefully the nose nets continue to work and we don't get too much flack in the show ring for using a non-standard piece of equipment (I know they're not legal for USDF dressage shows and some other sanctioned shows, which is a shame since it's a non-invasive, cruelty-free, non-chemical means to provide relief to certain horses).  I still don't know what sets him off, but hopefully this will bring us both relief and greater unity. 

Doing a Double Take

A little about Legs, my wonderful old show mare.  I finally got around to her 2011 show debut last weekend.  I basically consider her semi-retired now, but ride her a few times a week to keep her fit and interested.  She knows everything she needs to know by now (more than I do, I think!), so they're just fun rides dabbling around in whatever we feel like getting into that day - trail, dressage, western, patterns, etc.  Well, County Fair season is in full swing now in KY, and the Scott County Fair is just down the road from us.  It's quiet, fun, and we know the showgrounds and people well.  It's mostly a 4H show directed at youth, but there are a few adult classes we enjoy riding in. 

We started off the day helping my friend's 13 month old daughter debut in leadline (complete with mom and dad as sidewalkers for safety, of course).  She was by far the youngest entrant, and Legs, in her usual fashion, took good care of her tiny rider.  Next up was English Pleasure.  Legs was a bit ancy at the trailer and in the warm up, but when we hit the ring, she was a perfect and responsive hunter pleasure horse and the judge was full of compliments for her.  Likewise for our 2 gait class.  Western Pleasure followed immediately, with one of our patented "speed changes" - swapping the hunt tack for the western, the hunt coat and cap for a sparkly shirt and cowboy hat, and throwing the chaps on over the breeches all in under 5 minutes.  With no time to warm up, I was afraid she'd still be in "go" mode from hunters.  Relaxed and quiet, she jogged and loped effortlessly on a loose rein.  They added 2 new classes this year - Hunter Hack and Hunter Over Fences.  We'd only hopped a couple small jumps for fun this year and hadn't done a full course since STB Nats in August.  But it's Legs, and the jumps were only 2' so I said what the heck.  And Legs knew her job - hand galloping down to the fences, doing her flying changes (with some enthusiasm, I might add), getting her strides.  She was a perfect 5 firsts in 5 classes for the day.  The 4H club had gotten some fabulous prizes donated, too, so we came home with some really great stuff!  I couldn't get over how perfect Legs was in each class - she did exactly what she was supposed to do as if she'd read the rulebook!  I will certainly make sure that she stays happy and sound and don't want to push her, but it's pretty clear to me that she still loves her job as show horse and isn't ready for shuffleboard and bingo yet!

So on to Larry, the subject of this blog.  There was a show in Henry County (about an hour away) Saturday evening.  I've never endeavored to ride in 2 shows in one day before.  I was pretty sure I wouldn't do it, but I bathed and clipped Larry Friday night just in case.  I got home from Scott County around 2:20, got Legs unloaded, bathed, fed, and turned out. 

I called to confirm directions to Henry County (and that there were 2 gait classes I could actually go in), looked at my watch (2:50) and said why not?  I grabbed Larry out of the field (he had rolled, of course), hosed him, and bet myself that I could get him ready and on the trailer by 3:30 (the show started at 5 pm and I wanted to go in the 1st class).  With the clock counting down, I finished cleaning him up, braided his mane and forelock, put his tack in the trailer, and put his travel clothes and wraps on.  3:35 pm.  Close enough!  He followed me right onto the trailer (Thank you for that, Rob!  Having a horse that loads readily is a lifesaver!) and we were pulling out of the driveway by 3:39 pm.  I knew it would be tight trying to make the first class.  I put my tall boots on while stopped at one long red light (Hooray for zip back tall boots!), and did my hair net and hunt cap at another.  I missed a turn on the directions, but thankfully the fairgrounds actually had good signage and it didn't take me too far out of my way.  I pulled up at 4:50 pm.  Also, thankfully, the show didn't start promptly and they had the flag presentation first.   

We got signed up and did a less thorough prep for our in hand classes than I would have liked, but he still looked darn handsome.  He trotted right with me and stood up like a rock in hand (though I did have to dodge the slime he was attempting to decorate me with - the joys of clover pasture & KY summers).  We were rewarded for our efforts with 1st out of 4 in English and Gaited Halter.  He was perfect in showmanship, too, though I backed a 3.5 steps instead of 3 to square him up better and put him a little too close to the final cone for our 360 and had to take an extra step to avoid it - my fault, not his.  We wound up with the yellow ribbon in a class of 8. 

In Adult Huntseat Pleasure (WT), there were only 2 of us.  The other horse was a cute little bay mare, but extremely green.  She was spooking at the spectators and the wash rack by the end of the covered arena (Larry wasn't too sure about that end either, but confined his uncertainty to lookiness and a little bit of the "Standardbred Scoot").  He was largely well-behaved - more consistent in pace than at our last show and more willing to bend.  There was a little bit of Tourette's, but it was more subdued than before.  And we won!  Larry got his first blue ribbon under saddle.  The judge complimented his nice stride, too.  :-)  (Technically it wasn't a blue ribbon, as at this show they give out prizes/trophies for 1st instead of ribbons, so he won a rain gauge to go with his small trophy from the halter class.)  Our next class, Adult Novice Pleasure, followed immediately (a bummer bc I would have preferred to let him have a break since he was behaving).  Again, there were only two of us, the other was a pretty nice mule in western tack.  Lar was a little fussier than the class before and had a few very small tantrums (I'm sure he thought he deserved a break after the previous class, too).  He also tried to mooch for food from the spectators when we were supposed to be picking up the trot.  His trot was a little inconsistent in cadence and he wouldn't keep a consistent headset, but he trucked along ok for the most part.  Nonplussed, I kept showing and it paid off with another first place for Larry; this time we won a leather curb strap.  I may have to make him the 3 blue ribbons he earned as a substitute, just so he has something to hang on the wall in what is otherwise Legs' Hall of Fame (aka my basement)!  lol  The curb strap, OTOH, will come in handy when he and I are ready to venture into western together.

He was once again calm and reliable in unfamiliar surroundings (part of which is his STB breeding, and part of which is all of the in hand show experience from his prior owner) and trailered like a champ.  While not perfect, he was improved over the last show under saddle.  Now that I have had more time to work with him, I think the stubborn streak is slowly melting and he's starting to warm up to me more, too.  He'll nicker for me sometimes, and hang out at the fence away from the herd even after he's through with work and dinner for the day.  I think trying to work him as often as I can is paying off, even if I only manage to lunge him for 10 minutes or so.  The stubborn side still rears its head here and there, but we continue to do a lot of lunging work and under saddle work, and sometimes I can almost see him thinking about a tantrum and reconsidering it.  (Naturally, after my last complimentary blog, he rewarded me with a tantrum day, just to keep me humble, I guess.) 

The great part is (and this is a STB thing), he doesn't forget things (he may test me, but he knows better) and he doesn't come out fresh and stupid after a few days off.  Nor does he get hyped up and wild when taken to a new place.  Legs is like a little elephant - she learns quickly, wants to please, and remembers everything even after a long break.  She also gets a little nervous about showing but calms right down when you get her into her routine.  Larry learns, too, but he's not entirely convinced that your way is the best way and it seems to take quite a bit of repetition over several sessions.  OTOH, he seems to enjoy new places and hasn't shown any tendencies towards nervousness.  We're trying to keep it interesting at home with pivots, some basic trail obstacles, and in hand stuff but we're still drilling a lot on the basics. 

I'm eager to do some western with him, but want him to understand cadence and consistency in hunt tack before I start confusing the matter with a jog one day and working trot the next.  I'm eager to get to canter work, too (since that makes finding shows for him a whole lot easier), but right now I'm using the lunging to build his coordination and stamina since he almost never canters on his own in turnout.  Last night he held a balanced left lead for nearly a lap and a half, but could barely hold a few strides of the right lead.  Nonetheless, it's progress, because he clearly knows what I want and is simply not able to do it yet for very long.  I'm rewarding his attempts and trying to build him up a little at a time and I won't ask him to canter with a rider until he can hold just himself on gait.

Catching Up

Since my last post about a month ago, there have been some big changes.  I left my job in the field of social services and returned to school (first day was today).  I am studying to be a dental hygienist.  While it's certainly a departure from my previous career path(s), I am excited about this new direction and the advantages that it offers.  Balancing a full time job, backyard horse farm, riding/showing, and a nearly full-time autocross career was simply too much.  Life's too short to be perpetually stressed out, especially when the things you supposedly do for fun and enjoyment become a burden as a result.  DH offers steady employment, part time hours, great pay, and the ability to find employment nearly anywhere and there's no selling things or working oddball hours. 

Now that I am back to the carefree college student lifestyle (Ok, that's not really true since I still have plenty of adult responsibilities and obligations.  But it sure is fun to pretend that's the case.) I have made an effort to put Larry on a more regular schedule.  I have been riding or lunging him 3-5 days a week for the last couple weeks and it seems to be paying off.  The swearing has gone from shouting to more mumbling under one's breath (for both of us) and he is starting to figure out that agreeable horses don't have to work as hard or as long as obstinate ones.  I'm not going to declare him "cured" of his stubborn streak yet, but I can almost feel him thinking about acting up under saddle sometimes and then deciding against it.  We're still doing pretty basic stuff, but he's finally showing me more consistency.  We're still lunging a lot, too, as it seems to be the only way he'll canter and I want to build his coordination and stamina.  Earlier this week, he even picked up the canter promptly on the lunge line with just a verbal command, though he wasn't able to hold it very long.  I hope to try a few more shows with him in the near future as my new life settles into a more predictable schedule.  At this point, I don't think that the national show in NJ is in the cards this year.  J doesn't have enough vacation time left and I'm not ready to haul two horses clear across the country if I can't be 100% certain they will behave.  I am optimistic that we can gain some experience at the local level and try for it next year.  Ok, crossing my fingers and hoping I haven't jinxed our progress!  More news to follow.

Another Setback

It's been a hectic summer.  Between a jam packed race schedule with lots of travel, and a full time job with a lengthy commute, riding time has been scarce.  I've been so busy, I don't think I've even been to the grocery store in a month.  Looks like I won't be riding tonight so I can restock the cupboards!

As a follow up to my last blog, Larry's progress and regress have been frustrating.  Some days he shows a lot of potential and lets me entertain fantasies of what he can accomplish in the show ring.  And other day's he's so frustrating I just want to throw up my hands.  I finally concluded that boot camp would be the best plan to reform his sometimes sour attitude towards work.  The idea isn't to inflict a hard or grueling workload, just to help him realize that he's not a pasture puff and working for a living is expected.  In fact, when he behaves, his workouts can be quite short (10 minutes one day when he was particularly tractable).  When he misbehaves, that's when he has to work longer until we can get something right.

With my hectic schedule, I was very late giving Spring vaccinations this year.  Last Friday, to be exact.  Wouldn't you know it, Larry had a reaction to the rabies vaccine and is now sporting a large puffy grapefruit on the side of his neck.  I'm not panicked, as he had a similar reaction to the botulism vaccine in the fall, and it eventually went away with hosing and anti-inflammatories.  However, it does mean that I won't be working him for a while until the swelling goes down.

On the upside, I have only two weeks left at my job, and I will be back in school part time.  It should afford me extra time to do things around the farm (including ride), even with studying. I am really looking forward to that!  By that time Larry's neck should be back to normal size and he and I can both work on our respective homework.

Ready or Not...

I haven't blogged in a while because I've been frustrated.  Riding time has been scarcer than I'd like between work and uncooperative weather.  And when I have ridden, it hasn't exactly been rewarding.  Lar has shown that he has the potential to be a nice show horse, but he has also shown a lot of stubbornness and attitude.  He reaches a threshold where he decides that he's done with work for the day, or worse still, doesn't feel like working at all that day.  Sometimes he merely "wads himself up" puts his head up and won't move out.  Other times, he'll be going along and then suddenly flip his head violently into the air and/or fling his head, grunt, and flip his front feet off the ground - not quite rearing, as he flips them individually, but the message is basically the same.  &*$%%@!!!  I've deemed it Equine Tourette's Syndrome, as it very much seems like he's uttering expletives.  I can't pinpoint any exact triggers, but he does it while ridden and on the lunge line, in a bridle or bitless, and he does it more the longer he's worked (he seems to decide that he's done).  Sometimes he combines it with balking.  I've tried to give him the benefit of the doubt by ruling out physical discomfort.  I don't think it's mouth related since he does it with and without a bit.  I don't think it's back pain, since he does it ridden and lunged, and poking along his back doesn't elicit any responses. He moves sound, so I don't think it's lameness related.  I don't think I'm pushing him too hard, as we're still working on remedial skills like walk-trot transitions, circles and steering, basic speed consistency, and individual trot poles.  I really think it's just plain stubbornness.


I try to subscribe to the basic Clinton Anderson adage: make the right choice easy and the wrong choice hard.  He gets worked longer when he's misbehaving and doesn't get a break until he behaves.  I've tried to reward him for good behavior with breaks and patting, but he's starting to think that "good boy" means plow to a halt and refuse to move forward again and that he deserves a break for just 3 or 4 strides of good behavior.  I even got to the point where I stopped riding him altogether and worked only on "lunging for respect" type stuff for several weeks.  Same concept as I used under saddle - he has to move his feet and make multiple changes of direction when he acts out, and he gets to stop and stand when he's good.  I *think* it's sinking in, but he sure isn't letting go of his old habits readily.  It seems like he gets it slightly better on the lunge line than under saddle.

Well, we all remember the feeling from school - there's a test tomorrow and it's going to happen whether we're ready or not.  I had planned a while back to debut Lar in the show ring on May 21.  There was a nice schooling show about an hour away with a low key atmosphere and a variety of walk-trot classes.  Given his stubborn streak, I was starting to think that we'd never get to the show ring, at least not this year.  I looked at my schedule this week and realized that there weren't a lot of suitable shows for him (with multiple walk-trot classes) that I could attend.  So I decided to take my chances and put Lar to the test even though I really didn't think we were ready.

Initially, I was pleasantly surprised.  Due to road construction and a really long train, we missed the first class (gelding halter), but did arrive in time to show in several others.  He was the only STB, of course, and there was a wide variety of horses (TB, QH, WB, draft cross, Mustang, pony, Paint, Arabs, etc.) and the classes were so full that they split several of them.  He loaded and trailered great.  He stood very well in the in hand classes.  He was a superstar in Showmanship (although he walks really slowly so I need to retrain myself to slow down versus Legs' longer step that I'm used to), and we won that class.  We got second in Grooming, and tons of compliments on his beauty from spectators.  He broke while trotting on the triangle in Hunter In Hand, so we got shuffled back to 4th in that class.  He was totally unfazed by the new surroundings or working in the ring with other horses and didn't seem the slightest bit spooky or nervous.

And in our first under saddle, class, he was actually pretty good.  We got 2nd out of 7 horses in English Pleasure w/t, and were only bested by a really nice moving, flashy TB.  Between classes, I dismounted, loosened the girth, scratched him and gave him some treats.  In our next riding class, Hunter Under Saddle w/t, though, the Tourrette's was in full effect.  The first direction, he immediately hopped and flipped his feet when I asked him to trot and did nothing but pitch a fit and act out the rest of the way.  He was marginally better the second direction, but not much.  Almost DFL - 6th out of 7 in that class.  And since it's a show environment, I can't exactly school him like at home (I doubt the management would be thrilled if we continued trotting for several laps after the directive was given to walk or line up).  I compensated by schooling him in the small and insufficient warm-up area after the class.  Our final class was Walk/Favorite Gait with 11 horses in a smallish arena.  The judge was looking right at us when they called for the favorite gait.  Thankfully, he eased into the trot with less fussing than the class before and was decent in traffic.  We were about to reverse directions when a crack of thunder sounded and they called off the show then and there.  They did still pin the class based on the one direction, and amazingly, he got 4th out of the class of 11.

So these are the grades I'm giving him from our test:
Trailering: A (loaded readily and stood quietly)
Adaptation to new environments: A (totally relaxed)
Manners around other horses: B+
Behavior in In Hand Classes: A- (he chomped the bit a lot and mooched for treats, but stood well)
Responsiveness In Hand: B (lazy, but he got the job done)
Behavior in Under Saddle Classes: D+ (He was exactly the same as he is at home, sometimes ok, sometimes a pita, so if I can cure his stubborn streak at home, hopefully it will be gone at shows, too)
Responsiveness Under Saddle: C- (he was extremely lazy at the walk, forgot how to bend, then would speed up and slow down at the trot, but I suppose that's better than him being hyped up and running off)

Well, I don't know when the next test will be, but we need to improve the under saddle grades.

A Bit of an Update

Figuring out a new horse is always a challenge, especially with one that's had some training but isn't finished.  When they really "get" something, you always wonder, was it me, or did he already know that?  Well, Larry's starting to "get" some things.  Walk-trot transitions are improving.  Trot to halt transitions are fantastic.   (Maybe a little too fantastic, as he really knows how to slam on the brakes to get to his favorite gait: halt.)  Bending, turning, and going into the corners is getting better.  So is a more consistent headset and less bracing on the bit.  Halt to walk is still a work in progress; he gets "sticky feet" and doesn't want to move forward again.  Backing is ok, but could be better.  We're still doing walk-trot work, though we've recently started doing courses of single trot poles.  I'm using it as a tool for steering, pace control, and proprioceptive awareness (a really fancy way of saying, does the horse know where his own feet are?).  Once he's shown me that he's truly proficient at that, we'll move the poles closer together and try varying intervals.  We're also doing a lot of lunging work.  He'll canter some on the lunge line and I'm trying to teach him that cantering is good, because thus far he really doesn't want to do it under saddle (though he will trot so fast that the world looks blurry).  I ask him to canter with a kiss, verbal command, then the lunge whip and as soon as he gives me a few strides, he gets to halt and gets patting and praise.  I'm not sure he's made the association yet between cantering and reward, but he does seem to like a lot of repetition before things become habit for him.

I've gotten some feedback from Larry along the way.  He has a tendency to sometimes flip his head up and hop his front feet while being worked.  I spent a lot of time trying different bits with him, thinking it might be mouth discomfort.  He was seen by the dentist in November and given a clean bill of health, so logic says that it shouldn't be dental issues.  However, he has a refined nose and a low palate if you stick your fingers in and poke around. That means, for Larry, a fat jointed snaffle is a more painful bit than a thin, multi-link bit.  That also explains why he's happier in my thin curved sweet iron snaffle than in my rubber D ring or hollow mouth loose ring.  The fat bits fill his mouth uncomfortably, and the single jointed ones V up and pop him in the roof of the mouth when engaged.  Yep, it flies in the face of everything we're taught about bitting.  I have an extensive collection of mild plain snaffles.  And they're all pretty much worthless for Larry use.  He didn't seem partial to my French mouth, but I borrowed a three piece loose ring snaffle and he hasn't done as much head flipping in it.  It hasn't been total smooth sailing since I figured out some bits we could both live with (the 3 piece and the sweet iron; I also have a dog bone shanked western curb to try when I'm ready to put him in a curb for western); he still does his head flip sometimes even when I have no contact with his mouth.  I think it might be his way of flipping me the bird when he's unhappy, as he does it more often when he's agitated - mostly when he thinks he should be done with the ride or I've asked him to do something that he doesn't really get yet.  It's annoying as a rider, and makes me not want to ride him bareback until he's over it (owww, withers), but I guess at least I have a clear way of knowing when something is too much.

Yes, my riding and training methods are slow and boring.  I'm know for a fact that he could be jumping 2'6" courses right now and we could probably be showing.  But I'm a boring methodical sort of person.  I like to make sure that the horse has a completely finished and sound foundation before I move up to the next difficulty level.  I guess I'd be a natural for dressage competition.

Good News Bad News

The good news:  Larry likes to be groomed
The bad news:  He rolls in mud three times a day.

The good news:  Larry's shedding out his winter coat.
The bad news:  It's now adorning my coat and my sweatshirts.

The good news:  Larry can really jump.
The bad news:  He hasn't figured out how to get through trot poles without walking or jumping them.

The good news:  Larry can canter in place under saddle.
The bad news:  He did it while having a temper tantrum and hopping up and down because he thought the ride should be over.

The good news:  Spring is here, grass is growing, and Daylight Saving Time means more riding time in the evenings.
The bad news:  There is no downside to that!

Goals

I know this is more of a New Years exercise, but competition season is about to begin so I may as well put down in words the various 2011 goals that are floating around inside my head.  Some of the goals pertain to Larry, some to Legs, and some to other aspects of my life.

Legs:
Goal 1. Obviously to keep her sound and happy. She's gotten most of the winter off and won't get any legging up until her plastic shoes are put back on later this month.  We'll continue to ride and show at a reduced level contingent on this goal being met (she seems to enjoy showing and working), but she is definitely and most deservedly in the "semi-retired" category now.

Goal 2. As I hung her new ribbons and awards from last month's SPHO NJ banquet, I took a moment to tally up her numerous accomplishments over the years. She has won 180 blue ribbons, 25 state and national championships (4 reserves), 6 BGSG gold medals (12 medals total), 12 local championships (1 reserve) mostly from our old hunter-jumper days. Yeah, my little mare is pretty incredible!

Contingent on Goal 1, above, it would be really cool to reach 200+ blues with her. I think we can do it with some smart planning.

Goal 3 STB Nationals. I know she has absolutely nothing left to prove. For my own sake, I would love to take both her and Larry to Nats, but cut down on the number of classes she goes in with Larry picking up some of the slack.  It would be cool to try a few different classes with Legs (eg dressage), but I definitely want to reduce her total workload, so maybe I can juggle some of the classes around.  This, of course, depends on Larry's training and showing progress this year.

Goal 4 Leadline.  Legs will likely be making some appearances with a very new rider this year.  I am hoping it will work out for her to do leadline with my friend R's little girl at a few shows.

Work in progress - I'll finish this post later, as I was suddenly called away to work on some control arms!

3/8/11  Sorry about the delay - we had to get the racecar back in one piece asap!

Larry:

Goal 1 Health and happiness.  This is always goal one with any living thing.  Obviously he needs to be sound, healthy, and happy before we can accomplish anything else.

Goal 2. Cohesion.  The foundation for any good horse and rider team is trust and cohesion.  A lot of this is simply spending time together in different situations from grooming and groundwork to the actual riding and competing.  I definitely haven't spent as much time with Lar as I would like to.  I am an admitted wuss when it comes to cold weather and opted more for the (relatively) warm house over shivering in the barn over winter.  Now that the weather is starting to warm up and DST takes effect soon (yay!), I hope to change this as much as is feasible given my work, racing, and household obligations.

Goal 3.  Showing (In Hand).  I am looking forward to showing Lar.  He is simply stunning, moreso as he sheds out his shaggy coat, and I can't wait for the obligatory "What breed is he?" and "He can't possibly be a Standardbred" comments.  One thing that Legs always lagged at was halter.  She is a lovely horse and good mover, but even I can admit that she is not a conformational paragon.  Lar, on the other hand, has a very nice build for halter.  His body type also means that he will look at home both as a hunter/sport horse in hand and as a stock horse halter prospect.  I have a nice western show halter that should complement him nicely, and I just bought a new hunt show bridle for him to match my new saddle.  (Funny how that works - the horse may be free, but then you feel like you need to make up for that in accoutrements - new blankets, new saddle, new bridle, it goes on and on!)  I know he has a solid foundation in showmanship, so we'll work on that too to try to give the QH a run for their money locally.

Goal 4.  Showing (Under Saddle).  I think our biggest challenge in the show ring initially will be keeping his attention.  He's very curious, and apt to want to look around at all the new sights and sounds at shows and fairs.  Besides changing things up at home (eg setting up trail obstacles, jumps, banners, etc at home), just going to shows and getting him used to it all is the thing to do.  I know he's shown quite a bit before, though not as much under saddle as in hand, but I'll treat him as a total newbie until I am positive that he's confident in me and comfortable with his surroundings.  Of course, I also aim to bring home his first blue ribbon under saddle this year.  He has the talent; it's up to the two of us to apply it.

Goal 5.  The canter.  Despite very sporadic riding, he has some very good days of walk-trot where he stays consistent, focused, and soft.  (Of course there are also days where the neighbor's cows, the barn, or nearby traffic seems to be more interesting than going where and how the rider directs.)  Whenever I can finally put him on a more consistent schedule, I think the distractability will go away.  When he reaches that nice consistency and balance, I'd like to progress to cantering.  I try to encourage him to canter whenever I can, primarily on the lunge line and sometimes in turnout, though he still largely prefers to trot when the herd gallops.  He has shown me several strides of nice, balanced canter both directions on the lunge line, so I know it's down there for me to find and develop.  So our game plan is (a) consistent riding & attention span, (2) consistent and balanced w/t work, (3) intro to canter, (4) development of canter and balance, and sometime in the future (5) advanced work - lateral work, jumping (I want a nice canter before he gets set that jumps are taken only from the trot), and combination work.

Goal 6.  Versatility.  Part of the fun of a new horse is learning what they have an aptitude for.  We'll start with in hand work and pleasure, since those address the basics, but I'd eventually like to branch out and cross-train Lar in a variety of disciplines.  I hope to dabble in western pleasure, trail, hunter-jumpers, eq,  games, roadster, driving, dressage, combined training.  Pretty much anything we can try!  I don't mind when horses are specialists in one area or another, but I definitely believe that it's more interesting for both horse and handler to at least try different things.


Racing:
I know this is primarily a horse blog, but sometimes I will address other aspects of my life.  My husband and I are heavily into a sport called autocross - a timed competition of driving skill and speed.  It's something I tried reluctantly at first, not expecting to have an aptitude for it.  Now I'm totally hooked, have a national title (wow, how did that happen!?) and wish I'd started much sooner.  I love the technical, mechanical, social, competitive, and adrenaline facets of the sport!  Competing regionally and nationally means a big time commitment and lots of travel.  It certainly becomes a juggling act trying to fit in horses, showing, and all the less enticing things like work and chores.

1.  Car Development and Research.  One huge advantage of being a husband-wife team is that we are both committed to the sport (sometimes I think I'm more into it than he is) and willing to spend the money and time on it.  A lot of autocrossers have families who may be considerably less scintillated by spending thousands on special tires and shock absorbers and spending holiday weekends standing around a tarmac breathing in brake dust.  Our car is very well prepped and we did some things over the winter to improve (I hope!) it further.  I would like to have the lightest car of its kind in the class (while staying 100% class legal, naturally) and I think we're on the right track.  I also want to make sure we keep up with its maintenance and any other development possibilities as the rule sets change over time.  Of course having a well prepped car leaves no excuses for the car and leads me to goal 2.

2.  Driving Better.  I have good days, I have not so good days.  I want to have a lot less of the latter!  So that boils down to constructive practice.  I am beyond the point where just "throwing the car around and seeing what happens" yields big gains, so improvements need to be made with forethought in addition to guts.  Another driving school might be in order for both of us, since we haven't done one since running this car/class.

3.  Challenges.  I've been really close.  I want to win one of the challenges, be it at a pro or one of the states championships.  Having a cool head and driving consistently fast is critical here.

4.  Regional.  I want to win PAX locally.  Again, I've been close (top 3), but the win has eluded me to date.  Funny, but a top 10 PAX finish seemed elusive just 2 years ago, and now I'm disappointed with anything below the 95th percentile.  I also want to continue to jockey with my husband for class wins.  He edged me out last year, but I want to turn the tables this year.  He's not exactly a standing target, either, as he continues to improve as a driver, too.  A couple years ago, he seemed uncatchable.  Our goals are always adjusting with our skills, I suppose.

5.  Nationals.  To be honest, I really didn't expect to win last year.  My competition is tough, and I didn't know if I could hang with them.  But I was able to drive fast and drive smart, and it paid off in spades.  I need to be able to hold onto that combination of factors and tap into it in the future.  A repeat win would be awesome, if tougher, since you only have the element of surprise once!

6.  Triad.  The highest award in solo.  Yea, I'd like to win that.  It's tough (go figure), but I'll keep working on that.

6.  Open class.  I want to trophy at the national level in the open class.  I think I can do it eventually, but I'm not quite there yet.  I'll keep working on that. 

Miscellaneous.  I have other long-term goals that are more general, but they are beyond 2011.  I think that I've tallied enough stuff to work on to keep me plenty busy in 2011! 

Rapunzel, Rapunzel Let Down Your Mane

I grew up in proper hunter-jumper barns.  Horses had their manes pulled and their tails neatly banged at fetlock level.  For shows manes were braided (tails optional).  When I got Legs, she still had most of the traditional long Standardbred mane.  I say most, because there was a section mid-way down her crest where she'd self-shortened it to around 4 inches by reaching for tempting tufts of grass under the fence.  Long-short-long is not a good look for any breed, so pulling her mane to uniformity was a no-brainer.  I've kept it short (though I get lazy in the winter and let it grow) ever since.  It's flattering to her and makes her fit in with the hunter TBs and western QH we compete against.

Larry, however, came to me with the most ridiculously thick and luxurious mane and forelock you ever saw.  It gives him an exotic look - like one of Vavra's horses (Google his work if you want to see photos of horses in all their untamed beauty).  It makes him look like a Morgan or Arab cross or a really elegant Mustang. 

 

But it doesn't jive with turnout for a proper hunter horse.  Yea, I could put it in a running braid for hunter classes, and so on, but that's not the hard-core George Morris always proper hunter school of thought I was raised on.  So I've been going back and forth about it for several months now.  On the one hand, pulling manes can be a nuisance, and he might actually place better with a full mane at some shows I attend where the judging's more saddle seat biased and he'd fit in if I took him in roadster classes.  On the other hand, a pulled mane is less work on a daily basis and might help him place better at other shows I attend where the judging's more QH or hunter biased. 

Sometimes I wish I could just invent a Velcro-in mane system.  Going to a hunter show?  No problem, just Velcro your neat and tidy pre-braided  hunter mane onto your horse's neck (just don't grab mane for balance over a fence!).  Showing western pleasure?  Velcro on your banded mane attachment.  Roadster?  Attach your full mane to your horse's neck and away you go.  Want a palomino instead?  Soup. 

Well, Larry's bridle path was clipped for Nationals back in August.  Since it would be too long for a pulled mane, I've been letting it grow out, save for the 3" swath behind the ears where the headstall actually rests.  Well, as you can see he's now sporting quite the Mohawk.  It's now about 5" long, long enough to put in hunter braids, but it still sticks nearly straight up from his neck.   

 

So I could pull his mane to all one length, only to have it stick up all the way down his topline.  I would have no choice but to band or braid for every show or else he'd be mistaken for a recently retired polo pony.  At 5" every 6 months, it would take a while to "undo" and grow back out if it was a shortened debacle.

 

So the easiest answer is: procrastination.  I have decided that, at a minimum, Larry will sport a full mane until he has developed a consistent canter under saddle.  There aren't a whole lot of walk-trot classes in my area, and I don't think his mane will be much of a hindrance to his placing in those classes at this level.  Plus it keeps his career option as a road horse open.  There are several fairs that offer road horse classes around here.  Road horses in my area are full-fledged black jodhpur and custom silks, cutback saddle (or proper harness and snazzy jog cart), full streaming manes, white leather quarter boots, knees to the nose, and oh boy trot at speed means a sub 2:05 mile so you'd better get out of the way slowpoke card carrying road horses.  I took Legs in one roadster under saddle class on a lark a few years back.  There was no question in anyone's mind which horse would be placing last in the class that day as we all entered the ring.  That would be me, with my pulled mane, low efficient strides, hunt saddle, white rubber bell boots, and black dress pants.  (To my credit, I HAD managed to borrow a set of bona fide silks, though I had to fashion my own coordinating helmet cover).  We just stayed out of everyone else's way, performed the gaits to the best of our abilities, and smiled and laughed our way into the lineup.

Anyhow, back to the mane thing, should two nice leads under tack not be in the cards for Larry, roadster could give us a way to keep showing and having fun without being relegated to the solitary kiddie class with the other walk-trotters.  So for showing at present, he'll get to keep his long thick mane and play in hand, walk-trot, and roadster pony.  To that end, I picked up a couple yards of royal blue satin and some cream satin trim last week.  I have plans to modify a shirt pattern I have to create a roadster ensemble for us.  I'm thinking royal with cream bands and diamonds (to match his star).  I have a friend I might be able to coaxe into loaning me a cut back saddle for the shows.  Now I just need to get my hands on a harness and jog cart!

If he develops a nice canter and an aptitude for hunters, I guess I'll have to pull (and braid) it a lot.  If he develops an aptitude for everything, well, where did I put that Velcro?