2020 was the first full year I had my blog private, and it turned out to be the perfect year for it. I feel like I was more honest and frank about my rides than I have been in a long time--both for the good and the bad.
January
January was a mixed month. After giving Opie most of December off when we both got burnt out, we did some jump schools (good), some trail rides (good), some dressage schools (some good, some the typical mid-winter Satanic variety), and he got introduced to the double--just during stretch rides, but he took to it well.
February
We started off the month drilling the basics on the flat: being round, being forward, being supple in the lateral work...being obedient. All the horrible stuff, but much needed for both of us. He got adjusted by the chiro for an out of whack LH--there's that pesky leg again! We finished the month doing a few jump schools and owning game night yet again.
March
More enforcing the basics and cleaning up the Second level work. Opie finally started to understand the medium trot for the first time, and we finished out the month "starting" the changes. Even back then, the L-R was good, but the R-L was a hot mess. We did a few bridleless jump schools just for funsies. I railed about my lack of a reliable hauling vehicle and my horse's tension, and how they were going to ruin our show season. Then COVID was like, "Surprise, bitch, I can do all that for you." And no show season was to be had!
April
We attempted to pull Opie's shoes since we weren't going anywhere in the foreseeable future thanks to the 'rona. He ended up with an abscess in a hind foot, and his feet got too chewed up and tender barefoot so that was the end of any exciting farrier news for the year. We started to work for real in the double, and also introduced Opie to barrels. Because 'rona. Do all the things.
May
We started the month with a couple jumps schools which he was pretty wild for. We did a ton of trail riding, and kept sneaking in work on the changes with middling success.
June
MOAR TRAIL RIDING. MOAR JUMPING. MOAR FUCKING AROUND. We enjoyed the shit out of June. Got a hunter pace in during which I almost died of heat stroke because Fat, jumped everything inside and out of the barn, and closed out the month by doing a jumper derby in which Opie was slightly rabid, but bold and brave and got a fourth in the Intro and a sixth in the BN.
July
We did another hunter pace and switched back and forth between cross country schooling and doing real dressage work this month. A++ for the jumping, more like a C+ for the dressage with some serious battles over the counter--specifically the counter canter.
August
EVEN MOAR TRAIL RIDING. And fucking around of course. We did our very first test ride of 3-1 which was sloppy, but felt doable. The R-L change continued to be our nemesis. We finished out the month with another cross country school.
September
We kicked off this month in a horrible no good way. I was getting drama piled on top of me, and Opie was just adding fuel to the fire by having a complete meltdown over the changes. He fucked up my back badly, couldn't relax to save his life even hacking out, and earned himself a spot on the chiro's wait list. Halfway through the month I dropped the dressage, did a couple of hunter oriented rides, went on vacation for a week, and then came back and did a wild hunter show. By the end of the month, however, I had gotten us back on track and kept everything from imploding.
October
Opie got adjusted by the chiro at the beginning of the month and it kicked off a long lameness journey. He was out in the usual places, but when the chiro got to the LH (always the problem leg), he fucked around for a long time and then thought what was going on was more of a stifle soft tissue injury or aggravation. We did a Bute trial with zero success, and he went from dropping his hip to outright lameness all while only doing walk work.
November
Getting nowhere with Bute, rest, and/or walking, I finally called the vet out for a lameness consult. She x-rayed, saw nothing, and made an appointment to come back out to ultrasound. Nothing there either even though he had now gotten even more lame, and all she could offer was more Bute and stall rest. He predictably lost his shit on the few days of stall rest we did do, and I quickly nixed that plan. Trying to get better ideas from her ended up futile as she basically fired me as a client and straight out told me to find a new vet. Thanks. What ended up working was multiple PEMF treatments in a week with weekly follow ups and a little Bute here and there as he came back into light work. The suspected culprit? A pulled groin--nothing the vet ever mentioned.
December
My plan was to walk for the month of December, but Opie's broken brain had other ideas, and ultimately it worked out for the best. With his weekly PEMF treatments and easing into real work, he's remained completely sound and is basically back in full work. He feels a little weak every now and then, and I definitely want to keep his pulse therapy going, but amazingly I'm finishing out the year with a sound and sane horse that should still be on track for Third next year. Provided we can get that R-L change this time around.
