Remi 8th bodywork session post Rockley

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Remi notes 17^th August ‘13

Lunge session:

Pre massage assessment – Remi started off  balanced and looking quite loose and comfortable. Pip had schooled Remi prior to my arrival and it had seemed to have been good for him! Lovely to see the progress in him.

http://youtu.be/KsoQLgRNOWc

Palpation and massage:

Palpation showed he was braced/fixed in base of neck and he showed discomfort and tightness in pectorals and left shoulder. He released off easily and quickly though, no concerns otherwise

He released off well during massage.

2^nd lunge session post massage

He was moving so well pre-massage there was not a lot of room for improvement but his shoulder and neck muscles did show better movement post massage.

Aftercare:

Massage booked for 28^th September.

Remi video

Footage taken 17th August - before and after bodywork.

Some bits in slow motion to show movement better.

Activity behind looks better on left than right?

No signs of front unlevelness on either rein.

Fairly pleasing footage overall.

 

http://youtu.be/KsoQLgRNOWc 

 

 

Remi - Coombes EGB

First Endurance ride with Remi in a very long time. Organisers said was a barefoot friendly ride. So have been building Remi up for 17.5km South Downs ride near coast on Bank Holiday Monday.

Was disappointed with how much of route was gravel and v hard stony tracks. Not much fun for either horse. And definitely not barefoot friendly. However glorious views, lovely sunny day, both horses beautifully behaved. Lovely to have both horses on same ride. Lots of friendly people. Lovely venue, lots of parking. Nice bacon and sausage sandwich :-)

Remi found mostly long grass verges to stick to, but mostly not safe enough to trot.

A lot of riders were slow too. Mac has done about 10 endurance rides to date and most have been better going.

Remi loved the downs grass bits and had some lovely trots, canters and gallops. Great fun.

Had to squeeze past on a track the largest tractor harvesting vehicle have ever seen. Was nearly twice as tall and wide as normal, and three times as long. There wasn’t much room. Mac was brave to squeeze between it and the hedge! Remi followed.

Just shame so much was hard and stony. We were slow, but not as slow as might have been considering the number of gates (no gate allowance) and the distance we walked.

Remi seemed okay feet wise. And was generally happy to be out. He enjoyed showing K how much fun endurance rides are :-)

Long journey each way though. I was exhausted. He did tuck up a bit and didn't drink until home. Two days off and some extra dinners and he seems to be bouncing back 

If Remi seems fine over next week, we are hopefully aiming for another ride end September (and I know the going on this one).

Photos (click next to scroll through)

Remi http://www.lrg-photography.co.uk/events/Endurance%20GB%20Rides/7.%20Church%20Farm%20Coombes%2026th%20August%202013/rob/ROB_0516.html

Mac http://www.lrg-photography.co.uk/events/Endurance%20GB%20Rides/7.%20Church%20Farm%20Coombes%2026th%20August%202013/rob/ROB_0500.html

Pro pictures :-)

Pro pictures :-)

Pro pictures

Mac pictures

Remi Endurance ride

Getting fitter

We are getting Remi fit for a 17.5km Endurance / Pleasure ride on Bank Holiday Monday. Remi has done a fair bit of low level Endurance rides, but never barefoot and not for several years.

Last night was our third time up Reigate Hill. (A very long steep climb up and then down a stony hill that is fantastic for building fitness.) Ride involves lots of roadwork on quiet roads, a long steep climb up and down, and some nice canter spots. We had a lovely fast canter across a field. Remi was offering to canter up bits of the hill. He still finds the stones hard going, and opts for the verges.

He got attacked by a vicious bramble and has a huge welt across his shoulder from it :-( I wondered what upset him, and didn’t find it til we got back.

He has got faster and faster downhill.

I have been braver, and last two times have ridden him down the steep stony, sliding part. Strange horse now powerwalks down sliding from one foot to the next. Seems to work for him! Leaving Mac behind him in his wake.

Not sure what the fast walking down hill is about. Last time I rode him he was slower down hill than on flat! Form of laziness? He can slip slide down the hill?

His feet didn’t look much changed after last night's stony hill hack. Which is good, as the previous time, about ten days ago, he came home with visibly shorter feet (thought that might have been what he needed).

Last night's hack was 11.5km, and a massive hill, and fairly stony. So hopefully 17.5km on mainly good grass going, on the flat will be easy.

Am planning to rest his feet between now and Monday. Day off today, light hack Friday, schooling on rubber over the weekend.

Contrary Remi :-)

Saturday up early and had schooled both ponies before E came to treat them. Mac was good, light school and test run through. Remi - struggled a bit at start – curling neck and not reaching for contact. Someone else jumping in school, bit distracted. Bit more crooked and dot and carry. Improved but not as good as when schooled Wednesday. Query bit unlevel at times when goes crooked. Slightly lazy.  Walk stretch and pick up was much better. Finished much better, but was generally hard work. Was remedial schooling versus more typical schooling. 

E came to do body work. Lunged Remi first to assess. I expected him to be a bit unlevel / crooked (think is often less good on lunge and hadn’t been easy in school). And he looked really good – big walk, stretching down, nice trot on both reins. Probably the best trot work have seen from him. Was amazed.

Did say my school work riding must have been REALLY good for him ;-) HAH

He is an up and down contrary pony. Bless him. Just when I start to think he is predictable.

E found tightness in base of neck, and soreness. Think he braces here rather than reaching over his topline. And some soreness at base of girth area. I think martingale strap where crosses girth may be a pressure point. Said was thickened skin here.

Said he was generally good, and have stretched his treatments to six week intervals for next time.

Have bought one of these sheepskin girth covers - LINK

He was good to hack Sunday, good in his lesson Monday, and good for doing his lesson homework on Tuesday. Bless him.

Lesson working on getting the bend in his inside rib carriage, and getting him to lift his back, so that we could get him to then reach and stretch more over his top line.

Remi has a whole range of evasions - speed up / hollow / go crooked before you get a nice attempt. He is a wily schoolmaster, who isnt sure he wants to be straight and connected.  His favourite is to offer speed as an alternative to connected, with his eyes shining brightly.

He is building up behind and strengthening and gaining fitness. But he does need to work over his back more.

I have also realised he must have turned 15 this year. He cant be eternally 14, and I think he was 14 last year.

Ponies diet plan

Currently feeding

300gms dry copra (2.5 mugs)
240gms micronized linseed (2 mugs)
250gms speedibeet (2.5 mugs)

Zinc, copper, selenium to forage analysis
30gms lysine (estimate from protein analysis)
4g biotin
15 ml salt
30gms calcinated magnesium
30ml brewers yeast
10g MSM
10g glucosamine HCl
35ml spearmint (shaken with minerals to mask taste)
50ml porridge oats (shaken with minerals to mask taste)

I have cut down salt, CalMag and stopped calcium carbonate as hadstopped eating more than half their feeds recently. I upped salt in v hotweather, and they were fine in heat, but now don't want as much I think. Grassseems fairly subdued, and it is cooler.

Hind feet 14th August

Right hind

 

 

 

Left hind

Front feet 14th August

Right fore

Left fore

Blue boy

Right front foot sole

Late March to end of July. Photos go top to bottom, left to right, like reading a paragraph of text. Taken approximately every three weeks.

The last two photos show him post a careful trim. This has seemed to benefit his movement, though remains a careful balancing act, and a case of trial and error.

His foot remains very flat.

Right front heels

Late March to end of July. Photos go top to bottom, left to right, like reading a paragraph of text. Taken approximately every three weeks.

His right foreleg heels remain weak, though I think there has been some slight improvement. Long way to go though.

July updated analyis

Smart pony :-)

Kim and Remi at the start of their lesson last week.

 

Remi - new stable

Though he still lives out 24-7 and shares it with Mac :-)

Freshly painted stable, with new brass name plates

Glorious misty morning gallops

Lesson last night for both horses who were fab. My riding needs a lot of work, but Mac is really going nicely when I stay straight and upright and ride him straight. Remi looking generally fab and enjoying himself with sharer, K. Have persuaded her to try his favourite Elem test and a Novice test in their first outing together.    

Pnies had a lovely mutual scratching session after (once I had found Remi). K left him in new stable with chain across and dinner in his manger, whilst I had my lesson. I went to show him standing in new stable to L and he wasn't there. We assumed sharer had turned him back out. Then spotted Remi in someone else's stable (they were skipping out round him). They had no idea why he was in there, and didnt seem bothered. He was standing snoozing, looking very at home. We assumed sharer put him in wrong stable, but checed and she hadn't. Most surreal. I assume he undid chain (somehow) as wasnt broken, and put himself in an empty stable he has been in before, and the stable owner then put chain across the stable??

Oddly Mac who historically doesnt like being stabled much seems to love new stable and be very smug to stand in it. Remi seems far less impressed and has already tried to swap to a different stable!

Lovely sunny misty morning on the gallops. Glorious morning. 

Ponies in field first thing

Ponies were very good once we had convinced them they could brave going past the Pony Club campsite at top of gallops with tents and washing!


Nice forward trot and canter work. Did three laps. Some steady galloping too. Lovely cantering side by side. Mac not that keen to gallop flat out, apart from one scoot off and demonstration of speed. Did lots of brisk fittening work. Both showed some fabulous lengthened trot and canter strides. Both very well behaved ponies. Was generally lovely.


 
I did very very nearly fall off though. Had booked gallops exclusively. But unexpectedly met a livery coming towards us when we were fast cantering round a corner, and I was slow to spot her. Tried for an emergency stop to avoid hitting her. Mac skidded to a halt, to avoid hitting her, and I very nearly went straight over the front. I went up in the air and thought was heading for floor and came back down still on Mac who was now standing stockstill. Remi was on the outside, and behind and stopped a bit more sensibly. WhyI didn't think to swing wide and go round her I don't know – was too fast.


Did point out to livery I had booked it exclusively, but as we had neither crashed into her or fallen off, I guess it was okay. We were in the galloping direction and she was in the slow direction and on the inside of the bend. We did actually stop with a margin not to be likely to hit her (Mac likes personal space).


Both ponies barely blowing / sweating despite three laps of mostly forward trot / canter / slow gallop so that is good they are both quite fit. Remi is always slow to get fit, but I think we are getting there with him. Both were well mannered too.


Remi seems good with his feet at the moment. Touch wood – he is not favouring verge coming in from field, seems okay over most stones. Fingers crossed. Hope stays this way.

Profile pictures 30th July