Bringing a horse back into work after a break (Road to Tevis # 79)

Bringing a horse back into work after a long break is surprisingly easy! For those of you wondering what’s up with Fantazia… After she failed to vet in at the Twenty Mule team ride last February, we spent some time trying and failing to figure out her lameness. (Read about it in this post.) When my vet said the next step was an MRI, I said, let’s just try rest. We had narrowed it down to right fore, below fetlock. Anything that was going to show up on an MRI was going to require many months of rest. I decided to try to breed her. Due to frozen semen issues and Fantazia being difficult about coming in heat, she is not pregnant. She did have eight months of rest.

I did ride her several times after getting Jazz. Fantazia got crazy jealous, so I would saddle her up and pony Jazz to the arena. Then Fantazia would practice ground-tying while Jazz worked. Sometimes I’d switch back to Fantazia to pony out to green grass that they would both eat. However, once I started riding Jazz out on the trail, I stopped riding Fantazia at all, up until the Bill Thornburgh ride. There I rode her to pony Jazz for three miles, on October 28th. It was her first time under saddle in five months.

A week after the ride, I rode Fantazia a couple of miles on Friday and Sunday. I ponied Jazz with her on Saturday. She was sound. On Monday I had both horses shod. It was time to bring Fantazia back into shape, if possible.

Above: Left, Fantazia overlooking the pasture where she and Jazz currently live. Right: Ponying Jazz is something she generally enjoys (as long as he doesn’t bite).

Fantazia’s month of riding

I’ve now been riding Fantazia for a month, mostly on weekends. I work in Bakersfield Monday-Thursday during the semester, with occasional Friday meetings. (Read my post on Being a weekend warrior.) At the Sesenta Anos Pioneer ride, I rode her to pony Jazz and then we did our own loop while Jazz practiced beling alone at the trailer. (Read about Jazz’s fantastic first 50 at Sesenta Años here.)

The following weekend Fantazia did her first semi-serious rides in months: 5.8 (607′ total ascent) miles on Friday and 7.7 (919′ total ascent) miles on Sunday. Compared to our accustomed training ground, where we’d go up 1,000 feet in two miles on “easy” rides, our new trails are much easier. We start at the elevation we used to have to climb to (1800′). That makes it more difficult to condition. Fortunately Fantazia hasn’t lost that much fitness.

Above: walking and appreciating views of snow on the Sierra Nevada (sadly mostly melted now).

Bringing a horse back into work is easy when the horse was very fit when it stopped.

Last week was Thanksgiving, and I rode Fantazia that morning, a perfect four days from her last ride. We had a nice 9-mile ride with 863′ total ascent, in cattle pastures and along a country road. Two days later, I rode Fantazia and ponied Jazz about two miles through their pasture. Then, the next day, Fantazia and I explored the property of some old friends. It’s just 3/4 mile down the road, and, besides being a beautiful, well-kept cattle ranch, allows me access to the same land I have been riding these past two years.

This was Fantazia’s most strenuous ride, and will be the most she does before the Cayuse LD she’ll do on December 11th. We rode 9.5 miles with 1,184′ total ascent. I’m not sure how long it took, because I got off and spent some time talking. The total moving time was two hours, but that includes walking around with the property owner.

In any case, I don’t think Fantazia needs more work. I am more worried about overtraining. Yes, she might have to go slower than she likes, but it’s only 30 miles. I’d rather discover that she’s still lame based on light work than heavy. So far, she appears to be sound. She’s certainly enthusiastic.

Panorama with views of the Sierra Nevada.

What’s up with Fantazia’s soundness?

Fantazia was not lame in May when we ponied Jazz a bit. At least, I couldn’t detect any lameness. She was barefoot, so a bit ouchy on rocks, but that is normal (and it was the same on all feet). However, I did not trot her enough to really judge. By that time, her right foot was clubbing up noticeably. Clearly she was protecting an injury.

Over the summer Fantazia did not work, but she did move around a lot. She was turned out with Jazz on three hilly acres. They ran around. She trotted (soundly) down the steep hillside. She galloped across the pasture, over rocks, downhill and up. She wore her hooves down so much there was nothing to trim. The foot kept clubbing up. I’d rasp the heel down once in a while, and at one point I had my farrier take the nippers to it. But we didn’t change the angle radically. I figured there might be a good reason to leave it alone.

Both horses will be reshod Monday, in preparation for the Cayuse ride. I’ll ride Fantazia lightly Tuesday. Then I have to be in Bakersfield till Thursday evening. It’ll be load up and drive to the ride on Friday.

What’s up with Jazz?

Jazz is fine. He’s just having a nice break after his first 50. I’ll pony him Saturday from Fantazia, and we’ll do a serious ride Sunday. I’m aiming for at least ten miles with some steep grades and fast trots. Jazz is getting fat–I’ve started giving him about half of what Fantazia get, when I am home. Unfortunately, during the week they eat together and must have the same amount. It’s not that Fantazia lets him run her off food. In fact, she suddenly realized she can boss Jazz around and does when she wants. It’s just that she’s a slow eater. She likes to eat some feed/grain, then nibble on hay, then stare into the distance. So I separate them for breakfast when I can. Luckily, fall semester is almost done, so I’ll be home all the time for a month.

It’s okay if Jazz gets a bit fat. He’ll trim down over a winter of endurance riding.

In the meantime, it’s a pleasure to ride Fantazia.

Jazz is a fantastic athlete, and will be a great ride… when he gets over the silly. And when he learns to be smarter about the terrain. I still have to do his thinking for him a lot of the time. He’s not road-safe yet, so I’ll have to do some leading at first. He just doesn’t have the miles that Fantazia does.

That said, Jazz is naturally less spooky and far less hot than Fantazia. On Sunday, an entire herd of cows and calves decided to follow use, cavorting and mooing. Fantazia got very excited. That’s the kind of thing Jazz ignores. He’s uninterested in cows. (Whereas Fantazia is very cowy and smart about them… but still gets excited!)

Fantazia is exciting to ride, but she’s very forward. She’s all about going down the trail. Jazz hasn’t got there yet. It’ll be nice to ride them both at Cayuse, if all goes well.