Knowing ME, Knowing YOU - Part II - Body health check

It has been some 4 months since I have been handling 'Mr F'. 

Both 'Lillian' and 'Jane' are repeatedly wondering and asking: "Well, when will you ride him?" 

"When we are ready. When I know he trusts me and I can trust him." was my reply.

While I didn't understand their hurry on the matter. True, one half of me was indeed very much looking forward to experiencing 'Mr F' from a rider's point of view but the other half of me also knew that I have no clue about riding except for those few months as a teenager in a riding school. That is some 25 years ago. In that short period I had two falls, one winded me to such an extent that I needed help to get my breath. My back hurt for months afterwards. And the other was me not tightening the girth and I landed up hanging upside down. And that was only on tame, trained riding school ponies.

This however is a different affair ... this isn't a well trained and willing school pony. We are talking here about a horse that has done nothing but racing in his life.

Clearly there was a complete lack of skills in the matter; I didn't even know how to tack up a horse. They were presented 'ready-made' when I had a go at it all those years back. In the current situation, the only way forward was to have a base of complete trust between myself and 'Mr F'.

And there is another hindering factor: we have no tack whatsoever except from his old racing saddle  (so tiny!) and a shabby leather bridle.

'Mr F' and I weren't quite ready yet. More work had to be done on the ground. We have been going out on walks together quite a lot lately and he no longer is anxious and calling out for the others. This is progress. He was quite wild and upset when he arrived here with 'Rose' and separating him from any horses in sight was a big no-no for a long time. 

And then there is the matter of 'Mr F's physical health. His back appears to be very stiff and his walk is rather 'robotic'. This has bothered me for some time. The other 'horsey people' think that he'll be fine but that does not convince me.  I can see a change in his face when we walk downhill. He seems to feel a fair amount of discomfort. As I spend a fair amount of just observing all these horses and their movements. Some where quite equally stiff while others had a lovely, free swing with their behind. (forgive but I am not knowledgeable in the correct terminology ...yet). I don't want to ride 'Mr F' and make his back worse.

It was pointed out to me that he would hardly notice me on him - me being 5" tall and 48kg. Yet I know how I feel when I have pain in a joint, any extra strain will make it worse. 

For me riding is a matter of looking after each other. If I do my best to look after 'Mr F' and ensure his comfort, perhaps in turn he will look after me because he realises that I 'listen' to his troubles and that he is safe if he follows me. It is a partnership, ideally.

As it happens, on one of my pub visits I met an osteopath who treats both humans and horses. We've met several times socially and found that he is a sensitive guy who knows what he is doing. Asking around a little, I heard only positive things. 

I gave him a call and arranged for him to come and visit 'Mr F' and to check him over. 

His verdict was that 'Mr F's back was dead. 

"What do you mean by dead??" I asked puzzled.

"The lumbar section of his spine is very stiff and it isn't moving freely. Imagine it a little like the drive shaft in a car." He explained.

I was able to form a picture in my head and asked: "Can this be 'fixed'?"

"Yes, I have made some corrections but you will have to do some after-work with massage etc. I will show you." He continued working on 'Mr F' for a little while and couldn't find anything else that was wrong. 

It was time for THE question: "Can he be ridden again?"

"Yes, I cannot see why he shouldn't be ridden. But give him a couple of weeks to get used to the changes in his back."  With this he also gave me some instructions as to how to massage and work with 'Mr F' to aid his back.

OK, so far so fair ... at least physically we have the all clear. 

'Mr F' looking well.

Making New Friends

It had become quite a problem that 'Rose' and 'Mr F' could not be separated without 'kicking and screaming'. We tried putting them into stables alone for a period of time during the day so that they would get used to it. However,  'Mr F' in particular would be completely besides himself if left alone in the stable. In fact dangerously so! Much work was to be done here.

So, to make it easier, we put them into different fields, each with a different companion.

'Rose' was put into a field with 'Madame'. 'Madam' is 'Jane's mare. Both horses kind of grudgingly accept each other's presence; better than being alone.

'Rose' and 'Madame' - just about coping with each other's company.

And here is 'Mr F's new pasture mate: 'Luke'

'Luke' - here 6 years old, is one of 'Lillian's horses. 'Lillian' is a friend or riding pal of 'Jane'. I don't quite follow the people politics at the farm. I 'Luke' very interesting and he is very different compared to 'Mr F'.

Both 'Luke' and 'Mr F' are getting along well straight away. Although you can see here 'Mr F' is already eyeing up 'Luke' who is wanting to know what I am up to. 'Mr F' does not like it if other horses get to me first ... for whatever reason, I am not sure.

'Mr F' - Looking well. He has put on weight nicely. Even the neighbours are complementing him. Some had been worried about 'the two skinny horses in the field' and some even considered calling the RSPCA. I never told 'Jane' about that. I did make a point of explaining the circumstances and that these horses were not being neglected and that I was looking after one of them now.

To Boldly Go Where No Woman Has Gone Before ...

And hello to all you owners of Geldings out there! Here is a great topic to start and observe the reactions one gets:

"Ok, so how do I clean his sheath?"

"Clean his SHEATH? Why would you want to do that?"

"Well, frankly, it's not looking / smelling too good ... surely this is part of our responsibility."

Silence .... mildly embarrassed coughing ... followed by statements such as below:

"Well, I've never done it ... " - "I've never thought about it." - "Oh I'm so glad I have a mare!"

Ok,  I am on my own on this one.

I do fully understand that opinion's differ in this matter (does it need to be cleaned or not) but I decided that he needed a clean as it was very clearly not in a great condition and so I was reading up on the matter. However, please PLEASE do consult with your vet also.

In the wild were they remain 'busy' it will be naturally kept clean. But the way we keep them, his manliness needs to be looked after. The 'crusty stuff' - in other words the SMEGMA needs to be removed at least once a year, ideally twice for the sake of the horse' health.

And then there is the BEAN - a build up of SMEGMA that has built up and gone hard inside the horse' penis. This can be very painful for him and it needs to be checked.

Again, there are very helpful articles online but do consult with your VET.

So, with this task in order, I started to plan my approach in the matter ...

'Mr F' has become accustomed to me over the past months. I made a point of being able to touch him anywhere and I do spend time with him every day while grooming. The question was: would he be willing to stand still while I was about to explore a new world and would boldly go where probably no woman has gone before?

For the next few days I was testing his willingness to accept my wandering hands near the 'target' area. I did so casually while grooming and cleaning hooves. At first he turned his head looking at me with his typical 'Just WHAT are you up to now?' face, which makes me laugh each time. I thought that as an ex-racehorse, he may have been used to this, but obviously not so, or at least not with me doing it.

I was 'practising' for a good two weeks until he was absolutely fine with me being this personal.

The time had come: one evening I decided that it was as good a moment as any. I groomed and fed 'Mr F' after which he switches into his usual 'chill out' mode.

The road was clear for me, and I was equipped with the surgical gloves and the sponge and cotton wool!  There was just one minor problem, he did not drop. I had to go in!

Here I would like to point out that one must CUT BACK one's FINGERNAILS!

All the while I had positioned myself so that if 'Mr F' decides to kick, I would know about it before he even got there and would be able to either stop him or escape.

But I had nothing to worry about, he stood still for the entire duration (a good 30 minutes!). I was amazed ... considering my inexperienced hands. There was much stuff to remove and I did a check for the bean but could not find anything.

I used just clean luke warm water (no soap!). I have never done this before so I was most pleased with 'Mr F' for standing still so calmly, albeit a little uncertain why I was where I was ...

Well, another experience noted in the books!