Your Flight Courtesy of "The Packing Cow"

While Amber is off I'm reluctantly riding other critters.

Today I was going to ride a cute OTTB named Mickey, but he had thrown two shoes so Casey and Victoria suggest I give Cow, the beginner rider packer, a walk-trot workout.

Somewhat disappointing, but hey, I'm catch riding so I can't be picky.

So I get on, and she's barely moving. We walked around a time or two and I had her on a loose rein. I wasn't paying her too much mind, because hey, it's "the packing Cow".

And all of a sudden she shoots sideways. And I did not go sideways with her. I literally just got left where I was. I was PISSED. So I hauled her butt back to the mounting block and she learned something today. I was so mad I was almost hoping she would throw me off one more time just so I could kick her butt all over again. LOL. I think she does that crap on purpose, because she learned that when she acts fruity and dumps her riders, they just put her away. Well, not this time, How Now Brown Cow.

As for Amber, she is the same. The bute hasn't really made a difference. It almost makes me wonder if she has very mild locking stifle?

Victoria also brought up the possibility of Lyme disease. A pony at the barn had it, so it's not impossible, but it just seems so unlikely. It's so rare here. But I have to keep the possibilities open.

Found out my Xrays and lameness exam from the specialist vet is going to run me around $500 total...ouch. Victoria also brought up, gently of course, the possibility that it might be better in the end to sell her as a trail horse. And I've considered it with first right of refusal in writing. My main objection to selling her if she isn't sound enough to compete is where she could end up. I would never forgive myself if I sold her and she went to auction or got into a shitty home. Never.

And then again, it's early to be thinking about such things, but it's still something to be thinking about. This has, after all, been plaguing us since I bought her. Apparently, she hasn't been sound since I bought her. Whether or not my riding her has helped or hindered is irrelevant. I've done the best I could with what I know. At the very least we can be sure it's nothing that I've done that made her do this - the first time I rode her at Andrea's we noticed it.

She was never totally right at Casey's, but she passed her flexions somehow in the PPE.

If I knew more, I'd feel better. The not knowing and all the possibilities is what is so frustrating. The fact that it's not a limping along lameness.

But hey, at least I have a funny story about how a little packer pony made me eat dirt that I probably wouldn't be able to laugh at if Amber wasn't off.

And my rides with the TB should be interesting. From what I hear he rides a lot like Amber, so I shouldn't have trouble making the adjustment. He seems to have a cute personality. He's kind of been a pasture puff so it'll do him good to have a job, anyway.