Same horse, different ride

Society6 (not Ryon)

We’re on the cusp of fall, which means Ryon is a different horse… again.  Big boy turned 11 last week and still behaves like a three year old.  He fights me on every single jump course until we crank up the jumps closer to three feet.  His anxiety level is at an all time high, and he becomes a bottle rocket out in the new arena.  After our jump lessons, my neck, shoulders, and back are all tweaked to pieces.  I constantly get compliments on my biceps; the secret is not to lift weights but to get a horse who tries to rip the reins out of your hands.  On the ground, Ryon has gone from being my pristine horse to a pig who creates his own mud puddles with his water trough.  He buries his head in the water and splashes out as much as he possibly can into the dirt - is he fighting the heat?  The flies?  Who knows.  To calm him down and alleviate the anxiety, we’re putting him on birth control shots and adding a bit of estrogen to his system.  Fingers crossed that this actually works or else this winter is going to be an absolute nightmare.

His coat has gotten so soft.  I’ve been spraying it with Microtek which is supposed to be an anti-microbial that will also medicate dry skin and apparently it’s working.  We’re getting cooler nights but not cold enough to blanket the horses again, especially when we creep up into the 90s during the day.  I had his winter blanket professionally laundered this past spring so it’s now bird poop-less.  You’re welcome Ryon.

We are getting into better trail riding weather.  I took him out one weekend and we ran into an Oktoberfest celebration, complete with live band and hordes of stroller moms.  He does great on the trails, except when we’re galloping with others.  Then he pretends that he’s a Formula One race car and finishing FIRST is of the utmost importance.  I’d love to put this boy on a track to see what he can really do.  This past weekend we were both eaten alive by mosquitoes (in October, it’s a travesty), so we may need to wait a few more weeks until those stop pestering us.

I’m really glad that he’s healthy, and we’re coming up on a year since his joint procedure.  The bone chips in his ankles are extremely visible but don’t seem to be causing him any discomfort.  Hopefully the cold weather doesn’t bring on any additional stiffness, but as with Ryon every year, nothing is ever the same as the year before.