Finally, a catch up!

Phew, we’re already in February folks! Happy new year (if it’s not too late to say that) and I hope that you all had a good holiday season (which feels like it was 6 months ago already).  Since we last spoke back in the fall, we’ve spent a lot of time out at our place in the country, successfully made it through a holiday season with the full family in town, and went through a medical journey with Dalton.

Firstly, the good stuff, which is almost all family related.  As I’m typing this up, Bryan’s parents have been staying out at our little place in the country before they head down to the Texas coast for the spring.  As January in Michigan is miserable, with sub-freezing temps and no sun to speak of, I’m grateful we were able to give them a place to escape to during the worst months of the year up there.  At their own initiative, they’ve done a ton of work out on the land, from splitting wood, to reorganizing spare building materials, and cleaning up the landscaping around the front ten acres.  They’ve picked up social visits with our neighbors and Bryan’s dad was even able to nail himself a wild hog.  We have been able to spend some spare time out there with them and it’s nice to have them so close by that we can see them over a weekend.

During the winter break, my sister’s family was also able to make a trip out with us to the country club, and the boys and the dogs had the best time.  Both boys got to drive the tractor, ride the 4-wheeler, and sit in every single deer blind.  Ryland was quiet enough that he even got to see a deer.  It was nice to be able to host them out there and also catch up on The Great British Baking Show with my sister and her husband.  Since they’ve moved to Dallas, it’s harder for us to get adult-only time with them and we’ve all missed that.

Winter storm Fern hit Dallas in late January and blasted the city with ice.  We were sequestered in our homes for 5 days and honestly, everything went as well as could be expected.  The autowaters at the barn did freeze but it wasn’t cold enough that we couldn’t just get by with water buckets for the horses.  We didn’t have any pipes freeze and from our hunting trips in the fall, our freezer was stocked full, which was a good thing since there was a raid on the grocery stores in the days leading up to the storm.  I think Kat mentioned this briefly in one of her blog posts, but it is a privilege to be able to have protein that was harvested off of our own place from animals that have never known a pen.  Particularly as the pigs are a nuisance in our part of the state and there is no hunting season for them, I am proud that we eat the ones that we kill, unlike many others.  The other thing that I am also incredibly thankful for are the ice cleats that Bryan’s parents brought down from Michigan last spring.  As I’m known for slipping and hurting myself, these were a lifesaver that allowed me to walk the dog in the neighborhood all through the treacherous icy conditions.

On to the horsey medical updates…

I think the last place I left you all was with Dalton’s stifle blistering last summer.  In the subsequent two months, he felt fantastic and balanced at all three gaits.  And then all of a sudden in September, he wasn’t.  He was off at the right lead canter again - basically back to where he was before the blistering.  We have been through a battery of tests with him since then.  Shall I list them all out?

Fall 2025

Full vet exam at the barn (including video imaging with an AI tool that calibrates horses' lameness).  His set of x-rays on his back came back clean and he also was fully sound with no signs of lameness.  The vet advised a trip to the equine hospital for SI injections and potential imaging.

SI injections at the equine hospital (day trip).  We waited a few weeks for improvement but did not see any. 

X-ray of Dalton’s head / jaw for uncomfortable grinding sound he started making with his jaw under saddle. Put Dalton in a bitless bridle which seemed to do the trick but more imaging was advised.  Riding him in a bitless bridle is not a permanent solution, particularly if he gets back to scheduled training.

Winter 2025

Trip to imaging hospital for nuclear scintigraphy (one week).  Dalton stayed at the hospital for a full week and we got back almost every single image of his entire body that one could possibly want.  No conclusive results as to his difficulty with his right lead canter!  Again, his back was clean.  He showed some arthrosis in his leg joints, which based on his build, is not surprising.  He does have a polyp in his sinus which could explain the grinding sound he makes, and the vet plans to remove it when it gets larger.  This week, he got different injections (arthritic) in his stifles AND hocks.  We will have a few weeks before we see the full results but keep your fingers crossed for us!

(If any of you are interested in the nuclear scinitigraphy and the types of images we got, let me know.  I have a lot more on this, as you can imagine)

It’s been a lot for poor Dalton and he’s been a trooper during the entire adventure.  His attitude under saddle has been very steady and very willing and I suspect that he hasn’t enjoyed his hospital visits any more than we have.  We’ve made a  few minor adjustments in the meantime to help him out.  He’s been switched to nighttime turnout, which keeps him outside in his paddock for 4+ more hours than the daytime turnout horses.  He’s made fast friends with a buddy in a neighboring paddock and so far, he feels a lot more loose and relaxed because he gets that much more time outside moving his body.  Secondly, I’ve put him in one of Ryon’s (throwback) old elevator bits and have been alternating that with the bitless bridle.  Let me tell you, riding a gigantic horse in a bitless bridle during winter feels like one of the craziest things I’ve ever done.  He has surprisingly been very very well behaved in it.  However the elevator is less irritating to him than the gag but still gives me some stopping power on those cold brisk days.

And how’s Miss Mae, you might ask?  She has been my all star through this 1+ year of medical drama with Dalton.  Our relationship has gotten to a really good place and we have built up a level of trust that makes both of us feel more comfortable together.  I have ridden her in covered arenas during thunderstorms and outside in below freezing temps when the wind is gusting over 20 mph.  She is always happy to get out into the arena and we just have a good ol’ time hacking around and working out our bodies.  I know I’ve talked before about how she’s really come into her own after we got Dalton but right now, I can’t be happier about her physical and mental health.

And that’s it!  Hopefully I’ll be back in the space without as large of a gap between posts.  And hopefully I’ll have some better news about Dalton as well.  Stay healthy and warm out there!