I rode! And the new x-rays are here.

That's right--I rode last night! It was balmy and a bit breezy--great riding weather, even though I had to ride in the indoor arena. I am still sick (chest cold this time, ick) but felt that the ride would do me good. Besides, of course, I've been dying to ride Lim since she showed me how good she felt on her feet last week.

I was expecting her to be somewhat cautious on her feet with the extra weight of a rider and tack, but she went far beyond my expectations. I asked her to walk, and she jigged. I asked her to trot, and she quickly bored of that and wanted to canter. I (reluctantly) asked her to canter, expecting the worst, and she was perfect. If anything, after two laps around the arena she decided it would be fun to try to grab the bit and run (which I didn't allow, of course, although it pleased me). She was wary of the Scary Arena Door moving in the wind, and she was ever-attentive and alert to environmental stimuli.

I was so focused on trying to sense how comfortable she was that I ignored all of her shenanigans, which struck me as ironic later (an uncomfortable Limerick wouldn't spook). In short, Lim was her old self.

After a half hour I jumped off and removed her tack, allowing her to roll in the arena dirt. What a wonderful return to riding! I am hoping to do it again tomorrow night.

 Getting up from her roll

 "I'm ready to go in and eat dinner now!"

 "Why are you standing around the corner?"

I love that nose!

Also, my vet emailed me the radiographs of Lim's fore hooves and here they are. I've included the one taken of her left fore in January 2011 for easy comparison. Overall things look better--the rotation of her coffin bone, P3, (in my opinion) has reduced slightly, and her toe looks much better. It was far too long last year!

The bone remodeling at the tip of P3 looks no different than before, and if you ask me it appears the bone has reinforced itself somewhat there, because if you compare it to the old radiograph, it appears more solid now. But then again, I am not a vet so I am just theorizing here. I know that is still a sensitive part of Lim's foot and we need to be careful to not remove any of the hard-earned sole underneath that bone when her feet are trimmed.

If you look at the radiograph of Lim's right fore, that is how your average, ideal, healthy horse hoof and coffin bone should look. So clearly her left fore has gone through a lot in its lifetime, but those hard years are well behind us. Nevertheless, that will always be an area to pay special attention to.

January 2011, left fore

January 2012, left fore

January 2012, right fore

Sweet night!

There's no better cure for a sorry week than your horse surpassing your expectations by not only giving you a great, springy trot, but also a hard gallop, a lot of bucking, and the very picture of a horse having fun!

Okay, maybe no riding this time

No, it isn't Lim--her tootsies are just fine, and sparkling clean thanks to all the turnout time she has in the snow (but maybe not as of tomorrow since all that snow is melting into a muddy mess).

It's me--I came down with a mystery virus sometime late in the week, and awoke Saturday feeling like an invisible python was wrapped around my neck. I was also exhausted, and from past history knew better than to try to ride or go for a run....grumble grumble!

So I stayed inside for most of the weekend.

I am feeling somewhat better today, so I hope to resume running (on the treadmill! I don't think I need to be sucking down cold air right now) tomorrow evening if my health continues on this upward slope. And the ride? Postponed for this weekend.

Improving feet and vet appointment next week

I'm happy to report that Lim's feet appear to be much more comfortable. I free-lunged her at the walk and trot last weekend (I didn't want to ask for the canter just yet) and I was pleasantly surprised by how well she moved. She moved freely and quietly, with no discomfort.

However, I do know that the arthritis in her left hind hock is bothering her. So with all this in mind, I've decided to try riding her this weekend at the walk and trot. She appears comfortable enough for it and the extra movement will be helpful for her arthritis.

I also made an appointment with the vet for Thursday the 19th. I asked that she give Lim an Adequan injection booster and also requested lateral radiographs of each fore hoof.

Fingers crossed that Lim continues to improve and I can ride her again regularly. I sure miss being on my silly mare's back.