MEMBER
ADVENTURES
TALE
OF THE SUPERMAN DISMOUNT
Yesterday, I went over to the barn around 3:45. I was going to groom
and ride Tico and groom Dusty.
I was feeling a bit lazy though, so I decided to ride him in his
english snaffle and the bareback pad (I also add an english saddlepad
underneath it, and I was wearing a helmet - I always do.).
So... as I'm grooming him on the crossties, the barn girl threw his
supper hay into his stall (they feed hay pretty early there).
Mr. Piglet was not pleased. Although he obviously has not missed a
meal in quite a few years, he *hates* when I don't let him dive right
in
and start noshing if it's *there*, waiting for him.
Too bad. :)
So, I jumped on him and started riding in the indoor. Weather around
here has been rainy, mixed with downpours, thunder, lightning and
sprinkles. Not a great summer, all in all.
This indoor has a side door from which you can look directly at Tico's
stall. Every time we were near to it, it called to him... "Hay!!
Hay!! The Hay is in your stall, come, eat!!!"
So... walk... a bit of a trot... and Every Time we came around to
the
door that faces his stall there was bulging, a little hissy fit and
general brat behavior. I ignored it. We went both directions, then
I
asked for a canter.
Again, at the corners, some brat behavior, and some pitching forward
like he was thinking about throwing in a buck, Tico style (Tico's<
bucks are not particularly deadly), but I caught him up and made him
move forward.
We went his "good" direction first, to the right; then tracked
to the
left (so we were looking straight at his stall on that one corner
again).
I got the correct lead out of him, but he was being spazzy and really
leaning on the reins. We came around the corner, and he tripped. Big
trip. Went down on his knees, and I went flying over his head and
did
a modified face-plant - more horizontal than directly on my head,
hence the "Superman" - and I kind of skidded to a stop.
Meanwhile, I
heard a commotion behind me. I tucked up my legs and turned to look.
About 3 feet away from my face, there was a horse butt with legs flailing
in the air. He'd done a face plant himself, and flipped all the way
over onto his back. I got up fast (I was a bit concerned about surviving
all that only to be kicked in the head by flailing legs that looked
a lot closer than 3 feet away - and may actually have been, come to
think of it...) and so did Tico.
At first he seemed to be favoring his right hind a bit, and he did
the "pain" face once. I checked him over - nothing broken,
no heat - and walked him off to the aisle. He was a bit tentative
but no real
limping. He mostly looked a bit abashed. He was spectacularly shake-
and-bake coated as well, from the front of his face to his butt.
I called the vet. After I told him what happened, he asked me "What's
he doing now?"
"He's just standing here." I said.
Anyway, he said to give him some bute, but to not be too surprised
if he's ok - that horses sometimes take amazing falls without hurting
themselves. Meanwhile, he just said keep an eye on him.
So, aside from a skinned elbow, a slightly twisted knee and a sore
neck, I'm ok. I'll be checking on Tico this evening to see how he's
doing...
Susan
read
more at Susan's blog http://slavetomyhorses.blogspot.com
