War Horse: October 2019

First Fall

Had my first fall off Sig today.

He was PERFECT earlier out flatting in the field. No tension, nicely forward and swinging, stretching well in the walk/trot, and gave me a lovely, soft canter. I was totally loving how he went. This was great.

Then I decided I should go back into the indoor to grab my jacket and phone. This was stupid.

Upon walking back through the lesson barn (high enough ceilings, dirt aisleway), something we do almost daily, something spooked Sig and he wheeled. Hard. Normally I can sit those just fine (to be fair, Sig has never really done that...he's more of a slow wheel or stop/stare kind of spooker not a hard spin type), but not today.

I landed on my left knee and couldn't hold him. Tore up my knee pretty well on the gravel, it looks like I lost a fight with a cheese grater. Bloodied myself up pretty nicely...

Sig seemed unsettled and I had to follow him around the barn in order to catch him. When he finally came back to me he seemed upset. I felt bad, I'm not sure anyone has fallen off him like that before. Snuggled with him for a few seconds. We went back through the barn, I remounted in the indoor, did a quick trot/canter to refocus him, and called it a day. Walked back out through that barn one more time (with no issues) to build confidence and to finish our hack. He was fine.

Poor kid didn't understand. It was not his fault and I felt terrible.

He was my Secretariat.

So I was without wi-fi the other night and had to watch a DVD. So I popped Secretariat in and enjoyed it's beautifully-shot, extremely flawed story telling of a real life equine superhero. I mean, if you know anything about The Meadow and Secretariat and Penny Chenery at all, you'd know how overly Disney-fied that movie is, and how they left out Riva Ridge and all the other successes The Meadow had in order to make that story seem more like a rags-to-riches underdog tale.

Gag me. Penny Chenery and The Meadow were badasses, and Secretariat (and Riva Ridge!) was the product of said badassery. Just stop it, Disney.

But that's another rant for another blog entry.

I still get teary-eyed watching the Belmont scenes in that movie. I still get teary-eyed watching the footage of the actual Secretariat in the actual 1973 Belmont Stakes. What that horse gave not only The Meadow and his connections, but the entire American public, was unimaginable. It was not just an athletic masterpiece, it was a display of pure heart. Of class. Of an animal giving every thing he has, every last ounce of effort, because he wants to.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the most beautiful thing on earth.

I still think about Soonie daily. October the 14th marked the two-year mark of when he first got sick and had colic surgery. I'm trying not to dwell on the impending date of 12 November, which will be the two year mark (anniversary sounds like the wrong word?) of his death. That month between was the worst, most traumatic time in my life. Things have not been great since with very unfortunate family problems that started not long after Soonie passed away. Sig makes me happy, and some days I feel like I am moving on with my life. I am successful at work, I have a bright future in all aspects...but some days I can't stand how much I miss Soon. Watching Secretariat, it was one of those days.

I guess it was nostalgia that sent me to my YouTube channel. I guess it was nostalgia that made me click on the one race video I have of him. But I had forgotten what a spectacular run this was. It was a statement. It was his final win on the track. He decided that day to go out and give everything he had. In the end, he put in a Secretariat-like performance (in a field of $2,500 claimers, let's not get ahead of ourselves lol). He went out in style, just like everything else he did.

Thank you, Brother. Thank you for giving me everything you had, in everything we did. Thank you for saving my life. I am so sorry I could not do the same for you.

He was my Secretariat.

Sig Progress - October 2019

To keep it relatively short, Sig is doing phenomenally. His flatwork is advancing by leaps and bounds; he is so much further ahead than I thought we'd be back in June or July. He stretches beautifully; long, low, down/out, at both the walk and the trot. We're working on doing the same in the canter now as well, and he's coming along nicely. I'm focusing on getting him to push forward from behind and lift his back, and I think he's just a totally different horse than earlier this summer. He's going to be as fun in the dressage ring as he will be in the jumper (or hunter) ring!

He has had some low back/SI tension so he's seen the chiropractor a couple times, who has recommended a weekly date with the lunging rig and more focus on what we're already doing - long/low, engage the abs/lift the back, etc. He also played hard a couple weeks ago and came in lame from the field. It seems like he pulled something in the left hind up high, but after another chiro visit and now some weekly PEMF (magna wave) sessions, he's back to 100% and going well.

Jumping's going mostly well too, just haven't been able to lesson as consistently as I'd hoped. Maybe over the winter we'll have a more regular routine. But when we do jump, Sig and I need the first couple to get on the same page (he needs to slow his mind and jump down, I need to find the rhythm and the feel), but we're good after that. He's pretty uncomplicated and has a lovely way of going to the jumps.

Sig is looking amazing too, and has really filled out over the last couple of months in particular. Some days I can't decide if he's a Thoroughbred, a Quarter Horse, or a Warmblood, depending on the angle! His topline is looking great. And he's the snuggliest dude ever, which is his most important job. He definitely puts a smile on my face and it's just nice being around him. He tries so unbelievably hard for me undersaddle that it's humbling. I honestly can't express what I feel for him in words. I just feel so incredibly fortunate to have him.

Here are some recent(ish) videos and photos!