Cleared

Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Vet
[caption id="attachment_451" align="alignleft" width="300"] Trotted at the vet check[/caption] Its been 6 long months. Six very long months since i was tossed off Jez and taken to the ER, Six very long months since Jez was diagnosed with a suspensory injury. Stall rest, limited turnout restricted movement, ultra sounds and shock waves but finally my beautiful wonderful girl has been cleared by the vet. What that means is shes healed, and can go back into work and back with the herd for regular turn out. Back into work thats easy, all it costs is money. I hired a trainer to work with her and restart her. Remind her shes a riding horse and be the first on on the wild beasts back. The turn out, thats more of a challenge.…
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Enter Circe

Barn tales, Life with Circe, OTTB
It happened so fast it kinda made my head spin. I saw the posting the Racehorse rehab farm I got miss Jezebel from was getting a couple horses back though no fault of their own and didn't have room for them on the farm. They were looking for sponsors, or fosters or some way to accommodate for them. One of the things that i love about After The Races is how dedicated they are to they horses that go thought their farm on the way to new homes. I got in touch with the program director and we discussed the options, one of the horses coming back to them one a horse I had followed closely when I was laid up with a broken hand. A striking chestnut super fancy…
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One Day At A Time

Barn tales, Injury, Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Vet
[caption id="attachment_423" align="alignleft" width="300"] Photoshoot![/caption] Our third shock wave was done and the vet came out for Jezebels final ultrasound and check before the claim for this injury ran out. I was very nervous, our last check didn't go so great and at that time decision was made to give Jez some turn out since she was really falling apart on 24/7 stall rest.  Two hours a day was all she was supposed to get, though it later was brought to my attention my last barn was not adhering to that schedule. I'm really happy I'm out of that place for so many reasons, not following my vet's instructions is just one of them.  When Jez was moved to her temporary home at my friends house she was in a…
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Downtime

Barn tales, Injury, OTTB
[caption id="attachment_419" align="alignleft" width="300"] Bad Ass Fly Mask[/caption] I've convinced my better half to take riding lessons. It's all part of my not so secret plan to get a second horse. Theres a local barn that has a pretty descent lesson program and a stable of school horses and he's been going once a week for the last couple of months. Its been really fun watching him figure out the basics of steering and halting. He's the only adult in the class, his class mates are little girls which brings back all kinds of memories for me about when I started ridding. These little girls remind me of me. His instructor is really good at tailoring the lessons so that it works for children and adults and it cracks me…
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Turmoil

Barn tales, Life with Jezebel, OTTB
[caption id="attachment_404" align="alignleft" width="300"] I swear shes smiling[/caption] I have moved horse farms. It was sudden and very unpleasant. I was treated extremely badly by people I had always been kind, helpful and went out of my way for. It left a really bitter taste in my mouth but I was lucky enough to have a couple very supportive friends who helped me move my horse and give her a temporary home. They treated her like one of their own while I searched for a good place for her to be. In less than 48 hors after the incident my horse was in a safe place, being well cared for. Which pretty much is all that matters to me. I drove all over Maryland looking at farms to keep my…
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Right in the middle of her forehead

Injury, Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Vet
[caption id="attachment_387" align="alignright" width="225"] Look Ma what I did![/caption] I showed up to the barn mainly to give Alex the head caretaker on site instructions on administering Jezebels new oral Ace compound. Were using this to dope my pony so she can have a couple hours of turn out in the small round pen a day and she wont go nutso running and jumping around. When I got there my pony greeted me like she always does with a happy nicker and I went right over to nuzzle her and smooch her face. It looked to me like she was sweating under her forelock and I brushed it away only to find a rather large gash on her forehead that was dripping blood. Yeah that wasn't sweat. How did she…
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Mind Lost

Barn tales, Life with Jezebel, OTTB
[caption id="attachment_383" align="alignleft" width="300"] Yummy Noms[/caption] So the controlled grazing isn't really working. I'm blaming the weather. Its been like thunderstorm central around here, every day predicted chance of thunderstorms and when the pressure drops my horse likes to go nuts. Ive been taking her in the round pen where its a smaller enclosed space for her to graze. I  have her at the end of my lead and i do use the whole racehorse chain over her nose thing. In out last trip in the round pen for a graze it didn't take long before she was all four feet off the ground. I was able to get her back but man oh man it wasn't easy to calm her down. Then she decided that pulling back to break…
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Things Are Happening

Barn tales, Injury, Life with Jezebel, OTTB
[caption id="attachment_377" align="alignleft" width="225"] Naked![/caption] I finally got the pins out of my hand last week, that's the good news! The bad news? I can hardly move my finger, I can't bend it at 2 knuckles and my DR is likely going to send me to expensive physical therapy that I will have to pay for out of pocket. Even if I had a horse to ride right now I wouldn't be able to, cuz I cant hold the reins in my left hand. Ugh this sucks so hard. I hope eventually I will get my range of motion back but we will see. Jezebel is progressing well with her rehab and I've been cleared to do more with her so I've been taking her out for hand grazes. Its…
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Bad Pony

Barn tales, Life with Jezebel, OTTB
[caption id="attachment_373" align="alignright" width="300"] After the Ace[/caption] Jezebel tried to kill Nik. At least that's how I'm telling people the story. Jez has been really good while being aced for her walk rides that Nik and i got to thinking it might be a good idea to try her un-drugged. I've had better ideas in my life. So we get Jez out to the outdoor so Nik can mount her and shes being a real brat. Tossing her head at the mounting block, stepping back from it trying desperately hard to get a good look at the barn managers new handsome dappled gray draft cross who she was riding for the first time. Jez though he was hot as hell, which meant damn shes in heat and i didn't notice…
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Progress

Barn tales, Life with Jezebel, OTTB, Vet
[caption id="attachment_368" align="alignleft" width="225"] High Pony[/caption] We're cleared for walk/riding. By we I mean Jezebel, I'm still broken and still now allowed to ride. However Jez can be walk ridden under saddle for 20 minutes a day for the first week, 25 the second and then 30 the third. So Nik is the one who's gonna ride her until im cleared to actually get on a horse. It has to be on a hard surface and she has to be calm, enter... Ace. Yes, we've been acing her and my pony seems to like to get all loopy on goof-balls. Her eyes get a little droopy and she really seems to be having fun with being high on ace. It makes me laugh, while walking around her paddock cuz the…
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