The Final Chapter

Although the story will go on for a lifetime for Skip and I, it is time to wrap up this book with nothing but gratitude for the journey.  We have accomplished the goal:  to save this horse from a life of pain and neglect.  As a bonus, I have gained a forever partner and friend. 

Exactly one year ago, Alicia brought this untouchable, injured, 17-month old stud colt home and announced that we were going to "try and save him."  I thought she was crazy.  This horse had never even been haltered, and here we were moving him with panels into a make-shift round-pen to try and do what??!  Fix his legs??  He had been living in a stall up to his knees in muck with giant, festering wounds for a year, and now we were going to fix him?!  As we peered at him through the trailer window on that first night, I got a good look at his eyes, and that is when I knew that Alicia was right:  we had to try.  He was a fighter, and we had to fight with him.  Despite his terrified expression that night, there was something about those eyes…

Remember when...

His legs were being eaten by flies and meat bees...

Day 2 

 We just sat together,

smelled each others' breath, and got acquainted...

Day 9

Alicia put the halter on him for the first time...

Day 7



We were able to start treating those wounds...

Day 23

Our first journey out of the gate...
Day 28

Trailer loading lessons went on for a week...
Day 30



"Brain surgery" happened as soon as we could get in the trailer!

Day 42 



We learned how to get our exercise with the big boys...
Day 69

Ponying lessons



First pedicure!

Day 98



We moved to Jackie's house to get more exercise...
March 2011



We took our first ground class together
April 2011 




And the legs continue to heal...
April 28, 2011

After laser treatment
July 2011

It is still a daily labor of love...

...You trusted me.
August 2011

September 2, 2011

First ride!



September 12, 2011

Ride #2



September 25 2011

Scarey tractors?  No problem!



Down the road we go!



September 30, 2011

Graduation Ride

On Friday, when Skip and I arrived at Cottonwood Creek Equestrian Center for our weekly lesson, Gail had a big surprise in store for us.  We were "graduating" and going on our first real trail ride to celebrate!  Of course, the trail ride was a lesson in itself.  We crossed Cottonwood Creek in water up to the horses' bellies, climbed hills, went down embankments, through bushes, sand, rocks, and even trotted for a while (with only minor frisky bucking!).  Our dear friend, Jennifer Borchard, was also there to help.  She and Gail made sure that I was safe, but also challenged Skip and I to lead the pack for a while.  Skip really seemed to enjoy himself.  His willingness to go and explore reminded me of the days when we went for hikes around Alicia's property for exercise.  He always loved to get out in nature, and his ears perked up as soon as we set off.  We had so much fun, and I couldn't be more proud of the progress we have made.

Our first creek crossing!

Gail, Jackie, and Jen
(Win, Skip, and Tom too!)

Gail, Jackie, Alicia, and Jen

The only thing left to say now is, "thank you..." 

... to Alicia for seeing an animal in need and DOING something about it.  Your heart is as big as the universe, and you are changing this world one animal at a time.  I am proud and honored to have you as my friend.

... to Gail Bloxham for your constant support and guidance.  The journey continues, and I can't wait to see what is around the next bend.

... to Jennifer Borchard for not-so-subtly pushing me in the right direction!  ;)

... to Dr. Jennifer Powers for your expertise and constant help along the way.

... to my photographers, Amy and Steve.  I will treasure these memories forever.

... to everyone who pitched in and helped us out when our pockets were empty and we needed a boost.  We couldn't have done it without you.

... and to all of our friends and family who have been reading this blog and supporting us every step of the way.  Your feedback and encouragement mean the world to me.

This has been an amazing adventure, and I am eagerly looking forward to a lifetime of growth and discovery with my new friend, Skip (aka "Huckleberry", "Huck", "Doc", "Pie", etc.).

Happy trails my friends! 

~Skip & Jackie

It's Official

(Alicia here... )
It's official, Skip is the proud owner of Jackie, his ever faithful and dedicated human.

Everyone I'd like a round of applause with a standing ovation given to Jackie.
(clap, clap, clap, clap, hooray, hooray, clap, clap, clap)

Have you seen how far that boy has come? Do you remember the gangly, oozing legs, skinny, wart faced, spook-a-saurus? And now, a brave and respectful young man happy to take your leadership and carry you across bridges, tires, and through cowboy curtains. He trusts and loves you so much.

I'm so proud of you Jackie...

Thank you for taking the time to share your journey with all of us in this blog.
Thank you for proving how far dedication can take you.

Thank you for taking the time to do it right the first time.
Thank you for spending your few spare pennies to make sure he has the best of everything.
Thank you for inspiring us all.

And mostly... thank you for being you.

Ride on my friend, ride on.
Alicia 

Private Lesson #4 - On the move!

On Monday, September 12, Skip took another giant leap forward in his training.  After a quick warm-up on the ground, I climbed on, and Gail used her horse, "Win", to help get us moving.  The goal was simply to get forward movement.  When a young horse is learning to balance and carry a rider, the hardest thing for them in the beginning is just going.  Gail started out using a flag to wave us forward, and I used my legs, and whatever other signals I could, to get him moving.  Once he was walking, I was able to start guiding him using the lead rope as a single rein, and my own body language.  So far, the hardest part has been getting him started forward.

After a few trips around the round-pen, we opened the gate and rode both horses over to the covered arena where we worked for a while on moving longer distances.  Gail used Win as a guide, and I had Skip follow him around the arena just like ponying him from another horse.  When we moved from a walk to a trot, it again took some effort to get Skip moving.  I had to use my lead rope to spank both sides of the saddle and encourage him to go.  A couple of times he gave me a little buck, just to let me know he didn't approve of the idea.  Gail was correct:  I could ride his buck with no problem.  :)  After his small complaints, we quickly had a nice comfortable trot all the way around the arena! 

Next we rode out to the horse playground to do some obstacles.  First was the bridge... (no problem!)

Then the tires...

Then the cowboy curtain...

What a little show off!

As a side note:  I wanted to reassure you that just because I am teaching him how to carry a rider at this young age, doesn't mean that he will be ridden with any stress until he is old enough to do so.  I know that it is not good for a horse's joints to really ride them before the age of 3, and maybe not even at that point.  The purpose of doing all of this is simply to expose him to as many new things as possible.  We have been working down a path of training since the day he came to live with Alicia, and this is the next logical step.  I will give him the exposure, and work on developing the basics over the next year.  By then, Skip will have a solid foundation, and we will be ready to hit the trails!

 We also got a laser treatment from Dr. Jen this week.  She is still impressed at the progress the wounds have made, and also in the mobility of his joints.  We have started him on two (very expensive) joint supplements:  Hyaluronex liquid, and Adequan injections.  These seem to have made an impressive difference in his movement already.  He can now have his legs pulled directly behind him and bent to  90-degree angles.  This is about 45-degrees more than he had before!

Thank you, everyone, for all of your support and encouragement!
~Jackie

Private Lesson #3

On Friday September 2, 2011...
I rode him!!!

Our lesson started out with Gail announcing that our goal was to get me up on Skip's back.  I just about fainted dead away when I heard those words!  Already?!  Are you sure?!  Am I ready?  Is he ready?  I had so many thoughts racing through my mind, but all I could feel was a warm excitement that I was about to take my first, first ride!  And it couldn't be on a better horse.  Skip and I have been a long way together (as you know), and it is just fitting that we experience this first together.  Gail has warned me over and over to always remember that he is a baby, and not to trust him too much.  I take those words to heart, and treat him as the young horse he is, but deep down, you know that there is a trust that has developed between us.  I remain cautious in my actions, but I know that the bond we have formed will carry us a long way in the years to come. I just try to remain consistent and reliable for him.  Hopefully he will do the same for me.

Before I hopped on, we did plenty of ground work to make sure there were no potholes in his training that might sneak up to bite us later.  I also worked with him at liberty (without a halter or lead rope on), to get him moving faster with the saddle on his back.  If he was going to buck, we wanted him to do it without me on him!  Moving at a lope in the round pen seems to be hard on him because of his legs, so once we got a feel for how he felt about the saddle on his back, we let him rest.  He did buck about two times, and Gail informed me that if that was all he was going to do, I could ride that.  (I am glad she thought so!)

 

Part of the groundwork that I did was to play the seven Parelli games at liberty.  I can't tell you how amazing it is when your horse willingly does exactly what you want with just a wiggle of your finger, or movement in your body. Even though we didn't have a halter on, Skip willingly played the games.  When I asked him to come back to me at the end, all I had to do was smile and wiggle my finger to bring him in.  My best friend came up and put his forehead right in the middle of my stomach for a rub.  Magical...

Practicing lateral flexion one last time

And we're on!

And we're walking!

Gail giving us a "little motivation"

We didn't move much, or very far, but I must say that it was a quiet and comfortable first ride.  Skip was willing to try, and even though he didn't quite understand what I was asking of him, he kept a calm head.  Next week Gail is going to saddle up her horse and help Skip move a little better.  It takes time for a horse to learn how to walk and balance with the weight of a rider on him.  That is why I am so honored that I am able to do this:  it means that I have good enough balance to not ruin him with my riding skills.  You will be glad to know that my head was back in the game this week.  I just put everything else out of my mind and focused on the moment...  After all, that is all we ever really have, isn't it?

Thank you to Amy for being there as my moral support and an awesome photographer!  I will treasure this memory forever, and the pictures are the icing on the cake.

And, of course, thank you to Gail.  This experience has turned my life around, and I am so thankful for every second of it!

We did it!!!!

~Jackie

Private Lesson #2

 Yesterday was a very valuable lesson for me.  Skip and I have worked hard all week long in order to improve all of the things we needed to for this week's lesson.  I was so excited to show Gail our progress that I psyched myself out.  I froze.  Suddenly I felt like that 6-year-old girl who got stage fright her first time in the spotlight.  My lesson was that I need to take a deep breath and focus on my horse.  Nothing else matters.  Poor Gail had to tell me about a dozen times to relax, take a deep breath, and stop fidgeting!  I realized that I was trying so hard to get it perfect that I forgot to keep it natural and pay attention to my horse.  This was the perfect setting to learn this lesson.  Imagine what I will be like with Brent Graef if I can't get my nerves under control!  Eventually we made some progress though...

Under Gail's watchful eye

Both sides!

Forward momentum

 

Gail demonstrating

From our practice sessions this week:

Bubble wrap!

"Resting and soaking" time... 

My homework for this week:  Practice moving forward at faster speeds;  practice the porcupine game on his nose;  keep playing with sprayers;  and focus!  :)

~Jackie