I just wanted to get the pictures up...I'll write more tomorrow about what we actually did....and how Arabee was trotting off...kind of lame, actually. So bottom line is that it's a good thing for Arabee that tonight will be my last right until after Baby is born.
**Update**
Well, it was really no biggie what we did - I caught her, saddled up, and Matt and I were just going to go for a quiet walk down the road. Right away after I settled into the saddle I was just like, "Whoa! This big belly has got me off-balance!" and I already told Matt that this was going to have to be my last ride...I was just too much "off" to be well-balanced and safe much longer.
Arabee was super-super looky. So I told Matt I needed to trot her a bit to get her "fresh" off before we tried walking down the road again. There were calves now turned out in the pasture I'd used to ride in, so we had to keep to the barn lot driveway (gravel). After about 5 minutes of trotting, I started noticing her feeling "off" and then it was just obvious she was having problems when her head was gently bobbing (or was that just her mane flopping?.....it was pretty discreet, but it was still there) at the trot. Not good. So I asked Matt and his dad to tell me which leg it was. I suspected it was her injured RF, but they were having a REALLY hard time being able to tell me for sure. But that was the leg they settled on. Shoot!
It could've just been the gravel and she may have stepped wrong, since she was fine for the first 5 minutes or so. Since this was going to be our last ride though until probably December or January, I decided we'd go ahead and try the nice quiet walk down the road originally planned. She really wasn't any calmer, and was just really hooking her neck and blowing and looking all around and essentially "forgetting" all about me...so I hopped off and we called it quits.
Riding horses you really just have to forget about the risk of falling off and just RIDE.....but being as I am carrying a precious baby, my mind was pretty in-tune with the idea that falling off was not an option. So rather than ride all wishy-washy on a spooky horse, I felt that the best thing was to just hop off and play it safe. Kind of a disappointing way to "go out" for the year, with a spooky, inattentive mount and a lame horse, but that's the way it was!
I still have all kinds of plans for doing in-hand work with her for the rest of the summer, this won't be the last you hear from me by any means, but I just won't be riding! I'm actually pretty glad it working out this way, I should be able to allow her plenty of rest to allow that coronet band injury to grow out before I try serious riding again, she should become super-familiar with the local area I plan to handwalk her in this summer, and I should be able to perfect her barefoot trim, hopefully.
8 comments:
You still look "skinnier" than me! *LOL* ~E.G.
Nicole - You're looking great!
Oh goodness...give me time! I'm still only 15 weeks! This mama got pretty big the last time, and I'm bigger sooner this time!
But I seriously was off-balance, and it was clear it was time to call it quits!
Haha, and I also had planned on posting this interesting fact, about my riding attire:
While I managed to pull my full-seat breeches up over my legs and butt.....there was absolutely NO WAY they were going to zip. No. way.
So I pulled my pants up, and then slipped this very handy garment, called a BellaBand (www.mom4life.com/catalog.php?item=197) which slips over the top of the pants and settles in over my hips to hold up my pants even if I can't zip them! It's great! It's the little bit of black you see under my shirt. So now you know my "secret" or at least one of them!
Love the pictures. You look good, and so does Arabee. All red and shiny! I love it when the horses shed out in the spring and get shiny.
When I was pregnant with my third child, I quit riding at about the same time as you but I did a lot of ground work. With my big pregnant belly! I had 2 green broke horses at the time. And one teenage girl that liked to come over and help me. On the weekends we would lunge both horses and then take them for walks around my property and down the road. I did this up until the last couple weeks before Amber was born - Septmer 3rd. It was great exercise for me, not so much for the horses but better than nothing!
The girl didn't know much about horses. But I had her riding my one mare some. With me holding the lunge line first than in my round pen with me watching. Never anything more than that. But she got some free lessons and started to learn how to post. (My mare wasn't too thrilled about that but tolerated it somewhat!)
You look beautiful (and so does Arabee).
I'm glad you'll still be posting, even though you won't be riding. I've really enjoyed your blog the past couple of months.
Even though I've hated the times that I couldn't ride from some reason, I've always been grateful later for the months of groundwork.
So I just want to thank everybody for your kind words, you are all so sweet and every comment really made me want to smile!
It's nice to know there's good people out there (such as yourselves!) who are kind and caring. :-) Thanks!
When I was pregnant with my first child - back in 1999 - I rode up until I was 6 or 7 months pregnant - of course on my bomb proof western pleasure horse. The second child? I was scared to death to ride - the same horse but I gave it up right away. Guess I looked at it differently...
Kris
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