Where did we leave off last? Oh right, we just got back from the vet with injections for the second time this year. In between bringing Stinger back to full work and baling hay in hot and humid weather (it’s that time of year everyone), Stinger decided it was the perfect time to give us a heart attack. Randomly his left hind fetlock decided to swell. It was fine one day and the next it was there. It happened to also be the first day we scheduled an appointment for PEMF therapy for Stinger and Diesel. He wasn’t lame on his leg, but he did show some soreness while getting pulsed that day. The next day it wasn’t gone, so I made a call to the vet, and they weren’t concerned since it was just over two weeks from his injections and the heat was pretty intense a couple days prior. So, I alternated the next few days with icing/cold hosing his legs, using liniment and poultice, and hand walking until it finally resolved. In case anyone was wondering, using vet wrap at the bottom of fly boots and filling them with ice works really good. (I saw this hack on Facebook and decided to try it out.)
After this dilemma, I was riding Angus a little bit to prepare in case Stinger wasn’t ready for the next rodeo. We were only able to go to one show at the very end of June. I rode both Stinger and Angus in an exhibition. Stinger was first and we did have some alley troubles, but I was able to get him in. I was planning on running him to the right, but I felt a lot of resistance, so I changed plans and went left. He definitely was not expecting that, but he went fine. I did break him down to a trot in between the first and second, which I think was the only reason he turned it. I have to admit I was EXTREMELY nervous before our run, so I’m sure it didn’t help our alley problems.
When I came out of my run, we had to quickly change saddles so I could go in next with Angus. I have never ridden him in a pattern away from home before, so it was quite an experience. I had to ride him with a snaffle bit and draw reins, so I didn’t have a lot of ‘whoa’. Angus is so much bigger than Stinger and he has a sweeping lope and giant stride. Even though he wasn’t running very fast, it felt like it! He had a pretty good first and second barrel, but we went wide leaving the second to get to the third. I was pretty much just hanging on by that point, but he was such a good boy and turned the third perfectly. He really likes to run home, and I didn’t think he was going to stop, everything worked out. We even got done and were loading just as it started to rain.
Since Stinger did okay, we decided to enter a couple rodeos to have our own little Cowboy Christmas/4th of July run. I would have ridden Angus, but somebody is afraid of the bucking bulls and doesn’t like to go up they alley when it is between the bucking chutes. We started off going to a weeknight jackpot with Stinger and Angus. There were a lot more people here than we were expecting so it was completely dark when it was our time to ride. My Aunt Sue and Angus ran first and he spooked at the first and then third barrel because of the shadows. Then it was my turn. Stinger walked like a perfect angel up the alley. We went left again and at the second barrel he would not turn. At this point I’m not sure what his problem is and now we are signed up for three rodeos (facepalm).
Our first rodeo was on July 4th in New York. It was only about 3.5 hours away. My plan was just to go in, get a time, and have fun. We filmed another video for reels, and I got my first back number. I was very excited. They even had a special opening ceremony with a crane lifting a giant American Flag in the air above the arena. My Aunt Sue was in the performance, and I was in slack right after, so I just got on to warm up with her, and that’s where my rodeo began. Sometimes I think I should just ride saddle bronc horses, at least I could try and win some money for staying on. Apparently, I looked like I needed some help because a random cowboy came running over on his horse to help me, but I got it figured out and got Stinger stopped. The bad part is that wasn’t the end of the story. By the time slack started, I had lunged and rode for a while. I was second to go in slack, but I could not get in the ring. My uncle was trying to lead Stinger in, but he kept rearing and rearing. There was no way I was getting into the ring, and I didn’t want me or anyone else to get hurt, so we just went back to the trailer. My Aunt Sue had a perfect run, but we would have to wait for three other performances to see if she placed.
I had a decision to make before the next rodeo on Saturday, and I finally decided to go and try again. I had to pay my entry fees anyway. Well sometimes you make plans, and they don’t always work out. When feeding in the morning, it looked like Diesel may have been colicing. We decided to turn out of that rodeo, because it wouldn’t have been fair to make him run even if he was okay. By the time the vet came out and evaluated him, he seemed to have resolved any issues he was having. We were thinking he didn’t drink enough water after we left the rodeo on Thursday because we pulled in at the barn at almost 3 AM.
We still had a good week even though it was cut short. I have been doing a lot of thinking now about how to move forward. I really feel stuck with Stinger and I’m not sure what else to try. In the meantime, I have been sort of looking for another horse, but it is not an easy process. I’m torn between selling Stinger or trying to work it out or giving him a different job. He has been a part of the family for about four years now and I keep changing my mind about what I want to do. We are still riding and practicing at home, and he has been doing really well, so it doesn’t make any decision easier. To be continued….
The Barrel Racer's Journal 