5/26/16

Tee Pee Minister Retired

The last prior post I labled TP's best breeze as the last breeze, double entendre. Instead of the last prior the breeze was the horse's last ever.  For RR Stable major major bummer.  What happened?

Round about first of February as your's truly was--in bad winter weather--adjusting to life as a cripple--weather related problems with bad leg--and training horses riderless in a large round pen with deep sand I started noticing the horse seemed to have trouble getting air in keeping up with companions.  At first this was attributed to possible lack of conditioning.  If you ride you know all horses will choke up at a certain point, and as conditioning improves the horse can go longer and longer without flipping its palate.

In TP's case instead of getting better the problem kept getting worse to the point about first of March the fellow was unable to gallop three times around the round pen without completely choking up. It was painful to watch.  After about two weeks of this I began to understand this would fail to get better.

The one enlightened moment was when I realized the cause.  The horse is tall enough that he puts his head (and neck) over the pipe fencing in his turnout paddock to play with neighboring horses.  I'd seen this a couple of times and realized this pressing the voice box against the metal piping was other than good.  And, indeed, at the end I noticed the horse was missing some patches of skin on both sides of his larynx.  Probable cause and effect. I found a new way to ruin a great horse.

I loaded Tee Pee onto the trailer and he'll spend his life as one of the better looking pasture ornaments.

Duke of Montevideo still at it.  Will give a report on him soon.  Thank Bill Pressey for Run Happy training.  I've been discouraged with these set backs and have yet to read, but will when Duke gets farther into his training.

Update

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxaewjJCW88&feature=youtu.be

Last breeze of Tee Pee Minister 4f 11.6/f.

Going Backwards

In case anyone still hits here, an update.

Jesse proved to be a disaster.  Next day after my last post smelled alcohol on his breath.  Removed him and decided the new rider would be "me"--since after removing Andres due to weight there were no others at the time.  Jesse, nice fellow--never smelled the booze again talking to him. Gave him another shot two weeks later, and then he show up only intermittently.  Fired him again.

Just as I was starting to feel comfortable again in the saddle, up comes the bad weather.  Missed a couple of near full weeks as I'm refusing to get on in 25 degree weather with the wind down here in OK.

The bad weather caused another problem--my bum left leg started barking.  Weak, painful.  Missed several days of getting on because I could barely walk much less ride my 17'2" monster.

Time flies in this business.  Feb. 2, and Tee Pee has not breezed since Thanksgiving.  Having removed two Mex riders I am now blackballed in the Mex community.  (Trump is right btw--these people have thug culture.  Anything not bolted down is stolen etc.)

Will Rogers Downs meet starts soon--much nicer track than one would think.  Slots. Cherokee Casino, etc.  With better weather hopefully my leg will enable me to be the rider of old.  In any event, we'll start doing serious work again soon, one way or other.  Good news:  Duke of M is fine.  Talented horse who gives some hope.

New Jock

11/25 Off due to slight cannon bone heat
11/26 Thankgiving--heat gone, commencement of continual rain--off
11/27  Rain--off
11/28  Rain--off

In --does it ever fail dept.--last week before this one I'd backed off the very fast work partly out of concern for rider weight--and that week immediately followed by a week of cannon bone heat and constant rain--going backwards.

11/29 Sunday--we have a licensed jockey that just moved onto the grounds.  How much do you weigh Jesse?  128 lbs.  This contrasts with old riders 140 + 5 lbs gained over Thanksgiving with his girlfriend + 5 lbs winter clothes. Thinking good time to go to jockey weight.  I make the switch.
Jesse trots the horse a mile through splashy floated track.
11/30 trot-walk-gallop with new rider practicing leads.
12/1  trot galloped1.5 miles again working on leads.  Liking the new rider--vids soon--we'll work on adjusting horse to rider and vice versa this week.  Should be back to fast work late in week.