Sometimes I feel like horses are just jigsaw puzzles.  With no edge pieces.  Or cover image to refer to.  That you have to solve while blindfolded.

I'm trying to figure out what is hurting Tril, but I'm not certain.  I've narrowed it down to, uh, his back half.

I show up to clean his stall, and the footing looks like this:

WTH?  Is he dragging a sled?  

Nope.  He's dragging a foot.  Frickin' fricky frick.

Now, is he dragging it because his hips are bad?  His back?  His hocks?  Hell if I know.  It's something, uh, back there.

I studied him on the lunge the other day, and he's not using his hind legs much if he can help it.  It does seem worse on his left lead, which makes sense as that is his left hind pictured above.  He crossfires more on that lead, stumbles more behind on that lead, and is less willing to use himself going that direction.

So I call the chiro again to be a bug in their ear (it can take a few to finally schedule him, but he's so good, it's worth it--at least for now).  And then I fret.

Maybe it's my saddle fit.  I have a riser pad on it because that's what they used at Cal Poly on him--but maybe mine digs into his back just the wrong way.

Maybe I shouldn't ride him until he is seen by the chiro.  I don't want him to associate riding with pain.

Maybe I should ride him but have him do things like simply walking over poles.

Maybe I should just get over myself and ride.  Well...except for that part where I'm still healing and don't want to reinjure my barely healing ankle (they told me it would be 8-12mos, and at 6mos in, I do NOT want to fuck it up now).   All I need is for a pissed sore horse to unseat me.

Oh, and why the hell does he keep rubbing the hell out of his hocks?  How does he get hock sores like that in a stall that isn't bedded with aquarium gravel?  Maybe that's what's hurting him.

Oh oh oh, and how the hell did he do this to himself in the first place, and how can I keep the big brown goofball from doing it again?  Is it from his over-exuberant playful nature?  Did I purchase the Johnny Knoxville of the equine world?   (A jackass is an equine, after all...)

Frickin' horses.

What?

Don't mind me!  I'm just going to follow the little red head around and do her bidding because She Is Queen.

Damn straight.