Morton's Neuroma

So, today is the day.  I am (hopefully, fingers crossed, Gods willing, and all that) getting my foot fixed.  This weekend, it was really bothering me.  Enough that even Marcy asked if it was bothering me during my lesson.  I'm usually pretty stoic and just gimp along and don't say anything, but a couple of times, I actually had to stop and sit down.  I mean, I moved my entire house with this thing, and with a stress fracture in the other foot, and didn't say anything, just put ice on it when I was done.  It started to bother me in the saddle, which is when I decided something must be done.

I have 80% of the symptoms for a Morton's nueroma.  Mine started feeling like I had a fold in my sock under my toes.  Several times, I tried to straighten my sock, but there was no fold.  Then I had numbness in my toes when I put my foot up on the side of the tub to shave my legs, or while I was riding or walking on the treadmill.  Finally, it started to burn and hurt.  All the time.  I didn't even realize the pressure you put on the ball of your foot when you drive your car.  Of course, this is my right foot.

There is no specifically known cause for it.  It is basically the thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves leading to your toes, usually between the second and third or third and fourth toes.

This thickening causes nerve pain that radiates down and up.  It's very lovely.  Sometimes it just burns, sometimes it really hurts.  When it started to hurt while riding, it had to be addressed.  And then it did this:

Lovely Vulcan toes.

High heeled shoes are believed to be a contributing factor, as is trauma to the feet, such as that caused by running.  I have not worn heels regularly in years, but have been a heavy person for a very long time, and I have big feet that I often lose track of.  I've never run unless absolutely required (I kind of jogged when I played basketball in high school, and full out ran when being overtaken on the bases when playing softball, but that's it.)  I don't really run unless chased, but I'm thinking trauma all the same.

I did wear these one day in April

For example, last year, I broke my fourth toe on that foot because I stubbed it into the bed frame.  Now, I didn't snap it, I shattered it down the length of the bone.  Yeah, that hurt, but I had a show that weekend, and I managed to get my boot on, even though the top of my foot was purple up to the ankle.  See what I mean about being fairly stoic?  Ice and ibuprofen can fix anything.  (And if they can't give Surpass a try!)

Anywho, I'm basically going to be nerved, for lack of a better way to explain this to horse people.  They are going to make an incision on the top of my foot and just cut it out.  I will lose feeling between those two toes, but that's it.  Provided it is what they expect and there isn't anything else involved, it will be a half hour procedure done under light anesthetic.  Reports on recovery are anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 months, but my doctor is leaning toward the 2 week timeframe.  The iffy thing for me is that they are not sure that is all that is there. We could not do an MRI, because I have a piece of metal in my neck (story for another day) that could come loose and kill me, so no MRIs for me.

So of course, this means no December show for me.  But if we can get my foot fixed, I will be oh so happy. That would mean being able to wear something other than Nike running shoes, and no more wrapping pads to my foot with Violet's vet wrap.  Bear with me.  I may or may not be able to get postings done every day this week.  I will try, and I have some content, but I may be a little out of it.  Here's hoping for good drugs.

Weekend update

I was going to split this into two posts, best laid plans and all, but circumstances changed, as they are wont to do.  I had planned to take two lessons this weekend, as my surgery is planned for tomorrow, but Marcy got sick Saturday afternoon, so I only got the one in.  I am not complaining, because I think she has only canceled 1 lesson due to sickness in the entire time I've trained with her.

And of course I have no actual media from my ride, so instead you get pictures of the pony and the farm instead.

Why hello there, Rocking Horse!

So I got there Saturday at noon for my 1pm lesson.  I again say that someone needs to remind Mother Nature that it is November, because it was HOT.  AccuWeather says it was only 89 degrees, but they lie.  I swear it was 92 with a feels like of about 115.  Either way, we are all over it.

Violet says she is over the heat.

We had our dressage lesson, working on throughness between the gaits.  My transitions are always an issue. Violet is one of those that you cannot have any bracing against, and the only way to keep from bracing during the transition and the next couple of steps for me is to move the bit.  Now, I'm not talking sawing it back and forth in her mouth, but a subtle movement that actually comes from my shoulder blades and core. I have to do this for every transition, as well as during the gait to keep her through.  We worked at this quite a bit in the walk-trot transition, and I think I finally got it down to one or two steps of resistance, which is a lot better than the 4 to 6 that I usually get.  Then we moved on to the canter.

Our ring of choice for Saturday's lesson

We also worked on me weighting the outside seatbone at the trot and canter to help influence the outside shoulder.  She bulges bad with the right shoulder, which makes left turns hard at the canter.  By weighting my seat to the outside, she stays up under me better and is much easier to turn.

And of course, she is a red-headed girl who wants to please and so she tries to anticipate everything that we say.  I don't know if she actually picks up on the verbal cues, or simply knows that when Marcy says something we are going on to the next thing, and the next thing after trot is canter, but she tries to get ahead, and then gets a little upset sometimes if I tell her no.  That is mostly when I am not calm about telling her no. She's not being bad, she just wants to do all the things.  If I stay calm and even in my tone, she's usually pretty good about it.  It also helps if I do not do the same thing twice.  So, if we do two canter transitions to the left in a row, when I bring her down to trot she gets all het up if we stay on the circle and tries to go into the canter.  So we may do a teardrop loop and go to the right once, then do a figure eight at the trot and then another right canter transition, then down to the walk and another teardrop back to the left before picking up the left lead again.  By the end, I got some nice canter both directions.  The kind that put a big grin on my face because I knew it was an improvement on what we've gotten in the past.

Green houses on the cross country field

What I look like on a hot day.  Sexy, I know.

At that, we stopped because it was HOT, and went for a walk.  I took her out to the cross country field, where I actually got off to take off her draw reins.  Mine have no buckle and are a thin rolled leather, and I worry that I might drop one, so I took them off.  Which means I had to use my friend green house to get back on.  Thankfully, Violet is actually pretty good about that kind of thing.  So then we walked around the field and took a little stroll through the water, which she doesn't even hesitate at any more.

Hot pony

Walking through the pretty water

Saturday night I stayed at Marcy's and Sunday morning we were up early, since I help her feed in the mornings on Sundays when I'm there.  That was when she asked if I was ok just hacking, because she was not feeling well, which I was.  Then I was to turn Violet out in her paddock next to the cutest pony that she is babysitting as he comes out of stall rest for an injury.

Violet's charge

We roamed the property, going up and down the mounds.  We walked, and she gave me her big girl field trot.  There may have been some shenanigans at the canter both directions, but we did trot-canter transitions until she no longer felt the need to put her head down and kick out in the back in both directions.  Then, just so we can say we did some jumping over the weekend, we hopped over a log a couple of times, she got a quick sponge off, and was turned out.

No, we didn't jump this.  This...this is the coop of death.  We will one day conquer this again.

This is what we jumped.

Cute pony friend

Violet says "Bye Mom!  See you in a few weeks!"

I got home to Jacksonville to rain, rain, and more rain.  We ran some errands, talked to family members on the phone, and got caught up on Scandal.  Areas of town had 11+ inches overnight, and we are flooding now.  Good thing Violet is somewhere that isn't getting this kind of rain.

Meet my trainer

I know most people out here in blogger land try to do the whole anonymous thing.  But the truth is I find that tiresome.  And I am not technologically skilled enough to keep my name off of things.  If you want to know who I train with, it wouldn't be difficult to find out.  And then I would have to be careful of pictures of the pony in her team gear and all that, so I just asked if she minded if I revealed who she was.  (Of course, this was after I fessed up to my team that I actually have a blog, since I hadn't told anyone about it.)  Her response?  "Sure, I don't mind.  I'm proud to be your trainer."

So, without further ado, meet my trainer.

Marcea Funk with Double Rivers Basil Brush 2013 - photo credit to eventingnation.com

This is Marcea Funk, also known as Marcy, owner and operator of Market Street Equestrian.  Marcy has experience up to the 2* level, and is a fantastic trainer of both weenie adult amateurs and ponies, alike. Don't let the blond hair and youthful good looks fool you, folks, this woman is bad ass.

Marcea Funk riding former sales horse, Lucero

Marcy has the uncanny ability to see through the fog that sometimes obscures my brain.  Since she works exclusively with adults that have other jobs, and typically those that have busy times, she is able to ascertain if today is a day where we will simply be happy to watch her ride, or if we really need to go through the exercise that is taking 20 minutes to determine what is left and what is right, and what a figure 8 actually looks like.  And she doesn't giggle if we have to tell her we need a break because the 15 meter circles are causing us to get dizzy.

She learned fairly quickly how hard she can push me and when the voices in my head get too loud, and is not afraid to yell over them.  She also knows when I need a quick smack to the back of the head to bring me out of whatever it is I am obsessing focused on.  

Marcy putting V through her paces during a red-head day

Pats for the red-headed girl

She also knows when to do the same thing for the red-headed girl that she took on when she agreed to be my trainer.

Seriously, though.  When I moved to Jacksonville, I was told that there was this great young trainer at the barn, but not to get too attached because we were going to lose her at some point to the Olympics.  She was currently training at Dave and Karen O'Connor's, but would be back at the end of the summer.  That winter, I talked to her about helping me out with V, who I was truly afraid of at that point, and who had been out of work for several months.  We started with lessons January 2011 at the walk.  Walk.  Not Walk-trot, not walk-trot-canter, walk.  I have to give her all the credit, because I would definitely not be comfortable jumping 2'6" courses and even contemplating cross country without her and all the work she has put into both me and the pony.

Marcy & Riley Rocking Horse Fall 2015

Marcy & Riley Rocking Horse Fall 2015

  Marcy works hard, and I know Violet is in very good care with her, as she treats her as if she owns her.  I hope that at some point, that prediction that we lose her to the Olympics actually happens.  She deserves it.

My first jumper courses

Here's a little TBT.

In June 2013, I did my first stadium rounds.

Up to this point, I had done exactly one 18" vertical course in 2010.

Schooling for the big 18" hunter division in 2010

After that, I dropped back to the walk and started over.  We had shown a handful of times at local HJ shows, but only in walk-trot and crossrails.  And crossrails in those classes were seriously 8 inches tall.

See the fences behind us?  Yes, those were "jumps"

Violet had done one 2' and one 2'6" stadium round the year before with the working student from our farm, but it was my turn.

Foggy morning hack around the jump ring

I was terrified.  Everyone else in my barn thought I was insane.  The 2' was OK.  We didn't die.  I think we actually won the class.  But then they put up the 2'6" fences, and I thought I was going to throw up.  I actually cried.  I whined to everyone I could about how scared I was.  I tried to scratch out of the class, telling Trainer that I was just not ready for it.  She seriously looked at me and told me to shut up and get on my damned horse.  I am not one to argue with authority, so I did.  And I finished the course without dying.  I think I got second in that class, actually.  

I have made this same face since my first jumping picture at 10, but Violet looks fantastic!

I was embarrassed for crying, but proud that I ultimately got on and did it.  Violet was amazing, doing what she always does and talking care of me.  Shortly after that was the clinic I wrote about earlier, and for the last year, I have been pretty much fear free in the ring.  Trainer is happy because she just tells me what to do, and I no longer say "gee, that looks really big!"

Now, cross country is another matter entirely...

Times, they are a changin'

I started riding as a way to get more exercise and have an excuse to be outside on the weekends, which was the only time I had since I was living out of hotels during the week for my job.  I bought Violet because I couldn't let anyone else have her, with thoughts that she would stay where she was, be available to me when I was there, and otherwise allow some other student the opportunity to show large pony hunters on her. That way I could keep riding, but help out a kid that didn't have money for a pony of their own.  It was my way of giving back.  It was no problem that the farm was 2+ hours away.  I was single and had nothing better to do with my weekends.

Violet and I at her first home in Newberry FL 2010

Then that situation changed.  My trainer died, the farm closed, the ponies were sold, the kids disbursed, and Violet moved to Jacksonville.

Violet at the first farm in Jacksonville 2013

We met up with our current trainer.  One thing about me is that I am loyal, and I really hate change.  I really like my trainer.  I enjoy working with her, and she is a wonderful horsewoman.  So when decisions were made on where to go when we outgrew the situation we were in, I became part of the team, and we go where she goes.  A couple of stops later, and that is Rocking Horse.

I love Rocking Horse.  The people are nice, the facilities are fantastic.  If you are going to be an eventer, why would you want to be anywhere else?  You have everything you need right there!  In Jacksonville, there are no options for cross country.  We were trailering to Rocking Horse all the time anyway to school.  And if you want to do something different, the Florida Horsepark and Longwood are not that far away.  We were honored to be able to stay there while we were figuring out what the next step would be.  It became apparent pretty quickly that it was not just a temporary situation.

Violet at Rocking Horse

But that left me with a problem.  Violet is getting fantastic care, and learning way beyond my abilities.  But I am not an eventer.  Riding is a life sport for me, not a competition sport.  I have a new fiance that should get some of my time.  I should move her home.  So I find a situation that works well for me and Violet, and my trainer agrees to come give me lessons there.

Violet in St Augustine 2015

For the first couple months, it works wonderfully.  Violet seems happy.  I spend 5 days a week at the farm, 2 lessons (one flat, one jumping), one flat school, one jump school and one lunge day.  Yes, it was lonely, because there was no one else around in the evenings. Violet and I were getting enough "bonding time" for me to realize that she really doesn't want to bond with me.  She wants to bond with hay and grass.  She no longer greets me like a friend or savior, but sees me coming and walks away.

Then the rains, and the skin funk, and the nasty cough, and my foot, and my fiance tells me to move her back.  That I'm not happy, and she's not healthy, and I need to be with my girlfriends.  The man can be amazingly insightful about such things, but don't tell him I said that.  So I move her back for two months.  Only two months, as there won't be room for her after that.

Flooding in St Augustine 2015

Speaking with my trainer over the weekend, I asked what her thoughts are.  You can tell she wants to say just leave Violet where she is, but doesn't want me to feel pressured.  She has room.  She loves Violet and is having a blast riding her.  Who cares if I only ride once a week?  I can learn when I'm there because Violet will have learned already.  And she is so happy there.  She really is.  She loves the sand and having her own paddock and her buddies in the barn, and there are so many boys she can tease unmercifully when she is in heat.  She's back to being the princess among all the horses there, which makes her happy.  And while she doesn't come to me like a friend anymore, she does look up when she hears me coming, and she doesn't walk away any more.

Happy pony back at Rocking Horse

So today I will go to pick up my trunk from the other barn, and speak with the barn manager and let her know we will not be back right away as originally thought.

So, as Heraclitus said "The only constant is change."  On to the next step!

Fan-girling

So, I am one of those that still gets a little shell shocked when I'm in the presence of people that I read about in magazines.  I remember joking around with Jon and Jen Holling when my team was stalled right next to them at the Florida Horsepark at the first event I ever went to help with (if by help you mean mostly tagging along behind looking starry eyed, and holding one horse once).  I think I stood next to the dressage ring for half an hour staring at Bruce Davidson because I rode a horse he owned once.  When I went up to my trainer to congratulate her on her stadium round, she oh so casually introduced me to David O'Connor who was talking to her.  I know I shook his hand, but I have no idea what I said.  I'm sure I stammered out something that made me sound like a total noob.  Kind of like the time I shouted at George Morris (story for another day).  When walking her cross country course with her and her husband, there were back slaps and comments from Kyle Carter (that is a big man).  I about hyperventilated when Boyd walked past me at Red Hills.  And of course there was the clinic with Will Coleman, who I can now follow on Facebook since he once called me by my name.

So yes, name dropping is a thing.  I'm bad at it.  I will stand in the background and be the creepy stalker rather than talk to someone, but then I can say I was in their presence.  And the eventing world is very small. There is one other place that is great for being able to see these people, and that is volunteering!  For example, there is the time that Buck came up to my truck and personally thanked me for volunteering.  Or the time that I had a discussion with Clayton Fredericks after an unfortunate and unexpected dismount.  This weekend, I got up close and personal with someone I have kind of been in awe of from afar since I started following this thing called eventing (if, by up close and personal you mean pretending to be taking pictures of a fence when you are actually looking at them through your camera lens, I told you, creeper).

Anywho, I was able to get a couple of shots of people that I read about in magazines.

This would be the aforementioned Kyle Carter on his second horse of the Intermediate division.  And yes, he rode around the entire course with a piece of Spanish Moss clinging to the top of his helmet.  It was very fitting for the Halloween theme.

This would be the one I was really watching through my camera lens, though.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a very good shot of her close up.  This would be Becky Holder.  I want to grow up and be like her.  Maybe someday I'll get the opportunity to clinic with her.  I was walking out to take the picture that I showed yesterday of the line for my intermediate fence and I almost ran into her.  Made my heart go pitty-pat, and I may have actually had the courage to say hello to her, but she was either concentrating on walking the prelim course or talking on the phone and I didn't want to interrupt.

Only the two this week.  Besides the stars from my barn, but that's another post, and I want their permission before I mention them.

Rocking Horse Fall HT 2015

Volunteering for events is always fun to me.  Making this even more fun is that I get to see my pony while I'm there, it's home base, and I didn't have to get up at 4 to be on time for the briefing (just 6:30).  So I loaded up, gassed up (the truck and myself), grabbed the "new" camera (that I bought in June) to see if I could make that work, and headed on down the road.

I arrived at RH with plenty of time, went to the barn to say hello to the pony, who simply pricked her ears at me to say hello but refused to come to the front of her stall.  If there is no food offered, there is no affection given.  I said hello and good luck to one of my fellow team members, and headed to the pavilion to pick up my assignments.  I was assigned for the whole day.  For Intermediate, I was at the first water (7AB), then for the rest of the day I was at the end or the beginning on single fences.  Any excuse to be there watching riders is a good one for me, though.  

I went back to the barn to see if I could catch any of the others, and Trainer was coming back on the horse she was riding in OT.  She was very happy with her dressage test, although not confident about scores.  The prelim riders were up next, followed much later by the Novice and BN riders.  I said hello to all the puppies, and headed off to the course.

Intermediate 7AB table to water to table

Intermediate rode fine through the water.  The main issue was maintaining pace through the water to be able to bounce out over the second table.  I had no riders with issues at this fence.  Actually, I am happy to say that, other than some sticky spots, I had no riders with issues at any of my fences.

Prelim fence 3

Decorations at Prelim fence 3.  It was Halloween, after all!

For prelim, I was at fence 3.  Not the most exciting of fences, but a very large one that came a pretty good distance from fence 2.  Riders had to gallop and then get a good set up before the fence, without losing the impulsion.  There were a couple riders that either set up too much and flopped over it, or didn't set up at all and flew over the top of it, getting jostled around a bit, but nothing major.  For some, I think it was a wake up call that they needed to start riding the questions now.  And those that hit this with a good canter out of stride were rewarded with a beautiful jump.

Training fence 1

The first fence is always an interesting one.  It affords the opportunity to watch the warm up, and placing this time means I got to see warm-up, first and second fences, as well as the finish.  This fence rode sticky in a lot of cases, partially because it was fairly close to the start, on an up-hill slope and a bit of a right turn.  If riders got a good pace going and managed to package it to the base of the fence, it caused no issue.

Novice fence 16 (last fence)

For Novice I got the last fence of the day.  By this point, these horses were tired.  It was a fairly direct inviting fence with a straight shot to the finish.  It was interesting to see the timing techniques as people came to the finish.

Beginner Novice fence 13

This fence was 3 to the end, fairly inviting, but I have to admit the BN division often gives me heart palpitations.  Not sure if it's because of the riding, or because I know what it feels like to fall off over these fences, but it makes me nervous.  This was heading up to the ditch in the woods, and many riders brought their horses down to the trot after this fence in preparation for that.  It was also right after the "sharks teeth" fence that was put in the fence-line in the woods.  That fence caused a few issues, and one incredible save, but this one was a forward straight fence.

Starter fence 3

And this was my last fence of the day.  Fence 3 for the starters.  This was a small division (4) and we had one fall at the next fence (rider remounted to walk to the barn), but from this starter rider's eye, they were not the smallest fences.  Sometimes they can look pretty little, but these were pretty much what the division called for, a true start test for riders and horses that are just beginning.

All in all, this was a great event.  The staff is always wonderful.  There were a bunch of brand new judges, which was great to see. The fall event is a great time to get your feet wet in judging, as it's a smaller show.  Come January and the Winter shows, it will be no holds barred again this year!