Posted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 8:06 pm Post subject: Gracie update
Things that are going well:-
All training exercises, including clicker, lunging, long reining, general manners.
Things not going so well:-
Farrier smacking her in the face when she bumped him with her nose
Two people in small space induces terror
Her teeth are terrible, but she is very worried by anything to do with the handling required for denistry. So the plan was to sedate her, but she needs to be sedated in order to be sedated.......
So as Sedalin was a bust we are planning on rubbing the injectable stuff into her gums. To 'encourage' acceptance of this I am experimenting with peppermint fondant and if that is no good, Guiness (bottled natch).
About the only strongly flavoured thing she likes is peppermint (and valerian). Not desperately keen on sugar lumps or honey. Carrots are good, but no good for the gum rubbing.
Picture of her lunging:- (despite desperate teeth and feet she still tries really really hard and is reasonably blissful to work with if you ignore the fact that I still can't pick up her back feet).
Bless you - she'd be even luckier if she were with someone who is a better horseman than I am or if she had never landed up at the dealers in the first place. I do try but I am very aware I make some huge muck ups which then take some undoing
Have discovered that when her feet are packed with her dry aubiose bedding she lands heel first in front. Which is handy because I am struggling to do more than the briefest of 'picking out' with the fronts and can't get near the backs at all.
Clicker training is proving a boon - but found she doesn't like the peppermint fondant or the Guinness. But have discovered she will let me briefly rub the inside of her top lip. I might try soaking some gelatin in the sedative and then wedging it between lip and gum.
We did it! Shoes off and teeth done Phew. Never have a vet and I been so relieved
And despite huge initial negativity and scepticism the vet admitted at the end that Grace had improved (behaviour) enormously and that he was wrong, she isn't a 'bad un' and that we should be proud of our progress.
Her feet are badly underrun behind, but compared to the stress of the anticipation of today, I feel I can tackle anything.
Photos later, when I have calmed down and got Grace woken up and settled safely for the night.
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Phew. Never have a vet and I been so relieved 
