that HURTS!

Well, i sure did it! I messed up my back on Tuesday night while I was feeding Alduca.
I bent over to pick up 2 flakes of hay (note, 2 flakes, NOT 2 BALES) and I didn't think I was going to be able to stand up. I pressed through the pain and stood up and fed the Duke and took some pictures.
I then went in the house, took some Tylenol, and had DH rub some liniment on my back and took it easy for the evening.
Woke up this morning and was in PAIN!!!!!! It was TERRIBLE! I couldn't move without a sharp, shooting pain in my lower back. There was a constant dull pain...which was tolerable. But that sharp pain was unbearable...and I can tolerate pain!

Got on the Internet and looked for Chiro numbers in my town.....found 2. Called at 8am on my way to work.
The nice lady that answered the phone said "yes, I can get you in at 8:45" Ohhhh yes! Thank goodness!!! Maybe I won't be in pain all day!

Ran to the office to start my computer and do a couple things then off to the CHiro!
Paperwork.....wait......paperwork......
Initial exam....OUCH doc, it hurts there..... (GOT BROWNIE POINTS for coming in the morning after injury....not waiting weeks like a lot of people do. The quicker you can fix this type of thing the better apparently)
ok...yep, you hurt yourself! (NO KIDDING)
Ok, have have injured your sacral-iliac joint...or your SI joint. Very common in woman, very painful. We are going to hook you up to a tens unit to fatigue your muscles, then we are going to turn you into a pretzel and get your back back into shape.
That didn't sound like an enjoyable process to me....but the pain was terrible and I was game for anything at this point.

The electro-muscle-fatiguing stuff was.....interesting. It felt like little fingers on my back where the patches were placed......interesting. It was good, and bad.....but some of the pain was gone when I stood up from this treatment.
Back into the Doc's 'room' I went. I will not refer to this room as 'the room of torture'.
Having never been to the chiro except for a neck issue (long story about a fall from a horse that led to me walking around with my head/neck cocked to the right, but that' s a whole nother story) I had NO IDEA what was in store for me.
I stood in front of a table that laid me down....it was sooo cool! Stood on this 'platform' and the table was then tilted forward and viola, I was laying down. Doc says "you can I thought that was a good thing......until.....snap crackle pop rice crispies went my upper back! What the heck? That part doesn't hurt! 'Have to get everything back in proper alignment'
OK DOC, if you say so! The pain was short lived. Just while it all went snap crackle pop...then it was over and I felt good.....
onto the lower back....
moved to another table where I had to lay down on my side....first I laid on my right side, so he could fix the left joint which is where the PAIN was......had to keep right leg straight.....bend left at hip and knee......and i SWEAR he jumped up and down on my leg HOLLY PAIN! OUCH!!!
Repeat on the other side......

At the end of the session i can say I did feel better! The shooting pain was gone. Ye haw Doc! Way to go!
Follow up appointment on Friday.....will see how that goes!

Alduca update.......

Well folks, I don't know about you but I think he looks better!

His backbone is 'beefing up', and his rump is as well.

His hair is coming back after only about 1 1/2 weeks of Shapley's M-T-G. LOVE that stuff! It's great!!!

He is a spoiled rotten brat, who gets a carrot in the am and 2 carrots with dinner in the pm. He nudges and sniffs around until he gets them too. He's one smart cookie! I made him 'work' for one last night, and he is still as flexible and agile as he was when we left Maryland in 2001. He can bring his nose to his hip, if not a bit further! Flexible guy! Can't wait to start getting him in shape so he can be ridden next year! :)

And the flood gates open.....AGAIN!

OK folks.....we've had serious rain on and off for the last month and a half! We got our land cleared and have been trying to build fence. NOT easy when your place is FLOODED!
We got the front poles in, and it rained. Rained more before we got the next line of posts in. Rained some more while we were clearing the back fence line. Rained some more while we were putting in the left side posts.......this is over the course of a few weeks, as we are doing ourselves, with the help of 2 friends.
Well, it rained Wednesday, and ALL DAY yesterday I think a little cell camped out over our house because when I got home it was FLOODED!!! Standing water over about 3/4 of our property. So much for finishing the fence on Saturday :(
It continued to rain off and on last night, and was still sprinkling this morning.
UGH, is it ever going to stop?
Last summer we were in a huge drought. This year....not so much.
Danged if we do, danged if we don't!

Evil Feed Bag!

SO, since his Saturday PM arrival I've noticed that Mr. Butthead can't keep his lips closed long enough to aviod dropping half his grain.
His teeth were checked by the vet that saw him and Florida and were deemed ok. I'm starting to question that!! He literally drops like 1/2 his grain.
He was almost out of his supplement when he got here, not leaving me enough time to order some. SO, I combed the area to see if any local feed store carried it. Viola! One in Victoria did! They closed at 5:30. I screamed outta the office 15 mins early and headed to town. Arrived just in time! I noticed they had some feed bags hanging on a display...BONUS! Supplement and feed bag in one place! YAY!

Ran a few other errands and played catch up with a friend for about 30 mins before heading home.
I'd phoned and told DH not to feed Duckie because I'd found a feed bag and would take care of him when I got there.

When I arrived home I found him standing in the front corner of his pen sulking! Poor boy! Everyone got dinner but him!
I raced inside and changed my footwear. Threw grain and supplement in the bag and headed his direction. As I rounded the corner of the shed I was greeted with nickers and whinnies of a hungry monster!
"oh yeah" I thought...just you wait! You won't be happy with me in a few minutes!
*duckie used to get fed in a feed bag when we were in Maryland* I stepped into his pen, and he started to walk to his bucket. "wrong answer, buddy!" He walked back to me and put his head in the bag. I adjusted it and put the strap over his ears.
After about 2.2 seconds he went to flipping and flopping and shaking his head around trying to get the bag off! Funny stuff! Didn't spill a drop though!!
He ate a bit....and shook a bit. Ate a bit...and shook some more.
I stood there with him, laughing at his antics and waited till he was done. I took it off his head and he began hunting for more!
"sorry bud, it's all gone".
He finally realized that it was gone and he settled in on hay munching!
Poor boy!!

I got up around 3 am this morning to let the dogs out and snuck a peek at his pen...he was laying down, sleeping!

Got up this morning and filled the feed bag and took it to him. Much less head shaking and attitude this am!!! Good boy! He catches on QUICK!
As soon as we can arrange it, we will get his teeth looked at. Coggins is due in October.....

Alduca is here.....skinny, but here

Alduca arrived Saturday around 4pm. He was tired, spent. It's a long trip from Hastings, Florida to Edna, Texas! Poor boy! 1,020 miles, plus a little for door to door pick up/delivery!

I think he lost most of the weight on the trip that Aimee had managed to get on him. Not surprising! That's a tough, stressful trip for any horse. Let alone a horse that's about 700 lbs underweight!

Here are some photos that I took Monday AM.

excuse the terrible photos! My camera would not adjust from the cold house to the hot and muggy outside temps quick enough! I had to leave for work!

Not the most flattering photo, I know....but it shows his total lack of muscle tone and weight on his hind end.

He's ON HIS WAY!

Alduca left Florida about 20 mins ago....here are some pics!

LOST?

Am I lost? Heck no! Just busy, and not much bloggable info happening....until tomorrow!!

Alduca, the TB that I blogged about a few posts back......will be leaving Florida at approx 2pm TOMORROW afternoon (7/15/2010) and will be headed for MY HOUSE! Isn't that just the most exciting news? my DQ, back at my house!
He still needs more weight, but looks much better then when Aimee found him. He will get the rest of summer and most of fall to gain weight and put on some muscle with starting him back in light work. THEN, come spring I'd like to take him to some schooling shows and see what he's got! POOR FELLA, he's quite old now. 19! BUT, no reason a SR can't still be a usable mount.

In other news, Casper has turned into a crocodile. YES, sad but true. Cas is too use to being in his stall, and has terrorized the other horses in his pasture. He doesn't act studly, just very 'alpha' in the pasture with his two gelding 'buddies'. So, we are looking at keeping him at the trainer's for her to use with the Local College Eq team girls/guys. This will be good. We get discount board and he gets ridden and can teach other people lots. Downside, I don't get him at home to ride....BUT, I'll have Duckie (Alduca).

I hope everyone out there in blogger land is well. I will post pics if possible tomorrow. Aimee said she'd send some of Duckie getting on the trailer. :)