It has been a few weeks of firsts for Karma: her first time jumping all the way into the trailer, her first trail ride as a SAFE horse, and her very first show!
Trailer loading has been a challenge for Karma since the day we picked her up but we have had an amazing break through with it. She now will jump in without any hesitation or stress! She actually is quite content and happy inside the trailer. We’re still working on getting out slowly. She’s good about stepping out on her hind legs but she then likes to jump with both fronts at the same time. But we’ll get there The progress she’s made since coming to SAFE is outstanding!
Karma had a little setback that slowed down her training for a bit. She was turned out with Nala and the two of them got upset about another horse loading into a trailer so they started running around. Karma slipped and landed hard on her side. She ended up with a large swelling the size of a softball on her gluteus medius and a smaller one the size of a baseball at the top of the semitendinosus muscle that runs along the back of her leg. We did light hand walking as the swelling subsided. It took almost a month for the larger swellings to come down. We also used arnica gel and very light massage to help move the fluid from the area. She was a very good girl for all of this, and her injuries never seemed to cause her any pain or discomfort.
Now back to full work, Karma is doing well at the walk and the trot and she’s learning to relax in the canter too. We have introduced a few volunteer riders to her training schedule and she is responding well to them. They too can ask her to get in and out of the trailer and she will go in willingly for them!
Her first trail ride and schooling show was a great success! She was easy to manage on the trails with only the smallest bit of hesitation when approaching new things. Volunteer rider, Casey, took great care of Karma throughout the Hollywood Hills Schooling Show. I did a little bit of groundwork with her and Casey to start the day and then Casey helped support her through exercises to regain focus and get her to a place of peace. Through the day, Karma had some nice relaxation and we look forward to taking her to a few more throughout the summer, especially the SAFE Horse Show coming up August 1–2!
