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Maintaining Ringbone
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of research into ringbone, because that is what Chincoteague Minnow was diagnosed with in 2008, and is the reason he was retired from competition and riding in general.
For anyone that doesn’t know, Ringbone is a bone growth in the pastern or coffin joint of a horse. In severe cases, the growth can encircle the bones, giving ringbone its name. Essentially ringbone is a form of equine arthritis. There are several reasons why horses can develop ringbone, I’m fairly certain that Minnow developed it due to poor confirmation (he has fairly upright pasterns) and the fact that for 4 years I competed him in a speed sport, Mounted Games. Although Minnow did develop ringbone in his left front, which is sort of contradictory to our sport, because the majority of the time we always make right hand turns – putting most of the strain on the right front leg. So I think that even though Minnow was involved with a physically demanding sport, he likely would have developed ringbone either way.
Magnetic Therapy for Ringbone
Some horses can continue to be ridden with proper maintenance, and there are several treatment options, although none can cure ringbone. One such option is joint injections, which I did try on Minnow at the suggestion of several vets. The pastern joint can be injected directly, typically with a form of corticosteroid and hyaluronic acid. For several months Minnow was on stall rest, and although I did see improvement it was never enough to continue riding him like I had hoped.
Personally I didn’t think it was right to continue to ride Minnow (by drugging him up) simply for my enjoyment. So now the only “maintenance” Minnow gets is proper barefoot shoeing and the occasional dose of bute (sort of like aspirin for horses) if he’s going to be doing something a little more strenuous like performing with me.
But as Minnow gets older (he turns 17 this year) I’ve begun to wonder if I’m doing enough to alleviate his pain? But at the same time I don’t want to dose him like crazy with supplements that he really doesn’t need. I’m sort of torn in both directions. He’s a hearty pony that was born wild, maybe less is better? I also read somewhere that light exercise is better for ringbone than letting the horse stand in one area a lot. Minnow is turned out daily, but maybe he needs more, perhaps I should be taking him on walking trail rides once a week or more?
So as I contemplate and research what is best for him I’m posting this question to all of my readers (or passerby’s) of this blog….Any Suggestions? Perhaps you’ve had/know a horse with ringbone…has anything worked for them?
As soon as I figure out this Ringbone dilemma I’ll have to move onto Equine Cushings – as my retired Dressage horse, Niatross, has been diagnoised with this illness. He’s not the first experience I’ve had with cushings though, my childhood pony, Oopsie Daisy, also had cushings in his later years.
Chesapeake Boomerang
March 21, 2003 – April 14, 2024
It’s hard to know where to start, so I’ll start from the beginning. Boomer appeared in my life in 2007, when I needed him most. Just after my heart pony, Chincoteague Minnow, had been diagnosed with Ringbone and pronounced unrideable almost suddenly – I was left without a mount, and mourning that part of my life with him. Minnow and I went on to share so much more, but I missed riding and that connection it held. So the hunt began, for another Chincoteague Pony naturally.
Boomer’s older (by a year) 1/2 brother, Blitz, entered our lives first – but led us to find Boomer. It was exciting to bring these two siblings back together after several years apart – Blitz was in Maryland and Boomer was still living at the farm he was born at in North Carolina. We drove halfway to Virginia to meet him, and he instantly won me over when he walked me bravely through a wooded trail filled with obstacles he had never seen. His attempted bucks in the arena didn’t derail my excitement as I decided to bring him home to Pennsylvania.
Once home, Boomer (at just barely 5 years old) never hesitated to show me his sass, and agility. His bronco buck appeared (always without warning) as well as his utter distain for any bit in his mouth. But despite his air theatrics, he quickly won my heart with his willingness to try anything and everything with me and we grew to trust eachother more with every ride.
Over the many years together we tried just about everything you can do with a horse, mounted games, polocrosse, archery, mounted shooting, obstacle challenges, ranch sorting, team penning, extreme cowboy races – Boomer did it all! I wouldn’t say he was the most fearless pony (in fact he was always the lowest in the pecking order in the pasture), but he was fearless with me. Or shall I say, this pony would do just about anything for a treat.
Boomer’s love of food (which ultimately is what led us here because of his metabolic issues) made him my most accomplished trick horse. He mastered sitting on bean bag chairs, laying down, bowing (among many more) and his most memorable….flashing a toothy smile. I will always miss his happy grin in the barn, peeking over the stall door.
I still remember his first BIG trick performance in Chincoteague during Pony Penning week – where he was the fill-in for Minnow, who was still recovering from his most recent ankle injection. He was young, and unproven, but we had spent the beginning of the summer practicing non-stop and he knew what to do. I trusted him to do his tricks, but I had not anticipated how he would act with the crowds of people. He entered the small arena on the first night of performances hyped up like I had never seen him, he dove onto his pedestal and as the crowd cheered I asked him to shake hands. I’m fairly sure my eyes popped out of my head as I watched him rear straight up into the air and proceed to give me a high-five during mid launch. Needless to say he was a handful! But as the week went on he began to settle into the routine and by our last performance he just wanted to park on his bean bag chair and never leave.
Not long after I decided to test him again, and in 6 weeks time we would train to complete in Craig Cameron’s Extreme Cowboy Race. He continued to impress me with his ability to learn everything I asked of him, including flying lead changes, rollbacks, and more. Did I mention he was an english pony – not western trained in the slightest? Once again we entered an arena filled with large crowds and as they let out a cheer Boomer spun me around nervously. It was a lot to ask of my young pony, but I settled him (with a treat of course, because thats really all he wanted in life) and we got to work. He tried his little heart out racing around that arena for me, performing rollbacks just like the western ponies, and flying lead changes at just the shift of my seat. We took home 6th, making it into the preliminary and then final rounds against horses that had trained for years to compete in these races and among professional trainers. I was so proud of him.
As the years went on we continued to enjoy our adventures together, and patching him back together constantly as he dealt with lameness issues, and insulin problems and cushings. My mom, amazingly always there to research meds for him, and the very best of care to make sure we had tried every avenue to keep him happy and comfortable. She kept him fit for me when I was busy having my own kids, and enjoyed his company on the trail for many years as well.
One of my most favorite memories with him was on one of our trail rides – happily wandering the countryside with Boomer and my mom on Blitz. As we popped over the crest of a hill we were suddenly faced with an entire herd of loose cattle. With not a sole in sight, we decided to do what any one would have….herd them somewhere! We still laugh at the image of us rounding up cattle on horseback as the farmers eventually popped over the hill on 4-wheelers looking for their herd. I’m sure they could see how much fun we were having so they let us help herd them through streams and fields back to the pasture they had escaped from. Boomer especially loved the adventure as he nipped at the cows – finally finding an animal he could boss around.
In the last few years of his life, Boomer’s kind demeanor led him to be the caretaker of my children’s miniature horses. Himself, no longer able to tolerate eating grass, spent his days in the drylot with his two little minis, much the same that Minnow used to do as well too.
On his last day, he gorged on the lush spring grass to his hearts content, and ate buckets full of the sweetest grain we had. My daughter braided flowers in his mane, and we enjoyed the sunshine. He flashed me one last smile, and went peacefully at home on the farm with a mouthful of grain. Which is really all he wanted.
We will miss you always Boomer. xoxo. Keep smiling.
The Last Painting
This is the very last painting created by Chincoteague Minnow.
Minnow passed away peacefully at home on our family farm in Pennsylvania on October 29, 2020. He took a very special piece of my heart with him and left me with 18 years of amazing memories that I will never forget.
Minnow came into my life when I was 18 years old (He was 10). I had no idea then how deeply connected we would become over the years. While most people I meet who have an affinity for the Chincoteague Pony Breed say they fell in love with them after reading the famed Misty of Chincoteague Book – I on the other hand fell in love with the breed because of Minnow.
His kind eyes and willingness to try could never be outmatched. Lest I not forget that in his younger years – when we could be found tearing around the mounted games arena, fox hunting, playing polocrosse or trail riding – he was a powerhouse. His body was built like a tank (with tiny little legs) and when he made up his mind about going somewhere there was nothing you could do to stop him. I spent many of our early years hanging onto his mane for dear life as we raced around at top speed.
But his instinct for flight was not unstoppable – likely stemming from his wild roots – as he was born a wild pony on Assateague Island in Virginia in 1994. I never once doubted that I could “tame” this wild pony. It just took a little imagination.
A few years into our new found partnership I discovered a book on trick training. We dove head first into the world of tricks as Minnow learned to shake hands, play fetch, and bow. I had stumbled upon a language that allowed us to communicate and it forever changed my life and Minnow’s as well.
When Minnow was diagnosed with Ringbone in 2008 and deemed unrideable many would have given up on him. He was my best friend, and I refused to believe that it was the end for us.
Minnow picked up painting and we began to learn new tricks and skills that brought us closer together. In my early 20’s we spent much of our time training and touring around to fairs, expos, and our favorite – the annual Chincoteague Pony Swim every summer. We met hundreds of people who I like to think also fell in love with him as they took home a small piece of him in the form of a one-of-a-kind painting.
While each year Minnow’s body began to fail him just a little bit more, we spent some of the best years of my life connecting with each other and painting for anyone willing to watch.
Minnow was there through all of the major milestones in my life – high school graduation, college graduation, my wedding (he was the “flower pony”), and later the birth of my two daughters. He was the very first pony my girls met after they were born, and later took on the role of “protector” to the girls’ two miniature horses who lived in the stall with him.
Our endeavors with Painting Pony slowed in the past few years, as I got busy raising my young children and Minnow’s body continued to age. His steady limp that was always there became more evident as the years went on. We took him to New Bolton to have injections to help his joints fuse and bought him extra years of comfort in doing so. But through it all, we still painted. Stable flies, gnats, mosquitoes, ticks, lice, etc. are extremely annoying and can further harm him too so we use the Best Fly Spray For Horses that can provide complete protection.Â
On October 28, 2020 I brought his easel out for the last time. It was a warm fall day and my girls helped me ready his remaining few canvases I had in the barn loft as Minnow eagerly hung his head over the fence in anticipation. They went inside to have lunch and I was left to paint with my best friend. We painted with no one watching, no crowds, no onlookers – just us. Because that’s how it all began, just Minnow and I, doing something we loved together. And when he was done he gently placed his paintbrush on the easel ledge and walked away.
Forever in my heart, xoxo.
Chincoteague Minnow
1994 – 2020
Warm Days Ahead
It’s starting to really feel like Spring on the farm! As the days start to warm up and it begins to stay lighter longer – I’ve been starting to get the boys back in shape. I clipped Boomerang the other day, and started practicing for some up coming competitions this Spring.
Boomer is feeling fresh, and loving all the attention again. And he couldn’t be happier that we’re running through some of the mounted games races. After all of our fun Blitz and Boomer seem to really enjoy rolling in the dusty dirt.
Minnow is also excited about the added daylight, because it means I can fit some riding in with Boomerang and some trick training in with him.
Even though Minnow can’t be ridden because of his ringbone, he still needs to be exercised. So I’ve developed a “recall” game that I play with him in the arena to allow him to exercise himself at a speed that is comfortable to him.
Much in the same way you might work on recalls with your dog – I send him away from me, then recall him back. As you can see in the video below, Minnow really likes this game and often times goes bucking and running when I send him away.
It’s become a fun way for Minnow to keep in shape, while getting to choose how much he wants to run based on his pain tolerance for that day. I never ask him to canter or trot, but simply let him choose how quickly he wants to play the game.
So what are you doing this Spring to get your horses in shape? Any exciting events to look forward to? I’m still looking for a place to start Boomerang on cattle – can’t wait!
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Versatile Chincoteague Ponies
It’s been a little while since I’ve posted something, but that doesn’t mean the ponies haven’t been BUSY! We’ve held a few events at the farm, and all the ponies have been getting exercised regularly in preparation for a very special trip we’re taking this weekend.
We’re loading up the trailer and taking all three ponies down to Chincoteague Island, Virginia to participate in a beach ride on Assateague Island with our friends from the Chincoteague Pony Centre! I’m so excited to ride MY ponies on the beach for the very first time ever – and to also bring Minnow back to the island where he was born 18 years ago.
I’ve had this trip on my bucket list for a long time now and even though the weather this weekend is looking not so great – I’m still excited to go on this adventure.
Part of the adventure is being able to ride on the beach, and considering Minnow has been in retirement since 2008 due to his ringbone, I figured it was time for him to be saddled up. Minnow hasn’t had a saddle on in about 2 years and although I do exercise him to keep his weight down and occasionally hop on him bareback I needed to make sure he remembered what a girth felt like before our beach ride. Mostly likely Minnow will just do some light walking on the beach and Boomerang will take me on the 2 hour ride, but it was still important to get a practice saddling in before the trip.
Minnow practicing his Spanish Walk
So after one of our shows at the farm we decided to run all three ponies through the obstacle course we had set up (none of the ponies had done this specific course before). Below are videos of all three ponies completing the course. Minnow did exceptionally well considering he hasn’t really been ridden in 2 years (he does get exercised regularly in the ring by allowing him to free-lounge himself) – it’s such a testament to how much he really trusts me.
Minnow:
Blitz:
Boomerang:
So if you were our judge who would have won? We typically judge on accuracy, how relaxed & willing the horse is, and how the rider executes the tasks (speed is not a factor) – this would of been a tough one to judge between our 3 ponies – just goes to show what a great attitude these Chincoteague Ponies have.
Anyone else ever ridden their horse on the beach? Did you know that Assateague Island allows beach rides in the fall season, and you can even camp on the island with your horse. So if it’s your dream too – it is possible!
