Need positive thoughts for injured wife.

[mikepvg]

Thank you all for the words of encouragement & thoughtful advice.
I printed this thread last night & showed it to Rebecca.
She was genuinely moved by everyone's words & prayers.
Please don't let anyone ever tell you prayers & thoughts don't heal. Rebecca finally slept thru the night last night. This was the first time since Sunday!

Leroy "Bad" Brown, her quarter horse, has already started his "positive reinforcement trailer loading program". LB has always been afraid of the trailer for some reason. I believe it has to do with his "traditional" negative reinforcement training instituted during his youth. All you have to do is raise your hand & you know someone did some bad things to him. Its time for corrective training. I've been working w/ LB this week, in between caring for Rebecca. I postioned the trailer in a safe zone of an enclosed fenced in area & secured all doors etc, for safety. Trailer door is open & secure. His food is now presented in the back of the trailer & he decides on his own when to go in & feed (hunger is a good motivator). No "tradional" pressure or pain is involved. Would not go in the first day. Would only go in the second day on his own for short time periods. At 5am this morning I was actually able to lead him into the trailer with no lead rope or even a halter. I will build up spending time w/ him in the trailer & eventually incorporate the metal clanking sounds of the trailer to complete his training. His progress is excellent & I believe Rebecca & LB will be safely back together soon.

Thanks again for everyone's help with Rebecca's healing process.

Mike & Rebecca

 

[Archive]

Mike and Rebecca...



I sincerely hope for a speedy recovery. I have owned horses for many years... they are very powerful and very beautiful.



Also, good luck on the re-training.

 

[HEMI®Dart]

I just saw this thread Mike.



Hope the wife gets well soon!!!

 

[Archive]

Mike... any updates? Please keep us informed on progress.

 

[Hammer]

From our family out here in South central PA all our thoughts and prayers to you and your family,,We all wish her a speedy recovery and hope she continues to do what she enjoys the most,,If there is anything we can do to help let us know... Andy,Sheri and kids.....

 

[SteveE]

Tell Rebecca we're thinking of her and wish her a speedy recovery.

She will be in our prayers.

 

[johnwen1]

Mike,



From my family to yours, may God bless her and we wish her all the best. Keep the faith.



Wendell

 

[Kraut67M]

My wife and I wish your wife Rebbeca a speedy recovery. As somone has stated previously, this will bring you two closer together. It gives me a great feeling of satisfaction when I can be ther e for my wife, especially when she really needs me.

God speed!

Kraut

 

[mikepvg]

Everyone's thoughts/prayers are continued to be appreciated since I print the new posts for Rebecca. She throughly enjoys reading them & wishes to extend a warm thanks to all.



Update:

Looks like Rebecca is going to avoid any infection (could have been the biggest problem)



IMO that the thumb is healing very well. "Discovered" that she has a "button" sewn into her thumb on the outside to hold certain ligaments (looks pretty cool) in conjunction with the pin holding the bones. She still has hyper-sensitivity in the thumb & the associated problems with that but otherwise its progressing pretty well.



LB has made amazing progress with his trailer training & continues to accept that "nothing in the trailer is gonna get him".



I took LB out for a ride for the 1st time myself & the 1st time w/o another horse around. This horse has an excellent temperment & is just a "big (very nice) dummy". However, I discovered that he is not very secure with himself & spooks very easily, which can be a liability.

1) He is afraid of mud

2) He is afraid of water

3) He is definately afraid of lighting

Encountered all 3 at once over the course of this ride. "Mr Plop along" becomes "Mr Stallion" & rears straight up & does his little 360 degree dance. We broke a few small trees during his little dance but came home none the worse for wear.

I gotta some work to do with him.



The trailer idea is working out great but I am undecided on how to proceed w/ the mud & water problem. He wants to jump ANY mud or water (doesn't even matter if its just a trickle of water). If you gently rein him in to be easy going across the obstacle (Flash the qtr/appy horse responds perfectly to this & will proceed like cat!) but LB WILL rear up or JUMP as far as he can.



Any ideas from the horse people with more experience than I on how to deal with his water/mud phobia would be greatly appreciated!



Mike

 

[wrk2mtch]

Hope she gets well soon.

Tell her she's got lots of support from the TDR!

 

[Max Wedge]

Mike, like the rest I am truley sorry to hear about this uinfortunated accident. I trust that by this day, Tuesday 6-5-01 she is doing better. I don't mess with horses, but a few years back I was installing a 4-speed in my '64 Fury Max Wedge car and it decided to come off the jack and totally crushed my left hand and 50% removed the index finger and cutting the ligaments--after 2 surgeies back then I am fine. You both are in my thoughts and prayers.



Ron

 

[musclefixer]

Mike and Rebecca,

As a person in the therapy field, let me tell you that accidents happen to everyone at one time or another.

Glad to hear the infection situation is no longer an issue. That is the biggest obsticle for the recuperation of the thumb.

On the issue of the hypersensitivity, (Im sure the therapist has told her about this) have her GENTLY rub her thumb, at first with a piece of light cloth, then when she can stand it, with her fingers.

Have her do this alot during the day to lessen the sensitivity over time.

Rehab is not easy, but it is possible, as many people recover from incidents like this every day.

Best to you and your wife, and try to keep a PMA

possitive mental attitude.



Jesse.

 

[WJackWalker]

I am so sorry to hear of your wife's injury. But, am very glad to hear of her advancements and I will be remembering her in my prayers.



Jacky

 

[tom sweeney]

mike... best wishes to you and your wife... we will remember both of you in our prayers..... tom & eileen sweeney

 

[Brandon]

We have refraned from posting on this, but prayers went as soon as this post was up, mike you have our best wishes and prayers for your wife.



read monty roberts and john lyons... ... ... . they have a way with horses.....

do you ride for pleasure or for competition or to start horses



if it is pleasure, then keep the pleasure part, find older gentler stock that has already been around the block

my wife and I start horses and have to work at it all the time, they are our children, yes we also have a son, but horses need just as much work as kids when they are young,



I hope this comes out right... ... ... ... ... our best wishes and prayers for your wife



Brandon&Danelle&Duncan

 

[mikepvg]

Brandon&Danelle&Duncan



We agree w/ you regarding the philosophies of Roberts & Lyons & have read some of their writings.

Unfortunately, neither of us grew up w/ horses, so we lack some experience & just try to learn all we can everyday.



We ride for pleasure & annual hunting trips & I'm sure like others would like to do much much more. We do have one older horse who has been around the block is proving to be a real advantage on the trail dealing w/ unexpected conditions.



The younger spookier one is gonna take us around the block on his learning curve. He is not so young that he should be a problem but I think his training is incomplete. We work w/ him daily. He is already "cured" of his trailer loading problem & I believe as WE learn we can "cure" him of his other phobia's.



Thank you for your healing thoughts.



Mike&Rebecca

 

[fest3er]

Whilst I have minimal experience with horses, I should think you could modify your current 'training program'. Make the horse cross water/mud to get to his food. Granted, finding a suitable location to create a mud hole could be a problem, but if he gets used to crossing water/mud to get to his food, he should become accustomed to crossing them any time. Of course, you could also try leading him through the water/mud. He might become embarassed that a puny human can do something he can't!



Next, asssuming you meant 'lightning' (not lighting), feed him in some location for a time. Then install a variable-power strobe near there running on the lowest, dimmest setting and, very gradually over many feedings, increase the brightness until he becomes accustomed to the flashes of light. Of course, if it's thunder that scares him, you could try blank shotgun blasts starting from a fair distance, decreasing the distance as he becomes less skittish with the blasts.



Good luck! And I'm glad Rebecca is recovering nicely thus far.



Fest3er

 

[Brandon]

consider having ride the horse at a feed lot for a month or two,



5 days a week rode until they are mentally and physically tired. The water training must be with rider, you must always have a positive ride, this is the way to train, always postitve, dont make issues out of things that are refused by fear.....





they are just like children, always set them up to succeed, they dont learn by fear, they learn by confidence



go back to the basics in the round pen, snaffle and martingale, they will learn all the basics, crossing over and flying lead changes, rollbacks, all these are confidence builders, not to mention you will get a horse so broke in the mouth, you can use your legs to do everything, all these are the basic confidence builders that so many horses need to be a trully broke horse, when a horse is fully broke it doesnt matter if they spook they WILL NOT RUN OFF OR DO BAD THINGS the horse will be secure right between your two hands

sorry about all the rambling just like to see you get through this

later

B... ...

 

[merryman]

We wish you (wife) the best on recovery.

When we were raising/training/showing horses, I learned to be most wary of trailering horses--one broken finger,(much as you described your wifes incident) and numerous incidents. If something can go wrong, it can go wrong quicker around a trailer. -- sometimes think I could write a book on trailer incidents.

After years of "trailer races" to shows all over the region, I could just about get an ulcer just thinking about the next trailer incident.

Hope the recovery continues well.



Vaughn

 

[KWIKKURT]

Happy to hear from reading the posts that recovery is going well for your wife.



Years ago I was standing infront of a "Ford" when the owner reached in and started it. Well you can guess the rest!! it started up and crushed my legs between it and a car behind me then died.



Same as your wife's hand --with the pins protruding out of my right leg in six places and extra parts here and there. I looked like "Robocop" But not as pretty!!There was much concern about infection. The doctors would not let me see the leg for a week after the accident and then only when I was doped up.



They say good things come from hardships. I made some more good friends and have never liked fords since that day!



Good luck and Godspeed!!



Kurt Yardley