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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Team 38: My Own Rendition




Hi, my name is Esty.  I started riding at age 6 when my mother bought me an evil little pony.  My husband and I now own 3 horses with our fourth on the way in mid March.  I currently live at Fort Polk Louisiana, but I have traveled quite a bit as a military spouse.  I am the mother of 4, ages 6 to 15..... and also a full time student pursuing my doctors in Biology (eventually).   My appendix Lark (My Own Rendition) and I have dabbled in a variety of disciplines; from dressage to jumping.  I started riding endurance and competitive trail 3 years ago when good friend of mine introduced me to distance riding, Lark and I have been hooked since then.

26 comments:

Esty said...

Got a short ride in with Cappy today.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/139170342
7.24 miles

Shannon said...

Hey Esty how is lark
Shannon

Esty said...

Hey Shannon. Lark is healing. We went to the vet last week and he trotted out sound. We were SO lucky, several of the dog bites are over his digital extensors, I thought we may have lacerated one of them. The wound on his front right leg is really ugly still. Once it heals a bit more we will start back slow, may just pony him some next week....
Thanks for asking1

Esty said...

4.76 miles.... Well not too long of a ride but it is Larks first ride since the dog attack on Dec 27th. My boy is sound but this ride made me quite aware that we have some mental healing to do. We were both on edge, stupid things like plastic trash bags quickly became horse eaters. I had to get off to encourage him to cross a small puddle, something I haven't had to do in years. I'm not complaining though; I have my boy, with time he (we) will make a full recovery.

Tammy Vasa said...

Attacked by a dog? What happened?

Esty said...

Last month (27 Dec) my husband and I were out riding our horses. We were on a trail on Fort Polk Louisiana that ran about 20 yards behind the post housing. We came across an unleashed pit bull using the bathroom. The owner tried calling at his dog but the dog did not respond. At first the dog was just interested in the horses and wanted to smell them, his smells quickly turned into nips and then bites. He bit lark several times throughout his legs and nose. Lark kicked the dog at least five times but the dog never stopped attacking. We finally got away after making a full out run for about a half mile. Throughout the attack Lark somehow kept me on; I know Lark was conscientious of me, keeping me from falling.

The dog ended up suffering from a pneumothorax but has healed and is back with his family. Lark sustained a large bite to his upper right leg, a bite to the nose, a laceration over each hock (we were afraid the digital extensor had been injured) and a bite through the gastrocnemius tendon (similar to our achilles tendon). All of the hock lacerations, the bite to the nose, and the bite to the tendon have healed. The large bite to the upper right leg is still healing but is superficial. Somehow he is completely sound. We were conditioning for the "Airport Express" in Houston when the attack happened. I had figured it was out of the question now, but my vet feels he will be fine. I am going to bring Lark back to the vet for one more soundness exam before the ride just to be safe.

The part that gets to me is that pit bulls are banned on Fort Polk. The owner was allowed to pay $29, complete an online application for service dog certification, and is somehow allowed to bypass the regulation. The certification does not require any formal training; you just have to state that a medical condition requires the dogs presence.
The post vet did a temperament exam of the dog and found that he was not aggressive.
Here is a link to my FB. https://www.facebook.com/esty.molina
I have pictures posted if anyone would like to see. I will try and post this on the blog and add pictures as well.

Esty said...

Ride 2 on Lark: 4.30 miles http://connect.garmin.com/activity/141741154
He is still sound and going strong. We came across a dog that charged out into the road, Lark freaked a bit but the dog was just excited to see us. All ended well... we are looking forward to a longer ride tomorrow.

Esty said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Esty said...

Ride 3;
6.67 miles.

We found some new trails today, looking forward to more exploring tomorrow.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/142133985

Esty said...

Ride 4; 11.45 miles

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/142373800

Esty said...

8.10 miles today.
I'm using endomondo as my GPS for now, seems my other GPS is having issues ;(

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/qZUqbqhC1cA

Esty said...

19.31 miles

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/umAGSv06wns

Esty said...

5.12 miles

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/nQ2_xPqHN_s

Esty said...

19.86 miles

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/qDSbPG-yYC4

Esty said...

8.89 miles
http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/kf2uJYKkrdc

Esty said...

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/kXK477jPHUc
29.06
Our AERC ride this last weekend. Lark finished 2nd and won BC. At one point it has us at 36 mph... do not think that is correct ;)

Shannon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Shannon said...

Congtates on your BC that is so awesome Esty I love your picture I know that spot very well!

Esty said...

We went to the AERC ride Racing Stripes at Priefert Ranch, Mt. Pleasant, Texas this weekend.
Here is day one. Lark came in 2nd and my hubby rode with us, they came in 3rd. Lots of rainy, muddy, fun!!!

28.54 miles

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/qM0T5qBoBpM

Esty said...

Here is day two. We went VERY slow, my daughter rode with me and she wanted turtle. She somehow managed to get turtle and top ten! Some changes were made to the trail because it was very muddy, but on the bright side, it had finally stopped raining.

30.02 miles

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/mQhqs6PXrPw

Esty said...

1.63 miles

We have been taking time off, did a little ride today.

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/shekop_yoE4

Esty said...

I forgot to post a ride last week, but it was only a couple of miles. Here is a ride from today... Found some new, fun, and challenging trails to explore!

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/q9HOVCNaFIM

7.19 miles

Esty said...

I keep forgetting to get my rides posted. Here are the last couple though.

5.99 miles
http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/j73I5amtFWM

8.01 miles
http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/q6k2lmLtLvo

Esty said...

5.85 miles; http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/gDrdpV6H1IM

Esty said...

7.54
http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/v64tKSS34GM

Esty said...

6.44


http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/qbPdl2Wgfx0