Cystic goats and courage...

Hmph.

Spot had her date with Headliner Thursday evening. Sunday morning Spot was in heat again. Wha??

I talked to my goatie friends... called our vet to discuss and it turns out that Spot may be cystic. Meaning she isn't ovulating so she's like a reproductive skipping record and the breeding on Thursday couldn't work.

However, she may have had a false heat... and in that case was the Thursday heat the false one or the Sunday heat?

Owch. It's confusing and making my head hurt.

The plan thus far is to wait until Friday. If she is cystic, she'll come into heat again and we know how to proceed... a shot of GnRH to get the ovary ovulating and then a shot o' lutalyse to cycle her again and she gets a 2nd date. Success rate percentage high.

If she doesn't come into heat again... well.


Things get confusing and uncertain.

We won't know if she is pregnant or not... ultrasound won't work for another couple weeks and if the vet runs a progesterone test to see if she ovulated... well, the test won't show if she ovulated Thursday (good) or Sunday (bad)...

Anyway, like I said. It makes my head hurt so I'm not thinkin' 'bout it til I have to on Friday.

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On the horse front, the sub-zero temps and the death of my Pa impacted my riding in a pretty huge way. It's finally thawed out and I was able to ride my mare Sunday. Ooooeee my thighs are unhappy with me... sore, sore, sore.

Tonight is the barn "Hen Party" for all us crazy horse women to gather 'round and squawk... and tomorrow I'll take that pipsqueak Rosso up and Rex is gonna ride him. Saturday, I'll have a lesson on 'im. Sunday I ride my mare again...

Hopefully watching Rex ride and seeing no harm befall her talented head will help my instinctual lizard brain see there is nothing to fear and my confidence will return. She and I both agree that Sera pulled more dangerous antics when she was a youngster but for some reason the fear kicked in on Rosso.

The more successful rides I have on him, the more confidence I will gain.

This fear thing is really weird. I've never experienced it before. I've been cautious or careful or hesitant before in situations but never downright, lilly livered, yeller bellied, boot quakin' skeered.

Last time I rode Rosso, I really thought I would be fine. I was calm and joking with Rex and I thought I was cured only to find that once I was sitting astride him my legs began quivering uncontrollably in fear.

Shocked and surprised me! So bizarre how your rational mind and your primitive instincts can be at war.

I talked with the horse chiropractor and she said there was a book published a while ago - she didn't remember the title - but it was about how many big horse trainers went through a "fear" phase. The book discussed how the fear started and how they each got over it. I'm talking famous, big name trainers.... I gotta look for that book.

In the meantime... just like John Wayne says, "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."

I will overcome and I'll be saddling up... here's to a good and productive ride on Rosso!