Archie's new bit comes in today.  Remember when I said that this wasn't going to be a horse blog, but a life blog of a person who happened to be a horse owner?  I lied.

I've seriously got to pepper in some non-horsie stuff.  Like more food, other than cupcakes.  Photos.  I've been taking fake-photos lately.  I've been itching to get some macro of a serrano pepper plant that has itty bitty little peppers sprouting.  Yeah, that stuff.  Hey, maybe even some crafty crap or fashion! (Both things I enjoy but am horrible at.)  (Because I have a short attention span, am chubby and cheap.)  (And they don't make a lot of clothes for chicas with big assets and small asses.)

So, for the past eighty-bajillion years (or six or seven), I've been riding Archie in a snaffle.  Occasionally a full cheek, but I thought that pissed him off.  Normally a D-ring.  His current bit I bought because the previous one had a questionable history (I have no idea where the fuck I got that thing) and I swore it was causing black marks in his mouth.  After buying the new bit, I realized that the marks didn't match up to where the bit sits, so I'm just retarded and paranoid.

I noticed in a lot of pictures, even though I think I have relatively responsive and gentle hands, his mouth is open.  This got me thinking about the snaffle bit.  And then I met Google and we discussed it.  And I learned about the whole idea of the nutcracker effect that a snaffle has the potential to cause.  I'm not saying that every single snaffle bit out there cranks into the roof of a horse's mouth.. but the idea haunted me.  I'm itchy about the concept of bits anyways, so that one I'm using could potentially be causing undue pain really drove at me.

I knew I wanted to switch him to a "Happy Mouth".  He has no problem stopping and he's responsive, so why not go for the least amount of bit I could?  And after reading about a single-joint, I decided that I wanted a double-joint to relieve some of that pressure.  If I thought I would get the same response from a bar bit (maybe a flexi bar?), I'd try that.

This is what I decided on: Happy Mouth Double Jointed Roller Dee.  Who knows if he'll even like it!  It's gotten great reviews, so here's hoping.

In other news, I called the vet's office yesterday to get the contact information for the chiropractor.  In Augusta, Archie was adjusted, stabbed and massaged by Dr. Ridgway out of Aiken.  I knew Archie had a lot of issues.  I didn't expect his entire body to be a red zone.  I know this time probably isn't going to be much better.  I still feel like he's got tightness in his right shoulder and his back is just fucked.  Always fucked.

After getting the information for the equine chiro, I googled her.  Who doesn't?  And I found out that she's got a website, which, while easy to do, places her higher in my estimate.  When my vet was telling me about her, he underwhelmed me.  He made her sound like a chiropractor who started doing horses and dogs in her spare time, rather than a person who took the steps to get accreditation and skills.. which she is.  She's also a horsewoman, which helps.  When she called me back, she was very friendly, very professional.  She asked a  few questions about what Archie needed and when I said that he's got continuing back pain, she moved me up on her list of priorities.  She had me rate his back pain (I'd say a five) and how long it had been going on (originally dx'd in January).  And it also seemed that she understood that I was completely bonkers about my kid and that we needed to get this shit handled ASAP.

So she's coming out on Sunday, at no additional charge.  How cool is that?  It turns out that her practice is reasonably close to where the Archman stays.  We were both thrilled about that.  And her cost is completely awesome - half the price of the other guy.  Sure, the other guy lectures in Europe.  Whatever.  :)  I'm thinking that this could be a monthly expenditure.  And maybe I can get some adjustments, too!