Start of half term

Testing new blog!

Toffee back to normal

Toffee is much better and almost entirely back to his usual self. As it happened, the vet was coming out to the yard yesterday to see another horse, so I asked for Toffee to be checked over whilst she was there. She says he is how he should be 2 weeks after the operation, and took his temperature which was normal.

Obviously we are still keeping a careful eye on him in case it recurs. The vet suggested the wound had sealed but getting him to walk round on Sunday opened it again so it can continue to drain by itself. He is still a little swollen, so there is obviously still fluid leaking out.

Improvement

Toffee is much better today (phew!), the swelling has gone down, although still noticeable, and he is walking and trotting round the paddock during the day.

He whinnied both this morning and this afternoon when I went to walk him round again, and tried to bite me, or my coat sleeve, or the lead rope, whatever's handy, so is much more his usual self  ;-)

He walked with me much more confidently and taking notice of his surroundings, even spooking at things, and looks a lot brighter. Still a little quiet for him, so fingers crossed for the improvement to continue over the next few days.

Toffee not well :-(

It appears I spoke too soon about Toffee being absolutely fine after his castration. He's been fine and his usual self all week, then on Friday evening he was lying down nodding off in his pen which is unusual at the time when I am still there. I put it down to having had a tiring day - farrier to trim feet, being put in a different stable, then someone waving a measuring stick at him later on!

Yesterday when I brought him in he was rather subdued. I had a good look underneath and everything is rather swollen again, but more than it was for the few days after the operation. Amy (YO) told me that he had been perfect to lead out in the morning, which had both surprised and pleased her! I said do you mean he was subdued, and she agreed perhaps he was not his usual self  :-(

This morning she texted me to say he was much more swollen and walking very gingerly out to the paddock.

She called the vet who said give him bute (well, Danilon) twice today, and get him walking actively 5 times during the day, and call her again tomorrow. She says it is unlikely to be an infection as he is still eating, she says he would be off his food and getting much more poorly.

So, I've been to the yard and walked him around, very reluctantly, he didn't move when his playmate was bucking and squealing round him (because the tractor with scary noisy rollers on the back was coming past), and after some walking, I let him go again, and he stood by me at the gate as if to say "don't leave me". I kept myself busy for half an hour putting away the jumps we'd all played with for the last few days, as the arena needs levelling now. Then I went back and walked him round and round again, in the paddock this time, and this time he was walking a bit better, the swelling has definitely gone down a bit, and he was taking more notice of his surroundings and not so clingy.

I am going back again later to do more walking round and see how he is.

Arena Eventing at Fenning Farm

Today Fudge and I managed to get out in the lorry - for the first time since last October! Spring must be on the way as I've been feeling more motivated to get out and about again. So we went to a local venue that has been under new management for about a year, to have a go at Arena Eventing.

This started with 7 show jumps, followed by a timed section of 9 XC style fences of rustics, brush, straw bales with carrots on top etc! We entered the 75cm (2'3") and 80cm classes (2'7") and managed to come 5th and 6th respectively, although the classes were rather low in numbers so it sounds better than it was! Generous venue though still gives rosettes to 6th.

I was very pleased with the way Fudge jumped, not quite so pleased with the way I rode some of it, but we got over everything! In the 75cm we had 4 faults with the planks down, and one refusal at the corner, so circled and Fudge flew it the 2nd time. I didn't get the best line to it the first time, and I don't think he'd quite worked out what it was. Anyway as it's in the XC section, there are no faults for refusals, you just have a longer time of course.

In the 80cm we had 4 fences down, but a good time of 1 min 11 secs

which turned out to be only 4 secs over the optimum time, so I was

very pleased with that. We are out of practice at jumping courses that big, and 16 fences is a long course! Mr Fudge put in some fabulous jumps, he really tried, I could feel him working them out and realising they were quite a bit bigger than last time! The 4 fences down tended to be unlucky that he just caught a pole which then fell. Oh yes and he scattered carrots and parsnips all over the arena by scraping them off the top of the straw bales with his big feet  ;-)

So - a good day, definitely worth getting out of bed early on a Sunday morning for.

Meanwhile, for those who didn't see my status on FB earlier in the week, Toffee had his appointment with the vet (and 3 trainee vets as it turned out) to be castrated. Poor thing, I felt very guilty putting him through all that, but the vet assured me it was very straight forward, and he has been fine. He is walking just a little gingerly, but hard to tell any real difference.

Today he was playing in the paddock as usual with his same age companion, so he's obviously feeling well enough to run around as usual.

So it's official, I now own two geldings  :-)

Review of 2010

My 2010 goals were:

- take Fudge on riding holiday (went to Norfolk in summer)

- do JumpCross training and competition (did one of each)

- XC/ODE (did 3 hunter trials)

- more Trec competitions and try level 2 again (did one L1 and two L2's in a pair with Mary, plus a winter indoor)

- stay overnight in lorry (3 times)

- get more than 60% in Novice dressage (according to my sheets we did that 4 times, all unaffiliated)

- do Elementary dressage (did it twice)

Plus it wasn't a goal at the start of the year, but doing more SJ got added part way through the year with a goal of jumping the dreaded 85cm which we managed by qualifying for BRC Festival of the Horse Combined Competition, so I jumped a course including many 85cm fences 3 times, and had numerous jumping lessons too  :-)

Phew, we managed to fit lots in there!!

Then in December I bought a foal ... which also hadn't been a goal for 2010, but has been on the back burner for the last few years ...

Anyway - goals for me and Fudge for 2011:

- more level 2 Trec, hopefully a qualifier if we can get to one on suitable dates, as they are supposed to be much more difficult, and possibly including competing as an individual if I'm feeling really brave

- long distance riding, Suzanne and I are intending to ride the Mary Towneley Loop this summer

- JumpCross competitions (do Intro level again, then hopefully have a go at the next class up)

- arena eventing (a local venue is running some this winter)

Goals for me and Toffee for 2011:

  - lead properly  :-)

  - pick all 4 feet up willingly - it turns out that someone else had taught him this (I assume his breeder) as he did this perfectly for me last week, and we haven't looked back since!

  - gradual separation from his fellow foal companion as they are now inseparable ...

  - become a gelding - him, not me  ;-)

Toffee's arrival

I've been rather busy over the last couple of weeks, and here's why.

Today we collected my new boy, Toffee.
Photos of Toffee's arrival on Photobox
Photos on facebook

He is chestnut and white, but we think the brown bits will turn roan. His passport says roan.

I am a sucker for white legs and belly splash, and a big white blaze  :-)

His Mum is TB and his Dad is ID x Hackney, bizarrely!

He should make 16hh to 16.1hh, or so his breeder reckons.

Very proud Mum  :-)