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19th February

Well two bits of good news to start with. Firstly the Equissage arrived on Friday so we have had a chance to get Sarnie accustomed to that over the weekend. Saturday she was a little wary of the hum of the motor but we took time to get her used to it before putting it on her back on a low setting. By Sunday she was standing with it on quite relaxed. Will be using it daily to help her circulation and general well being.

Secondly I have been shortlisted for the Supastuds scholarship. There were nearly 100 applicants and we are down to the last half dozen! We are going to be invited for a viewing day details of which I haven’t got yet. Have a few mis-giving's about this final process but will wait and see what the final details of the day will be.

Lastly for today I need to draw your attention to another member of the team Rebel. What do you think of his new collar? This lovely greyhound collar is part of the new Kate Negus range of dog collars. I would highly recommend it as the quality of the collar and leather is fantastic. For more details see www.katenegus.com

16th February

Look who is home and very pleased about it! Things have not quite gone to plan with Mary’s time away to be sold and thing are turning on their head again! Mary has been with Adam Ellery a fortnight but has had to come home as Adam has broken his collar bone off another horse.

Adam feels I may be silly to sell her. She has not put a foot wrong in her time with Adam and he was impressed with her movement and athleticism. So a rethink is on the cards. She is a bit skinny at the minute so she is home for 6 weeks to put some weight on and then will return to Adam for a few weeks. If she continues on her best behaviour and my recovery continues then she may stay.

Feed wise I have decided to change all my horses onto the Pure Feeds, I have been impressed with their reviews and particularly with Mary in mind they do a good conditioning mix that doesn’t light them up. I will let you know how it goes.

The one down side of Mary being back is 4 stables to muck out daily and I seem to be going through shavings like water! I have been looking into buying in bulk or cost effective alternatives but there is so much choice it is difficult to decide what to do for the best. So for the moment I am continuing my 3 times a week car trips to fetch shavings!

14th February

Had some exciting news yesterday with a phone call out the blue offering me (or perhaps I should say Sarnie) the loan of an Equissage pad. Equissage delivers unique cycloidal vibrations which reach deep tissue, muscle and bone via the pad which enables the system to actively treat a number of specific problems, as well as helping to maintain peak condition and general good health. For a horse recovering from an operation and stuck in her box this could really help her maintain her condition and cope with the stress of being shut in, it will promote circulation and hopefully healing. For more information see the Equissage website  http://www.equissage.co.uk/

I want to say a big thank you to Equissage and Fred and Rowena Cook of Equine Management and Training for organising it. I will let you know when it arrives and what Sarnie makes of it.

I don’t think Sarnie is looking too bad condition wise, her coat is quite good, I am trying to groom and strap her when I have a chance to help muscle tone and just to spend time with her. Currently I am changing the outer bandages daily and my foot bandaging is improving quickly!

12th February

It has been a bit of trying weekend, although I guess to expect Sarnie’s recovery to be trouble free after such a lot of drugs and a major procedure was wishing too much. Yesterday when I went back to do evening stables she was just a bit uncomfortable and unhappy, not eating (a sure sign something is up), I called my vet luckily it was Sarnie’s vet on duty and he popped out for a look to be on the safe side. By the time he arrived she had perked up a bit, but she had an antibiotic jab in case she didn’t eat those in her feed.

Today the foot is giving her a bit more pain so another call to the vet who agreed we up the bute a bit, no heat or swelling in the leg so hopefully just a stage of the recovery process. Tonight again a little quiet but did perk up after being left for a while (playing to an audience for sympathy I wonder?). Joe (vet) is due out first thing tomorrow so we will assess again then.

Would be nice to get to a stage that I am not constantly worrying about her! Pippa was definitely feeling left out and stomping round her box at a great rate this morning. I think she is trying to rival Sarnie in how much bed she goes through!  She s getting fitter having nearly completed 4 weeks of roadwork and I will shortly introducing some gentle schooling. Can’t wait to actually get out and do something!

9th February

Votes close tomorrow (Friday) at noon for the social media awards above. If you have not voted yet please consider doing so.

So far so good with Sarnie, dressings changed yesterday and looking fine, she is weight bearing comfortably and is very bright in herself. Actually too bright I don’t think mini rears is required when Pip goes out, she had settled but I think the fame is going to her head! Will be a long road to recovery but at least we are on the way.

7th February - Sarnie’s Operation

Much as I wasn’t looking forward to today I was glad it had finally arrived so we could get the keratoma out and Sarnie on the road to recovery. Before I start I have to say a big thank you to everyone involved as they did a superb job, we have a long way to go yet but at least the first stage has gone well.

The operation was done a home and a lot of preparation went into making the area suitable for the operation.

A lot of time was spent preparing the foot, my farrier and vet worked together to get her ready. The foot was filed and the areas where the sole had been lost filled to add support. Sarnie was initially lightly sedated.

A plaster was then applied to the foot to offer support and equipac used around the frog.

This once moulded and set had to be cut to allow the vet access to appropriate bits of the foot. However it still helps maintain the shape of the foot. X rays were used to decide where the cut needed to be made and a small circular saw used to cut through.

Once it had been decided where the wall needed to be opened up a dremel tool was used to slowly scrap away the wall of the hoof. A further thicker cast was then fitted to the foot which for the present time will act as a support almost like a shoe. At this point Sarnie was also nerve blocked. The hoof wall was scraped to a point at which it was soft to touch.

As the most critical part of the operation arrived a tourniquet was fitted around the fetlock to stop excessive bleeding and she was heavily sedated. Iodine was used to clean the area and then the vet cut into the foot.

The front piece was taken off and the keratoma came away with it.

The foot was then cleaned, the pedal bone exposed and scraped to remove the infection and the area the keratoma had come from

Once clean it was packed and fitted with a cuff for even more support and then bandaged

I am pleased to report this evening she was eating as normal, relaxed and looking like nothing had happened.

6th February

Sarnie will be operated on tomorrow. Tonight her foot from the fetlock down has been clipped and her foot smothered and wrapped in Iodine to disinfect the area as best as possible. Rubber mats have been scrubbed, cleaned and dried and are now laid out ready to act as operating floor.  She will be sedated and nerve blocked but done standing in a procedure that could take a couple of hours.

Have been fairly relaxed about the whole process but feeling nervous tonight and a little sad. So hope it goes smoothly and she makes a full recovery, there is no reason why she shouldn’t. Will update you all tomorrow.

5th February

Sadly Mary is going to be sold, it is just not practical for me to start off a youngster and it is a long time before I will be able to do her justice.  This is a huge disappointment to me as she moves so well and looks like she should have a huge jump. She is easy to do at home and had her first shoes on this week as if they had been going on all her life and loaded in the lorry very easily. She has gone to www.westcountrysportshorses.com  where she is being brought back into work and prepared for sale. Adam is a great rider and will do a fabulous job but it does hurt to be paying someone else to do something I would love to do myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr4OsikdHQ0&feature=related

If anyone is interested in knowing more about Mary please contact me or Adam via the web link above.

Looks like Sarnie’s foot is going to be operated on Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest this week so plenty of healing vibes needed. Going to be quite a procedure but be very glad now when it is all over.

Spent another day yesterday dressage writing at Colraine. This is probably the 5/6 time I have judged or written since my accident and I have learnt a huge amount that can only help me next time I am in the arena. I think everyone that does dressage should at least write for a judge once in a while as it is so educational to watch from C and see simple thing which lose a huge amount of marks. Also quite interesting to work out that there are some blind spots where you can get away with a bigger aid.

At the lower levels it is amazing the amount of marks that can be gained for accuracy in the shape and timing of the movements, using the corners and having a correct bend.  

2nd February

Had a very nice write up in the West Briton today (link here) about my website and the social media awards. Always nice to get a bit of recognition.

We like most people are all frozen at the yard, so Pip is confined to barracks as well as Sarnie. We did manage to ride out on the roads for an hour keeping a sharp eye out for any black ice, last thing I need is to hurt either of us! Less pain today which was good and now over half way through the road work and more exciting things are getting closer! Who would have thought that even the thought of getting out to do a dressage test is vaguely exciting! Just hope the injury allows me to do this!

Click here for January blog