My last post details the events of the first ride but to be honest it was actually very uneventful and Jack behaved beautifully, hurrah!
I am surprised everyday with just how easy Jacks recovery has gone and how laid back he has been about being back in work. When I think just how horrendous his behaviour had become prior to his surgery in February I keep waiting for it to all go horribly wrong again but so far he has taken everything in his stride and behaved impeccably.
His surgeon said to me before going ahead with the surgery that all being well there was no reason why we could not be back to full fitness and competing, even eventing, before the end of the season. Whilst it was a possibility I am very aware of the fact that a lot has to go right for this to happen and I didn't ever think that we would be lucky enough to not hit any bumps in the long road back to full recovery. So far Jack has far surpassed all my dreams and expectations by being absolutely wonderful!!
It is still very early days in his ridden rehab and I am very aware of the need to take things nice and slowly to give him time to adjust, build up muscles and to realise the pain he has lived with for so long is no longer there. I have now ridden him 3 times, twice in the ménage having had a lunge first and once on a little hack where I got straight on no lunging beforehand. Each time we have remained in walk the first session was simply just walking and halting with no pressure on what shape he was in etc. but he felt rideable, listening and pretty relaxed so the following 2 sessions I asked him to work in a long and low outline and he obliged without resistance, good pony! I was particularly pleased with him during our first hack, he was relaxed and forward taking the lead and listening the whole way. The only slight issue being the huge decorative wheelbarrow that has been placed near to the entrance to the farm by the village in bloom team! Both Jack and his hacking buddy where very unsure about the whole thing and took a few minutes to get close and have a look at it and realise it wasn't about to eat them!
His lunging is going from strength to strength and he is now happily lunging over raised poles in walk trot and canter on each rein and seems to be really enjoying himself with it!
He had to have an enforced break over the weekend due to my OH, his parents and my BFF all being away on the same weekend (how dare they!) so no childcare meant Jack enjoyed some extra time in the field (with a muzzle on the little piggy!) I don't think this was a bad thing as it has meant even if I wanted to I couldn't over do things to soon!
I will be continuing to ride and lunge alternate days over the coming weeks, still taking things steady and hoping to avoid pushing Jack too quickly and risk upsetting him.
To say I'm thrilled with his progress would be a massive understatement, I am immensely proud of how he has dealt with everything thrown at him and has just got his head down and worked so well when he could easily have been tense, stressed and difficult about it all. He really is such a trooper, doesn't make a fuss and gets on with things, what a horse :)
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