Feeling thankful 23/1/17

It's all to easy to focus on the negatives isn't it?  To think about all the bad luck you have had and feel very sorry for yourself.  With social media you see all your friends and people you follow having success with their horses and doing things you want to do, it's easy to feel jealous or that life just isn't fair!  I'm as guilty as anyone of feeling sorry for myself when things have not been going well with Jack but you know what it's time to stop because I am blessed.  I have a lovely little horse who might come with a bit of baggage and have his issues but he is a lovely character,  he isn't the most talented but he tries his hardest for me, we have reached an understanding, I know how to get the best out of him and while he isn't going to win any gold medals he's mine and I love him!  People have told me I should get rid of Jack before he has any more health issues, that they wouldn't bother with him anymore and cut their losses before anything else goes wrong, but the thought has never crossed my mind.  For several reasons I don't think it would be the right thing to do for him or me.  I actually think his health issues are a reason to keep him, I understand what is needed to keep him happy and am prepared to manage these conditions.  I know what is normal for him and know when something is wrong.  I would never be able to trust that someone else would do the best by him no matter what and can't bare the though of him being passed from home to home as a problem horse.  He is mine, he is my responsibility and I will do right by him because he deserves it, he didn't ask to have kissing spines, arthritis, ulcers or strain his ligament.  Yes it's bad luck but that's all it is.  I have stopped beating myself up about him having all these issues, they are not my fault, there is nothing I could have done differently to prevent them but I have done my very best to treat them and manage them to make him as happy and comfortable as possible.
It's taken a little while but he is looking better and better as his work increases and his weight drops!
Although obviously I would rather my horse had not had all these problems is has meant I have learnt so much about the process of rehabilitation, injury management, different types of therapy, nutrition, diet, supplements and more.  I have also made lots of friends through support groups and blogging about our experiences so there are always positives to be found in any situation!

On to this week and we are progressing well, we have been able to have our first canter after 2 weeks of building up the amount of trot work.  I took him out for a nice hack last the weekend and at the end of the bridle path is an open bit of grassed land which you can have a canter on so I picked up trot and as he felt keen allowed him to pop up into canter.  It felt fantastic, a real step forward!  He was a little too keen and I had to keep him from going too fast too soon but it was great to have him feeling so well and wanting to take me.  We also got a lovely hack in with a friend with lost of lovely forward trot work and a play up and down some slopes to get him moving and using his back end!
It's always hard to hack out Monday to Thursday in Winter as I don't get finished at work in time to get out in the day light but this week I was able to get round the block for 20mins which is real progress and wont be long till the light is good enough to hack after work, while I still went in the school after our little hack as well to make sure he got enough exercise it was nice as a change.  I had a fab schooling session this week and a lunge over poles too, I even got to pop a little jump this week! Exciting!  More hacking was done this weekend with some really pleasing trot work especially.  We are building up with a few little canters thrown in where we can and I'm particularly pleased with Jack's attitude which is keen and enthusiastic in his work, something that has been lacking a bit in the past but had improved considerably before his ligament injury.  It's pleasing that this has not been affected by the injury and time off and that he has not reverted to being lazy!
I've given in and clipped him again too, while we were doing walk and trot work it wasn't needed but now we are increasing the work load and cantering Jack is sweating up a bit and it will only get worse so it had to be done.  I did think I might get away with not clipping as I really don't like it but I either needed to hold off on increasing his workload or clip!
I've gone for a version of combination of a trace and blanket clip, it keeps his back and quarters warm but all the main sweaty areas are now nicely clipped and non sweaty.  I don't like taking the hair off his back and quarters as I don't want them to get cold and stiff and him not work so well.

 

I also managed to get this lovely snap of the horses just after I had turned out yesterday morning, it was a beautiful crisp, frosty morning with the sun just coming up, something caught the horses eye and they were all stood fixated on something in the distance!